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BRIEF EXPOSITION
OF THE
DOCTRINE
OF
BY
EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
A SWEDE
BEING A TRANSLATION OF
Summaria Expositio Doetrina Novae Eeclesiae
1952
REVELATION xxi 2, 5.
f, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband. . . . And He that sat
upon the throne said, Behold, f make all things
new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words
are true and faithful.
PREFACE
THE SUMMARIA EXPOSITIO DOCTRINAE NOVAE
ECCLESIAE was first published in Latin at
Amsterdam in the year 1769. According to Robert
Hindmarsh's statement in his Rise and Progress of
the New Church, an indifferent translation was
made soon afterwards either by a certain Mr.
John Merchant, a literary gentleman acquainted
with Swedenborg, or by Mr. William Cookworthy,
a Quaker of Plymouth. The statement continues :
"It was this first translation of the BRIEF
EXPOSITION of which Dr. Messiter speaks in the
postscript of his letter to the Rev. H. Hamilton,
Professor of Divinity in the University of
Edinburgh, where he says, 'Whatever esteem the
Latin work may deserve, this I am sure will
procure but little, it is so indifferently translated.'
A new translation of the BRIEF EXPOSITION was
afterwards made and published by me in the year
1789."
Two further translations have appeared: one
in 1818, "most probably" (according to Hyde's
Bibliography of Swedenborg's Works) by the Rev.
Samuel Noble; the other in 1895 by the Rev.
R. J. Tilson. A second Latin edition, in which
several printer's errors are corrected, was produced
by Dr. J. F. I. Tafel in 1859. .
As the title implies, the work gives a summary
statement of the fundamental doctrines of
the New Church. This statement, however,
occupies only a small proportion of the whole work.
iii
PREFACE
VI
CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION (n. I)
(n. 53-57) 50
CONTENTS
PAOE
XVIII. That neither Love, nor Faith, nor the Cog
nitions of Good and Truth, exist in the last
period of the Christian Church when it draws
to its end, is meant by these words in the
aforesaid chapter of Mal/hew:
After the affliction of those days, shall the
sun be darkened and the moon shall not
give her light, and the stars shall fall from
heaven, and the powers of the heavens ~hall
be shaken.-Verse 29 (n.77-81) . 73
these words :
xii
1] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
A BRIEF EXPOSITION
of the
signified by
APOCALYPSE
1. As several works and tracts have been
published by me during the past few years con
cerning the NEW JERUSALEM, by which is meant
a New Church to be established by the Lord,
and as the Apocalypse has now been revealed',
I have decided to bring to light the Doctrine of
that Chu~ch in its fulness, thus as a whole. This,
however, is a work which will take some years to
complete; wherefore I have thought it advisable
to produce some sort of a sketch of it, in order that a
general idea of this Church and its Doctrine may
first be obtained. For, when general things precede,
then each and everything stands out clearly in the
light; for particulars enter into generals as things
homogeneous into their own receptacles. This brief
exposition, however, is not designed for critical
examination, but is only offered to the world for
information; its contents will be fuIly proved in
the major work itself. Yet the doctrinal tenets of
to-day concerning Justification are to be set forth
first, on account of what follows concerning the
disagreement between the doctrines of the present
Church and th'ose of the New Church.
(I) See the work entitled THE APOCA.LYPSE REVEALED, published in
Amsterdam in 1766.
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [2-4
THE. DOCTRINALS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS
CONCERNING JUSTIFICATION : FROM THE COUNCIL
OF TRENT.
2. In the bull of Pope Pius IV, dated 13th
November, 1564, are the following words: .. I
embrace and receive everything, in general and
particular, which the most holy Council of Trent
has determined and declared concerning Original
Sin and Justification."
3. From the Council o/Trent, concerning Original
Sin.
Ca) Adam, by his transgression, was wholly
changed for the worse, both in body and soul.
This transgression proved injurious not only to
Adam but to his offspring. It not only transmitted
death and bodily sufferings to the whole human
race, but also sin which is the death of the soul :
Sess. V, 1, 2.
Cb) This sin of Adam, which in origin was a
single transgression, but which has been trans
mitted by propagation, not by imitation, is im
planted in everyone as his own, and cannot be
removed by any other remedy than the Merit of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Saviour, Who
has reconciled us to God by His blood, being made
for us righteousness, sanctification and redemp
tion: Sess. V, 3.
Cc) By Adam's transgression all men lost their
innocence and became unclean, and by nature
children of wrath: Sess. VI, chap. 1.
4. Concerning Justification.
Ca) The heavenly Father, Father of mercies,
sent Christ Jesus, His Son, to men, when the
blessed fulness of time arrived, in order to redeem
2
4] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
both the Jews who were under the law and the
Gentiles who followed not after righteousness, so
that they might lay hold of righteousness, and all
receive adoption as sons'. God offered Him to be
a propitiation for sin through faith in His blood,
and this, not only for our sins but also for the sins
of the whole world: Sess. VI, chap. 2. \
(b) Yet all do not receive the benefit of His
death, but only those to whom the merit of His
passion is communicated; wherefore, unless they
are born again in Christ, they will never be justified:
Sess. VI, chap. 3.
(c) The origin of justification is to be derived
from the prevenient grace of God through Christ
Jesus, that is, from His call: Sess. VI, chap. 5.
(d) Men are disposed to righteousness when,
being stirred by divine grace, and acquiring faith
by hearing, they are freely moved towards God,
believing those things to be true which are divinely
revealed and promised; and especially this, that
the ungodly are justified by God by His grace, by
the redemption which is in Christ Jesus ; and when
they realise that they are sinners, from fear of
divine justice, by which they are profitably dis
quieted, they are raised to hope, trusting that God,
for Christ's sake, will be well-disposed towards
them: Sess. VI, chap. 6.
(e) The consequence of this disposition and
preparation is actual justification, which is not
only a remission of sins but also a sanctification
and renewal of the interior man by the reception
of grace and gifts, whereby man, from being un
righteous, becomes righteous, and from being an
enemy becomes a friend, so as to be an heir accord
(1) See textual nole on p. 140.
3
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [4-5
ing to the hope of eternal life : Sess. VI, chap. 7.
er) The final cause of justification is the glory
of God and of Christ, and life eternal. The
efficient cause is God Who freely cleanses and
sanctifies. The meriting cause is the most dearly
beloved and only-begotten of God, our Lord
Jesus Christ, Who, although we were enemies, on
account of the exceeding great love wherewith He
loved us, and by His most holy passion upon the
cross, earned justification for us, and made satis
faction on our behalf to God the Father. The
instrumental cause is the sacrament of baptism,
which is a sacrament of faith without which no
one can ever be justified. The formal cause is the
sole righteousness of God; not that whereby He
is righteous Himself, but that whereby He makes
us righteous, with which, that is, we, being
gifted by Him, are renewed in the spirit of our
mind. Moreover, we are not only reputed righteous
but truly called righteous ; being so in reality, each
according to that measure which the Holy Spirit
imparts to everyone just as it pleases Him:
Sess. VI, chap. 7, par. 2.
(g) Justification is a transference from that
state in which man is born a son of the first Adam
into a state of grace and adoption among the sons
of God through the second Adam, our Saviour
Jesus Christ: Sess. VI, chap. 4.
5. Concerning Faith, Charity, Good Works and
Merit.
(a) When the Apostle declares that man is
justified by faith, and freely, these words are to be
understood in the sense in which, by general con
sent, the Catholic Church has always held and
4
5] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
3 21
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [16
A SKETCH
of the
1.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
18. The Churches which separated themselves
at the Reformation from the Roman Catholic
Church are composed of those who call themselves
Evangelicals and Reformed, likewise Protestants ;
or, from their leaders, Lutherans and Calvinists.
Among these the Church of England holds a
middle place. We shall say nothing here concerning
the Greek Church which was separated long ago
from the Roman Catholic Church.
That the Protestant Churches dissent in various
points, particularly concerning the Holy Supper,
Baptism, Election, and the Person of Christ, is
well known to many people, but it is not generally
known that they all a ee on the Articles concern
ing a Trinity of Persons in the Godhead, Original
Sin, the Imputation of Christ's Merit:-and Justifi
I cation by Faith Alone. This is because few-people
apply themselves to exploring the differences of
the tenets maintained by the different Churches;
consequently, neither do they inquire into those
P9ints 0 hich they. agree. Only the clergy study
the tenets of their Cn.urch; the laity rarely
understand them interiorly, and so are unacquainted
24
l8-20J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
follows.
n.
19. The Roman Catholics held exactly the same
beliefs before the Reformation as the Reformed
Church did after it concerning the four Articles
mentioned above, namely, a Trinity of Persons in
the Godhead, Original Sin, the Imputation of Christ's
Merit, and Justification by Faith therein: with the)
sole difference that they united that Faith with
Chart)!. or Good Works.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
20. That there is such a conformity between the
Roman Catholics and the Protestants regarding
these four articles so that there is scarcely any
important difference between them, except that the
former conjoin faith and charity while the latter
separate them, is scarcely known to anyone;
indeea, it "is so generally unknown that the learJled
themselves will be astonished at this assertion.
The reason for this ignorance is that the Roman
Catholics rarely approach God our SaviOiif' ;
instead of Him they look to the Pope as His vicar,
and to the saints. Hence--.-they have dee 1 buried
25
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [20-22
in oblivion their tenets concerning the imputation
{ of Christ's merit and justification by faith. Never
theless, such tenets are received and acknowledged
by them, as clearly appears from the Decrees of the
Council of Trent quoted above, nos. 3-8, and con
firmed by Pope Pius IV, n. 2. If these be compared
with the tenets advanced above from the Augsburg
Confession and from the Formula Concordiae
derived therefrom, nos. 9-12, the differences
between them will be found to consist mor III
woros than in substance. The Doctors of the
Church may inoeeOsee some conformity between
them by reading and comparing the above passages
together, but still only obscurely. However, in
order that they, as well as those who are less
learned, and also the laity, may see this agreement,
some illustrations will now be added.
Ill.
IV.
v.
30. The whole theology of the Christian World
. at this day is ounded on the idea 0 three Gods,
arising from the doctrine of a Trinity of Persons.
31
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [31-32
BRIEF ANALYSIS
31. Something shall first be said concerning the
source from which the idea of a Trinity of Persons
in the Godhead, thus of three Gods, has proceeded.
There are three creeds, called the Apostles', the
Nicene and the Athanasian, which specifically
teach the Trinity. The Apostles' and the Nicene
teach just the Trinity, whilst the Athanasian
teaches a Trinity of Persons. These three creeds
appear in many of the Books of Worship (Libris
Psalmorum) ; the Apostles' Creed as a psalm which
is sung, the Nicene after the Decalogue, and the
Athanasian apart by itself. The Apostles' Creed
was written after the time of the Apostles. The
Nicene Creed was composed at the Council of
Nicaea, a city of Bithynia, to which all the bishops
in Asia, Africa and Europe were summoned by the
Emperor Constantine in the year A.D. 325. The
Athanasian Creed was composed after that
Council by some person or persons in order
utterly to overthrow the Arians, and was after
wards received by the churches as <:ecumenical.
