ONE LORD, ONE WORD       Rev. LOUIS B. KING       1964


January 1964


New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

One Lord, One Word
     A Sermon on John 1: 1     
          Louis B. King
The Crucial Years: 1743-1748
     Frank S. Rose
Our New Church Vocabulary
The Church
     Eastern Canada Assembly Banquet Address
          Martin Pryke
Miss Harriet Elizabeth Ashby
     A Resurrection Address
          George de Charms
The Society Doctrinal Class
     Elmo C. Acton
Only Twelve Men
     Norman H. Reuter
Reviews
     Discipline
          Nancy Stroh
Editorial Department
     Degrees of Evangelization
     The Philosophical Works
     The Faith of the New Church
     Reflections on Unity
     Hard Savings: 1. Dead Churches
Communication
     The Finite and the Origin of Evil
          Hugo Lj. Odhner
Church News
Announcements
     Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths     
     Annual Council Meetings-January 27-February 2-Program     

February 1964

The Reverend Karl Richardson Alden     Frontispiece
Seeking a Sign
     A Sermon on 1 Samuel 14: 8-10
          Ormond Odhner
The Authority of the Writings
     Address at Eastern Canada District Assembly
          Geoffrey Child
Swedenborg's Missionary Work
     Donald L. Rose
The Application of Doctrine to the Home
     Midwest District Assembly Banquet Address
          Sharon Acton Holmes
The Rev. Karl Richardson Alden
     Resurrection Address
          George de Charm
Divine Worship and Adult Responsibility     
     Elmo C. Acton
Midwest District Assembly
     Report of Proceedings
          Suzanne S. Holmes
Eastern Canada District Assembly
     Report of Proceedings
          Peter Lermitte
Our New Church Vocabulary
Review
     The New Church and Modern Christianity
          W. Cairns Henderson
Editorial Department
     Ascription to the Lord
     Repentance and the Sacraments
     Regeneration and Glorification
     Hard Sayings: 2. Marriage in the Church
Communication
     Full Financial Support
          Raymond B. David
Church News                                        
Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths

March 1964

The Lord's Passion
     A Sermon on Luke 23: 44-46
          Fredrick L. Schnarr 97

Believing in the Risen Lord
     An Easter Talk to Children
          Kenneth O. Stroh
Can the Love of Self Be Good?
     Address at British Assembly
          Bjorn A. H. Boyesen
The Beauty of Holiness
     David R. Simons
Our Imaginary Heavens
     Hugo Lj. Odhner
Our New Church Vocabulary          
Sufficient Unto the Day
     Morley D. Rich
Mr. Frank G. Bostock
     Extracts from a Resurrection Address
          Willard D. Pendleton
Review
     Divine Providence
Editorial Department
     The Lord's Humiliation
     The Lord the Redeemer
     As I Have Loved You
     Hard Sayings: 2. Marriage in the Church
Church News
Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Deaths

April

Disciples of the Truth
     A Sermon on Luke 9: 58
          Daniel W. Heinrichs
In Our Contemporaries          
Enlightenment
     Address to Council of the Clergy
          Norbert H. Rogers
Our New Church Vocabulary
ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS
Council of the Clergy Sessions
     Erik Sandstrom
Joint Council Session
     Robert S. Junge
Annual Reports
     Secretary of the General Church
          Robert S. Junge
     Secretary of the Council of the Clergy
          W. Cairns Henderson
     Corporations of the General Church
          Stephen Pitcairn
     Treasurer of the General Church
          Leonard E. Gyllenhaal
     Editor of New Church Life
          W. Cairns Henderson
     Sound Recording Committee
          W. Cairns Henderson
     Visual Education Committee
          William R. Cooper     
Editorial Department
     That They All May Be One
     Of Human Perfection
     Hard Sayings: 3. Divorce
Communication
     The Finite "of Itself"
          Colin M. Greenhalgh
Church News
Announcements
     Annual Corporation Meetings
     Baptism, Confirmations, Deaths
     Academy of the New Church: Calendar, 1964-1965

May 1964

The Laws of Creation
     A Sermon on Psalm 8:1
          Elmo C. Acton
Our New Church Vocabulary
Enlightenment
     Address to Council of the Clergy
          Norbert H. Rogers
Conjugial Love
     Daniel W. Heinrichs
In Our Contemporaries     
The Ascension of the Divine Human
     B. David Holm
Review
     The Structure of New Church Teaching
          Harold Crunch
Editorial Department
     Preparation for the Holy Supper                              
     The Holy Spirit in the Church                              
     All Is Not Vanity                                        
     Hard Savings: 3. Divorce                                   
Communication
     The Finite and the Origin of Evil
          Hugo Lj. Odhner
Church News                                             
Announcements
     Annual Corporation Meetings-June 12, 1964                         
     Annual Joint Meeting of Corporation and Faculty-May 15, 1964          
     Swedenborg Scientific Association Annual Meeting-May 13, 1964          
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths                         
     Academy of the New Church: Calendar, 1964-1965                    

June

Invitation to the New Church
     A Sermon on Revelation 22: 17
          George de Charms
Sending His Angels
     A New Church Day Talk to Children     
          Kenneth O. Stroh
In Our Contemporaries     
Swedenborg's Missionary Work
     Donald F. Rose     
The New Kingdom
     Ormond Odhner
The Wedding of the Lamb
     David R. Simons
Mr. Charles Henry Ebert
     A Resurrection Address
          Willard D. Pendleton
The New Communion
     W. Cairns Henderson
Our New Church Vocabulary
Episcopal Visit to England
     Frank S. Rose
Editorial Department
     The Peace of Jerusalem
     The Son of Man and the Son of God
     Vivat Nova Ecclesia
     Hard Sayings: 4. Slow Growth of the Church
Communication
     The Paternal Heredity
          Aaron B. Zungu
Church News
Announcements
     Annual Corporation Meetings-June 12, 1964
     49th British Assembly-July 17-19, 1964
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths

July 1964

The Ruling Love
     A Sermon on Revelation 3: 5
          Lorentz R. Soneson
The Ascension of the Divine Human
     II. Its Place in the Glorification
          B. David Holm
Reason and Rationality
     1. Reason in the Most Ancient Church
          Elmo C. Acton
The Use of the Non-Canonical Books
     Harold C. Cranch
Swedenborg's Second Rule of Life
     Sydney B. Childs
Mr. George Alexander McQueen
     Extracts from a Resurrection Address
          Louis B. King
Editorial Department
     Entering into Divine Revelation
     Disciples and Apostles
     But One Flesh
     Hard Sayings: 5. The Nature of Regeneration
Church News
Announcements
     Peace River District Assembly-August 1-2. 1964     
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths
     49th British Assembly- July 17-19, 1964-Program

August

Innocence in Education
     A Sermon on Exodus 23: 19
          Robert S. Junge
The Holy of Holies
     Presidential Address at British Assembly
          George de Charms
The Importance of Perspective
     Lorentz R. Soneson
Swedenborg's Missionary Work
     Donald L. Rose
Reason and Rationality
     2. Reason in Pre-Christian and Christian Thought
          Elmo C. Acton
Ordinations
     Declarations of Faith and Purpose
          Alfred Acton
          Peter Martin Buss
Our New Church Vocabulary

Review
     Creation

Editorial Department
     The Church and Intellectualism
     The Enigma of Peace     
     Hard Sayings: 6. Conjugial Love
Church News     384
Announcements
     Ordinations, Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths
     Educational Council-August 21-28, 1964

September

The Manna of Heaven and the Corn of Canaan
     A Sermon on Joshua 5: 12
          B. David Holm
In Our Contemporaries     
The Memorable Relations
     Erik Sandstrom
Reason and Rationality
     3. Reason in Modern Thought
          Elmo C. Acton
The Reverend A. Wynne Acton
     An Appreciation
          Willard D. Pendleton
     Memorial Address
          Erik Sandstrom
Commencement Address
     Alexander H. Lindsay

Review
     We Now Proceed     

Editorial Department
     Who Merely Sang, Amen     
     The Church and the Academy Spirit
     The Gains of New Church Education
     Hard Sayings: 7. Earths in the Universe
Church News     

Announcements
     Charter Day-October 23, 24, 1964
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths

October


Contempt For Others
     A Sermon on Luke 18:9
          Douglas Taylor
The Two Foundations of Truth
     Address at British Assembly     
          Edward F. Allen
Reason and Rationality
     4. Reason in Swedenborg's Philosophy
          Elmo C. Acton
An Understanding of Death
     Frederick F. Schnarr
Our New Church Vocabulary     
Forty-Ninth British Assembly
     Report of Proceedings
          Frank S. Rose
Review
     When Men Believe                                   
Editorial Department
     The Requirements for Baptism     
     The Hour of Death     
     The Lord's Mansions with Man                              
     Freedom Through Truth     
Communication
     The Non-Canonical Books
          Douglas Taylor
Local Schools Directory
Church News                                             
Announcements
     Charter Day-October 23, 24, 1964
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths

November

Thanksgiving for Responsibility
     A Sermon on I Samuel 3: 10
          Kurt H. Asplundh
Our Benefits from the Lord
     A Thanksgiving Talk to Children
          Kurt P. Nemitz
The Two Great Commandments
     Morley D. Rich
The Church in the Netherlands
     Herman G. Engeltjes
Reason and Rationality
     5. Reason in the Writings
          Elmo C. Acton
Our New Church Vocabulary                              
Order and the Individual
     Address at Academy's Opening Exercises
          E. Bruce Glenn
Meetings of the General Church Educational Council
     Carl A. Gunther
Tenth Peace River District Assembly
     Report of Proceedings
          Roy Franson
Editorial Department
     Constant Thanksgiving                                        
     Population, Prudence and Providence                    
     The Church and the Issues                         
Church News
Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths.                    

December

The Fulfillment of Prophecy
     A Sermon on Isaiah 9: 6
          Willard D. Pendleton
The Sign of the Lord's Birth
     A Talk to Children
          George de Charms
Reason and Rationality
     6. Rationality and the Rationality
          Elmo C. Acton
Our New Church Vocabulary          
The Mediation of Spirits
     Hugo Lj. Odhner     
God as Man
     Ormond Odhner
Two Opposing Freedoms
     Charter Day Address
          Erik Sandstrom
Editorial Department
     By Another Way     
     Bethlehem     
     The Future     
Directory of the General Church
Church News
Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths
     Annual Council Meetings: January 25-30, 1965

NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV JANUARY, 1964           No. 1
     "In the beginning was the Word." (John 1:1)

     Supreme among the works of literature of today and yesterday is the Word of God as contained in the sacred books of the Old and New Testaments. Scholars, ancient and modern alike, have consistently acknowledged the supremacy of its poetic beauty, the power of its narrative, its wealth of sensual imagery, its moral strength, its inspirational philosophy. Yet in spite of this universal acclaim, in spite of the fact that it continues each year to be the most marketable and most universally owned of all publications, nevertheless it is banned from most of our elementary schools, and is all but ignored in elite literary circles and by institutions of higher education.
     Meanwhile the flimsiest of excuses are raised in defense of this increasing neglect; as many, in fact, as there are affections in man that are opposed to the Divine. It is because the Word of God, even in its most obscure literal teachings, directs and uplifts the mind to Divine things that it is so little valued at this day. Atheism armed with scientific theory and pseudo-rationality permeates our universities, and persistent and outspokenly profane attacks are made upon its sacred teachings. Even the "old time" religions, with their Sunday school catechisms and biblical recitations, are giving way to more sophisticated devotions less offensive to the leveling, lukewarm requisites of modern times brotherhood.
     In the seminaries of an increasing number of religious denominations which propose amalgamation, students of the higher and the lower criticism boldly decry what they call old-fashioned allegorical interpretation of the Scriptures. "Let the Bible stand on its literal feet," they say, "as a product of the highest aspirations and superstitions of a primitive folk." "Do not try to make it supernatural," they counsel, "by reading into it that which never existed, namely, an inner, parabolic meaning. It is but an historical account and symbol of the highest morality and philosophy attained by the ancient Jews and the early Christians. It is nothing more; it is nothing less. God, after all, is but a growing concept in the human mind. Just as man himself evolved from formless protoplasm after countless ages of chaos, so God in any age is but the sum total of the highest virtues, ideals and intellectual concepts which the culture then extant is capable of producing. What, then, is the so-called Word of God but a cumulative account of man's ideas of God?"

     It is the use of the New Church to oppose this modern, synthetic philosophy in every way that may prove efficacious, and to restore to the world a genuine love of the Word of God. If this is to be accomplished, however, it must be known what the Word of God really is, and what essential, spiritual uses are performed by the reading of it.
     "In the beginning," Scripture testifies in its own behalf, "was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." The Writings of the Lord's second advent testify that Jesus Christ alone is God-one essence, one person-and that He alone, therefore, is the Word. The Divine wisdom, which from the beginning stood forth as the very form of Divine love or substance in itself, is the singular formative force and substantial essence of the created universe. It is the Divine Human of the Lord from eternity, the life, the law and the order in all things. The Lord's life, law and order in the kingdom of nature account for the perfection and beauty which, in limited measure, we behold therein; and that life, law and order in nature are the Divine Human, or the Word of the Lord, visibly present on a most ultimate material plane. The universal kingdom of nature is therefore called a theater representative of the Divine love and wisdom of God; for love and wisdom constitute the Humanity or Word of the Lord.
     The laws of life and the order by which they are made manifest are absolute, eternal, unalterable and Divine. This is true of all life, law and order originating in the Lord and impressed upon each individual degree of His created universe; and when we observe successive degrees of life, law and order in the universe, we actually behold the operation of the Word of the Lord, the presence and activity of His infinite love and wisdom.
     But man was not created merely to observe the operation and effects of the Word in nature. Brute animals are capable of that. As the image and likeness of his Creator, man is destined to see, acknowledge and love God; and to do this he must know who and what God is, what love and wisdom are, and with what eternal purpose life, law and order continuously inflow.

3



     To this end Divine revelation is given. The Word of the Lord-the very life, law and order of the universe-is accommodated to reception in the understanding as forms of spiritual truth which make known to men their essence, purpose and operation; and this that man may not only observe the Word but may also understand it, receive it in his life, and cooperate with it-that the Creator may be conjoined with His human creatures and the latter receive eternal life and happiness.

     The literary forms of the written Word as well as the material ink and paper are not the Word itself, but vehicles of the Divine truth-containants of that same Divine truth with which the Lord created the universe and with which He perpetually endows all things with life, law and order. The Divine truth, as the form of Divine good, is the Lord's Human; and because it infilled His mind and life when He came on earth, He called Himself the way, the truth and the life-the Word made flesh.
     This same Divine truth which created all things, which sustains all life and law and order, and which works unceasingly as a Divine providence for the establishment of a heaven from the human race; this Word of God is present in its fullness and power in the literal teachings of the Old and New Testaments. If men regard these Testaments as mere literary productions of the human mind, they become just that; but if they are acknowledged and read as the Word of God, the mind of the reader is opened to the influx of Divine truth, the only creative and redemptive force operative in the universe. In so far as the reader then understands the inner meaning of the Scriptures, the Lord Himself as the Word reveals to that man Divine ends, means and uses; and the man himself, as if of himself, becomes one active instrument in the hands of the Lord whereby, through the reading of the Word, a heaven from the human race becomes an eternal quality.
     Reading the Word, then, includes not only a reading of the Old and New Testaments but also, and especially, the reading of the Writings of the New Church which open the Scriptures, exposing the understanding and the will to the Divine truth in its rational or highest form. Reading the Word is, further, a reflection upon the Word as the Lord Himself in His Divine essence-the life, law and order of the universe. Reading the Word involves also meditative thought and action from what is read, heard and seen.*
     * AC 10,604: 3; SD 5187, 5193, 5610
     Without the Word there would be no knowledge of God, the spiritual world or the life of use.* There would then be no defense against the hells, no regeneration, no heaven from the human race; but since the Word has always existed in some form, the positive ends of the Divine Providence have continued to be unthwarted.

4


By the reading of the Word the mind is opened to heaven, first as to the understanding by knowledges which introduce man into the worship of the Lord and into a life progressively civil, moral and spiritual, next as to the will by delights of innocence implanted through angelic companions for use in man's later reformation and regeneration; and as this twofold implantation of remains progresses through the reading of the Word, man prepares as of himself for his eternal use in heaven.
     * TCR 11

     As New Church men, however, our responsibility to read the Word extends beyond the needs of our own regeneration. As members of the Lord's specific church on earth, it is our responsibility to read and understand the Word as to its interior meaning in order that channels of influx between heaven and earth may be kept open. In no other way can the salvation of millions of men who are in sincerity as to motive but in falsity as to doctrine be made secure; for we are taught that without the reading of the Word by men on earth the human race would perish.* So the Lord always provides that there shall be a church specific where the Word is read and understood, and the sacraments of baptism and the Holy Supper are faithfully performed.**
     * LJ 10; AE 726:7
     **HH 308, 309; SS 110; AC 3735, 9430
     In its creative descent, the Divine truth or "Word which was in the beginning" became increasingly ultimate until a fixed, material creation existed, upon which all interior creations subsisted as a house upon its foundation. If the material earths in our natural universe, which form this foundation, should suddenly be dissipated, the whole spiritual world with its indefinite divisions would fall into nothing, so interdependent are spiritual and natural creation. If there were not men in natural bodies sensating the forces of nature on this and countless other earths in the universe, there could be no angels and spirits sensating with spiritual bodies the realities of spiritual life. Angels, we are taught, read the Word daily. In no other way can they acknowledge and worship the Lord Yet if men on earth did not read the Word in its natural sense, angels would be unable to read it in its interior senses. Thus we read in Arcana Coelestia: "The Word on our earth is the means of union of heaven and the world (no. 9212); to which end there is a correspondence of all things in the letter of the Word with Divine things in heaven such things are presented to angels in heaven from whatever earth they come, when the Word of our earth is read and preached."* In this way the "Word is made manifest to all in the universe who come into heaven from any earth whatever; for in heaven there is communication between all."** "The Lord conjoins man with Himself by means of correspondences. This is done by means of the Word, the literal sense of which consists of pure correspondences."***
     * AC 9357
     ** AC 9356

5



     *** DP 219:5
     Heaven, which is the end of creation, is a state of eternal conjunction with God. This is effected only through the reading of the Word; and it should be noted that reading conjoins man with the Lord but consociates him with angels. Such association or communion of angels and men extends to the will of those who are in the letter of the Word,* but to both the will and the understanding with those who are in the spiritual sense as well.** The latter is full communion, such as is necessary to consociate the human race on earth with the human race in heaven and to conjoin both with the Lord eternally.
     * AR 943; AC 4280
     ** HH 114; Verbo 15e
     When we contemplate the magnitude of this use-the untold myriads inhabiting countless earths in the universe, the millions of sincere but misinformed members of the church universal on earth, the immensity of the heavenly when we reflect that all of these on earth could depend for their acknowledgment of the Lord, and hence their eternal happiness, upon a handful of New Church men in possession of the Word of God in its true and complete form, how can we in any way diminish our responsibility in the matter of reading, meditating on and living the Word of God? How can we regard any other thing as of as great importance as introducing our children into a knowledge and love of the Word that will lead them to read it and reflect on its teachings daily?*
     * AE 803:2; CL 174
     "When heaven was opened to me," declared Swedenborg, "I had first to learn the Hebrew language, as well as the correspondences according to which the whole Bible is composed, which led me to read the Word of God over many times; and as God's Word is the source whence all theology must be derived, I was enabled thereby to receive instruction from the Lord who is the Word."* "It was granted me to perceive that each verse [of the Prophets and Psalms] communicates with some society in heaven; so that the whole Word communicates with the universal heaven."**
     * Docu. 234
     ** Verbo XVIII
     Just before his death, having completed the universal theology for the New Church in the work, True Christian Religion, Swedenborg shared a final reflection: "From the first day of that call I have not received anything which pertains to the doctrine of the New Church from any angel, but from the Lord alone, while I was reading the Word." Amen.

     LESSONS: Psalm 19. John 1:1-17. True Christian Religion 779.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 466, 474, 458.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 74, 123.

6


CRUCIAL YEARS: 1743-1748 1964

CRUCIAL YEARS: 1743-1748       Rev. FRANK S. ROSE       1964

     
1743     July               Leaves Sweden          
     A                                   Animal Kingdom I, II
     S                                   "
     0                                   "     
     N                                   "
     D               First Appearance          "
1744     J      Holland                         "
     F                                   "                    
     M               Temptations               "               Journal of Dreams
     A               2nd and 3rd Appearances                         "
     M               4th Appearance          ? Hier. Key               "
     J               Saw a fly               Animal Kingdom III          "
     J                                   "                    "
     A               Tasted wine               "                    "
     S               Smelt and heard          "                    "
     0               Enrolled in heaven     
     N     England                         Worship and Love of God
     D                                   "
1745     J     England                         "
     F                                   "
     M                                   "
     A               5th Appearance - CALL     
     M                                   Messiah about to Come
     J                                   "
     J                                   "
     A                                                  
     S                                                  Bible Index
     0               1st Ref. To 2nd Coming     History of Creation          Historical &
     N               First Memorable Relations     Word Explained          Gospels
     D                                   "
1746     J                                   "
     F                                   "
     M                                   "                    Bible
     A                                   "                    Index

     M     Sweden                         "                    Historical     
     J               Study of Hebrew          "                    Names
     J                                   "
     A                                   "
     S                                   "
     0                                   "
     N                                   "
     D                                   "
1747     J                                   "
     F                                   "
     M
     A
     M
     J               Retirement
     J
     A               7th Aug. Change of State     Spiritual Diary          Bible Index
     S               Into Celestial Kingdom     "                    " Proph. Names
     0                                   "                    Bible Index
     N                                   "                    Prophets
     D                                   "                    "
1748     J     Holland                         "                    "
     F                                   "                    "
     M                                   "                    "
     A                                   "                    "
     M                                   "                    "
     J                                   "                    Index to SD
     J                                   "                    "
     A                                   "                    "
     S                                   "                     "
     0                                   " Arcana Coelestia
     N                                   "     "
     D     England

7




(Delivered at the Swedenborg Society's celebration of Swedenborg's birthday, 1963.)

     The crucial years include the time from Swedenborg's departure from Sweden in July, 1743, to the beginning of the Arcana Coelestia at the end of 1748, a period of five and a half years. This spans the time from the first premonitions that his life's work was about to change to the time when he started work on the first published volume of the Writings. It was, we think, a longer period of transition than would have been expected; and as an aid to the study of these years we have prepared a chart outlining the years themselves and setting against them the country in which Swedenborg was at the time, the internal developments he was experiencing, and the books on which he was working.*
     * See p. 6.

     From the chart it can be seen that there was over a year between the Lord's first appearance-in December, 1743-to the final call in April, 1745. During this time Swedenborg was gradually being introduced into contact with the spiritual world. In fact, his first experiences had begun a good many years before, but these were comparatively rare.* His first experience of the spiritual world was through dreams which he knew to be significant, and in the record of which he describes his temptations and his developing understanding of the work to which he was being called. Eventually he had living sensations of that world, and these are listed in the chart because they mark distinct stages in this development. In one place he writes, "I saw a fly"; and later comments that he could "hardly bear it."** This would seem to have been his first sight of the spiritual world. Later he tasted and smelled wine; and some three months after he first saw a spiritual fly he heard a spirit speaking as if it were another person in the same room. If it seems strange that his first sight should be of a fly, what of the first words he heard?-"Hold your tongue or I will strike you!"*** At the same time he saw a man sitting on a piece of ice. This terrified him; not just because of what was said, but because it was a living experience of the fact that the spirits and angels with him could hear his thoughts as if he were speaking out loud, and could reply to him openly.

8


So, commenting on this incident, he writes, in Spiritual Diary: "Then it once happened that a certain spirit knew what I was thinking, for he spoke with me in a few words, at which I was amazed, especially at the fact that spirits could know my thoughts."****
     * See A. Acton, Introduction to the Word Explained, pp. 26-33.
     ** Senses, 492, 493.
     *** Journal Of Dreams 174. [References throughout this article to Journal of Dreams as numbered in Document 209.]
     **** SD 4390
     It was not long after this that he saw the gable end of a palace, which was a sign that he was enrolled in an angelic society as though an immortal, which had never been granted to anyone living on earth before.* This is the first indication that he was conscious in both worlds.
     * JD 175

     Before we continue with the other events listed in this column, a word should be said about the next two columns. Both of these summarize the works Swedenborg was writing or rewriting at the time, and two columns are needed because he was engaged in more than one. The Journal of Dreams was simply a private diary in which he recorded his dreams and his reflections upon them. It is from this journal that most of the above facts are drawn, and we will have more to say about it in due course. It is the middle column that surprises us. Swedenborg was working on his major philosophic work, the Animal Kingdom, when these changes began. He had taken most of the material for it when he left Sweden. Volumes I and II were published in Holland early in 1744, together with an Epilogue which he wrote there. When he arrived in England, he continued with the series of volumes he had promised; altering the proposed arrangement, but apart from that remaining true to his original purpose. His work bears the characteristic marks of thoroughness, penetration, breadth, balance and careful reasoning at a time when, as his private journal shows, he was passing through profound temptations. There was no observable change in his appearance or conduct, save for the fact that, as he writes, "now for fourteen days I have begun to look much handsomer and to be like an angel. God grant it to be so."*
     * JD 196
     Seeing that the Lord had appeared to him four times, and that he was entering into clearer and clearer contact with the spiritual world, how is it that he was still writing on philosophy, with no apparent intention of doing anything else?
     With his enrollment in an angelic society, his work at last takes a sudden change. He abandons the series of volumes on the Animal Kingdom and puts his pen to a work which stands alone in all his writings, The Worship and Love of God. He is still writing as a philosopher, but there is a number of differences. For one thing, he no longer refers to the works of other men, with the result that this writing is freed from the burdensome task of making notes, references, compilations and then deductions.

9


He writes very swiftly, covering the first part, over two-thirds of the entire work, in three weeks. But with the Lord's appearance at the inn, and the call, the Worship and Love of God is dropped in mid sentence, and is never resumed. Then it was that Swedenborg abandoned all of his preparatory works to devote himself entirely to a new preparation. Then it was that he entered in the fullest sense into open and daily communication with the spiritual world. It would seem that his preparation was then complete: but we are not yet halfway down the chart!
     While he was still in London, Swedenborg began gathering passages from the Word on the Messiah about to come, without making any comment as he did so; and then, with his return to Sweden in August, 1745, he began a systematic study of the Old and New Testaments and of the Hebrew language. It was another two years before he began the Spiritual Diary, and over three years before he began the first published work of the Writings.
     It should be understood that as long as he was in Sweden he was responsible to the Board of Mines. He was a civil servant and a member of the House of Nobles, and could be absent from his work only with the permission of the King. During the day he was engaged in his duties as an assessor, dealing with a wide range of problems in connection with the mining industry, and in his spare time he was working on his indexes to the Bible, and his work which now bears the title The Word Explained. In addition, he made copious notes in his copy of the Latin version of the Bible by Sebastian Schmidius; but virtually all of this work was concerned with the literal sense of the Scriptures.
     At last, in July, 1747, he applied to the King for retirement, having just refused the invitation from the entire board to act as its chairman. He declined the customary increase in rank, and asked only that he be retired on half salary, a request which was granted by the King, who expressed his confidence in the work which required Swedenborg's retirement, although he could not have known what it was, as to prove no less valuable than the other works published by him.*
     * Docu. 167A
     Shortly after his retirement, Swedenborg left for Holland, and, as if marking the beginning of the Writings, we have the comment: "1747, 7th August, old style. A change of state in me, into the heavenly kingdom in an image." In Holland he recorded his spiritual experiences in the work now entitled The Spiritual Diary, and at the same time was working on two more Bible indexes, but now containing comments on the internal sense of the passages noted.

10


His marginal notes in the Schmidius Bible also speak now of the internal sense. After preparing an index of the Diary, or at least of those portions written up to that time, Swedenborg left Holland for England. There, in November, 1748, or early in December, he starts work on the Arcana Coelestia, and in 1749 the first volume of that Divine work was published. Only two or three people knew who the author was-a secret that was kept for at least ten years.

