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Preached on 07-25-99

CONJUNCTION

A Sermon by the Rev. Patrick A. Rose

"How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Gen. 39:9)

IN EVERYTHING CREATED BY THE LORD there is what the Writings call a marriage, that is, a conjunction (cf. DLW 409). Without this conjunction nothing could exist. As we read in the Arcana : "Where there is no conjunction or union, there is no being; for unless there is something to bring to a one, or to unite, there must be dissolution and extinction" (AC 5002).

When the Writings speak of conjunction, then, they are speaking of one of the most fundamental and universal aspects of creation. Nothing can exist without conjunction -- without a joining together.

On the material plane, this is very obvious indeed. If the various components of matter molecules, atoms, and so on -- did not bond together, matter could not exist. There would be no material world as we know it. Everything would fall apart. On the level of the spirit, within human spirits, and also within human relationships, this same law holds true. Without union or conjunction, there is dissolution and extinction.

Consider human society. Where people live or work together, everything would fall apart if there was not something which conjoined or held them together. This is why, as every reasonable person recognizes, a nation must be held together by the rule of law. Indeed, where people are selfish, this is the only thing which holds them together. As we also read in the Arcana, " . . . in a civil society, where every one is for himself, and no one for another except for the sake of himself, unless there were laws to unite, and fears of the loss of gain, honor, reputation, and life, the society would be utterly dissipated; . . ." (AC 5002).

Conjunction enters into all aspects of life. It is necessary for the existence of all things. It is something which binds and holds together the external world of matter. And it is something which binds and holds together human societies.

There is, nevertheless, an important distinction to be made between external conjunction and internal conjunction. It is one thing to be held together by external bonds. It is quite another thing to be joined together through what is internal. A nation, or society, can be held together, externally at least, by fear of the law and its penalties. But if a country is to be healthy, there must be something deeper which holds people together. If people are forced to cooperate only by external forces and fears, there cannot be any true happiness or peace. Peace and happiness are internal, not external, and no external force can bring peace and union to the inner man.

The supreme example of this is hell itself. Those there must be held in bonds lest they harm one another, or, harm those in good. Hell is like a society, or kingdom, conjoined or held together externally by the fear of punishments and reprisals. And it is of the Divine mercy that hell is held together in this way, for without this, the devils would tear one another to pieces. But there is no internal conjunction. In his internals -- within himself -- each devil is completely alone. There is no happiness -- only hatred and misery.

Whether we are talking about hell, or about a hellish state amongst people in the world, the result is the same. It is a state in which, we read in the Writings, "all are disjoined, and at heart each regards the others as enemies, and if any one does anything against him, he holds him in hatred, and takes delight in his destruction" (AC 4997; cf. 5002). As it is said elsewhere, each "desires nothing more than to put ... [the other] out of existence" (AC 5002).

Obviously there can be no internal peace where such a state of affairs exists. External conjunction -- being held together despite internal hatreds -- provides for survival, but not for happiness. A physical analogy might be gas contained only under great pressure. The gas in a canister is held together by a strong metal shell. Internally, though, there is a great force trying to tear the container apart, and if the container is ruptured in any way, the result can be a devastating explosion. There is, then, in evil, a pressure, a frustration, an internal misery.

Far different is the state of heaven. External forces are not needed in heaven, for the angels are held together from within -- by a spiritual conjunction -- this conjunction being nothing other than the force of love.

Hell is hatred towards others, and can only be held together miserably, by external pressures and forces. Heaven, though, is love, and it is from love that the angels freely and happily associate with one another. From this it is evident that heaven and hell are not far-off places or states, but are with us right now, in our relationships with other people. The way we feel about other people, the way we think about them, and the way we treat them, is either heaven, or else it is hell.

Which it is depends, first of all, upon the way we feel. Are our hearts ruled by love and kindness? Or are they dominated by hatred, contempt and anger whenever others go against our will? It is these feelings and thoughts of the heart, rather than external actions by themselves, which either constitute heaven or else constitute hell.

This is important to remember because many, if not most people, generally maintain an external sphere of charity in their day-to-day lives. They live in a fairly peaceful relationship with those around them. And people can do this whether they are good or evil.

The reason for this is that, as we have noted, there are external bonds which can hold society together even where there is internal discord. Laws, with various penalties, furnish a powerful reason for people to try to get along with one another. There are also other external factors which play their part in holding society together. People are polite to each other, and even nice to each other, for many different external reasons. They may be acting from habit, from self-interest, and so on. None of these things by themselves, though, provide for anything more than a merely external conjunction. For example, if someone is only acting politely from habit or custom, without real thought, his association with others is only external. To act from habit has nothing to do with whether or not he loves other people.

Now it does not follow from this that people who act well only from habit, or for other external reasons, are necessarily in active evil. What it does mean, though, is that more is needed if people are to be prepared for heaven. Heaven is a kingdom, or a state, in which people are held together, not by habit, not by external concerns, but by spiritual love -- a love which cares deeply and unselfishly for the welfare of society at large. This love is what binds together the communities of heaven. And it is this love which should, ideally, bind together the societies of human beings here on this earth. Without spiritual love, there may be something of external peace and harmony here in the world, but such conjunction does not last in the world to come. And the simple unavoidable fact is that we are all, of course, destined for the other world.

