Anc words-for-the-new-church-1876-1886-xiv-first-principles-1884-(reprint-cincinnati-1984)

WORD·S

FOR

THE NEW CHURCH

A 8ERIAL

XIV

FIRST PRINCIPLES

CINCINNATI
1984 - 214

1~1
11J:rC - 'î PROLOGUE
'<b ~?
100 years ago the Academy of the New Church pub
lished a serialunder the title WORDS FOR THE NEW
CHURCH. Their purpose in publishing this work was
to affirm the Divine Authority of the Writings as the
infallible works of the Lord Himself in His second
Advent, and to show clearly from the Writings them
selves the consummated and devastated state of the
Christian World, and its opposition to the Lord's New
Church. (WORDS vol. 1, p. 571) Also through THE -:»
WORDS FOR THE NEW CHURCH, the Academicians
sought to promote a more thorough study of the
Heavenly Doctrines by which aIl things of knowledge l
and life might be subordinated to Dlvin~elati2n.

We quote from the prologue of th_fLfirst volume of the

--
SERIAL:

The Heavenly Doctrines as unfolded in the Writings of Sweden
borg we joyously take as our guide in conducting the SERIAL.
Indeed as we come into a more searching culture of these Writings,
we discover more and more the vastness oftheir scope. They find us
everywhere. And tb.ese Doctrines being themselves Divine are the
me~r~o~se.Thcey are the TabY..Jlacl~ of G.QcLwith n:!en; the
Lord Himself in His Advent making aB things new. What more
therefore can we have? What more than these gr;nd di~~IôSures
Iwhich are the final analysis of aB that has respect to God, at;1.d to

l:1a_n, and to the relation between the two.

WeB therefore may we devote ourselves to the development in

ourselves and others of a familiar knowledge of thi§! ~y~stem ~f

DiviQeTI:uth, -to an actual internal2rop~ganda ofthel!!ith, -to th~

bringing of our own liyes, and aB that is dearest to us, under the

2 PROLOGUE

influenceofthese wonderful disclosures through the Word,'made by
the Lord in His Second Advent. (WORDS vol. 1 p:2)

This SERIAL truly was, and still remains, WORDS
FOR THE NEW CHURCH, a searching study of the
Writings which brought forth principles from which to
view everything around us, WORDS by which scien
tifics of every sort can be subordinated to the truths of
L Revelation. In this SERIA L, which is now being
presented 100 years later, we hope to continue with the
same principles and goals of the original SERIAL: To
affirm the Divine Authority ~f the Writings in every
"thing of the Church, and to draw from these Heavenly
Doctrines particular aEPlications i~ science, language,
J history, and in aIl other subj·ects in which the Writings
find us.

CONTENTS

PAGE

PROLOGUE : ; 1

FIRST PRINCIPLES

SECTION

1. - DIVINE AUTHORITY

OF THE WRITINGS 5

II. -THE DEVASTATED AND CONSUMMATED

STATE OFTHB CHRISTIAN WORLD TODAY ... 13

III. - ALL THINGS ARE TO BE MADE

NEW IN TH~ NEW CHURCH 24

IV. -THE AFFIRMATIVE PRINCIPLE 32

~ SCIENCE IN THE LIGHT r. '> l

OF THE NEW CHURCH (REPRINT) , .. , 38

APPENDIX - A MISSING NUMBER FROM

THE APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED , 53

NOTES - WHY REVIVE WORDS FOR

THE N~W CHURCH? 57

"THE TRANSLATION OF THE WORD" ... 58

.,

FIRST PRINCIPLES

I.
THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE WRITINGS

Happy are they who do his commandments, that their authority
may he in the tree oflife, and that they may enter hy the gates into
the city.-Reu. 22:14

The first and foremost principle of the Academy
movement was the acknowledg~ment of the Divine
Authority of the Writings. They affirmed in no un
., certain terms "The Second Advent of the_Lqrd in the
Il
~ Writings, and consequ;ntly their infallibility and
Divinity." (WORDS vol. 1 p. 571) The first number of
WORDS FOR THE NEW CHURCH was devoted to the
affirmation and confirmation of this principle. .In the
section entitled "The Divine Authority ofthe Writings,"
they state that "the books, then, in which the LORD is
jn His Second Coming, and by which that Di~iiïe
Coming and Presence are effected from the Word, were
wri.tte.!1 by Him, and not by man. '" Being thus drawn
out of His Ow!,!-Word, presented by the Lord Himself
and written by His command, they are necessarily His
books and not man's!" (WORDS vol. 1 p. 41)
Several issues later to clarify even more their position
on the Divine Authority of the Writings, the editors of
WORDS wrote:
5

~j Q"~~"'? "' ·t~ S-v

6 THE DIVINE A UTHORITY OF THE WRITINGS

Our estimate of the Writings we have given in the previous
numbers of the SERIAL. For the convenience of our readers and
that we may be weil understood we give once more a brief summary
of this estimate:
We hold that the Writings are a body of Divine Doctrines,
namely, the Heavenly Jloctri.!teLoL th_e New JerusaJemf:tJthat
Swedenborg was divinely inspired and illuminated by the LORD to
receive these Doctrines in his understanding, and to publish them
by the press; that the Doctrines are free from error and infallibly
true; and that they constitute the Second Coming of the LO~D, and
are His peq~e.!llillP..tese!!ce in His Ch,?rch, and that ~ing evolved
by the LORD Himself{6om the Worg..they are inseparable from,it
constituting ità)Divine Sanctity and its very lif~(vol. 1 pp. 339, 340)

Such was the doctrinal position expressed in WORDS
FOR THE NEW CHUR CH with respect to the Divine
Authority of the Writings. It was not a conclusion
arrived at by a series of human deductions and
reasonings, but a Erinc!pl~..rawn dir..e.1:..tly from the
II Heavenly Doctrines. Therefore we also affirm this
principle, not because our forefathers so believed, but
because it is a principle from the Writings themselves,
and thus from the mouth of the Lord. For it is clearly
taught in several passages of the Heavenly Doctrines
that the Lord Himselfis thereal Author ofthe Writings,
that it is He who has revealed to the workfthe doctrine
and arcana ofheaven, and that Swedenborg only
- -
served as the means through whom thls Orvine Reve
lation was made. In the INVITATION Ta THE NEW
CHURCH Swedenborg writes:

I The-s&itual se!!s~ ~ord has been disclo~d by the Lord
J through me, which has never been revealed since the Word was
J
- ~ - /"
written with the sons ofIsrael. ... Not even a jot ofit can be opened
except by the Lord alone. This surpasses aIl revela_tion which ~as
l
been made since the creation of the world. (Inv. 44, also see App.

THE DIVINE A UTHORITY OF THE WRITINGS 7

And in responding to Ekebom's report he refers to the'
Wri~~gs as '~the...doctrineofthe New Church, deliverèd
to the world by our Saviour Jesus Christ through me
His servant." (Smalt Theological Works and Letters, p.
258f, Sëe also TCR 779) This declaration of Divine
origin and authorship is not only made with respect to
J the spiritual sense and heavenly doctrines in general,
but it is also made in reference to aIl of the heavenly
arcana revealed by the Lord in His Second Coming.
--=---
For in response to Dr. Ernesti's attacks against the

Writings, Swedenborg wrote: "Please read what is

written about the arcana that have been disclosed by

the Lord through me His servant in nos. 846-851 in the

latest work, 'l'RUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION." (Smalt

Theological Works and Letters, p. 198±) From this last

Memorable Relation of the work True Christian

Religion, referred to here by Swedenborg, it is evident

that the arcana disclosed by the Lord through

Swedenborginclude the whol; of die"Wrltings in aIl

the1r v~riety. Thus it 1Sëlear that the Lord Himself

revealed the Heavenly Doctrines, and Swedenborg His

servant was only. the means. by which i.hf8rtWclation

was made. (see also AR 43, SS 4, De V VII 21, AE 641:3,

670:4, Inv. [VII], NJHD 7, TCR 508, Cor Sum XLIX,

etc.)

Now it may be argued that, although the Lord is the
source of the Writings, something of the means will
also enter into them, something of Swedenborg the
man. But the Writings themselves testify that, al
though the Heavenly Doctrines have indeed been
reveale,.Çl to us by m!lans of Swedenborg, a-n-a aIso by )
way of the spiritual world, nevertheless Swedenborg }
was not alIôwed "to take anything from the mouth of
any spirit, nor from the mouth of any angel, but from
the mouth of Lord alone." (De V XIII 29) For "in order
that th.e true Christian religion might be opened, it was


absolutely necessary that someone should be intro
duced into the spiritual world and, from the mouth of
the Lord, drawlor.th genuine truths from the ~d."
(Inv. 38) Therefore in the TRUE CHRISTIAN
RELIGION Swedenborg testifies: "from the first day
of my calI, l have not received anything pertaining to
the doctrines of the Church from any angel, but from
the Lord alone while reading the Word." (TCR 779
Although Swedenborg discoursed with spirits and
angels for many years, no spirit dared, nor did any
angles wish, to instruct him about what is in the Word,
or about any matter of doctrine from the Word. He was
"taught by the Lord alone, Who was revealed" to him.
(DP 135) For the Lord gave Swedenborg a distinct
perception ofwhat came from the Lord and what came
from angels. (AE 1183) Even what he learned by means
of evil spirits, he "learned from the Lord aIOn"ë; al
tho-ugn tne spirits spoke." (SD 4032) This unique
enlightenment and perception is described as follows:

The things which 1 learned from representations, visions, and
discourses with spirits and angels were from the Lord alone.
Whenever there was any representation, vision, and discourse, 1
was kept interiorly and intimately in ref1ection upon it, as..to~w.hat
thence w~s useful and good, thus what might be learne.d frOJ:!l it....
'Thus-have-I been instructed; consequently by no spirit, nor by any
'angel, but by,Jhe_Lord aÏone, from Whom is aU truth and good ...
When they wished to persuade me, 1perceived an interior or inmost
persuasion that the thing was so and so, and not as they wished;
which also they wondered at; the perception was manifest, but
cannot he easily described to the apprehension of men. (SD 1647)

Thus it was possible for Swedenborg to be taught by
the Lord alone, even though this was done by means of
things in the spiritual world perceived by his under
standing. The events that he witnessed and the subjects
that were discussed were "ofthe Divine Auspices of the


Lord." (AR Chap. X, 484) And the spiritual sense ofthe
Word, although given to him through heaven, was
revealed to him by the Lord alone.