From the first two creeds the confession of a
Trinity clearly appeared, but from the third or
Athanasian Creed proceeded the profession of a
Trinity of Persons. That hence arose the idea of
three Gods will be seen from what now follows.
32. That there is a Divine Trinity is manifest
from the Lord's words in Matthew:
Jesus said, Go ye therefore, make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Matt. xxviii 19.
Also from these words in the same Evangelist:
When Jesus was baptized, . . . 10, the heavens were
32
32-33] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
opened unto Him, and He saw the Holy Spirit descending
like a dove and alighting upon Him; and 10, a voice
from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in Whom
I am well pleased. Matt. iii 16, 17.
The reason the Lord sent His disciples to
baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit was because in Him, then glorified, was the
Divine Trinity; for in the preceding verse, n. 18
(Matt. xxviii), He says:
All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
and in the 20th verse:
Lo, I am with you all the days, even unto the consum
mation of the age.
Thus, He spoke of Himself alone, and not of three.
Again, it is written in John: )
The Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet
glorified. - John vii 39
The former words He spoke after His glorifica
tion, and His glorification yvas His complete union
with His ather, Who was the Divine Itself in
Him from conception; and the Holy Spirit was
the Divine proceeding from Him after His glori
fication ; see John xx 22.
33. The reason the idea of three Gods proceeded
chiefly from the Athanasian Creed, where a
Trinity of Persons is taught, is because the word
" person" begets such an idea. Moreover, this
idea is further implanted by these words in the
Creed: "There is one person of the Father,
another of the Son, and another of the Holy
Ghost"; and later: "The Father is God and
Lord, the Son is God and Lord, and the Holy
Ghost is God and Lord"; but especially
by these words in the Creed: "For like as
33
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [33-34
we are compelled by the Christian verity to
acknowledge every Person by himself to be God
and Lord, so we are forbidden by the Catholic
Religion to say there are three Gods or three
Lords." The import of these words is that
by the Christian verity we are bound to
confess and acknowledge three Gods and three
Lords, but by the Catholic religion we are not
allowed to say, or to mention, three Gods and three
Lords; consequently, we may have an idea of
three Gods and three Lords, but we are not to
make oral confession thereof. Nevertheless, the
doctrine of the Trinity in the Athanasian Creed
agrees with the truth if only there is substituted
for a Trinity of Persons a Trinity of Person which
is in God the Saviour Jesus Christ, as may be
seen in THE DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
CONCERNING THE LORD, published at Amsterdam
in the year 1763, nos. 55-61.
34. It is to be observed that in the Apostles'
Creed it is said : "I believe in God the Father ...
in Jesus Christ ... and in the Holy Ghost," and in
the Nicene Creed: "I believe in one God, the
Father ... in one Lord Jesus Christ ... and in the
Holy Ghost" ; thus, only in one God. But in the
Athanasian Creed it is said: .. In God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost" ; thus,
in three Gods. Yet because the authors and
favourers of this creed saw clearly that an idea of
three Gods would inevitably result from the ex
pressions used therein, in order that this might be
remedied, they asserted that one substance or
essence belongs to the three. But, in truth, from
these expressions po other idea ~ tfuilL.L.fiat
34
34-35] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
VI.
39. The dogmas of the aforesaid theology are
seen to be erroneous after the idea of a Trinity of
Persons, hence of three Gods, has been rejected, and
4 37
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [39-40
the idea of one God, in Whom is the Divine Trinity,
received instead.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
40. The reason why the dogmas of the present
Church, which are based upon the idea of three
Gods, derived from the doctrine of a Trinity of
Persons, literally understood, are seen to be
erroneous after the idea of one God in Whom is the
Divine Trinity has been received instead, is because
it is not possible to see what is erroneous before
this has been done. For it is like one who in the
night, by the light of a few stars, sees various
objects, especially statues, and believes them to be
living men; or, like one who in the twilight
before sunrise, as he lies in bed, beholds, as it were,
spectres in the air, and believes them to be angels;
or, again, like one who sees many things in the
foolish light of phantasy, and believes them to
be real. Such things, as is well known, do not
appear for what they really are, and are not
perceived as such, until the man comes into the
light of day; that is, until his. understanding is
wide awake. It is similar with the spiritual things
of the Church, which have been erroneously and
falsely perceived and confirmed, when genuine
truths are presented to view in their own light,
which is the light of heaven.
Who cannot understand that all dogmas founded
on the idea of three Gods are erroneous and false
from within? I say, from within, because the
idea of God enters into all things of the Church,
of religion and of worship; also because theo
logical matters reside higher than all others in the
human mind, and among these the idea of God is
38
40-42J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
VII.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
42. Thoe reason why this faith, which is a faith
in one God, is acknowledged and received as truly
saving when the former faith in three Gods is
rejected is because, until this is done, a faith in one
God cannot be seen in its proper aspect. For the
faith of the present day is preached as the only
saving faith, because it is a faith in one God, and in
a Saviour. But there are two aspects to this present
day faith, one internal, the other external. The
internal is formed from the perception of three
39
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [42-43
Gods; for who perceives or thinks otherwise ?
Let everyone examine himself. But the external is
formed from the confession of one God. Again,
who acknowledges or says otherwise? Let every
one examine himself. These two aspects are alto
gether discordant with each other,so that the
external is not acknowledged by the internal ; nor
is the internal known by the external. Because of
this discord and discrepancy when the one is
compared with the other, a confused idea of the
means of salvatiqn has been conceived and brought
forth in the Church.
It is otherwise when the internal and external
aspects agree, and when they mutually regard and
acknowledge each other as a concordant unity.
That this is the case when one God in Whom is a
Divine Trinity is not only perceived by the mind
but also acknowledged by the mouth, is self
evident. Then the dogma concerning the alienation
of the Father from the human race is abolished,
together with that of His reconciliation, and quite
another doctrine results concerning imputation,
remission of sins, regeneration and thence salvation.
This will be clearly seen in the major work, in the
light of reason illuminated by divine truths from
the Sacred Scripture. This faith is 'called a faith
united with good works, because without this
union it is impossible to have faith in one God.
VIII
BRIEF ANALYSIS
44. This is the Faith of the New Church in
simple form. It will appear more fully in the
Appendix, and in still greater fulness in the first
part of the major work, treating of the Lord God
the Saviour, and of the Trinity in Him; of love to
God and love towards the neighbour; of faith,
and its conjunction with those two loves. This
faith will also be treated of in the remaining parts
of that work, which will follow in their proper
order there. But it is important that this pre
liminary account of the above-mentioned faith
should be shown here to some extent.
The first Article, viz., that there is one God in
Whom is the Divine Trinity, and that He is the Lord
Jesus Christ, is shown by the following summary.
It is a sure and abiding truth that God is one, that
His essence is indivisible, and that there is a Trip,ity.
Since, therefore, God is one, and His essence is
indivisible, it follows that God is one Person; and
that, since He is one Person, the Trinity is in that
Person. That this Person is the Lord Jesus Christ is
evident from the following statements: He was
41
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [44
conceived of God the Father, Luke i, 34, 35 : thus,
as to His soul and essential life, He is God. There
fore, as He Himself said, the Father and He are
one, John x 30. He is in the Father, and the
Father in Him, John xiv 10, 11. He who sees Him
and knows Him, sees and knows the Father,
John xiv 7, 9. No one sees and knows the Father
except He Who is in the bosom of the Father,
John i 18. All things of the Father are His, John iii
35 and xvi 15. He is the way, the truth and the
life, and no one comes to the Father but through
Him, John xiv 6; consequently by Him, because
He is in Him, thus is He Himself. According to
Paul, in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead
bodily, Colossians ii 9 ; and according to Isaiah,
Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, Whose
name is God, Father of eternity. Isa~ ix 6.
IX
45. The Faith of the present day has separated
religion from the Church: for religion consists in
the acknowledgment of One God, and in the worship
of Him from the Faith of Charity.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
46. What nation is there upon the earth,
possessed of religion and sound reason, that does
not know and believe that there is one God;
that to do evil is contrary to Him, and that to do
good is to be in accord with Him ; also that man
must do good from his soul, his heart, and
43
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [46
his strength, although good inflows from
God; and that religion consists in this? Who,
therefore, does not see that to confess three Persons
in the Divine, and to assert that in good works
there is nothing of salvation, is to separate religion
from the Church? For it is declared that in those
works there is nothing of salvation, as in these
statements: "Faith justifies without good works,"
n. 12 (a, b). "Works are not necessary for
salvation, nor for faith, because salvation and
faith are neither preserved nor retained by good
works," n. 12 (g, h, rn, n). Consequently, there is no
bond of conjunction of faith with good works. If it
is afterwards said that good works nevertheless
follow faith spontaneously, as fruit from a tree,
n.13 (I, n), who then does them; nay, who thinks
of them, or who is spontaneously led to them, while
he knows and believes that they contribute nothing
to salvation, and, further, that no one can do any
good of salvation from himself? and so on.
It may. be said that, nevertheless, they have
conjoined faith with good works. We reply that
this conjunction, when closely inspected, is not
conjunction, but mere adjunction; and this only
like a superfluous appendage that neither coheres
nor adheres in any other manner than as a dark
background to a portrait which serves to give it
more of the appearance of life. Moreover, because
religion belongs to life, and this consists in good
works according to the truths of faith, it is clear
that religion itself is the portrait and not an
appendage. Indeed, with many, religion is as a
horse's tail which, because it is of little value, may
be cut oft' at pleasure. Who can rationally conclude
otherwise while he understands such expressions
44
46-48] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
X.
47. The Faith of the present Church cannot be
united with Charity, or produce any fruits which are
Good Works.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
48. Before this proposition is demonstrated,
we will first explain the derivation and nature of
45
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [48-49
charity, of faith, and of good works which are
called fruits. Faith is truth; wherefore the doc
trine of faith is the doctrine of truth, and the
doctrine of truth is in the understanding, thence in
the thought, thence in the speech. Wherefore, it
teaches what should be willed and what should be
done; thus, that evils are to be shunned, and
which evils in particular: and that good actions
are to be done, and which in particular. When man
does good from faith, goods unite themselves with
truths, because the will is then united with the
understanding; for good belongs to the will and
truth to the understanding. From this conjunction
arises the affection of good, which in its essence is
charity, and the affection of truth, which in its
essence is faith; and these two united make a
marriage. From this marriage good works are
produced as fruits from a tree; whence they
become the fruits of good and the fruits of truth.
The latter are signified in the Word by grapes, the
former by olives.
