Purpose of Proverbs Translation

The writings of Swedenborg can be pithy and difficult to read in our age. They were originally written in Latin. What I have done here is reflect on sentences and attempt to boil their meaning down into easily understandable "proverbs".

Friday, February 4, 2011

10 Citations from Divine Providence book by Emanuel Swedenborg simplified into proverbs

People who are rational from enlightenment hear truthfulness instantly.  D.P.  168

The enlightened know that love is the life of faith and faith gets its life from love.  D.P. 168

The enlightened sense that they do what they intend and love to do; so loving is doing.  D.P. 168

The enlightened know that what we love, and do and intend is because of our beliefs so faith is also doing.  D.P. 168

Irreverent people cannot have a love for God or faith in God.  D.P. 168

God is omnipotent, hence everything good comes from God.  D.P. 168

The light of heaven enlightens inner rationality from the Lord.  D.P. 168

Knowing what is good and true from experience comes from outer enlightenment.  D.P. 168

Outer enlightenment sees the reasons that support it and dismisses seen illusions that undermine it.  D.P. 168

Inner enlightenment from ourselves sees things from not good and not true views like bribed judges.  D.P. 168

Bribed judges rationalize their decisions by laws and arguments to look fair.  D.P. 168

Bribed judges can see some unfairness, but they don’t want to see it, so they veil it over and even blind themselves.  D.P. 168

People construct their own ideas and confirm it by people in authority, or famous people, friends, or family.  D.P. 168

These are blind reasons or confirmations because they are based on distortions which close sight, while truth opens it.  D.P. 168

Some only see from the feeble light of their own convictions.  They cannot see truth nor fairness from a love of fairness.  D.P.  168

Outer enlightenment from ourselves is thinking and talking solely from memorized things.  One cannot come to any conclusions on one’s own.  D.P. 168

The light from spiritual enlightenment can be seen in the spiritual world.  D.P. 169

Don’t live in faith alone and not in charity nor be impressed with your own intelligence.  D.P. 170

Deeper levels of your rationality would be opened if you were brought into a community where there is real faith and real intelligence and wisdom.  D.P. 170

Being taught through the Word, and teaching and preaching from the Word is being taught directly by the Lord alone.  D.P. 171

All the teachings of the church should be based on the Word.  D.P. 172

The Word comes from the Lord and is about him.  D.P. 172

The Word is not reduced by being taught indirectly in sermons from the Word.  D.P. 172

The Word is actually divine and is able to communicate something divine and instill it into our hearts.  D.P. 172

Thinking from the Lord is thinking from the Word and even thinking by means of the Word.  D.P.  172

Union with the Lord is abiding in him and his words in us.  D.P. 172

All parts of the Word touches some part of heaven.  D.P. 172

“The Word” means divine wisdom coming from divine love.  D.P. 172


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