Heaven and its Wonders and Hell eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 590 pages of information about Heaven and its Wonders and Hell.

Heaven and its Wonders and Hell eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 590 pages of information about Heaven and its Wonders and Hell.
{Footnote 1} The angels of heaven acknowledge all good to be from the Lord, and nothing from themselves, and the Lord dwells in them in His own and not in their own (n. 9338, 10125, 10151, 10157).  Therefore in the Word by “angels” something of the Lord is meant (n. 1925, 2821, 3039, 4085, 8192, 10528).  Furthermore, angels are called “gods” from the reception of the Divine from the Lord (n. 4295, 4402, 7268, 7873, 8192, 8301).  Again, all good that is good, and all truth that is truth, consequently all peace, love, charity, and faith, are from the Lord (n. 1614, 2016, 2751, 2882, 2883, 2891, 2892, 2904).  Also all wisdom and intelligence (n. 109, 112, 121, 124).

  {Footnote 2} Those who are in heaven are said to be in the Lord
  (n. 3637, 3638).

9.  Angels from their wisdom go still further.  They say that not only everything good and true is from the Lord, but everything of life as well.  They confirm it by this, that nothing can spring from itself, but only from something prior to itself; therefore all things spring from a First, which they call the very Being [Esse] of the life of all things.  And in like manner all things continue to exist, for continuous existence is a ceaseless springing forth, and whatever is not continually held by means of intermediates in connection with the First instantly disperses and is wholly dissipated.  They say also that there is but One Fountain of life, and that man’s life is a rivulet therefrom, which if it did not unceasingly continue from its fountain would immediately flow away. [2] Again, they say that from this One Fountain of life, which is the Lord, nothing goes forth except Divine good and Divine truth, and that each one is affected by these in accordance with his reception of them, those who receive them in faith and life find heaven in them while those who reject them or stifle them change them into hell; for they change good into evil and truth into falsity, thus life into death.  Again, that everything of life is from the Lord they confirm by this:  that all things in the universe have relation to good and truth,-the life of man’s will, which is the life of his love, to good; and the life of his understanding, which is the life of his faith, to truth; and since everything good and true comes from above it follows that everything of life must come from above. [3] This being the belief of the angels they refuse all thanks for the good they do, and are displeased and withdraw if any one attributes good to them.  They wonder how any one can believe that he is wise from himself or does anything good from himself.  Doing good for one’s own sake they do not call good, because it is done from self.  But doing good for the sake of good they call good from the Divine; and this they say is the good that makes heaven, because this good is the Lord.{1}

  {Footnote 1} Good from the Lord has the Lord inwardly in it,
  but good from one’s own has not (n. 1802, 3951, 8480).

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
Heaven and its Wonders and Hell from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.