49. From this derivation of good works, it is
evident that faith alone cannot possibly produce
or beget any works which are called fruits, any more
than a woman can produce of herself any offspring
without the man. Wherefore, the expression
" fruits offaith " is mere words, devoid of meaning.
Besides, throughout the whole world nothing ever
was or is produced save from a marriage union
in which one part has relation to good and the
other to truth; or, in the case of the opposite
kind, one part has relation to evil, the other to
what is false. Consequently, no works can be
conceived, much less born, save from such a
46
49-51J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
marriage union ; good works from the marriage
of good and truth, evil works from the marriage of
evil and falsity.
50. The reason why charity cannot be united
with the faith of the present Church, and why no
good works can be born from any such marriage,
is because imputation supplies everything, remits
sins, justifies, regenerates, sanctifies, and imparts
the life of heaven, thus salvation; and all this
freely, without any works of man. In such a case,
what is charity, whose union should be with faith,
but something superfluous and vain, an accessory
and token of imputation and justification, which,
however, avails nothing? Besides, a faith founded
on the idea of three Gods is erroneous, as has been
shown above, nos. 39, 40 ; and with an erroneous
faith charity that in itself is charity cannot be
united.
It is believed that there is no bond of union
between the above-mentioned faith and charity
for two reasons; one, because the leaders of the
Church make this faith spiritual, but charity they
make natural-moral, imagining that there can be
no union between what is spiritual and what is
natural. The other reason is, lest anything from
man, and so anything of merit, should flow into
their faith, which alone they regard as saving.
Moreover, no bond of charity is possible with that
faith; but there is a bond with the new faith, as
may be seen below, nos. 116, 117.
XI.
51. From the Faith of the present Church there
flows forth a worship of the mouth and not of the
47
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [51-52
life.. when yet the worship of the mouth is accepted
by the Lord only so far as it accords with worship
which is of the life.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
52. This is shown by experience. How many
are there at this day who live according to the
precepts of the Decalogue, and the other precepts
of the Lord, from a religious principle? And how
many are there at this day who desire to look their
own evils in the face and perform actual repentance,
and thus enter upon worship which is of the life?
Or who, among those who practise piety, perform
any other repentance than that of the mouth and
speech, confessing themselves to be sinners, and
praying from the doctrine of the Church that God
the Father, Who from compassion on account of
the Son Who suffered upon the cross for their sins,
took away their damnation and atoned for them
with His blood, would mercifully forgive their
transgressions so that they might stand unspotted
before His judgment-seat? Who does not see that
this worship is of the lungs only, not of the heart ;
thus, external, not internal? For in such worship a
man prays for remission of sins, and yet is not
conscious of a single sin in himself; and if he
should know of any, he would envelop it with
favour and indulgence, or with a faith supposedly
purifying and absolving, without any works on his
part. But this may be compared to a servant who,
approaching his master with his face and clothes
bedaubed with soot and filth, should say to him:
" Master, wash me." Would not his master say
to him: "Thou foolish servant, what are you
saying? See, there is water, soap and a towel.
48
52J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
Have you not hands, and can you not use them?
Wash yourself." So also, would not the Lord God
say: "There are from Me the means of purifica
tion; from Me also you have will and power.
Wherefore, use these gifts of Mine and these talents
of your own, and you will be purified."
Consider also another example by way of illus
tration. Suppose you should pray a thousand
times at home and in church that God the Father,
for the sake of His Son, would preserve you from
the devil, and yet you did not keep yourself from
evil and so from the devil by that freedom of will
in which you are perpetually kept by the Lord,
you could not then be preserved even by legions
of angels sent by the Lord. For the Lord cannot
act contrary to His own Divine order, which is
that a man should examine himself, discover his
evils and resist them, and this as of himself,
although from the Lord. This, indeed, does not
appear at this day to Ibe the gospel; nevertheless,
it is so; for the gospel is that we are saved by
the Lord.
The reason why the worship of the mouth is
. accepted by the Lord only so far as it accords with
worship which is of the life, is because man's
speech before God and before His angels sounds
from the affection of his love and faith, and these
two are in man according to his life. Wherefore,
if the love of God and faith in Him are in your
life, the sound of your voice will be like that ~f a
dove. But if self-love and self-confidence are in
your life, the sound of your voice will be like that
of an owl, however you may attempt to imitate
the turtle-dove. The spiritual quality, which is
within the sound, effects this.
49
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [53-54
XII
53. The doctrine of the present Church is bound
together by many paradoxes which are to be em
braced by faith,. therefore its dogmas enter the
memory only, and not into any part of the under
standing above the memory, but merely into
confirmations below it.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
54. The prelates of the Church insist that the
understanding is to be kept under obedience to
faith; nay, they say that a faith in what is un
known, which is a blind or nocturnal faith, is
properly faith. This is the first paradox. For
faith belongs to truth, and truth to faith; and, in
order that truth may belong to faith, it must be in
its own light and be seen in that light; otherwise,
what is false could be believed.
The paradoxes proceeding from such a faith are
many; as, that God the Father begat a Son from
eternity, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from both,
and each of these three is a Person by Himself
and is God; that the Lord was from the mother
both as to His soul and body; that these three
Persons, thus three Gods, created the universe ;
that one of them descended and assumed the
Human in order to reconcile the Father, and thus
to save mankind; that those who by grace obtain
faith and believe these paradoxes are saved by the
imputation, application and transfer of His justice
to themselves; that a man, at his first reception
of this faith, is like a statue, stock or stone, and
50
54-56J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
XIII
58. The dogmas of the present Church cannot be
learned without great difficulty, nor retained, since
they slip from the memory,. neither can they be
preached nor taught without using great care and
caution lest their nakedness appear,. because sound
reason neither perceives nor receives them.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
59. The assertion that the understanding is to
be kept under obedience to faith is a declaration
set before the dogmas of the present Church to
denote that interiorly these dogmas are mysteries
or secrets (arcana) which, because they tran
scend the understanding, cannot enter into the
s 53
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [59
upper region of the mind and be perceived there ;
this may be seen above, n. 54. Those ministers of
the Church who affect to excel in wisdom, and who
wish to be trusted as oracles in spiritual matters,
imbibe and absorb in the 'schools of theology such
things especially as surpass the comprehension of
others. They do this with avidity, yet with difficulty.
And because they are then reputed to be wise, and
those who distinguish and enrich themselves from
such hidden stores of wisdom are honoured with
doctoral hats and episcopal robes, they revolve in
their thoughts and teach from their pulpits scarcely
anything else than the mysteries concerning
justification by faith alone, and good works as the
humble attendants thereof. And from their
learning on both points they sometimes separate
and sometimes conjoin them in a wonderful
manner; comparatively as if they held faith
unadorned in one hand, and the works of charity
in the other, at one time extending their arms and so
separating them, at another time bringing their
hands together and so conjoining them. But this
shall be illustrated by examples.
They teach that good works are not necessary
for salvation because they are meritorious if done
by man; at the same time they also teach that
good works necessarily follow faith, which for
them is one with salvation. They teach that faith
without good works, being alive, justifies; at the
same time they teach that faith without good works,
being dead, does not justify. They teach that faith
is neither retained nor preserved by good works,
and at the same time that good works proceed
from faith as fruit from a tree, light from the sun,
and heat from fire. They teach that good works
54
59] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
XIV.
60. The doctrine of the Faith of the present
Church ascribes to God human properties, as that
He viewed man from anger, that He required to be
reconciled, that He is reconciled through His love
to the Son and by intercession, that He required to
be appeased by the sight of His Son's misery, and
thus to be brought back to mercy, that He imputes
the righteousness of His Son to the unrighteous man
who supplicates it from faith alone,. and that thus
from being an enemy He makes him into a friend,
and from a son of wrath into a son ofgrace.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
61. Who does not know that God is Mercy
itself and Clemency, because He is Love itself and
Good itself, and that these are His Being (Esse)
or Essence? And who does not see from this that it
is a contradiction to say that Mercy itself, or Good
itself, can view man from anger, become His
enemy, turn Himself away from him and determine
his damnation, and still remain the same Divine
Being (Esse) or God. Such acts can scarcely be
attributed to an upright man, but only to a wicked
person; nor to an angel of heaven, but only to
an angel of hell; wherefore it is abominable to
56
61-62J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
xv.
64. From the Faith of the present Church
monstrous births have been produced, and may still
be produced, such as, Instantaneous Salvation from
Direct Mercy, Predestination, the notion that God
does not attend to man's actions, but only to Faith,
that there is no bond between Charity and Faith,
that in conversion man is as a stock, with ,many
other such enormities.. likewise concerning the
Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Supper, as to
the principles of reason drawn from the doctrine of
Justification by Faith Alone respecting the benefits
they confer.. also as regards the Person of Christ.
59
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [64-66
The heresies from the first period to the present day
have flowed from no other source than the doctrine
founded upon the idea of three Gods.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
65. That no other salvation than that which is
instantaneous from immediate mercy is believed
in at this day is evident from this, that faith alone,
which is of the mouth only, along with an assurance
of the breath, unaccompanied by charity from which
the faith ofthe mouth becomes real and the assurance
of the breath becomes faith of the heart, is sup
posed to complete the whole work of salvation.
For, if the co-operation which is effected through
the exercise of charity by man as of himself is taken
away, the spontaneous co-operation which is said
to follow faith of itself becomes passive action.
But this is frivolous talk. For what, then, is the
need for more than this momentary and direct
appeal: "Save me, 0 God, on account of the
suffering of Thy Son, who has washed me from my
sins in His own blood, and presents me pure,
just and holy, before Thy throne"? And this
utterance of the mouth, it is said, avails as a seed
of justification even in the last hour of death, if it
has not done so sooner. Instantaneous salvation
from direct mercy is, however, at this day, a fiery
flying serpent in the Church, and because of it
religion is abolished, a false sense of security in
troduced, and damnation imputed to the Lord;
as may be seen in n. 340 of the work on THE DIVINE
PROVIDENCE, published at Amsterdam, in the year
1764.
66. Predestination is an offspring of the faith
of the present Church because it is produced from
60
( .. 66J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
(I) n. 224
65
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [69
Lord gives this liberty continually to everyone,
wherefore man becomes a culprit and is guilty
according to the way he thinks. Man is man by
virtue of this ability, whereas a beast is a beast
from lack of it. Wherefore, man is able to reform
and regenerate himself as of himself, provided
only that he acknowledges in his heart that it
is done from the Lord. Everyone who does the
work of repentance is reformed and regenerated.
Man must accomplish each of these works as of
himself, but this 'as of himself' is also from
the Lord because the Lord gives both the will and
the ability, never taking them away from anyone.
It is true that man cannot contribute anything
thereto ; nevertheless, he is not created a statue,
but a man who is to do the work of repentance
from the Lord as of himself. This is the only
return of love and faith, and of conjunction
thereby, which the Lord constantly wills to be
made to Himself by man. In a word, act from
yourselves and believe that it is from the Lord,
for in this way you act as if of yourselves.