     It has taken a good deal longer to explain the chronological chart than was expected. It will be noticed that there are lines between certain works. These indicate distinct stages of development. The Animal Kingdom was terminated abruptly, and a new type of work begun with the Worship and Love of God. This again was cut short, and a new type of work begun with The Messiah About to Come, History of Creation According to Moses, The Word Explained, and the early indexes of the Bible-all dealing with the literal and historical sense of the Word. By comparing these lines with the column on the left, we can see clearly that every step in this development is related to a known internal change with Swedenborg himself. The first line coincides, not with the Lord's early appearances, or his preliminary contacts with the spiritual world, but with his enrollment in an angelic society. The second is a direct result of his call. The third is related to the change of state into the celestial kingdom in an image.
     The conclusion is obvious: the Writings as such did not begin until Swedenborg was regenerate. We were once asked: "Was it necessary for Swedenborg to be regenerate for him to act as the instrument of the Second Coming?" The answer is inescapable. There is an easy correlation between his internal state and his approach to that office; so much so that the very facts seem to teach that he could not have been the "Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ" unless he was regenerate. He himself often stated that he was prepared for his office, indeed from his early youth. What we here notice is that the preparation culminated in an internal struggle. These were the crucial years, and they were vital to his mission.
     There are few men in history whose lives bear up as well under close study as that of Emanuel Swedenborg. In his eulogy on Swedenborg, given in the great hall of the House of Nobles, Samuel Sandels summed it up in this way: "With the single exception, perhaps, of his desire to penetrate too deeply, there is nothing whatever in his whole character with which we can find fault."* He was courteous, temperate, very conscientious and hard working, and was widely respected and loved. Yet he wrote in his private journal: "I am still weary in my body and mind: for I know nothing except my own unworthiness, and am in pain on account of being a wretched creature."**
     * Docu. 4, p. 14.
     ** JD 60

11



     There is much more in a similar vein. He had intellectual temptations as well, in which he saw his own thoughts as filthy rags, or as having taken a wrong direction.

     "About morning it seemed to me as if I were riding, and as if I had had the direction pointed out. It was, however, dark, and when I looked I found that I had gone astray on account of the darkness: but then it brightened up, and I saw how I had gone wrong, and noticed the way, and the forests and groves which I was to go through, and also heaven behind."*
     * JD 17

     In another place we read:

     "Faith appeared to be far above the thoughts of my understanding. Then only I got peace: May God strengthen me in it! For it is His work, and mine so much the less as my thoughts, and indeed the best of them, destroy more than they are able to promote. . . . From this I see how difficult it is for the learned, more indeed than for the unlearned, to arrive at such a faith, and consequently to conquer themselves (to such a degree) that they are able to smile at themselves: for man's workshop of his own understanding must first of all be abolished and overthrown; and this is God's work, and not man's."*
     * JD 98

     These few quotations will have to suffice, for we must proceed to the answer. At least they give a quick impression of Swedenborg's states at the time-though the work should be read as a whole.
     The sum of what he says about himself is that he is nothing but evil and that his thoughts have taken a contrary direction; and the dilemma we have posed, but not yet resolved, is that to all appearances he was a good man, and although the subject-matter is different there is a remarkable harmony between the Writings and the things he wrote before his illumination-so much so that we find ourselves saying: "This could have been written only by a New Church man!" Of course, the simple answer is that he was evil from head to toe and his thoughts were filthiness and rags. This is true of every human being, but only the highest angels know that it is so. Swedenborg was entering gradually into a conscious awareness of the spiritual world, and he would have been in great danger had he not acknowledged, as is the truth, that everything from self and from self-intelligence is evil and false, and that of himself man is nothing. It was extremely important that Swedenborg should acknowledge this from the heart, so as not to be deceived by any apparent goodness with himself, and so as not to confuse what comes from self and what from the Lord. Although as yet he knew it not, he was to be invited to serve as the instrument of the Lord and of Divine revelation, and this he could not have done until he had learned how to distinguish what comes from self and what from the Lord.

12



     No doubt he had understood the general proposition-that man is evil, and that all good is from the Lord-during most of his life; but it was not enough to know this theoretically. He had to become convinced of it with all his heart and soul, so that he could, in all sincerity, prostrate himself before the Lord, pleading for forgiveness and describing himself as the greatest of all sinners.
     This should not be misunderstood. The Journal of Dreams is not macabre or gloomy. The dominant note is one of intense joy in the delight of belonging to the Lord. The following is typical:

     "I then arose, full of God. God be thanked and praised! I do not will to be my own: I am certain of it, and believe that Thou, O God, lettest me be Thine, all my life long, and that Thou dost not take away Thy Holy Spirit from me, which strengthens and upholds me."*
     * JD 103

     His new state, and his supernatural dreams, became so important to him that he was greatly disturbed by the fact that during one night he did not dream at all. He had little real idea of where all this would take him, but he felt quite strongly that it was a foretaste of some future use. He continued with the philosophical works, and seemed to think that his new enlightenment was for the sake of those works. He spent a lot of time and thought in recasting his projected series of chapters and volumes, doing so by virtue of his new enlightenment. But here and there in the Journal he wonders to himself whether he is not to take a different path altogether.

     "My having ruffles signifies that I am not among the clergy, and that I am and ought to be in a civil office."* We recall that he continued in the Board of Mines for another three years. Another dream suggested that "for the glory of God we ought to make returns to the church at large in some form or other: this, it seems to me, will also perhaps be done."** Later he comments that this signifies that "I would rather be in philosophical studies."*** Yet, a few pages later, he writes: "a voice seemed to say to me that some command would be given from within"**** and, to take but one more quotation, we read this: "I had come [to Holland] to do that which was best of all, and I had received a talent for the promotion of God's glory. I saw that all had helped together to this end; that the Spirit had been with me from my youth for this very purpose: wherefore I had considered myself unworthy of life unless I followed the straight direction."*****
     * JD 29
     ** JD 32               
     *** JD 85
     **** JD 91               
     ***** JD 110

13




     We quote this because it helps to correct the impression that a superficial view of his life makes, namely, that he went from one thing to another and could not settle down to being a scientist, a chemist, an anatomist, a political theorist, a philosopher or a civil servant. There is no doubt, of course, that he was all of these things, but they must all be seen as part of the "straight direction" followed from his very youth. On the one hand, he had a strong desire to be of use to his fellow men, to his country and to the human race; and in spite of his growing philosophic interest, and even for two years after his call, he continued to act on the Board of Mines as one of Sweden's leading civil servants. On the other hand, in his studies he had but one end in view. This is somewhat obscured by the long path he felt it necessary to trace through the sciences, chemistry, anatomy, psychology and philosophy; but nonetheless it can fairly be said that his entire ambition was summarized in the last work of this series, the Worship and Love of God. He had determined, although not a theologian or a clergyman, to make a path of faith, so that the learned and the skeptical who could not accept religion blindly would have a reasonable basis for belief in God, in a life after death, and in the life of charity.
     To follow this golden thread in its entirety would be intensely rewarding; but it is out of the range of our present study and a few references will have to suffice. First we have the note in the Journal of Dreams to the effect that the Spirit of the Lord had been with him from his youth, so that he would have been unworthy of life had he not followed the straight direction.
     Then, in looking back over his life, he said that from his fourth to his tenth year he was "ever in thoughts concerning God, salvation, and man's spiritual passions," and that from his sixth to his twelfth year his delight was to discuss with priests concerning faith and the life thereof.* In the midst of his philosophic studies he even produced a little work, Faith and Good Works, and yet another on Providence.
     * Docu. 243
     In Swedenborg we find two elements which in his time were considered contradictory-a profound and simple belief in God and confidence in science and in human reason. When he set out to find God and the human soul, he deliberately chose the scientific path, the path of experience; working, as he said, a posteriori. He may not have understood why, but it was necessary for the whole range of scientific experience to be gathered into his fantastic mind, for nature and the Word are the two foundations of truth. Indeed, nature may be called the first revelation, and when it is properly understood it speaks the same truths as the written Word.

14


As Swedenborg said in his preface to The Infinite:

     "Philosophy, if it be truly rational, can never be contrary to revelation. . . The end of reason can be no other than that man may perceive what things are revealed, and what are created . . . the end why reason is given to us is that we may be empowered to perceive that there is a God, and to know that He is to be worshiped."*
     * No. 1

     In the spirit of the command: "They shall not appear before the Lord empty,"* he had devoted his talents to the acquisition and study of all of the knowledges which he felt would lead to an understanding of the Infinite and of the soul. He approached the Most High from experience, geometry and reason; and although he acknowledged, of course, that truth must also descend from above, a priori, he modestly left that to the angels as being beyond him. He was willing to take all of the evidences of truth that were available outside of him, lest he fill any gaps with ideas from himself. As he said in his preface to the work on the brain:
     * Deuteronomy 16:16

     "It is a space of many years since I first conceived the idea of cultivating Rational Psychology or of investigating the essence and faculties of the soul and of our internal senses. But hitherto the great difficulty of these subjects and the vast number of things to be learned have prevented me from daring to make a premature advance in this direction. . . . For the perfecting of this single science, all the sciences must be called into aid. . . . If one enters into this contest with less than all, then at the very threshold how unarmed will he find himself, and unequal to the mighty task. For whenever he is ignorant of the things necessary for his guidance, he will draw them out of himself."*
     * "The Way to a Knowledge of the Soul," Scientific and Philosophical Treatises, II, p. 43

     During the crucial years he wrote his prologue to the Animal Kingdom, and in it he reveals his ruling motive:

     "Whoso believes revelation implicitly, without consulting the intellect, is the happiest of mortals, the nearest to heaven, and at once a native of both worlds. But these pages of mine are written with a view to those only who never believe anything but what they can receive with the intellect; consequently who boldly invalidate and are fain to deny the existence of all supereminent things sublimer than themselves, as the soul itself and what follows therefrom, its life, immortality, heaven, etc., etc. . . . For these persons only I am anxious. . . . For when I shall have demonstrated truths themselves by the analytic method, I hope that those debasing shadows or material clouds which darken the sacred temple of the mind will be dispersed; and thus at last, under the favor of God, who is the Sun of wisdom, that an access will be opened, and a way laid down to faith. My ardent desire and zeal for this end is what urges and animates me."*
     * Prologue, Animal Kingdom 22

     We have quoted at length because, seen in the light of what we know of his later life, this is a remarkable prophecy of the Writings themselves, which were given "to convince even the natural man if he is willing to be convinced."*

15


In other words, although he could not possibly foresee how it would happen, he longed throughout his life to be the instrument for revealing these sacred truths, and thus opening up a path to faith. The Lord implanted this love in him from earliest infancy, and knowing this we can see evidence throughout his life that he was looking for this call. Why, then, was he tempted! For the same reason that all men are tempted, because there was much of self adjoined to that love. It had to be purified of all thought of personal ambition and pride before the goal could be reached. The method of approach which he had so courageously defended in spite of attacks upon him as a materialist and skeptic had now to be abandoned, at least in spirit. He was to become an angel, and, like an angel, to be the means whereby the Lord Himself descends with His truth to teach men. So it was that a combat arose between his proprial desire to go farther than any man before him-as Sandels said, his desire to go too far-and the love implanted in him of being of genuine service.
     * SS 4. Cf. TCR 192; AC 10614:2; AE 763, 1065e; De Dom. Pref.; HH 1e; AR 544, 828
     From an external point of view the cost was great. It meant giving up all hope of worldly fame, at least during his lifetime; and so, after the preparation had been completed, we find Swedenborg as a person retiring from the scene. The Writings were published on the authority of their own sacred truths. They took no glory from the name Swedenborg; and since his own part in them was not known, they added no glory-or, for that matter, disrepute-to him as a person. It meant leaving all to follow the Lord: leaving his nets, for he was a spiritual fisherman; selling all that he had, with but one ambition-to serve. In the end, the thing he feared most of all was that this use would be taken from him. "I am an instrument with which He may do what He pleases."*
     * JD 177

     In another place he writes:

     "I saw also in a vision how some beautiful bread was presented to me on a plate. This was a prediction that the Lord Himself will instruct me, as soon as I have attained that state in which I shall know nothing, and in which all my preconceived notions will be removed from me; which is the first state of learning: or, in other words, that I must first become a child and that then I shall be able to be nurtured in knowledge as is being the case with me now."*
     * JD 195. Cf. AC 1557 and see also WE 8212

     Now considering the quality of his philosophic work at this time-it is almost like reading the Writings-the marvel is that in spite of his introduction into the spiritual world, his call and his abandoning of worldly studies, he did not enter directly into his work as revelator. He had to begin all over again and traverse the whole of the second foundation of truth, namely, the Word.

16


At this point he was strangely ignorant of theology, and later he could see that this was of providence.* He was almost like a gentile with his simple acceptance of the letter of the Word and his indifference to theology. Perhaps it is this that makes it seem as if he was a scientist, then a philosopher, and then a theologian; but, as we have seen, in essence he was always a theologian-nothing else. However, the falsities of dogmatic theology were so great that had he been imbued with them his mind would have been closed to the truths the Lord was about to reveal in His second advent. What was required was not a priest, not a scribe or a Pharisee, but a spiritual fisherman.**
     * Docu. 237     
     ** Infl. 20. Cf. JD 121; Docu. 234, 243; BE 98
     Indeed there were four conditions necessary for his high office, and these were not met until he was almost sixty years old: 1) a complete foundation in the Word of nature; 2) an opening of his spiritual sight, so that, like the men of the Most Ancient Church, he might have Divine dreams and eventually open communication with heaven; 3) a complete foundation in the written Word, and the extent of his writing in this preparatory period gives some idea of how thorough that preparation was, and finally, 4) his personal character-his memory, his reasoning power and even his will "ad to be fully prepared. Then the revelation could come.

     In all the history of Divine revelation there has never before been a prophet or seer whose preparation for his use is open for us to study. This is partly because their preparation was more limited and their cooperation to a large extent unconscious. "They heard a voice, they saw a vision, and they dreamed a dream without any perception of what they signified."* The words were dictated to them, and it mattered little whether they themselves were good or evil. The Writings could not have been the surpassing revelation they are unless the instrument had been perfected in all his faculties; for although it may appear that there is an advantage in the automatic writing of the prophets, yet that was done only because the more orderly and direct form of revelation enjoyed by the Most Ancient Church had been lost. Is it not obvious that the most orderly descent of truth involves all of the degrees and faculties of the instrument, and not just his hands! Indeed, there can be little doubt that the Second Coming, by its very nature, could have taken place only through a man who was enlightened, and who had revelation by influx, not by viva voce dictation.**
     * AC 5121. Cf. 6000
     ** WE 7006; AC 7055:3, 6597e
     In Swedenborg we have a man whose character spans the whole history of the human race, including the perceptions and dreams of the church Adam, the knowledge of correspondences and the conscience of the church Noah, a full grasp of the letter of the Word to the Jewish and Christian churches, and the most advanced understanding of the natural world and the kingdom of the soul that has been achieved even to this day; and may we not see that the inspiration through such an instrument accounts for the fact that the Writings are actually the coming of the Lord?

17



     "This surpasses all the revelations that have hitherto been made since the creation of the world. Through this revelation a communication has been opened between men and the angels of heaven, and the conjunction of the two worlds has been effected; because when man is in the natural sense the angels are in the spiritual sense."* "Now, therefore, from what I have seen and heard I am permitted to describe these things in the hope that thus ignorance may be enlightened and unbelief dispelled. Such immediate revelation is now made because this is what is meant by the coming of the Lord."**
     * Inv.44. Cf. 52, 55          
     ** HH 1 OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1964

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1964

     Gyres. These are mentioned in the Writings as forms into which newly arrived spirits must be inaugurated that they may be initiated into fellowship with others and into the practice of thinking and speaking in concord and unanimity. A gyre is a circular or spiral motion, and the term is used in the Writings to describe a motion that is complete, perfect and perpetual. (See AC 5128.)

     Heavenly Marriage. This term, which is also peculiar to the Writings, is interiorly descriptive of a reciprocal conjunction of good and truth, or of the will and the understanding, which has its origin in the union or marriage of love and wisdom in the Lord. The heavenly marriage is effected in those only who have been regenerated, and it takes place in the rational of the intellectual proprium. Essentially it is a union in which love or good from the Lord received in the new will inspires life into truths in the understanding and directs them to uses, and in which those truths in their turn give form and quality to that love. The details are complicated, but the basic idea is that good from the Lord received from within by the internal way is brought into conjunction with truth received from without, from the Word, by the external way, that is, through the senses. We note that this union, which descends into ultimates in the mind, is preceded by a union entirely internal which initiates conjunction, and to which betrothal corresponds. (See AC 3952, 2803.)

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CHURCH 1964

CHURCH       Rev. MARTIN PRYKE       1964

     (Delivered at the Eastern Canada District Assembly banquet, Blair, Ontario, November 9, 1963.)

     The Importance of Definition

     The intelligent consideration of any subject requires a very careful definition of terms. This is no less true of a study of spiritual teachings in the pages of revelation than it is of the study of the most advanced sciences. Thus the New Church man is called upon periodically to examine the definitions which he gives, perhaps almost unknown to himself, to terms appearing in the Writings.
     Obviously there are some of these terms which are of particular importance. It has already been our privilege to hear an account from Bishop Pendleton of how we should think of our God, how we should define the term "Lord." Mr. Childs has spoken to us of the authority of the Writings in such a way that we have a clearer idea of what we mean by the term "revelation." We would like now to turn your attention to another term which is constantly on our lips, which is used in many different ways (and quite rightly so), but which is also often misused and misunderstood. We refer to the term "church."
     A misunderstanding concerning the definition of a basic term must always have disastrous results, sometimes even leading to a completely false philosophy and way of life. This is true of the term "church." If we think that the church is something which it is not, or if we confuse the different usages of the term and apply attributes to one usage which are intended for another, then we will come to many false conclusions, and some of these may even be destructive of spiritual life in the individual and in the church as well.
     In some way we are a part of this church and have, to varying degrees, dedicated our lives to the furtherance of its cause. We should not, then, be in any doubt about what it is that we share in and work for. Perhaps this is especially so for those of us in the Eastern Canada District of the General Church at this particular time. We have passed, since the war, through years of slow but steady development and growth. Both of our societies have found themselves in the fortunate position of being able to erect new buildings which much more adequately meet the material needs of their work.

19


Our numbers are increasing to the point where the uses can be adequately continued only with more laborers in the vineyard. These are encouraging and challenging times, but, like all such periods of growth, they have their dangers and pitfalls. In the first place, our sense of encouragement and hope must not be allowed to make us feel that we have reached our goal and so can rest on our laurels, for achievement is real and lasting only if it becomes a stepping stone to new states of accomplishment. Just as in heaven there is a constant progression towards perfection, a progression which continues to eternity, so with us on earth there must always be a continued striving; we may pause to reflect but we cannot cease from labor.
     Similarly there is a danger in times of success of mistaking the appearance for the reality. When we talk of success, of growth or development we actually are talking of external, or even material, progress. This must be so, for we are unable to make any fair evaluation of spiritual states. Yet membership, attendances, buildings, size of schools, balanced (or unbalanced) budgets are only very superficial considerations. It is true that we cannot help but be encouraged by such things; we cannot help but rejoice in them and offer genuine thanksgiving for them. But they must not be mistaken for something that they are not. As we know if we reflect upon it, the spiritual state of the church may be moving in a direction quite opposite to the external appearance. We earnestly hope that this is not so, and yet it will be so if we are not mindful. There is very real danger in worldly success. From it may come a complacency concerning spiritual things and an increasing concern in our hearts for the trappings of the church and the external signs of progress.
     In other words, an honest appraisal requires that we ask ourselves whether the real New Churchmanship of this generation is of the caliber of that of our forebears. We ask whether we continue to have a firm regard for the New Church and its teachings, whether we defend its distinctiveness so that all things may indeed be made new, whether we have the plain spiritual courage of earlier generations which led them to stand for their faith in word and deed regardless of less important consequences.
     We are not saying that these questions have to be answered in the negative; for no one knows what the answer is. But we do know that each one of us has to ask these questions of himself, has to make a rigorous self-examination lest he become a New Church man in name only, lest his loyalty be only a superficial thing, lest we be mistaking the appearance for the reality, lest we fail in our avowed purpose because we have never fairly faced up to the responsibilities that accompany that purpose.
     Gathered in an Assembly of the church we may rightfully ask these questions and determine what our course shall be.

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This requires that we understand exactly what our responsibilities to the church are, and this in turn requires that we have a very clear idea in our minds as to what the church is.

     What the Church Is

     "The church is the Lord's heaven upon earth."* This is the simplest and most comprehensive definition that we have, and it is from this central concept that our thought must spring. We must, then, have a dear idea of what is meant by heaven; what is meant by the Lord's kingdom "The Divine of the Lord makes heaven. The angels taken together are called heaven, because they constitute heaven; but yet it is the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which flows in with the angels, and is received by them, which makes heaven in general and in particular."** The Divine of the Lord makes heaven, but the angels constitute it. This is not a difficult concept. The angels constitute heaven because they are the instruments through which the Divine of the Lord operates; they are the very objects of Divine love; in them Divine purpose reaches fulfillment. Yet the angels do not make heaven, in the sense that they might be assumed to make it to be what it is as to quality. All that is really heavenly, all that is good and true, is from the Lord alone. It is the Divine of the Lord which makes heaven to be what it is. There is nothing heavenly apart from Him. This the angels acknowledge constantly. They know that of themselves they are human, frail and evil; they know that everything that is good and true in them has come to them from the Lord and is His and not theirs. They know that without Him they have no life; without Him they are in utter cold and darkness; without Him they effect nothing that is worthy. "I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing."***
     * HH 57
     ** HH 7
     *** John 15:5
     The angels of heaven, then, are the vessels into which Divine life flows, the instruments through which the Divine life operates But, of course, they are willing instruments, they have chosen this path in the proper exercise of their free will. They are not dead instruments, like puppets dangling on a string, but are living, responsive vessels, reciprocating the Lord's love, delighting in His guidance. Such, too, are the men of the church. The church comprizes those who have so shunned evil as sins against their God that the way is cleared for God to dwell fully within them. They have removed all those Perverted and perverse obstacles which prevent the Lord's free operation in man; they have placed themselves in His hands.

21



     Clearly, then, when we speak of the church we are speaking of what pertains to the spirit of man. "Behold, the kingdom of God is within you."* "The church is within man, and not out of him."** The true church is the dwelling of the Lord in the heart and mind of man; it is constituted of those who permit this dwelling to take place. It is therefore an entity of the spiritual realm and not of this world. This is not a new idea, but we hope to show that perhaps there are implications or consequences of this idea that are often overlooked.
     * Luke 17:21
     ** HH 57

     Let us note another essential characteristic of heaven and so of the church. It is established upon the truth. The Lord's kingdom cannot exist with those who are in falsity, for falsity is disorder and heaven cannot be in disorder; heaven is the very form of Divine order itself. We cannot obey God unless we know who God is or what are His commands; we cannot serve the neighbor if we do not understand the true nature of man and of his destiny. How can we come into these uses and so into order without essential truths concerning both God and man! However well intentioned we may be, we still grope in the dark without the light of revealed truth. This must be self-evident, and is, of course, borne out by the fact that no one who has not received the truth in this world can enter heaven until he has been instructed in the world of spirits.
     This is all equally true of the Lord's kingdom on earth, the church. No true church can exist apart from the possession of genuine truth. Truth can be the only foundation of the church, and in so far as we depart from the truth we destroy the church within us and among us. The very purpose of revealed truth is that the order of God may be among men, that the kingdom of God may dwell on earth, and so that a true church may exist.
     Thus it is said in the Writings that the church is where the Word is, and this has always been the case. Each successive dispensation has received its character, and indeed its existence, from the presence of the Word in it. This is equally true of the New Church, which exists only from the threefold revelation contained in the Old and New Testaments and the Writings; its distinctiveness and its newness come from no other source.
     Yet the possession of the Word alone does not make the church, and of this we are reminded in the Apocalypse Explained: "The church is in man; for the church is a church from charity and faith, and these are in man; and if these are not in him, the church is not with him. It is believed that the church is where the Word is, and where the Lord is known; but still the church consists of those only who from the heart acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, and who learn truths from the Lord by the Word and do them; others do not constitute the church."*
     * AE 388a

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     Its Human Form

     The church, then, is the kingdom of God on earth, a kingdom established upon the rock of Divine truth. We may ask what form the kingdom is to take. It can, of course, take no form but the image of God Himself, for that which is in God's order is in His image. Therefore we may know that heaven and the church are in the human form. This is familiar to us in the teaching concerning the Gorand Man of heaven, showing that in the sight of the Lord all heaven is one man, and that each heaven, society and angel takes its proper place in this form. We know, of course, that this has no reference to a material form, that we are not to imagine heaven as laid out in a plan or map like the shape of the human body. Instead it means that there are spiritual uses in heaven which correspond to every use of the body, and this because heaven as well as the human spirit and body receive their form from the one Man who is God Himself.
     We cannot doubt that the same form is imprinted upon the Lord's church; that it, too, is seen by the Lord as one great man, although certainly a less perfect man than the Gorand Man of heaven. We do not speak of human organizations, although they should certainly be patterned on the human form as far as human enlightenment can devise; we speak of the spiritual form of the church. Those who are possessed of the Lord's Word and are living according to its teaching, shunning evils as sins against God, form a grand man of the church. Nobody will see this form while he is on earth; we cannot tell exactly what our function is within the form, or what is the function of any other man. The humblest member of a church organization may hold a most exalted use in the spiritual church and vice versa.
     It is not important that we should be able to recognize these things in individuals; this would involve knowing spiritual states and making spiritual judgments, and so would be destructive of the church among us. Yet the knowledge that such a form does exist within the true church is an important one for us to keep in mind. For one thing, it serves to remind us that within the church we are each called to a particular use, each given specific talents which may be used for the upbuilding of the Lord's kingdom. This is important both in teaching us contentment with our own lot, our own talents, and also in teaching us to respect the lot and talents of others. It is vital to our lives as individuals and to the life of the church that each of us should be content with the gifts that the Lord has given him; but this contentment will come to the rational man only if he realizes that however humble his use may appear on the surface, it is yet absolutely essential to the progress of the Lord's kingdom among men.

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Who is to say which organ of the body is the most important? A superficial view may be able to do so, but a more careful consideration will show that for the body to be fully healthy and useful every organ must be present in an orderly and active condition.
     We each, then, have something to bring to the church. We each have talents of the spirit which should be shared and used and not wrapped in a napkin and buried in the ground. This is true of external talents which may be of service to the organization of the church, but we are speaking of more than that now. We emphasize that in matters of love and faith every man and woman has a contribution to make; and if these things are offered, then the Lord can impress His form upon them, welding the many divergent forms together into an ordered organism which is the grand man of the church. The Lord's life will dispose and arrange and produce a fruitful form, a form fruitful of spiritual uses, if we will submit ourselves to His will, avoiding jealousies and conceits in favor of mutual trust and confidence in one another, and, above all, a trust and confidence in the ways of the Lord Himself, and in the form which He will imprint on His church.

     The Church Universal and the Organized Church

     We should, perhaps, interpolate at this point that we are confining our consideration in this address to the church specific. We are speaking of the true church comprised of those who now possess the Word of the Lord in its entirety, who acknowledge Him in His second coming and who, in the light of this revelation, are shunning evils as sins against God. The number of such regenerating members of the Lord's kingdom on earth is known, of course, to the Lord alone.
     The concept of a church specific does not imply that only such men are salvable, for there is also a church universal comprised of all men of all faiths who are living such a life that they will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. These are those who acknowledge an authority outside of themselves, who recognize the necessity of leading a life which is not simply a fulfillment of one's own desires but is in accord with the dictates of a supreme authority, and who do, in fact, carry out these precepts in their lives. In other words, ignorance has never condemned a man, only wilful neglect of an acknowledged duty. The man who has learned to discipline himself to the commands of authority is a man who is willing to learn the ways of heaven, and so, in the world of spirits, may be prepared to enter therein.
     As we will see in a moment the existence of a church universal does not, as might at first be imagined, imply that there is no need for a church specific.

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It is only part of the story to say that all men of all faiths can be saved and that all the varied religious roads lead to the same goal. Yet it is true that we do not understand the church specific and its functions without some understanding of the church universal.
     We would interpolate also at this time a comment on the organized church to which we have so far made only passing reference. It must be clear to any thinking person that we cannot equate an organized church with the kingdom of God on earth. The former is a means towards the establishment and increase of the latter, and the means must not be mistaken for the end. There will doubtless be many humanly contrived organizations, men banded together in a common purpose, and they will each have their own particular use to perform in their own age and their own place. We must align ourselves with that one which we believe to be best suited to the needs of the church specific as we see them, but in doing so we may not condemn other organizations as not being a part of the New Church. It is not only natural, it is right, that we should develop strong loyalties to the organization of our choice, but these must not be allowed to blind us to the difference between our human organization and the Lord's kingdom. What a terrifying pride would be involved in confusing these!