Everyone is able to see that the Apocalypse cannot be expounded
except by the Lord alone, for the single words there contain arcana
that would never be known without a unique enlightenment and
thus a revelation. It has therefore pleaseatliëLôrd to open for me
the sight of my spirit, and to teach. (AR pref.) -

As Swedenborg received the Heavenly Doctrines
from the Lord alone, therefore we must conclude that
he wrote that which he received, without tarnish from
his own spirit, or his worldly ideas. For if he could
distinguish between what came from angels and spirits
and what came from the Lord, surely he could also
distinguish between what came from himself and what
came from the Lord. Nevertheless, this conclusion is
not ours, but is given to us directly in the Writings, for
the passage from the preface to the APOCAL YPSE
REVEALED quoted just above continues with this
declaration:

Do not therefore suppose that 1 have taken anything there from
myself, or from any angel, but from the Lord alone. (AR pref.)

-- -
"That'the internaI sense is such as has been set
forth" in the Arcana Coelestia, "is evident from aIl the
details that have been unfolded, and especially from
the fact that it has been dictated from heaven." (AC
6597) Therefore the exposition ofthe chapters ofGenesis
and Exodus begin with the words "the internaI sense."
and at the end of the exposition of.the tirst chapter of
Genesis, it is stated, "Here now is the internaI sen~of
the Word." (AC 64, see also AC 1965) Also in the
APOCAL YPSE REVEALED the exposition is called
"the spiritual sense." (see also AE 1061) For "it has

10 THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE WRITINGS

pleased the Lord ... to open the Word ... as to its
spiritual sense. This has been done through me
[Swedenborg] in the ARCANA COELESTIA published
in London, and afterwards in the APOCAL YPSE
REVEALED published in Amsterdam (Appendix to
the White Horse 4, see also AR 820, De Dom perf., SS
97:5) From these references and the whole of the
Writings it is evident that what is written in the
Writings is the internaI sense as it has been revealed to
us DY tneLüraalone. For [his reason the editors of
WORDS considered the position that "Swedenborg's
, Writing!' are not in themselves the internaI se~ of !he~
Word," as "The New Heresy." (WORDS vol. 1 pp.
331-348)
It has been shown above that the experiences and
arcana of the spiritll.al w..,grld related in the Writings are
revelations from the Lord Himself. (SD 1647,4034, HH
1) And this is true both with respect to the revelation of
these things to Swedenborg in the spiritual world, and
also with respect to what is written in the Writings
concerning these things. For "the Lord has opened
arcana concerning heaven and heU, man's life after
death, the Word, and the Last J udgement. AU these
things have been written down in Latin and sent to aU
I the ArchbiShops ofthis~kiogQ.om~eat Britain] and
to the Nobility." (Ath Cr 2)
N evertheless, Swedenborg foresaw that many would
attribute much ofwhat he wrote to his imagination or
to an obscure state of mind. Therefore he declared "in
solemn truth that they were not inventions, but were
truly seen and heard; not seen and heard in sorne state
·1 of mind when asleep, but in a state of complete
'L wakefulness. For ~it has pleased the Lord to manifest
Himsel{to me, and to send me to teach those things
J 1 w}1ich will oelongPto His New Chu1Ch." (TCR 851) "As it


has been granted me by the Lord to see the wonderful
things which are in the heavens and under the heavens,
l must, as commanded, relate that which has been
seen." (AR 962) The Lord revealed these things to
Swedenborg so that He might also, through Sweden-
borg, reveal them to the world in written form. That the
whole of the Writings was written and published by
command of the Lord can also be seen in other
passages in the Writings. (D. Lord pref., CL 1, TCR 771)
Thus, from the teachings ofthe Heavenly Doctrines
, themselves, we conclude that each and everything
:wz:itJ;en in !!te~ Wr!ting~j$ neither from Swedenborg,
nor from any angel or spirit, but from the mouth ofthe
1 Lord alone. For Swedenborg was given to percéive
distinctly what came from the Lord and what came
from angels: "What is from the Lord was written, and
what is from angels was not written." (AE 1183)
Neither did Swedenborg write anything from himself
(AR rref.), for the Writings are not his work~ "b~t the)
Lord s, Who wished to reveal the nature ofheaven and
hell, and man's life after death, and about the Last
J udgment, and that thElolQgica!-thin~do not transcend)
r~~~on." (~.D_6IÇn) Thus we find the following state-
ment in the ECCLESIASTICAL HIS TOR Y OF THE
NEW CHURCH:
1 The books which were written by the Lord through me (a Domino
) per me s.,9'ipti), from the beginning to the present day, must be
enumerated. (Ecc. Hist. 3)

From aU these teachings quoted above, and from
many more, throughout the Heavenly Doctrines, it is
evident that the Writings are from the Lord alone, in
1their essence and OTIgin, fii1lie way in which-they were
revealed, and in their written form. It is because ofthis
that they constitute the Second Coming"of tJ)e Lord.
For how coula-the Lord in His Divine Humanèoniëto
man, except in His Own Divine Truth? (AC 8427)
,,~ l
) . ..... ......; 5~'t:


The Second Advent of the Lord is effected bv means of a man
t7.J before whom He .has m~ested Himselfin Person and-;hom He
has fiUed witb Hi~-fu>irit, to
1through the Word from Him.teach the doctrine of the New Church
(TCR 779)
It has now pleased the Lord to reveal many arcana of heaven,
especiaUy the internaI or spiritual sense of the Word, which '
hitherto has been entirely unknown; and with this He has taught
r j1the genuine truths of doctrine; which revelation is meanLby the
IAdvent ofthe Lord in Matt. 24. (AE 641:3)

There are also many other passages which teach
that the Writings themselves constitute the Second
Coming of the Lord (TCR 3, 771, AC 4060:7, 9807:4, D
Lord 26, AE 36, 670, 948, AR 642 etc.), but perhaps the
most direct teaching to this effect is in the ECCLES
IASTICAL HIS TOR Y OF THE NEW CHURCH.

When the Brie! Exposition was published, the angelic heaven
from the east to the west, and from the south to the north, appeared
of a deep scarlet color with the most beautiful flowers.... In the
spiritual world there was incribed on aU these books: "The Adv~~t
or the L<>rd." The same 1 also wrote by command on two copies in
J' ..c oUand. (Ecc Ijist. 7, 8)

One of these copies has been found, on which was
lincribed the words; Hic.--Libe~UdY.e.ntlllLPomini,
IJScrimum ex Mangp.to - This book is the Advent ofthe
Lord, written by commando

We therefore reaffirm the principle of the Divine
Authority ofthe Writings, and base this beliefupon the
clear and direct doctrine from the mouth of the Lord.
And, as did the first editors of WORDS FOR THE NEW
CHURCH, we apply this QIinciple to the whole ofthe
Writ~~s, accepting everything thatis written in them
as Divine Revelations, as teachings from the Lord
J Himself.
'}

THE DEVASTATED AND CONSUMMATED STATE 13
OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLD TODA y

II
THE DEVASTATED AND CONSUMMATED STATE
OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLD TODAY

Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves
and for your children. For if they do these things in a green tree,
what shaH be done in the dry? (Luke 23:28:31 see also Matt 21: 18-20
and AC 9337:2, AE 403:21.)

Another principle clearly and repeatedly stated in
WORDS FOR THE NEW CHUR CH is the recognition
of the devastated and consummated state of the
Christian world, even to the present day. This position
was taken in marked contrast to the opinion held by
many New Churchmen at the time, which was that the
Christian world was improving and becoming more
receptive to the Heavenly Doctrines, an oQinion forrped
1 largely t'rom external appearance~ and affections. The
1 prirïciple presented in WORDS FOR THE NEW
! CHURCH, on the other hand, was not drawil. from
observations of the world around them, but from an
1
1 objective and extensive study of the Writings them
selves.
1 They state in the second number of the SERIAL, in
WhiCh they treat ofthe state oftl?-~Christianworld; "In
'i),:cf'J ç the Writings of the New Church w.ùl.aY~n int~r
J VleW of]i11 things, a view which penetrates beyond
external guises.. Jlnfolds the most recondite realities of
life.... Under thjs lighj; Qfheaven, which in other phase
is the light of Divine Truth, myriads of things are
revealed, never conceived of before, fallacious appear
ances are stripped off, and the reality is brought to

i ltght,. sothat aIl things appear, less according to their
seemmgs and as man sees them, and more as they
really are, and as the. Lord sees them.
~ l'J J "The Christian world analyzed under tllli; light of
Heaven will, in many respects, be found in a most
d~plorabl~ condi~ion, ~ts .Iif~~~gh~~ith the most
dlreful eVlls, and!ts prmclples ofhfe1llost lamentably

~L 1 <> J{:l.c tA~~ (D", 7 J )
)
14 THE DEVASTATED AND CONSUMMATED STATE
/1'
fallacious .... The interior state~ofmencan be known
only from Divine Reveiation;. Opiiiions formed from
observation alone are of no value ... (hence) our
absolute dependence upon Divine Revelation for aIl
true knowledge of man's spiritual state, and conse
2. quently the state ofthe Church." (WOIlDS vol. 1 pp. 77
and 78, see also AC 3489 quoted in what follows.)
The reader is referred to the rest of this second
number of WORDS FOR THE NEW CHURCH for a
thorough treatment of this subject according to the
teachings ofthe Heavenly Doctrines. But to summarize
this study the following principles and points will be
quoted.

