Page:Swedenborg, Harbinger of the New Age of the Christian Church.djvu/143

 has purely spiritual—that is, universal—loves, in which are contained the principles of lower and purely natural loves. A good angel, as also an evil angel or devil, is purely spirit; and the loves of each are purely spiritual, but with the difference that whatever a good spirit loves, the evil spirit hates and loves its opposite.

"The first and supreme love of the spirit or soul, and the most universal, is the love of Being above itself, from which it has drawn and continually draws its essence; in which, through which, and on account of which it is and lives. This love is the first of all, because nothing can exist and subsist from itself except God, who exists in Himself, and alone is He who is. Because the soul feels this in itself, that supreme love is also inborn in it, and thus is the very Divine love within us. There is also given a love directly opposite to this, though also spiritual and supreme, which is hatred of any power or being above itself. This love is called diabolical; from it is known what the quality of good love is, and from the good what the quality of evil love is.

"The Divine providence takes especial care that individuals shall be distinct one from