174. Then I talked with the angels accompanying me about the fact that there are two kinds of rule: one that of love towards the neighbour, the other that of self-love. The rule of love towards the neighbour is to be found amongst those who live divided into households, families and clans; the rule of self-love among those who live together in a community. Among those who are divided into households, families and clans, the ruler is the father of the clan; beneath him are the fathers of families, and beneath them the fathers of each household. The father of the clan is the title given to the man who is the ancestor of the families, and through the families of the households. But they are all ruled by love, such as a father has for his children. He teaches them how to live, does them favours and gives as much of his own to them as he can. It never occurs to him to make them his subjects or servants, but loves to have them obey him as sons do their father. Because, as is well known, this love increases as it comes down, the father of the clan acts from a more inward love than the father who is directly the progenitor of his sons. Rule in heaven is like this, since this is the kind of rule the Lord exercises; for His rule comes from His Divine love towards the whole human race.

[2] The rule of self-love, the opposite of the rule of love towards the neighbour, began when man estranged himself from the Lord. For in so far as a person fails to love and worship the Lord, so far does he love and worship himself, and he equally loves the world. Clans were then compelled in the interests of security to bring families and households together, so beginning various kinds of kingdom. In step with the growth of that love, evils of every kind increased, such as enmity, envy, hatred, revenge, brutality and trickery directed against all opponents. For nothing but evil pours forth from the self of those dominated by self-love, since a person's self is nothing but evil, so that the self, being evil, cannot receive any good from heaven. That is how it is that, when self-love is dominant, it is the father of all such evils. ¹ Moreover it is characteristic of that love that, in so far as restraints are relaxed, its headlong career ends up with each individual of this sort wanting to rule over all others throughout the world, and to possess their property. In fact, not satisfied with this, he wants to rule over the whole of heaven, as may be seen by reference to the contemporary Babylon. Such now is the rule of self-love, a rule as far removed from that of love towards the neighbour as heaven is from hell.

[3] Yet however much the rule of self exhibits this character in communities, in, that is to say, kingdoms and empires, the rule of love towards the neighbour is still possible in such countries in the case of those whose faith and love for God have made them wise, since these people love the neighbour. If the Lord's Divine mercy permits, I shall describe elsewhere how these people in the heavens too live divided into clans, families and households, even though grouped into communities, but depending upon their spiritual relationships, which arise from the good of love and the truth of faith.

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