New Church Life January/February 2016 | Page 61

      indeed can be alike to eternity, no matter how many times they are multiplied to myriads of myriads. It is plain then, in view of the variety of form among angels and spirits, that loves have infinite variety. The same is true of zeal, because this attaches to love; that is to say, the zeal of one person cannot be absolutely like another’s or the same as it. In general there are the zeal of good love and the zeal of evil love. 363. The zeal of a good love and the zeal of an evil love resemble each other in externals but are utterly unlike in internals. In the external expression, zeal has the appearance of anger and wrath, and this is the case with everyone. For it is love on fire and inflamed to protect itself from a violator and to drive away that violator. The zeal of a good love and the zeal of an evil love appear alike in their external expression because when love is in a state of zeal, it blazes forth. With the good person it blazes only in externals. With the evil person it blazes in both externals and internals. However, since internals are not visible, the two kinds of zeal look the same in their external expression. Nevertheless, they are utterly unlike in internals. The resemblance of zeal to wrath and anger in externals is plain to see and hear in all who speak and act from it. Take, for example, the zealous priest who exhorts the congregation. While doing this, the sound of his voice is loud, vehement, sharp and harsh; his face heats and perspires; he throws himself into his sermon, pounds the pulpit, and invokes fire from hell against evil doers. This is zeal, and there are many other examples. 364. To get a distinct idea of zeal with the good and of zeal with the evil, and of their dissimilarity, one must have some conception of internals and externals in man. Let it be a concept that anyone can understand. Take, for example, a nut, an almond, say, and its kernel. With the good the internals are like sound, good kernels, enclosed in their usual and native shell. With the evil, on the contrary, the internals are like rotten or wormy kernels, or so bitter they are inedible, but their externals are shells or coats either like the native shell of the almond, or like shiny conchs, or like multicolor rainbow-stones. So do their externals look, in which are concealed the internals we have just described. It is the same with the two kinds of zeal in people. 365. The zeal of a good love harbors love and friendship in its internals, but the zeal of an evil harbors hatred and revenge in its internals. We have said that zeal in externals looks like anger and wrath with those in a good love as well as with those in an evil love. But as the internals are different, the anger and wrath are, too. The differences are as follows: 1. The zeal of good love is like a heavenly flame which never bursts forth against another, but only defends itself, doing no more than 57