AE 1016, 1017 - Hatred and the Works of Charity

AE 1016 [2], 1017

. . . every man is born into the love of self and of the world,
and in consequence conceives hatred,
and from it is inflamed against all
who do not make one with him and favor his love,
especially against those who oppose his lusts.
For no one can love himself above all things
and love the Lord at the same time;
neither can anyone love the world above all things
and love the neighbor at the same time;
since no one can serve two masters at the same time
without despising and hating the one
while he honors and loves the other.
Hatred is especially with those
who are in the love of ruling over all;
with others it is enmity. 

When a man abstains from hatred
and turns away from it and shuns it as diabolical,
then love, charity, mercy and clemency
flow in through heaven from the Lord,
and then first the works which he does
are works of love and charity.
The works he had done before,
however good might be their appearance
in the external form,
were all works of the love of self and of the world,
in which hatred lurked whenever they were not rewarded.
So long as hatred is not put away
so long man is merely natural;
and the merely natural man remains in all his inherited evil,
nor can he become spiritual before hatred,
with its root,
which is the love of ruling over all,
is removed;
for the fire of heaven, which is spiritual love,
cannot flow in so long as the fire of hell,
which is hatred,
stands in the way and shuts it out.