Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 3.djvu/142

He who shuns the doing of evil to his neighbor, because to do evil is contrary to religion, thus contrary to the Divine, shuns evil from a spiritual ground. But he who shuns the doing of evil to another merely through fear of the law, of the loss of reputation, honor or gain, thus for the sake of himself and the world, shuns it from a natural ground, and is led by himself. The life of the latter is natural, but that of the former is spiritual.

The man whose moral life is spiritual, has heaven in himself; but he whose moral life is merely natural, has not heaven within. The reason is, that heaven flows-in from above and opens man's interiors, and through his interiors flows-in into his exteriors. But the world flows-in from beneath, and opens his exteriors but not his interiors; for there is no influx from the natural world into the spiritual, but from the spiritual world into the natural. Therefore if heaven be not received at the same time with the world, the interiors are closed.

From these observations it may be seen who receive heaven in themselves and who do not. But heaven is not the same in one as it is in another. It differs in each according to his affection of good and thence of truth. They who are in the affection of good for the sake of the Divine, love divine truth; for good and truth mutually love each other, and desire to be conjoined. Therefore the Gentiles, although they are not in genuine truths in the world, still receive them in the