The Gist of Swedenborg Part 9

It is an office of the angels to inspire charity and faith in a man, to observe the direction his enjoyments take, and to restrain and bend them to good, as far as they can in man's free choice. They are forbidden to act violently, and so to break a man's cupidities and principles; but are bidden to act gently. It is also an office of theirs to govern evil spirits who are from h.e.l.l. When evil spirits infuse evils and what is false, the angels instill what is true and good, by which they at least temper an evil. Infernal spirits are continually a.s.saulting, and angels constantly giving protection.

Especially do the angels call forth goods and truths which are with a man, and oppose them to the evils and falsities which the evil spirits excite. Hence a man is in the midst, nor does he apperceive the evil or the good; and being in the midst, is free to turn himself to the one or to the other. By such means angels from the Lord lead and protect a man, and this every moment, and every moment of a moment.

For, should the angels intermit their care a single instant, man would be plunged into evil from which he could never afterward be led forth.

These offices the angels do from a love which they have from the Lord; for they know nothing pleasanter and happier than to remove evils from a man, and to lead him to heaven. That this is their joy, see _Luke_, XV, 7. Scarcely any man believes that the Lord has such a care for man, and this continually, from the first thread of his life to the last, and on to eternity.

--_Arcana Coelestia, n._ 5992

WHOLESOME AND UNWHOLESOME COMMUNICATION

Many believe that a man can be taught by the Lord through spirits who speak with him. They who believe so, and will this communication, do not know, however, that it is attended with danger to their souls.

While a man is living in the world, he is in the midst of spirits as to his spirit; nevertheless spirits do not know they are with man, nor a man that he is with spirits. But as soon as spirits begin to speak with a man, they come out of their spiritual state into the man's natural state; and then they know that they are with man, and they unite themselves to the thoughts of his affection, and they speak with him from those thoughts. Thence it is that the spirit speaking is in the same principles as the man, whether these be true or false. These he stirs up, and through his affection, united to the man's, strongly confirms them. All this shows the danger in which a man is who speaks with spirits, or who manifestly perceives their operation. Of the nature of his affection, good or bad, a man is ignorant, also with what others he is a.s.sociated. If his is a pride of self-intelligence, the spirit favors every thought from that source. Likewise there is the favoring of principles which are inflamed from the fire which those have who are not in truths from any genuine affection for them.

Whenever from a like affection a spirit favors a man's thoughts or principles, then the former leads the latter, as the blind lead the blind, until both fall into the ditch.

It is otherwise with those whom the Lord leads. He leads those who love and will truths from Him. Such are enlightened when they read the Word, for there the Lord is, and He speaks with every one according to the latter's apprehension. When these hear speech from spirits, as they do sometimes, they are not taught, but are led, and this so prudently that the man is still left to himself. For every man is led through the affections by the Lord, and he thinks from these freely as if of himself. Were it otherwise, a man could not be reformed, nor could he be enlightened.

--_Apocalypse Explained, nn._ 1182, 1183

AN UNBROKEN a.s.sOCIATION

Married partners, who have lived in truly conjugial love, are not separated in the death of one of them. For the spirit of the deceased partner lives continually with the spirit of the other, not yet deceased, and this even to the death of the other, when they meet again and reunite, and love each other more tenderly than before; for now they are in the spiritual world.

--_Conjugial Love, n._ 321

THE CHURCH

"Behold, the tabernacle of G.o.d is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and G.o.d Himself shall be with them, and be their G.o.d."

--_Rev_., XXI, 3

THE CHURCH IN G.o.d'S SIGHT

The Church is in man, and not outside of him; and the Church at large consists of the men who have the Church in them.--The Church consists of those who from the heart acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, who learn truths from Him by the Word, and do them.--Every one who lives in the good of charity and of faith is a Church and a Kingdom of the Lord.--The Church in general is const.i.tuted of those who are severally Churches, however remote they are from one another.--The Church of the Lord is scattered throughout the whole world.

