XXX. Swedenborg. " That which a man loves

above all things is continually present in his thought, be- cause in his will, and makes his veriest life. As for example, he who loves riches^ whether money or posses- sions, above all things, continually revolves in his mind how he may procure them for himself; he inwardly re- joices when he gains ; he inwardly grieves when he loses ; his heart is in them. * * * All the delight, pleasure, and happiness of every one, are from his ruling love, and according to it ; for that which a man loves, he calls delightful, because he feels it ; but that which he thinks, but does not love, he may also call de- lightful, but it is not the delight of his life. The de- light of the love is what is good to a man, and the op- posite is tvhat is evil to him. * * * * A man is altogether such as the ruling principle of his life is ; by this he is distinguished from others ; according to this his heaven is made, if he is good, and his hell, if he is evil; it is his very will, his proprium [that which be- longs peculiarly to him], and his nature; for it cannot be changed, because it is the man himself." T. C. R.
Spinoza. " For we have proved above that we do not desire a thing because we judge it to be good, but on the contrary, we call it good because we desire it, and consequently we call what we are averse to, evil ; so
306 8WEDENB0K0, [Ch. XII.
that every one judges or estimates what is good, what bad ; what better, what worse ; what best, what worst ; according to his passions. The miser thinks a plenty of money the best thing and the want of it the worst. The ambitious," &c. &c. Ethics, part 3, prop. 39, schol. — and the schoh to prop. 51, p. 3, remarks — * Hence when we compare m.en together , we distinguish them hy the difference of their affections alone.^ "
Here are in fact three points of contact instead of one ; to wit, that our love or desire is the foun- dation of our judgment of what is good : 2d, the love of wealth and the 'miser^ taken as an ilhistra- tion: and lastly, the notion of each writer, that men are to be distinguished from each other by their passions, loves, affections, and not by rea- son, Avhicli is uniform in all men.