..L -==-, From what precedes (especial1y AC 3398 and 3898) we have these

five priIJ.::!ples:

-r - - First:~toctrin~Of New Chu~ch are never revealed until the
a
men of the ormer Church reach a state in which they will not
acknowledge them.
L - _ . Second: When a former church is consummated, the Church is
transferred ta the Gentiles. --
3 - - -Third: Draya fliW of the former church then remain in the lif~of
good.
il' - ourth: The posterity of the vastated church, by accumulation of
hereditary evil, becomes more confirmed in evil than their ancestry.
s Fifth: The men of a vastated church acknowledge no truth and
good by which they may he regenerated, and by which the
increasing force of ancestral evil may be broken. (WORDS vol 1
pages 105, 106)
'Î1 ' - Though involved in what precedes, these Five Points, because of
their conclusive force, are still to be presented separately, as
fol1ows:
- - First: The interiors of Christian are, as it were inundated in a
black cloud of direful falsities from- evil, separatiitg them from r j)1.7 S
heaven. (see AC 4423)
'L - J1 Second: Chri~tians abominate the genuine goods and truths of 'IL) 1
,the Church ana: the Word:{8ee AC 5702)
?
-1
Third: In the Church once perverted, there is continued growth of

evils and falsities. rAC45<f3j--

0'I~/.r

(1 _
Fourth: The evils of the consummated church are inherited and
confirmed by posterity. (see AC 2910)
, - - Fifth: The disposition to acknowledge God as Man, and the Lord
as God, is de_~trQyed among Chris~ians, exc~Ilt.Jl.mollgthe fëWWl10 )1
al'ünl'impl~ good. (see AE 808, 1097, Ath Cr 6, SD 4772) - WORDS
vol. 1 pp. 114-123

It may appear as ifthe writers of WORDS FOR THE
NEW CHURCH were harsh and judgmental, without
charity and condemning. But a careful reading of the
SERIAL will show that they themselves did not make
the harsh judgments upon the Christian world, but
merely recognized and set forth the open and fr~uent 1
teaG-hi~§~ijh~---Writj!1~s on this subject. For it is
.{ - clearly taught in the Heavenly Doctrines that'~

l~

hO come into the other life from the Christian world

re the worst of ~Il, hating the neighbor, hating faith,

enying the Lord; besides being adulterers above aIl

thers." (AC 1186 pref.) '~ are deyoured.IDfu1he
L.. .love of self aIH:l the world ... they also make nothing of

iland utterly despise aIl things that are of charity and

jfaith; and do not acknowledge the Lord Himself, nay,

'" 1they hate aIl who con~im." (AC 2122) "Almost aIl

< - from the Christian world have an idea of three gods,"

and consiaer "the Lord as another m~n" and "separate

from the Divine." (AC 3704 & 5256)tr~o not even

know what good is, what charity is or what the

o - neiK-hbor is, neither wJ!..' !t the i!!.!ernal man is, nor what

heaven and heIl are, nor that everyone lives immed

i
iately after death." (AC 9409:5~believe "that they

may live like devils, hold the neighbor in hatred and

s persecute him, pass their whole life in adulteries, and

yet be saved.... The very gentiles perceive that this is

false, many of whom abhor the doctrine of the

Christians be_cause the)': see their life. Thus it is evident

that nowhere does there exist a more detestable life



than in the Christian world." (AC 916) There are also
~any other teachings in the Heavenly Doctrines which
, _ reveal t~e interior evils in the Christia~rld (AC
( 1032,2121,2343:6,3469:4,3469:4,3489,5009, and TCR
619) showing hqw ~he most pernicious, cruel and
adulterous are mostly "from the Christian world, and
1- ( rarely fromütIiers/'(XC 2752, 824, 826, 1673:3, 2744,
2754,4327:2, 5060, and AE 1008). There are also many
, passages in the Writings that reveal the f~lsity and
ignorance of the Christian world (AC 3489, 4464:5,
;Z ( 4733:2, 5572, 5639:2, 5702, 6876, SD 153, 239, 262, AE
1220, and TCR 4, 121, 339) and the preferable state of
the gentiles (AC 1059:2, 2590 - 2598, 4190, 9256:2 and
DP 322).
Now sorne may argue that these passages are not
referring to most individuals in the Christian world,
but only to the general state of the church brought
about by a few who have confirmed themselves in evils
and falsities. However such an argument is not
supported by the Heavenly Doctrines. Indeed the
j ~ (Writings teach us that "there are very many from ~he
Christian world ... devoured by adulteries," (AC 2752)
"that very many at this day in the Christian world ...
10 love themselves and the world above everything else,"
( (AC 10409:2) and "that very many think ofnothing but
filthy, obscene and profane things, and among them
Il _.
( selves speak of nothing else." (AC 2122, see also 2754,
4327) The Heavenly Doctrines also reveal that "there
are very many in the Christian world who ascribe aIl
, ~~ ( thin,.gs to nature, and scarcely anything to the Divine,"
(AC 5572) and that "almost aIl" from the Christian
11 Church "have the idea of the Lord as another man"
. _.
and "separate from the Divine." (AC 5256, see also
f3704) And lest we still think that "very many" may
here refer to a smaIl percentage ofthose in the Christian

THE DEVASTATED AND CONS UMMA TED STA TE 17

world let us add the following teaching from the
Arcana Coelestia.

Be it known that those who are in inverted order, that is, in evil
and the derivative falsity, become at last so averse to the good and
truth of the church that when they hear of them, and especiaUy
when they hear oftheir interior things, th~~o greatly abominate
them that theY feel as it were a nausea and vomiting. This has been
told and shown me, when 1wondered why the Christian world does
~j ve these interior things ofthe Wordo There appeared spiri ta
from the Christian world who, on being compelled to hear the
interior things of the Word, felt so sick that they said they were .
11 going to vomit. 1 was told that such is the Christian world at thisj N~
day almost e~x.where. (AC 5702)

The!3e teachings, revealed to us by the Lord in His
Second Coming, clearly do not refer to sorne general
state of the church apart from individuaIs, nor do they
refertoonly a few in the Christian world whohaveconfinned
themselves in evils and falsities. Rather the Writings
use the word "few" (pauci) to describe those in the)
Christian world "who are in the good oflife" (AC 3898).
For although the Christian doctrine prescribes love
and charity more than any other in the world, "there
are few who live according to it." (AC 2596, see also AC

i-)
l
-' 2732 and DP 330:7) And "although the whole Christian
world acknowledges that evils must be shunned as sins
" {... and unless they are . ~erelsnosalvation;Yet
scarcely o.ne in a thousand understands this." (DP 153,
see also HH 495, CL 500 and AC 3812) In the Christian
church the Lord is received "by few with acknow
ledgement ofheart, and by still fewer from affection of
1 love," (AC 9198:2) and "not a single one from the
Christian world knows that His Human is Divine, and
ût."")f 1
scarcely anyone that He alone rules Heaven and the
Universe." (AC 4689) For "scarcel~yI;the
Christian world are affected with truth for the sake of


truth" (AC 9409) and because of this "few know
anything about spiritual good and freedom," and "few
believe in the resurrection." (AC 4136:3 and 1886 pref.)
80 much is this the case that newcomers from the world
who were introduced into a hëavenlY society declared
, that "not a single person in the whole Christia;;orld ~ :s
f knows what heavenly joy and eternal happiness are, or
'what heaven is." (CL 2, see also AC 1033 and 3957)

That the church is such, does not appear to those who are in the
church .... For they frequent Illihlic~hip,they hear preaching,
they are in a certain holiness when there ... they also live among
themselves in civic charity or friendship. Hence it is that in the

J~
si~m~nno comtempt is visible,rn"ch le.. ?ve"ion, and~'-st
of aIl enmlty against the goods and truths oHalth and agamst the
~ But these things are only external fQ!1Ils, by which one person
iëads anothe;;;~y;whereas t'Fiëiiiternai forms of the meru>-Qhe

2
l
church are altogether unlij{e, even aItogether contrary to the
1external forms .... How far these differ from the external forms may
he evident from those who come from the Christian world into the
other life.... For when the Lord is but named before them in the
other life, Mphere not onl of contempt, but also of aversion and of
enmity against Him, is manifestIy exhale an if'fusea aroundbY
em ... so likewise when charity and faith are named.... Suchàre
Christians at this day as to their interiors, except a few who are notJ 1
known. From this it is evident what is the quality of the Chureh. ~
(AC 3489)

Thus, there are "very many" in the Christian world
who are in evils and falsities, "who have confirmed
themselves against the truths of faith," (AC 9256) and
only a "few" in genuine good who can receive the
Heavenly Doetnnes. Indeedthe Heavenly Doctrines
could not be revealed until the Christian church was so

)
d~.§.tated by evil and falsity that they wOJ!ld not~ven
"ft>
JT) Icompreh~md the tru!hs revealed, lest they should receive

them and later profane them. For "Divine truth can in

nowÎse be profaned except by those who have first

(...~i-c-,tc::---. t.v .... /"'" r ;;'e~~f;~ (J_ vl.·,/d <)

I, S rw-:.. r::~ cfi- l'j -, J t:..f j 4 ' .,

THE DEVASTATED AND CONS UMMA TED STATE 19

acknow l~dge~H.... It is for this reason that the arcana ),~"""'J
of the inîernal sense of the Word are now being "S
revealed, because a~ this daY.-there--is scarce~ any Sf?,I?'-'
faith, because there is not any charity, consequently,
because it is the con~mmmationof the age, and when
this- takës plac~, th-e-n these arcana can be revealed
without danger of profanation, because they are not
interiorly acknowledged." (AC 3398) At first it may
seem paradoxical that the interior things of the Word
can now be revealed because the Christian church is so
J,c,9nsummated that they will not acknowledge or receive
them but this is the teaching of the Lord in His Second
Advent. - ~

The reason whyfthe interi~~ of the Word are now being opened, is
that the church at this day has been so far vastated, that is, so
'/s devoicfoffaith and love, thataJfhough men knowand understand,
sWI they do not acknowledge, and much less believe, except a few
'
"YQo are in the life of good and are called the 'elect', who can now be
JI
. instructed, and with whom a New Church is t.Q..btinatituted. But
where these are, the Lord alone knows. There will be few within the
1
c~h; it has been a_mong the Gent~st~ previo,!s ~ ëllurenes
nave been set up. (AC '3898

