The sections in their series.

I. THE "FIRST" OF CHARITY is TO LOOK TO THE LORD AND SHUN EVILS AS SINS.

II. THE "SECOND" OF CHARITY IS TO DO GOOD TO THE NEIGHBOUR.

III. IN A NATURAL SENSE, THE NEIGHBOUR WHO IS TO BE LOVED IS A FELLOW CITIZEN, ALSO A SOCIETY, SMALL OR LARGE, ALSO ONE'S COUNTRY, ALSO THE HUMAN RACE.

IV. THE NEIGHBOUR IS TO BE LOVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS SPIRITUAL GOOD, AND HIS MORAL, CIVIL, AND NATURAL GOOD THEREFROM; CONSEQUENTLY IT IS GOOD THAT, IN A SPIRITUAL SENSE, IS THE NEIGHBOUR TO BE LOVED.

V. EVERYONE LOVES THE NEIGHBOUR FROM THE GOOD OF CHARITY IN HIMSELF; CONSEQUENTLY THE QUALITY OF ANYONE'S CHARITY IS SUCH AS THE CHARITY HE HIMSELF IS.

VI. A MAN IS BORN TO THE END THAT HE MAY BECOME A CHARITY; BUT HE CANNOT BECOME A CHARITY UNLESS HE CONSTANTLY WILLS AND DOES THE GOOD OF CHARITY FROM AFFECTION AND ITS DELIGHT.*

VII. EVERY MAN, WHO LOOKS TO THE LORD, AND SHUNS EVILS AS SINS, BECOMES A CHARITY, IF HE HONESTLY, JUSTLY, AND FAITHFULLY CARRIES OUT THE WORK OF HIS OCCUPATION OR EMPLOYMENT.

VIII. SIGNS OF CHARITY ARE ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE OF WORSHIP.

IX. BENEFACTIONS OF CHARITY ARE ALL THE GOODS THAT A MAN WHO IS A CHARITY DOES, IN FREEDOM, OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF HIS OCCUPATION.

X. OBLIGATIONS OF CHARITY ARE ALL THOSE THINGS IT BEHOVES A MAN TO DO IN ADDITION TO THOSE SET FORTH ABOVE.

I. THERE ARE DIVERSIONS OF CHARITY, WHICH ARE VARIOUS ENJOYMENTS AND PLEASURES OF THE BODILY SENSES USEFUL FOR RECREATING THE MIND.

XII. WHERE THERE IS NO TRUTH OF FAITH, THE CHURCH DOES NOT EXIST, AND WHERE THERE IS NO GOOD OF CHARITY, RELIGION DOES NOT EXIST.**

I

THE "FIRST" OF CHARITY IS TO LOOK TO THE LORD AND SHUN EVILS AS SINS.

It is well known that charity, or love towards the neighbour, is doing good to others. But how one should do good, and to whom, so that the charity may be charity, will be described in what follows. Everyone knows that no one can do good that is in itself good, except from Him who is Good Itself, or Good in Himself, that is, except from God. Moreover, it is possible for everyone to know that, so long as a man is in evil, and thus, through that evil, in company with the devil, he can do no other good than impure good, which outwardly has the appearance of being good, but inwardly is evil; which good is either pharisaical or done for reward. It will be necessary, therefore, to say first what a man should be, so that the good proceeding from him may be in itself good, thus the good of charity.*** * In the left-hand margin of the MS. opposite sections vi.-x.: "Enumerate the sins of which a man is not in the least conscious if he does not search himself carefully, but which he either confirms with himself or does not reckon as sins, and which accordingly he does continually on account of the delights they yield from what is hereditary; from the Decalogue and from reason; up to 50 or a hundred of them can be enumerated, the civil as well as the spiritual ones, etc." ** From an examination of the MS. it appears that Swedenborg, after writing out the contents of the draft that follows, altered the sections II, III, and IV to read as follows:

"II. The 'second' of charity is to do uses to the neighbour.

"III. In a natural sense, the neighbour to whom uses are to be done is a fellow citizen, also a society, small or large, also one's country, also the human race; and there are uses that are spiritual, and there are civil ones.

"IV. Uses are to be done to the neighbour in accordance with his spiritual good, and his moral, civil, and natural good therefrom."

He also crossed off section XII, and inserted the following over it: "Charity and faith make one." *** Swedenborg wrote the following note in the left-hand margin of the MS. opposite this paragraph: "N.B. - From Paul respecting love towards the neighbour: If anyone asks which is first, to shun them as evils, or to love the neighbour."