all who have had
conscience are saved
Selection
from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
...Man's interiors
are distinguished into degrees, and in each degree the interiors are
terminated, and by termination are separated from the degree next
below; it is thus from the inmost to the outermost. The interior
rational constitutes the first degree; in this are the celestial
angels, or in this is the inmost or third heaven. The exterior
rational makes the second degree; in this are the spiritual angels, or
in this is the middle or second heaven. The interior natural makes the
third degree; in this are good spirits, or the ultimate or first
heaven. The exterior natural, or the sensuous, makes the fourth
degree; and in this is man. These degrees in man are most distinct.
Thence it is that if
he lives in good, a man is as to his interiors a heaven in the least
form, or that his interiors correspond to the three heavens; and hence
it is that if a man has lived a life of charity and love, he can be
carried after death even into the third heaven. But that he may be of
this character, it is necessary that all the degrees in him should be
well terminated, and thus by means of terminations be distinct from
one another; and when they are terminated, or by means of terminations
are made distinct from one another, each degree is a plane in which
the good which flows in from the Lord rests, and where it is received.
Without these degrees as planes, good is not received, but flows
through, as through a sieve or a basket that has holes in it, down to
the sensuous, and then, being without any direction in the way, it is
turned into a foulness which appears to those who are in it as good,
namely, into the delight of the love of self and of the world,
consequently into the delight of hatred, revenge, cruelty, adultery,
and avarice, or into mere voluptuousness and luxury. This is the case
if the things of man's will are without termination anywhere in the
middle, or if they "have holes in them."
It is quite possible
to know whether there are these terminations and consequent planes;
for the perceptions of good and truth, and of conscience, show this.
With those who have perceptions of good and truth, as have the
celestial angels, the terminations are from the first degree to the
last; for without terminations of all the degrees, such perceptions
are impossible. (In regard to these perceptions, see above, n. 125,
202, 495, 503, 511, 536, 597, 607, 784, 865, 895, 1121, 1383, 1384,
1387, 1919, 2144, 2145, 2171, 2515, 2831.) With those also who have
conscience, as the spiritual angels have, there are terminations, but
from the second degree or from the third to the last, the first degree
being closed with these angels. It is said "from the second degree" or
"from the third," because conscience is twofold, interior and
exterior; interior conscience is that of spiritual good and truth,
exterior conscience is that of what is just and equitable. Conscience
itself is an interior plane in which the influx of the Divine good
terminates. But they who have no conscience have not any interior
plane to receive this influx; and with these persons good flows
through down to the exterior natural or natural-sensuous; and as
before said is there turned into foul delights. Sometimes these
persons seem to feel a pain as of conscience, but it is not
conscience; it is a pain arising from the loss of their delight, such
as that of honor, gain, reputation, life, pleasures, or the friendship
of people like themselves; and this is because the terminations are in
delights like these. From all this it is evident what is signified in
the spiritual sense by the baskets with holes in them.
In the other life
especially is it discerned whether the things of a man's will have or
have not been terminated. With those in whom they have been terminated
there is zeal for spiritual good and truth, or for what is just and
equitable, for these persons have done what is good for the sake of
good or for the sake of truth, and have acted justly for the sake of
what is just or equitable, and not for the sake of gain, honor, and
things like these. All those with whom the interiors of the will have
been terminated are taken up into heaven, for the Divine that flows in
can lead them, whereas all those with whom the interior things of the
will have not been terminated, betake themselves into hell; for the
Divine flows through, and is turned into what is infernal, just as
when the heat of the sun falls upon foul excrements, and causes a
noisome stench. Consequently all who have had conscience are saved;
but they who have had no conscience cannot be saved.
The things of the
will are said to have holes in them, or not to be terminated, when
there is no affection of good and truth, or of what is just and
equitable; and also when these things are regarded as comparatively
worthless or as nothing, or are valued solely for the sake of securing
gain or honor. The affections are what terminate and close, and are
therefore called "bonds" - affections of good and truth "internal
bonds," and affections of evil and falsity "external bonds" (n. 3835).
Unless the affections of evil and falsity were bonds, the man would be
insane (n. 4217); for insanities are nothing else than the loosenings
of such bonds; thus they are non-terminations in such persons; but as
in these persons there are no internal bonds, they are inwardly insane
in respect to the thoughts and affections, while restrained from
breaking out by external bonds, which are affections of gain and
honor, and of reputation as a means of acquiring these, and the
consequent fear of the law and of the loss of life. This was
represented in the Jewish Church by the fact that every open vessel in
the house of a dead person upon which there was no cloth cover was
unclean (Num. 19:15).
Similar things are
signified by "works full of holes" in Isaiah:
They that make thread of silks,
and they that weave works full of holes, shall blush; and the
foundations thereof shall be broken in pieces, all they that make hire
pools of the soul (Isa. 19:9-10);
and by "holes" in Ezekiel:
The spirit brought the prophet to
the door of the court; where he saw, and behold a hole in the wall;
and he said unto him, Come bore a hole through the wall; he therefore
bored through the wall, and behold a door; then said he unto him, Go
in and see the abominations that they do here. When he went in and
saw, behold every figure of creeping thing and beast, an abomination,
and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the walls
round about (Ezek. 8:7-10).
(from Arcana
Coelestia 5145 – Emanuel Swedenborg) |