[ SPIRITUAL LIFE AND THE WORD OF GOD ] - { PT. FIRST } - { PT. 1 }

 

{ PART FIRST - THE SPIRITUAL LIFE }            I. How Spiritual Life is Acquired Spiritual life is acquired solely by a life according to the commandments in the Word. These commandments are given in summary in the Decalogue, namely, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet the goods of others. These commandments are the commandments that are to be done, for when a man does these his works are good and his life is spiritual, and for the reason that so far as a man shuns evils and hates them so far he wills and loves goods. For there are two opposite spheres that surround man, one from hell, the other from heaven; from hell a sphere of evil and falsity therefrom, from heaven a sphere of good and of truth therefrom; and these spheres do [ not immediately ] affect the body, but they effect the minds of men, for they are spiritual spheres, and thus are affections that belong to the love. In the midst of these mam is set; therefore so far as he approaches the one, so far he withdraws from the other.                                                                        ________________________________________________________                                                              

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