In regard to this Commandment, the Doctrine of the New Church thus teaches: "By the commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill,' is meant, in the natural sense, not to kill a man, and not to inflict on him any wound of which he may die, and also not to mutilate his body; and moreover, not to bring any deadly evil upon his name and fame, since fame and life, with many, go hand in hand. In a wider natural sense, by murders are meant enmity, hatred, and revenge, which breathe death; for murder lies concealed within them: they are murders in intention, if not in act."
Let us consider this commandment, in these various significations of its natural sense, and afterwards let us inquire into its spiritual sense.
To kill—to take away a man's life, which God gave him—to cut and wound a form which the great Creator made, so that the spirit can no longer dwell in it, but flies from it terrified, as it were, into the spiritual world, leaving it bleeding on the ground—Oh! what a crime is this! What deadly and infernal passion in a man's heart, can cause him to do such a thing to his fellow-man? how dares he raise his hand against one of God's works, and mar it so? how dares he thus destroy what he did not make, and can never restore? Whence comes the spirit that can prompt a man to commit so horrid a crime as to kill his fellow-man? Men were created to love each other, and do good to each other, and make each other happy. How can they, then, so pervert the purpose of their being, as to hurt and kill one another? Ah! man's heart, man's heart! how black a thing it is! how changed has it become, since it first left its Creator's hands, beautiful and pure!
The crime of murder, deliberate murder, is the most horrid of all crimes. It is the deepest of evils, and, indeed, includes within it all others: nay, it is the very principle of evil itself, in form and in act. For evil is that which is opposite to goodness, and to God who is goodness itself. Now, the spirit of murder is God's exact opposite; for it is the nature of God to create, and then to bless that which is created: it is the nature of the murderer to hurt that which exists, and if possible to destroy its very existence. Thus they are exactly opposite. The principle of evil is in its very nature murderous; and therefore it is, that in the Scriptures it is said, "the devil was a murderer from the beginning:" "the devil" signifying the principle of evil itself, and "from the beginning" meaning from inmost principles. When God, then, from the top of Sinai, spake the command, "Thou shalt not kill"—in those words, taken in their broadest sense, he forbad all evil; for, as just shown, evil is, in its very nature, of a destructive and murderous tendency: and when God speaks, there is a meaning in His words, which penetrates to the very essences of things; and therefore it is, that in the whole Word of God, there is a spiritual sense, deeper than that which appears in the letter. But this we shall see more clearly, when we come to treat of the spiritual sense of this Commandment.
He, then, who commits deliberate and malicious murder, plunges himself into the lowest hell: he settles himself down among the very foundations of evil—and there he is fixed for ever. When such a man, therefore, from his execution-scaffold, speaks to a gazing crowd, and, for a show, makes an apparently humble, but in secret, perhaps, a boasting confession of his crimes, (for a man may come to such a perverted state as to be even proud of crimes,)—and ends with making a formal profession of repentance for the course of his past life—we should be slow to believe that repentance sincere. When a man's life has been spent in sin, a death-bed repentance can be of but little avail. It can hardly be a genuine repentance. A man is not himself at such a time: He is acting under the influence of temporary external feelings, which play over the surface of his heart, while all the centre is a black mass of evil and corruption. His state is like that of one who, while lying on a bed of sickness, grieves over his past sins, and promises to himself, and to others, and to God, amendment in the time to come; but restore him to health, and let him go forth, and see how he will return to his loved evils again! So, the murderer, in his dungeon, or on the scaffold, may loudly profess repentance, and even shed tears; but cast off his chains, and let him go free, and mark how soon the tears will be dried from his eyes, and the deadly fire of the destroyer be kindled there again.
These remarks are made, in connection with the subject of the text,—the nature of the crime of murder,—for the purpose of aiding us in forming correct views on an important subject; and to remove a false sympathy and mistaken charity, which tend to encourage crime. Pity, indeed, we may feel—for none are so much to be pitied as the wicked, for their state is wretched indeed: but we must not suffer feelings to blind our eyes to the truth. We must have pity, too, for the victims of the cruel murderer, and for those who are in danger of becoming such. I may add to this, that I consider the publication and circulation of murderers' confessions, as one of the most powerful instruments in the hands of the infernals, for increasing the number of their evil company: and such publications should be as far as possible suppressed and burnt by every lover of men's souls: they tend to familiarize the mind with crime.