But, in truth, to act thus was not imparted to
man by creation, because to act of oneself belongs
to the Lord alone; but it is given to man con
tinually. And then, in so far as man does good
and learns truth as of himself, he is an angel of
heaven; but in so far as he does evil and con
firms falsity, which also is done as of himself,
to that extent he is a spirit of hell. That this
latter conduct is also' as of himself' is evident
from his prayers that he may be preserved from
the devil, lest he should seduce him and bring
his own evils upon him. Everyone, however,
who believes that he does either good or evil of
66
69-71] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
XVI.
70. The last state of the present Church, when
it is at an end, is meant by the Consummation of the
Age and the Advent of the Lord at that time. Matt.
xxiv 3.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
71. We read in Matthew :
The disciples came to Jesus and showed Him the buildings
of the temple. And Jesus said to them. .. Verily I say
67
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [71
unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon
another that shall not be thrown down . . . And the
disciples said to Him, Tell us when shall these things be,
and especially what shall be the sign of Thy coming and
of the consummation of the age. Matt. xxiv 1, 2, 3.
At this day, the learned clergy and the educated
laity understand by the destruction of the temple
its destruction by Vespasian; and by the coming
of the Lord and the consummation of the age they
understand the end and destruction of the world.
But it should be known that by the destruction
of the temple is meant, not only its destruction by
the Romans, but also the destruction of the present
Church; further, that by the consummation of
the age and, then, the coming of the Lord is meant
the end of this Church and the institution of a New
Church by the Lord. That these things are meant
there is evident from the whole of that chapter
from beginning to end, treating, as it does, solely
of the successive stages of decline and corruption
of the Christian Church, even to its destruction,
when it comes to its end. In a limited sense, by the
temple is meant the temple at Jerusalem; in an
extended sense, the Church of the Lord; in a
still more extended sense, the angelic heaven;
and in the highest sense, the Lord as to His
Human; as may be seen in THE ApOCALYPSE
REVEALED, n. 529.
That by the consummation of the age is meant
the end of the Church, which comes to pass when
there remains no truth of doctrine from the Word
which has not been falsified, and thus consum
mated, is shown in nos. 658, 676, 750 of the above
mentioned work. That by the coming of the Lord
is meant His coming in the Word, and the inaugura
68
70
XVII.
74. Infestation by falsities, thence the consumma
tion of all truth, or desolation, in the Christian
Churches at this day, is what is meant by the Great
Affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the
world, nor shall be. Matt. xxiv 21.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
75. It was seen above, n. 73, that the successive
stages of decline and corruption of the Christian
Church are foretold and described by the Lord in
the 24th chapter of Matthew. There, also, after
having spoken of false prophets that should arise,
and of the abomination of desolation wrought by
them, verses II and IS, He says:
Then shall be great tr~bulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matt. xxiv 21.
From this it is evident that by great affliction, in
this and in other places in the Word, is meant the
infestation of truth by falsities until there remains
no genuine truth drawn from the Word which is
not falsified, and so consummated. This has
come to pass because the Churches have not
acknowledged the Unity of God in the Trinity, and
His Trinity in Unity, in one Person, but in three ;
hence they have founded a Church in the mind
upon the idea of three Gods, and in the mouth upon
the confession of one God. By so doing they have
separated themselves from the Lord, and at length
to such a degree that they have no idea left of the
Divinity in His Human Nature (see THE
ApOCALYPSE REVEALED, n. 249); when yet the
71
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [75-76
Lord, as to His Human, is Divine Truth itself, and
Divine Light itself, as He abundantly teaches in
His Word. From this comes the great affliction so
prevalent at this day ; which, as will be seen in the
following pages, has been brought about
principally by the doctrine of justification and of
imputation through the medium of faith alone.
76. This affliction, or infestation of truth by
falsities, is treated of in seven chapters of the
Revelation. It is what is meant by the black and
the pale horses going forth out of the book, the
seals of which the Lamb had opened (chap. vi 5-8) ;
also by the beast ascending out of the abyss, which
made war against the two witnesses and slew them
(xi 7, etc.); again, by the dragon which stood
before the woman who was ready to be delivered
in order to devour her child, and pursued her
into the wilderness, and there cast out of his mouth
water as a flood that it might swallow her up
(chap. xii); likewise, by the beast out of the sea,
whose body was like that of a leopard, his feet
like those of a bear, and his mouth like that of a
lion (xiii 2) ; further, by the three spirits like frogs
which came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of
the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of
the false prophet (xvi 13). The same is meant by
these particulars; that after the seven angels had
poured out the vials of the wrath of God, in
which were the seven last plagues, upon the earth,
upon the sea, upon the rivers and fountains, upon
the sun, upon the throne of the beast, upon
Euphrates, and last of all upon the air, there was
a great earthquake such as had never been seen
since men were made upon the earth (chap. xvi).
72
76-78J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
XVIII.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
78. In the prophetic parts of the Word, state
ments similar to the one in Matthew xxiv 29, occur
concerning the sun, moon and stars. Thus' it is
written in Isaiah:
Behold the cruel day of Jehovah cometh ... the stars
of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give
their light; the sun shall be darkened at his rising and the
moon shall not cause her light to shine. Isa. xiii 9, 10.
73
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [78
In Ezekiel :
When I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens
and darken the stars thereof; I will cover the sun
with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light ; ...
and I will set darkness upon thy land.
Ezek. xxxii 7, 8.
In Joel:
The day of Jehovah cometh, ... a day of darkness, ...
the sun and moon shall be dark, and the stars shall with
draw their shining. lool ii I, 2, 10.
The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon
into blood before the great and the terrible day of lehovah
cometh. lool ii 31.
The day of lehovah is near in the valley of decision, the
sun and moon shall be darkened. loel iii 14, 15.
In the Revelation :
The fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun
was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the
third part of the stars, ... and the day shone not for a
third part of it. Rev. viii 12.
The sun became black as sackcloth of hair. and the
moon became as blood. Rev. vi 12.
All these passages treat of the last time of the Jewish
Church, when the Lord came into the world. The
meaning here is similar in Matthew and the
Revelation, but they refer to the last time of the
Christian Church, when the Lord would come
again in the Word which is Himself, and in which
He is. Wherefore, immediately after those words
in Matthew xxiv 29, it is said:
And then shall appear the sign of 'the Son of Man
... coming in the clouds of the heavens. Matt. xxiv 30.
By the sun in the above passages is meant love,
by the moon faith, and by the stars the cognitions
of good and truth. By the powers of the heavens are
meant those three essentials as the supports and
74
78-79J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
XIX.
82. Those who hold to the present belief in
Justification by Faith Alone are meant by the he
goats in Daniel and Matthew.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
83. It is written in Daniel:
I saw in a vision ... a ram which had two horns that
78
83-84J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
were high . . . but the higher came up last; and the
horn pushed westward and northward and southward ...
and made itself great.. " 'Then I saw a he-goat coming
from the west over the face of the whole earth ... with
a horn between his eyes. And he ran to the ram . . .
in the fury of his strength ... and broke his two horns ...
and cast him down to the earth and stamped upon
him.. " But the great horn of the he-goat was broken,
and instead of it there came up four horns. . .. And out
of one of them came forth a little horn which waxed
exceeding great towards the south, towards the east,
and towards glory . . . and even to the host of the
heavens; and it cast down those of the host and of the
stars to the earth, and stamped upon them. Yea, he
raised himself as high as the Prince of the host, and
took from him the daily sacrifice, and cast away the
dwelling place of his sanctuary ... and he cast down
truth to the earth. Then I heard one of the saints
saying . .. How long shall this vision be, the daily
sacrifice and the desolating transgression, to give the
sanctuary and the host to be trodden under f90t?
And he said, Even to the evening and the morning ;
then shall the sanctuary be justified. Dan. viii 2-14.
It is clearly evident that this vision predicts the
future states of the Church, for it is said that the
daily sacrifice was taken away from the Prince of
the host, the dwelling place of his sanctuary was
cast down, and that the he-goat cast down truth
to the earth; further, that a saint said, How long
shall this vision be, that it should be given to the
sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
And that this should be even to the evening and
the morning, when the sanctuary shall be justified.
For, by the evening and the morning is meant the
end of the Old Church, when a New Church
commences.
84. In Matthew we read these words :
Then shall the Son of Man say to the he-goats on the
left hand, Depart from me ... for I was hun$rr. and re
79
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [84-85
-gave Me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no
drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in ; naked,
and ye clothed Me not ; sick and in prison, and ye
visited Me not. . .. And these shall go away into ever
lasting punishment. Matt. xxv 41-43, 46.
It is evident that the same persons are here meant
by the he-goats and sheep as the he-goats and ram
in Daniel. By he-goats are meant those who are
in the present day belief in justification by faith
alone, as appears from this, that works of charity
are specified in connection with the sheep, and it
is said that they did them; and that the same
works of charity are mentioned to the he-goats,
but it is said that they did them not, and that there
fore they are condemned. For those who are in
the present day belief in justification by faith
alone neglect works, because they deny that there
is anything of salvation, or of the Church in them.
When charity is thus removed, good works which
proceed from charity are forgotten, and even
obliterated, so that they are no longer remembered,
nor is any effort made to recall them to mind from
the Law of the Decalogue.
It is a general rule in religion that so far as
anyone does not will good actions, and so does not
do them, to that extent he wills evil actions, and so
does them. On the other hand, so far as anyone
does not will evil actions, and so does not commit
them, to that extent he wills good actions, and so
does them. The latter are the sheep, the former
the he-goats. If every evil person had been meant
there by the he-goats, the evils which they had done
would have been specified instead of the works of
charity which they had not done.
85. That no others than those described above
80
85-86J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
xx.
87. Those who have confirmed themselves in the
present belief in Justification by Faith Alone are
meant in the Revelation by the Dragon, his two
.Beasts, and the Locusts: and this Faith, when con
firmed, is meant there by the Great City, which is
spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where the Two
Witnesses were slain,. also by the Pit of the Abyss
from which the Locusts came forth.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
88. That seven chapters of the Revelation treat
of the perverted state of the Church among the
Reformed, and two chapters of the perverted state
of the Church among the Roman Catho ics, ana
that the states of both Churches as existing at the
present day are condemned, has been shown in the
exposition of this book in a work entitled THE
ApOCALYPSE REVEALED; and this, not by uncertain
conjectures, but with full proofs. By the dragon,
treated of in the twelfth chapter, are meant those
in the Reformed Churches who make God into
three and the Lord into two, and who separate
charity from faith by making faith spiritual and
saving, not charity; see nos. 532-565, and the
memorable experience adjoined, n. 566. They are
further described by the two beasts, one rising out
of the sea and the other out of the earth, as related
in chap. xiii; see nos. 567-610, and the memorable
experience, n. 611. They are further described by
82
88-89] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
the locusts which came forth out of the pit of the
abyss, as mentioned in chap. ix; see nos. 419-442.
