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THE SWEDENBORG LIBRARY.

of self, together with a contempt or neglect of uses, and thus of the neighbor; while at the same time he trusts in himself that he is blameless.

Hence it may be seen, that the life of piety, separate from the life of charity, is not the spiritual life which is essential to divine worship.


EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL SANCTITY.

External sanctity is like external piety, and is not holy with man unless his internal be holy. It is found with the evil as well as with the good; and they who place the whole of divine worship in it, are, for the most part, extremely ignorant; that is, they are destitute of the knowledge of good and truth which yet form the real sanctities that are to be known, believed and loved, because they are from God and God is in them.

Internal sanctity, therefore, consists in loving good and truth, justice and sincerity, for their own sakes. So far as man thus loves these, he is spiritual and his worship is spiritual; because so far he is desirous of knowing and doing them: but so far as he does not thus love them, he is natural and his worship is natural; and so far he is unwilling either to know or do them.


RENOUNCING THE WORLD.

It is the opinion of many that, to renounce the world and live in the spirit and not in the flesh, means to reject