§530 not hard to reach heaven 317
on a mournful life for themselves, a life that is not open to heavenly joy,
since our life does remain with us [after death]. No, if we would accept
heaven’s life, we need by all means to live in the world and to participate
in its duties and affairs. In this way, we accept a spiritual life by means of
our moral and civic life; and there is no other way a spiritual life can be
formed within us, no other way our spirits can be prepared for heaven.
This is because living an inner life and not an outer life at the same time
is like living in a house that has no foundation, that gradually sags into
the ground, cracking and splitting, then leans to one side, and fi nally
collapses.
If we look critically at human life with rational insight, it turns out to 529
be threefold—spiritual life, moral life, and civic life. These lives are dis-
tinguishable: some people live a civic life but not a moral or spiritual one,
some live a moral life but not a spiritual one, and some live a civic and a
moral life and a spiritual life as well. These last are the ones who are lead-
ing heaven’s life, while the former are leading the world’s life, divorced
from heaven’s life.
To begin with, then, we may gather that a spiritual life is not sepa-
rate from a natural life or the world’s life but is united to it like a soul to
its body; and if they were separated, it would be like a house without a
foundation, as just stated.
In fact, moral and civic living is what spiritual life does, for intend-
ing well is the essence of spiritual life and behaving well is the essence of
moral and civic life. If these are separated from each other, spiritual life
consists solely of thinking and talking, and the intent ebbs away because
it has no support. Yet intent is our actual spiritual substance.
What follows will make it possible for anyone to see that it is not as 530
hard as people think it is to lead a heaven-bound life.
Who can’t lead a civil and moral life? After all, we are introduced to it
in infancy and know it from living in the world. We do in fact lead this
kind of life whether we are evil or good, since no one wants to be called
dishonest or unfair. Almost everyone practices honesty and fairness out-
wardly, even to the point of seeming genuinely honest and fair, or seem-
ing to act from genuine honesty and fairness. Spiritual people have to
live in much the same way and can do so just as easily as worldly people,
the difference being that spiritual people believe in the Divine Being and
act honestly and fairly not just because it follows civil and moral laws
but also because it follows divine laws. In fact, since they are thinking
about divine [laws] when they act, they are in touch with heaven’s angels;
and to the extent that they are, they are united to them, and their inner