This same faith, when confirmed, is meant by the
great city which is spiritually called Sodom and
Egypt, where the two faithful witnesses were slain,
as related in chap. xi ; see nos. 485-530, particu
larly nos. 500-503, and the memorable experience,
n. 531. They are also meant by the pit of the
abyss out of which issued smoke as from a furnace,
and the sun and the air were darkened, and then
locusts came forth, as described ID chap. ix; see
nos. 421-424.
XXI.
91. Unless a New Church is established t by the
Lord, no one can be saved: this is meant by these
words:
Except those days should be shortened, there should no
flesh be saved. Matt. xxiv 22.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
92. By shortening those days is meant putting
an end to the present Church and establishing a
new one; for, as was said above, the 24th chapter
of Matthew treats of the successive periods of
decline and perversion of the Christian Church,
even to its consummation and end, and of the
(1) See note to par. I.
7 85
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [92-93
advent of the Lord at that time. The reason no
flesh could be saved unless those days were shortened
is that the faith of the present Church is founded
on the idea of three Gods, and no one having this
idea can enter heaven; so neither can they with
that faith, for that'idea is in every single part of it.
Moreover, in that faith there is no life from works
of charity. That this faith cannot be united with
charity and produce any fruits which are good
works, was shown above, nos. 47-50.
There are two things which establish heaven in
man, the truths of faith and the goods of charity.
Truths of faith bring about the presence of the Lord
and show the way to heaven, whilst goods of
charity effect conjunction with the Lord and intro
duce into heaven ; and everyone who is introduced
is in light there according to his affection for truth,
and in heat according to his affection for good.
That the affection for truth is faith in its own
essence, and the affection for good is charity in Its
own essence, and that the marriage of these con
stitutes the Church, may be seen above, n. 48. The
Church and heaven make one.· That these three
are not in the Churches at this day, which are built
upon faith alone, has been fully shown in the
preceding pages.
XXII.
95. The exposure and rejection of the dogmas
of the Faith of the present Church, and the revelation
and reception of the dogmas of the Faith of the New
Church, is meant by these words in the Revelation:
He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these
words are true and faithful. Rev. xxi 5.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
96. He that sat upon the throne, that is, the
Lord, said these words to John, when John saw
the New Jerusalem descending from God out of
heaven. That by the New Jerusalem is meant a
New Church, will be shown in the following chapter.
The reason why the falsities of the dogmas of the
faith of the present Church must first be exposed
\Jand rejected, ~ the truths of th'rnogmas of the
New Church !fre revealed and received, is because
they do not agree in anyone point or particular ;
for the dogmas of the present Church are founded
88
96J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
XXIII.
99. The New Church about to be established by
the Lord is the New JerllSa/em treated of ih the
Revelation, chaps. xxi and xxii, which is there called
the fl!Me and W@ of the Lamb. .
BRIEF ANALYSIS
100. The reason the New Church is meant by the
91
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [100
New Jerusalem coming down from God out of
heaven, Rev. xxi, is that Jerusalem was the metro
polis of the land of Canaa~em12leand the
altar were there; there also sacrifices were offered.
Thus, Divine worship itself was performed there,
and every male throughout the land was com
manded to come to this worship three times a year.
A further reason is that the Lord was in Jerusalem
and taught in its te.!!Wl.e; afterwards glorifying
His Human there; thence it is that Jerusalem
signifies the Church. That tl1e Church is meantby
Jerusalem is clearly evident from fhe prophecies
in the Old Testament concerning a New Church
to be established by the Lord, and which is there
called Jerusalem.
[2] The following passages only shall be cited,
from which anyone possessed of interior reason
may see that by Jerusalem is there meant the
Church. Let these passages alone be taken from
tile prophets :
Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth, and the
former shall not be remembered. . " I will create
Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy; that I may
rejOiCe"<>ver Jerusalem and be joyful over My people.
. . . Then the wolf and the lamb shall feed together ...
they shall do no evil in all the mountain of My holiness.
~
lsa.lxv 17, 18,19,25.
For Zion sake will I not hold my peace, and for
Jeru s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness
thereof goes forth as brightness, and the salvation
thereof as a lamp that bumeth. Then the Gentiles shall
"ee thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and
thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of
lehovah shall name. And thou shalt be a crown of
beauty ... and a royal diadem in the hand of thy Goa- ..-.
lehovah shall be well pleased in thee, and thy land shall
be married ... Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold,
His reward is with Him ... and they shall call them, The
92
100J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
holy people, the redeemed of Jehovah; and thou shalt
be called, sought out, a city not forsaken.
Isa~IXii -4, 11, 12
Awake! awake! put on thy strength, ion; put on
the garments of thy beauty, 0 Jerusalem, oly city;
for henceforth there shall no iJiOi=e come into thee
the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself
from the dust; arise, sit down, 0 Jerusalem . .. The
people shall know My name in that day, for I am He
that doth speak; behold, it is I. . " Jehovah hath
comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem.
~
Isa. li!T;2, 6, 9.
( Shout with joy. 0 daughter of Zio ; be glad with all
thy heart, 0 daughter of Jerus . . . . The King of
Israel is in the midst of thee; fear not evil any more....
He will be glad over thee with joy; He will rest in thy
love; He will exult over thee with joyful shouting.... I
will make you a name and a praise among all people of
the earth. Zeph. ill 14-17, 20.
Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer . . . saying to
Jerusalem, thou shalt be inhabited. ~liV 24, 26.
Thus saith Jehovah. I am returned to ion and will
dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; whence salem shilll
be called the city of truth. and the mounfam of Jehovah
Zebaoth, the mountain of holiness. Zech. viii 3.
Then shall ~eow that I am Jehovah your God.
dwelling in ion the mountain of holiness; and
Jerusalem sh holiness....And it shall come to pass
in that day that the mountains shall drop new wine. and
the hills shall flow with milk . . . and Jerusalem shall
abide from generation to generation. JoeHIi 17, 18. 20.
IntIiaf<la)TSIlalnIleoranch of Jehovah be beauty and
0 . . . . And it shall come to pass that he that is left in
c!r
Zio and he that remaineth in Jerusalem. shall be called
; everyone that is written unto life in Jerusalem.
Isa. iv 2.3.
In the last days the mountain of the hous~ of Jehovah
shall be blished in the head of the mountains ... for
~ out 0 Zion shall go forth doctrine, and the wordof
Jenova m erusa em. Mfcah IV. 1, 2.
At-that time they sfiall call Jerusagm th~e of
Jehovah, and all nations shall be ga ered to Jerusalem
beCause of the name of Jehovah ; neither shall they go
93
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [ 100
any more after the confirmation of their own evil
heart. Jer. iii 17.
Look uponCZ-ion,. the city of our appointed feasts; let
thine eyes see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tabernacle
that shall not be taken down; the stakes thereof shall
never be removed, and the cords thereof shall not be
broken. Isa. xxxiii 20.
Other passages are: Isaiah xxiv 23; xxxvii 32; (xvi
IO c 14; Zechariah xii 3, 6-10; xiv 8, 11, 12, 21 ;
Malachi Hi 2,4; Psalms cxxii 1-7 ; cxxxvii 4, 5, 6.
XXIV.
102. The Faith ofthe New Church cannot possibly
be together with the Faith of the former Church;
for, if they were together, such a collision and con
flict would ensue that everything of the Church
with man would perish.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
103. The reason why the faith of the New Church
cannot possibly be together with the faith of the
former, that is, the present Ch'\lrch, is because they
do not agree in one third, no, nor even in one tenth
part. The faith of the former Church is described
) ) in the Revelation, chap. xii, by the dragon, but the
faith of the New Church by the woman clot~d
96
103J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
~
mind, at the same time. ShouldJh e together,
it cQUlanofbe otherwise than that thewoman would
) be continuall ex osed to the ra e an insamty of
the~!l, an III ear est he shouIa evour er
~
son. For it is said in the Revelation, chap. xii,
that the dragon stood before the woman who was
ready to be delivered, to devour her child, and
, that the woman, after she had brought forth the
man-child, fled into the wilderness; verses I, 4,
6. 14-17. _
The faith of the former Church is that of night,
for human reason perceives nothing respecting it ;
Wherefore, it is also said that the understanding
should be kept in obedience to it. Nay, it is not
even known whether it is within man or outside
of him, since nothing of man's will and reason
enters in.t!Lit--;no; nor c arity, gOM works,
repentance, the Law of the Decalogue, with many
other things, which actually exist in man's mind.
That this is so may be seen above, nos. 79, 80,
96, 97, 98. But the faith of the New Church enters
into a marriage covenant with all those---e5sentials
just mentioned, and unites itself with them; and
because, for this reason, it is in the heat of heaven
it is also in the light thereof, and is an enlightened
faith. Now a darkened faith and an enlightened
C faith can no more be together than an owl and a
dove can be in one nest; for in such a case the
owl may lay her eggs, and the dove hers, and,
97
A BRJEF EXPOSITION OF THE [103-104
after sitting, the young of both would be hatched,
and then the owl would tear in pieces the young
\ of the dove, and give them to her own young for
) food; for the owl is a bird of prey.
A furffierreas<;n whythe faith of the former
Church and the faith of the New Church cannot
possibly be together is that they are heterogeneous.
For the faith of the former ChurcIli's enved
from the idea of three Gods, as may be seeliln
nos. 30-38 ; whereas the faith of the New Church
is from the idea of one God. From this fact there
is disagreement between t em, so that, should they
be together, there must inevitably arise such a
collision and conflict that everything of the Church
would perish; that is, man would either fall into a
delirium or into a state of insensibility where
spiritual things are concerned, until at length he
would scarcely know what the Church is, or
whether there is any Church at all. From what has
been said it follows that those who have con
firmed themselves in the faith of the old Church
)1 cannot embrace the faith of the New Church
I without danger to their spiritual life, unless t ey
have first rejected and thus @Qteg out £~e by one
( all the 20ints of their former faIt , together with
its young or eggs, that is, its dogmas, the
nature of which have already been shown in the
foregoing pages, particularly pars. 64-69.
.
104. The same would happen if anyone em
braced the faith of the New Church and retained
the faith of the old Church concerning the im
putation of the Lord's righteousness and merit ;
for from this, as from a root, have sprung all the
dogmas of the former Church, like so many young
98
104-106J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
xxv.
105. Roman Catholics at this day know nothing
ofthe Imputation ofChrist's Merit, or ofJustification
by Faith therein, into which Faith their Church has
been initiated, because this lies entirely concealed
under their external forms of worship, which are
numerous. Wherefore, if they recede even in part
~I
from the externals of thezr worship, and appro/.ch
God the Saviour Jesus Christ direct, and a so
receive t le Holy Eucharist in bot elements, they may
be brought into the New Jerusalem, that, is into
the Lord's New Church, before the Reformed.
