Heaven and its Wonders and Hell Part 37

6598-6613, 8063, 8794, 8797). And into infernal societies in accordance with the quality and quant.i.ty of evil (n. 8794).

{Footnote 2} Man's self is nothing but evil (n. 210, 215, 731, 874-876, 987, 1047, 2307, 2308, 3518, 3701, 3812, 8480, 8550, 10283, 10284, 10286, 10732). Man's self is h.e.l.l in him (n. 684, 8480).

592. Unless the Lord ruled both the heavens and the h.e.l.ls there would be no equilibrium; and if there were no equilibrium there would be no heaven or h.e.l.l; for all things and each thing in the universe, that is, both in the natural world and in the spiritual world, endure by means of equilibrium. Every rational man can see that this is true.

If there were a preponderance on one part and no resistance on the other would not both perish? So would it be in the spiritual world if good did not react against evil and continually restrain its uprising; and unless this were done by the Divine Itself both heaven and h.e.l.l would perish, and with them the whole human race. It is said unless the Divine Itself did this, because the self of everyone, whether angel, spirit, or man, is nothing but evil (see above, n. 591); consequently neither angels nor spirits are able in the least to resist the evils continually exhaling from the h.e.l.ls, since from self they all tend towards h.e.l.l. It is evident, then, that unless the Lord alone ruled both the heavens and the h.e.l.ls no one could ever be saved. Moreover, all the h.e.l.ls act as one; for evils in the h.e.l.ls are connected as goods are in the heavens; and the Divine alone, which goes forth solely from the Lord, is able to resist all the h.e.l.ls, which are innumerable, and which act together against heaven and against all who are in heaven.

593. The equilibrium between the heavens and the h.e.l.ls is diminished or increased in accordance with the number of those who enter heaven and who enter h.e.l.l; and this amounts to several thousands daily. The Lord alone, and no angel, can know and perceive this, and regulate and equalize it with precision; for the Divine that goes forth from the Lord is omnipresent, and sees everywhere whether there is any wavering, while an angel sees only what is near himself, and has no perception in himself of what is taking place even in his own society.

594. How all things are so arranged in the heavens and in the h.e.l.ls that each and all of those who are there may be in their equilibrium, can in some measure be seen from what has been said and shown above respecting the heavens and the h.e.l.ls, namely, that all the societies of heaven are distinctly arranged in accordance with goods and their kinds and varieties, and all the societies of h.e.l.l in accordance with evils, and their kinds and varieties; and that beneath each society of heaven there is a society of h.e.l.l corresponding to it from opposition, and from this opposing correspondence equilibrium results; and in consequence of this the Lord unceasingly provides that no infernal society beneath a heavenly society shall gain any preponderance, and as soon as it begins to do so it is restrained by various means, and is reduced to an exact measure of equilibrium.

These means are many, only a few of which I will mention. Some of these means have reference to the stronger presence of the Lord; some to the closer communication and conjunction of one or more societies with others; some to the casting out of superabundant infernal spirits into deserts; some to the transference of certain spirits from one h.e.l.l to another; some to the reducing of those in the h.e.l.ls to order, and this also is effected in various ways; some to the screening of certain h.e.l.ls under denser and thicker coverings, also letting them down to greater depths; besides other means; and still others that are employed in the heavens above the h.e.l.ls. All this has been said that it may in some measure be perceived that the Lord alone provides that there shall be an equilibrium everywhere between good and evil, thus between heaven and h.e.l.l; for on such equilibrium the safety of all in the heavens and of all on the earth rests.

595. It should be known that the h.e.l.ls are continually a.s.saulting heaven and endeavoring to destroy it, and that the Lord continually protects the heavens by withholding those who are in it from the evils derived from their self, and by holding them in the good that is from Himself. I have often been permitted to perceive the sphere that flows forth from the h.e.l.ls, which was wholly a sphere of effort to destroy the Divine of the Lord, and thus heaven. The ebullitions of some h.e.l.ls have also at times been perceived, which were efforts to break forth and to destroy. But on the other hand the heavens never a.s.sault the h.e.l.ls, for the Divine sphere that goes forth from the Lord is a perpetual effort to save all; and as those who are in the h.e.l.ls cannot be saved, (since all who are there are in evil and are antagonistic to the Divine of the Lord,) so as far as possible outrages in the h.e.l.ls are subdued and cruelties are restrained to prevent their breaking out beyond measure one against another. This also is effected by innumerable ways in which the Divine power is exercised.

596. There are two kingdoms into which the heavens are divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom (of which see above, n.