Because ofthe evils and falsities so prevalent in the
Christian world, the New Church, as the other Churches
.1 before it, will b~tranferred to the gentiles, those,.Q~de
JH of Christendom. This is because the gentiles are not
imbued with the false principles which oppose the
Heavenly Doctrines. Thus, although the church does
begin among the remn~nt, the few in the Christian
world that cano receive t.b~Heavenly Doctrines, its real
J strength..J!1l.d increase will be with the gentiles. For "a
Nn~ church is always insiituted among the nations
J1wno areoutside the-.k.hurch. This is done when the old
'> cli~rcJi has cl~sed heaveI!..ag~instit~elf. For this reason


/1 _ the church was transferred from the Jewish people toll
< t~e gentiles, and the church at the present time also is J
2.. -- being transferred to the gentiles. That the church is
being transferred to the gentiles who acknowledge the
Lord, appears from many passages in the Word." (AC
9256, see also AC 409, 410, 3812, 9209;4, 9780:13)
Futhermore, it should be known, when any church becomes no
Ç.@n:h, that is, Yhen charity perishes, and a new church iS)
J. U'jestablishe.d by the Lord, that seldom, if ever, is this effected with -1
~- J those amongst whom the old church existed, but with those
amongst whom there was heretofore no church, that is, amongst
l
the gen.tiles .... The case will be the same with this which is called
the Christian Church.The reason why a new church ~ e d ?_
with the gentiles, i~ec~e the)' have--.!!9 principles of ialsity
opposed to the truths of faith, for they are ignorant of tlie t;uths of
faith. (AC 2989 see also AC 2910, 4747, 1366,9198, AE 49: 52)

Therefore, the angels "have slender hope for the men
of the Christian church, but have much hope of some
·nation far distant from the Christian world, and
ltlierefOre removed trom mIëStors, WhlCh nafiOn is such
Ithat it is capable ofreceiving spirituallight. (W 74, see

'1also AC 1850, 3353, SD 4770-4779 and 5807)
From aIl the passages that have been quoted and
cited above the real cause for the lack ofreception ofthe
Heavenly Doctrines in the Christian World becomes
evident. It is not because of inefficient or -Împroper
presentation, but simply because the Christian world
liS devllslated by falsitie~.Jlnd eYils which preven.!J!1e
.) Doctrines frQm being understood and accepted. "Revel
ation has been given by the Lord concerning the Last
J udgment as having been accomplished, and con
cerning the spiritual sense ofthe Word, thus the way to
salvation has been revealed, and man's state after
death ... and copies have been distributed. But still the
church pays no heed to it. It is greatly wondered at in


heaven that the church is in such astate that those
things which are its very essentials are not even
considered, but left as matters of no moment, a sign
that heavenly things do not occupy their minds, neither
are they seen when revealed." (De Dom 1, see also Ath
Cr 2 and letter to Oetinger) We are also taught in the
Heavenly Doctrines that "the spiritual sense will not
be acknowledged for a long time, and this owing
entirely to those who are in falsities of doctrine,
especially concerning the Lord, and who therefore do
not admit truths. This is meant in the Apocalypse by
the beast and the kings of the earth who were going to
make war with Him that sat on the white hor8'e, chap.
19:19. By the beast are meant the Roman Catholics, as
in chap. 17:3, and by the kings ofthe earth are meant
the Reformed, who are in falsities of doctrine." (SS 25)
For the New Church to be received, the Old Church
must first be removed. This is true of an individual, of a
household, and of a city (BE 103), and it is also true of
the Christian world in general.

It is of the Lord's Divine Providence that the church may be at
first among a few and increase successively among many, because
the falsities of the former church must first be removed; for before
this, truths cannot be received, since the truths that are received and
implanted before the falsities have been removed are not permanent,
and are also rejected by the dragonists.... It is certain that the New
Church, which is: the New J erusalem, is going to come into existence,
because it has been foretold in the Apocalypse (chaps. 21, 22). And it
is certain that the falsities of the former church must be removed
before this, because these things have been treated of in the
Apocalypse as far as the twentieth chapter. (AR 547, see also AR
473, 500, 700, and TCR 784)

This removal of the falsities of the former Christian
church is not accomplished through graduaI lack of
interest and dis association by its members. Their


interior evils will not be dissipated because offriendship
and outward acts of charity. The Christian world will
not become more spiritual or more receptive to the
Heavenly Doctrines simply through the passage of
time or by sorne interior and imperceptible influx. If
this were possible we should expect to find the Christian
world at the present time more receptive to the truths of
the Writings than they were one hundred years ago
when the writers of WORDS FOR THE NEW CHURCH
made their analysis (WORDS vol. 1 pp. 123-129 and
351-361) But is this the case? Rather we find the evils
and falsities of the Christian world more destructive
and more insane than ever, and even more opposed to
the life and faith taught by the Lord in His Second
Coming.
N evertheless these evils and falsities must be re
moved for the New Church to be received. And this
removal is accomplished through the opening up and
examination of the falsities of the former Christian
Church and the evils associated with these falsities.
"The reason why the falsities of the dogmas of the faith
ofthe present church must first be opened and rejected,
before the truths ofthe dogmas ofthe New Church can
be received, is because they do not agree together, no
not in one single point or particular." (BE 96) Moreover
"they who have confirmed themselves in the faith of
the old church, cannot, without endangering their
spiritual life, embrace the faith of the New Church,
until they have first disproved the particulars of the
former faith , and thus have extirpated it, together with
its offspring or eggs, that is, its dogmas." (BE 103)
This examination and rejection of the falsities and
evils of the Christian world must be done from the
truths revealed by the Lord in His Second Advent, as is
manifest from the internaI sense ofthe Apocalypse. (see


especially AR 295, 388, 420, 657, 718, etc.) For this
reason so much of the Heavenly Doctrines treat of the
state ofthe fallen Christian church, examining it in the
light ofheaven and exposing the infernal quality ofits
falsities and evils. Also, Swedenborg wrote, in a letter
to Dr. Beyer:

Here l am asked concerning the New Church, when it will come;
and to this l reply that it will come gradually as the doctrine of
justification and imputation is uprooted, which should he done hy
means of this treatise (the Brie! Exposition).
(March 15, 1769)

Therefore the Heavenly Doctrines are the very means
by which the Lord will separate the evils and falsities
ofthe Christian world and establish His New Church,
and this not only in the spiritual world, but also in the
natural world. For "when the end of the church is at
hand, then the interior things of the Word, of the
church, and of worship, are revealed and taught. The
reason is that the good may be separated from the evil;
for these interior things ... which are celestial and
spiritual, are received by the good, but rejected by the
evil, separation being the result ....The case is the same
at this day, for it has now pleased the Lord to reveal
various arcana of heaven, especially the internaI or
spiritual sense of the Word, which have been till now
entirely unknown, and He has also taught the genuine
truths of doctrine. This revelation is meant by the
"coming of the Lord" in Matt. 24:3, 30, 37. The reason of
this revelation at the end of the church is, as said
before, that by means ofit separation ofthe good from
the evil may be accomplished, and also a new church
formed, and this not only in the natural world where
men are, but also in the spiritual world where spirits
and angels are. For the church is in both worlds and


revelation takes place in both, and separation by
means ofit, as also the formation of a new church." AE
641

Even the gentiles, with whom the New Church will
increase in its fullness, must recognize and reject the
evils and falsities ofthe fallen Christian world, before
they can receive the Heavenly Doctrines (see Prophets
and Psalms, Jonah chapters 1 and 3). For the life of so
called Christians is a stumbling block to their reception
of the True Christian Church now being established
(AC 916, 2592, 2596, 2597). Thus, considering the state
of evil and falsity in the Christian world, and the
necessity ofits removal before the New Church can be
truly established, we reaffirm as a fundamental
principle the recognition of the consummated and
devastated state of the Christian world, even to the
present day. This principle is as essential in the
establishment of the New Church on earth, as the
recognition of the corrupt and devastated state of our
own proprial will is necessary for our reformation and
regeneration. For just as our evil will masks itself in
hypocrisy and persuasions, so too, the_uld Christian
-.5 Church conceals its hatreds, adulteries, blasphemies
and_pr_ofanatiQns, under vërYPëi-Süasive appearances
oflove and faith. But the Lord has warned us, -and let us
heed his warning.(Matt 7:15-23,24:23-25, AE 763 etc.)
We cannot judge the state of the Christian world, but
the Lord can, indeed He has, and He has revealed this
judgment to us ig His Second Advent~

III
ALL THINGS ARE Tü BE MADE NEW IN THE NEW CHURCH

He that sat upon the throne said, Behold l make aIl things new.
And He said unto me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.
(Apoc. 21:5)

ALL THINOS ARE TO BE MADE NEW 25
IN THE NEW CHUR CH

A third and equally essential principle of WORDS
FOR THE NEW CHURCH was the belief that aIl
'. thjngs are to be made new by the Lord in His Second
Il'3'''' Coming. This principle was clearly stated at the very
outset of the SERIAL:

Indeed as we come into a more searching culture of these
Writings, we discover mOre and more the vastness of their scope.
They find us everywhere. And these Doctrines being themselves
Divine are the measure of all aIse. They are the Tabernacle of God
with men; the Lord Himself in His Advent making aIl things new.
What more therefore can we have? What more than these grand
disclosures which are the final analysis of aIl that has respect to
God, and to Man, and to the relation between the two? (WORDS vol.
1 p. 2) -

Later, when the editors of WORDS FOR THE NEW
CHUR CH were defending the doctrine of the Divine
Authority ofthe Writings, tney wrote that "the doctrine
of the authority will not be found to be an adversary in
the way to those who humbly approach the Lord in His
Second Advent and on every subject come first to Him
to be taught concerning it, and then having been
enlightened by Him proceed in the way there pointed
out. To them the Writil1gs àte a strong help to the
rational comprehension of every subject, the very
presence ofthe Lord Himselfmore specifically guiding
and helping them on theirway." (WORDSvol.l p. 350)
Thus they considered the Writings their starting point
and guide to every subject, for with the Second Coming
ofthe Lord the Word was opened so that it might shine
forth and give enlightenment in aIl things. And it was
with this belief that they made th-e fol1owing
declaration:

