Life of Emanuel Swedenborg: Together with a brief synopsis of his writings, both philosophical and theologicalWhite, William
Religion
Life of Emanuel Swedenborg: Together with a brief synopsis of his writings, both philosophical and theological
White, William
Mystics -- Sweden -- Biography; Swedenborg, Emanuel, 1688-1772
Chapter IX. treats of Repentance. It is shown, in the first place, that
repentance is the first constituent of the Church in man, and that in
proportion as a man practices it, his sins are removed; and as they are
removed, they are forgiven or remitted. Contrition, in the sense of a
mere lip-confession of being a sinner, and of being involved in the guilt
of Adam, without self-examination, is not repentance. Every man is born
with a propensity to evils of all kinds, and unless he remove them, in
part, by repentance, he remains in them; and whoever remains in them can
not be saved. The knowledge of sin, and the discovery of some particular
sin in one’s self, is the beginning of repentance. Actual repentance
consists in a man’s examining himself, knowing and acknowledging his
sins, supplicating the Lord, and beginning a new life. True repentance
consists in a man’s examining not only the actions of his life, but also
the intentions of his will. Those also do the work of repentance, who,
though they do not examine themselves, abstain from evils because they
are sins; and this kind of repentance is done by those who perform works
of charity from a religious motive. In repentance, confession ought to be
made before the Lord God the Saviour, and at the same time supplication
for help, and power to resist evils. Actual repentance is an easy duty to
those who occasionally practice it, but it meets with violent opposition
from those who never practiced it. He that never did the work of
repentance, and never looked into, and examined, himself, comes at last
not to know the nature either of damnatory evil or saving good.
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