self of the concupiscences which are called concupiscences of the body and the flesh, and that he must live spiritually: which things they do not otherwise understand, than that they must reject worldly things, which consist chiefly in riches and honors; that they must walk continually in pious meditation about God, about salvation, and about eternal life; and that they must spend their life in prayers, and in reading the Word and pious books: this they esteem to be renouncing the world, and living in the spirit and not in the flesh. But that the case is altogether otherwise it has been given me to know by much experience, and from conversation with the angels; yea, that they who renounce the world and live in the spirit in this manner, procure to themselves a sorrowful life, which is not receptible of heavenly joy; for with every one his own life remains. But to the intent that man may receive the life of heaven, it is altogether necessary that he live in the world, and engage in its business and employments, and that he then by moral and civil life receives spiritual life; and that spiritual life cannot otherwise be formed with man, or his spirit prepared for heaven: for to live internal life and not external at the same time, is like dwelling in a house which has no foundation, which successively either sinks, or becomes full of chinks and breaches, or totters till it falls.- H. H. 528. 2209. That it is not so difficult to live the life of heaven as is believed, is evident now from this, that it is only necessary for man to think, when any thing presents itself to him which he knows to be insincere and unjust, and to which he is inclined, that it ought not to be done because it is contrary to the divine precepts. If man accustoms himself so to think, and from so accustoming himself acquires a habit, he then by degrees is conjoined to heaven; and so far as he is conjoined to heaven, so far the higher principles of his mind are opened; and so far as those are opened, so far he sees what is insincere and unjust; and in proportion as he sees these evils, in the same proportion they are capable of being shaken off, for it is impossible that any evil can be shaken off until it be seen. This is a state into which man may enter from free will, for who is not capable from free will of thinking in this manner? But when he has made a beginning, then the Lord operates all goods with him, and effects not only that he sees evils, but also that he does not will them, and finally is averse to them: this is meant by the Lord's words, My yoke is easy and my burden light, Matt. xi. 30. It is however to be known, that the difficulty of so thinking, and likewise of resisting evils, increases in proportion as man from the will commits evils; for in the same proportion he accustoms himself to evils, until at length he does not see them, and afterwards loves them, and from the delight of love excuses them, and by all kinds of fallacies confirms them, saying that they are allowable and good: but this is the case with those, who in the age of adolescence plunge into evils as without restraint, and then at the same time reject divine things from the heart. the left was narrow or trait, leading through the west to the south, and thus into the light of heaven; the way which tended to the right was broad and spacious, leading obliquely downwards towards hell. All at first seemed to go the same way, until they came to the great stone at the head of the two ways, but when they came thither they were separated: the good turned to the left, and entered the strait way which led to heaven: but the evil did not see the stone at the head of the two ways, and fell upon it, and were hurt, and when they rose up they ran on in the broad way to the right, which tended to hell. It was afterwards explained to me what all those things signified. By the first way, which was broad, in which many both good and evil went together and discoursed with each other as friends, because no difference between them was apparent to the sight, were represented those who in externals live alike sincerely and justly, and who are not visibly distinguished. By the stone at the head of the two ways, or at the corner, upon which the evil stumbled, and from which afterwards they ran into the way leading to hell, was represented the divine truth, which is denied by those who look towards hell; in the supreme sense, by the same stone was signified the Divine Human of the Lord: but they who acknowledged divine truth, and at the same time the Divine of the Lord, were conveyed by the way which led to heaven. From these things it was again made evident, that in externals the wicked lead the same kind of life as the good, or go in the same way, thus one as easily as the other, and yet that they who acknowledge the Divine from the heart, especially they within the church who acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, are led to heaven, and they who do not acknowledge are conveyed to hell. The thoughts of man, which proceed from intention or will, are represented in the other life by ways. Ways also are there presented to appearance altogether according to the thoughts of intention, and every one likewise walks according to his thoughts which proceed from intention: hence it is that the quality of spirits, and