--_Heaven and h.e.l.l, n._ 57 --_Apocalypse Explained, n._ 388 --_Arcana Coelestia_, n. 6637; ib., n. 9256

A SUCCESSION OF CHURCHES

There have been four Churches on this earth since the day of creation; a first, to be called the Adamic, a second, to be called the Noachic; a third, the Israelitish; and a fourth, the Christian. After these four Churches, a new one will arise, which is to be truly Christian, foretold in _Daniel_ and in the _Apocalypse_, and by the Lord Himself in the Evangelists, and looked for by the Apostles.

--_Coronis_, Summary, I, VIII

EARLY CHRISTIANITY AND ITS DECLINE

When a Church is raised up by the Lord, it is in the beginning blameless; and one then loves the other as his brother, as we know of the primitive Church after the Lord's advent. At that time, all the sons of the Church lived together like brothers, and also called one another brother, and mutually loved each other. But in the course of time charity diminished, and vanished; and as it vanished, evils succeeded; and together with evils falsities insinuated themselves.

Hence came schisms and heresies, which would never come to be, were charity regnant and alive.

--_Arcana Coelestia, n._ 1834

THE LORD'S SECOND COMING: WHEN? HOW?

Now is the Lord's Second Coming, and a New Church is to be inst.i.tuted.

The Second Coming of the Lord is not a coming in Person, but in the Word, which is from Him, and is Himself. We read in many places that the Lord will come in the clouds of heaven. The "clouds of heaven"

mean the Word in its natural sense, and "glory" the Word in its spiritual sense, and "power" the Lord's power by means of the Word. So the Lord is now to appear in the Word. He is not to appear in Person because, since His ascension into heaven, He is in the Glorified Humanity, in which He cannot appear to any man, unless He opens the eyes of his spirit first, and this cannot be done with any one who is in evils and thence in falsities. It is vain, therefore, to believe that the Lord will appear in a cloud of heaven in Person; but He will appear in the Word, which is from Him, and so is Himself.

--_True Christian Religion, nn._ 115, 776, 777

What occurred at the end of the Jewish Church has occurred similarly now; for at the end of that Church, which was when the Lord came into the world, the Word was interiorly opened. Interior Divine truths were revealed by the Lord, which were to serve the New Church to be established by Him, and did serve it, too. To-day, again, for similar reasons, the Word has been interiorly opened, and divine truths still more interior have been revealed, which are to serve a New Church, which will be called the New Jerusalem.

--_Apocalypse Explained, n._ 948

A NEW CHURCH

It was foretold in the _Apocalypse_ (XXI, XXII) that at the end of the former Church a New Church was to be inst.i.tuted, in which this would be the chief teaching: that G.o.d is One in Person as well as in Essence, in Whom is the Trinity, and that that G.o.d is the Lord. This Church is what is there meant by the New Jerusalem, into which only he can enter who acknowledges the Lord alone as G.o.d of Heaven and earth.

--_Divine Providence, n._ 263

The descent of the New Jerusalem cannot take place in a moment, but becomes a fact as the falsities of the former Church are removed. For what is new cannot enter where falsities have previously been engendered, unless these are eradicated; which will take place with the clergy, and so with the laity.

--_True Christian Religion, n._ 784

THE ULTIMATE GOAL

Were it received as a principle, that love to the Lord and charity to the neighbor are what the whole Law hangs on and are what all the Prophets speak of, and thus are the essentials of all doctrine and wors.h.i.+p, then the mind would be enlightened in innumerable things in the Word, which otherwise lie hidden in the obscurity of a false principle. In fact, heresies would be scattered then, and out of many one Church would come to be, however the doctrines flowing therefrom or leading thereto, and the rituals, might differ. Were the case so, all men would be governed as a single human being by the Lord; for all would be as members and organs of one body, which, dissimilar in form and function though they are, still have relation to one heart only, whereon they each and all depend. Then, in whatever doctrine or outward wors.h.i.+p one might be, he would say of another, "This man is my brother. I see that he wors.h.i.+ps the Lord, and that he is a good man."

--_Arcana Coelestia, n._ 2385

MEMORABLE SAYINGS

MEMORABLE SAYINGS

All religion has relation to life; and the life of religion is to do good.

Love in act is work and deed.