     The Functions of the Church

     Returning to our consideration of the church specific it still remains for us to note its function, its spiritual functions, its use to heaven and man. These things are best understood if we remember that the Lord's kingdom in the heavens and His kingdom on earth are not really two but one kingdom. To express it in another way, the men of the church specific are conjoined with the heavens. This conjunction is possible because, having shunned evils as sins, they are in the love of the Lord and the neighbor, but also because, being in possession of the Word, their lives are in genuine order.
     The important and interesting thing to note about this conjunction, or the unity of the kingdom of heaven and the church, is that this serves a function to both. It is imperative that the heavens have an ultimate upon which to rest and the only ultimate possible is the life of good of the men of the church specific. Should this foundation be taken from the heavens associated with this earth they would have to be associated with the good of another earth in order to be preserved. This dependence upon an ultimate is found also in the teaching given concerning the association of the angels of heaven with a man when he is reading the Word. Thus the man of the true church, in his life of good, as he reads the Word, as he participates in worship and partakes of the sacraments, serves as a foundation for the heavens themselves.

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     At the same time this association between heaven and the church provides the path of spiritual influx which preserves the very existence of the human race. This is clearly stated thus: "of necessity there must be communication of heaven with man, in order that the human race may subsist, and this by means of the church, for otherwise [men] would become like beasts, devoid of internal and external bonds; and thus each would rush without restraint to accomplish the destruction of others, and they would annihilate each other."*
     * AC 4545:7
     It is as the basis for this influx that the church specific is described as being the heart and lungs of the church universal. It is the only means of real conjunction with heaven and therefore is the only path for influx from the heavens to earth. It is for this reason that the Lord has always provided that such a church specific shall exist, establishing a new one upon the remnant of the old before its consummation is complete.
     In addition it is to be remembered that the church specific is the only way in which order is established on earth; without it man's way is chaos. It is not the will of God that we should prepare for eternal life among disorderly permissions; this way has been brought about by man himself. The way of God is that all men should be of the church specific preparing for the order of heaven by an orderly life on earth. That some should now prepare for heaven despite ignorance and falsity, despite disorders and evils, is a sign of the wonderful mercy of the Lord which will permit this; it is not a sign that this is the way He ordained. Therefore the striving of Providence is to return man to true order, to a state when the church (the New Church) shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, when all men will be led through truth and not falsity, and will be inspired to good by good and not in the face of evil.
     The church where the Word is and where it is lived is the only means to a restoration of peace and harmony on earth. The civil law may produce appearances of order among individuals; leagues and treaties may bring an appearance of peace among nations; yet these are only appearances and they are not lasting. The only solution for the world's grievous problems lies in a spiritual revival, and this can come only from the Lord, and He effects this only through His Word and so through His church.

     Conclusion

     In the light of these concepts we can see the church in a proper perspective; we can see its relationship to the world about us, and we can then see more clearly the great significance of its task and so the extent of our own responsibilities. If we think of the church apart from its function as a means of communication between heaven and earth and as a nucleus which may grow to embrace the whole of mankind, in truth bringing heaven down to the whole earth, then we do not see its real nature and purpose.

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     Indeed what we are left with is a view of the church that embraces only our own small organization. This is a view that we are very prone to hold. When we speak of working for the church, of the welfare or growth of the church, are we not usually thinking of a human organization? Yet when we support the church by attending worship we are not supporting the work of a priest but of the Lord. When we support the church by making financial contributions to it, we are not supporting a society or body of the church but are supporting the work of the Lord's kingdom. When we seek growth and development among us, we do not seek the welfare of a human organization but look to the welfare of the whole of mankind.

     Our view must carry us beyond our own provincial borders; we must understand that our work is for the spiritual welfare of the whole human race. How else can we understand the teaching that love of the church is a higher form of charity than love of society or country? It is the love of the Lord's kingdom and so is second only to love of the Lord Himself.
     Dare we be more narrow in our view! Yet this is certain: every time we think of the church in terms of our own little group and fail to see it as a work for mankind, then we detract from or even begin to destroy that work. The church is more important than you or me; it is more important than any human organization, small or great; it is more important than all these because it is the work of the Lord among men; it is the very fulfillment of His Divine purpose-nothing else.
     If we believed that the church is anything less than this, how could we continue in our work in the face of discouragement and such pitifully slow growth? It is only because we can see that the church is of the spirit, that it looks to eternal ends, that it is not to be counted by heads, or buildings or schools or budgets, but is judged by the heart and mind of man; it is only because we can see this that we have the heart to continue in what seems an impossible task.
     It is the Lord's work, however, His alone. For this reason we need not fear, for if we will but play our part He will be with us and will strengthen and guide us. With man responding to His love, the Lord can and will accomplish all; and we may look with humility and gratitude to the day when His church will embrace all men, when His kingdom will bring every peace and joy to the whole earth once more.

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MISS HARRIET ELIZABETH ASHBY 1964

MISS HARRIET ELIZABETH ASHBY       Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS       1964

     A Resurrection Address

      (Bryn Athyn, Pa., November 9, 1963.)

     "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." (Psalm 122:1)

     The first entrance into the spiritual world after the death of the body is attended with tranquillity, peace, and joy of heart. This is true of all men, regardless of the time or the manner in which death has come to them. It is so provided in the Lord's mercy, in order that the transition from one world to the other may be most perfectly protected. Death produces complete unconsciousness for a period, out of which there is a gradual awakening as if from sleep. The first return of consciousness is a dream state, between sleeping and waking. There is no memory of the past, and no reflection upon the present. The celestial angels, whose function it is to minister to those who are being resuscitated, wrap the wakening spirit in a sphere of peace. Against this background of safety and contentment there stands out, with gradually increasing distinctness, the realization that one is alive, and that life will have no end. This is the first thought that comes to the spirit, and in this thought the celestial angels hold his mind as long as possible. In this sense, the words of the Psalmist apply to every one: "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord."

     Of course, this first state lasts only a brief time, and the states that follow will be very various according to the individual quality of mind and of life that distinguishes each one. The joy which thus can be imparted upon first entrance into the spiritual world differs in quality and in duration according to the faith and the love that have been established during the life of the body. It is enriched in the degree that the mind has been stored with the knowledge and perceptive understanding of spiritual truth; but above all, in the degree that love to the Lord, charity toward the neighbor, and a willingness to be taught and led have been acquired by the life of regeneration.
     If this be known, we may perhaps be able to realize, at least to some degree, the merciful providence of the Lord which lies concealed in old age.

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It has been ordained by the Divine Creator that the life of man on earth should be divided into successive ages, each serving as a necessary preparation for the one to follow. Infancy, childhood, youth, adult age, and old age follow in order, each one contributing something of great importance to man's spiritual and eternal life. It is not necessary that every one should experience all of these ages. There are innumerable uses in the Lord's heavenly kingdom. Some demand the preparation of a long and full life on earth, while for others this would not be a help but a hindrance. There are uses that can be performed by those only who have entered the other life in infancy, and uses which require a somewhat longer preparation. But there are heavenly uses which those only are equipped to perform who have lived to a great old age; and for these the experience of old age is vitally important. Without it one could not enter into the full performance or enjoyment of his eternal use.

     Whether the experience of old age is turned to the greatest benefit will of course depend upon each individual. It will depend upon how far he opens his mind to those heavenly influences which specifically belong to this period of life. Of course, in what way this challenge is met will necessarily differ according to the individuality of each one, and according to the circumstances of life in which he finds himself. But it is not without Divine intent that every one at this stage should suffer in some degree the loss of bodily strength, should experience a deprivation of that kind of mental vigor which is demanded by the competitive occupations of human society, and should therefore be compelled to relinquish the worldly drives and ambitions which have played so important a part in his earlier life. Only in this way can the inner mind be liberated from the pressing responsibilities which have held it closely bound to the things of earth, and be granted the opportunity to reflect more calmly upon those spiritual values in which lies the secret of true wisdom. But the highest benefits which the Lord seeks to impart during old age are not those of conscious intellectual progress into the deeper understanding of truth. Rather are they the product of a subtle and quite unconscious preparation of the spirit for entrance into eternal life through an increase of trust in the Lord, of willing submission to His providence, and of an unquestioning faith in His merciful protection. Herein lies the innocence of wisdom. This it is that opens the way for the Lord to impart something of lasting value that cannot be given in the midst of the pressures imposed by an active struggle for worldly wealth or personal ambition. Only into a state of inner peace can the Lord inflow with heavenly remains of innocence and impart eternal blessings by means of them.

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     We have been led to these reflections upon the uses of old age by the passing into the spiritual world of our lifelong friend Elizabeth Ashby. In the Lord's providence she lived to be ninety-three years old, remaining on earth nearly twenty years after she had retired from active service. To all appearance she gladly welcomed this respite from constant responsibility, and derived from it, to a remarkable degree, the spiritual benefits for which it was intended.

     For seventy-five years Miss Ashby led a full and active life. When she was only five years old she became an orphan, and was taken into the family of an aunt and uncle who lived on a farm in Ohio. Very early in life she was called upon to help with the care of the animals, with the raising and gathering of the crops, and with the many duties that farm life demands. She learned industry, application and initiative, but she had little opportunity to acquire a formal education. As soon as she was old enough she was sent away to be trained in the art of dressmaking; and when she had gained sufficient competence she was employed as a seamstress, living first with one family and then with another. She was so skillful that her services were soon in great demand; and she came to Pittsburgh where she became acquainted with members of the New Church. Through reading and personal conversation she acquired a fundamental knowledge of the Heavenly Doctrine, and learned to love it deeply. Among those who befriended her at that time was Miss Maria Hogan; and in 1898, when Mrs. John Pitcairn died, Miss Hogan came to Bryn Athyn to care for the Pitcairn children. She asked Miss Ashby to come with her as seamstress for the family, in which capacity she served for several years.
     But Miss Ashby had always longed to become a teacher. She confided this ambition to Bishop W. F. Pendleton, and he not only encouraged her but opened the way for her to enter the Normal School of the Academy. She earned her tuition by teaching domestic art in the Girls Seminary. Having graduated from the Academy, she received a small legacy which enabled her to continue her education in Teachers College of Columbia University, after which she returned to the Academy fully qualified as a teacher. Mr. John Pitcairn provided a modest sum sufficient to equip a nursery school and kindergarten, and Miss Ashby entered with great delight upon the use which was her first love. After nearly twenty years of teaching at the kindergarten level she asked to be transferred to the fourth grade, because, as she said, she wished to enter into the teaching of more particulars of truth. In both capacities she was eminently successful. All the many pupils who were privileged to benefit from her teaching will testify to her remarkable ability to inspire love and confidence, to instill a sense of order, and to stimulate imagination and initiative.

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Indeed, she lived with her children in the imaginary world of knights in shining armor who, by feats of valor, always upheld the right, vanquished the wicked, defended the poor, and ministered to the suffering. To her pupils she personified all the virtues, and she led them gently but firmly to strive for them.

     In 1944, however, Miss Ashby retired voluntarily to the little home which she called "the house of peace." There, for nearly two decades, she lived entirely alone, keeping herself busily occupied with the care of the house and the garden and with the entertainment of her many friends. Her active mind was a storehouse of interesting information, drawn from her wide reading and from her keen observation of nature and of human life. No one came to see her who did not depart with some worth-while gift of kindly thought, and a refreshing sense of her cheerfulness and friendship.
     Miss Ashby was blessed with a strong constitution that preserved her physical health even to the last. She was characterized by a strong will, a marked spirit of independence, and together with these, a generous nature and a never-failing love of use. For these qualities she will be long remembered. But if there is one thing that has made a special impression upon our minds, it is the degree to which she utilized the years of her retirement to cultivate that peace of mind, that trust in the Lord's over-ruling mercy, and that glad acceptance of the dispensations of providence which could not but serve as a direct preparation for her entrance into the spiritual world. She knew about the life to come, and looked forward to it, not only with calm assurance but with joy, realizing that in it she would be given new opportunities to perform the use she so deeply loved. Surely she will be blessed with the care of little children in that new life, for we are told that angel-mothers who, during their life on earth have tenderly loved children, will be entrusted with their education in the heavenly societies devoted to that use.
     Meanwhile, her memory will be treasured with gratitude and love in the hearts of all who knew her intimately here. Through them her earthly use will still go on, in unseen ways. Although we will deeply miss her physical presence among us, we can only rejoice with the angels in her resurrection, and lift up our hearts in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for His infinite mercy and lovingkindness in opening for our friend the gates of everlasting life, echoing what she says in her heart: "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." Amen.

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SOCIETY DOCTRINAL CLASS 1964

SOCIETY DOCTRINAL CLASS       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1964

     (Extracts from a doctrinal class.)

     To understand the use of a society doctrinal class we must first know the place and use of doctrine in the formation of the church. As the Lord makes heaven and the angels constitute it, so is it also with the church. But the Lord makes the church through and in the Word that is from
Him-with us the Writings, and from them the Old and New Testaments; so whether we say that the Lord makes the church, or that the Word makes the church, it is the same thing. Yet how does the Word make the church? Certainly not as a book in a repository or on a shelf! No, it is the Word in the mind of man. Therefore we have the teachings: "the Word does not make the church, but the understanding of the Word,"* and "the church is from the Word and . . . is such with man as his understanding."**
     * TCR 243
      ** Ibid
     Doctrine is nothing else than the Word formulated for use-for good, for application to life. Therefore it is said further that not doctrine but "the soundness and purity of doctrine make the church,"* and that "the church is where doctrine is the rule of life."** Doctrine means teaching-the truth of the Word so adapted that it can be applied to life; and it is not an end in itself but a means to an end, which is life or good. Yet, in time, thinking comes before doing. Doctrine, even abstract doctrine, is essential to the formation of the church, for the good formed thereby takes its quality from the soundness and purity of the doctrine.
     * TCR 245
     ** AC 6637

     Good or life, spiritual good, is the reason for the church. The New Church, because it is given a new Word or revelation, is to establish on earth a new good, a new love to the Lord and toward the neighbor; and this is not possible except through the new doctrine derived from the new Word. For in every instance truth gives quality to good, and spiritual good can exist only from spiritual truth or doctrine drawn from the Word. Moral good can be formed by reason, without the Word. The general doctrinal class exists, then, that the society as a whole may come into new good through a common doctrine.

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     A society must have a collective as well as an individual existence. It must have a general good or use, and this is provided for through the general doctrine class. It cannot exist from worship alone. It cannot exist from individual reading of the Word and individual formulation of doctrine, although these are most necessary and without them the general doctrine of the church or society cannot exist. The society worship must, as it were, be made sound and pure and effective of conjunction with heaven, through and by means of the doctrine of the general or society doctrinal class.

     In the general doctrinal class the society thinks together from the Word, thinks on the same doctrine and its application to life; and this causes an association with the New Heaven that can be effected in no other way. The doctrinal class complements the Sunday worship; it is as the lungs, while the worship is the heart; and a society cannot exist without both, that is, cannot exist as a society for a spiritual use, although it may continue for a time as a society for pleasure. The individuals in a society should come to the doctrinal class in the spirit of thinking and learning together from the Word, and not in the spirit of receiving what is for their personal advantage or according to their preference.
     Too many of us think of the doctrinal class in terms of what we get out of it, and not in terms of what we can contribute to it by thinking with our brothers and sisters on the subject being presented. Because we think of it in terms of person, especially our own person, we come because we like the subject, or because we like the minister who is presenting it, whereas we should come in the spirit of being instructed from the Word.
     The minister tries to accommodate the teachings of the Writings to the people, but he, in the enlightenment of his office, is to select the subjects to be presented; for the Lord, through his office, provides that "the Divine may be among men." The minister is the servant of his office, and it is his function and use to teach according to what he sees to be the needs of the church.
     Seeing the use of the general doctrinal class, we can place private and group classes in their proper perspective. In general, they should be in support of the society doctrinal class. They should not take the place of it. Rather should they help the individual to understand and enter more fully into the spirit and use of the society doctrinal class.

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ONLY TWELVE MEN! 1964

ONLY TWELVE MEN!       Rev. NORMAN H. REUTER       1964

     (Reprinted from the Detroit New Churchman, November, 1963.)

     Twelve men-the Apostles-were the instruments in the hands of the Lord to launch an internal revolution in the thoughts and lives of men which turned back the downward course of the human race. The effect of their work led not only to the establishment of the Christian Church but also to the development of what we call modern civilization. Hundreds of millions of people in the world are now aware of the Divine incarnation, and more or less affected by the Gospel message, because of the movement they, externally speaking, initiated. Among these people rests world leadership today.
     Yet what was the equipment these twelve disciples had to accomplish this task? When called, they had neither the prestige of great influence in the society in which they moved nor the advantage of great learning. They possessed neither power nor wealth. Do not history and revelation show that their principal tools were unbounded zeal for the truth which the Lord had led them to see, and an ardent desire to benefit others with what they had received from Him?

     Psychologically, New Church men, like the early Christians, are often overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task which the vision of the Writings shows them lies ahead. If they measure the possibility of success by the personalities and talents of those now professing faith in that vision, at the same time reflecting on the opposing forces that exist in the world, the spirit of defeatism soon slackens their hands and slows their efforts. But men are not responsible for the accomplishment of the Lord's work! Their part is to understand the new revelation so clearly that they can have a rational faith in the power of that truth, and then to know that if they act with confidence in that truth, and according to it, always with concern for the good of others while fighting the tendency to consider self first, then the Lord will be able to use them and their efforts for the upbuilding of His kingdom in ways incomprehensible to finite minds.

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REVIEWS 1964

REVIEWS       NANCY STROH       1964

DISCIPLINE. By Martin Pryke. General Church Publication Committee, Bryn Athyn, Pa., 1963. Paper, pp. 99. Price $1.00.

     This timely book is a welcome addition to the educational literature of the General Church. This is an age wherein unrest and problems with youth are under daily observation and discussion in the press. In Discipline the author has gathered together a wealth of passages from the Writings and has used them as a basis for a thoroughly distinctive, practical and affirmative approach to ways to avoid some of these problems through purposeful education in discipline. The book can usefully be read by all New Church adults who have any dealings whatever with children and young people.
     The material in this book was originally offered to members of the General Church Educational Council in the summer of 1960 as a series of lectures. It was the appreciative and enthusiastic response of those who were privileged to hear them which led ultimately to publication.
     In the introductory chapter, dealing with the definition of discipline, the author summarizes his approach to the subject when he says: "the popular inference that discipline is synonymous with punishment is an erroneous and unfortunate one. This confuses the part with the whole and gives an entirely negative impression of something that is essentially positive in character. Discipline may sometimes involve punishment, but this is only a means to an end and is not to be confused with the end itself. Discipline should not be regarded negatively as an unfortunate necessity, but positively as a vital use to be performed."
     This theme the author discusses thoroughly and well in the nine chapters which follow, and achieves an aim stated in the preface: "to avoid repeating material which is available in other publications" of the church. In addition to the numerous interesting quotations and references from the Writings, we are also given many suggested further readings from past and contemporary New Church writers. There is a little inconsistency in the manner in which these references are presented. Some are in the form of footnotes, while others are in the text itself; but this is a very minor criticism and in no way detracts from the value of the work. All of these references are repeated in the bibliography, along with selected other references from writers outside the church. In addition to this bibliography there are two interesting appendices: the first dealing with the various ages of man as described in the Writings, the other presenting teachings from the Writings as opposed to the teachings of modern texts.

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     Although the author has indicated that Discipline is most suitable for teachers and those in teacher-training courses, this reviewer feels that parents would find the material extremely useful. The chapters which deal specifically with the school might be of interest to them in giving them a greater understanding of some of the problems of group discipline and of how these may be met. In addition, they would find much very valuable material and many thought-provoking references from the Writings that would have direct application to their work with children in the home. In this connection we would particularly recommend the chapters entitled "Functions of Discipline," "Adult Responsibility in the Disciplining of Children" and "The Child We Discipline"; also the chapters on "Rewards" and "Punishments."
     With many years as a headmaster in various New Church schools behind him, Mr. Pryke has been able to write with confidence and insight. He has exhibited a sympathetic insight into and understanding of difficult states and the sense of humor necessary to weather them with equilibrium. The results, as presented in Discipline, should give inspiration and assurance to all who have the fortunate privilege of working with the children and the youth of the church.     
     NANCY STROH
CONSCIENCE 1964

CONSCIENCE              1964

     "Conscience is formed with man from the religious principle in which he is, according to its reception inwardly in himself.

     "Conscience, with the man of the church, is formed 6y the truths of faith from the Word, or from doctrine out of the Word, according to their reception in the heart; for when man knows the truths of faith, and comprehends them in his own manner, and then wills them and does them, he then acquires conscience. Reception in the heart is reception in the will, for the will of man is what is called the heart. Hence it is that they who have conscience speak from the heart the things which they speak, and do from the heart the things which they do. They also have an undivided mind, for they act according to that which they understand and believe to be true and good.
     "A more perfect conscience can be given with those who are enlightened in the truths of faith more than others, and who are in a clear perception above others, than with those less enlightened" (HD 130-132).

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DEGREES OF EVANGELIZATION 1964

DEGREES OF EVANGELIZATION       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

     TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     Those who know of the Lord's second coming in the Heavenly Doctrine have a responsibility to share their knowledge with all who will receive it; a responsibility that should be a matter of conscience with each one. Yet if the work of external evangelization is to be soundly based, there is need to realize that internal evangelization must come first and be continued with it. The understanding and life of the Heavenly Doctrine must be fed and developed continually with those who are in the church so that the church may be growing in spirit even as the effort is being made to increase it in numbers.
     This belief is based on the teaching that the church itself is within man, and the church among men consists of those in whom the church is; for it follows from this that the church among men will increase truly only as the church grows within each one. It is a further teaching that in the New Church there will be no external without a living internal, and we may well wonder whether the Divine Providence would allow a growth rate of the organized church through external evangelization that was far in excess of its internal development.
     If we will reflect that no fruit can be other than its seed, we may be protected from the disappointment that false optimism invites. The church will best grow slowly under the Lord's leading. This should not cause us to relax in evangelization. Rather should it inspire zeal for the internal evangelization of every member of the church; for as that goes on the church grows strong in spirit, and the day is brought nearer when it can without danger grow strong also in numbers.

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PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS 1964

PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS       Editor       1964

     Most New Church men are familiar with Swedenborg's testimony that from 1710 to 1744 he was prepared by the Lord to teach spiritual things naturally and rationally, both by being introduced into the natural sciences and by the love of investigating and teaching natural truths, and afterwards spiritual truths rationally. The fruits of that preparation are in the Writings; but the preparation itself took form in Swedenborg's scientific and philosophical works, and as his birthday draws near it is not inappropriate to inquire why there is so little interest in, and even opposition to, the study of these works at this time.
     What is at issue is not the study of an eighteenth century scientist-though Swedenborg's anticipations have been freely acknowledged-or of a philosopher of that period. Nor is it likely that anyone now would contend seriously that in his works we have a Divine philosophy, still less a Divinely revealed science. For the former we go to those works of the Writings which shed the light of revealed truth on the problems of philosophy; the latter we do not expect to find, although the Writings surely contain Divine principles of science. It is rather that in the study of Swedenborg's works we may learn how his mind was prepared by the Lord; how he was led to form philosophic principles and doctrines which were the bases for his reception of the Heavenly Doctrine.
     As Swedenborg was prepared through the development of his philosophy, it seems a reasonable assumption that through the study of his philosophy we can be prepared to enter into the Writings with greater understanding. This is not a matter of salvation but of scholarship. The truths necessary for regeneration can be learned and understood without any knowledge of Swedenborg's philosophy-other prerequisites apply there; but we would question whether there can be a New Church approach to the Writings that is scholarly apart from an understanding of Swedenborg's philosophic principles and doctrines. However, there are those who think differently, and correspondence would be welcomed.
FAITH OF THE NEW CHURCH 1964

FAITH OF THE NEW CHURCH       Editor       1964

     It is the teaching of the Writings that faith is inseparable from life, that it is one with charity, and that it would be impossible without freedom. These truths are evident in the particulars of faith on man's part as stated at the beginning of True Christian Religion: 1) that God is one, in whom is the Divine Trinity, and that He is the Lord God the Savior Jesus Christ; 2) that saving faith is to believe in Him; 3) that evils are not to be done, because they are of the devil and from the devil; 4) that goods are to be done, because they are of God and from God; 5) and that these are to be done by man as from himself, but that it is to be believed they are from the Lord with him and through him.

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     As the inspired text points out, the first two of these particulars have relation to faith. The next two relate to charity, for the shunning of evils because they are sins and the doing of goods because they are uses are the two essentials that make charity spiritual; and it may be observed that unless and until men shun evils as sins they cannot do goods as uses. The fifth particular has to do with the conjunction of faith and charity, thus of the Lord and man; for it is in man's doing the goods of use as of himself, yet believing that it is from the Lord, that his charity and faith are conjoined, and it is in this action and reaction that the reciprocal conjunction of the Lord and man is effected.
     While these Divine words express the faith of the church on man's part, it is clear that the faith expressed is itself indefinitely more than an intellectual idea. It is, in fact, a state of love and thought which, as end and cause, produce a type of speech and action that ultimate charity and faith in use. Confidence and trust in the Lord, which come only from love, are the very being of any faith in Him, and that which makes them the being of a spiritual faith is truth from the Word: the teachings of the Word so ordered in the mind that they look to the uses of life; and where there is spiritual faith it manifests itself in the sight of a harmony of truths, conviction and acknowledgment.
     Obviously the faith of the New Church cannot be formed instantly. It is given to men by the Lord as they do certain things, and these take time and effort. Yet while that faith is established slowly, all the states that lead to it are states, formative states, of the faith of the New Church; even the faith of childhood, the youth's faith of authority, the natural faith of early manhood. For they have been directed to the Lord as He is revealed in the Writings, and to the truths taught in the Writings, and although they are natural they can become spiritual.
REFLECTIONS ON UNITY 1964

REFLECTIONS ON UNITY       Editor       1964

     There is today a vocal and influential element which insists that all distinctions among men are divisive. Mistaking sameness for equality, it denies that there are any basic differences between men; and it would legislate to remove those which do exist, or suppress them by polite fictions, in order to build a perfect society. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. Indeed nothing could be more destructive of a truly human society.

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     Society, on whatever scale it is conceived, is intended to be a unit; and it is the consistent teaching of the Writings that every one is formed from the harmony of many varied things. A one is never constituted of things that are exactly the same; it cannot be formed by the massing of identical things, but by varieties which are harmoniously conjoined. Indeed we are taught that a thing which is absolutely one cannot exist; it would not be anything since it would have neither form nor quality. On the other hand, the more components there are, the more they are varied yet harmonious, the stronger and more perfect is the form.
     Men do differ from one another, as do nations and races, and this in native endowments and mental capacities as well as in physical features and pigmentation, and it is mere foolishness to deny this in the name of some fancied theory. Only the differences which do distinguish men should never be regarded as making them superior or inferior human beings. All in the heavens are equal, for each angel loves every other as a brother, and no one wishes to command others but desires only to serve. Yet one angel does set another above him in proportion as that other excels him in wisdom, the love of good and truth in which he is causing him to subordinate himself freely. However, and this should be noted, no angel at heart acknowledges anyone as above him but the Lord alone. In the degree that these truths can be seen and acknowledged men will begin to move toward true unity. With any idea of intrinsic superiority or inferiority removed, differences among men, nations and races can be recognized freely; and, far from being regarded as divisive, can be welcomed and encouraged as potential contributions to the perfecting of society. We are, in truth, a long way from this, and some New Church men may be little if any better than others. But that is the concept of unity set before us by the Lord, whose infinity is imaged in the fact that no two of His creations are identical, but whose love is capable of leading them all as a one, in so far as they will receive it.
HARD SAYINGS: 1. DEAD CHURCHES 1964

HARD SAYINGS: 1. DEAD CHURCHES       Editor       1964

     The gospel relates that when the Lord had declared Himself to be the bread of life, many of His disciples said: "This is a hard saying; who can hear it?" and it is related further that from that time "many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him." There are in the Writings also teachings which for some have proved to be hard sayings, even to the parting of the ways. We propose to consider these, and we begin with the teaching that the Christian churches are dead, and that they have suffered the death from which there is no resurrection.

