Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 3.djvu/161

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TRUE CHARITY — WHAT IT IS.
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other heavenly. Infernal life is contracted from all those ends, thoughts and works which flow from self-love, consequently from hatred towards our neighhor. Heavenly life is contracted from all those ends, thoughts and works which are grounded in love towards our neighbor: this latter is the life to which all those things called faith have respect, and it is procured by all things appertaining to faith.

Hence it may appear what faith is, viz., that it is charity; for all things which are called the doctrines of faith lead to charity; they are all contained in charity, and they are all derived from charity. The soul after the body dies, is such as its love is. (A. C. 2228.)

There is a spiritual faith, and there is a faith merely natural. Spiritual faith is wholly from charity, and in its essence is charity. Charity or love towards our neighbor, is to love what is true, sincere and just, and from the will to act accordingly; for our neighbor in the spiritual sense, is not every man, but is that which pertains to man universally. If this be what is true, sincere and just, and man be loved from these principles, then our neighbor is loved. That this is meant by charity in the spiritual sense, any one may know if he will reflect; for every one loves another, not for the sake of his person, but for the sake of that which pertains to him; hence are derived all friendship, all favor, and all honor.

Hence it follows that to love men for the sake of

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