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Heaven and Hell #58

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58. Lastly, it must be mentioned that he who has heaven in himself, has it not only in the greatest or general things pertaining to him but also in the very least or particular things; and that these least things repeat in an image the greatest. This comes from the fact that everyone is his own love, and is such as is his ruling love. The ruling love inflows into particulars and arranges them, and everywhere induces a likeness of itself. 1 In the heavens, love to the Lord is the ruling love, for there the Lord is loved above all things. Hence, the Lord there is the All in all things, flowing into all and each, arranging them, clothing them with a likeness of Himself, and making it to be heaven wherever He is. So it is that an angel is a heaven in the least form, a society in a greater form, and all the societies taken together a heaven in the greatest form. That the Divine of the Lord makes heaven and that He is the All in all things may be seen above (7-12).

Footnotes:

1. [Swedenborg's footnote] The ruling or dominant love with everyone is in each thing and all things of his life, thus in each thing and all things of his thought and will (Arcana Coelestia 6159, 7648, 8067, 8853).

Man is such as is the ruling quality of his life (Arcana Coelestia 987, 1040, 1568, 3570, 6571, 6935, 6938, 8853-8858, 10076, 10109-10110, 10284).

When love and faith rule they are in all the particulars of man's life, although he does not know it (Arcana Coelestia 8854, 8864-8865).

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9279

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9279. 'And on the seventh day you shall cease' means a state of good, when the person is governed by internal things, and [his] peace and serenity then. This is clear from the meaning of 'the seventh day', or the sabbath, as a time when a person is governed by good and is led by the Lord by means of good, dealt with in 8495, 8510, 8890, 8893; and from the meaning of 'ceasing', or resting from work, as peace and serenity then. Regarding this state, see what has been stated and shown above in 9274, 9278.

[2] But a brief statement must be made to show why it is that when a person is governed by good he is governed by internal things. A PERSON'S EXTERNALS HAVE BEEN CREATED SO AS TO CONFORM TO AN IMAGE OF THE WORLD, BUT HIS INTERNALS TO CONFORM TO AN IMAGE OF HEAVEN, see 6057. Therefore also his externals receive things that belong to the world, but his internals those that belong to heaven. A person's externals belonging to the world are gradually opened up as he progresses from early childhood on into adult life; so are his internals. But the externals are opened up by things belonging to the world, whereas the internals are opened up by those belonging to heaven. Areas of the mind opened up in this way are of two kinds, those in the understanding and those in the will. Those in the understanding are opened up by things connected with truth, and those in the will by things connected with good; for everything in the whole created order, both in the world and in heaven, has connection with truth and good. The things connected with truth are called matters of knowledge and discernment, but those connected with good are called matters of love and affection. This shows exactly what those things are which open up a person's life and what they are like.

[3] As regards the internal man, which has been created so as to conform to an image of heaven, as has been stated, discernments of the truth and good of faith received from the Lord, and therefore of faith in the Lord, are what open up the areas in the understanding there. And affections for truth and good, which are attributes of love received from the Lord, and therefore of love offered to the Lord, are what open up the areas in the will, consequently form heaven and so an image of the Lord with him; for heaven is an image of the Lord. So it is that heaven is called the Grand Man, see 1276, 2996, 2998, 3624-3649, 3741-3751, 4218-4228, and that the human being has been created so as to conform to an image of heaven and an image of the world, 3628, 4523, 4524, 6013, 6057, and a person who has been regenerated and an angel are heaven and the Church in their smallest form, 1900, 3624ff, 3634ff, 3884, 4040, 4041, 4292, 4625, 6013, 6057, 6605, 6626, 8989. From all this it becomes clear why it is that when a person is governed by good he is governed by internal things. But regarding the opening up of a person's internals and externals, more will in the Lord's Divine mercy be stated further on.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.