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     For many new readers of the Writings this is a hard saying indeed, and it long remains such even for some who have become loyal members of the church. It seems to be harsh, unrealistic, and not in accord with the observed facts. It appears to be a judgment on the former lives of those who have come out of the Christian churches; and, more important, it sounds like a total condemnation of those still in those churches to whom they are bound by ties of deep affection and long friendship. Yet that is only the appearance; the reality is quite otherwise.

     What the Writings really mean when they say that the Christian Church is dead can be understood only when it is known that all life, spiritually, is in use, from use, and according to use. The church is established by the Lord to perform certain uses: to provide for the presence of the Divine among the people and to teach men the way to heaven and lead them in it; to keep open a communication between heaven and earth, and thus serve as a means for that transmission and reception of the Holy Spirit by which men are taught and enlightened, reformed and regenerated. When the doctrine of a church, and the life to which that doctrine leads, become such that it can no longer perform these uses, that church is spiritually dead, no matter how vigorous it may be in other fields and no matter what other functions it may be performing. Furthermore, the use cannot be restored to it through any reformation; it is entrusted to a new church raised up for that purpose.
     When the Writings say that the Christian Church is dead, therefore, they mean that its doctrine and life are no longer the means through which men can be regenerated while they live on earth. No one can deny that it is performing social, moral, ethical and even certain religious uses; but it does not perform the uses in which the spiritual life of a church consists, and for that reason it is dead. In this, however, is no blanket condemnation of individuals. What the Writings condemn is not men and women, but evils of life and falsities of doctrine therefrom. In the Christian Church, as in the New, those only are condemned who confirm themselves in evil; in the former, those who from an evil love confirm false doctrine, in the latter, those who from evil reject truth.
     There are in the Christian churches untold men and women, known only to the Lord, who belong to the church universal. In so far as a simple gospel is preached to them, the Lord can bring them into a state in which the spiritual mind, neither opened nor closed here, will be opened after death. In so far as the old, dead dogmas are still being preached-in orthodox or in modified but even more dangerous form-He can and does withhold them from interior confirmation of them. These men and women will be saved; but the Lord's saving operation through, though not by means of, an imperfect medium, or despite a useless one, cannot be credited to the medium itself.

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     Once these distinctions are clearly seen we can come into a new freedom. We can accept what the Writings say about the Christian Church without fear that in so doing we are condemning millions of our fellows. This is vital, for upon that acceptance depends the establishment of a distinct and distinctive New Church. The faith of the New Church and of the Christian Church are so utterly opposed that they cannot be together in one mind: and no one can truly come into the New Church without the intellectual honesty to admit that the faith of his previous church is false. Yet in so doing he can take his stand with the Writings in repudiating, not men and women, but false doctrines.
FINITE AND THE ORIGIN OF EVIL 1964

FINITE AND THE ORIGIN OF EVIL       HUGO LJ. ODHNER       1964

Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE:
     In your November issue (page 494) Mr. Colin M. Greenhalgh poses the interesting question whether the church sufficiently stresses the acknowledgment that "the human race is infernal"; which is a part of the confession of the celestial church that the spiritual man knows but does not acknowledge.*
     * See AC 981, 597
     The passages quoted can speak for themselves. But the article repeatedly suggests that with man "the finite nature is evil in itself." This seems to go beyond the meaning of the teachings and may call for further reflection. For the race is not evil simply because it is finite. The first chapter of Genesis reiterates six times that what God created He saw to be good-indeed very good. Evil could not, of course, arise in the Infinite, but neither was the finite evil. Evil arose from the perversion of an existing good. How this occurred is described in Conjugial Love no. 444, wherein Swedenborg instructs some angels from a heaven of innocence. Among other things he said:

     "that man himself is the origin of evil; not that the origin was implanted in man from creation, but that he, by turning from God to himself, implanted it in himself. This origin of evil was not in Adam and his wife, but when the serpent said, In the day that ye eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, ye shall be as God; then because they turned away from God, and turned to themselves as to a god, they made in themselves an origin of evil. . . . Man was so created that everything he wills, thinks and does appears to him as in himself and thus from himself. . . . But if, in conformity with this appearance, he induces in himself the belief that he wills, thinks and thence does good from himself and not from the Lord although in all appearance as from himself, he turns good into evil with himself, and thus makes in himself an origin of evil. This was the sin of Adam."

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     The importance of clarity in our understanding of this subject is obvious. Some of the ancients regarded the material body-and indeed matter itself-as the source of evil. If man could only free himself from the prison house of his body or finite nature he would find salvation. Many therefore thought that the souls born on earth must have been fallen souls.
     But the Writings do not attribute evil to matter. For matter is in itself dead, devoid of life, thus neutral to good and evil.* Man in his freedom can indeed employ it to resist rather than to serve the ends of creation, and thus re-order it to represent, and in a sense correspond to, evil. Evil is, however, a spiritual disorder-a disease of the lowest degree of the soul. It can originate only in man, and this while he lives in the body. The natural substances on which his mind acts furnish the opportunity, but not the cause, for the natural mind to choose to act independently of the higher degrees.** When the lowest spiritual degree is separated from the two higher degrees (as described in DLW 345) the mind is inverted and may be said to be constituted of "such spiritual substances as are in hell."*** Yet these substances are merely disorderly formations of other finite substances created by the Lord, and the inmost finite substance of the soul is maintained in the order of creation beyond the power of human beings to pervert or destroy.****
     * DLW 89, 90
     ** DLW 260f
     *** TCR 38e
     **** AC 1999:3, 4; HH 39
     This is indeed implied when Mr. Greenhalgh speaks of the evil of man as being "distinct from the pure receptacle of life created by the Lord."* I believe that the celestial man, while confessing that his proprium, when acting alone, is utterly evil, would also be filled with gratitude that "the nature of the finite human of itself" [or "in itself"] is not evil, but, as a creation of God, "very good."
     * P. 496
     HUGO LJ. ODHNER

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Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     NORTH OHIO

     Although it has been quite some time since a report emanated from the North Ohio Circle this does not mean that we have ceased to exist. We are still here, and during the past several years we have had an active, stimulating and instructive church life, for such a small group. Old members have moved away, new members have arrived in the area, with the result that at this point we have in our area twenty-one adults and twelve children, scattered over an area of 3200 square miles.
     Our activities center in a General Church weekend once a month, when we are visited by a minister whom we manage to keep quite busy. The normal procedure has been this: Saturday night class at the home which the minister is visiting; Sunday services at the Cuyahoga Falls Women's Club, followed by a picnic lunch and a class for the children. The Women's Club is centrally located for the group and is in a quiet area, surrounded by lawns and gardens. We have come to think of it as our "church" and find it difficult to visualize the bridge parties that must take place there during the week.
     Our mainstay during the past two years has been the visits of either the Rev. Louis King or the Rev. Kurt Asplundh, who have driven, often with portions of their families, from Pittsburgh each month. This ideal situation ended last summer, when Mr. King was called to Glenview and Mr. Asplundh was left alone in Pittsburgh.
     At about the same time the Rev. Erik Sandstrom moved from England to a professorship in the Academy. We find ourselves quite fortunate in having him accept our invitation to become our pastor. Beginning just a few weeks after he arrived in the United States, Mr. Sandstrom has "jetted" to Cleveland the next to last weekend in each month for our General Church weekend. He has become, in a very real and warm way, our pastor. Mr. Sandstrom has established definite course of instruction, both for the Saturday night classes with the adults and the Sunday afternoon sessions with the children and young people.
     The North Ohio group has been further strengthened by an association which began when two sixth grade boys in a Bay Village, Ohio, school were informed by a Catholic girl in their class that they were both "Swedenborgians." It turned out, of course, that one boy belonged to the General Church and the other to Convention.
     The Convention group, about the same size as the General Church group and also without a resident pastor, has been conducting Sunday school each week in the Lakewood, Ohio, church, using the lessons prepared by Miss Gertrude Dole, who has visited Bryn Athyn several times. Some General Church members have been attending these Sunday school sessions for a number of months, and some Convention members have been attending the General Church Saturday night classes and Sunday services.
     The feeling seems to be that each group has strengthened the other. The Convention church building, located in a heavily commercial area, was sold recently, so that the society might re-locate in a more suitable area. The last service in that building, in which New Church services had been held for over a century, was attended by quite a number of General Church people, and at the last moment Mrs. Philip de Maine was pressed into service as the organist.
     The addition of Convention members to the General Church functions has meant that Saturday night classes become happily crowded-as many as twenty adults; and that as many as forty people have been present on Sunday, including newcomers to the church and people just being introduced to it.

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Close friendships have developed between members of the two groups and the mood of everyone involved seems to be this: the emphasis is on the very many things we have in common; whatever differences of opinion we have, if any, seem small; by taking advantage of the classes and the visits of ministers of both branches of the New Church each group becomes larger, stronger, more vital and more interested. It appears that the two groups can function independently, follow their own customs and traditions, and yet complement and help each other.
     With the inspiration given us by our new pastor, and the stimulation that comes from our association with another group of New Church people, church activity in North Ohio is definitely increasing, and we look forward to what we know will be an interesting future.
     CHARLES P. GYLLENHAAL

     LONDON, ENGLAND

     Because of the many difficulties attending a celebration after a Sunday service, it was decided this year to celebrate New Church Day on the actual day, or rather, evening. The innovation was justified by the fact that forty-three adults sat down on June 19 to a sumptuous supper prepared by the Women's Guild under the able direction of Mrs. Victor Tilson. Many came long distances after the day's work, but none further than the pastor himself and his wife; straight from the ship that brought them back from their farewell trip to Scandinavia, they arrived in time to sit down with us, and happy we all were to have them back.
     Mr. Robert Bruell was responsible for the program, his subject being "The Knowledge and Application of Doctrine." This he had divided into three aspects, and his speakers were: Mr. Geoffrey Dawson, presenting application to the individual; Mr. Tom Sharp, application within the home; and Mr. Norman Turner, application within the church. During the interval opportunity was taken to present Harald Sandstrom with a small farewell token of affection before his leaving for Bryn Athyn. His smiling good humor and unfailing courtesy have endeared him to us all. This was also the occasion seized by the Society to present Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Wainscot with a silver vase and 25 carnation blooms to mark their silver wedding on June 12. Many are the "new" members and potential members who have received hospitality and encouragement from this delightful couple, including your reporter, whose first visit to Michael Church was the result of several pitched verbal battles with Stanley in "the shop."
     The 48th British Assembly, held in Colchester in July, gave many London members their first opportunity to meet their future pastor, the Rev. Donald Rose, his wife Noelene and their small son. The meeting did much to raise our spirits, drooping at the thought of losing the Sandstroms, for one could not be many minutes in Mr. Rose's company without feeling his great affection for the doctrines of the church, and we have since had ample opportunity to savor his clear and warm style of presentation. Now that he is himself becoming firmly y entrenched in our affections he will not take it amiss if we report that August was a rather gloomy month in the Society's history. It would be a fickle society indeed that could let go the old and put on the new without a pang.
     Burton Road, and indeed Great Britain, owe much to the mental stature of the Rev. Erik Sandstrom and his unflagging efforts to promote a clearer understanding of the doctrines of the church whenever and wherever the opportunity arose. All who came within the orbit of his ministry were the gainers, and although we gladly acknowledge the higher quality of his future use at the Theological School in Bryn Athyn, nevertheless there remained a deep sense of personal loss with each and all of us; loss not only of our pastor but also of his wife, for in on speaking of the one we automatically include the other, so closely are they associated in our minds.

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     On Saturday, August 17, therefore, the Society gave a farewell party to enable us as a body to tell these beloved friends, if they needed telling, how much the eight years of their stay in England had meant to us. A lavish buffet was provided by the women of the church under the excellent management of Joan Wainscot and the floral decorations were skillfully handled by Edith Elphick. As was to be expected, there was a large turn out-more than eighty people. Mr. Stanley Wainscot, secretary of the Society, acted as director of the proceedings, and his opening remarks conveyed a warm welcome to the Rev. Donald Rose and his family and an assurance of the loyal support of its new pastor by the Society. Owing to the slight indisposition of their small son, his wife was unable to come to the party, so Mr. Rose was asked to take home with him a small bouquet of bud roses and present them to her with our affectionate greetings.
     The program included a few words of appreciation from a member of each activity in which Mr. Sandstrom had participated. This covered every aspect of the Society's life, and the speakers were so many that they had to be limited strictly to two minute search. Mrs. Colebrook spoke as representative of the Women's Guild, and on behalf of the Guild took the opportunity to present Mrs. Sandstrom with a lovely brooch in the shape of a swallow. The pastors past and present of the Colchester Society spoke on behalf of the priesthood; Miss Mary Lewin on behalf of the South London Reading Group; and there were many others, too numerous to mention. Letters of appreciation were read from the Rev. Claud H. Presland, secretary of the General Conference, the Rev. Dennis Duckworth, also of Conference, and Dr. Freda G. Griffith on behalf of the Swedenborg Society. At last, when all the speaking was done, we all rose and sang a song specially composed for the occasion by Miss Edith Elphick to the tune of "Passing By." Mr. Wainscot then presented Mr. and Mrs. Sandstrom with a check and an illuminated scroll with the names of those who had contributed. Young Eva was not forgotten; she received an illustrated book of London to remind her in the days to come of her stay in England. Although visibly affected by the warmth of the affection surrounding them, the Sandstroms spoke of the happiness of their years with us and predicted a bright future for Michael Church. The evening was brought to a close with the singing of the 48th Psalm.
     We record with delight that this has been a prolific year for visitors from overseas. Some of the names that come to mind are: Miss Wendy Wilkinson (stepdaughter of Mrs. Guy Wilkinson, nee Joan Adams) from South Africa; Mrs. Orchard, Mr. and Mrs. Keith Morley and Miss Iris Briscoe from Toronto; Mrs. Rosalba and Miss Mamie Hoek from New York; Mr. Arne Lindgren from Gothenburg and Miss Helleman from Denmark; and from Bryn Athyn, Mrs. Roena Acton Merlin and the Misses Lyris Hyatt, Vera Powell, Nancy Stroh, Beryl Briscoe and Alice Fritz, Mr. William R. Cooper, his daughter Doreen and Miss Phillis Cooper. It was grand to have the opportunity to meet and talk with them all; such visits serve the very real use of bringing us closer together into one unit.
     ISABEL ROBERTSON

     THE CHURCH AT LARGE

     General Convention. The Department of Religious Education, which was established in 1958 to supervise, co-ordinate and promote the educational work of the church, has issued a curriculum and prepared materials for primary, junior and senior classes. As recommended by the Council of Ministers, the curriculum is based on a three-year cycle on the themes of the Lord, the Word and the church. Each age group will follow the same general theme, but individual lesson topics will vary. A list of lesson topics and an outline of material now available were published recently in the NEW-CHURCH MESSENGER.

     General Conference. The Rev. C. T. Hill, M.A., Ordaining Minister and Superintendent Minister of the North Lancashire Province, has been appointed Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Council.

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     Australia. The Melbourne Society's new church building at Mt. Waverly was dedicated last August, the service being conducted by the Rev. Richard H. Teed. Work on the building had not then been completed, but it was hoped that regular services would begin there in October. The Rev. Bruce Williams of Fiji has accepted a call to the pastorate of the Melbourne Society.
     A recent issue of the NEW AGE extended a welcome to the Rev. Douglas Taylor and Mrs. Taylor, with best wishes for a happy pastorate at Hurstville.
49TH BRITISH ASSEMBLY 1964

49TH BRITISH ASSEMBLY              1964

     For the benefit of those who will be traveling in Europe next summer and who may wish to attend, it can be announced that the 49th British Assembly will be held in London, July 17-19, 1964. The official announcement and program will be published later.
GENERAL CHURCH RELIGION LESSONS 1964

GENERAL CHURCH RELIGION LESSONS              1964

     The Director announces that 464 children are receiving lessons this year. With 624 children enrolled in General Church schools, this gives a total of 1088 children receiving regular instruction. No figures are available as to the number of children in Sunday schools.
SPIRITUAL FAITH 1964

SPIRITUAL FAITH              1964

     "Faith is the affection of truth from willing truth because it is truth; and to will truth because it is truth is the spiritual itself of man; for it is abstracted from the natural, which is to will truth, not for the sake of truth, but for the sake of one's own glory, reputation or gain. Truth withdrawn from such things is spiritual, because it is from the Divine. That which proceeds from the Divine is spiritual, and this is conjoined to man by love, for love is spiritual conjunction.
     "Man may know, think and understand much, but when he is left to himself alone, and meditates, he rejects from himself those things which do not agree with his love; and therefore he also rejects them after the life of the body, when he is in his spirit, for that only remains in the spirit of man which has entered into his love. Other things are regarded as foreign after death." (Heavenly Doctrine 112, 113)

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ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS 1964

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS              1964




     Announcements.




     JANUARY 2-FEBRUARY 2, 1964

Monday, January 27
     3:00 p.m. Meeting of Headmasters
     4:30 p.m. Meeting of Pastors
     8:00 p.m. Meeting of Consistory

Tuesday, January 28
     10:00 a.m., and 3:30 p.m. Council of the Clergy

Wednesday, January 29
     10:00 a.m., and 3:30 p.m. Council of the Clergy

Thursday, January 30
     10:00 a.m. Council of the Clergy
     3:30 p.m. Committee Meetings

Friday, January 31
     10:00 a.m. Council of the Clergy
     3:00 p.m. Board of Directors of the Corporations of the General Church
     7:00 p.m. Society Supper
     7:45 p.m. Address by the Rev. B. David Holm

Saturday, February 1
     10:00 a.m. Joint Council of the General Church
     3:00 p.m. Corporation of the Academy of the New Church

Sunday, February 2
     11:00 a.m. Divine Worship
Academy of the New Church APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION 1964

Academy of the New Church APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION              1964

     Preliminary letters concerning applications for admission to any of the schools of the Academy of the new Church for the academic year 1964-1965 should reach the Director of Admissions before February 1, 1964. This deadline applies both to new applications and to applications for readmission of students already in attendance. Letters which arrive after this date will be process after work is completed on those which arrived before the deadline.

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SEEKING A SIGN 1964

SEEKING A SIGN       Rev. ORMOND ODHNER       1964


[Photo of The Reverend Karl Richardson Alden]

NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV FEBRUARY, 1964           No. 2
     "Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and disclose ourselves unto them. If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then will we stand in our place, and will not go up unto them. But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the Lord hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us." (I Samuel 14:8-10)

     The essence of God is twofold, namely, love and wisdom-infinite and eternal love and wisdom; and what His love desires, His wisdom brings forth. But the essence of God's love, the Writings say, is a threefold thing, namely, to love others outside Himself, to will to be one with them, and to will to make them happy.
     To love others outside Himself! God could not love Himself, for that would be infinite selfishness. He could not create another God to love, for there cannot be more than one infinite. He therefore created finite things.
     But love wills also to be one with the objects of its love. Every lover knows that, everyone who has ever had friend or family. Love, indeed, is a perpetual effort toward conjunction, a conjunction that is established when the one who is loved loves in return. It follows, then, that God cannot effect such a conjunction with inanimate things. Rocks and trees cannot see God, cannot consciously receive His love, cannot love Him in return. Neither can animals. Creation therefore went on until that had been created which was capable of such conjunction-man, feeling life as his own.
     The conjunction of man with the Lord entails, however, certain definite things. All conjunction in love must be free. It cannot in the least be forced; force destroys conjunction.

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Man, therefore, had to be created with the faculty of liberty, giving him free will. Nor can there be any conjunction of With God unless man can see God and can understand Him. Man, therefore, had to Ire created with the faculty of rationality in order that he might see and understand his God. It is in these two faculties, indeed, in liberty and rationality, that the essential of humanity resides. In them is all distinctively human life.
     Yet of what use toward conjunction with God would these faculties be unless there were a means enabling man to know and understand his God?     Therefore there had to be also Divine revelation. God has to teach men about Himself-His nature and His will-in truths mercifully adapted to man's understanding, for man cannot learn about God from himself or from nature.
     With all these things effected, however, man can enter into conjunction with the Lord; and he does so when, in freedom, he takes to himself the truths which the Lord teaches and applies them to his life. Then he is in the Lord, and the Lord is in him.

     When man is thus conjoined with the Lord the third essential of the Divine love is achieved-the will to make others happy; for the Lord seeks to be conjoined with men, not for His sake-we could add nothing to Him-but for ours. For man is regenerated when he is conjoined with the Lord; he receives the eternal delights of heaven in such conjunction; and, furthermore, he receives heavenly life in such a way as to feel it to be his own through such conjunction
     Conjunction with the Lord, we repeat, is effected when man, in freedom, learns the teachings of the Lord, works to understand them, and puts them into practice by methods and in modes that he himself, with prayer for guidance, sees to be most suitable for all concerned. When man does that, then he is in the Lord and the Lord is in him; for the Lord is in the truths of the Word, and man has thus incorporated those truths into his very life.               
     Note well that such conjunction of man with God is effected in the two faculties of liberty and rationality, those two faculties in which is all distinctively human life. No one forces man into it; he enters into it of his own free will. Neither does he do this blindly and without understanding. He knows what he is doing. Rationally he has decided for himself how to follow those teachings and how to apply them to life in the various situations and circumstances that confront him, as he has first sought rationally to understand the Lord's teachings. He has appropriated to himself what is the Lord's with both his freedom and his rationality; and, we are taught, whatever man does from his freedom according to his reason becomes an eternal part of his life.

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     What is not done both in freedom and with understanding is not appropriated to man and does not become a part of his life. Forced to do a thing against his will, even with full understanding of what he is doing, man inwardly rebels against it; and when the force is removed, he casts the thing away from himself. He has not done it from his freedom; it is not appropriated to him. Doing something willingly, but without any understanding of it, does not make that thing a part of one's life, either. Doing something to be helpful, for example, without any understanding of the direful consequences that that thing will actually have does not make those direful things a part of us. Following someone willingly but blindly makes nothing a part of our lives except the willingness to follow-that much we have understood. What comes from the Lord must first be understood, and then, in freedom, be lived, in order that it may remain with us to eternity; and so, in an internal church, the Lord gives no sure and certain external signs and indications of what we are to do in the affairs of our daily lives.

     Israel had been almost completely overrun by the Philistines, pressing inland from the isles of the Mediterranean. The Philistines were everywhere victorious, and had practically succeeded in disarming the Israelites completely. Seeking relief in external strength, Israel had obtained her first civil ruler, the rash and sometimes insane King Saul. Now Saul's impetuous young son, Jonathan, planned a two-man surprise attack on a garrison of Philistines stationed atop a hill so steep as to be practically a cliff. But first he would make a test. First he would get a sign from the Lord as to what should be his course of action. He would shout at them from the top of this neighboring cliff where he and his armor-bearer were standing. If they answered in one way, it would be a sign from the Lord that they should not attack; if they answered another way, it would be a sign from the Lord that attack would bring success. The Philistines answered the latter way, and Jonathan, thus externally assured that the Lord was with him, attacked and routed his enemy.
     In that mere representative of a church which existed among the ancient Jews, many external signs were given by the Lord to indicate His will. It did no harm at that time, for the Jews did not understand their religion anyhow, and appropriated to themselves nothing from the Lord. When they followed the Lord at all, they followed Him blindly, and rarely did they follow Him in freedom.
     When the Lord came on earth, however, and began to establish an internal church, the giving of such signs ceased; and speaking of signs of another kind-signs to prove that He had the authority to do what He did and to say what He said-He said that only a wicked and adulterous generation would seek such a sign.

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Therefore no sign would be given to it except the sign of His own resurrection-and that is a sign which "proves" His Divinity to those only who already believe in it. To give any external sign or miracle that would actually prove the truths of religion might indeed lead to a temporary acceptance of religion by an evil man, but soon he would again reject it. That is profanation, and the last state of that man would he worse than the first. Eight devils would take the place of one.

     To seek an external sign actually to prove religion, then, is wicked. But to seek external signs to reveal the Lord's will in our daily affairs is foolish. To say arbitrarily that if such and such happens, it will be a sign from the Lord that we should do so and so is even more foolish. We are told that we cannot see the Divine Providence in the future, nor even in the present, but only in the past, and even then, only in a spiritual state. Yes, it is foolish to rely on signs, even though there are such signs. Divine Providence, the Lord's government to lead men to heaven, is said to be over the most minute affairs of life, even to the drawing of lots, the shuffling of cards, the shaking of dice. All are governed, somehow, for man's eternal welfare. So-called luck or fortune in such things is actually Divine Providence in ultimates. But we are not to rely on such things to reveal the will of God for the future, not even for the immediate future. If I lose a throw of the dice, it is of Providence that I should, though I cannot tell why; but it may also be of Providence that on the next throw I should win.
     We are not to rely on external signs to reveal the will of God. If, some Sunday, there seem to be cogent reasons why you should not go to church-perhaps connected with your duties toward your family-and yet there are equally cogent reasons why you should go to church, why solve your dilemma by tossing a coin? Certainly providence will control the toss for the sake of your eternal welfare; but perhaps your eternal welfare, you being in such a state, will best be served by letting you into your evils here on earth, lest after death they break out and destroy you even further.
     What rational good does it do to look for such signs, to seek such external indications of Providence? None at all! It makes nothing of the Lord's your own, save a willingness to follow Him stupidly and blindly, and that is not His desire. Did not He Himself say: "Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you"? Instead of trusting to the toss of a coin, why not solve your problem in a rational manner, contrasting what you know of the Lord's teachings concerning the importance of external worship and Sabbath observance with what you know of His teachings concerning your duties toward your family, and then come to the most sensible conclusion you can reach?

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Then, whatever your decision-even if it turns out to be mistaken-you will have made something of the Lord's to be your own, and will have entered further into conjunction with your God.

     There are indications of Providence, of course, but there are no merely external indications to tell you how to run your life. The best indication of Providence are the Ten Commandments and all the other truths of revelation. They are what reveal the will of the Lord. Admittedly they do so only as to general truths; rarely do they state how those general truths are to be applied to the specific affairs of our lives. But Divine revelation has been given this way purposely, for it is just exactly in the carrying out of rational applications of general truths in the specific affairs of our lives that we enter into conjunction with the Lord as to both those faculties in which our essential human consists, the will and the understanding.
     Ours is a visible God, visible in the truths that He teaches. Only such a God can be worshiped. Only with such a God can man be conjoined; and man is conjoined with his God when he goes to the Lord, learns the truths He leaches, struggles to come to a proper understanding of them, and freely applies them to the situations and circumstances of his life. Thus, in freedom, according to his reason, he has taken what is from the Lord, has appropriated it to himself, and has made it a part of his life. Thereafter, and to eternity, he is in the Lord and the Lord is in him. Amen.

     LESSONS: I Samuel 14:1-15. Matthew 12:38-45. DP 212.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 471, 456, 466.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 45, 63.
SIGNS 1964

SIGNS              1964

     "In the Word a sign is mentioned in reference to things future, when it is said of revelation; and in reference to truth, when it is testification; and in reference to the state and quality of anything, when it is manifestation" (Apocalypse Revealed 532).

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AUTHORITY OF THE WRITINGS 1964

AUTHORITY OF THE WRITINGS       Rev. GEOFFREY CHILDS       1964

     (Delivered at the Second Session of the Eastern Canada District Assembly, Blair, Ontario, November 9, 1963.)     

     The Divine itself is infinite, and as such is unknowable to angels and to men. Even the highest angels are finite, and as such can have no comprehension of an infinite God. There is no ratio between the Infinite and the finite; there is no way in which finite man can reach out to and understand what is infinite.* For this reason, if there is to be any contact between God and man, the Lord must cloak His infinity in what is finite. Inevitably He must appear to man through what is finite. Thus the Arcana states that "things which are infinite and eternal are presented before the angels in appearances that are finite."**
     * Cf. AC 3404: 2.
     ** Ibid.               
     Now the Divine good and the Divine truth with the Lord are infinite. As such, they are entirely beyond the comprehension of finite beings; but it is essential to man that he know of the Divine good and truth, if he is to have any hope of salvation. This, then, is the problem, if we may so put it, that faces the Lord: man must know good and truth for his salvation; yet these in their origin, in their pure Divinity, are beyond man's understanding. It follows that, in order to instruct man, the Lord had to accommodate Divine good and truth to finite minds. He had to veil infinite truth with finite appearances, to cloak infinite truth in finite garb, so that men and angels could understand it.