There is another way, in which this Commandment is broken, which may be alluded to, in passing. I refer to the practice of duelling. How this criminal custom has been so long tolerated in a Christian community, it is hard to understand;—a custom, which stands up in defiance of one of the chief commands of the Most High God—"Thou shalt not kill." It shows, though men may profess a belief in the truth of God's Word, how far they are from feeling and obeying its precepts. It shows, indeed, a depraved state of society; it shows that there is a murderous spirit in the midst of us, when a man, for some trifling offence offered to his honor (as it is termed) is ready to stand before another, and coolly point at his breast the weapon of death. What spirit is it which glares in hjs eye? Is it not the murderer's? Is it not the spirit of revenge even unto death? And does it matter, in God's sight, that he is arrayed in an elegant garb, or that he stands respectably before the world? It is written, "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." Before the Divine Eye, that man appears as he is in spirit: and he will go to his place, hereafter, accordingly.
But let us proceed now to consider the other significations of this Commandment. It may seem, perhaps, at the first thought, that the precept, "Thou shalt not kill," has but little to do with us; that we are in very little danger of breaking it; that the inclination to the commission of such a crime is far from our hearts, and the very thought of it abhorrent to our minds. Ha! is it so? Perhaps we do not know ourselves. Remember what the Divine Word declares—that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Have we never broken this Commandment? How many of us are there, think you, that have not broken it? Let us inquire into the full meaning of the Command, and we shall then be able to answer this question to ourselves.
We all understand well, that it is not merely the act which constitutes a crime, but, in the sight of the Lord, the intention to commit the act is sufficient; nor is it necessary that there should be a conscious intention in the thought; but the existence of that spirit, that feeling in the heart, which may, if carried out, lead to the intention, and finally to the act,—this is sufficient to constitute the crime, for it is the very essence of the crime— and that essence has only to clothe itself with a form, and the crime is complete—the deed is done. He, therefore, who has in his heart the spirit of murder—though, in this world, regard for appearances, fear of the law, a habit of self-command, and a variety of external restraints, may operate to prevent him from committing, or even intending or thinking of the act itself—yet, in the spiritual world, after death, where all such external bonds and restraints are cast off,—where feelings instantly assume a corresponding external form,—where, in a word, the man acts himself fully out,—there, that man will be seen to act the murderer, or at least, to endeavor to do so. Thus may it be seen, that it is the spirit of murder, which constitutes in reality, and in the Lord's sight, the crime itself.
And now let us inquire, what is the spirit of murder—what constitutes it? Let us hear the Doctrine of the New Church on this point. It is as follows: "The spiritual moral sense of this Commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill,' is, that thou shalt not hate thy brother or thy neighbor, and thence not treat him with contumely and ignominy, for thus you injure and kill his fame and honor, from which is his life amongst his brethren, which is called the civil life; whence he will afterwards live in society as it were dead, being numbered amongst the vile and wicked, with whom no one will hold intercourse. This, when it is done from enmity, hatred, or revenge, is homicide or murder; for the civil life proceeds and is estimated by many in the world, in a like degree with the life of the body; and he who kills or destroys it, is also as guilty before the angels in the heavens, as if he had killed his brother or neighbor as to the life of the body. For enmity, hatred, and revenge breathe murder, and will it, but are restrained and curbed by the fear of the law, of resistance, and of reputation: nevertheless, they are an effort to murder, and all effort is as it were an act, for it goes forth into act when fear is removed. These things are what the Lord teaches in Matthew,[1] 'Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause [or rashly, as it should be translated] shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca [which signifies wretch or miscreant], shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire.'"[2] From this passage we may learn, what it is that constitutes the spirit of murder:—it is "enmity, hatred, and revenge;"—any feeling, that leads us to injure our neighbor in reputation, character, or in any other way. And we see from these the Lord's own words, what He meant by His Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" (for it was the same God, who spoke that commandment from Mount Sinai, that now stood there, clothed with Humanity, explaining it to the Jews and to the world). He there shows, that to kill is not merely to commit the outward act—but even to be angry with our brother or neighbor, and to have in our hearts that spirit which causes us to utter violent, malicious, and bitter words against him. Thus, we perceive, that the essential spirit of murder is hatred; and he, therefore, who cherishes or indulges within himself a feeling of hatred, malice, or bitterness towards any one, is just in that degree breaking this commandment—and though he may be unconscious of it now, he will know it after death.