of their thoughts, is known from their ways. From these things it was likewise evident what is meant by the Lord's words, Enter ye in through the strait gate; for wide is the gate and broad the way which leads to destruction, and many are they who walk through it; narrow is the way and strait the gate which leads to life, and few there be who find it, Matt. vii. 13, 14. That the way is narrow which leads to life, is not because it is difficult, but because there are few who find it, as it is said. From that stone seen in the corner where the broad and common way terminated, and from which two ways were seen to tend in opposite directions, it was made evident what is signified by these words of the Lord; Have ye not read what is written, the stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner? whosoever shall fall upon that stone will be broken, Luke xx. 17, 18. Stone signifies divine truth, and the stone of Israel the Lord as to the Divine Human: the builders are they who are of the church: the head of the corner is where the two ways are: to fall and to be broken is to deny and perish. 2210. There was once represented to me the way which leads to heaven, and that which leads to hell. There was a broad way tending to the left, or towards the north; and many spirits ap- 2211. It has been granted me to speak with some peared going in it: but at a distance was seen a in the other life, who had removed themselves stone of considerable magnitude, where the broad from worldly business, that they might live piously way terminated. From that stone went afterwards and holily, and likewise with some who had aftwo ways, one to the left, and one in an opposite flicted themselves by various methods, because direction, to the right: the way which tended to they believed that this was to renounce the 438 COMPENDIUM OF THE WRITINGS OF EMANUEL SWEDENBO... world, and to subdue the concupiscences of the flesh. But most of these, inasmuch as they had thence contracted a sorrowful life, and had removed themselves from the life of charity, which life can only be led in the world, cannot be consociated with angels, because the life of angels is a life of gladness resulting from bliss, and consists in performing acts of goodness, which are works of charity. These things are stated to the intent that it may be known, that the life which leads to heaven is not a life abstracted from the world, but in the world; and that a life of piety without a life of charity, which is only given in the world, does not lead to heaven, but a life of charity, which consists in acting sincerely and justly in every function, in every engagement, and in every work, from an interior principle, thus from a heavenly orgin: and this origin is in that life when man acts sincerely and justly because it is according to the divine laws. Such a life is not difficult, but a life of piety abstracted from a life of charity is difficult, which life nevertheless leads away from heaven, as much as it is believed to lead to heaven. · ·H. H. 533–535. well with him, but if he does not receive, it is ill with him: when he does not receive, if he then feels something of anxiety, which here is straitness of soul, there is hope that he may be reformed; but if he does not feel something of anxiety, the hope vanishes. For there are attendant on every man two spirits from hell, and two angels from heaven; for man, inasmuch as he is born in sins, cannot in any wise live, unless on one part he communicates with hell, and on the other with heaven, all his life being thence: when man is grown up, and once begins to govern himself from himself, that is, when he seems to himself to will and to act from his own judgment, and to think and conclude concerning things of faith from his own understanding, if he then betakes himself to evils, the two spirits from hell approach, and the two angels from heaven remove themselves a little; but if he betakes himself to good, the two angels from heaven approach, and the two spirits from hell are removed. When therefore man betakes himself to evils, as is the case with most in youth, if any anxiety is felt when he reflects upon the wrong which he has done, it is a sign that he will still receive influx by the angels from heaven, There are those who can be reformed, but as also it is a sign that he will afterwards suffer not regenerated. 2212. To be regenerated is said of those, who by the truths, which are said to be of faith, suffer themselves to be led of the Lord to the good of spiritual life; but to be reformed is said of those who, by the truths which are of faith, cannot be brought to the good of spiritual life, but only to the delight of natural life: they who suffer themselves to be regenerated, act from affection according to the precepts of faith; but they who do not suffer themselves to be regenerated, but only to be reformed, do not act from affection, but from obedience the difference is this, they who act from affection act from the heart, and thus from a free [principle]; and also they act truth for the sake of truth, and good for the sake of good, and thus exercise charity towards the neighbor; but they who act from obedience do not act so much from the heart, consequently not from a free [principle]; if they seem to themselves to act from the heart and from a free [principle] it is for the sake of somewhat of self-glory, which makes it to be so apperceived; nor do they act truth for the sake of truth, nor good for the sake of good, but for the sake of the delight arising from that glory; thus neither do they exercise charity towards the neighbor for the sake of the neighbor, but that they may be seen, and that they may be recompensed. A. C. 8987. 