     The Writings present the problem under discussion, and its solution, in these words: "If Divine truths themselves were to be opened, they would not be received by those who are in the doctrinal things of faith, because they surpass all their rational apprehension, thus all their belief, and consequently nothing of good from the Lord could flow in. For good from the Lord, or Divine good, can inflow only into truths, because truths are the vessels of good."*
     * AC 3387:1
     Thus Divine truths themselves are beyond man. What, then, is the Word? Do not the Writings and the former revelations give us Divine truth itself? From what follows it would seem that the Writings cannot contain Divine truths; but we would ask that judgment be withheld until the teachings have been unfolded.

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We read: "In order . . . that man may nevertheless have truths [despite Divine truths passing his apprehension] . . . appearances of truth are given to everyone according to his apprehension; which appearances are acknowledged as truths because they are such that Divine things can be in them."*
     * AC 3387:1, 2
     The point we are stressing here-that Divine truth must be clothed in finite appearances in order to be understood-is amplified in chapter twenty-six of Arcana Coelestia, which teaches that there are, in general, "appearances of truth of three degrees," and that these appearances were "adjoined to truth Divine in order that truths and their doctrinal things might be received, and that a church might come into existence."* These are "appearances of truth of a higher degree which are in the internal sense of the Word. The angels are in these appearances. Appearances of truth of a lower degree, which are in the interior sense of the Word, [are open to] men . . . who are of the internal church . . . [There are] appearances of truth of a still lower degree, which are of the literal sense of the Word; in these appearances those men may be who are of the external church."**
     * AC 3357
      ** AC 3356-3360

     In ordinary conversation we use the term, appearance, to denote the presence of an illusion, that is: "This is how it appears, but actually it is different." It is obvious, of course, that this is not what the Writings mean by the term, appearance of truth, in the case under study. In this theological use of the word, appearance, there is no connotation of what is false, of what is an illusion. In the usage before us, the word, appearing, means the Divine appearing on a plane lower than the infinite, the Divine appearing through finite coverings. Thus the three degrees of Divine appearances in the Word may be termed, genuine appearances, to avoid any implication of what is false being present.
     With these definitions and teachings in mind, how would the truths revealed in the Writings be defined? We know that they cannot be infinite Divine truths, which are incomprehensible.* We know that the Writings were written by the Lord to be comprehended rationally. The Writings must consist of appearances of truth-genuine appearances of Divine truth revealed for the rational plane of the mind.** This definition of the Writings as presenting appearances of truth is supported particularly by a passage which calls the "celestial and spiritual truths, such as are in . . . the heavens and . . . in the church . . . appearances of truth, and also rational things enlightened by the Divine."***

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This applies not just to man's reception of the Writings but to the Writings themselves; otherwise the Writings would be incomprehensible to finite man.
     * See AC 3387:1
     ** Can. Prologue 1; AC 3358-3360, 3387:1; TCR 508; AC 3368:2
     *** AC 3386:2
     Now we come to the crucial question. If the Writings present "appearances of truth," can they be called Divine! Are the Writings Divine truth or are they not? In an age when many brilliant men say that all truth is relative, does it turn out that the Writings, too, are relative-not absolutely Divine! This conclusion might be drawn out of the definition of the Writings as "appearances of truth," and thereby the authority of the Writings would be undermined. Fortunately, in this difficulty, the Writings themselves come to our aid. We read:

     "In the supreme sense, all things in the Word have relation to the Lord; and the Lord is doctrine itself, that is, the Word, not only as to the supreme sense therein, but also as to the internal sense, and even as to the literal sense; for the literal sense is representative and significative of the internal sense, and the internal sense is representative and significative of the supreme sense. And that which in the Word is representative and significative is in its essence that which is represented and signified, thus it is the Divine of the Lord; for a representative is nothing but an image of Him who is represented; and is in an image the Lord himself presented to view."*
     * AC 3393

     Note the teaching: "That which in the Word is representative and significative is in its essence that which is represented and signified, thus it is the Divine of the Lord." The Writings are the Word, for the Word is any accommodation of infinite Divine truth written by the Lord Himself.* The Writings are also a representation, a re-presentation, of the Lord; they are the Lord represented to the rational mind of man.** Therefore the Writings are in their essence that which they represent: they are the Lord; and their Divine authority is therefore absolute. They are the Lord speaking to man's rational mind, appearing before that mind. There is not here what is relative, but rather the absolute of Divine authority.
     * See AC 3432:3, 8200, 9349:2
      ** See AC 3358-3360, 3387; TCR 508:3; AC 3368:2; TCR 779-780
     A negative thinker-one who proceeds in his reasoning from the negative principle spoken of in the Writings*-will reject this assertion. How, he will ask, can what is obviously finite be called Divine? Externally viewed, this question is valid; for, externally viewed, the Writings are finite. They are merely a collection of philosophical teachings ultimated in finite paper and type. Viewed from externals alone, nothing of the Divine can be seen within these books written through Swedenborg; what is seen then is only the finite covering.

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But when they are viewed from within, by the spiritual-rational, the finite coverings are removed as it were, and the Divine Human of the Lord is disclosed before the spiritual sight. The Lord is seen appearing before man in His Word.
     * AC 2568
     Thus man's attitude towards the Writings depends entirely upon the principle from which he thinks. The affirmative principle, based on spiritual thought, leads one to see the Writings to be Divine; the negative principle, based on natural thought only, leads one to see the Writings as finite and, therefore, merely human. The spiritual-rational sees the essence; the natural-rational, the outer form. To relate this with an earlier address: the purely inductive reasoner adopts the negative principle, and sees a thousand limitations in the Writings; whereas the man whose thinking principle is deductive, based on belief in the Divinity of the Lord, sees the Divinity of the Writings.*
     * "The Serpent and the Man Child," NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1960, PP. 536-547
     If we have managed only to confuse your thinking concerning the Writings rather than clarify it, then we would ask you to think of this example. If there is a person we love and respect, our regard for him is not based on his physical appearance, his clothes, rather than on his character. His character is the essential man; it is the man himself, and we know it. So is it with the Writings. We do not regard the external appearances of the Writings-their clothing; rather do we look to the character or spirit within them-and that is the Lord in His Divine Human. We think then from essence, and all purely lower thinking is blindness.
     We will now leave the plane of more technical theology and concentrate rather on the regenerating man's reactions to the Writings. The intriguing teaching is that this reaction varies considerably according to man's mental state. There will be times when he sees the Writings to be the crown of revelations-the highest revelation of Divine truth. At other times he will see only that the Writings are rational appearances of truth, without Divine authority. Thus we read:

     "The spiritual, not having perception as the celestial have, do not know that, with a regenerated man, Divine truth becomes rational truth. . . . The spiritual do indeed say that all good and truth are from the Lord; yet as these come forth in their rational, they suppose them to be their own, and thus as it were from themselves; for the spiritual cannot be separated from their proprium, and their proprium so wills it."*
     * AC 3394:2

     Modern man needs his revelation to be on the rational plane. This is evidenced by the very nature of the Writings.

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Yet this immediately involves us in a conundrum, for it is the weakness of the spiritual man that he cannot see rational truth to be a Divine revelation. Once he understands the rational teachings of the Writings he feels that the ideas are his own. He cannot really see how those rational ideas in his own mind can be called the Lord's.

     Concerning the limitation of the spiritual man, the Writings state that "the [regenerated] spiritual man is in no other perception than that . . . if truth were rational it could not be Divine [that is, from the Lord]; thus that if it were Divine [or from the Lord] it would have nothing in common with what is rational."* One evidence of this is the lament sometimes heard that the Writings are too coldly rational. If they are a revelation from the Lord, it is asked, why cannot they be more poetic, more ethereal, more emotionally and imaginatively gripping! Why cannot they be like even the poetry of Shakespeare, or at least the poetic parts of the Old and New Testaments! This is one confirmation that the spiritual plane of the mind is not fully capable of seeing a rational revelation as the highest possible form of Divine revelation. There are other evidences of this truth as well.
     * AC 3394:3
     Because of this limitation in the spiritual regenerate we are told that "such persons are desirous that the things of faith should be believed in simplicity, without any mental view of them on the part of the rational, not being aware that not anything of faith, not even its deepest secret, is comprehended by any man without some rational idea."* Their desire for simplicity of belief without examination may, we are told, "protect them against those who reason about everything from what is negative as to whether it is so; but to those who are in the affirmative concerning the Word such a position [about simple belief] is hurtful, as it may thus take away from anyone his freedom of thought, and even bind the conscience to that which is heretical."** The highest ideal, then, is not to be bound by "things of faith believed in simplicity," but rather with love and freedom to explore and delight in revealed rational truth.
     * AC 3394:3
     ** Ibid.
     The spiritual man, whose limitations are drawn here, has other pitfalls to avoid! He has to avoid denying that the Writings are Divine. This is a temptation to him, because at times he cannot see how the rational truths of the Writings are anything but human. The direct teaching is that "the spiritual man is in no other perception than that . . . if truth were rational it could not be Divine."* Perhaps this explains why so many who know of the Writings, and have even read widely in them, cannot accept their Divinity.
     * AC 3394

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     There is one further danger to those of the spiritual genius. They are confronted with two contradictory ideas, and the clashing of these may result in a twisted conclusion. The contradictory ideas are these: the Writings are the Divine truth of the Lord; rational truth perceived by man is his own. When such men see the rational truths of the Writings in their own minds, and believe these truths to be Divine, they may conclude that Divine truth is actually their own. They may then claim a certain Divinity to themselves, stealing what is the Lord's. History testifies how often this very thing has been done. To avoid this spiritual theft, man must keep certain revealed principles in mind. One of these is that man's mind is finite, and he will therefore always see the Writings finitely. He can perceive that there is Divinity within the Writings, even the very Infinite; but even this perception with him is finite! The Lord alone can see the full infinity within the Writings. Another principle which must be kept in mind is that any perception of the Word that man does have is a gift of the Lord to him; it is not man's own.

     It is the celestial among men who see the Writings most clearly, who see beyond others that the Writings are the Divine Human of the Lord. Thus they take inmost delight in the revealed rational truth; to them it is Divine revelation in its most perfect and delightful form. It is their joy and inspiration to explore and perceive more and more of rational truth, ever extending the horizons of their minds.
     At the same time, they are able to acknowledge fully that "all good and truth flow in from the Lord; and also that there is a perceptive power of good and truth that is communicated and appropriated to them by the Lord, and that constitutes their delight, bliss and happiness."*
     * AC 3394:2
     When the Arcana speaks here, Chapter 26, of the "celestial," we do not believe that the reference is exclusively to that discretely different celestial genius possessed by the Most Ancient Church-a type of being no longer existing upon earth. Rather do we believe that the term, celestial, here would include the celestial degree of regeneration that is attainable by the spiritual man. That this celestial degree can be attained by the spiritual is evident from the teachings about the seven states of regeneration in the early Arcana. Included also, we believe, would be the celestial remains instilled in infancy. From these celestial remains the adult can receive certain general perceptions early in his regeneration, such, for instance, as that most general perception, that the Writings are Divine.

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He can perceive, in a limited way, that rational truth is also Divine truth appearing; and he can, sincerely if fleetingly, ascribe his perceptions to the Lord alone. Unless a New Church man could perceive that the Writings are Divine, the New Church would be without a Word!
     Within each regenerating New Church man there are many forces operating that affect his idea of the Writings. In his highest perception he sees that the Writings are the Lord with man-the highest revelation of Divine truth; but from his proprium, he would reject all revelation. The spiritual plane within him, as contrasted with the celestial, would in its ordinary states fail to see that the rational statements of the Writings are the Lord speaking; and the very highest of such spiritual states would prefer to believe the Writings in simplicity only, withdrawing from any exploration of their heights.

     As New Church men we can choose between these various estimates of the Writings. But the path to light and freedom is opened up only by the highest choice, that of basing our lives on our perception of the Divine authority of the Writings. With this may come a sense of wonder, of childlike wonder, before the beauty of the Lord's truth. What avenues lie before us in the Writings, what marvelous paths to celestial heights! Our hope and prayer is that of the psalm: "O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy."*
     * Psalm 43:3, 4 WHY MAN HAS FREEDOM TO THINK EVIL 1964

WHY MAN HAS FREEDOM TO THINK EVIL              1964

     "That man has the freedom of thinking evil and falsity, and also of doing it, as far as the laws do not withhold him, is in order that he may be capable of being reformed; for goods and truths have to be implanted in his love and will, so that they may become of his life, and this cannot be done unless he has the freedom of thinking evil and falsity as well as good and truth. This freedom is given to every man by the Lord, and as far as he does not love evil and falsity, so far, when he thinks what is good and true, the Lord implants them in his love and will, consequently in his life, and thus reforms him. What is inseminated in freedom, this also remains, but what is inseminated in a state of compulsion, this does not remain, because what is from compulsion is not from the will of the man, but from the will of him who compels. Hence also it is that worship from freedom is pleasing to the Lord, but not worship from compulsion is not so" (HD 143).

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SWEDENBORG'S MISSIONARY WORK 1964

SWEDENBORG'S MISSIONARY WORK       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       1964

      (The first of two installments.)     

     "He was not governed by that species of egotism usually noticed in those who start new ideas on matters of doctrine; neither did he desire to make proselytes; nor to communicate his views to any, except such as he considered single-minded, disposed to listen peaceably, capable of understanding him, and lovers of the truth." (The Abbe Pernety)

     The Lord chose fishermen for His apostles and made them fishers of men. Evangelization became the center of their lives; their healing and teaching were directed to the numerical increase of believers in their Master, who had instructed them: "From henceforth thou shalt catch men."
     Swedenborg was from early youth a spiritual fisherman, but he was not a religious leader or missionary. From a philosopher he became a theologian; from an investigator of natural truth he became an investigator of spiritual truth. By a spiritual fisherman is meant one who investigates and teaches natural truths and afterwards spiritual truths rationally.*
     * Infl. 20
     An investigator and teacher does not necessarily enlist or convert men. Swedenborg's doctrines were addressed to countless men of future generations, even to men already deceased, and it is of small consequence that he was teacher to but few of his contemporaries However, Swedenborg was more than an investigator and a teacher; he was also a disseminator of the new doctrines. He was commanded to write and to publish. His role of disseminator involved the expenditure of money, much time and energy, and also the risk of his life in the travels necessary to bring his work to the press. A greater part of his labor consisted in copying and proofreading-tasks for which he was marvelously equipped, as he was equipped financially to see to printing and publication.
     Besides being the instrument through whom the Writings were first put on paper, and besides being the one who saw them through the press, Swedenborg worked for their circulation, defended them, and bore witness to their Divine nature. He financed the first English translation in 1750,* and was still concerning himself with distribution when he lay on his deathbed twenty-two years later.**
     * Docu. II:974               
     ** Docu. II:558

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     We wonder how much Swedenborg was affected by what we might call the missionary spirit. We wonder how much he hoped for and expected reception of the Writings in his own day and in the future. We wonder whether such hopes and expectations were in his mind as he first considered his Divine commission, and whether he was disappointed at the slow reception of the truth he brought into the world. In his words and deeds we call see some indication of his missionary attitude towards the people of his own age and those of future ages.

     Swedenborg's Attitude

     Before his call, Swedenborg was dedicated to finding the truth and making it known; yet we note that although he wished others to see and accept what he had discovered, he had a confidence which extended beyond his lifetime. "Not the glory of finding, but the truth that is found, is what gladdens me, and it is to the friends of truth alone that I appeal. A later age-if not the present-will laugh at all others. . . . He is born to few things who thinks of the people of his own age. Many thousands of years and of people are yet to come. Look at these, even though some cause has imposed silence on thy contemporaries."*
     * De Cerebro 1203 ff.
     He was a fisher of men in the sense that his defense of the Scriptures-as in the work of 1719 confirming the biblical "flood"-proposed to recruit followers for them from the ranks of the skeptical; and his search for the soul, and the explanation of its connection with the body, were undertaken lest men doubt the soul's existence and turn from God to nature.
     We cannot imagine Swedenborg being unconcerned about the reception of the truth. A man who knew the things he came to know could not but be moved by the pathetic ignorance and indifference of the world. When he realized that new doctrines were to be delivered, he could scarcely have helped thinking of the prospects for their reception;* and when the doctrines were published the angels noticed in him a certain sadness at the unreceptive states of the world.**
     * SE 1464, 4422; WE 2162
     ** CL 533; TCR 848

     Swedenborg's Anonymity

     When Swedenborg began to have dreams and spiritual experiences, he made no effort to tell the world. He told not a soul, and his communication with the spiritual world had continued for fifteen years before others became aware of it. "I dared not tell of the great grace that had been shown me," he wrote, "for I knew that this could serve no other purpose than to make people think this or that about me, each according to his mind, for or against it."*
     * JD p. 64

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     To keep such a secret was a remarkable achievement for a man who enjoyed being in company. At times he passed friends without noticing them, and once he offended a man by failing to return his greeting at table, though he explained this by saying that he was deep in thought.* To let others know of his communication with the other world would not have served the cause of truth. He speaks of not being allowed to tell people about their deceased relatives. "I have been forbidden to tell them . . . and this partly for the reason that they would have called me insane or would have though such things delirious fancies of the mind." ** Like his first publication and his first distribution of the Writings Swedenborg's first testimonies on behalf of the truth had to be anonymous. "Lest men reject my statements as fables, I can testify in sacred earnestness that I have been admitted into the spiritual world by the Messiah Himself, and this continually while I was writing these things which now come out in public . . . I must needs now confirm it and give my testimony, and this by leave."***
     * Ibid. p. 39
     ** AC 1880:2
     *** WE 475

     Among troublesome thoughts Swedenborg mentions those of "the things that I was to write, especially how they would be received by others and the probability that they would not be understood."* It was because of such thoughts that he was given to perceive that there are five kinds of reception, or five kinds of persons in regard to reception. The first are those who reject, who are in another persuasion and who are enemies of faith. These reject it because it cannot penetrate their minds. Another class are delighted with the new things as curiosities. A third class receives them intellectually, so that they receive with sufficient alacrity, but in respect to life still remain as before. A fourth class receives so that it penetrates to the improvement of their lives. A fifth class receive the new things with joy and are confirmed.**
     * SD 3624
     ** SD 2955
     Swedenborg was aware of the various states of persuasion and of evil which are unreceptive of the truth. He knew that rational argument was of no avail with the wicked, and that the merely learned in particular would reject the teachings regardless of how they were advertised or presented. In the first volume of the Writings to be published the prognosis is not optimistic, but the seer is unperturbed. "I am well aware that many will say that no one can possibly speak with the spirits and angels as long as he lives in the body; and many will say that it is all fancy, others that I relate such things in order to gain credence, and others will make other objections.

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But by all this I am not deterred, for I have seen, I have heard, I have felt."*
     * AC 68
     When the first volume of the Arcana was published the early sales were very scant. Swedenborg noted:

     "I have received letters [informing me] that not more than four copies have been sold in two months, and this was made known to the angels; they wondered indeed, but said that it should be left to the providence of the Lord, which was such as to compel no one, though it might be done, but that it was not fitting that [any others] should read first but those who were in faith; and that this might be known from [what happened at] the coming of the Lord into the world, who was able to compel men to receive His words and Himself, but compelled no one, as was also the case afterwards in regard to the apostles; but still there were found those who would receive, to wit, those who were in faith, to whom also the apostles were sent."*
     * SD 4422

     The newspaper advertisement of the Arcana Coelestia was elaborate. Attention was called to the "grand and pompous" manner in which the books were printed, the "elegant and sublime" style, and the remarkably low price as compared with the cost of paper and postage alone. Forthcoming volumes were referred to: "This the public may be assured of, that when a fresh Number is published, it shall be advertised in the Newspapers. Those who are pleased to give their orders to the news carriers will have every number as certainly as though they were apprized of the certain time of its coming out." The advertisement was calculated to "induce the curious in the learned world to peruse."* But this was not Swedenborg's work; this was John Lewis, the printer, who says of the anonymous author: "I hope he will excuse me if I venture to mention his benign and generous qualities."
     * Doc. II, p. 497
     Swedenborg was probably gladdened by the wholehearted acceptance of the new revelation by Stephen Penny in October, 1749. Penny, a man who rarely read the newspapers, accidentally came upon the advertisement in the London Daily Advertiser. His letter to Lewis contains a phrase that has been used many times since that first advertisement by people first learning about Swedenborg: "Has he published any other works, and at what price?"* Penny may be considered the first man to write a pamphlet on behalf of the Writings.** If Swedenborg was pleased, he did not risk his anonymity by entering into any correspondence with Penny. Indeed we find him ten years later politely turning away Baron Hatzel's attempt to make his acquaintance, although he speaks of "my pleasure at his having derived satisfaction and light from the perusal of these writings."

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"I must not enter into any literary connection with anyone abroad, and thereby acknowledge myself as their author. The bookseller who has these writings for sale has also been forbidden to make my name known."*** Hatzel had hinted at his intention to translate the Writings into French and German "in order that the Divine truths contained therein may be made accessible even to the uneducated"; but Swedenborg did not respond to this, or make himself known.
     * Docu. II, p. 499
     ** Docu. II, p. 1166
     *** Doc. II, p. 232
     The incident of the Stockholm fire was probably a factor in ending Swedenborg's anonymity in the following year, 1760. That incident was not deliberately contrived on Swedenborg's part and cannot be considered an effort to flaunt his extraordinary powers. The awful spectacle of the fire was before him; he felt that others should know, and he simply told them. Nothing was further from Swedenborg's mind than spiritualistic demonstrations as means of evangelization. When Friedrich Oetinger wrote to him: "Give us a sign that your doctrine of the New Jerusalem is true," the response was that signs and wonders compel only externally.*
     * Docu. II, pp. 254, 255
     Swedenborg affirmed the truth of such stories as that of the Queen's secret and the lost receipt, but he did not dwell on them or waste words on them, as they were trifles which made people disregard the great object of his mission.* In later years John Christian Cuno urged him, nay, even taunted him, on the subject. "My dear friend, why do you not convince the incredulous world of this your legitimate mission? . . . If you refuse to do so, you must not take it amiss if, in the whole world, you do not find a single reader willing to believe you."** But Cuno's baiting was of no avail.
     * Sigstedt, The Swedenborg Epic, p. 414
     ** Docu. II, p. 469
     Swedenborg sought, however, to promote the spread of the Writings even while he remained anonymous. Indeed his efforts in this direction probably did more to end his anonymity than did the incident of the Stockholm fire. It was soon after his open application to the Swedish authorities to import certain books of the Writings into the country that he became known as their author.*
     * See Alfred Acton's preface to his translation of Conjugial Love.

     Distribution of the Books

     Swedenborg's circulation of the five works published in 1758 is well known. Of them he wrote: "They have been sent to all the archbishops and bishops of this kingdom [Great Britain], and to some of the nobility; and still not a word has been heard-a sign that they do not care interiorly for the things of heaven and of the church."*

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He presented works of the Writings to the Bench of Bishops of the Church of England, the Protestant peers in the House of Lords, and the clergy of the University of Oxford. He brought copies of the Four Doctrines from Amsterdam to present to the Royal Society in London, although a bishop in the other world predicted that the Doctrine of Faith would be utterly rejected.**
     * Ath., Preface
     ** See SD 6098, 6101
     In 1764, the Swedish librarian, Gjorwell, approached him, asking him, "on behalf of the Royal Library, for his latest works, so that we might have a complete set, especially as we had the former parts he had left with Wilde, the royal secretary. 'Most willingly,' he answered, 'besides, I had intended to send them there, as my purpose in publishing them has been to make them known, and to place them in the hands of intelligent people.'"*
     * Docu. II, p. 403
     Two years later, when the Apocalypse Revealed was published, he sent twenty copies to France for distribution to cardinals, secretaries of state and of royal societies, and seventy copies to Sweden, ten of them as gifts to various senators and churchmen. The remaining copies he intended should circulate among high-ranking clergymen and Swedish libraries. That same year he wrote letters to many persons who had shown an interest in the Writings.*
     * The Swedenborg Epic, pp. 324, 326, 331

     (To be Concluded)
GOOD FROM MAN AND FROM THE LORD 1964

GOOD FROM MAN AND FROM THE LORD              1964

     "They who do good for the sake of reward do not do good from the Lord, but from themselves, for they regard themselves in the first place because they regard their own good; and the good of the neighbor, which is the good of fellow citizens, of human society, of the country, and of the church, they regard no otherwise than as a means to an end. Hence it is that the good of the love of self and of the world lies concealed in the good of merit, and that good is from man and not from the Lord, and all good which is from man is not good; yea, as far as self and the world lie concealed in it, it is evil. Genuine charity and genuine faith are without any merit, for good itself is the delight of charity, and truth itself is the delight of faith; wherefore they who are in that charity and faith know what good not meritorious is, but not they who are not in charity and faith" (HD 152, 153).

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APPLICATION OF DOCTRINE TO THE HOME 1964

APPLICATION OF DOCTRINE TO THE HOME       SHARON ACTON HOLMES       1964

     (Delivered at the Midwest District Assembly banquet, Glenview, Illinois, October 19, 1963.)

     "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."* Here, and here alone, is the basis of marriage. It is an institution which the Lord Himself establishes and nourishes that the end of creation may he served, that there may be a heaven from the human race. In the Canons for the New Church and the True Christian Religion we are told that order was the first thing created. God acts according to that order, and therefore God Himself has made order. As good is order itself, man was created an image and likeness of order. Since creation the Lord's order has imposed on man certain external forms which have been inspired by influx from the Lord. These forms have taken various images through the ages with the five revelations of the church on earth, but they have all had one basic unit, which is the marriage of a man and a woman and the family from that marriage. According to man's understanding of religion, the family has either strengthened and inspired the civilization in which it exists or has caused the downfall of the civilization.**
     * Genesis 1:27, 28     
     ** Can. God viii: 12; TCR 65
     
     The revelation of the New Church gives man the opportunity to learn and love the order of the Lord's creation, and also the uses each one of us is given to further that end. The teachings of the church are detailed and specific and easily understood; and the glory and dignity they give to our lives are a constant inspiration to us to look with hope to the attainment of heaven and heavenly love with our married partners and for our families.
     What a wonderful order the Lord has created! Who cannot, in his better moments, feel joy in accepting the gift of life and pleasure in performing his uses in the forms that order establishes!-essentially the marriage of one man and one woman, in heart and life looking to the Lord and obedient to Him, and the resulting use of that union in the establishment of the home and the family.

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This, if it mirrors the intent of creation, is the story of regeneration. But where do we begin?
     As in all things, the Lord begins for us. He gives us our parents and the home and environment which first shape our lives. From the loves of our parents, which rule our home and set its character are the traits which guide us and make our first choices for us. As we grow, and the ordered states of life present themselves, each one of us will take for guides those truths which are most homogeneous with our affections: the teachings which the Lord in His providence presents to us, and leads us to see as in harmony with our specific person-and so our character begins to solidify. The things which we apply and learn to love, the remains from our homes, determine the kind of person and society we will seek out, and eventually the man or woman we will choose to marry. How important, then, is the kind of home we make for our children! The Arcana says that "everything that parents have contracted by frequent use and habit, or have imbued by actual life until it has become so familiar to them that it appears to be natural, is derived into their children and becomes hereditary."* It is vital that we live according to the teachings of the church when we make our choices, especially in regard to marriages.
     * AC 3469

     The teachings in Conjugial Love, besides being inspirational, are clear and specific, and because they are the Lord talking to us, they cannot be refuted. They teach us that if we are to marry in order, we must do so from religion; that a young man is to seek out a wife and that it is his love that should lead him to her. It is hers to accept or reject. If she chooses to accept, the next step is plainly prescribed, and it is a teaching that is too much forgotten in this sophisticated world: "That the woman ought to consult her parents, or those who are in the place of parents and then deliberate with herself before she consents . . . lest she be influenced to unite with a man whom she does not love; for in that case she does not on her part consent, and yet this constitutes marriage and initiates her spirit into that love."*
     * CL 298
     Good parents, looking to the eternal welfare of their daughter. will consult from the wisdom that life has given them. Does the choice of the young people appear wise? Will it lead the couple to perform their use to the full? Are they ready to accept the responsibility of home and family? Who should know better than the parents? With the considered opinion of all that the marriage can be a good one, capable of performing its use to society, the parents can then lead the young people in the orderly external forms preceding marriage.

