Sunday, September 08, 2013

AC 7367-7368 & 7373-7374 - what love of self and love of the world are

AC 7367 - 7368
The love of self reigns with a person, that is,
he is in the love of self,
when in what he thinks and does,
he does not regard his neighbor,
thus not the public,
still less the Lord,
but only himself and those who belong to him;
consequently when he does all things
for the sake of himself and those who belong to him;
and if for the sake of the public and his neighbor,
it is merely for the sake of the appearance.

It is said
"for the sake of himself and those who belong to him,"
because he together with these,
and these together with him, make a one;
just as when anyone does anything for the sake of his wife,
of his children, grandchildren,
sons-in-law, or daughters-in-law,
he does it for the sake of himself,
because they are his.
In like manner one who does anything
for the sake of relatives and of friends
who favor his love and thereby conjoin themselves with him;
for by such conjunction they make one with him,
that is, regard themselves in him, 

and him in themselves.

AC 7373-7374
But the love of the world reigns with a person,
that is, a person is in the love of the world,
when in what he thinks and does
he regards and intends nothing but his own advantage,
not caring whether this involves
harm to his neighbor and to the public.

Those are in the love of the world
who desire to possess themselves of the goods of others
by artful devices,
and still more those who do this by cunning and deceit.
They who are in this love
envy others their goods, and covet them;
and insofar as they do not fear the laws,
they take them away, even by robbery.

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