2213. They who do good from the obedience of faith, and not from the affection of charity, in the other life can never be brought to a state of good, that is, to act from good, for every one's life remains with him after death: such as man is when he dies, such he continues, according to the common saying. As the tree falls so it lies; not that he is such as he is about the hours of death, but such as he is when he dies in consequence of the whole course of his life; wherefore they who, during their life in the world, have been imbued with a principle of doing good only from obedience, and not from charity, remain such to eternity; they are perfected indeed as to obedience, but they do not reach to any thing of charity. — A. C. 8991. A Sign of Reformation and Non-Reformation. 2214. The Lord continually flows into man with good, and in good with truth; but man either receives it or does not receive; if he receives, it is himself to be reformed; but if nothing of anxiety is felt when he reflects upon what he has done wrong, it is a sign that he is no longer willing to receive influx through the angels from heaven, and also a sign that afterwards he will not suffer himself to be reformed. A. C. 5470. Each one regenerated differently. 2215. That every one can be regenerated, each according to his state, is because the simple and the learned are to be regenerated differently; and also those who are engaged in different studies and in different offices; those who are inquisitive about the externals of the Word, differently from those who are inquisitive about its internals; those who from parents are in natural good, differently from those who are in evil; those who from infancy have brought themselves into the vanities of the world, differently from those who have sooner or later removed themselves from them; in a word, those who constitute the external church, differently from those who constitute the internal. This variety is infinite, like that of faces and dispositions; but still every one, according to his state, may be regenerated and saved. That it is so, may be evident from the heavens into which all the regenerate come, in that they are three, the highest, the middle, and the last; and into the highest those come, who by regeneration receive love to the Lord; into the middle, those who receive love towards the neighbor; into the last, those who only practise external charity, and at the same time acknowledge the Lord as God, the Redeemer and Savior. All these are saved, but in various ways. That all may be regenerated, and thus saved, is because the Lord with his divine good and truth is present with every man; thence is the life of every one, and thence is the faculty of understanding and willing, and these have free agency in spiritual things. These things are wanting to no man; and also means are given; to Christians, in the Word; and to the Gentiles, in each one's religion, which teaches that there is a God, and precepts concerning good and evil. Hence this follows, that every one may be saved; consequently that the Lord is not in the fault, but man, if he is not saved; and man is in the fault because he does not coöperate. — T. C. R. 580. The Spiritual Sense will hereafter be made known to none but those who are principled in genuine Truths from the Lord, The Literal Sense of the Word is the Basis, Continent, and Firmament, of its Spiritual and Celestial Senses, 60 60 In the Literal Sense of the Word, Divine By the Literal Sense of the Word, Man has The divine and beautiful Things which are The Word is in all the Heavens, and the The Literal Sense of the Word a Guard to the Truths concealed in it, The Literal Sense of the Word more powerful than its Spiritual Sense, and accommodated to Man, The Word of the Old Testament, 61 62 What Charity properly is, The Form of an Angel appears in Heaven as 63 65 How there came to be a Distinction between 86 They only who have lived in Charity are received into Heaven, 86 67 68 The Presence of the Lord with Man is ac- Love, Life, and Works, with every Man, make 69 A Life of Charity is a Life of Uses, full of 69 Memorable' Relation concerning Charity and 69 69 69 70 71 71 72 Faith, 87 87 88 88 89 89 90 91 92 92 93 93 94 72 SECT. 9.-REPENTANCE, REFORMATION, AND 73 REGENERATION. 73 Thoroughness of Repentance, &c., 73 Ignorance of the Church concerning Regen- Appearance, but Charity actually the first, 73 How Man is brought to true Wisdom, Faith never becomes Faith till the Truths of Errors and Blindness of those who are in Faith alone composed of all Falses and all The Principle of Faith alone has its Origin The Six States of Man's Regeneration, 74 Regeneration by Remains, What Man's Proprium is, 75 What the Heavenly Proprium is, 95 96 96 97 . 97 . 98 . 100 100 100 . 101 Evil, by Regeneration, is not exterminated, but is only separated to the Circumferences, and remains to Eternity, 76 Regeneration by perpetual Progressions, |