Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 1.djvu/177

 that the church, his country, human society and his fellow-citizens should serve him, and not that he may serve them; for he places himself above them, and them below himself. So far, therefore, as any one is in self-love, he removes himself from heaven, because from heavenly love.

Still further: so far as any one is in heavenly love,—which consists in loving uses and good works, and in beiug affected with delight of heart in the performance of them for the sake of the church, his country, human society aud a fellow-citizen,—he is led by the Lord; because that is the love in which He is, and which is from Himself. But so far as any one is in self-love, which consists in performing uses and good works for the sake of himself, he is led by himself; and in proportion as any one is led by himself, he is not led by the Lord.

Whence also it follows, that so far as any one loves himself, he removes himself from the Divine, thus also from heaven. To be led by himself is to be led by his own proprium, and the proprium of man is nothing but evil; for it is his hereditary evil which consists in loving himself more than God, and the world more than heaven. Man is let into his own proprium, thus into his hereditary evils, as often as he has regard to himself in the good that he does; for he looks away from good works to himself, and not away from himself to good works; therefore in his good works he presents the image of himself, and