May the glorious day soon come, when man will rise out of the

26 ALL THINGS ARE TO BE MADE NEW

IN THE NEW CHUR CH

darkness of self-derived intelligence and appeal to the Open WQ.rd
of God for aIl that concerns his life, its moral government, its civil
andpolitical instruction, its philosophy, its science, its everything.
(WORDS vol. 1 p. 251) ~ _~,
J
From these statements, and from the general tone of
the entire SERIAL, it is clear that the writers of
WORDS FOR THE NEW CHURCH believed that
everything in the New Church, both in knowledge and
u --rrre,-
in should be made new througn-tne sfiïây and
)applicatiOn ofthe HeaveIily Doctrine~Theyconsidered
the Writ[ngs their first and final authority, not just in
doctrinal matters, but in everything, both in generals
and in particulars. And therefore they sought to bring
every subject into subordination to the truth revealed
by the Lord in His Second Advent.
Now, it has been argued that the Lord, in order to
preserve our freedom and as-of-self, does not reveal
direct applications to life, nor specifie knowledges
about natural things. It is proposed that Divine Revel
ation provides us only with general principles, and
that particular applications and knowledges should be
formed by individuaIs through experience and science.
But is such a position in accordance with the Heavenly
Doctrines? For we are taught that in the Ney; Church
and in the regenerating man, the Lord make~ aIl things
new, both in general and in particular, both as to
internaIs and as to externals. (Rev. 21:5, AR 886, AC
1040,9258, and 9723). And the_Lord m~an things
new from His Word (John 1:1-3); first through the
general truths ~rthe let~f the Word, and then
through the particular and singular truths of the
spiritual sense, now revealed in His Second Coming
(AC 2395).

The things of the literaI sense of the Word are general vessels

ALL THINGS ARE Ta BE MADE NEW 27
IN THE NEW CHURCH

which receive truths, and the quality ofthese vessels appears only
as through a transparency, as it were, until they have received
truths. Thus they are only generals, which must first he learned hy
a man, in order that he may receive the particulars and singulars
fitly (AC 6222:2, see also AC 245, 2395 and 3438).

Moreover, "during man's reformation, the general
things which are in his natural man, are disposed by
the Lord into correspondence with those which are in
heaven .... The general things are first disposed in
order that particulars may be successively insinuated
into them by the Lord, and singulars into the
particulars. (AC 3057:3, see also AC 868, 4345, 4383 and
6610)
Thus the Lord reveals to us, not only general truths,
but also particular truths, and even singular truths.
But to preserve our freedom and rationality, He intro-
duces us into these truths successively, first into the
generals, then into the particulars, and finally into the
singulars. AlI these truths are openly revealed in the
Heavenly Doctrines, but only progressively can we be
led to see them. For we are in the beginning blinded by
P.... r-jY ~ worldly thought and corporeal desires. Therefore this
JJeJ. "J )1 renovation or making new of aIl things with the II!..an,
is not just limited to his knowledges and understanding,
but also involves everything ofhis life and will, for it is
~-
'" t- "" t-the process of .regeneration. (AC 9258 a~d 97?3) ~or
./ ~ )/ "w~an~s regenerated, then aIl thmgs m hlm,
both in ~en~rà and in particular, are also regener~ted,
thaTi~have life, and tne life they have is exactly
proportional to the degreein which his own will, which
is fouI and dead,. can be separated fro~ the new will
IJ and understandmg that he has recelved from flle
Lord." (AC 104à) Therefore to see and receive the
particular and singular truths of Divine Revelation we
need to separate ourselves from fallacious appearances

28 ALL THINGS ARE TO BE MADE NEW

IN THE NEW CHURCH

and false persuasions, and especially from our selfish
and wordly desires. It is these which keep us from
seeing the extent and application of the Lord's Divine
truth in our knowledge and life.
As the removal of the old will and its evils and
falsities is necessary for the making new of aIl things
with an individual, so also a similar removal is required
for aIl things to be made newiï1tlï:e chur'ch and in the
world. We are taught in the Brie! Exposition that "the
opening up and rejection of the dogmas of the present
church and the revelation and reception of the dogmas
ofthe faith ofthe New Church, is meant by the words in
the Apocalypse: "He that sat upon the throne said,
Behold l make aIl things new; and He said to me, Write,
for these words are true and faithful." (BE 95) And in
the Apocalypse Revealed the signification of these
words is given as follows:

The former heaven with the former earth, and the former church,
with aU things in them, both in general andin'particular, are going
to perish; and a new heaven and a new earth, and a New Church
which is to be cal!ed the New J erusalem, are going tobe crëàted ~ ..
with al! things in them, both in gen~l and in particular. (AR 886)

Thus, with these words in the Apocalypse, the Lord
promises us that everything will be made new in the
New Church through the truths now revealed in the
Heavenly Doctrine. Not only its interior goods and
truths will be new, but also its life and knowledge, its
practices and studies. For "no man puts new wine into
old wine skins, else the new wine will burst the wine
skins, and be spilled." (Luke 5:37-39, TCR 784 and AE
376:28) The old externals ofthe consummated Christian
world have been formed by false dogmas and fallacious
appearances, as old wine skins have been stretched by
the fermentation process of the old wine. Trying to
infill the practices and theories ofthe world today with

ALL THINGS ARE TO BE MADE NEW 29
IN THE NEW CHURCH

the interior truths of the Writings is like putting new
wine into old wine skins, which, already formed and
stretched by the old wine, would burst under the
pressure of the new. What is of the old church is not
compatable with that of the New, and "if they were
together, such a collision and conflict would take place,
that everything of the church would perish." (BE 102)
Nevertheless the New Church is only established
... gradually and man is only re-gënerated slowly, through
successive states~·· Everything is n<2!-made new inyn
II instant, nor can it be. "No man, having drunk the old
wine, straightway desires the new." (Luke 5:39) And
... therefore, so that m~n can be regenerated and the
church established in the world, there are many fal
laclOus appearances and mediate goods, which, al
though they are interiorly incompatable with genuine
truths and goods, serv~ as a~ns to introduce th;se.
But as the man is regenerated and the new chID"ch is
i., restablished=:t"hese external appearances and nop
'/ S genuine goods are put off, and new externals are
formed from interior truths and genuine goods. - ÎP",/ J
t,(~} f"'-'o'sJ-
When the internaI of man lS being formed anew, that is regen
erated, the knowledges lÎiid truths which belong to the external
man are Iike the fibers of the fruit, through which the sap is carried
towards the internaI. Afterwards when the man has been regen
erated, there things are also separated, and then serve for soil. The
case is the same with the man's internaI to which the seed
corresponds; here the good which has been formed in this manner
produces a new man, just as the prolific germ in the seed produces a
/new tree, or a new plant. AlI things thus are made new, and
}/afterwards multiply, and produce fruit to eternity. (AC 9258 âiîd
9723)

And so, as we enter into the study of the Heavenly
Doctrines with the purpose ofhaving our understanding

30 ALL THINGS ARE Ta BE MADE NEW
IN THE NEW CHURCH

and life made new by Lord, we should not consider
ourselves free from aIl fallacious appearances and
worldly desires. For our understanding of genuine
truths, especially in the beginning, will indeed he
limited by these desires and appearances. But as long
as these are not destructive ofgenuine truth orinteriorly
fiIled with hatred and contempt, such external things
may be ofuse for introducing interior goods and truths.
(AC 9258) However, there must be a humble recognition
that we of ourselves are filled with selfish and worldly
loves, and false and faIlacious ideas, and that aIl
genuine good and truth are from the Lord alone (AC
3993 - 3995). This recognition is contained in the belief
that the Lord makes aIl things new, that aIl our -J.,.;,·f>".(ci.
thoughts and affections, knowl~ges and practices, /~~':f:.-'
should be made new by the-Cordthrough the interior ;t::;,
truths of the Heavenly Doctrines. ( D---'ÏJ)
That aIl knowledges of every kind can and should be
subordinated to the truths revealed by the Lord is
openly stated in the Writings themselves:

When a man has been~m~; and is thus in the ~rmative 1
).,0'';:04 frorrlJ;he Wordithat the doctrmal things are truths offaith, it is then )
allowà~ him ta
~ them by allthe knowledges he
possesses, of whatsoever name or nature; for then because what is
affirmative reigns IlDiyers.§liy, he accepts the knowledges which
agree, and rejects those which, by reason of the fallacies they
contain, disagree. (AC 6047:3 see also 2568:5 and 6023)

Through this subordination and reordering ofknow
ledges, the interior truths of Divine Revelation become
, principles which bring forth and govern aIl things of
~~".':) tnènatnral ~- and life. Knowledges and pract~s
-'":>
become outward forms of gemÜnetruths and ~ds, .
0-'-;5 and those which cannot serve it this way are=put aside. J2.ç, l''''Jj
This is of course a graduaI process, both inlhe church rj).<I:_"'JJ

ALL THINGS ARE TO BE MADE NEW 31
IN THE NEW CHURCH

and in the individual. But it is in this way that our
study and knowledge of natural things can be made
new, and our lives can be broughtjnto correspondence
with the life of heaven.
When a man subordinates and reorders his natural
1k- j j - knowledges and experience according to the revea1ëd- ~dSS'

t!J!ih.s, then the natural world becomes, as it were, a

theatre representative ofheavenly and spiritual things.