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We are taught that festivities in connection with consent and betrothal are requisite to promote and complete conjugial love. These festivities will vary according to the society in which we live, but there are certain things that are to be the most sought after: that we become betrothed and married by a priest, who hears and consecrates the consent; consent as the essential of marriage; a marriage before the Lord, a most holy vow not to be broken, with the lives of each intertwined to eternity.*
     * See CL 21

     A happy and fulfilled marriage is the hope of all men, and at first, with the gift of the "honeymoon state," it is. But the blissful states of infancy in marriage are bound to be followed by the confusing and disillusioning states which accompany the struggle to attain maturity. When the spirit rebels, and the bonds of marriage and family seem painfully restricting, the Lord teaches us to be quiet; to bring ourselves into strict obedience to the Commandments; to perform our duties in an orderly manner; and to pray to Him for help in shunning the evils which beset us. In these states there may not be extreme delight, and the ends of our lives may be blurred beyond recognition; yet it is only in this condition of obedience that the Lord can operate to lead us to the teachings that will help us in reformation. The disorderly states are permitted by the Lord in order that we can, of our own free will, make the truth we learn our own by application.
     It is said in the Arcana that "before anything is reduced into order, it is very common for things to be reduced into a confused mass, as it were chaos; and thus the things which cohere badly are dissociated, and the Lord disposes them into order."* A confused mass, as it were chaos! Sounds pretty much like home, doesn't it?
     * AC 842
     As the Divine truth is the guide of the adult, so the parents, from their use in marriage, are responsible for order in the home: the order which must prevail if the home is to fulfill the Divine end in creation. The Arcana tells us that "Divine order, and the derivative heavenly order, are not terminated except with man, in his corporeal things; namely, his gestures, actions, expressions of face, speech, external sensations, and in their delights. These are the extremes of order."* What does this mean in the home? Certainly it means that order must be established in the most external things: neatness, cleanliness, just performance of duties, courtesy and gentleness.

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It must be shown in routine, in family worship, in attendance at church, in work for the community, and the many uses of society life. These are external forms, to be sure, but forms through which the Lord can operate if the heart desires it.
     * AC 3632
     True Christian Religion speaks of the obligations of parents to children, and of the way in which children should be loved. "The domestic obligations of charity . . . of a father and mother towards their children, are from a love implanted in everyone called storge; and those of the children towards their parents are from and according to another love which closely conjoins itself with obedience from obligation. With parents who are in charity, parental love is conjoined with love toward the neighbor and with love to God; for by these parents children are loved according to their manners, virtues, studies and qualifications for serving the public."*
     * TCR 431
     A man and wife are conjoined more and more closely as they perform the domestic duties of marriage, mainly that of rearing the children. We must recognize always, of course, that the Lord Himself protects the minds of children, but as parents we are to co-operate with the Lord so that His purposes are not impeded. It is a promise that we make in the sacrament of baptism. It is the sacred duty of New Church parents to see that the institutions of the home teach the truth of the Word: that there is a God, who is the Lord Jesus Christ; that we must be obedient to Him; that there is a life after death which the Lord intends for us; and that the Lord has made His second coming in the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg in order that mankind may attain that life. And the children must see these truths activating our lives as well as hearing them through instruction: this by our establishing an order in the home of mutual love and friendship between husband and wife, by our insisting on obedience and respect from the children, by our consistent teaching and affectionate response to them, by our humility before the Lord in family worship and in church, and by our faithful performance of duty in our occupation and in society-and all these things because the Lord wills it, because we must be obedient to Him.

     It is in the faithful performance of our use as parents that we can co-operate with the Lord in furthering the formation of a heaven from the human race. It is in the home that the child is taught to obey, first his parents and teachers, and finally the Lord. It is in the home that the child is taught to read the Word, and from this may develop an affection for the stories in it which will lead him to revere and study the Word in adult life.

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From his parents loving what is good in their children, and not what is bad, the child will get his first impressions of the course his life must take in this world and the next. It is from the order of the home that the child receives his first impressions of marriage.
     In the order of the home a man and wife see each other in their respective roles, established by the Lord Himself and the union of good and truth in Him: the husband to arm the family with the philosophy his own peculiar genius and talent, his basic loves, seek and find; the wife to receive this gift of her husband, and by the nature of her use to implement these things in the home. It is from this co-operation, entered into from love of each other and a desire to live according to the teachings of the church, that the children, boys and girls, are able to come to know their own essential roles as men and women; in the terms of psychology, to "identify their roles," and take their places in society with no confusion as to their uses, and this even outside of marriage and family and in every social relationship.
     How very essential it is to the world that all of us know the reason for our existence and are proud to be what the Lord has made us! It is the recognition of use in marriage and the home that guards against the stiffing love of dominion which insists that our false images be imposed on our partners and our children, on society, and eventually on the nations of the earth. The recognition of use enables us to know ourselves and our limitations, so that we can best co-operate with the Lord in using those qualities and talents by which we can serve. We must lead our children in truth and freedom to be as the Lord created them, so that they may be of use to society and respond to the obligation we all have to the Lord, our Creator.
     These are just a few ideas on the home, among myriads of others, and even these present an awesome responsibility. But as we read about these things, and think about them, one thing becomes brilliantly clear: the Lord does everything for us-absolutely everything! Ours is but to co-operate with Him in our lives and in our homes that there may be a heaven from the human race. "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."
CONFESSION OF SINS 1964

CONFESSION OF SINS              1964

     "To confess sins is to know evils, to see them in one's self, to acknowledge them, to make one's self guilty, and to condemn one's self on account of them. When this is done before God, it is the confession of sins" (HD 160).

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REVEREND KARL RICHARDSON ALDEN 1964

REVEREND KARL RICHARDSON ALDEN       Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS       1964

     A Resurrection Address

     (Bryn Athyn, Pa., January 5, 1964.)

     "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth." (Isaiah 52:7)

     We are gathered to celebrate the entrance into eternal life of one who, while on earth, devoted his whole heart and mind to the use of the New Church priesthood, proclaiming the everlasting gospel that "the Lord God Jesus Christ doth reign." He was inspired with a great zeal to make known the truth which the Lord at His second coming has revealed for the redemption of all mankind. To do this was his constant endeavor and his greatest joy. To this end he never ceased to study the Heavenly Doctrine; to search out its true meaning that he might express its Divine message in simple terms, while remaining completely faithful to the Lord's own Word. Yet his purpose was not to induce others to accept his interpretation, but rather to lead them, and inspire them to go directly to the Writings to receive instruction and guidance immediately from the Lord Himself; knowing full well that "except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."*
     * Psalm 127:1
     There is a special significance in the passing into the spiritual world of one who, during his earthly life, has entered interiorly into the knowledge, the understanding and the love of the Word as to that internal and spiritual sense which is mercifully revealed by the Lord at His second advent. In this truth alone does the Lord appear in His glorified Divine Human. In that Human He draws near, and becomes visibly present as never before in the entire history of the race. To see the Lord there, to realize His imminent presence, to learn from Him the Divine laws of His providence, opens and forms man's spiritual mind. It enables him to perceive, at least to some degree, and in a limited human way, the Divine end in all creation and the true purpose of human life. In the light of this spiritual understanding it is possible for man to co-operate with the Lord freely and intelligently, in doing the Lord's will, even as the Lord promised His disciples, saying: "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you."*
     * John 15:15

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     All who have acquired on earth such a plane of spiritual knowledge and perception, and have applied it to the life of religion, to the life of charity and use to the neighbor, carry with them into the other world something of eternal value which will equip them to perform there a distinctive use and function not possible to others. We would not imply by this that they are better than others, for many who lack these spiritual treasures here may receive them after death, if their hearts and minds are open to instruction. Because the Lord wills that man may have life, and that he may have it more abundantly, He provides that all who are willing to do so may at last see Him and know Him, and learn to worship Him from the heart. But there is a fullness of awareness, a depth of perception, that can be achieved only by means of personal experience on earth, by the conflict of spiritual temptation and victory. That is why it is the end of the Divine Providence that all men should finally receive the truth, and live the life of regeneration, during their life on earth. That is why it is foretold that, in the end of days, the Lord's church, His heavenly kingdom, will be established on earth and will spread to all nations, bringing with it charity and mutual love, and the joy of serving the Lord in the performance of spiritual uses.
     Nevertheless the "New Jerusalem" descends "from God out of heaven." In order that the church on earth may increase, it must first be established in the spiritual world. In its establishment there, those have a special part to play who have been introduced into the faith and life of the church during their sojourn on earth. Those who have been imbued here with the love of teaching spiritual truth, and of thereby leading to the good of life, will surely continue to do so after death. Theirs will be a very special and distinctive use, and one which they will perform with immeasurable increase of power and joy under the far more perfect conditions of the spiritual world. In doing so, they will be blessed with inmost joy and happiness far exceeding anything they could possibly know on earth, a happiness that will increase to all eternity.

     It is to this prospect of unending perfection in the use which he so dearly loved during all his life in this world that our dear friend Karl Alden is even now awakening-awakening to its full realization and enjoyment.

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Karl was raised from childhood in the faith of the New Church. He attended the Academy schools, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Theology in 1917. Immediately after his ordination he was called as minister to the Advent Church of Philadelphia, where he ultimated his great desire to spread the doctrines by instituting a neighborhood Sunday school which attracted a considerable number of children and introduced their parents to a knowledge of the New Church. In 1919 he accepted a call to become pastor of the Olivet Church in Toronto, Canada, and earned the profound respect and affection of his congregation. In 1924 he was called to Bryn Athyn to serve as Housemaster of Stuart Hall and Principal of the Boys Academy. It was not without regret that he relinquished his pastoral work; but he loved young people and was singularly gifted in his ability to teach them and inspire them with an affection for the things of the church. He continued as Principal until 1950, completing more than a quarter of a century of outstanding service in that capacity.
     After resigning as Principal, Mr. Alden continued as an Academy teacher. He served for many years as visiting pastor to the Canadian Northwest, and in addition instituted a class for beginners in the Bryn Athyn Society, thereby performing a most valuable service to the church. In September 1958 he accepted appointment as Director of the General Church Religion Lessons, in which capacity he supervised the instruction of more than five hundred children belonging to isolated families in many parts of the General Church. For a number of years he organized and conducted weekly services for New Church families at Lake Wallenpaupack during the summer months. In addition, his devotion to the uses of the Swedenborg Foundation, and his work as an important member of the Board of Directors of that body, are deeply appreciated.

     Karl Alden was a man of unbounded energy and enthusiasm. He was loved by all who knew him throughout the church. We knew him as a dear friend, a faithful servant of the Lord who gave his all to promote the spirit and the life of the Heavenly Doctrine. With self-forgetting loyalty he accepted and faithfully carried out whatever duty Providence placed before him. A devoted husband and father, his wife, Ersa Smith Alden, shared all the joys and vicissitudes of his life, and together they raised a family of nine children, all of whom became sincere and earnest members of the New Church.
     His sudden and unexpected passing into the other world leaves an empty place in our hearts. Yet we know that this is only an appearance. It is not really so, because, although his physical presence with us will be sorely missed, his love, his acquired intelligence and wisdom, everything essential for which he stood and by which we knew him, all are still present, unseen but very real.

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His use, the spiritual and eternal use for which he was being prepared throughout all his life on earth, is just beginning. The opportunity now opening before him to discover deeper truths in the Word that escaped him here, and to bring those truths to bear upon the growth of the Lord's kingdom in the spiritual world, and thereby to inspire a deeper love for the New Church in the hearts of men still living on earth, will bring him ever increasing joy and happiness. He will not cease to proclaim the advent of the Lord, that both men and spirits may learn to worship Him in spirit and in truth. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth." Amen.
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1964

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1964

     The Fall 1963 issue of the THETA ALPHA JOURNAL, although devoted largely to reports, contains three articles of general interest. In "The Great Impasse" the Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson addresses himself to the common difficulty which arises when men and women try to comprehend what the true nature of man (homo), the complete angel, really is. "Our Responsibility Towards Progressive Education," by Jennie Gaskill, is in part a resume of the history of educational theory from Plate through Comenius to the present day, the point being to show that from the beginning education has meant a "leading out" or the actual development of character, and must combine both the practical and the spiritual. The implications of this for New Church schools, and their peculiar ability to implement it, are then discussed clearly and forcefully. Eunice Nelson Howard, "Comparing the 18th Century Woman with the 20th Century New Church Woman," concludes that one great difficulty with their march toward a freer way of life was that though they knew what they were against, women had only a hazy idea of what they were for. If the Writings had been more widely known and accepted, women could have had a clearer vision of their purpose. As it was, the falsity arose that, save for their biological differences, men and women were basically alike. The truth now revealed is that women are equal to men but different. Included also is the first installment of a biography of Professor Vinet by his daughter, Rachelle Vinet Sellner, which whets the appetite for more of its evocative word-pictures of a beloved personality.

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DIVINE WORSHIP AND ADULT RESPONSIBILITY 1964

DIVINE WORSHIP AND ADULT RESPONSIBILITY       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1964

     (Extracts from a doctrinal class.)
               
     The regular Sunday worship of our societies must be stressed and be stressed, for it is the essential of all our activities. It is the external, uniting medium, for it is a common and universal approach to the Lord, who alone is one. In church we do things together according to order established by the church. Then we go forth to our several duties. Every love has its representative and correspondential activity in the body. The proper activity of love to the Lord is worship, and the ultimate acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus Christ as God is the regular and faithful observance of the day set apart by Him for worship.     
     Worship is the ultimate expression of the new love of the Lord in His Divine Human which is to characterize the New Church. The ideal state of worship can be attained only after victory in temptations; the use of worship before spiritual states have become established looks to and is a means of implanting them. Therefore it is said that "all worship is natural in the beginning, and afterwards becomes spiritual through truths from the Word and a life according to them."* There must be worship from obedience before there can be worship from love. Man must bring himself to it, and sometimes compel himself, for this is a universal law of the reception of spiritual life. Self-compulsion is of freedom; before it, worship is from the natural affections and is of little value to spiritual life. In the beginning man does not necessarily go to church because he likes to, or whenever he likes to; he goes because the Lord has so commanded, and he compels himself to obey. There is power in compelling one's self against one's natural affections and desires. Laziness in this may easily be an indication of laziness in regard to all things of spiritual life.
     * AR 161

     This is especially true with children, and parents cannot avoid their responsibility in this respect. It is the duty of parents to "keep for their children the commandments of God until they become of age, when they shall take upon themselves of their own freewill to follow the Lord in keeping the precepts of His Word." That is the solemn promise made by parents at the time of baptism; and we may therefore say in reality that when children do not observe the commandments it is the parents' fault.

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     Children are in externals, and to them externals are essential, for as yet they have no internal of their own; their only communication with heaven is through representative acts, and where parents do not supply these representatives they close heaven to their children. Remember that children are under the law of influx or communication with the other world that obtained in the Jewish Church; namely, through representative acts and external obedience to statutes and laws; and these, representative acts and obedience, have power to open communication with heaven, because the children are in a state of innocence. If parents are at the same time in an effort to attain the internal things which these externals represent, the children are held in a holy sphere from without as well as from within. In fact, parents are caring for their own spiritual states of innocence when they protect innocence in their children.

     If parents do not attend worship regularly, when possible, how can they expect their children to get any other idea than that the observance of the things of religion is to be made a matter of convenience, and that adult life is a state in which one is free to neglect the worship of the Lord, consequently that all things of religion are secondary to personal convenience and worldly pleasure. Much of the resentment children feel in being made to go to church arises from their observation that adults go only when it pleases them and is convenient to them. Therefore all the adults in a society have a responsibility to the children, not only the parents.
     There is inestimable spiritual value in the children's observing how their parents and grandparents arrange their domestic and worldly affairs in order that they may put the things of the church first. Besides this, there is the strength of the sphere of the family worshiping as a unit and contributing its share to the internal uses of the society as a whole. For worship is not only an expression of love to the Lord; it is also an ultimate of love toward the neighbor. These two loves cannot be separated. That it is an ultimate of love toward the neighbor may be seen and felt from the sphere of worship when there is a full and hearty attendance. So in not attending church, we are depriving our neighbor as well as ourselves of a spiritual blessing.

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MIDWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1964

MIDWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       SUZANNE S. HOLMES       1964

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS, OCTOBER 18-20, 1963

     At what proved to be the last Chicago District Assembly, held in 1960, the Detroit Society was received as a member of the district, and it was resolved that, subject to confirmation by the Bishop, the name be changed to Midwest District Assembly. This change was duly confirmed, and the first Midwest District Assembly, held in Glenview, Illinois, October 18-20, 1963, was a memorable weekend. Preparations by individuals and committees insured smooth, pleasant and valuable meetings. Residents of Glenview were happy at the arrival of more than sixty members and friends of the Assembly from at least fourteen places outside the Chicago area.

     Sessions. The Bishop of the General Church, the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, presided. His episcopal address on "The Lord in the Divine Human," given at the first session, which was held on Friday evening, gave a wonderful start to the program.
     The second and third sessions, held on Saturday, were devoted to the progress of the Midwestern Academy. It will not be long now, we hope, until we have a tenth grade. Our new pastor, the Rev. Louis B. King, who already seems to have been here for years, was elected president of the Board of Directors of the Midwestern Academy. A motion that the Rev. Elmo C. Acton be elected an honorary life member of the Board, in recognition of the inspiring leadership he had provided since its inception and that had brought the Midwestern Academy to its present development, was adopted unanimously by a rising vote.

     Midwestern Academy. During the seventh annual meeting of the Midwestern Academy the Rev. Louis B. King reported that, as an outgrowth of a joint meeting of the Board of Directors of the Midwestern Academy and the Board of Finance of the Immanuel Church with Bishop Pendleton on Thursday, October 17, the following resolution had been prepared: WHEREAS the Midwestern Academy of the New Church looks to the leadership of the Bishop of the General Church for its educational guidance; and whereas the Bishop of the General Church has expressed a willingness to accept this responsibility; therefore be it resolved that the members of the Midwestern Academy direct the Board of Directors of the Midwestern Academy to retain legal advice in amending the current by-laws of the Midwestern Academy of the New Church to incorporate a more direct relationship between the Bishop of the General Church and the educational policies of the Midwestern Academy.

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     The Rev. Norman H. Reuter pointed out the importance and necessity of establishing a more direct relationship between the Midwestern Academy and the Bishop of the General Church. He pointed out further that the apparent lack of such a relationship had perhaps caused a great deal of negative attitude toward the Midwestern Academy; and that the entire future of the Midwestern Academy, to a great extent, will be dependent upon the wholehearted acceptance of this relationship between the Bishop of the General Church and the educational arm of the church. The resolution was adopted unanimously.
     In reply to a question, Mr. King said that it was hoped to establish a tenth grade in September, 1964, if plant facilities and operating funds materialize in sufficient time. He expressed the opinion that the district is in need of and is ready for the tenth grade, and that while the present needs of the Immanuel Church School are the primary concern, there is no reason why both needs cannot be met together.

     Banquet. A series of speeches on "The Application of Doctrine to Life Situations" was presented at the banquet on Saturday evening. The program was arranged by the Rev. Norman H. Reuter of Detroit, who acted as toastmaster. Mrs. Kenneth Holmes interpreted the subject as it applied to the home. Mr. Warren David showed the application of doctrine to occupations. Civil and social affairs were covered by Mr. Bryce Genzlinger, while Mr. Alan Fuller's field was the church in general-how doctrine applies to life situations in regard to the church so considered. Bishop Pendleton summed up the series of speeches as dealing with the degrees of the neighbor. Song sheets, and Mrs. Harold McQueen at the piano, helped the Assembly to take part.

     Sunday. The regular eleven o'clock Sunday service, although preceded by the family service, required the use of the lobby to accommodate the overflowing attendance. Bishop Pendleton preached. The Holy Supper service in the afternoon completed the formal program.

     Other Events. Among the many social gatherings was one after church at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Holmes for the parents and teachers of the Sunday school. Bishop Pendleton and Mrs. Pendleton, Mr. King and Mr. Nemitz were present, and Mr. King spoke on the uses of the Sunday school.

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     The hospitality committee encouraged a large attendance at the Assembly. The catering service by four local chefs, headed by Bert Henderson and aided by the Boys Club, made the Assembly meals most enjoyable. Baby-sitting by the Girls Club allowed parents to attend more meetings.

     Impressions. A few Assembly impressions are of visitors to the Book Room; a generous gift of money to the church from a lady visitor; a camera fan getting candid shots as people came from a meeting; young Assembly-goers enjoying good company and late hours, but being ready for the next day nevertheless. Everyone the writer asked agreed that they had shared the happiness of a memorable district Assembly.     
     SUZANNE S. HOLMES
EASTERN CANADA DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1964

EASTERN CANADA DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       PETER LERMITTE       1964

     CARYNDALE, BLAIR, ONTARIO, NOVEMBER 8-10, 1963

     The enthusiasm and delight that attended the Assembly more than compensated for the somewhat dull weather. Visitors arrived from Bryn Athyn, Westchester, Muskoka, Timmins, Kingston, New York, Ancaster and Oakville, to join the members and friends of the Carmel Church in partaking of a spiritual feast at what was, undoubtedly, a highly successful Assembly.

     First Session. The first session began at 8:00 p.m., on Friday. Bishop Pendleton declared the Assembly to be in session; the Rev. Geoffrey Childs welcomed everyone to the Assembly at this time of hope both in Toronto and here in Caryndale; and the Rev. Martin Pryke then extended a welcome to Bishop Pendleton and Mrs. Pendleton.
     In his address, entitled "Where is Thy God?," the Bishop pointed out that at this day many people will not believe in any evidence save that of their five senses. The faith that we have is not blind, but is a belief in a God who is visible to the sight of the mind, and who may be seen in truth of the Word that is from Him. He may be seen also in the good that is implicit in use. The Bishop closed his delightful address by saying that there is a God and He is good; to believe otherwise is to believe that man is a chance product of physical forces which somehow emerged as a living soul.

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We are not to think of Him from His person, and from this of His essence; but from His essence, and from this of His person, for in no other way can we attain to a rational understanding of a God who is Divine Man.
     After the address we went to open houses at the Manse and the Brueckmans', the first two completed homes in our new community.

     Second Session. The second session, which was held on Saturday morning, began with a business meeting at which it was decided that the Eastern Canada Executive Committee should assume the duties of a central assembly committee for the Eastern Canada District and hold the funds of the District Assemblies. A resolution, confirming the Bishop's nomination of lay members to the Eastern Canada Executive Committee to serve until the next District Assembly, was approved.
     The Rev. Geoffrey Childs then presented his address, entitled "the Authority of the Writings." He showed how, because man is finite, he cannot comprehend the Infinite, for which reason the Lord has clothed His Divine good and truth in finite garb, in the form of the Writings; and the Writings, being in essence that which they represent, are the Lord. There are various estimates of the Writings from which we can choose, but the path to light and freedom is opened up only by the highest choice; by our basing our lives on our perception of the Divine authority of the Writings.
     After some questions and discussion the Bishop added his comments. He said that people find it hard to accept the Writings because they cannot believe the fact that Swedenborg disclaims authorship, because they are required to subordinate human intelligence to Divine truth, and because the Writings claim to be a judgment of the Christian Church. The Writings derive the doctrine of the Lord out of historical statements, and no human mind could have conceived that doctrine. Since rational truth can be understood by us only through words, the Lord speaks to us through the Word, in appearances. Mr. Childs expressed his pleasure in that his paper had stimulated the Bishop to such a valuable presentation.

     Luncheon. After the second session, refreshments and hors d'oeuvres prepared by Korene Schnarr and her helpers were served in the narthex and the lounges. We then returned to the hall to partake of an excellent buffet lunch prepared by the ladies.

     Banquet. Mr. John Kuhl was the capable toastmaster at the banquet on Saturday evening.

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He commenced by proposing a toast to "The Church," to which the Rev. Henry Heinrichs responded, outlining three principles of the church as it is with us: 1) The Authority of the Writings; 2) The Doctrine of the Priesthood; 3) The Principle of Council and Assembly.
     Mr. Kuhl then introduced the Rev. Martin Pryke, who spoke on the subject, "The Church." He told us that the church is the Lord's heaven upon earth; it is where the Word is; and it consists of those only who acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, learn truths from the Word, and do them. We each have a contribution to make to the church, not only externally but also spiritually, if we will submit ourselves to His will. When we support the church we are looking to the welfare of the whole of mankind, since the church specific is the only means of real conjunction with heaven, and therefore the only path for influx from the heavens to the earth. With man responding to His love, the Lord will one day bring peace and joy to the whole earth once more.
     The toastmaster thanked Mr. Pryke for his interesting and enlightening paper. The Bishop reiterated that although we are small in numbers we have a large responsibility-that of preserving the purity of our doctrine until the Lord opens the minds of men. He expressed his confidence that we are strong, as strong as in the days of the founding of the Academy and the General Church; but this is a more difficult world, and in the face of skepticism we must hold to the faith that there is a God, that He is one, and that in the Word He is revealed as Divine Man. This is the faith we must serve and support.

     Sunday. On Sunday morning, two hundred and seventy-two persons filled the church to attend a beautiful service. The Bishop preached a sermon on the Lord's temptations, explaining how and why the Lord was tempted.
     After church we all assembled outside the buildings, where Murray Hill took the Assembly photograph. Afterwards dinner was served in the hall. The tables were beautifully decorated, and the food was par excellence-thanks to Korene Schnarr and her helpers.
     Later in the afternoon we assembled for the Holy Supper service. Bishop Pendleton was celebrant, and he was assisted by the Rev. Geoffrey Childs and the Rev. Martin Pryke.
     Thus ended the first Assembly held in the new community of Caryndale. The spiritual food that we received, and the good fellowship that we enjoyed, will long be remembered by all who attended and were uplifted by the joyful sphere of the occasion.     
     PETER LERMITTE

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OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1964

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1964

     Heredity. Although this term is used in Christian theology and in biology and psychology, the Writings give to it a new and entirely different meaning. Heredity covers all the characteristics transmitted by parents to their offspring. According to the Writings what are thus transmitted are tendencies-which are not imputed-to the goods or evils in which the parents have confirmed themselves and which have become habitual with them. The lives and loves of parents cannot be inherited, but inclinations to them are passed on, and the sum-total of these is the parental heredity. Thus a state of damnation or of regeneration cannot be inherited; but we are told that the children of regenerating parents receive inclinations to love wisdom and the things that wisdom teaches. In this lies the hope of the human race. The parental heredity is twofold, and the maternal, which is external, is put off by regeneration, while the paternal heredity can never be eradicated. (See AC 1313, 4317, 4563.)

     Heresy. Because this term is used so loosely, it is important that we have a clear definition of it. Such a definition is contained in the statement that heresy is doctrine separated from the church, for the essentials of the church are the acknowledgment of the Lord and of the Word and the life of charity. Only doctrines which would separate from these may rightly be called heresies, therefore; others, even if they conflict with our views, are only differences of opinion or of interpretation. It is to be noted that heresy condemns no one; what condemns is confirmation of the falsity in the heresy from an evil love. Those who are in heresy as to the understanding, therefore, can be reformed and saved if they do not thus confirm it. (See AC 324, 6400, 3488; SS 92; DP 259.)

     Holy. This term is properly predicated of that which flows into man through heaven from the Lord. Strictly speaking, therefore, the Lord Himself is not holy but Divine, and the holy is that which proceeds from Him. The Lord Himself is above the heavens, for He is the Divine Man in the midst of the spiritual sun; the Divine which proceeds out of that sun from Him in the angelic heavens is what is called the holy. (See AC 9956, 10472.)

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REVIEW 1964

REVIEW       W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1964

THE NEW CHURCH AND MODERN CHRISTIANITY. By George de Charms. General Church Publication Committee, Bryn Athyn, Pa., 1963. Cloth, pp. 136. Price $1.50.

     There has long been a difference of opinion among New Church men as to the teachings given in the Writings about the state of the Christian world. Some have held that those teachings are now obsolete, since the doctrines they condemn have been formally rejected by the Christian churches, have lapsed into desuetude, or have been entirely reworked by later theologians. Others, while recognizing that the Christian Church has changed in two hundred years, believe that those teachings are still relevant, and try to discover how they still apply with equal force, although in a modified form, in their own particular time.
     As might be expected, this book has been written under the second of these views. Believing that since the state of the Christian Church does change, the teaching of the Writings concerning it must be examined afresh by every generation, the Bishop Emeritus of the General Church here presents the results of such a re-examination. That there is need for this can scarcely be doubted. Superficially the Christian churches do seem to have been drawing closer to some of the fundamental doctrines of the New Church. Yet that is only the appearance; the reality is quite different, and, as the author notes, this makes it all the more important that the basic differences between the New Church and the sects of modern Christianity should be clearly seen.
     This reviewer has long agreed with those who hold that it is not the part of true charity to deny that there are basic differences between the New Church and the Christian churches, or to blur the distinctions that exist, but to make them clear, so that a rational faith may be formed. However, this should be done in the spirit and manner of true charity, not in a way which invites, and perhaps deserves, the resentment most people feel when their faith is criticized; and one of the outstanding features of this book is the manifest spirit of warm charity in which doctrinal truth is stated unequivocally. It is a sin, the author says, to ridicule another's faith, or to detract from it by statements that are false; but if we are really searching for the truth, we must be willing to examine religion in the light of Divine revelation, impersonally, without rancor or condemnation, but solely from a love of truth.

