646．死后，善（即仁）与恶（即罪）会被报应给人，我所有关于从今生进入来世之人命运的经历都证实了这一点。在等候一段时日后，每个人都接受检查以确定他的秉性，包括他在尘世对宗教的态度。检查结束后，检查者向天堂报告结果，然后这人就被转到他的同类那里，加入自己人当中。这就是报应运作的方式。所有在天堂者皆有善的报应，所有在地狱者皆有恶的报应，这一点通过主对二者的排列方式向我清楚表明了。整个天堂根据所有向善之爱的多样性被划分为各个社群，整个地狱则根据所有向恶之爱的多样性被划分为各个社群。主以同样方式安排地上的教会，因为它对应于天堂。良善就是它的宗教信仰。此外，若你愿意，请问问既有宗教信仰，也有理智之人，不管来自这一大洲，还是另两个大洲，他认为谁会上天堂，谁会下地狱。他们会异口同声说，行善者皆升天堂，作恶者皆下地狱。再者，谁不知道每个真正的人热爱一个人，一个集体，一个城市或国家，都是因为其中有良善？事实上，这不但适用于人，还适用于动物和无生命的物体，象房子、财物、田地、花园、树木、森林、陆地，甚至金属和石头。所有这些事物被爱皆因其良善和用途？良善与用途是一体。那么为何主就不能因其中的良善而热爱人类和教会呢？
646. 死后, 善 (即仁) 与恶 (即罪) 会被归算给人, 我所有关于从今生进入来世之人命运的经历都证实了这一点。 在等候一段时日后, 每个人都接受检查以确定他的秉性, 包括他在尘世对宗教的态度。 检查结束后, 检查者向天堂报告结果, 然后这人就被转到他的同类那里, 加入自己人当中。 这就是归算运作的方式。 所有在天堂者皆有善的归算, 所有在地狱者皆有恶的归算, 这一点通过主对二者的排列方式向我清楚表明了。 整个天堂根据所有向善之爱的多样性被划分为各个社群, 整个地狱则根据所有向恶之爱的多样性被划分为各个社群。 主以同样方式安排地上的教会, 因为它对应于天堂。 良善就是它的宗教信仰。 此外, 若你愿意, 请问问既有宗教信仰, 也有理智之人, 不管来自这一大洲, 还是另两个大洲, 他认为谁会上天堂, 谁会下地狱。 他们会异口同声说, 行善者皆升天堂, 作恶者皆下地狱。 再者, 谁不知道每个真正的人热爱一个人, 一个集体, 一个城市或国家, 都是因为其中有良善? 事实上, 这不但适用于人, 还适用于动物和无生命的物体, 象房子, 财物, 田地, 花园, 树木, 森林, 陆地, 甚至金属和石头。 所有这些事物被爱皆因其良善和用途? 良善与用途是一体。 那么为何主就不能因其中的良善而热爱人类和教会呢?
646. All my experience of what happens to people as they cross from this world to the next has testified to me that after death we are assigned spiritual credit or blame based on whether our actions were loving and good or wicked and evil. After our first few days in that world, we are all examined to determine our quality - that is, the quality of our religious life in the physical world. The examiners then report their findings to heaven, and we are transferred to those like ourselves - to "our people," if you will. This is how the assigning is actually carried out.
The fact that good actions were what saved all who are in heaven, and evil actions were what condemned all who are in hell has become clear to me from observing the way each area is organized by the Lord. The entirety of heaven is arranged into communities according to all the varieties of love for doing what is good; the entirety of hell is arranged into hordes according to all the varieties of love for doing what is evil. The Lord arranges the church on earth in a similar way, because the church corresponds to heaven. The church's religious practice is the doing of what is good.
[2] In fact, choose any rational, religious people you wish from anywhere on the planet and ask them this: "What type of person goes to heaven and what type of person goes to hell?"
They will all answer the same way: "Those who do what is good will go to heaven. Those who do what is evil will go to hell. "
As we all must surely know, the amount of love a true human being has for others, whether they are individuals, groups, cities, or even whole countries, depends on how good their actions are. The same applies to things that are outside of the human realm as well. We love animals and even inanimate things like houses, possessions, fields, gardens, trees, woods, lands, and even metals and types of stone based on how good and useful they are. (How good they are is exactly the same as how useful they are.) Why then would the Lord's love for people and the church not depend on how good their actions are?
646. After death good, which is charity, and evil, which is wickedness, are imputed to people, as has been proved to me by all my experience regarding the fate of those who pass from this world to the next. Everyone after a few days there has his character examined, which includes what his attitude to religion was in his previous world. When the examination is concluded, the examiners make a report to heaven, and the person is then sent to join people like him, so he joins his own. That is how imputation works. All in heaven have good imputed to them, all in hell evil; this is made plain to me by the way both heaven and hell are ordered by the Lord. The whole of heaven is arranged into communities answering to all the varieties of the love for good, the whole of hell into communities answering to all the varieties of the love for evil. The Lord's arrangement of the church on earth is similar, since it corresponds to heaven. Good is its religion.