When he sees the heavens, "he does not think of the

sun, but ofthe Lord, as being the SUJ1J)fheaven. So too

,when he sees the moon, and the stars also; and when he

sees ~he immensity of the heaYens, he does not thinKof

their immensIty, but ofthellI1measurable and infinite

)
p'ower of the Lord. It is the same when he sees aIl other
things, for there is J!othing which is not r!mresentative." :r""(" -.:
(AC 1807, see Psalm 8) " (Lv') s
t This is the vision ofthe naturat world which should
J1 be cultivated in the New Church. And such an intenor ,
VISIOn can be gIven on aIl subjects and aspects oflife, ~- H'-, +'-':3__
we will only go to the Lord in His open Word with the
humility to receive something new in place of the old.
Therefore, in taking as a principle the belief that each
1 é!nd everything ofthe New Church is to be made new by
ff the Lord in His Second Coming, we also recognize that
Hie continuing presence of falsities and evils with us
1 À:'6":0<:, /1 prevents our full rece?tion. ,!,he ~acred Scripture~~
1 2 the Heavenly Doctrmes gIve us answers to every
question we have, even though we cannot yet see or
accept most of them. And the answers we need will not
be given to us in the form of some unique interpretation
or clever insight, but th!.....Lord Himselfwill answer us) j)
directly, using His very words of Divine Revelation. ~ fl7)
'7. "A~and it shall be given you; seek;'and ye shall f1nd; .
J knock~ and it shall be opened uiïfo you; For everyone'
t~t asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and 1
to him that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matt 7:7, 8) )
J

32 THE AFFIRMATIVE PRINCIPLE

IV

THE AFFIRMATIVE PRINCIPLE

In that day there shaH he a highway out o~ tolÂ.ssyria'. and
the Assyrian shaH come into Egypt, and the Egyptian~~ma,
and the Egyptians shaH serve with Assyria. In that day shal~el
he a third with Egypt and Assyria, even a hlessing in the midst of
the l~d, whom Jehovah Zehaoth will hless, saying, hlessed he
Egypt My people, and Assyriithe work of My hands, and Israel3
Mine inherit@ce. (Isaiah 19:23-25)

The three principles set forth in the preceding
sections are the essential principles of the seriaI,
WORDS FOR THE NEW CHURCH. But we should not
consider these princples as separate from each other or
without connection. For although these principles are
indeed distinctly presented in the Heavenly Doctrines,
they are in reality various aspects of one universal
f principle - "the principle which leads to aIl intelligence
J
la.!!d wisdom," (AC 2568), the way in which--truths or
faith are conjoined with factual knowledges (AC 6047),
"the true order" by which man becomes wise from the
Lord (AC 128, 129); This principles is "the affirmative
principle." (AC 2568, 2588)
The affirmative principle in its simplest form is the
"belief from a simple heart that something is true
because the Lord has said so." (AC 1911) Therefore the
acknowledgement of the Divine Authority of the
Writings is in agreement with the affirmative principle.
For this acknowledgement is the belief that what is
said in the Writings is true because it is from the mouth
of the Lord Himself (lnv. 38, De Verbo 29). It is the
humble acknowledgement that everything stated in
the Heavenly Doctrines, whether we comprehend it or

/•• s <-:> S,-r. ..,(, <J~ r ...~-V

>.. ~ôo <, a3 &. il.."z ,
<:1Z AcT<=...·· '.fa-. r.. Vo-,A.....

THE AFFIRMATIVE PRINCIPLE 33

not or whether we favor it or not, is true because the
Lord has so said. For according to the affirmative
principle a man's "starting.Qoint must be the Lord, and
not himself, for the former is life, but the latter is
death" (AC 129).
That the affirmative principle is applicable to the
Heavenly Doctrines is expressly stated in theARCANA
COELE8TIA:

The ... principle consists i!Ulffirming the thingS which are of
'l---'{J )
doctrine out of the Word, or in thinking and believing in oneself
sw'~~
that they are true because the Lord has said so. This principle leads
to all intelligence and wisdom, and is to be called the affirmative
principle (AC 2568:4).

That the Writings are doctrine "out ofthe Word from
the mouth of the Lord" is taught in INVITATION TO
THE NEW CHURCH no. 38 (see also TCR 779).
But the affirmative principle involves more than just
the acknowledgement of the Lord' s Divine truth. l t also
involves thinking from Di~ine truths and not from the
scientifics and reasonings of the world or from the
doctrine of men.

Indeed the start must not be made from know ledges (scientifica)
and through these an entrance be made into the truths of faith,
because the knowledges with a man are derived from things of
sense, thus from the world, from which innumerable fallacies
spring. But the start must be made from the truths of faith, in this
1 way. First the doctrinal things ofthe church must be learned, and

L then th.~ W~.rd must be examined to see if these are true; for they are
not true because the heads of the church have said so and their
Ol ~) c.. .followers confirm them....cr~m!ls.t.b.e..s.earched, and it must
)be seen here whether the doctrinal things are true. (AC 6047:2)

To reason about the truths offaith from the things of
sense and "factual" knowledge, is the opposite of the


affirmative principle, and is called in the Writings "the
' negative principle", which leads to aIl folly and insanity
( (AC 2568:4), and is represented by eating of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil (AC 126-129). It is necessary
that we recognize the danger ofreasoning from appear
ances and opinions of the world, and accept affirma
tively the teachings of the Writings, especially when
they disagree with such appearances and opinions.
This means that we must, at least temporarily, and
often forever, put aside "hard facts" and "real life
experiences" in order to receive what the Lord himself
teaches. Forthen, from thetruths of Divine Revelation,
false appearances and opinions can be recognized and
rejected.
The recognition and rejection offalsities and fallacies
which do not agree with revealed truths is an essential
part ofthe affirmative principle. This is clear from the
passages in the ARCANA COELE8TIA where this
principle is presented and explained.

He who would be wise from the Lord, and not from the world, says
in his heart that the Lord must be believed, that is, the thingtl which
the Lord has spoken inethe WorcD because they are truth~d l~dOC,)
accoraing to this principle he regulates his thoughts. He confirms ~
.p'lk-l2. , himself by things of reason, by scientifics, by things of sense and
4/ by natural things, and those which are not confirmatory he casts
T~"o(
aside. (AC 128)
Truths are initiated and brought in where knowledges (scien
tificafare ruled by tIuths; and they are ruled by truths when truth is
acknowledged bec~~;;the Lord has so said in €Wor~ and the
knowledges which affirm it are accepted, but those which oppose it
are removed. Thus truth becomes lord over those knowledges which
are affirmative of it,While those not affirmative are rejected. (AC
6023, see also AC 6047 quoted above)

Therefore, the affirmative principle is first put into
practice by putting aside the appearances and opinions


ofthe world and beginning with the truths given to us
by the Lord. Then afterwards, when we are in the
affirmative ofwhat the Lord teaches, we may consider
the knowledges and theories of the world, accepting
those which confirm the truth, and rejecting those
which disagree. Thus the recognition of the evils and
JI falsities ofthe Christian world is an essential aspect of
the affirmative principle. For we must c011~e
II practices and ideas ofthe Christian world according to
the truths revealed in Divine Revelation, and not
according to external appearances and affections.
When this is done, evils and falsities from the old
church and from the old will can be uncoveredând
rejected, and we caÏi. enter into a more genuine affirm-
ation of the truth.
We have now considered two aspects of the affirm-
ative principle, the acknowledgement of the truth of
what the Lord teaches, and the recognition and re-
jection of the falsities and appearances which do not
agree with the teachings of the Lord. A third aspect is
the making new of aIl things from Divine truth. For
when the affirmative reigns, and falsities have been
removed, the mind is opened to receive new truth in
abundance. Dur former way ofTIllnkmg from appear-
ances ceases, and our eyes are opened to see the
wonders of heaven mirrored in the world around us
(DLW 46 and AC 1807).
The beliefthat aIl things are to be made new with the
ord's Second ComiP-g is inseparable from the affirm-
ative principle. For it is the affirmative to believe that
the Heavenly Doctrines reveal specific truths about
every aspect oflife and study, that knowledges ofevery
kind and nature can be reordered according to Divine
Truth. Indeed the clearest passages which teach that
everything of knowledge and reason can be subor-
dinated to Divine truths are given in connection-wlth
the affirmative princi"ple.

.J/~-V

0;0<; ~
'"/.. ..o~


/ .-Th(true ord~is for m~n to be wise..f!:Qm the Lord, that is, from
'.7 -!iis W0!5L and then ail things follow, and he is also enlightened in
matters of reason and of science. (AC 129)
They who think from the affIrmative principle are able to confirm
nthemselves by means of ail rational, scientific, an(Leve~.2Èilo
,filsophical things whatsoever, as far as lies in their power, for ail

thëse things are to them confirmatory, and give them a fuller idea

of the subject. (AC 2568, see also AC 2588 for various examples and

AC 6047 quoted earlier).

With ~e Se~ond CominiJ of the Lord, aIl things Of~
knowledge~sonare to be subordinated to t~e #R.G"-L
spiritual truths of the Heaven]~octrines.This sub
ordination, and consequent blessing, is signified by the
lprophecy of Isaiah concerningJsrael;being a third with

JIl ~gyPl and ~ssyri~ a blessing in tne midst of the land.

These words (Is. 19:23-25) in the spiritual sense mean that at the
time?>o[ the Lord's Coming the l'~cientif~ther-!ation~ and the
j spiritua shall becoID.LQ.ne, and t'FieSCientific"1strnll serve the
ratlOnal;and both shaH ~erve thèspirituJ;l.l, fo~ by ~~1 is meant

t1i.eS(;ientific, by Assyriathe rational, and by IsraePthe spiritual. ~

I By the day, twice-=tioned, is meant the First~nd the Second

J
~ Coming of the Lord. (TCR 200:4)

Because of this signification, the affirmative prin
ciple is so often illustrated in the Writings by this
prophecy (AC 119, 1462:3, 2588:13, and 6047:4, 5 see
also AC 2568:3 and 6023)
We can now see how the three essential principles of
WORDS FOR THE NEW CHUR CH are various aspects
ofthe affirmative principle. Indeed they come together
in the affirmative principle as end, cause, and effect. f-k,
'lThe end, or purpose, is th_~t t~~~'S truth may Èe
J affirmed and received in the heart,!iîlind, and life?>The
cause or means is the recognition and rejection of
falsities and fallacies which do not agree with the
Divine truth.


~"7S rAnd the effeet or result is the making new of ev.e.IY!!::!in.g
Ji<Jj::S- j fofknowledge and life according to the truths revealed
hy- the Lord. Thus we take as our nrst principle the
affirmative principle, which contains within it the
acknowledgement of the Divine Authority of the
Writings, the recognition of the devastatÈ~d and
consummated state of the Christian world, and the
Jhelief that l!ll things-'ar~J~ .. made new in the New
Il Church.
--

".L.

