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Oseas 8:6

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6 Porque de Israel es, y artífice lo hizo; que no es Dios: por lo que en pedazos será deshecho el becerro de Samaria.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #1152

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1152. And wine and oil.- That these signify worship from truths and goods that are from a celestial origin, profaned, is evident from the signification of wine, which denotes truth, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of oil, which denotes good from a celestial origin (concerning which see above, n. 375). Wine signifies truth from a celestial origin, because it is here connected with oil, which denotes good from that origin. For there are in this, as in the former verse, pairs, one of which signifies what belongs to truth, and the other what belongs to good, both from the same source; it therefore follows, that wine signifies truth from a celestial origin, because oil signifies good from that source - that wine in the Word signifies truth or spiritual good may be seen above (n. 376) - for truth from a celestial origin coincides with spiritual good. It is similar in regard to oil, which, when the anointing oil of holiness is meant, signifies the good of celestial love, but when the oil with which they anointed themselves at festivals is meant, it signifies the good of spiritual love.

[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- It was said above, that it is a law of the Divine Providence, that man himself should compel himself, which means that he should compel himself from evil, but not to good; he is permitted to compel himself from evil, but it is not granted to compel himself to good which in itself is good. For if he compels himself to good, and has not compelled himself from evil, he does not do good from the Lord, but from himself, for he compels himself to it for the sake of himself, or of the world, or recompense, or from fear, this good in itself is not good, because the man himself, the world, or recompense, is in it as its end, but not good itself, thus neither the Lord; it is moreover not fear but love that causes good to be good. As for example; were a man to compel himself to do good to his neighbour, to give to the poor, to endow churches, to do justice, consequently, to perform deeds of charity and truth, before he had compelled himself to abstain from evils, and had by that means removed them, it would be like a palliative mode of treatment, by which a disease or ulcer is healed externally, or it would be like an adulterer compelling himself to chastity, a proud man to humility, and a dishonest man to sincerity, by mere external acts.

[3] But when a man compels himself to abstain from evils, he then purifies his internal, and when this is done he does good from freedom, without compelling himself to do it; for so far as a man compels himself to abstain from evil, so far he comes into celestial freedom, and from this freedom is every thing good which is good in itself; he does not therefore compel himself to it. It appears indeed as if there were a close connection between compelling oneself to abstain from evil and compelling oneself to good, but there is no such connection.

From the evidence of experience I know that many have compelled themselves to do good, but not to abstain from evils; but when they were explored, it was discovered that evils from within were inherent in the good which they did; their good therefore was compared with idols and with images made either of clay or dung. And I was told, that such persons believe that God is gained over by glorification and the offerings, even though they proceed from an impure heart. Nevertheless, before the eyes of the world, a man may compel himself to good, although he does not compel himself to abstain from evils, since in the world he is rewarded on that account; for in the world that which is external is regarded, seldom that which is internal; but in the presence of God it is otherwise.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Heaven and Hell #382

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382. [a.] In the inmost heaven there is genuine marriage love because the angels there are in the marriage of good and truth, and also in innocence. The angels of the lower heavens are also in marriage love, but only so far as they are in innocence; for marriage love viewed in itself is a state of innocence; and this is why consorts who are in the marriage love enjoy heavenly delights together, which appear before their minds almost like the sports of innocence, as between little children; for everything delights their minds, since heaven with its joy flows into every particular of their lives. For the same reason marriage love is represented in heaven by the most beautiful objects. I have seen it represented by a maiden of indescribable beauty encompassed with a bright white cloud. It is said that the angels in heaven have all their beauty from marriage love. Affections and thought flowing from that love are represented by diamond-like auras with scintillations as if from carbuncles and rubies, which are attended by delights that affect the interiors of the mind. In a word, heaven itself is represented in marriage love, because heaven with the angels is the conjunction of good and truth, and it is this conjunction that makes marriage love.

382. [b.] Marriages in heaven differ from marriages on the earth in that the procreation of offspring is another purpose of marriages on the earth, but not of marriages in heaven, since in heaven the procreation of good and truth takes the place of procreation of offspring. The former takes the place of the latter because marriage in heaven is a marriage of good and truth (as has been shown above); and as in that marriage good and truth and their conjunction are loved above all things so these are what are propagated by marriages in heaven. And because of this, in the Word births and generations signify spiritual births and generations, which are births and generations of good and truth; mother and father signify truth conjoined to good, which is what procreates; sons and daughters signify the truths and goods that are procreated; and sons-in-law and daughters-in-law conjunction of these, and so on. 1 All this makes clear that marriages in heaven are not like marriages on earth. In heaven marryings are spiritual, and cannot properly be called marryings, but conjunctions of minds from the conjunction of good and truth. But on earth there are marryings, because these are not of the spirit alone but also of the flesh. And as there are no marryings in heaven, consorts there are not called husband and wife; but from the angelic idea of the joining of two minds into one, each consort designates the other by a name signifying one's own, mutually and reciprocally. This shows how the Lord's words in regard to marrying and giving in marriage (Luke 20:35, 36), are to be understood.

Footnotes:

1. [Swedenborg's footnote] Conceptions, pregnancies, births, and generations signify those that are spiritual, that is, such as pertain to good and truth, or to love and faith (Arcana Coelestia 613, 1145, 1255, 2020, 2584, 3860, 3868, 4070, 4668, 6239, 8042, 9325, 10249).

Therefore generation and birth signify regeneration and rebirth through faith and love (5160, 5598, 9042, 9845).

Mother signifies the church in respect to truth, and thus the truth of the church; father the church in respect to good, and thus the good of the church (2691, 2717, 3703, 5581, 8897).

Sons signify affections for truth, and thus truths (489, 491, 533, 2623, 3373, 4257, 8649, 9807).

Daughters signify affections for good, and the goods (489-491, 2362, 3963, 6729, 6775, 6778, 9055).

Son-in-law signifies truth associated with affection for good (2389).

Daughter-in-law signifies good associated with its truth (4843).

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.