love lay hidden like fire smoldering in a dry log still covered by bark. In
some cases it lay hidden like coals burning under the ashes. In some cases
it lay hidden like wax torches that would readily burst into flame in the
presence of fire. In other cases it was hidden in other ways.
This is the nature of all people who have rejected matters of religion
from their heart. Their inner selves are in hell. As long as they are still
alive in this world—unaware of their situation because of the morality
they imitate on the outside—they do not recognize as their neighbor
anyone but themselves and their own children. They look on others with
either contempt (in which case they are like cats ready to ambush birds
on the nest) or hatred (in which case they are like wolves who see dogs
and devour them).
The point of including this was to make it possible to recognize the
nature of goodwill through its opposite.The Connection between Loving God and Loving Our Neighbor456 People generally know that the law proclaimed on Mount Sinai was writ-
ten on two tablets, one of which was about God and the other about
humankind. People also know that in Moses’ hand the two were a single
tablet: the right-hand side contained writing concerning God, and the
left-hand side contained writing concerning humankind, because if it
was set before people’s eyes in this way, the writing on both sides would
be seen at once. Therefore the sides faced one another like Jehovah talk-
ing with Moses and Moses with Jehovah, face to face, as we read [Exodus
33 : 11 ; Deuteronomy 34 : 10 ].
The tablets were made in this way so that together they would repre-
sent God’s connection to people and people’s reciprocal connection to
God. For this reason the law written there was called “the Covenant” and
“the Testimony.” The term “covenant” refers to the partnership and “tes-
timony” refers to the life that follows the points agreed upon.
The union of the two tablets shows the connection between loving
God and loving our neighbor. The first tablet covers all aspects of lov-
ing God; they are primarily that we should acknowledge one God, the
divinity of his human manifestation, and the holiness of the Word; and
that in worshiping him we are to use the holy things that come from
him. (The fact that the first tablet covers the above is clear from the com-
ments made in chapter 5 on the Ten Commandments [§§ 291 – 308 ].)
538 TRUE CHRISTIANIT Y §455b