CONTENTS. III. That so far as Man shuns Evils as Sins, so far he does what is Good, not from himself, but from the Lord. 18 I. That the Good Things which a Man wills and does are not good, before he shuns Evils as II. That the Pious Things which a Man thinks III. That Man has no Wisdom, unless he shuns Evils as Sins, notwithstanding his being skilful and wise in many Things IV. That so far as any one shuns Evils as Sins, so far he ..... VI. That the Decalogue teaches what Evils are Sins VII. That Murders, Adulteries, Thefts, and False Witness, of every Kind, with the Concupiscences prompting VIII. That so far as any one shuns Murders of every Kind as Sins, so far he has Love towards his Neighbor... 67 IX. That so far as any one shuns Adulteries of every Kind as Sins, so far he loves Chastity... XII. That it is not possible for any one to shun Evils as Sins, so that he may hold them inwardly in Aversion, ex- cept by Combats against them.... XIII. That Man ought to shun Evils as Sins, and to fight against them, as from himself... XIV. That if any one shuns Evils for any other Reason than because they are Sins, he does not shun them, but 108 52 THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE FOR THE NEW JERUSALEM. I THAT ALL RELIGION HAS RELATION TO LIfe, and that THE LIFE OF RELIGION IS TO DO GOOD. 1. EVERY one, who has any religion, knows and acknowledges, that whosoever lives well will be saved, and that whosoever lives wickedly will be condemned; for he knows and acknowledges, that whosoever lives well, thinks well, not only concerning God, but also concerning his neighbor; whereas it is otherwise with him who lives wickedly. The life of man is his love, and what a man loves, he not only does willingly, but also thinks willingly. The reason, therefore, why it is said, that the life of religion is to do good, is, because doing good and thinking good form a one,* and unless they do form a one with man, they do not belong to his life. But these things are to be proved in what follows. 2. That religion has relation to life, and that the life thereof is to do good, is manifest to every one who reads the Word, and is acknowledged by every one whilst he is reading it. It is written in the Word: "Whosoever shall break the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who doeth and teacheth them, the same shall be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I say unto you, Except your righteousness shall exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven," Matt. v. 19, 20. "Every tree, which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire; wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them," Matt. vii. 19, 20. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven," Matt. * On the phrase, to form a one, see the note in the Doctrine of Faith, n. 6. 66 vii. 21. "Many shall say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name done many mighty works? but then I will confess to them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity," Matt. vii. 22, 23. Every one who heareth my words, and doeth them, I will compare unto a prudent man who built his house upon a rock; but every one who heareth my words, and doeth them not, shall be compared to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand,” Matt. vii. 24, 26. "Jesus said, A sower went out to sow his seed; and some seeds fell on the hard way; some on stony ground; some among thorns; and some on good ground. That which was sown on good ground is he who heareth the Word, and attendeth to it, who thereby beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, and some thirty-fold. When Jesus said these words, he cried out, saying, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear," Matt. xiii. 3 to 9, 23. "The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, and then shall he render to every one according to his deeds," Matt. xvi. 27. "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof," Matt. xxi. 43. "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory; and he shall say to the sheep on the right hand, Come, ye blessed, and possess as an inheritance the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty and ye gave me drink, I was a stranger and ye gathered me, I was naked and ye clothed me, I was sick and ye visited me, I was in prison and ye came to me. Then shall the righteous answer, When saw we thee so? But the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And the King shall speak in like manner to the goats on the left, and inasmuch as they have not done such things, he shall say, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlast ing fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," Matt. xxv. 31 to 46. "Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, for now is the axe laid to the root of the trees; every tree, therefore, that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire," Luke iii, 8, 9. Jesus said, Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Every one who cometh to me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, is like unto a man who built a house, and laid the foundation on a rock; but he that heareth, and doeth not, is like unto a man 66 |