210. (I.) To will not to do evil to the neighbor is to love him. For he who loves another does not do evil to him. And Paul says that he who loves the neighbor obeys the commandment of the Decalogue. He does not will to commit murder; he does not will to commit adultery with another's wife; he does not will to steal; he does not bear false witness. Therefore he says that charity is the fulfillment of the law. But the question is, which is prior and which posterior? Whether the first thing is to love the neighbor, and from that love not to do these evils; or to put away these evils from one's self, and so love the neighbor? This is evident, that he who loves the neighbor does not commit these evils. But the point of inquiry is, how one can love the neighbor? Whether he can do so before he shuns these evils and fights against them? It appears as if this love itself fights. And it does fight; but not until a man is in it. It is obvious that he cannot come into that love until he removes these evils, from the fact that every man is by birth in evils of every kind; that he desires nothing but what is evil; and that if he does not repent of them he remains in them. These evils stand therefore in the way, so that he cannot love the neighbor from that spiritual love. Paul therefore says also that the flesh is against the spirit; and that the flesh must be crucified, with its lusts; and that the man thus becomes spiritual, and a new creature. From which it may be seen, that in so far as a man crucifies the flesh he lives in the spirit. And therefore, since man is by birth of such a nature, it follows that his spirit cannot love the neighbor unless he crucifies his flesh, which is done by repentance. And in proportion as he does this, he is spirit, that is inwardly, loves the neighbor. And to love the neighbor from the heart, before this, is against man's nature. The belief prevails in the Christian world, that whoever has faith loves the neighbor; but that belief is erroneous. No one can have faith in which there is any life unless he shuns evils as sins, yea so far as he shuns them. From all this now it is plain that the first of charity is not to do evil to the neighbor, for not to do evil to the neighbor is to fight against the evils in one's self, and repent of them; and that the second of charity is to do good to the neighbor. Anyone, from the principle that it is Christian not to do evil to the neighbor, also does not do it. He, however, who from that principle only does not do evil to the neighbor and does good to him, still does not love him. It is from obedience to the Divine laws that he does not do evil to him, and not from an affection of love towards the neighbor. No one knows anything of this affection but he who shuns evils as sins, that is, who does not love evils. Such a man comes into the affection of that love. For it is one thing not to do evil but good from obedience, and another not to do evil but good to him from an affection of love towards the neighbor. The difference is as between nocturnal heat and light from the moon and stars, and the heat and light of day, from the sun. Neither the warmth of that love nor the light of it is in obedience, but in affection. For affection of love is warmth. And therefore they that do good from obedience are in the lowest parts of heaven, and in light and heat as of the moon. Even the light of their understanding is as shade. They do not see any spiritual truths in the light. There is also the difference that they who do good from obedience do it from fear of penalty, and so likewise do they abstain from doing evils; while they that do good from affection do not do it from any fear of penalty. Yea, they that do good from obedience are natural, and they that do it from affection are spiritual. And they that do good from obedience are those that are being reformed, the state which precedes; while they that do good from affection are being regenerated, which state follows the other in order. All who believe that man is saved by faith alone, if they live as Christians, confessing that they are sinners, and who do not examine themselves, do good from obedience and not from affection. But they know nothing about faith, nor about love, nor about God, except what they hear from a preacher; yet they do good. They that do good from obedience take the lead in acts of benevolence, such as giving to the poor, assisting the needy, and endowing temples and hospitals. And they cannot but place merit in these things; nor do they understand the Word otherwise, where it says that they shall have their reward. They do not know that the affection of good itself with its delights, is itself the reward.