38 SCIENCE IN THE LIGHT OF THE NEW CHURCH.

xv.
SeIENCE IN 'filE LIGll'f OF 'fllE NEW CIIURCrr.

T-
HE New Church has BO conflict with true Science but
is in full harmony with it and rests upon it. Much of
the Seience of the pre3ent day however is so filled with
Natlll'ali~m that it does not acknowlcdgc Divine Revelation,
and eomes into direct conflict with it. We must therefore
~listillguislt hetween tr~nce and that which is false.
Fa ls~ Seienè,g> is floocling the old Church and the Vorld
wlth its theories and leacling away from ~he LOlm and the
,y01'(1, and iuto N aturalism.
The Yl'itings deseribe the state of Naturalists in the other
life in Jn:lIlY pIaees. We quote the füllowing:
Evcry man who has become a naturalist by rneanR of thought derived
from natllre, remains sueh also after death, calli ng ail the objects that he sees
in llic Kl'irit!lal world, n:tturul, bccuuse thcy urc similur to those in the nutural
world. i.lün 01' this kinù urc however enlightcucd IInd t:tught by tho ungcls
that thcse abjects are not nalural, but that they are the appearanc('-8 of nat
unt! lhings and thcy are convinced so far as to uffirlll that this is 50. Still
'thC Y relapse and worcl!iP~tEre, us they !lad done in the world, until, ut
i Icn;.;t1l, scparating themsclves' from the àngels, th~ filU into hen and cannot
Il':! rcocueJ From it to etcl'llity. The rC0.'3on of this ie that their soul is not
~piritnal but natural, like that of the bc'asts, with the faculty still of think
ing and sl'cak'ing, bccanse they were born men. The hdls, at thifl day, more
t.han at uny /ormer pcriod, ure fillcd with men of this class. At the preseut
V daL.lllil!Jru1ism hns..J11.!!.J!lst delllged the Chul'ch, and can only bo dispersed by
llleallS ot' r~ti()nal :Il'gurncllts, which will enable man to see that this is so.
(Sec Athullasian Crcc<1, 107.)

Such are the naturalists and Sl1Gh the prevalent condition
~{"3...... If ~hQ sciclllific world t.o-day. Thinking from nature and
from space and tÏme, which belong to it, the mujority of
i'icicntifie JlCII rqject the spiritual and the LORD, who is the
i'iource of a.U life.

'j'III,' Xl: 1/" ('If( In·/I. 39
In tbe "Vritings, tbe ~illll'k Illinded, ,yll() (':In willl difli
cuHy rcmove the idéas of Hp:l(.'l~, and lime l'I'OIl Lhl'il' I1I(lllgld,
are advised ta avoid thinking of 10fty S1)Îl'itllal sllldpd~, as
olllllipre~enee, omniseiencc, de" frolll any rcasolling nt' tlw
ullJerstanJing, buL simply ta L~licYe thCIll [rom. l'ld igion ;
or tü aeknowledge Lltat th(,y exist, becallse they arè aUribllll's
of God, Gad being cvcrywhcrc and inlinitu, anJ bl'ctlllSC Ihe
"Vonllllso tcaellc:'! thi~. (f.;l'(' Athan. Cl'l'(~d, 107.) ln Illi"
way, I~J H('JlllU cxl.ent, Lllu ,-.;illll'1e ilia} lll: 111'<'S01',('d 1'1'11111
materiulisrn.
'l'Ilcre arc nHlllY Wl10 dc1iglJt in the stlldy or Seil'Il('('.
'l'h/'re is a peeuliar ellaJ'1ll in Jll'ying ,ililn I1a.LlIl'l"~ f'('('I'I'ls
and dii:leoveri/lg Iler govel'l1ir'g lawi,i. HilL tll(~ diJlielllli('s 01'
this work are ail bilL oV('J'wll(·lllling. Wc: live in a Yurld
of appearanecs, HIl(l if wc n':lsun all.ugdlll1' l'rolll Lhe It1al1(:
of the sen8('S, we are cUlItillllally lcd lnLo erraneous eO~I
c1usioJls. 'l'he Writiugs say that
vitla Ihe Allciellt..~ iL IVaH ulto;..::(·tltcr difTerellt. Wit.1t tltcm RI,ielllifi"M
Ircaled of Ihc cl)rrcs!,lluJeIlC()~ of ()lillgS in Lhe lIalur<ll wllrld "il,h lhill~s i,)
tlte HIJirilUal worl,. The ~(,i()utilics wltielt are lluW eallvJ philt)~('l'hical,.~lIch
as arc lho~e of Aristot.k, 1I"(~rc 1I11k1lO"1I 10 ,hmll.. 'l'he ~Ci('lIlifil;M wllieh
8Ilce/'/'dcd the all(,ye, :11,,1 which are prop"..ly eall(~d philosophiea!. rall,,'r
wi thdru W Lhe III iud Ihllli 1he k IIU" l..Jrj(· of ~!,i l'il liai alld cd,'"' j:i1 11, jllg"S,
bec((lIs(', tltcy 1I!UY a/su /Je ((j,/d/cd (0 clJ1(firmfalsù/e.l, alld Lhey likcwisl' !t'Ild
10 obscure the lUind wllen Irulhs arè cOllfirlllcù by 1,111'111, inaslIIlldl as 1II0st
or (hclll were l'X l'I'I:ssili liS, "111'1',,1,)" (,IIl1firlllll,ioIlS an' en·l.ch'd, whieh an,
apl,rdlclIJeù by few, UollÙ cOlJccruillg which Cl'ell t.ho!!e fcw Ji"l'ute.-.:1. C.
4%G.

'l'he lelll1<'llcy toward natll':dii:illl illcrease, rutllcl' Ikm
JIIWil
JillliJlisll, IJlle:tll~u f'(~i('lllilie edll(:aLioll 1I101'() :lIId I110j'(' drin~
ill lhat direetioll; alld llue,wsc llutumli~JII qllitc eOllsislCIIIy
lJeluugs ta the l'allull eh 1Il'cll, wllit:1t lms tUl'lled l'rom the Lult Il
:lllIl e()I1~(''1"elllly J'rom Lnl!" lllld good. (1:'et) '1'. C. IL 17:;,
"0)(1 )
":>0v. • 1.
'1'] le .11.lIe1<.'1It8 Wl~l'e Ilot as su~cet. La C1'1'01' as we :11 l'.
A

Thuy culti vatu<1 the Sei('lltC of Corrcspolltlences. 'l'Itey saw

40 SCIENCE IN THE LIGHT OF THE NEW CHUR CH.

lhe Hpirilnal in the naturul und were in wisdom accordingly.
Bllt as man withdrew farther and farther from thc LORD
awl conscl}ll'ntly sank dcepel' and deepor into evil, he im
Il1cI'Scll hil1l:-ielf in materialism. To-day, sueh is dIe eon
strnetion of tlte human mind, and so far has it dcgenerated,
that evcn wltat he calls truth is sIlseeptillle of divcrse and
even opposite applicatiolls, so that he may confirm with it
either truth or fitlsity.
lIow CS:-il'Iltial, then, is a new Hcvelation, whieh shaH
instrnct man how ta distinguish the trlle from the false, that
Il(~ lJIay rii;c ont of his dcplorahle condition into a higher
st<ltc, in which he may grutify his landaLlc desil'e fl)r knowl
edgc with the hope of temporal and eternal profit.
Tn worki Ilg out this mueh nceded reformation, the first
stcp nceessa l'y is an earnest desire to know the truth-not
for any selli:-ih purpose, but simply from a love of the truth,
as t'rom and of the LOHn.
I~ 'l'Ile nnd(~I;,.;tanding conferred upon man, may be clevated
intu tire intcrior light of heavcn, provided only he desires,
1
j'rom a prineiple of love to know the tl'uth.-Athan. Oreed,
]')7.
It is lIsclcss to investigate tire philosophy offered by the
CllIlrclr, wit!lout this primaI love of truth. !ts pl'eeepts will
Ilot he eOlnprellcnded nor will its Leauty and grandeur ap
pl'ar. Certaill of i~ statement.'5 lIlay plen::>c for the moment
~lllli cvell win eulogillllls, bllt theil' aceeptane8 will he Lllt
snperficial and cphellleml. 'Vhen, from a sinccre dcsire to
11~<l1'Il the (l'Ilth, man permit::l lJilllself tü he tanght of the
LOJ{D~ by Illenus of !lis HevdatioD, he, ft)r the fil'st time, lln
dcrst.alld8 rcal causes an Il views ail natural phenomena, as
ètli.~cL". 'l'he faets he had lcarned bcforc remain Just as
tmc, but are now vivified and arranged in an orderly man
ner. New f:tCts are added, Loth spiritual and natura!. His
11101]lOt! of tllUUght is inverl.ed. He loob l'rom within out,

1.'lIE NEW CIIURCH. 41
from above down and finds that he is approaching an en
tirely new philosophy. He begins to appreciute something
of tlte order of thought unù of crention. He fllC)S the full
force of the passage in the Writ.ings which reads: "those
,vho do not conceive the creation of the universe and a11
tllings thcrein by continuaI rnediations from the First, can
not but build unconnected hypotheses, disjointed from their
causes, which, when examined by a mimi that looks interi
orly into tllingi3, appear Ilot like houses, but Iike heaps of
ruhbish."-D. L. IV. 303.
Viewed in interior light, what is the state of the science
of to-(lay? Do we find consistency, order, harmony, unity ?
ls it like a hC:I Il ti fi Il picture with the LORD flS the ccntre and
a11 arouncl arranged with light and shade into bold relief?
True science, the science which the Church teaches, is
harmonious alld consistent. Tt penetrates deeper than th~
plane of thc senses and unfolds infinitely more than natural
thought can snggest or merely natural reason expound.
Science is thc lwowledge of nature, and its philosophy gives
us an insight illto the orderly arrangement of ail things.
So far from being in confiict with the Church, it is a part
of il. Knowled~('S of facts are instruments to Rerve the in
A lCl'llal Illall in his l'egcllen~tjon. ~Scc A. C. (i()57.) Tlwy ure
the initiaIs of thought and rcnder rationality possible. How
ri <1nngcrol1s, then, i8 their perversion. How fatal to regener
J~Htion is the lInturalism which inverts true ortler and elevates
>
l~el'ial tlling:-> ahove spiritual, or:t~~bstitutes matter for spir!:b
{k;)L
"The scrvant is not grenter than his LORD."
The New Church promises here, as everywhere eIse,JQ_
Ji make ail things ~w. First, as the crowning truth of all,
and fi'om which ail proceed, will it be acknowledged that
the LORD JESUS CHRIST is the Creator of the universe; that
He,.-J,!.8 Very-Man, and because He is Very-Man, created
the universe from Himseif.

