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THE

DOCTRINE OF
OF LIFE

FOR

THE NEW JERUSALEM,

FROM

THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE DECALOGUE

TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN OF

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG,

From the Sixth London Edition.

BOSTON:

PUBLISHED BY OTIS CLAPP.

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CONTENTS.

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THE

DOCTRINE OF LIFE

FOR THE

NEW JERUSALEM.

I THAT ALL RELIGION HAS RELATION TO Life, and thAT THE LIFE OF RELIGION IS TO DO GOOD.

1. EVERY one, who has any religion, knows and acknowledges, that whosoever lives well will be saved, and that whosoever lives wickedly will be condemned; for he knows and acknowledges, that whosoever lives well, thinks well, not only concerning God, but also concerning his neighbor; whereas it is otherwise with him who lives wickedly. The life of man is his love, and what a man loves, he not only does willingly, but also thinks willingly. The reason, therefore, why it is said, that the life of religion is to do good, is, because doing good and thinking good form a one,* and unless they do form a one with man, they do not belong to his life. But these things are to be proved in what follows.

2. That religion has relation to life, and that the life thereof is to do good, is manifest to every one who reads the Word, and is acknowledged by every one whilst he is reading it. It is written in the Word: "Whosoever shall break the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who doeth and teacheth them, the same shall be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I say unto you, Except your righteousness shall exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven," Matt. v. 19, 20. "Every tree, which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire; wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them," Matt. vii. 19, 20. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven," Matt.

*On the phrase, to form a one, see the note in the Doctrine of Faith, n. 6.

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