10814. It was then given me to speak with the angels who were with me about rule of various kinds, and to say that there are two kinds of rule; one of love toward the neighbor, and the other of the love of self; and that the rule of love toward the neighbor prevails among those who dwell separated into houses, families, and nations; but the rule of the love of self among those who dwell together in a society. Among those who live separated into houses, families, and nations, it is the father of the nation, and under him the fathers of families, and under these the fathers of each household, who rule. He is called the father of the nation from whom come the families, and from the families the households. But all these rule from love like that of a father toward his children, who teaches them how they ought to live, bestows benefits upon them, and as far as he is able gives them of his own. Nor does it ever enter into his mind to subject them under himself as subjects or as servants; but he loves that they should obey him as sons obey their father. And as this love grows as it descends (as is known), therefore the father of the nation acts from a more interior love than the immediate father of the sons himself. Such also is the rule in the heavens, because such rule is of the Lord; for His rule is from His Divine love toward the whole human race.
[2] But the rule of the love of self, which is opposite to the rule of love toward the neighbor, began when man estranged himself from the Lord; because insofar as a man does not love and worship the Lord, so far he loves and worships himself; and so far also he loves the world more than heaven. It then became a matter of necessity-for the sake of their safety-for the nations with their families and households to betake themselves into a united body, and to begin governments under various forms. For insofar as this love increased, so far increased evils of every kind, such as enmities, envyings, hatreds, revenges, deceits, and fierce ragings against all who opposed them. Moreover, this love is of such a nature that insofar as the reins are given it, it rushes on until at last all such persons wish to rule over all in the whole world, and everyone wishes to possess all the goods of others; and even this is not enough; he also wishes to rule over the universal heaven; as can be seen from the modern Babylonia. This then is the rule of the love of self; from which the rule of love toward the neighbor differs as heaven does from hell. [3] But although such is the nature of the rule of the love of self in societies, there is nevertheless a rule of love toward the neighbor even in kingdoms, with those who are wise from faith and love to God, for these love the neighbor. That these also dwell in the heavens, divided into nations, families, and households (although they are at the same time in societies, but according to spiritual relationships, which are those of the good of love and the truth of faith) of the Lord's Divine mercy elsewhere. A continuation about this sixth earth in the starry heaven will be found at the end of the following chapter.
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