42 SCIENCE IN THE LIGHT OF THE NEW CHUR CH.

It will be seen that there proceed from Him, as the Spir
itual Sun, Divine Love and Divine Wisdom. These are
not vol(ltile, ethereal, nothings; but Substance and Form,
self-subsisting and sole-subsisting. They are the aU of life
throughout aIl creation fi-om highest to lowest. They flow
from within into every oqject and form. In their mani
festatioll, they procced as the Divine of love by heat, the
])i ville of. wisdom by light and the Divine of use by at
mospheres. In ultimates they form earths, iri which they
tenninate in simllltalleollS onle!'. Inrnostly, is~ or life
itself, the force of ~ing;' mediutely, is the force of~j1
3 and next that of(formill~ These lie hidden in everything
in the universe, and constitute the continuous presence of
the LoRD.
N atural forms derive their origin from the spiritual con
taineJ. within, which is the universal sphere of the Divine.
From the spiritual Sun cornes the patural; from this pro
ceeJ. atlllospheres, and from these the earths are formed.
Natural forms are, of themselves, clead. AU their activity
is del'ived from the spiritual.
Mun's love is his life, derived from the universal sphere
in its various clegrees. His affections are the continuations
and derivations of love, Rowing like streams from the foun
tain, producing lIses in forms and therein adva.ncing from
first prineiples ta last. These forms are efiÊ:lcts, which are
the effigies of uses, and in these, uses advance to the outmost
fihre of t.he ho<1y. Tlms man's organs are aB and each of
them forms of uses. And 1.0 comprehend human physi
ology, one must bear in mind, not only the form and struc
ture of the various parts of the body, but also their functions
as determined from their several uses. This can only be
known accurutely by a careful study of the Wl'itings, par
ticularly where correspondences with the Grand Man, are
given. Thus instructed, the investigator is better qualified
16

THE NEW OHURCH. 43

10 rationally interpret the various bodily functions in their
order and workillgs.
Lire, it must be remembered, app1ies itse1f 10 man, on1y
in the uses in which he is employed. Hence is conjunction.
These uses are arranged in man in a series, and the Divine
life applies itsclf to these in aIl their gradations. Renee is
the soul. This is true of aIl men coIlective1y, of nations,
eities, fil.milies, as well as of the individual.
AH things in the world tend to the human form, for aU
arc forms of uses which are subservient to man. AlI things
wcre made for man, and by him Lave communication with
the other world. (See A. C. 3702.)
If the philosopher thoroughly understands the corre
spom1enccs of the organism of man with Reaven, or the
Gl'llnd Man, he will be bot.ter prep(lred to explore nature
outside of man; for man, as 10 his body, is a 1ittle wor]el, a
microcosm, and all without him corresponds with aH within
11im.
Natural things do not live of themselves, but only by
influx. The heat and ]ight from our Slln act from their
l':lpiritllal eorrcsponf1ence, and then they only operate in
opelling the extl'eme parts of the hody, t1H1t illtemal heat
lllllY How in. Ph)'l:iio]ogy has no rig11t to c1aim that vital
heat comes from combustion in the animal economy, or is
sim ply a re8ult<lnt of aetivity. This is merelyan appear
ance, 311(1 is itself dcpelHlent on interior causes. Love is
t11e origin of vital heat. Love proceeds as beat from the
spiritual sun, ",here the LORD is, and is so felt by the ange]s.
Spiritual 1Ie:lt, wbieh in its essence is Jove, ilows by corre
spondence into the heurt and olood, and gives it heat, and at
tbe same time vivifies it. (See D. L. W'. a79.)
l Il the vegeta!J1e and millera1 kingdoms, forms are pro
dlœd Hw1 maintained oy the Jowest degree of the universa1
influx merely. AnimaIs are correspondent forms of natural


affections. Vegetables derive their forme from the atmos
pheres, in which there is such a creative endeavor from the
determination of spiritual forces. These latter continually
tend toward the human form and so impress every terrestrial
thing. Thus there is in every partic1e'of matter an endeavor
to shape itself into form, which more and more resernbles the
l,uman as we rise in the order of creation. Crystallize a
:>alt, and it" figures a pigmy forest of plants; examine a tree,
and its growth of leaf, circulation of sap, blossom and fruit,
pl'c~ent more than a fanciful resemblance to animal life.
Creation, then, is li panorama, imaging the LOIW as very
man. But what of its blelllii:ihe:>? Vhat of venomOU8
animal, noxious plant and poisonous minerai? What of
devastating storm, destructive earthquake? 'What of 80rrow,
suffering, disease, untimely death? If delight and happi
ness flow into uses constituting their rewanl, acconling to
thcir degree, whence corne evil uses with consequent wretch
cdness and misery? Neither from the LoRD nor from
heaven. N either from nature's sun, nor from earth itself.
Bnt from hel1.
I~verything spiritual endcavors to clothe itself with a mu
teria.! llOdy. 'l'he lowest or natural degree of man, is no
longer controlled by influx direct from heaven. Its order
is inverted. In origin it is still the LaRD's, in reception, it
bears elllbosometl the venom of hel1. Like the sun's ray
p()lIred into the poisonolls plant, it is distorted unto ·death.
Evil uses, then, fJow from hell and clothe themsel VCd with
whatever of filth they e<)11 find, in the stagnant pool, the
H<lvagu lwust, the unregenerated mind.
From this brief outline, embracing sorne leading points in
true Scienœ, it becomes apparent how far man has wandered
from a just conception of creation and of matter, its laws
and relations. The primaI cause of thjs confusion, is
plaiuly the lack of the conception of God as a man; for,

THE NEW CHUR CH. 45
although the iclea of His unity and Humanity is implanted
Ly the LORD in every one, it faùes away in the life of evil
and in the rnind oLscured by fUIse doctrines. This primaI
conception lost, aIl else is confused. Man gropes about in
spiritual darkness and. finaIly thinks and acts in the treach
erous light of nature. The heavenly windows of his mind.
are closeJ and he revol ves in a perpetuaI whirl of appenr
ances. His ingenuity contrives aIl sorts of theories, which
t!olll'ish for a while and finally sink into oblivion before·some
llewcr :1ll(1 more 8ubtle invention. Setting ont frorn the im
pressions of the senses, his science soon takes these impres
sions for truth and reasons frorn thern accordingly.
But the view is not aIl so dark and gloorny. Sorne there
are, who have sought after knowledge, suLmitting self to the
Vord and to the LoRD'S manifold working in nature. Theil'
horizon is narrow, perhaps, but what they have discovcred,
Lecaw:ie truc, will never perish. AnJ even others, though
actuated by nothing higher than a love of being called wise,
hr.ve brought minds to the work weIl adapted to it apd have
discovercd thousands of invaluable fads.
These fads will Ilot Le rqjected, Lut will Le examined in
the light of the New Church. By means of the dvctrine
of correspondences, as expounded in the Vritings, man is
enaLled to discrirninate Letween cause and effect, betwE'en
spiritual and natural, between true wisdorn which reasons
frorn interior light and that false reasoning, which is founded
only in the impressions of the senses. Thus will be dcvel
opel! a pllilo~0l'hy, which will Le enduring, hecause orderly;
true, Lecause from the LORD; and therefore Loth comprehen
sive and satisflctory.
It may Ilot 1>e unprofitable to briefly examine some of the
t'abc theories of present science the better ta comprehend the
reformation required.
One of the first steps necessary, is the renoyation of Psy


chology. Sucll a labor is essential before materialism will
rcleatle it8 hold on philo80phy und permit the nxioIIlutic
acknowledgmcnt of the LORD as the Cause and Sustainer
of the uni verse. But Philosophy is not advanced by the
nominal acknowledgment of a Divine Being, when this is
placed illfinitely distant, or diffused through space as the first
Source of things. Nor does the conception of God as three
pel'sons a(l(l one iota of strength; for, " Creation is an image
reprcsentative of God-Man, and this image cannot be seen
by him who denies that the LoRD is a Man;" nor can it
be seen by him who denies that God is One.
111 the Spiritllal niary and elsewhere are recorded frequent
conversations bctween Swedenborg and eminent philosophers
and scicntists, whose teachings still exert a powerful influence
in the learned 'Vorld. In every instance the lesson is to dis
aouse these teachinl:,"S of their falsities and to present them
in their true light. His denunciations of Aristotle and his
followel's apply more to the materialistic abuse of logic, than
to logic itself: (See S. D. 3947-55, 3959-Gl. A. C. 4446-7,
4658.) His conversations with Newton were but to correct
errors in science, some of them taught by Newton himself
and otllers introdllced by !lis followers. (See S. D. GOG4,
and S. D. Purt vii. p. 85.) The latter reference eIHls with
these remarkable words, which clearly explain the use and
importance of tÈlis permitted meeting with this philosopher,
" Now 1 koow that colors are modifications of light in objects,
in t!lc t(mos of which they make common planes, above
which light is variegated according to the forms of the parts;
hence are colors. These are the words of Newton hirnself,
which he wùhes that I should communicate."
Speaking of the philosophy and science of to-day Sweden
borg says:
O>hilosOP!IY)U ils every department has had no other effect than ta darken
Dlèiï'SïITiïï~(alld thus to shllt' the way to a view of interior and universal

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