262. After this, I examined first the universal love of hell, being the love of ruling from the love of self, and then the universal love of heaven corresponding thereto, being the love of ruling from the love of use; for it was not allowed me to consider the one love without the other, because, being opposite loves, the understanding cannot perceive the one without the other. That both may be perceived they must be placed in contrast, one over against the other; for a beautiful and finely formed face shines forth by contrast with a face which is ugly and deformed. While reflecting on the love of ruling from the love of self, it was given me to perceive that this love is utterly infernal, and hence is with those who are in the deepest hell; and that the love of ruling from the love of uses is supremely heavenly and hence is with those who are in the highest heaven. [2] That the love of ruling from the love of self is utterly infernal is because to rule from the love of self is to rule from the proprium, and man's proprium is evil from very birth, and evil is diametrically opposed to the Lord. Therefore, the further men progress into this evil, the more do they deny God and the holy things of the Church, and adore themselves and nature. Let those, I pray, who are in that love search it out within themselves and they will see. Moreover, the love is such that, so far as its reins are loosened, as they are when impossibility does not stand in the way, it rushes on, step by step, to its very height; nor does it stop there; but, if there is no higher step, it grieves and laments. [3] With politicians, the love mounts so far that they wish to be kings and emperors, and if possible, to have dominion over all things of the world and be called kings of kings and emperors of emperors. With the clergy, the same love mounts so far that they wish to be gods and as far as possible to have dominion over all the things of heaven and be called gods of gods. In what follows, it will be seen that neither the latter nor the former acknowledge any God. Those, on the other hand, who wish to rule from the love of uses, wish to rule not from themselves but from the Lord; for the love of uses is from the Lord and is the Lord Himself. These regard dignities no otherwise than as means for the performance of uses, placing uses far above dignities; but the others place dignities far above uses.