BRIEF ANALYSIS
106. That the primates and rulers of the Church
of Rome, on being consecrated to their office,
swear to observe the decrees of the Council of
Trent, appears from the bull of Pope Pius IV,
where are these words in the form of the oath of
their profession of faith dated November, 1564 :
In firm faith I believe and profess each and
everything contained in the creed used by the
99
A BRIEF· EXPOSITION OF THE [106
Holy Church of Rome, and I receive without
any doubts all such things as are maintained
and declared in her hol canons and recumenical
,/councils, especially-by the most holy Council of
\ Trent, so help me God.
That they also ind themselves b an 0 to
believe and Rrofess J die council of Trent has
\ (ordained concerning the imputation of Christ's
merit, and justification by faith therein, is evident
from these words in the same bull :
I embrace and receive each and everything
which has SJ;er.mined and declared in the
\ most holy ouncil of Trent oncerning original
sin and just! ca Ion.
What these are may be seen from the extracts
taken above from that Council, nos. 3-8.
From those articles, which have been established
as principles at that Council, the following con
clusions have been drawn:
That the Roman Catholics held exactly the
same beliefs before the Reformation as the
Reformed Church did after it concerning . . .
the imputation of Christ's merit and justification
by faith therein; with the sole difference that
they united that faith with charity or good
works. See above, nos. 19, 20.
That -the leading Reformers, rLuthei7,
<:Melanchthon and Calvin, retained all the-dogmas
concefiung ... the imputation of Christ's merit
.JI an JUS iDca lOnoy al-tl1, JUS as ey wereand
had been wit' the Roman Catholics; but they
separated charity or good works from that faith,
and declared that they were not together saving,
'J in order that the mi ht be compleMy Seyeled
J from_tlie-.Roman Catholics as to the very
100
106-107] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
essentials of the Church, which are faith and
charity. See above, nos. 21-23.
That nevertheless the leading Reformers
adjoined good works, and even conjoined them,
to their faith, but in man as a passive subj~t ;
whereas the Roman Catholics did so in man as an
active subject ; and yet there is actually a
conformity between the latter and the former
as to faith, works and merit. See above,
nos. 24-29.
From what has been shown it is also evident that
the aforesaid faith is one which the Roman
Reformed.
If
104
110J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
)2)
The same principle applies to those who are in
good from the Lord. If they abstain of their own
will and understanding, thus from set purpose and
confirmation, from one evil because it is a sin,
they abstain from all. Still more is this so if they
abstain from several evils. For as soon as anyone
abstains from any evil from set purpose and con
firmation because it is a sin, he is kept by the Lord
in the purpose of abstaining from the rest. Where
fore, if he commits an evil through ignorance or
some predominant lust of the body, still it is not
imputed to him, because he did not intend it of
himself, neither does he confirm it in himself. A
man comes into this kind of purpose if he examines
himself once or twice a year, and repents of the
evil he discovers in himself. It is otherwise with
the man who never examines himself.
[3) I am allowed to confirm these observations by the
following account. I have met se~al people in the
I
spiritual world who have lived like others m tIle
natunil-wond, dressing well, feasting sumptuously,
engaging in business like others foL.m:Qfit, going
to the theatre, Jokmg as if lasciviO'USIY on love
topics, with other things of a similar nature; and
yerthe ange1s denounced such thin s a sinful
evils with some, whilst not imputing them as evils
( witno11iers, decliinng tlielaher to~ be innocent and
the form~r_guilty~. On oeirig asked ~wliYfhey made
thisafsfinction when yet both parties had done simi
lar things, they replied that they regard everyone
accordin to their ur ose intention and end, and
is mgUls em accor mg y. ere ore they
excuse or condemn those whom the end excuses or
cqndemns, inasmuch~as gpBid is the end with every
one in heaven, and . is t e end with everyone in
111
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [113-114
hell. From all this it now plainly appears to whom
sin is imputed and to whom it is not imputed.
114. To the above shall be added two memorable
experiences taken from THE ApOCALYPSE REVEALED.
The first is as follows. 1 I was once suddenly seized
with an almost deadly disease. My whole head
was oppressed, for a pestilential smoke had been
let in from the great city which is spiritually called
Sodom and Egypt, Rev. xi 8. ~<!.ead .2Yhh
)) severe anguish, I expected the end. I lay like this in
bed for three and a half days, so greatly was my
spirit affected, and from this my body. Then I
heard around me the voices of people saying, "Lo !
he who preached repentance for the remission of
( sins, and the man Christ alone, lies dead in the
street of our city." And they asked several of the
'clergy whether he was worthy of burial, as was
said of the twowitnesses sHrin-inthat city. Rev. xi
8-10. And they answered, " No, let him lie for a
spectacle." And they passed to and fro, ~
mocked. All this truly happened to me when this
chapter of the Revelation was being explained.
Then grievous sayings were heard from them,
especially these: "How can repentance be per
formed without faith? And how can Christ, a man,
\1 be adored as God ? ~ Whilst we are ree y saved
without any merit of our own, what need is there of
anything apart from faith alone; the faith that God
the Father sent the Son to take away the damna
tion of the law, so that He might impute His merit
to us, and so justify us in His sight, and absolve us
from our sins, and then give the Holy Spirit to
(I) n. 531.
112
114] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
' our faith made such that we are reputed and seen
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
(serving as a fitting conclusion)
116. The Faith of the New Heaven and the New
Church in its universal form is this: The Lord
from eternity, Who is JEHOVAH, came into the
->( world that He might subjugate the hells and
glorify His Human; without this Coming no
mortal could have been saved, and those are saved
who believe on Him.
[2] It is said, "in its universal form," because this
is the universal form of faith; and the universal
form of faith will be in each and every particular
part thereof. It is a universal point of faith that
God is one in essence and Person, in Whom is the
Trinity, and that the Lord God, the Saviour Jesus
Christ, is this God. It is a universal point of faith
that no mortal could have been saved unless the
Lord had come into the world. It is a universal
point of faith that He came into the world to
remove hell from man, and that He removed it by
combats against it, and victories over it; whereby
He subjugated it and reduced it to order under
obedience to Himself. It is a universal point of
....;>(' faith that He came into the world to glorify the
\ Hum~n which He assumed in the world; that is,
to urute it with the Divine of which it was begotten;
and that, having thus subjugated hell by His own
power, He keeps it eternally in order and under
obedience to Himself. Inasmuch as both these
tasks could be effected only by means of tempta
tions admitted into His Human, even to the last,
which was the passion of the cross, therefore He
120
l16-ll7J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
~
"" The Faith of the New Heaven and the New
117)
C urch in its ·particular form is this: Jehovah
God is Love itself and Wisdom itself, or Good
itself and Truth itself. As to Divine Truth which
is the Word, and which was God with God, He
-> came down and assumed the Human in order that
( He mIght bnng mto order all thin~ in heaven
andaIItlimgs in hell, and all things in tlieCliUrCh ;
sihce, at tliat tIme, tlie power of the devIl, [fiat is,
of hell, prevailed over the power of heaven; and
on earth the power of evil prevailed over the power
of good ; in consequence of which a total damna
[2]tion was at hand, threatening every creature. This
impending damnation Jehovah God removed by
His Human, which was Divine Truth, and thus
He redeemed angels and men. Afterwards He
united Divine Truth with Divine Good in HiSJ
Human, and thus returne~ mto His Di~ine, i~
WIilcIl He was from eterrnty, together WIth- HIS
glorified Human. This is meant by tliese words
\ in John:
The Word was with God, and the Word was God ...
and the Word was made flesh. John i I, 14.
And by these wordS :
121
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [117-118
I came forth from the Father. and am come into the
world; again I leave the world and go to the Father.
. John xvi 28.
From these considerations it is manifest that
without the advent of the Lord into the world, no
one could have been savea:-lt is the same at this
day ; wherefore, ~s~rd comes again into
JI the world in Divine Truth, which is the - ord,
no one can be 5ma.
[3] The particulars of faith on man's part are as
follows: . --
cD There is One God, in Whom is the Divine
Tfln.It---ana-He is the Lord God the
aVlOur Jesus' hf .
2. A saving faith is to believe on Him.
3. Evil actions ought to be shunned because
they are of the devil and from the devil.
4. Good actions ought to be done because
they are of God and from God.
5. And these should be done by man as of
himself, yet it ought to be believed that
they are from the Lord, with him and
through him.
The first two are matters of faith ; the next two
of charity. The fifth concerns the conjunction of
charity and faith, thus of the Lord and man.
See also concerning these at n. 44 above.
(I) n. 926.
122
118J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
l
in its place was seen t.!1e Lord a10ny, standIng on a - C.
foundation stone whtch was the Word, in a form
similar to that in which He appeared before John
(Rev., chap. i). But as the interiors of the minds
of the angels were then filled with holiness, by
which they were impelled to fall prostrate upon
their faces, suddenly the way of the light from
c the thir eaven>was closed by-the Lord, and the
way of the light from <the secoIla -llea~n'\ was E
opened again, so that the former appearance of
the temple returned, also of the ten but within fl
the temple. By this was portrayed the meaning
of these words in the Revelation:
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will
dwell with them. Rev. xxi 3.
And of these words :
And I saw no temple (in the New Jerusalem), for the Lord
God ommpotent and the Lamb are the temple of it.
I) ~'?.,.,
Rev. xxi 22. ;;p
119. The second Memorable Experience from
THE APOCALYPSE REVEALED. 1 Awakened one time
(I) n. 961.
125
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [119
out of sleep I fell into a profound meditation
concerning God; and when I looked upwards I
saw in the heaven above me a most brilliant white
light in an oval form. As I fixed my gaze upon
that light it receded from the centre--.!Qwards the
circumference. And behold, heaven was then
opened to me, and I saw magnificent things, and
angels standmg in a circle on the southern side
of the opening in conversation with one another.
And because I was consumed with desire to hear
what they were talking about, I was allowed to
hear first the sound which was full of c~e,
( and afterwards their speech which wasrurr-6f
wIsdom from that love. I hey spoke together
concerning the One God, and concerning ~
with Him, and salvation thence. They mentioned
ineffable things, many of which could not be
expressed in the words of any natural language.
But as I had often been among angels in their
heaven, and had, then, a similar §peech, because I
was in a similar state, therefore I was now able to
understand them, and to select from their con
versation some particulars which may be intelligibly
~j)ressed in natural language.
