Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

Angelic Wisdom about Divine Providence by Emanuel Swedenborg
page 116 of 404 (28%)
one:

Stand in the gate . . . of Jehovah, and proclaim this word there: Thus
says Jehovah Zebaoth the God of Israel, Make your ways good, and your
works; . . . put not your trust in lying words, saying, The temple, the
temple, the temple of Jehovah is this. . . . Thieving and killing and
committing adultery and swearing falsely . . . will you then come to
stand before Me in this house which is called by My name and say, We are
delivered? When you do those abominable things? Has not this house been
made a den of robbers? Even I, lo, I have seen it, is the word of Jehovah
(Je 7:2-4, 9-11).

VII. IT IS A LAW OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE THAT MAN SHALL NOT BE COMPELLED BY
EXTERNAL MEANS TO THINK AND WILL, THUS TO BELIEVE AND LOVE WHAT PERTAINS
TO RELIGION, BUT BRING HIMSELF AND AT TIMES COMPEL HIMSELF TO DO SO

129. This law of divine providence follows from the preceding two,
namely: man is to act in freedom according to reason (nn. 71-99); and is
to do this of himself and yet from the Lord, thus as of himself (nn.
100-128). Inasmuch as being compelled is not to act in freedom according
to reason and also not to act of oneself, but to act from what is not
freedom and from someone else, this law of divine providence follows in
due order on the first two. Everyone knows that no one can be forced to
think what he is unwilling to think or to will what he decides not to
will, thus to believe what he does not believe, least of all what he
wills not to believe, or to love what he does not love and still less
what he wills not to love. For the spirit or mind of man enjoys complete
freedom in thinking, willing, believing and loving. It does so by influx
which is not coercive from the spiritual world (for the human spirit or
mind is in that world); and not by influx from the natural world,
DigitalOcean Referral Badge