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     The Writings tell us that the three essentials of the church are the acknowledgment of the Lord, the acknowledgment of the Word, and the life of charity. In the first six chapters of this book, Bishop De Charms examines the positions of modern Christianity in regard to these essentials. By comparing with the teachings of the Writings the statements of acknowledged spokesmen, he shows that, whatever the appearance, the Christian churches have receded further from belief in the Divinity of the Lord and in the Divine inspiration and authority of the Word, and that an entirely natural charity, as exemplified especially in the social gospel, has displaced any idea of spiritual charity. At the same time, he shows how the foundations of spiritual faith have been undermined by the application of the scientific method to biblical study and in the field of contemporary theology.

     Of topical interest in this age of ecumenicity-which may or may not have penetrated the Vatican Council-is the chapter on Sectarianism and Religious Tolerance. Here the author deplores the sectarian bitterness and intolerance which have characterized so much of the Christian churches' past, and sympathizes with the idea of co-operation, such as has been achieved in some measure through national and world federations and councils, rather than with that of organic unity. However, lest it be thought that the ecumenical movement fulfills the teaching of the Writings concerning unity in the church, he points out a vital lack: that of a knowledge of spiritual charity, which alone has the power to bring varieties of faith into internal unity and thus make one church out of many. One tendency which seems to support this is that of the larger federations to form a bureaucracy of which the member-churches become increasingly critical as not representing their real aims and views.
     Worthy of serious consideration by New Church men everywhere is the chapter on Sectarianism and Tolerance in the New Church. Unity in the New Church, says Bishop De Charms, is the ideal for which we should constantly strive. As true charity brings it about, and is the essence of the church, to work for unity is to labor for the establishment of the church itself. Yet it is not external organic unity in one worldwide ecclesiastical organization that is to be desired, but a unity of the spirit based on a common acknowledgment of the Lord as He is revealed in the Writings. The closest unity will naturally be felt among those who share the same doctrinal views; but if all the bodies of the church are inspired by spiritual charity, they can co-operate in most general uses and the exchange of benefits to the eventual good of the Lord's church.
     W. CAIRNS HENDERSON

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ASCRIPTION TO THE LORD 1964

ASCRIPTION TO THE LORD       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.
     TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     In our places of worship the sermon closes with an ascription. The congregation rises, and the preacher, facing the altar, says: "And now to the one only God, Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen." If the people do not merely listen, but in spirit join with the minister in ascribing glory and dominion to the Lord's Divine Human, this may become a powerful ritual.
     The purpose of the sermon has been so to teach the truth of the Word that it might lead to the good of life and thus to the Lord; and the ascription to the Lord alone of all power from Divine truth and good, and thus of all teaching and leading, can have a profound effect. If it is from the heart, it opens the way for the Lord to impart life to the truths that have been received and to the states to which they will lead.
     It may be said also-without implication of instantaneous conversion-that the sermon is a means of leading men into the church or establishing them further in it; and the first of the church consists in ascribing to the Lord all the goods and truths of the faith of charity. Unless man knows, acknowledges and believes that these are from the Lord there is no genuine good in him, thus no state of the church.
     All men are capable of thus ascribing good and truth to the Lord; and in the measure that they think, will and act as of themselves, while ascribing to the Lord everything of the thought of truth and the conatus of good they become intelligent and wise. The ascription with which the sermon closes is an ultimate expression of this, an acknowledgment that the truth taught was His, as will be the good to which it leads.

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REPENTANCE AND THE SACRAMENTS 1964

REPENTANCE AND THE SACRAMENTS       Editor       1964

     Baptism and the Holy Supper are both sacraments of introduction and of repentance. Baptism is a sacrament of introduction into the church; the Holy Supper, of introduction into heaven. Repentance is involved in each of these. The difference is that the efficacy of baptism is according to repentance afterwards; that of the Holy Supper according to repentance beforehand.
     Man is indeed introduced into the church by baptism, but the first thing that introduces the church into man is repentance. As is known, baptism confers neither faith nor salvation; it testifies that the one baptized may receive faith and be saved, if he is regenerated; and no one can be regenerated unless his more grievous evils are removed, which can be done only through actual repentance. No sacrament has been efficacious unless all of its uses have been performed, and the final use of baptism is that man may be regenerated. Hence the efficacy of baptism is according to repentance afterwards. In the case of adults the implication is clear; yet there is implied a serious obligation on parents to repent of the evils that stand between them and fulfillment of the solemn covenant with the Lord into which they have entered in presenting their infants for baptism.
     In the case of the Holy Supper, however, repentance must come beforehand. The teaching is that the man who looks to the Lord and does repentance is conjoined with the Lord and consociated with heaven by that sacrament, and that he then receives the Holy Spirit according to the repentance that has preceded. It is true that the man who is in a holy state thinks about repentance when he receives the Communion, especially the bread. But repentance itself must have come first. Therefore we are counseled to examine ourselves and to repent of the evils thus discovered before taking the Holy Supper; and we are assured that if we do this once or twice a year when preparing for the Holy Supper, we will come into the purpose of abstaining from evils, and actual repentance will be initiated if we then abstain from one sin.
REGENERATION AND GLORIFICATION 1964

REGENERATION AND GLORIFICATION       Editor       1964

     It is frequently stated in the Writings that regeneration is the image of the Lord's glorification. The procedure by which the Lord makes men spiritual and celestial is similar to that by which He made His own Human Divine, each being according to Divine order.

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For this reason the same passages in the Word, notably those containing the rituals for the burnt-offerings and sacrifices, treat of regeneration in the internal sense and of the Lord's glorification in the supreme sense; and the Writings frequently expound the former as being adapted to man's comprehension where the latter transcends his understanding.
     If we would grasp the similitude correctly, however, we must understand that what happens in regeneration is like but not equal to what took place in the Lord's glorification. This is brought out clearly in the Arcana series on the formation of the rational. There it is taught that while the first rational with the Lord and with man was and is formed by the same process, there is a difference in the formation of the second rational. In each instance the first rational is conceived and born by means of the influx of the internal man into the life of the affection of scientifics in the external man; but man's second rational comes into being by the influx of good and truth from the Lord, while the Lord put on the second rational of His own Divine power.
     Furthermore, the second rational with man is implanted in things true and congruous in the first rational. With the Lord, the first rational was expelled. The other things of that rational are with man only separated; but the Lord completely extirpated His first rational, because what was merely human could not be together with what was Divine. The difference is that the regenerate rational is spiritual or celestial; the Lord's rational, when glorified, was Divine.
     An image is, by definition, a re-presentation of something which in itself it is not-a resemblance having no life in itself of that which is living. The fundamental difference here is that by glorification the Lord became life itself in the Human; by regeneration the human of man is made a receptacle of that life by the Lord. This distinction applies throughout, and it should always be kept in mind when regeneration is thought of as the image of the Lord's glorification.
HARD SAYINGS: 2. MARRIAGE IN THE CHURCH 1964

HARD SAYINGS: 2. MARRIAGE IN THE CHURCH       Editor       1964

     Another hard saying of the Writings for many has been their teaching concerning marriage within the church. Those who have been born within the church, that teaching is, and from infancy have been imbued with the principles of its truth, ought not to contract marriages with those who are outside of the church, and have thus been imbued with such things as are not of it. There is no conjunction between them in the spiritual world, where everyone is in consociation according to his good and the truth thence derived, wherefore there ought not to be any conjunction on earth. Regarded in themselves, marriages are conjunctions of dispositions and minds, the spiritual life of which is from the truths and the goods of faith and charity.

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     For these reasons it is said that conjugial love cannot exist between two partners belonging to different religions. The truth of the one does not agree with the good of the other, and two unlike and discordant kinds of good and truth cannot make two minds into one; wherefore the love between them does not have its origin in anything spiritual. The angelic view is presented in the teaching that marriages on earth between those who are of different religions are heinous in the sight of heaven, and still more so marriages between those who are of the church and those who are outside of it.

     Whatever our reaction to these teachings may be, there can surely be no doubt as to their meaning. It is said that conjugial love can exist with those only who are of the Christian Church; but by this is evidently meant the true Christian Church which became possible with the giving of the Writings. When we think of the conditions necessary for reception of conjugial love, it is clear that they can be met only in the New Church in, and this should be stressed, both its specific and its universal forms; although in the latter the reception will be potential rather than actual until spiritual truth is received. To say that certain individuals outside of the church are better than some within it, while probably true, is simply to becloud the issue. Nor does it help to say, although this may also be true, that a couple brought up in the organized New Church may not have the church within them. Such a couple may not be in a state to receive the conjugial; but those who are confirmed in the faith of the former church cannot be in a state to do so.
     It should be understood, however, that the teaching has not been given by the Lord to limit or frustrate His creatures. It is not a punitive statute but a law of order, disclosed in infinite wisdom from love itself and concern for the true happiness of men and women. The first three causes of internal cold in marriage, we are taught, are the rejection of religion by both partners, the fact that one has religion while the other has not, and the fact that one has a different religion from the other. The conjugial is nothing else than the truth which can be conjoined to good, and the good which can be conjoined with truth; and if the partners are of different religions, good cannot be conjoined with its own corresponding truth. The wife is the good of her husband's truth in a conjugial marriage, and he is the truth of her good, and in such cases the two souls cannot be made one.
     Such is the plain teaching of the Writings. However, the Lord leaves men and women in freedom to marry whomsoever they please, provided there be no legal impediment to their union, once He has pointed out the dangers from which He would withhold them.

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Yet those who hope and look for an eternal union of souls and minds will surely ponder these teachings with open minds, and pay due heed to the warning they contain.
     Does the doctrine mean, however, that a New Church man or woman should never marry someone who is not of the church! We do not think that it does. This should not be misunderstood. Marriage outside the church should not be encouraged or preferred, obviously; nor should it be regarded as a matter of little or no importance. Two things do seem to be clear. Our young people should look within the church for the partner of their choice, and hope to find him or her there rather than outside of it; and when a person is deeply confirmed in the falsities of the former church, or in no religion-atheism, agnosticism, or even modern deism-we may be as certain as we can be of anything that no union of souls and minds which survives the death of the body will result from marriage. But love sometimes comes unexpectedly and unsought. How do we apply principles then without compromising them? That we will consider next month.
FULL FINANCIAL SUPPORT 1964

FULL FINANCIAL SUPPORT       RAYMOND B. DAVID       1964

Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE:
     The financial contributions of the members of the church are given as a token acknowledging that all that we have is a gift from the Lord. It has often been stressed that each member should give something in recognition of that fact. I have even heard what proportion of the gift should go to each of the major uses-the General Church, the local Society, the Academy; but I have never heard the contributions committee or NEW CHURCH LIFE discuss the amount of the total gift. It is certainly true that a mere token is far better than nothing, but it is also true that the sum of our tokens must support some seventy General Church ministers and teachers, the church and school buildings, and other uses of society life; also the Academy and its staff, its buildings and associated uses. We cannot let these uses fail. Is it too much, therefore, to ask how much our tokens ought to be?
     Each contributor must give according to his conscience. Arcana Coelestia no. 1033 teaches that "a true conscience is that which is formed by the Lord from the truths of faith." We must know, therefore, what the token is, doctrinally as well as fiscally, before the Lord can form our conscience with respect to giving.

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     The Word appears to teach that a tithe is the proper gift to the church, as in Deuteronomy: "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year."* In Malachi we read: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse. . . and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."**
     * Deuteronomy 14:2
     ** Malachi 3:10
     The Writings, too, give some indications. "The number 'ten,' and also 'tenths,' signify remains . . . which are holy, because they are of the Lord alone."* "The 'tenth part' signifies everything. It is from this that tenths and tithings derived their origin, and these signified that everything was holy and blessed when the tenth part of the threshing floor and of the wine press, or of the corn and the wine, was given to the Levites."** Even though we are not a representative church, at least not in the sense that the Jewish Church was, we should consider well the representation of a tithe.
     * AC 575
     ** AE 675:18
     Our church is faced with something of a financial crisis. It seems that none of the current crop of theologs have much prospect of finding immediate employment in the General Church. Yet there is work for them to do. There are many places in the church where they could be used. But the church does not have the funds to pay them even the minimum starting salary. It seems to me to be a sad situation, when the church has so many uses begging for development, and when there is manpower available to begin or carry on work on those uses, that for financial reasons alone the church cannot use these men.
     What would our church be like if every ten members could support a minister or his equivalent in teachers, buildings or services? Why not Is not full financial support a part of our dedication to the greatest use in which mankind can take part, that of entering into the Lord's work of salvation? And does not "full financial support" imply that one-tenth of our increase be returned to the Lord as a token and a representative that all that we have is from Him?
     RAYMOND B. DAVID,
          Goranada Hills, California

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Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     PACIFIC NORTHWEST

     The Rev. Roy Franson of Dawson Creek, Canada, arrived in Spokane by plane on November 9, 1963. It was too late for the class scheduled for that evening, and because of the trouble which delayed the plane there was only one meeting with the Spokane group. This, the Sunday service, was held in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Carbury. After the regular service Mr. Franson baptized the Carbury's infant daughter, Valerie Anne, who was born September 16, 1963. He also gave a memorial address for Mrs. Henrietta Kobberoe, who had passed on to the higher life. Dinner was then enjoyed by all. The hostess, having everything prepared, and assisted by others in the group, served a delicious repast.
     Later in the afternoon Mr Carith Hansen and Mr. Everett Sorenson brought Mr. Franson by car to the Harthill home in Pine City. The evening was spent in reading and a very fine class with the Harthills.
     Early next morning all three of us left for Walla Walla, Washington, and arrived at the new home of Antonia Pribilsky and her nieces, Marian and Carol Johns, at an early hour. When New Church friends meet who have not seen each other for months it is indeed a happy occasion, and we made the best of this time together, visiting and seeing our friend's new home and exchanging news. After we had enjoyed the hospitality of these Walla Walla friends we drove with them to Kennewick, Washington, to the home of Robert Shields, his wife Grace (Hotson), and their three little daughters. Mr. Shields is a teacher in the Kennewick school and an enthusiastic reader of the Writings who has studied the doctrines for some time. Their baby twin daughters were baptized by Mr. Franson on this visit.
     Mr. Shields went to a great deal of trouble to interest the public in Swedenborg and the Writings. He hired a hall for our meeting and invited the public to attend. When we arrived in Kennewick we went directly to the Shields' home, where we were served a delicious dinner spiced with the conversation of New Church friends, and then drove downtown in Pasco, Washington, a nearby city, to the hall that Mr. Shields had rented for the evening. We were gratified that the attendance was around twenty-four. Mr. Franson spoke to us about the teachings of the New Church, its doctrines, and our belief in the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. He stressed our belief in the Lord as the one God, and many of the vital points in the belief of a New Church man, showing how different this is from the belief of other churches. After this inspiring address there was a question and answer period which was taken advantage of fully. Some had problems, some wanted more information about the Writings, others asked questions or expressed their views. It was a very interesting meeting, and if only one or two of those who attended go on with the reading of the Writings and become interested enough to continue, we will all agree that the work and effort put forth were indeed worth while.
     Service was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Shields the following evening. As already mentioned, their twin daughters were baptized into the New Church by Mr. Franson on that occasion.
     We may be isolated people out here in the west, that is, isolated from New Church people and the privilege of attending New Church services, which those who live in Bryn Athyn, for example, have.

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But when we have a chance and the joy of getting together, as we did this time, we enjoy it with all our hearts. We drink in the teaching given, and enjoy so much associating with our dear New Church friends, that when we return to our own homes again we are inspired and uplifted in our hearts and our spirits. We make new resolutions to do better, to perform more uses, to read the Word and the Writings every day, and to live in our own small way, in our own small place in the world, so that others may see the light.
     MELVA HARTHILL

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS

     When the Rev. Elmo C. Acton, our pastor for nineteen years, left, we felt the tug of sorrow; when the Rev. Louis B. King came as our new pastor, we welcomed him with open hearts. Mr. Acton handled all his public farewells with restraint and kind gentleness. Although he conveyed his feelings of closeness to us and the pleasure his pastorate had given him, he kept the gates of sentimentality from opening and flooding the gatherings with sad emotions. The feelings of love and devotion for our pastor were deep and strong. We knew that the Bishop, in his leading, would need our co-operation, and we were happy that Mr. Acton had the opportunity to further his uses in the church. We looked forward to the coming of the Rev. Louis King.
     Mr. Acton turned over the keys of the church to Mr. King on August 25, in Pendleton Hall. He gave a message of encouragement to us all, and Mr. King responded with warmth and graciousness. Mr. Kenneth Holmes expressed to the ministers the feelings of the laity. The Women's Guild served punch and cookies, and a social chit-chat ensued as a prelude to the evening picnic.
     A new era has started. Attendance is high at all functions and a good sphere pervades our society.
     The school season started with a welcoming tea for the teachers. Mr. King introduced each teacher, starting with Miss Gladys Blackman who, at her own request, will be on shorter hours and less work. Theta Alpha presented her with a check and a corsage as tokens of appreciation of her years of excellent service and devotion as head teacher, teacher, and refiner of children. Miss Gertrude Hasen (Trudy) was then introduced. She has been teaching in the Pittsburgh school and will have the position of assistant to the headmaster in the administration of the school as well as teaching the 7th and 8th grades and taking the 9th grade in algebra.
     The rest of the teaching staff are: Mr. Bradley Smith, 5th and 6th grades and sports programmer and coach; Mrs. Benjamin McQueen, 3rd and 4th grades; Miss Jane Scalbom, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. Mrs. McQueen (Jean Hayworth) will be on a full-time basis after the lapse of a number of years which were occupied by motherhood, tutoring and Sunday school teaching; Miss Scalbom returns after a year of postgraduate work at the University of Illinois. The Rev. Kurt Nemitz will teach religion to the 4th and 6th grades and Latin to the 9th grade; Mrs. Warren Reuter will give reading instruction and help in the 2nd grade; Mrs. John Alan will instruct in art from the 4th through the 9th grade; Mrs. Horace Brewer will help Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Ben McQueen with gym; Mrs. John Barry and Mrs. Warren Harer will give all instruction in music and singing. The Rev. Louis King said that he would teach religion to grades 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9. Mrs. David Gladish will remain in charge of the library.
     The Theta Alpha tea ended with a most entertaining skit written by Mrs. Roger Murdoch and acted by her and some of the mothers. It was a parody in rhyme of the once-a-month meetings of parents and teachers.
     Activity is the word for this society. Friday suppers and classes; Sunday school for those not attending the church school; Women's Guild with its manifold uses; Theta Alpha and Sons; the school committee; men's discussion groups; the Park Social Club, which has given a card party and a big Hootenanny; the women's introductory class; the philosophy reading group; the Pastor's Council; the building committee; the Girls Club and the Boys Club-these are the organizations within the Society, and they are all active.

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     We had the rare treat of an excellent live concert, given by the North Shore Music Center Symphony Orchestra in Pendleton Hall. The concert was primarily for the school, but all were invited-along with their donations. Each child brought fifty cents, and Theta Alpha, under whose auspices the concert was given, made up a large portion of the very nominal fee. All arrangements were made by Mrs. John Barry. We hope she will be able to do this again before the year is over.
     Glenview was host to a very well attended Midwest District Assembly, October 18-20. It was opened by Bishop Pendleton with an address on "The Lord in the Divine Human." Discussion was invited and questions were answered. The Rev. Victor Gladish, the Rev. Norman Reuter and the Rev. Kurt Nemitz all made enlightening comments.
     The over all attendance at the Assembly was approximately 250 people; 68 visitors were accommodated in homes, and there were about 100 from outside Glenview. This was a very successful Assembly, its success being due, in large part, to those who made the effort, and met the expense involved, to come from other parts of the Midwest District. We thank our friends from Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Louis and Wisconsin for making this such a wonderful Assembly for us to host.
     Our semi-annual meeting was held on October 25, and one of the most important subjects discussed was the need of the school for more room and another teacher. It was decided to allow the use of the Pendleton Hall club room as a temporary measure.
     Our Society has 198 members, and the average attendance is 181 at family services and 125 at adult services. The approximate attendance at Friday suppers is 120. The school has an enrollment of 133, with 16 pupils in the kindergarten. The library has about 7,000 books and a circulation of 1,550 books a year.
     The assistant to the pastor, as well as teaching and conducting services for us, ministers once a month to the Circles in Madison and St. Paul and makes occasional visits to St. Louis.
     Thanksgiving was celebrated in Pendleton Hall with an attendance of 430. Mr. King gave a talk on returning thanks to the Lord for His ever bounteous blessings, and stressed that the Lord's love and blessings should not be wasted, but should be used for our improvement in helping the neighbor.
     We are happy under our new leadership. We feel closer to our friends in the Midwest District because of our successful Assembly, and at this time of writing we are looking forward to Christmas as the next large celebration in the church.
     VERA KITZELMAN
EPISCOPAL VISIT 1964

EPISCOPAL VISIT              1964

     The Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, Bishop of the General Church, will make an episcopal visit to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden, this month. He will return to Bryn Athyn by way of England, where he will visit the societies in London and Colchester.

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ACADEMY ACCREDITATION 1964

ACADEMY ACCREDITATION       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1964




     Announcements.





     An Announcement

     On January 2, 1964, the Academy of the New Church was notified that the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools has approved the continuance of the Boys School and the Girls School on the List of Accredited Secondary Schools for the period ending December 1, 1968. This extension is for the maximum period granted in the case of secondary schools which, like the Academy's, are already on the list.
     Renewal for a ten-year period of the accreditation of the Junior College, the Senior College and the Theological School by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Learning was announced on July 2, 1963.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          President

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LORD'S PASSION 1964

LORD'S PASSION       Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV      MARCH, 1964           No. 3
     "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit: and having thus said, He gave up the spirit." (Luke 23:44-46)

     The final moments of the Lord's life on earth were marked by several dramatic events, such as the sun being darkened, the veil of the temple being rent in twain, the earth quaking and rocks being burst asunder, the graves opening and the saints walking abroad, and other miraculous occurrences. All of these things are recorded in the New Testament because they are an essential part of the story of the Lord's glorification-the story of how the Lord took to Himself the Human and made it Divine. When properly understood, they help us to see not only a more perfect picture of the nature of the risen Lord but also a fuller idea of the works He performed in glorifying His Human.
     For hundreds of years, biblical scholars and historians have puzzled over the various events which accompanied the death on the cross. Apart from the accounts of these events in the Gospels there seems to be no other record, no independent confirmation that they actually occurred. If the sky was dark for three hours; if there was an earthquake, with rocks being rent asunder; if certain graves were opened and saints came forth from them; how is it, the scholars ask, that such marvelous events were not recorded by many people? Surely such happenings would have instilled fear and panic into the crowds gathered at Calvary to watch the Crucifixion? Yet no such fear or panic are mentioned in the gospel story. This kind of reasoning has led many to conclude that these events-especially such a thing as the dead rising from their graves, which would have astounded the whole world-did not actually take place, but were added to make the gospel account more dramatic.

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However, most Christian sects hold to the belief that these events, which accompanied the death on the cross, did take place; that they were miracles beyond the scope of human understanding; and that they are to be considered Divine mysteries of faith.

     The Writings of the Lord's second coming throw an entirely different light upon the events surrounding the death on the cross. They do not tell us which of these events actually occurred in this world; we are led to conclude that few or none of them did. However, the Writings show that this is not important. What is important is that all of these events are recorded in the Word, and that each one of them represents some truth or teaching about the Lord's Divine Human and about man's regeneration, as part of the Divine story of the Lord's death and resurrection. The spiritual sense of the Word unfolds the meaning of these representative events; often showing that the things described were picturing events occurring in the spiritual world, or states in the Lord's process of glorification. Let us now turn to some of these events as they were described in the Gospels to see how they relate to the various things which the Lord was accomplishing by permitting Himself to be crucified and put to death by men.
     According to Jewish time, the Lord was crucified about the third hour, which would be about nine o'clock in the morning, our time. We would note that "three" signifies that which is finished or completed. It signifies an entire period or episode from its beginning to its end.* Thus the Lord's being crucified at the third hour signifies that His work of putting on the Divine Human and rejecting the infirm maternal human had come to its final state of completion. On the cross He suffered the last and most severe temptations, in which He was attacked by all the power of the hells and was even assailed by the very heavens themselves. He fought alone, and this for the supreme purpose for which He had come into the world, that He might provide mankind with the means of finding salvation. When the heavens saw how the Lord was persecuted, and how He suffered at the hands of men, they doubted whether anything He could do would ever lead man out of the perverted state into which he had fallen. This doubt of the heavens was a temptation directed against the Lord's purpose in coming into the world; and, together with the final assault of the hells, it provided His final and worst agony. This was what caused the Lord to cry out: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
     * AE 532.

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     The Gospels tell us that from the sixth hour to the ninth hour the sun was overcast, and thick darkness spread over all the earth; thus that for three hours the earth was in darkness. Therein was represented something of the Lord's final state of temptation, and also something of the last state of the Jewish Church. In regard to the Lord's temptations, it will be remembered that while He was on earth He alternated between two states, the state of humiliation and the state of glorification. The Writings tell us that the Lord was "in the state of humiliation at the time and in the degree that He was in the human from the mother, and in that of glorification at the time and in the degree that He was in the Human from the Father. In the state of humiliation He prayed to the Father as to one who was other than Himself, but in the state of glorification He spoke with the Father as with Himself. In this latter state He said that the Father was in Him, and He in the Father, and that He and the Father were one. But in the state of humiliation He underwent temptations, suffered the cross, and prayed to the Father not to forsake Him. For the Divine could not be tempted, much less could it suffer the cross."* The darkness that came between the sixth and ninth hour signifies the Lord's most severe state of humiliation and temptation. The presence of the Father, represented by the sun, was as it were obscured by the activity of temptation in the Lord's maternal human. For a time the Lord seemed to be left alone, and that is why He cried out to the Father as to another person: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" and said finally: "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit."
     * Lord 35
     The sun being obscured and darkness coming over the earth for three hours represents also the final state of the Jewish Church, that is, the state of man's reception of the goods and truths of the Word at that time. The sun here represents the Lord, and its being hidden from men's eyes represents that they were not receiving the Lord's love and wisdom through the truths of the Word because, from evils of life and also from ignorance, they had so falsified those truths that nothing of the Lord's real nature could be seen in them. Thus was the Lord utterly rejected by the Jewish Church. Darkness signifies falsities, and that the darkness lasted for three hours and spread over all the earth signifies that falsities ruled completely over the entire Jewish Church. In the complete darkness of evil and falsity the Lord was not seen, but was fully rejected, and the Jewish Church came to an end.*
     * AE 526, 401:15; AC 1839:11

     In the last few moments of the Lord's life upon earth it is said that the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

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The temple represents in the supreme sense the Lord's Divine Human.* This is the Human to which the Lord referred when He said to the Jews: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."** When the Lord assumed the maternal human by coming into the world, He took upon Himself the appearances of good and truth in which the angels were and also the appearances of good and truth in which men in the world were. With men these appearances from the Word had been utterly perverted, and the same was true of many in the world of spirits. These false appearances, which were originally presented in the external rites and ceremonies of the Old Testament law, the Lord had to reject. Indeed it was through them that He could be tempted both by the hells and by the heavens. Through victory in temptations He not only rejected these appearances, He also re-ordered the ultimate of Divine truth and made it one with the Divine; and this new ultimate of Divine truth, which is called the "Word made flesh," is the Lord's Divine Human.
     * AE 220
     ** John 2:19
     The final rejection of everything that was of the maternal human, together with all of its false or limited finite appearances of good and truth, is what was represented by the rending of the veil of the temple. The link between the maternal human and the glorified Human was broken.* A veil represents something that divides. It will be remembered that veils were used to divide the different parts of the tabernacle. Besides this, however, a veil also represents that which clothes, covers or conceals. Thus the veil of the temple signified also the letter of the Word-the representative stories, rites and laws, the prophecies and judgments of the Old Testament. These were an external veil or covering for spiritual truths. When the Lord plainly manifested the nature of His Divinely-human qualities before man's natural mind He rent asunder the outer covering of the Old Testament story, as it were, so that man could see confirmed therein the spiritual truths which the Lord had revealed. Man could now see that the Lord Jesus Christ was the same God as the Jehovah of the Old Testament.
     * AC 2576, 9670

     The new truths which the Lord revealed through His Human were to be the means of bringing judgment upon the evil and false states of the Jewish Church, and the means also of establishing a new church in its place. The earthquake and the rending of the rocks which are described as following immediately upon the Lord's death represent the judgment upon the Jewish Church, and represent also a change of state with those who were to form the Christian Church. The Writings tell us that during the Last Judgment, in 1757, the spiritual world, especially the world of spirits, was shaken by many earthquakes, and such accompanying events as rocks being rent asunder.