20-28). In like manner the h.e.l.ls are divided into two kingdoms, one of which is opposite to the celestial kingdom and the other opposite to the spiritual kingdom. That which is opposite to the celestial kingdom is in the western quarter, and those who are in it are called genii; and that which is opposite to the spiritual kingdom is in the northern and southern quarters, and those which are in it are called spirits. All who are in the celestial kingdom are in love to the Lord, and all who are in the h.e.l.ls opposite to that kingdom are in the love of self; while all who are in the spiritual kingdom are in love towards the neighbor, and all who are in the h.e.l.ls opposite to that kingdom are in love of the world. Evidently, then, love to the Lord and the love of self are opposites; and in like manner love towards the neighbor and love of the world are opposites. The Lord continually provides that there shall be no outflowing from the h.e.l.ls that are opposite the Lord's celestial kingdom towards those who are in the spiritual kingdom; for if this were done the spiritual kingdom would perish (for the reason given above, n. 678, 579). These are the two general equilibriums that are unceasingly maintained by the Lord.

597. LXIII. BY MEANS OF THE EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN HEAVEN AND h.e.l.l MAN IS IN FREEDOM.

The equilibrium between heaven and h.e.l.l has now been described, and it has been shown that it is an equilibrium between the good that is from heaven and the evil that is from h.e.l.l, thus that it is a spiritual equilibrium, which in its essence is freedom. A spiritual equilibrium in its essence is freedom because it is an equilibrium between good and evil, and between truth and falsity, and these are spiritual. Therefore to be able to will either what is good or what is evil and to think either what is true or what is false, and to choose one in preference to the other, is the freedom which is here treated of. This freedom is given to every man by the Lord, and is never taken away; in fact, by virtue of its origin it is not man's but the Lord's, since it is from the Lord. Nevertheless, it is given to man with his life as if it were his; and this is done that man may have the ability to be reformed and saved; for without freedom there can be no reformation or salvation. With any rational intuition any one can see that it is a part of man's freedom to be able to think wrongly or rightly, sincerely or insincerely, justly or unjustly; also that he is free to speak and act rightly, honestly, and justly; but not to speak and act wrongly, insincerely, and unjustly, because of the spiritual, moral, and civil laws whereby his external is held in restraint. Evidently, then, it is man's spirit, which thinks and wills, that is in freedom, and not his external which speaks and acts, except in agreement with the above mentioned laws.

598. Man cannot be reformed unless he has freedom, for the reason that he is born into evils of every kind; and these must be removed in order that he may be saved; and they cannot be removed unless he sees them in himself and acknowledges them, and afterwards ceases to will them, and finally holds them in aversion. Not until then are they removed. And this cannot be done unless man is in good as well as in evil, since it is from good that he is able to see evils, while from evil he cannot see good. The spiritual goods that man is capable of thinking he learns from childhood by reading the Word and from preaching; and he learns moral and civil good from his life in the world. This is the first reason why man ought to be in freedom. [2]

Another reason is that nothing is appropriated to man except what is done from an affection of his love. Other things may gain entrance, but no farther than the thought, not reaching the will; and whatever does not gain entrance into the will of man does not become his, for thought derives what pertains to it from memory, while the will derives what pertains to it from the life itself. Only what is from the will, or what is the same, from the affection of love, can be called free, for whatever a man wills or loves that he does freely; consequently man's freedom and the affection of his love or of his will are a one. It is for this reason that man has freedom, in order that he may be affected by truth and good or may love them, and that they may thus become as if they were his own [3] In a word, whatever does not enter into man's freedom has no permanence, because it does not belong to his love or will, and what does not belong to man's love or will does not belong to his spirit; for the very being [esse]

of the spirit of man is love or will. It is said love or will, since a man wills what he loves. This, then, is why man can be reformed only in freedom. But more on the subject of man's freedom may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia in the pa.s.sages referred to below.

599. In order that man may be in freedom, to the end that he may be reformed, he is conjoined in respect to his spirit both with heaven and with h.e.l.l. For with every man there are spirits from h.e.l.l and angels from heaven. It is by means of h.e.l.l that man is in his own evil, while it is by means of angels from heaven that man is in good from the Lord; thus is he in spiritual equilibrium, that is, in freedom. That angels from heaven and spirits from h.e.l.l are joined to every man may be seen in the chapter on the conjunction of heaven with the human race (n. 291-302).

600. It must be understood that the conjunction of man with heaven and with h.e.l.l is not a direct conjunction with them, but a mediate conjunction by means of spirits who are in the world of spirits.

These spirits, and none from h.e.l.l itself or from heaven itself, are with man. By means of evil spirits in the world of spirits man is conjoined with h.e.l.l, and by means of good spirits there he is conjoined with heaven. Because of this the world of spirits is intermediate between heaven and h.e.l.l, and in that world is equilibrium itself. (That the world of spirits is intermediate between heaven and h.e.l.l may be seen in the chapter on the world of spirits, n. 421-431; and that the essential equilibrium between heaven and h.e.l.l is there may be seen in the preceding chapter, n. 589-596.) From all this the source of man's freedom is evident.