[2] Moreover, ask anyone you like - from this or the other two continents - who is endowed with religious feeling and also with powers of reasoning, who he thinks will go to heaven and who to hell. They will all agree in their answer, that those who do good go to heaven and those who do evil go to hell. Again, who does not know that every truly human being loves a person, a group of many people, a city or a kingdom because of the good in them? In fact the same applies not only to people, but also to animals, and to inanimate objects like houses, possessions, estates, gardens, trees, woods, land, even metals and stones. All these are loved for their goodness and for the purpose they serve; good and purpose are one. Why then, must not the Lord love mankind and the church for the good in them?
646. That good, which is charity, and evil, which is iniquity, are imputed after death, has been proven to me by all my experience relating to the lot of those who pass from this to the other world. Everyone, after he has waited there for some days, is examined to ascertain his character, that is, what he was in respect to religion in the former world. When this has been done, the examiners report the result to heaven, and the man is then transferred to his like, that is, to his own. Thus is imputation effected. That to all in heaven there is an imputation of good, and to all in hell an imputation of evil, was made clear to me from the arrangement of both by the Lord. The entire heaven is arranged in societies according to all the varieties of the love of good, and the entire hell according to all the varieties of the love of evil. The church on earth is arranged by the Lord in like manner, for it corresponds to heaven. Its religion is its good. Moreover, ask anyone you please who is endowed with religion and also with reason, belonging either to this quarter of the globe or one of the others, who he believes will go to heaven, and who to hell; and they will answer unanimously that those who do good will go to heaven, and those who do evil to hell. Again, does not everyone know that every true man loves a man, an assembly of many men, a state, or a kingdom, because of their goodness; and not only men, but even beasts and inanimate things, such as houses, possessions, fields, gardens, trees, forests, lands, and finally metals and stones, because of their goodness and use? Goodness and use are one. Why then should not the Lord love man and the church because of their goodness?
646. Good which is charity, and evil which is iniquity, are imputed after death. This is a fact that has been proved to me by all my experience of the lot of those who pass from this world into the next. Every one, after some days in the world of spirits, is examined as to his nature, particularly his nature from the point of view of religion, in the former world. When this has been done the examiners make their report to heaven and then he is transferred to the company of those like himself, thus to his own, and in this way imputation is effected. There is an imputation of good to all who are in heaven and an imputation of evil to all who are in hell. This was made clear to me from the orderly arrangement of each by the Lord. For the whole heaven is arranged into societies according to all the varieties of the love of good, and all hell according to all the varieties of the love of evil. Similarly, the Church on earth, as it corresponds to heaven, is arranged in order by the Lord, good being its religion. Moreover, ask any one you please who is religious and at the same time rational, either in this or in one of the other two regions of the globe, who he supposes will go to heaven and who to hell; and he will invariably reply that those who do good will go to heaven, and those who do evil will go to hell. Besides, who does not know that every true man loves a person, a community, a state, or a kingdom from the point of view of the good that is in them? Indeed, for the same reason he values animals, and also inanimate things as houses, possessions, fields, gardens, trees, woods and lands; and even metals and stones from their goodness and use, for good and use are one. Why, then, should not the Lord love man and the Church from good?
646. Quod bonum quod est charitas, et malum quod est iniquitas, post mortem imputentur, ex omni experientia de sorte illorum, qui ex hoc Mundo in alterum transeunt, testatum mihi factum est; quisque postquam aliquot dies ibi moratus est, exploratur qualis est, ita qualis fuit in priori Mundo quoad religionem, quo facto, exploratores renuntiant hoc ad Coelum, et tunc transfertur ad similes, ita ad suos; ita fit Imputatio. Quod imputatio boni sit omnibus qui in Coelo sunt, et imputatio mali omnibus qui in inferno, patuit mihi ex ordinatione utriusque a Domino; Universum Coelum ordinatum est in Societates secundum omnes varietates amoris boni, et Universum Infernum secundum omnes varietates amoris mali. Similiter ordinatur Ecclesia in terris a Domino, haec enim correspondet Coelo; ejus religio est bonum.
[2] Praeterea quaere quemcumque libet religione et simul ratione praeditum, sit ex hac aut ex binis alteris partibus Orbis, quem credit venturum in Coelum, et quem in Infernum, et respondebunt consentienter, quod illi qui bonum faciunt in Coelum, et quod qui malum in infernum. Insuper quis non scit, quod omnis verus homo amet hominem, Caetum ex pluribus, Civitatem, et Regnum ex bono eorum, imo non modo homines, sed etiam bestias, et quoque inanimata, ut domus, possessiones, agros, hortos, arbores, sylvas, terras; imo metalla et lapides, ex bonitate et usu illorum, bonum et usus unum sunt; quid non Dominus amaret hominem et Ecclesiam ex bono.