AC 24, 33 - Real Love

AC 24 [3]

The next thing therefore
that man observes in the course of regeneration
is that he begins to know that there is an internal man,
or that the things which are in the internal man
are goods and truths, which are of the Lord alone.
Now as the external man, when being regenerated,
is of such a nature that he still supposes
the goods that he does to be done of himself,
and the truths that he speaks to be spoken of himself,
and whereas, being such,
he is led by them of the Lord,
as by things of his own proprium,
to do what is good and to speak what is true,
therefore mention is first made
of a distinction of the waters under the expanse,
and afterwards of those above the expanse.
It is also an arcanum of heaven,
that man, by things of his own proprium,
as well by the fallacies of the senses as by cupidities,
is led and bent by the Lord
to things that are true and good,
and thus that every movement and moment of regeneration,
both in general and in particular,
proceeds from evening to morning,
thus from the external man to the internal,
or from "earth" to "heaven."
Therefore the expanse, or internal man,
is now called "heaven."


AC 33

It is in everyone's power very well to know
that no life is possible without some love,
and that no joy is possible
except that which flows from love.
Such however as is the love,
such is the life, and such the joy:
if you were to remove loves . . .
you would become like a dead person . . ..
The loves of self and of the world
have in them some resemblance to life and to joy,
but as they are altogether contrary to true love,
which consists in a man's loving the Lord above all things,
and his neighbor as himself,
it must be evident that they are not loves, but hatreds,
for in proportion as anyone loves himself and the world,
in the same proportion he hates his neighbor,
and thereby the Lord.
Wherefore true love is love to the Lord,
and true life is the life of love from Him,
and true joy is the joy of that life.
There can be but one true love,
and therefore but one true life,
whence flow true joys and true felicities,
such as are those of the angels in the heavens.