On the subject of hatred, the Doctrine of the New Church thus speaks: "Hatred has in itself a fire, which is the effort of killing man: that fire is manifested by anger." "Inasmuch as hatred, which consists in wishing to kill, is opposite to love to the Lord, and also to love towards the neighbor, and these latter loves make heaven with man, it is manifest that hatred, being thus opposite, makes hell with him. Nor is the infernal fire anything else but hatred: wherefore, also, the hells appear as in a fire of dusky red, according to the quality and quantity of the hatred, and in a fire of dusky flame, according to the quantity and quality of the revenge arising from hatred." And now we may inquire, who of us are influenced by the spirit of hatred, or in danger of being so influenced. The Doctrine answers this question. It thus continues: "Every man is hereditarily influenced by hatred against his neighbor: for every man is born into the love of self and of the world; wherefore he conceives hatred, and is from it inflamed against all who are not at one with him, and do not favor him, especially against those who oppose his evil inclinations."[3]
Understanding these things, our eyes will be now open to the danger we are all in, of breaking the Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." For, as before shown, he breaks it who cherishes feelings of hatred; and we are all inclined by nature to such feelings, because we are all born with self-love in our hearts—and self-love is essential hatred. Just in the degree that a person loves himself, just in that degree he despises and hates his neighbor. This hatred does not generally appear either to ourselves or others: it lies still at the bottom of the heart, like a tiger in his den. We seem to entertain a kindly feeling enough towards people. But only let some provocation, some opposition be offered, which touches our self-love—and that tiger spirit springs forth in an instant, and glares through the eyes, and throws blood into the face, and bursts forth from the. lips. Ah! is not "the heart of man deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked"? It is only because men do not study themselves, that they have no idea how evil their nature is. But they will know in the next world: there all these things will be brought out; there the heart will be laid bare, and, as it were, be held up to view. But, alas! it will then be too late to change it. The only safe course is, to look to these things now, while we yet live in this world—to watch ourselves carefully, to examine ourselves, and discover our evils,—and then looking to the Lord for help, to struggle against them. So only can they be removed, and cast out of our hearts. And then, when we enter the next world, and are judged, and the interiors of our spirits are examined, lo! they will be bright and clean, and we shall be pronounced worthy to associate with "the spirits of just men made perfect," who have gone before.
But let us now turn to the spiritual sense of this Commandment; and by understanding that, we shall be enabled to reach the essential principle of the spirit of murder. All parts of the Divine Word have a spiritual sense within that of the letter, and in that spiritual sense, chiefly, its Divinity lies. This spiritual sense never has allusion to anything in the natural world, for it is intended for the use of spiritual beings, the angels of heaven, and for men who are becoming angels. For the Word of God is in heaven, as well as on earth: as it is written in the Psalms, "Forever O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven."[4] In the spiritual sense, therefore, the Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," has no reference to the destruction of man's body, for that is natural: but it refers to the destruction of his soul, which is spiritual. This Commandment, then, understood in the spiritual sense, forbids the doing of anything that tends to kill or destroy men's souls. To kill a man's soul is to deprive it of heavenly life, which consists in goodness and truth, and to bring it into a state of spiritual death, which is a state of falsity and evil,—the state of those who are "dead in trespasses and sins". To do this, is to commit spiritual murder, which, in its effects, is as much more hurtful than natural murder, as the soul is more precious than the body. If a murderer kill a man's body,—though he will injure himself by that wicked deed, yet, under the Lord's good providence, he may do his victim little real harm; for if the sufferer be a good man, his soul but takes its flight a little sooner to heaven. But he who kills a man's soul, destroys his happiness forever.