Now we read this morning the story of how Potiphar's wife attempted to seduce Joseph. It is a story about external conjunction. The conjunction sought by Potiphar's wife was, of course, only a superficial one -- one that couldn't last, for she was the wife of another man. Of course, in her mind, this didn't matter. She was only interested in a temporary conjunction. Not surprisingly, she represents, in the internal sense, the belief that external conjunction alone is sufficient. She stands for merely natural truth, and, more specifically, for the idea that all we really need do is act reasonably well on the external plane. Those in merely natural truth just go through the motions, as it were. They are not really interested in the spiritual truth which can help them see whether something is truly good or not.

The good that such people do is merely natural good. Now the Writings give a number of examples of such good. One example, repeated in many different passages, is that of indiscriminately giving money to the poor. If somebody gives money to a poor man, without really stopping to consider whether this is genuinely useful or not, then his good is only external. It doesn't proceed from a genuine concern for the welfare of others. After all, if a person really cares for the welfare of others, he would stop and think before giving money to somebody. He would ask whether or not this was truly helpful. He might, for example, be encouraging the man to be lazy, for there are those who only work, or only make the effort to help themselves, when forced to do so by necessity. Perhaps the man is not really poor at all, and will use the money in a harmful way. The fact is, if a person is in genuine good, he will be interested in actually accomplishing good, rather than just going through the motions. His concern is not that he might appear good to others, but that he might genuinely benefit other people. He will think about the consequences of his actions. And he will consider the consequences, not just towards a particular individual, but towards society at large.

Now the Writings do not say that we shouldn't give money to those in need. What they say is that such a benefaction is not, by itself, an act of charity. Charity is to genuinely seek the welfare of others. In practical terms this may at times mean not giving something, if there is reason to think that it might do more harm than good. To encourage laziness, for example, is to do great harm to the spirit of another -- and this should far outweigh the desire to merely appear generous. It is not always easy to do what is right in such circumstances. It is, after all, so easy to pat oneself on the back for being generous. But someone who is busy patting himself on the back is not really thinking of the welfare of others. The good he does is not genuine but merely external. It only appears to be good.

Consider the difference between Potiphar's wife and Joseph. Potiphar's wife might have acted affectionately, but her affection was not genuine. Within, she was full of hate, and this hate came out for all to see after Joseph rejected her. It is similar with those who never really consider the true welfare of others. An apparently generous exterior hides what is in fact a complete lack of concern for what is right and for what is of genuine benefit to others.

Joseph, on the other hand, feared the Lord. He acted from a principle of what was truly right, and from a knowledge of Divine law. This is evident from the words of our text, words with which he condemned the very thought of committing adultery: "you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" The result was that Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, and punished by Potiphar himself. Sometimes it can be very difficult indeed to stand up for what is right, and to do this despite all kinds of pressures. Nevertheless, the only true way of exercising charity is to act according to what is right from a knowledge of Divine law. If we don't learn and do what is truly right in the eyes of God, then inevitably we do harm to others in one way or another, and we develop a frame of mind in which we are more concerned with the appearance of good, than we are with actually benefiting both the individual and society at large.

We must look to the Lord. It all hinges upon this. Only the Lord can teach us what is truly good and useful. Only He can inspire our hearts with a genuine love for others. Without looking to Him, the only good of which we are capable is a mere external good. Such good might conjoin or hold together societies of people here on earth. But it is only an external conjunction. It will not endure after death.

Heaven is not held together by superficial good, but by the internal conjunction of spiritual love. Each angel loves, and is deeply concerned, for the welfare of those around him. And the source of this love is the conjunction that exists between each angel and the Lord Himself.

It is this supreme conjunction, the conjunction between a person and his Creator, which is the source of all conjunction. It is the Lord, and the Lord alone, who can hold us together.

Think of the great amount of misery present in the world, misery which arises from the fact that people tend to love themselves, and to concern themselves with others only in a superficial way. There is only one answer to this misery, only one answer to the problem of selfishness. People must turn to the Lord.

The way of evil is hard and full of misery. It prevents us from experiencing any real happiness. But with the Lord it is different. The Lord says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mt. 11:28). Without Him we have no rest. We cannot rest while external bonds hide an internal separation. The evil never rest. They are always frustrated by external restraints. And within their hearts they are completely alone, completely isolated from one another.

Think of Potiphar's wife. Did she really love Potiphar? Of course not. Neither did she really love Joseph. She sought only external pleasure. Potiphar's wife cared only for herself. In her heart she was close to no one.

Now it might seem that Joseph, by refusing to do evil, cut himself off from others. He was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, and cast into prison. But he was not alone. The Lord was with him. And wherever Joseph went, he found favor with God, and the Lord then led him to find favor in the eyes of others. Even in prison, the chief warden respected and favored him, and he was put in charge of the other prisoners. Those who turn to the Lord and follow His path may experience hardship at times -- and even suffer on account of their principles. But from the Lord they receive a genuine or internal love for others. They are delivered from the frustration, the misery and the isolation of evil, and experience the peace and happiness which can come only when a person reaches out, from his heart, to do what is right, and to serve his fellow human beings.

In the Lord, then, we will find rest for our souls. There we will find peace and happiness. If we but follow Him, and do His will, we will receive the love we need to reach out beyond ourselves, reach out beyond the selfishness of our own hearts, that we might dwell with our fellow human beings in love, in unity, and in peace.

Amen.

Lessons: Gen. 39:7-20; Matt. 11:25-30; AC 4997:1