601. Something more must be said about the spirits that are joined with man. An entire society can have communication with another society, or with an individual wherever he is; by means of a spirit sent forth from the society; this spirit is called the subject of the many. The same is true of man's conjunction with societies in heaven, and with societies in h.e.l.l, by means of spirits from the world of spirits that are joined with man. (On this subject see also the Arcana Coelestia in the pa.s.sages referred to below.)

602. Finally something must be said respecting man's intuition in regard to his life after death which is derived from the influx of heaven into man. There were some of the simple common people who had lived in the world in the good of faith who were brought back into a state like that in which they had been in the world, which can be done with any one when the Lord grants it; and it was then shown what opinion they had held about the state of man after death. They said that some intelligent persons had asked them in the world what they thought about their soul after the life on earth; and they replied that they did not know what the soul is. They were then asked what they believed about their state after death; and they said that they believed that they would live as spirits. Again they were asked what belief they had respecting a spirit; and they said that he is a man.

They were asked how they knew this; and they said that they knew it because it is so. Those intelligent men were surprised that the simple had such a faith, which they themselves did not have. This is a proof that in every man who is in conjunction with heaven there is an intuition respecting his life after death. This intuition is from no other source than an influx out of heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord by means of spirits from the world of spirits who are joined with man. This intuition those have who have not extinguished their freedom of thinking by notions previously adopted and confirmed by various arguments respecting the soul of man, which is held to be either pure thought, or some vital principle the seat of which is sought for in the body; and yet the soul is nothing but the life of man, while the spirit is the man himself; and the earthly body which he carries about with him in the world is merely an agent whereby the spirit, which is the man himself, is enabled to act fitly in the natural world.

603. What has been said in this work about heaven, the world of spirits, and h.e.l.l, will be obscure to those who have no interest in learning about spiritual truths, but will be clear to those who have such an interest, and especially to those who have an affection for truth for the sake of truth, that is, who love truth because it is truth; for whatever is then loved enters with light into the mind's thought, especially truth that is loved, because all truth is in light.

EXTRACTS FROM THE ARCANA COELESTIA RESPECTING THE FREEDOM OF MAN, INFLUX, AND THE SPIRITS THROUGH WHOM COMMUNICATIONS ARE EFFECTED.

FREEDOM.

All freedom pertains to love or affection, since whatever a man loves he does freely (n. 2870, 3158, 8987, 8990, 9585, 9591).

Since freedom pertains to love it is the life of everyone (n. 2873).

Nothing appears to be man's own except what is from freedom (n. 2880).

There is heavenly freedom and infernal freedom (n. 2870, 2873, 2874, 9589, 9590).

[2] Heavenly freedom pertains to heavenly love, or the love of good and truth (n. 1947, 2870, 2872).

And as the love of good and truth is from the Lord freedom itself consists in being led by the Lord (n. 892, 905, 2872, 2886, 2890-2892, 9096, 9586, 9587, 9589-9591).

Man is led into heavenly freedom by the Lord through regeneration (n. 2874, 2875, 2882, 2892).

Man must have freedom in order to be regenerated (n. 1937, 1947, 2876, 2881, 3145, 3146, 3158, 4031, 8700).

In no other way can the love of good and truth be implanted in man, and appropriated by him seemingly as his own (n. 2877, 2879, 2880, 2888).

Nothing is conjoined to man in a state of compulsion (n.

2875, 8700).

If man could be reformed by compulsion all would be saved (n. 2881).

In reformation compulsion is harmful (n. 4031).

All wors.h.i.+p from freedom is wors.h.i.+p, but wors.h.i.+p from compulsion is not wors.h.i.+p (n. 1947, 2880, 7349, 10097).

Repentance must be effected in a free state, and repentance effected in a state of compulsion is of no avail (n. 8392).

States of compulsion, what they are (n. 8392).

[3] It is granted to man to act from the freedom of reason, to the end that good may be provided for him, and this is why man has the freedom to think and will even what is evil, and to do it so far as the laws do not forbid (n. 10777).

Man is kept by the Lord between heaven and h.e.l.l, and thus in equilibrium, that he may be in freedom for the sake of reformation (n. 5982, 6477, 8209, 8987).

What is implanted in freedom endures, but not what is implanted under compulsion (n. 9588).

For this reason no one is ever deprived of his freedom (n.

2876, 2881). The Lord compels no one (n. 1937, 1947).

Compelling one's self is from freedom, but not being compelled (n. 1937, 1947).

A man ought to compel himself to resist evil (n. 1937, 1947, 7914).

Also to do good as if from himself, and yet to acknowledge that it is from the Lord (n. 2883, 2891, 2892, 7914).