[2] They said that the Divine Being (Esse) is One, the
Same, the Very Self, and Indivisible; that so also is
the Divine Essence, because the Pjyine Being (Esse)
is the Divine :essence; that so, likewIse, IS GOO,
because the Divmetssence, which is also the Divine
Bein Esse, is God. They illustrated this by
r
spIritua 1 eas, saying that the Divine Bein (Esse)
cannot possibly become several, in each 0 WliiCh
is the Divine Being (Esse) and yet remain One,
the Same, the Very Self, and Indivisible; for then
each would think from His own Esse, out of and by
126
119J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
Himself. If then each thought also from the Others
and by the Others unanimously, and at the same
time, they would then be several unanimous Gods,
not one God. For unanimity, being the agreement
of several and at the same time of each One from
Himself and by Himself, does not agree with the
unity of God, but implies plurality. They did not
say a plurality of Gods because they could not;
for the light of heaven from which they thought,
and in which their words were spoken, prevented
it. They also said that when they wished to pro
nounce the word .. Gods" and to speak of each as
a Person by Himself, the effort of utterance was
immediately turned into the expression .. One
[3]God," yea, "The Only God." To this they added
that the Divine Being (Esse) is the Divine Being
(Esse) in Itself, not from Itself, because "from
Itself" postulates a Being (Esse) in Itself from
another; thus it supposes a God from a God,
which is impossible. What is from God is not called
God, but the Divine. For what is God from God,
or what is God born of God from eternity, and what
(is God from God proceeding through a God born
from eternity, but mere words in which there is not
( the least light from "heaven? They said further
that the Divine Bein~ (Esse), which in Itself is God,
~ is T~!! ; not t e same simply but i~ly ;
mat IS, tfie Same trom etermty to eternity: that
it is the Same everywhere, and with everyone and
in everyone, but that all variation and change are
( in the recipient, and are caused by the state of the
recipient.
[4] That the Divine Beinfi (Esse); which is God in
~ Himself, is the Ver~ Se f, 'ftl!y illustrated in this
way. God is th'if er; Self because He is~ov~
127 1
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [119
itself and~is~~itself; or, what is the same,
because He IS Good itself and Truth itself, thence
Life itself. UnlesS1hese were the \7ej-y Srlf in God,
they would not be anything in heaven or the world,
since there would be nothing in them having rela
tion to the Very Self. For every quality draws its
nature from this, that there is the Very Self
frolrr which it is, and to which it has relabon In
( oraer that it may-.be what it IS. I hIS Very Self, which
is the Divine Bein~ (Esse), is not in place, but is
with those and m t osewho are in place according
~ to reception. For neither place nor progresswn
from one place to another can be asserted of Love
and Wisdom, or of Good and Truth, or of Life
thence, which are the Very Self in God, yea, l:f<)d
Himself; these are without place, hence their
omnipresence. Wherefore the Lord says that He
is in the midst of them, and that He is in them 11
[5]and they in Him. But, as He cannot be received by ~
anyone such as He is in Himself, He appears as
He is in Himself as a sun above the angelic heaven,
and that which proceeds from it as light is Himself
as to wisdgm, and that which proceeds as heat is
Himself as to l~e. He Himself is not that sun ; I~
but the Divine ove and the Divine Wisdom in
ltheIr Immediate emanation, from HIm ~r
rounda15out HImself as-a----sun~the angels.
He Himself, wlthm the sun, IS a Man, our Lord
Jesus Christ, both as to the Originating Divine
and as to the Divine Human; inasmuch as the
~ Very Self, which is Love itself and Wisdom itself,
was His soul from the Father; thus DlVlne Life
w~h is Life in itself. It is otherwise with every
~1I man ; for in man the soul is not life,but a hecipient
rn of life. This the Lord also teaches when e says,
128
ll9J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; John xiv 6.
And in another place,
As the Father has life in Himself, so has He given to the
I
manifest contradictions would follow.
129
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [119-120
of faith in the Church named after Athanasius,
and that this doctrine is correct if, instead of a
trinity of Persons, there is substituted a trin~ty of
Person existin!Ls9lely in the Lord Jesus C nst ;
and If, mstead of the birth of a Son of God from
eternity, His birth foreseen from eternity and
provided in time is understood; because, as to the
Human which He assumed, He is expressly ciilIed
[7]the Son of God. Then the angels said, "That is
good." And they asked me to say on their testi
l~
mony that if anyone does not approa..£h tar LOrd
as the God of heaven and earth, lle canno come
into heaven; because heaven is heaven from this
One and Only God; and that this God is Jesus
Christ, who is Jehovah Lord, the Creator from
eternity, the Redeemer in time, and the Regenera
tor to eternity; thus, Who is at once Father, Son
and Holy Spirit; and that this is the Gospel
which is to be preached. After this the heaYmly
I liW which I had seen before return@, ana-by
degrees descended and filled the interiors of my
'mind and enlightened my ideas concerning the
unity and trinity of God. And then I saw that the
ideas which I had first had on the trinity, and)
which were merely natural. were separateaas
chaff IS separated from the wheat by winnowing,
and were carried away as by a wind to the northern
part of heaven, and there dispersed.
@ The third Memorable Experience from THE
APOCALYPSE REVEALED. ' As I have been permitted
by the Lord to see the wonderful things which are
in the heavens and under the heavens, I am obliged,
(I) D.962.
130
120] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
as commanded, to describe what I have seen.
There appeared a magnificent palace with a temple
in its innermost part. In the midd,le of the temple
stood a table of gold, on which lay the Word ; and
two angels stood beside it. Round about the table
was a triple row of seats. The seats of the first
row were covered with a silken cloth of cr~s.9n ;
those of the second row with a silken cloth 0 blue;
and those of the third row with a white cloth.
Below the roof, high above the table, appeared a
canopy of tapestry, shining with precious stones,
from whose lustre there shone forth, as it were,
a rainbow, as when the sky is clear after rain.
Then suddenly there appeared sitting on the seats
a number of the clergy clothed in the garments of
their priestly office. On one side was a wardrobe,
where stood an angel custodian, and within the
wardrobe lay splendid vestments in beautiful
[2]order. It was a Council convened by the Lord; and
I heard a voice from heaven saying, .. Deliberate."
I
Bur they saId, .. On what?'''- The reply was,
.. Concermng the Lord the SaVIOur, and concerning
the H~nt." But Wlien_they thought on tIiese
subJeciStheY were not jn a state of j1lumjnation; 'I
I
I wherefore they made supplication, a,nd imme
11 diately light streamed down out of heaven, first
illummatmg the back part of theIr headS, after
wards their temples, and lastly their faces. Then
they began deliberating as commanded; first,
concerning the Lord the Saviour.
The first question to be considered was: Who
assumed the Human in the Virgin ~ry? And
the angel standing at the table on w ch was the
Word read these words from Luke in their presence :
The angel said to M,..ID'. Behold thou shalt conceive in
-131
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [120
thy womb and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His
name Jesus. He shall be great, and sfuH De called The
S01iO]7lli Highest. ... And M....ID said to the angel, How
shaH this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel
answering said, T'lJIii:jX iirit shall come upon thee, and
the power of the I J all overshadow thee; there
fore, also, that Holy Thing which shaH be born of thee
shall be caHed the Son of God. Luke i 31, 32, 34, 35.
Then he also read from the first chapter of Matthew,
( verses 2.0-25, and when he came to the 25th verse
he read it with a loud voice. In addition he read
many passages from the Evangelists, as Matt. iii 17 ;
xvii 5 ; John xx 31 ; with other statements where
the Lord as to His Human is called the Son of God,
and where, from His Human, He calls lehovah
His Father. Further, he read from the Prophets,
where it is foretold that lehovah Himself was about
to come into the world; among them were these
passages from Isaiah :
It shall be said in that day. Lo! This is our God, for
Whom we have waited to deliver us; this is Jehovah, for
Whom we have waited ; let us rejoice and be glad in His
salvation. Isa. xxv 9.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye
the way of Jehovah ; make level in the desert a pathway for
our God. ... And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed.
and all flesh shaH see it together.... Behold, the Lord
Jehova"liCometh in strength. . . . He shall feed His flock
like a shepherd. Isa. xl 3, 5, 10. 11.
[3]Then the angel said, " As lehovah Himself came
into the world and assumed a ztlwPan, and ~it
has redeemed and saved manklDd, therefore He
is called by the Prophets the Saviour and the
Redeemer. And then he read to them the following
passages:
Surely God is in thee, and there is no God else. Verily
Thou art a hidden God, 0 God of Israel the Saviour.
Isa. xlv 14, 15.
132
120] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
Am not I Jehovah, and there is no God else besides Me ?
A just God; and there is no Saviour besides Me ?
Isa. xlv 21.
I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no Saviour.
Isa. xliii 11.
I am Jehovah thy God ... and thou shalt acknowledge
no God besides Me ; and there is no Saviour besides Me.
Hosea xiii 4.
That all flesh may know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour
and thy Redeemer. Isa. xlix 26; Ix 16.
As for our Redeemer, Jehovah ofhosts is His name.
Isa. xlvii 4.
Their Redeemer, the mighty Jehovah of Hosts is His name.
Jer. 1 34.
Jehavah, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm xix 14.
Thus saith Jehovah thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
I am Jehovah thy God.
Isa. xlviii 17 ; xliii 14; xlix 7; liv 8.
Thou, Jehovah, art our Father; our Redeemer from
of old is Thy name. Isa. Ixiii 16.
Thus saith Jehovah thy Redeemer . .. I am Jehovah that
maketh all things ... and by Myself alone. Isa. xliv 24.
Thus saith Jehovah, the king of Israel, and His Redeemer,
Jehovah of Hosts; I am the First and the Last, and
besides Me there is no God. Isa. xliv 6.
Jehovah of Hosts is His name, and thy Redeemer, the
Holy One of Israel; the God o~ whole earth shall He
be called. -- Isa. liv 5.
Behold, the days come when I will raise unto David
a righteous Branch Who shall reign a king . . . and
this is His name, Jehovah our Righteollsness.
Jer. xxiii 5, 6; xxxiii 15, 16.
In that day Jehovah shall be King over all the earth ;
in that day there shall be one Jehovah, and His name One.
Zech. xiv 9.
[4]From all these passages, those who sat on the seats
were convinced, and unanimously declared,. that
Jehovah Himself assumed the Human to redeem
and save mankind. But then a VOIce was heard
from the Roman Catholics whOli"adliiddeiltli.em
selves behind the a~aying, "How could
Jehovah, the Father, oecome a man? Is He not the
10 133
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [120
Creator of the universe?" And one of those who
sat on the second row of seats turned round and
said, "Who was it, then ?" Then the one from
beh!n~ flieaItar, advancing to Its sIde, replied,
"Tile Sonfrgm eternity." But he was answered:
" Is...!lot the ~~I.!om e!~TJ.!ity, according t.o y~r
I
own confession, also the Creator 0 the uruverse ?
Anowhat isa Soii;Ofa GOd, born rom eternIty?
And how js it possible for_the Divine Essence,
which_~ onC?-and)p.divisible, to be separatea:and
for one part to descend and not at the same time
the whole?"