The means of killing men's souls are in any way to inspire into them evil thoughts and feelings, or to teach them false principles which will finally lead to evil, or to do anything which has a tendency to produce these results. A man is guilty of this sin. who wantonly and maliciously writes or talks against religion and the "Word of God; for these are the means by which men's souls are saved and led to heaven. A bookseller, who sells bad books, is a criminal in this sense (and men of that class, it may be observed, have a great responsibility upon them); so also is the printer, and above all the writer of such books. And a man, who sells any article, the direct tendency of which is to lead men into evil habits, and thus injure their souls, is guilty of breaking this Commandment. And in general, bad men—men, who give themselves up, without restraint, to the indulgence of their evil inclinations—are in heart spiritual murderers; for they are consociated, as to their spirits, with hell—with that Evil One, who "was a murderer from the beginning." On this point, the Doctrine of the New Church thus speaks: "All who are in evils as to life, and thence in falses, are homicides or murderers, for they are enemies and haters of goodness and truth; for evil hates good and the false hates truth: but an evil man does not know that he is in such hatred, till he becomes a spirit; in which case hatred is the very delight of his life. Wherefore from hell, where all the evil are, there constantly exhales a delight of doing evil from hatred; but from heaven, where all the good are, there constantly exhales a delight of doing good from love. Hence two opposite spheres meet each other in the midst between heaven and hell, and combat each other. In this mid-region, is man, as to his spirit, while he lives in the world. If he is then in evil, and thence in falses, he goes over to the side of hell, and thence comes into the delight of doing evil from hatred: but if he is in good, and thence in truths, he goes over to the side of heaven, and thence comes into the delight of doing good from love. The delight of doing evil from hatred, which exhales from hell, is the delight of killing: but because they cannot kill the body, they wish to kill the spirit, and to kill the spirit is to deprive it of spiritual life, which is the life of heaven. From these considerations, it is manifest, that the precept, 'Thou shalt not kill,' involves also that thou shalt not hate thy neighbor, likewise that thou shalt not hate the good of the church, and its truth; for he who hates goodness and truth hates his neighbor, and to hate is to wish to kill. Hence it is, that the devil, by whom is understood hell in its whole complex, is called by the Lord, 'a murderer from the beginning.'"[5]
And now, in the last place,—we may refer briefly to the celestial sense of this Commandment, which is the highest sense. This sense always treats of the Lord Himself; for the Lord is the very centre and essence of his Word—for he is the Word. To kill, in this sense, "is to be angry with, and hate the Lord, and to wish to blot out his name." Here is the very essential principle of the spirit of murder, and its fountain. For the desire to kill a man's body is derived, though perhaps unconsciously, from a still deeper desire to kill his soul: and that desire springs from hatred to that principle which is the very life of the soul, namely, goodness: and goodness is from the Lord, and is indeed the Lord Himself in men's souls. This hatred against the Lord is inherent in the very nature of evil; and all bad men have it within their hearts, though they may not be aware of it while in this world: but after death, it will burst forth, and show itself. Indeed, it sometimes manifests itself even here; it is from this cause that wicked men delight to swear, and blaspheme, and take God's name in vain. And once it has shown itself in dreadful act—when the Jews crucified the Lord of Glory; and all bad men continually "crucify him afresh" in their hearits.
Such, in conclusion, are the various and extensive significations of the Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." May we seriously reflect on them—examine ourselves to see whether this evil exists in our hearts in any of its forms; and then earnestly strive against it, looking to the Lord and Savior for help.
- ↑ v. 21, 22.
- ↑ Apocalypse Explained, n. 1012.
- ↑ Ap. Ex., n. 1015—16.
- ↑ Ps. cxix. 89.
- ↑ Ap. Ex., n. 1014.