ACV9 S31 7488-7515

CLICK TO PRINT READING CLICK TO GO TO COMMENTS 7488 Exodus 9 THE DOCTRINE OF CHARITY From all that has been said about the loves of self and of the world, it is evident that all evils spring from them, and because all evils spring from them, so do all falsities; and on the other hand, from love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor spring all goods, and because all goods spring from them, so do all truths. 7489 This being the case, it is evident that insofar as a man is in the loves of self and of the world, so far he is not in love toward the neighbor, still less in love to the Lord; for these are opposites. 7490 It is also evident that insofar as a man is in the loves of self and of the world, so far he does not know what charity is, until at last he does not know that it exists; also that so far the man does not know what faith is, until at last he does not know that it is anything; and that so far the man does not know what conscience is, until at last he does not know that it exists; nay, that so far the man does not know what the spiritual is, nor what the life of heaven; and finally that he does not believe there is a heaven and a hell; consequently he does not believe that there is a life after death. These are the effects of the loves of self and of the world when they reign. 7491 The good of heavenly love and the truth of its faith continually flow in from the Lord, but are not received where the loves of self and of the world reign; but on the contrary where these loves reign, that is, are continually in the thought, are the end, are in the will, and make the life, the good and truth which flow in from the Lord are either rejected, or extinguished, or perverted. 7492 With those with whom they are rejected, the good which is of love and the truth which is of faith are held in contempt, and also in aversion. With those with whom they are extinguished, the good of love and the truth of faith are denied, and the contrary evils and falsities are affirmed. But with those with whom they are perverted, the good of love and the truth of faith are misinterpreted and are applied to favor evil and its falsity. 7493 The loves of self and of the world with man begin to reign when he comes to years of discretion and self-government; for then the man begins to think from himself or from his own, and to appropriate these loves to himself, and this the more as he confirms himself in a life of evil. Insofar as a man appropriates evils to himself, so far the Lord separates the good of innocence and charity which the man has received in infancy and childhood and at times afterward, and stores them up in his interiors; for the good of innocence and the good of charity can in no wise abide with the evils of these loves; and the Lord is not willing that they should perish. 7494 They therefore who either pervert or extinguish or reject in themselves the good of love and the truth of faith, have no life in them; for the life which is from the Divine is to will good and believe truth. But they who do not will good but evil, nor believe truth but falsity, have what is contrary to life. This contrary to life is hell, and is called "death," and they are called "dead." That the life of love and faith is called "life," also "eternal life," and that they who have it in themselves are called "living men;" and that the contrary of life is called "death," also "eternal death," and such men "dead," is evident from many passages in the Word (as in Matt. 4:16; 8:21, 22; 18:8, 9; 19:16, 17, 29; John 3:15, 16, 36; 5:24, 25; 6:33, 35, 47, 48, 50, 51, 53, 57, 58, 63; 8:21, 24, 51; 10:10; 11:25, 26; 14:6, 19; 17:2, 3; 20:31; and elsewhere). EXODUS 9 1 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Come unto Pharaoh, and speak unto him, Thus said Jehovah the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 For if thou refuse to let them go, and if thou still withhold them, 3 Behold, the hand of Jehovah shall be on thy cattle which is in the field, on the horses, on the asses, on the camels, on the herd, and on the flock; a very grievous pestilence. 4 And Jehovah shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of the Egyptians, and there shall nothing die of all that belongeth to the sons of Israel. 5 And Jehovah appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow Jehovah shall do this word in the land. 6 And Jehovah did this word on the morrow, and all the cattle of the Egyptians died; and of the cattle of the sons of Israel died not one. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold there was not so much as one of the cattle of Israel dead; and Pharaoh's heart was made heavy, and he did not let the people go. 8 And Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you in the fullness of your fists ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven unto the eyes of Pharaoh. 9 And it shall be dust over all the land of Egypt, and it shall be upon man, and upon beast, a sore breaking forth in pustules in all the land of Egypt. 10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it toward heaven; and it became a sore of pustules breaking forth on man and on beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the sore; for the sore was on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12 And Jehovah made firm the heart of Pharaoh, and he heard them not, as Jehovah had spoken unto Moses. 13 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus said Jehovah the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 14 For this time I will send all My plagues into thy heart, and into thy servants, and into thy people; that thou mayest know that there is no one as I in the whole earth. 15 For now I would put forth My hand, and smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou wouldest be cut off from the earth. 16 But yet for this cause have I made thee to stand, that thou mayest see My power, and that My name may be told in the whole earth. 17 As yet thou exaltest thyself against My people, in thy not letting them go. 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now. 19 And now send, gather in thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; every man and beast, that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought to the house, and the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. 20 He that feared the word of Jehovah of the servants of Pharaoh, made his servants and his cattle flee unto the houses. 21 And he that did not set his heart unto the word of Jehovah, left his servants and his cattle in the field. 22 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, and there shall be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt. 23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and Jehovah gave voices and hail, and the fire walked unto the land, and Jehovah made it rain hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 And there was hail, and fire walking at the same time in the midst of the hail, very grievous, such as had not been like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail smote in all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, from man and even to beast, and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail. 27 And Pharaoh sent, and called Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time; Jehovah is just, and I and my people are wicked. 28 Supplicate ye unto Jehovah, for there hath been enough of voices of God and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. 29 And Moses said unto him, As I go out of the city, I will spread out my palms unto Jehovah; and the voices shall cease, and there shall be no more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is Jehovah's. 30 And thou and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the face of Jehovah God. 31 And the flax and the barley were smitten; for the barley was a ripening ear, and the flax was a stalk. 32 And the wheat and the spelt were not smitten, because they were hidden. 33 And Moses went out of the city from before Pharaoh, and spread out his palms unto Jehovah; and the voices and hail ceased and the rain was not poured out upon the earth. 34 And Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the voices had ceased, and he sinned yet more, and made heavy his heart, he and his servants. 35 And the heart of Pharaoh was made firm, and he did not let the sons of Israel go; as Jehovah had spoken by the hand of Moses. 7495 THE CONTENTS.In this chapter the subject of the vastation of those who infest the men of the spiritual church is continued; and in it in the internal sense is described the sixth, the seventh, and the eighth state or degree of their vastation, which are described by the pestilence, the sore breaking forth in pustules, and the rain of hail, whereby is signified vastation in respect to the things that belong to the church among them. 7496 THE INTERNAL SENSE.Verses 1-7. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Come unto Pharaoh, and speak unto him, Thus said Jehovah the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go that they may serve Me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and if thou still withhold them, behold, the hand of Jehovah shall be on thy cattle which is in the field, on the horses, on the asses, on the camels, on the herd, and on the flock; a very grievous pestilence. And Jehovah shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of the Egyptians, and there shall nothing die of all that belongeth to the sons of Israel. And Jehovah appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow Jehovah shall do this word in the land....