[5J The other matter of enquiry concerning the
Lord was: Whether the Father and He are One,
as the soul and the body are one? They said that
this follows of necessity because the soul is from
the father. Then one of those who sat on the
third row of seats read out of the Confession of
Faith, called the Athanasian Creed, the following
passage:
Although our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God·
and man yet they are not two, but one Christ ... one
altogether by unity of Person. For as the soul and
body are one man, so God and man is one Christ.
"This faith," said the reader, " is received through
) out the whole Christian world, ev~ by the Roman
Catholics." Then they said, " What nee<fliiiVeWe
of urther proof? God the Father and He are one,
as the soul and body are one." And they continued,
"
Because this is so, we perceive that the Lord's
tl
J Human IS DIVIDe, tor it is the Human of lehovah ;
alSo that the Lord ought to be approached as to
His Divine Human, an01Ila:nlftisluIO not otherwiSe
canthe DMne,- which is called the Father, be
[6Japproached." This conclusion of theirs the angel
134
l20J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
I
from eteroit s . e b his ns m e
. r, a _ e I es, and
nmF accessible. Likewise, He ma e Imself
visible and thus accessible to men of olden times
in a human form, but then by means of an angel.
-===[7] Mter this followed a dISCUSSIOn concerningthe
I:loly Spirit. First the idea held by many people
regardmg God the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit was disclosed, which was this; that God
135
A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE [120
the Father sat on high, with the Son at His right
hand, and that they sent forth the Holy Spirit
from themselves to enlighten and instruct mankind.
But then a voice was heard from heaven saying,
"We cannot endure such an idea. Who does not
know that Jehovah God is omnipresent? And
whoever knows and acknowledges this, should
also acknowledge that it is He Himself who
enlightens and instructs, and that there is not a
J{ mediating God distinct from Him, much less
from two, as one person is distinct from another.
Wherefore, let the former idea which is false be
removed, and let this other idea which is sound
be received, and then you will see this clearly."
[8]But then a voice was heard again from the Roman
Catholics who had concealed themselves behind the
altar of the temple, saying, "What then is the·
Holy Spirit, who is mentioned in the Word by the
Evangelists and Paul, and by whom so many
of the learned among the clergy, particularly of
our Church, profess to be t~? Who in the
Cllrlstian world at this day denies the Holy Spirit
and His operations?" Upon this, one of those
who were sitting on the second row of seats turned
round and said, "You say that the Holy Spirit
is a Person by Himself, and a God by Himself.
But what is a person going forth and proceeding
from a person but operation going forth and pro
ceeding? One person cannot go forth and proceed
from another by another, but operation can. Or
what is a God going forth and proceeding from a
God but the Divine going forth and proceeding?
One God cannot go forth and proceed from
another by another, but the Divine can. Is not the
Divine Essence one and indivisible? And since
136
120] DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
\
l~ roceeds from the D'" ord through Hisll~
H1 g on e Human, which is the Divine uman,W\
comparatIvely as all actIvity WIth man proceeds
from the soul through the body. This truth the
angel who stood by the table confirmed by these
passages:
He Whom the Father hath sent speaketh the words of
God; He hath not given the spirit by measure unto Him.
The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into
His hand. John iii 34, 35.
There shall come forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse ...
the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon Him, the spirit of
137
DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH (120
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and
might. Isa. xi 1,2.
The Spirit oflehovah was put upon Him, and was in Him.
. Isa. xlii 1; lix 19, 24; lxi 1; Luke iv 18.
'JW.hen the Holy Spirit shaH have come, whom I am about
) ~ to send unto you from the Father. John xv 26.
He snail gJonfy Me, !or He shaH receive of Mine, and
shall declare it unto you. All things that the Father hath
are Mine ; wherefore I said, He is about to receive of
Mine and to declare it unto you. John XVI 14, 15.
iITgo away I will send the Comforter unto you.
John xvi 7.
The Comforter is the Holy Spirit. John xiv 26.
The Holy Spirit was not yet, because le.sus was not yet
glorified. John vii 39.
But after the glorification :
JesuG breathed on His disciples and said, Receive ye
the Holy Spirit. John xx 22.
And in the Revelation :
Who shall not glorify Thy name, 0 Lord, for Thou only
art holy. Rev. xv 4.
[ll]Inasmuch as the Divine operation of the Lord
from His Divine Omnipresence 1SIi1eant by the
Ho~rit, therefore when He spoke to His
disapres~conceming the Holy Spirit, which He
was about to send from God the Father, He also
said :
I will not leave you orphans ... I go away . .. and come
to you. ... In that day ye shall know that I am in my
Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. John xiv 18,28,20.
And just before His departure out of the world
He said:
( Lo ! l am with you all the days, even to the consumma
tion...oLfu~age. I'vuifCXx.VIll 20.
Having read these words in their presence, the
angel said, " From these and many other passages
from the Word it is evident that the Divine which
is called the H,2ly Spirit proceeds from the Divine
- 138
120J DOCTRINE OF THE NEW CHURCH
in the Lord through His Divine Human. To this
those who sat on the seats exc1almoo, "This is
Divine truth." ~
[12] - Lastly, this decision was made: From what has
been deliberated in this council we clearly see, and
therefore acknowledge as holy truth, that in the
Lord God, the Saviour Jesus Christ, there is a
Divine Trinity which is the Originating Divine, ,
called the Father, the Divine Human which IS the t
Son, and the Divine Proceeding which is the Holy J
Spirit. Then they exclaImed together:
In Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
-
bodily. ...:.. \'l... c.4-J, .... L., ",-k~.~.Q,jJA ~J..:. t.:.f;0ls. ii 9.
""""---~'
Thus, there IS One God ll!. the Chu!.ch. .
{"
139
Textual note to first sentence in paragraph 4(a).
In the Decree of the Council ofTrent the following
sentence appears :
Quo factum est ut coelestis Pater, Pater
misericordiarum et Deus totius consolationis,
Christum Jesum filium suum, et ante legem, et
legis tempore, multis sanctis patribus declaratum
ac promissum, cum venit beata illa plenitudo
temporis, ad homines miserat ; ut et Judaeos
qui sub lege erant redimeret ; et gentes, quae
non sectabantur justitiam, justitiam appre
henderent atque omnes adoptionem filiorum
reciperent.
In the Summaria Expositio (Brief Exposition)
this is quoted in an abbreviated form as follows : -
Quod Caelestis Pater, Pater misericordiarum,
Christum Jesum, Filium suum, cum venit beata
plenitudo temporis, ad homines miserit, ut et ad
Judaeos, qui sub lege erant, et ad Gentes, quae
non sectabantur justitiam....
This presents some difficulty in translation, and
the text has been modified by adding redimeret
after erant and omitting ad before Judaeos and
before Gentes, in accordance with the wording
of the original.
140
LIST OF REPEATED PARAGRAPHS
RE. 43 RE. 117"; T.C.R.3"
" 52 T.C.R. 331
" 66 ,,486
" 69' . . .. A.R. 224
141
INDEX
INDEX OF PRINCIPAL SUBJECfS AND PROPER
NAMES. Numbers indicate paragraphs
Anger of God, 62
Apollyon, 93
Augsburg Confession, 9, 20
Baptism, 69
Brief Exposition, 16
Consummation of the Age, and Church, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74,
75,76,92
Council of Nicea, 22
Council of Trent, 2, 3, 7, 12, 20, 23, 26, 28, 106
25, 42, 46, 48, 49, 50, 59, 67, 68, 80, 84, 92, 116
I
INDEX
Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Supper, 64, 69
Saving faith, 42
Self-examination, 113
Swedenborg's experiences, 85, 89, 90, 93, 114, 118, 119, 120
Veil of Moses, II
Worship, 52
PAR. PAR.
PSALMS xlii I 120
xix 14 120 xliii 11, 14 120
cxxii 1-7 100 xliv 6 36, 120
cxxx 4, 5, 6 100 xliv 24,26 100,120
xlv 14, 15, 21. . . . 120
xlv 21, 22........ 36
ISAIAH xlvii 4 120
iii 9 100 xlviii 17 120
iv 2,3 100 xlix 7 120
ix 6 120 xlix 26 120
ix9 44 li 1 120
xi 1,2 120 lii 1,2,6,9 100
xiii 9, 10 78 liv 5, 8 36, 120
xxiv 3 100 lix 19 120
xxv 9 120 !x 16 120
xxvii 1 93 !xii 1-4, 11, 12.... 100
xxxiii 20.. . .. . . . . 100 !xiii 16 120
xxxvii 32............ 100 !xv 17,18,19,25 .. 100
xl 3, 5, 10, 11.... 120 !xvi 10-14 100
144
INDEX
PAR. PAR.
JEREMIAH
MICAH
Hi 17............ 100
iv 1,2 100
vi 100
vi 6,7 100
vii 2, 3, 4, 9, 10,
ZEPHANIAH
11 115
iii 14-17,20 ...... 100
xiv 16 100
x 3 86
~~ 5,6 120
xii 3,6-10 100
XXJU 14 100
xiv 7, 8, 9 . . .. 120
1 34 120
xiv 9 ... '" .... 36, 120
LAMENTAnONS
MALACHI
i 8, 9, 17 100
EZEKIEL
iv 1-end 100
MAITHEW
v 9-end 100
Hi 16,17 32,120
xv 6.7, 8 100
ix 15 101
xxxii 7. 8 78
xxiii 37,38 100
xxxiv 17,18,22 86
xxiv 1,2,3 70,71
xxiv 15 100
DANIEL
xxiv 21. 74, 75
ix 25, 27 . . . . . . .. 100
xxiv 29, 30 77, 78
xxiv 30, 31 73
HOSEA
xxv 41-43.46...... 84
JOEL
ii 1,2, 10,31 . 78
MARK
Hi 14, 15 . 78
ii 19,20 101
145
INDEX
PAR. PAR.
LUKE
JOHN-cont.
. i 31. 32. 34. 35.. 120
xvii 2 44
i 34. 35........ 44
xvii 10 120
iv 18 120
xx 22............ 32
v 34. 35 101
xx 22. 31 ........ 120
xxi 27............ 73
2 CORINTHIANS
JOHN
v 10 110
i 1.2.9.14 .. 98,117
i 9 63
i 1.14 57
COLOSSIANS
i 18............ 44
iii 3. 5 100
ii 9 44.120
Hi 16............ 44
iii 36............ 44
REVELATION
Hi 29 101
i 7 73
v 26 119
vi 5-8 76
vi 40............ 44
vi 12............ 78
viii 12............ 98
xi 7 76
ix 5.... 98
xi 8-10 114
x 30 44.120
xii I-end 76. 101
xi 25,26 44
xii 9. 12, 13...... 94
xii 36. 46 98
xiii 2 76
xii 46 63
xv 4 120
xiv 26 120
xx 12. 13 110
xv 1-7 110
xxi 1.2,etc 94.101
xv 4,5,6........ 97
xxi 5 95.97
xv 26 120
xxi 3, 22 118
xvi 28 57.117
xxii 16,17,20 71.101
146