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The reason that earthquakes correspond to judgments may be seen when it is known that by the earth is represented the church, and by a shaking or quaking of the earth is represented a change of state. Thus an earthquake represents a change in the state of the church. When a church comes to its end, that is, when it is ruled by nothing but falsity, either from evil or from ignorance or simplicity, a new revelation is given by the Lord, and a new church is established in place of the old. The truths of the new revelation bring about a judgment, an ordering or change of state, both with the evil and with the good.

     This judgment takes place essentially in the spiritual world, but its effects reach down also into the natural world. The change of state which the new truth brings about is actually an ordering of man's externals into agreement with his internals. Those who have confirmed themselves in the love of evil and falsity desire to possess and rule over Others. They will cloak their internal evil loves with external appearances of good and truth if by so doing they can achieve their desire to dominate others. When the church on earth comes into such a state that there is nothing left in it but falsity, the love of good has nothing whereby it can grow and be nourished; therefore that love remains only in its simple and first state of formation. It has no truth from which to see the nature of evil and falsity. The resulting states therefore become a prey to the infernal love of dominion. By clever false arguments, the evil spirits weave a web in which they trap and hold those who are good, yet in simplicity and ignorance.
     That is what occurred in the spiritual world when the Jewish Church fell, and as that church declined, the influence of the hells became so strong that it threatened to cut off the influx of God's love and wisdom to mankind. When the Lord took to Himself the Human, and through it revealed anew the nature of His Divine love and wisdom, He provided the truths necessary to bring salvation to the good and judgment upon the evil. The captive good spirits now had the means to see through the external appearances of good and truth which the evil spirits had put on, to see the evil loves and the falsities therefrom that lay beneath; and, seeing these things, they could free themselves from the bondage of the evil. With the new truths from the Lord's Divine Human, their simple love of good could be nourished and formed into a heavenly love. This change of state with the good spirits is what is signified by the earthquake that followed immediately after the death on the cross; while, with the evil, the earthquake represented judgment.

102


Stripped of their cloak of hypocrisy, the evil fled into hell, to find a home with those in similar loves.*
     * AE 400; AC 9093

     The release of good spirits from captivity by means of the truths of the Lord's glorified Human is represented in the gospel story by the graves being opened, and by the saints arising from them, walking in the city, and being seen by many. The death-like state in which the love of good was held in bondage is represented by the graves; by their being opened and by the saints arising is represented the freeing of good spirits from oppression by the evil; and by their walking into the holy city and being seen by many is represented the ascent of these good spirits into heaven, here represented by the holy city.*
     * CLJ 31; AR 845, 884; AE 659, 899

     When we know something about the meaning of the events which accompanied the Lord's passion, we are able to see more clearly the vast scope of that Divine and holy drama, influencing as it did, and still does, the life of every individual human being in all of creation. Even more, we are able to see in the effects of the Lord's death and resurrection the reasons why the salvation of the human race rested upon the Lord's coming into the world and glorifying His Human. These reasons are not mysteries, nor are they abstract ideas; if they remain such, there can be no real understanding of what is meant by the Lord's Divine Human, and where there is no understanding, neither can there be any love. The states of man's life, of his loves and thoughts, are what made the Lord's coming necessary; they account for every event of His life on earth, including His final humiliation and crucifixion. At the end of the Jewish Church men's proprial loves burst into the open; what they did to the Lord represented what they had done to the truths of the Word. These same proprial loves are the heredity of each one of us; through them the hells inspire us to love evil, to do evil, and to invent falsities that we may be justified in so loving and doing; and in so far as we allow the hells so to rule in us, in so far do we crucify the truths of the Lord's Word, which is the same thing as crucifying the Lord Himself, for the Lord is the Word.
     The Lord's glorification, though it took place in time many hundreds of years ago, is not to remain with us only as a memory-a picture of the Divine love for mankind in which we see why we should be thankful for His infinite mercy. For man's regeneration is an image of the Lord's glorification, and, indeed, more than an image, for the truths revealed concerning the glorified Human form the faith upon which all regeneration and salvation depend.

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That is why the doctrine of the Lord's glorification is the central doctrine of the New Church, and why the process of glorification is so fully revealed in the Writings. It is why the knowledge of the Lord's glorification is timeless, and of supreme importance to every state of both angels and men. The Lord's reasons for coming into the world are His reasons for coming into the human heart and mind: that we may know that He is a Divinely-human God, and, knowing, may learn to love and do the truths of His Word. In this way is the Lord glorified in man, according to the words which He Himself spake while on earth: "Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples." Amen.

     LESSONS: John 18:28-19:22. Matthew 27:38-54. TCR 130:3.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 548, 476, 554.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 56, 119.
BELIEVING IN THE RISEN LORD 1964

BELIEVING IN THE RISEN LORD       Rev. KENNETH O. STROH       1964

     An Easter Talk to Children

     Easter is a wonderful day. We celebrate it because on this day, many years ago, the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the place of His burial. His disciples and all of His friends had thought that He was dead. They had watched as He hung on the cross and the life went out of Him. They knew that Joseph of Arimathea had been allowed to take the body of Jesus and that he had placed it in his own sepulcher, a large hole cut out of a rock. A great stone had been rolled in front of the door of the sepulcher so that no one could go in or out. All this had been done on Friday evening.

     But on the morning of the first day of the week, which we call Sunday, three women came to the sepulcher, only to find that the stone had been rolled away. They saw an angel, who told them that the Lord was not there, but had risen. When they heard what the angel said, and saw the empty sepulcher, they were surprised, for they had not expected this to happen. Their bodies trembled, or shook, and they were afraid. One of these women was Mary Magdalene; and soon afterwards, when she was by herself, the Lord came to Mary. She was overjoyed to see Him, and after she had talked with Him she ran to tell His disciples all about it.

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     She found them sad and weeping, for they thought that their Lord was dead. At once Mary told them the glad news that He was not dead, but was risen, and that she had seen Him and talked with Him. Do you think they were happy to hear this? No, they were not. They did not believe her. They did not understand how Jesus could be alive, for they did not understand as yet that the Lord was indeed the God of heaven and earth; and they did not believe at first that He was risen.
     Then the Lord Himself came and spoke with two of them as they were walking along a road. These two came with joy and told the others. But again they would not believe until they had seen the Master, and when finally He came to them also He spoke to them about their unbelief, scolding them gently. To one of them He said: "Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
     After this Be told His disciples to go forth into all the world, to tell the glad news about Him to everyone they could find who would listen; and He promised that if they really believed in Him with all their hearts they would be able to do great things, which would be signs of their belief. They would cast devils out of the minds of troubled people. They would speak with new tongues, that is, in many different languages, so that everyone who heard them would understand, no matter what language he spoke. They would be able to pick up poisonous snakes without being harmed. Poisonous drinks would not hurt them, and the sick whom they touched with their hands would be made well again. All these things, He promised, could be done in His name by those who believed in Him.
     It happened as He had said. The disciples saw their Lord many times for forty days after He had risen. After that, they watched Him as He went up into heaven-and they saw Him no more. But they went forth to preach everywhere about the Lord; and as He had said, they were able to do these great things in His name because He was working with them. These were signs that the Lord is with those who believe in Him, for it was really the Lord who did these miracles.

     The Lord does miracles for us, too, if we believe in Him; and it is a wonderful thing that in the New Church we know what the real miracles are that the Lord can do for us. We do not do the same things the disciples did. The things they did were only signs of the real miracles. For the real miracles are spiritual and heavenly, and in His Word to the New Church the Lord tells us what these miracles are.
     If we really believe in the Lord, if we read His Word and do what He says, we will be able to cast spiritual demons out of our minds; we will be able to send away the evil spirits who want us to believe wrong things, for we will know the truth from the Word.

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If we know the truth, and understand and love it, we will try to tell it to others who do not know it; we will speak with new tongues, as it were. From the Lord we will have the strength to fight off the devils, the serpents of hell, so that they cannot harm us; we will be safe from their poisonous ideas as the disciples were safe from poisonous drinks. So will we be healed of our spiritual sicknesses, and will stop loving evil things, as the disciples could cure people of their sicknesses by touching them. All these things will happen to those who truly believe in the Lord. But they cannot happen to those who do not believe because these do not want them to happen.
     So you see that it is very important that we should believe in the Lord; for it is only if we really believe in Him that we will want His help. It is important that we know and understand that He is the God who made us, and that He alone can bring us into heaven. When He rose from the sepulcher on Easter morning, He rose with His whole body, unlike any other man; and He could do this only because He is the God of heaven and earth. When we know and understand this, we can rejoice truly with the angels because the Lord is risen. And if we really believe in the Lord with all our hearts, we will want to tell the good news about Him and about His New Church to everyone who will listen. For the Lord said to His disciples: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Amen.

     LESSON: Mark 16:1-7.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 548, 552, 554.
     PRAYER: Liturgy, no. C4.
GLORIFICATION AND THE CROSS 1964

GLORIFICATION AND THE CROSS              1964

     "The reason that the union itself [of the Divine and the Human] was fully effected by the passion of the cross is because that was the last temptation the Lord suffered in the world, and conjunction is effected by temptations. For in temptations man, to appearance, is left to himself alone, and yet he is not left, for God is then most present in his inmosts, and supports him. When therefore anyone conquers in temptation, he is in inmost conjunction with God; and the Lord was then in inmost union with God His Father. That in the passion of the cross the Lord was left to Himself is evident from His exclamation upon the cross: 'My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?'" (True Christian Religion 126)

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CAN THE LOVE OF SELF BE GOOD? 1964

CAN THE LOVE OF SELF BE GOOD?       Rev. BJORN A. H. BOYESEN       1964

     (Delivered at the first session of the 48th British Assembly, Colchester, July 19, 1963.)

     The overwhelming number of passages in the Writings concerning the love of self state that this love is an evil thing. It is not our purpose in this address to contradict this teaching or to minimize its importance. We are fully aware of the fact that in the normal sense it is true. We are also aware of the fact that if man is to become an angel of heaven, he must be delivered or saved from the love of self, for he is born with it. He must learn to shun this love as a sin against the Lord and the neighbor; otherwise he cannot be saved from it, for the shunning of evil is an indispensable part of salvation from it. Moreover, since man cannot shun evil unless he knows what it is like, and knows also that it clings to him, he must learn about this love from the Writings, practice self-examination in their light and with their help, and afterwards be reformed and regenerated. That is the way which the Lord has ordained, for the Writings are His Word and a very present help in trouble.

     This is the reason also that the Writings are so full of teachings concerning the horrible evil of the love of self. Lest we should be accused of neglecting the evil side of this love, we shall summarize some of the main teachings here.
     For the most part, the Writings consider the love of self together with the love of the world and state that these two loves are altogether opposite to love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor. While these latter reign in heaven and make heaven in man, the loves of self and the world are said to be infernal and make hell in man.* Of these two loves, however, the love of self is the worse. It is that which least of all agrees with heavenly life, and nothing is more contrary to the love of heaven.** They who are in this love wish to dominate not only over their neighbor but also over the whole world, nay, over the whole universe, and even over heaven itself. They aspire even to the throne of God.*** Therefore this love is also called the love of dominion from the love of self.

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Together with the love of the world, it is said to be the origin of all evils; for from these two loves, but especially from the love of self, arise contempt for others, enmity, hatred, revenge, cruelty and deceit, and innumerable other evils. Indeed the love of self in its essence is said to be not really a love but actually hatred itself.**** It is hatred of others and if considered as a love, it is a love of self alone. It is described as "willing well to self alone, and not to others except for the sake of self, not even to the church, one's country, or even to any human society."*****
     * AC 7376
     ** AC 1307, 1419e          
     *** AC 8678, 2219:4, 7375
     **** TCR 45
     ***** HH 556
     If a man who is in the love of self does well to others, "it is solely for the sake of his own reputation, honor and glory."* Even his love of his own family is not a genuine love of others, but a love of himself in and through them, for he loves them only in so far as they serve him.** The love of self is therefore destructive of all human society. In its essence it is said to be nothing but "the love of the proprium, and the proprium of man is nothing but evil."*** He who is immersed in this is in corporeal ideas and in pleasures which are merely of the body.**** He is a merely natural man, and is opposed to everything of the internal or spiritual man. In fact, in the true sense of the word, he has no internal man, but only an external.***** This is his proprium, with which he is born, and which is with every man by heredity; but man also adds to this proprium by actual evils of his own.****** Evil, therefore, is from man.
     * Ibid.
     ** Ibid.
     *** AE 650:2, 758:2          
     **** AE 950:3
     ***** HD 11               
     ****** HD 83; AC 694, 4317, 5660, 8551

     There is also in the Writings, however, another set of teachings which leads our thoughts in a different direction. One of these teachings is already mentioned in the foregoing treatment, in the fact that what has there been called the proprium is hereditary; that is, it is from parents and ancestors in a long series backwards to the early beginnings of the human race. Thus it is written that "the proprium of man . . . is his hereditary evil, which is to love self more than God, and the world more than heaven."* Its identity with the love of self is particularly evident from the teaching that "it is from hereditary evil to love self in preference to others, to will evil to others if they do not honor us, to perceive delight in revenge, and also to love the world more than heaven; and from the same source come all derivative cupidities and affections."** Of this heredity, however, we are taught that "in the other life no one undergoes any penalty or torment on account of it."***
     * HH 558; Cf. TCR 405:2.     
     ** AC 4311:5
     *** AC 966

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     Although man is born into it, "still it does not manifest itself until the man grows up, and acts from the understanding and thence from the will; meanwhile it lies stored up, especially in infancy; and as by the mercy of the Lord no one is blamed on account of what is hereditary, but on account of what is actual, and what is hereditary cannot become actual until man acts from his own understanding and from his own will, therefore infants are led by means of infants and angels from Him, and hence they appear in a state of innocence while hereditary evil still lurks in everything they do."* It is noted, too, that man is not born into evils themselves, but only into an inclination to them. That is why no one is judged from hereditary evil after death.** It is explained that the evils which proceed only from the will are such as man inclines to from heredity, and these are not imputed to him unless he has confirmed them in his understanding.*** Only when they have been so confirmed are they actually inscribed on the man, and thus become his own and are imputed to him. This cannot be done, however, except in adult life, when man begins to think and understand things for himself; before this he has no faith from himself, but only from his parents and teachers.****
     * AC 4563:2
     ** TCR 521
     *** AC 9009
     **** Ibid

     All these teachings suggest the thought that what has so far been called man's proprium-which is what the Writings normally mean by the proprium-is not a proprium in the strict and proper sense of that word. The very fact that it is hereditary and thus derived from others, and is not imputed to man as his own unless and until he has confirmed it, makes this clear. It is, in other words, only something which man feels as his own when he is under its influence, because it agrees with the inclinations of which he is then aware. It seems as if it were his proprium, whereas it is not really so unless and until he has appropriated it. Until that has been done, it is only an appearance that man's heredity is himself.
     This conclusion, that man's hereditary proprium is not really his proprium until he has appropriated it, also suggests the idea that there must be something else on the good side which man may appropriate instead of his heredity, if he so chooses for unless this were so, man would be swept away irresistibly in the direction of hell by his hereditary inclinations. Without something good which establishes an exact balance in his mind between good and evil inclination, he would have no freedom of choice, and consequently no responsibility. He would be predestined to hell, and would not be able to be saved from it. He would never be able to reach heaven and become an angel.

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     That there is such a good also is clear from the doctrine concerning remains. In contradistinction to heredity, remains are not connate but are implanted. They are said to be "all the states of affection of good and truth with which man is gifted by the Lord from first infancy to the end of life."* "They are not only the goods and truths which a man has learned from the Lord's Word from infancy, and has thus impressed on his memory, but they are all the states thence derived, such as states of innocence from infancy, states of love towards parents, brothers, teachers, friends, states of charity toward the neighbor, in a word, all states of good and truth. . . . They are preserved in man by the Lord and stored up. . . in his internal man, and are completely separated from the things that are proper to man, that is, from evils and falsities. Not the least of them is lost."** Those remains which are of good, that is, of a celestial nature, are insinuated especially from infancy to childhood, and without knowledges; for they inflow from the Lord, and affect, before the man knows what love is.*** However, "in later life also man is gifted with remains, but these are not so much of good as of truth. Through these remains, which are born from the influx of spiritual things from the Lord, man has ability to think, and also to understand, what the good and truth of civil and moral life are, and also to receive spiritual truth . . . but he cannot do this except through the remains of good received in infancy."****
     * AC 1906               
     ** AC 561
     *** AC 1450
     **** AC 1906:3
     Of particular interest in relation to our subject is the teaching that "if there were no remains in man, he would not be man, but much viler than a brute. The fewer the remains, the less is he a man; and the more they are, the more is he a man."* Thus "it is from remains, or through remains, that man is man."** It is "from and through them [that] . . . he can know what is good and true, reflect upon each thing, and thus think and reason; for in remains alone is there spiritual and celestial life."*** "When man is being regenerated, these states are the beginning of it; for the Lord operates through the remains."**** Remains are "all the things with which man is gifted by the Lord before regeneration, and through which he is regenerated"***** that is why they are called in the Word the "living soul of all flesh."******
     * AC 530:2               
     ** AC 1138:2
     *** AC 560               
     **** AC 1050:2
     ***** AC 2636:2
     ****** AC 1050:3
     In proportion as man extinguishes these states he therefore becomes dead,* that is, dead as far as the human is concerned. Yet even with the evil the remains are not entirely destroyed, but are withdrawn toward the interiors of the mind in order to prevent profanation.

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If their state is continued and confirmed, however, it is as if the remains were totally destroyed and consumed; and then man is no longer a man, except in the fact that he can still reason, if he wills. We are also taught that it is principally the evil of the love of self which consumes the remains of good and truth from the Lord.** But with him who is regenerated the remains are instead the beginning of a new will and a new understanding from the Lord, which also are said to constitute his "new proprium."*** We might say that the remains are the beginning of it, while the conscience, which consists of the remains confirmed, is the new proprium itself.
     * AC 1050:2
     ** AC 5135:4
     *** AC 9296

     Thus we now have here something else than his heredity which may be considered as man's proprium, and consequently as the man himself. Different from heredity, it is not connate, but is implanted. Yet, like the hereditary proprium, it is derived from others, and in reality is inmostly from the Lord alone even if it is implanted by other men. Thus even this new proprium is in reality not a proprium in the strict sense of that word. In the beginning it, too, like man's heredity, consists only of tendencies or inclinations, and it is appropriated to man as his only as he confirms these tendencies by his own choice and life. But even then it is not, strictly speaking, his; it is still the Lord's, given to him to enjoy and use only as if it were his proprium. This is very evident from the teaching that "remains, when predicated of the Lord, are nothing else than His proprium, and are the Divine goods and truths which He procured for Himself by His own power."* These were "all Divine states by which He united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence. They cannot be compared to the remains with man, for these are not Divine."**
     * AC 4168, 3740
     ** AC 1906:4
     The point here is that the goods and truths which remained with the Lord in His Human, and whereby He glorified it, were His own and Divine in the sense that they originated from Himself, and were also accepted and confirmed by Him in His Human by His own Divine and proper power. In this sense no one but the Lord alone has proprium, and this is also expressly stated in the Writings: "The Lord alone has proprium; from His proprium He redeemed man, and from His proprium He saves him. The Lord's proprium is life; and from this proprium He vivifies man's proprium, which in itself is dead."* If we wish, We might say also that the Lord's proprium is love: His Divine love, which is the love of creating others from Himself, and of so endowing them with His own good that it appears to them as theirs.
     * AC 149:2

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     Man's proprium is consequently a gift, whether we speak of his hereditary proprium, which is a gift of evil from others, or of his new proprium, which is a gift from the Lord. Both of them are, however-as needs to be strongly emphasized-only inclinations at first. Neither becomes an actual proprium unless man accepts and confirms it of himself. Thus we are led to suspect, and indeed reason requires us to acknowledge, that there must be something higher in man, something that is even more the man himself than either his heredity or his remains, something which is most properly the man himself who does the choosing. Here again we are right, for this highest something is the soul.
     It is indeed true that the Writings speak of this term as meaning many different things, but time does not permit us to consider its many different senses. It is enough for our purposes to consider only man's soul in its most proper sense. It is this that is referred to in the following passage in the work Heaven and Hell:

     "In every angel and in every man there is an inmost or highest degree, or an inmost or highest something, into which the Divine of the Lord first or most proximately flaws, and from which it disposes the other interiors in him that succeed in accordance with the degree of order. This highest or inmost degree may be called the entrance of the Lord into the angel or the man, and His veriest dwelling place in them. It is by virtue of this inmost or highest that a man is a man, and is distinguished from the animals, which do not have it. From this it is that man, unlike the animals, is capable, in respect to all his interiors, which pertain to his mind and disposition, of being raised up by the Lord to Himself, of believing in the Lord, of being moved by love to the Lord and thereby beholding Him, and of receiving intelligence and wisdom and speaking from reason. Also it is by virtue of this that he lives to eternity. But what is arranged and provided by the Lord in this inmost does not distinctly fall into the perception of any angel, because it is above his thought and transcends his wisdom."*
     * HH 39

     That this passage refers to the soul is clear from the statement in True Christian Religion: "There is a universal influx from God into the souls of men, that there is a God, and that He is one. . . . The reason this influx is into men's souls is that the soul is the inmost and supreme of man, and the influx of God is into it, and thence descends into the things which are below."* In still other places it is called the human internal, as in the following passage from the Arcana, where we read:
     *TCR 8

     "The internal of man is that from which man is man, and by which he is distinguished from brutes. By this internal he lives after death . . . and by it he can be elevated by the Lord among the angels. It is the first form itself from which man becomes, and is, man. Through this internal the Lord is united to man.

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The heaven itself nearest the Lord is from these human internals; but this is above the inmost angelic heaven, and therefore these internals are of the Lord Himself."*
     * AC 1999:3

     In the same passage it is stated that this internal has no life in itself, but is a form recipient of life from the Lord. In proportion as man is in evil, both actual and hereditary, he is separated from this internal, which is of the Lord and with the Lord. For although it is adjoined to man, and is inseparable from him, nevertheless, in proportion as man recedes from the Lord, he as it were separates himself from it. But this separation is not a plucking away from it, for then man could no longer live after death; it is a dissent and disagreement of those faculties of man which are beneath, that is, of the rational and the external man. In proportion to this dissent and disagreement he is disjoined; but in proportion as there is no dissent and disagreement the man is conjoined with the Lord through the internal.*
     * AC 1999:4
     Elsewhere we learn that this internal, or man's soul, consists at first of the faculties of the will and the understanding, or, as they are also called, the faculties of freedom and reason, or again, the voluntary and the intellectual.* In these faculties the Lord stores up the goods and truths with which He endows man from infancy.** This most general universal of man, which is the soul, thus contains all the single things wherewith man is endowed.*** From it nothing whatever can be taken, and to it nothing whatever can be added**** by which we understand that its original character cannot be changed. Such as it was created by the Lord, such it remains. For our purposes we might say that, on its own exalted plane, neither the quantity nor the quality of its abilities can be altered. Still it is this inmost life in man from the Lord which enables him to choose and accept for himself, and confirm in himself, either the hereditary inclinations from his ancestors or the remains from the Lord, which we have described above. Thus the faculties of the will and the understanding, which are only potentialities at birth, become on the lower planes of man's conscious mind an actual will and an actual understanding, which make up his proprium: an evil proprium if he has chosen his heredity, a good and heavenly proprium if he confirms his remains.
     * See AR 641:2; DLW 360 ff
     ** AC 1707:3
     *** AC 6115
     **** CL 315:11
     Thus we have here, in the soul, that inmost in man which in the most exalted sense is most properly the man himself. Yet at exactly this point we must observe extraordinary caution; for while the soul is indeed the inmost of man, it is not his proprium. It is truly the seat of those inmost powers from the Lord without which he cannot choose or acquire a proprium for himself; but it is not itself a proprium, nor can it ever be so appropriated as to become a proprium.

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The reason is, of course, that it is never really man's own, but is perpetually the Lord's with him. Indeed it cannot itself be given to man, he has only the use of it. This, too, is taught openly in these words of the Writings: "These faculties, freedom and rationality; are neither of them of man, but are of the Lord in man, and they cannot be appropriated to man as his own; nor indeed can they be given to man as his own, but are continually of the Lord in man, and yet are never taken away from man."* The same thing is obviously true, then, of all those inmost potentialities wherewith the Lord has endowed each man. They are his inmost self, in potency at first, in actuality later as they find expression as actual talents on the lower planes of his conscious mind and life; but they are never really man's own. Indeed it may be said of the whole man that, while he is himself, he is not his own; for man is the Lord's, and all that belongs to him. Indeed even the evil man is the Lord's, though he tries strenuously not to be.
     * DLW 245
     What, then, shall we say of the love of self! Obviously it depends on what we mean by the man himself. If we mean the hereditary proprium, it is indeed an evil thing, and all its endeavors are to be shunned as sins against the Lord and the neighbor. When its inclinations have been chosen as the ruling affections in man, they are against the order which the Lord intends and has laid down in His creation; for it is the nature of this proprium to confirm the appearance that man is his own, and that he need not regard anyone else, except as a means to his own pleasure and power. When this has become man's ruling love, it extinguishes the inclinations of his remains and prevents the establishment of the new proprium from the Lord. It also separates the man from the proper use of his freedom and reason, and the whole man becomes perverted from his inmost down to his ultimate.
     If, on the other hand, we mean by the man himself the new proprium established in man through the proper use of the powers of the soul in confirming the remains provided by the Lord, it is indeed a good thing, and its endeavors are surely to be sought as services to the Lord and to the neighbor. When its inclinations have been chosen as the ruling affections in man, they are according to the order which the Lord intends and which He has laid down in creation. For it is the nature of this proprium to acknowledge the truth that man is not his own, and to regard others and uses to them in the first place and man himself as a means to these uses. When this has become man's ruling love, it flows down into the lower affections of his nature and changes their character to bring them into conformity with itself.

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It does indeed extinguish the love of self alone, but the love of self as a means of uses to others is established and confirmed. When this is done, love to the Lord and toward the neighbor rule, the love of self serves, and the whole man becomes a heavenly man from the inmost of his soul to the ultimates of his life.
     From this it is evident that the love of self is not necessarily an evil love. Whether it is good or evil depends on its relations to other loves. We read:

     "There are three kinds of love: the love of heaven, the love of the world, and the love of self. The love of heaven is spiritual, the love of the world is material, and the love of self is corporeal. When the love is spiritual, all things which follow from it, as forms from their essence, derive a spiritual nature. Similarly, if the principal love is the love of the world or of wealth, and thus is material, all things which follow from it, as derivatives from their principle, derive a material nature. Likewise, if the principal love is the love of self, or of eminence above others, and thus is corporeal, all things which follow from it derive a corporeal nature. The reason is that the man who is in this love regards himself alone, and thus immerses the thoughts of his mind in his body. . . .Therefore . . . he who knows the ruling love of anyone . . . knows the whole man."*
     * Infl. 17

     There are similar passages in the Writings, but we need not quote them all. We will mention, though, that in the work Conjugial Love it is taught that every man is "from creation made up of these loves."* Also, that love which in the previous number is called the "love of heaven" is here called the "love of the neighbor" instead. But it is the same love; and it is said further that "man is man when the love of the neighbor or the love of doing uses makes his head, the love of the world the body, and the love of self the feet."**
     * CL 269:2
     ** Ibid
     The point here is that the proper love of self was originally a good love, and, indeed, can again be made good with those who are regenerated. The following is the dearest statement of all in the Writings to this effect:

     "From creation the love of self and the love of the world are heavenly; for they are loves of the natural man which are of service to spiritual loves as foundations are to houses. For from the love of self and of the world man wills well to his body; he wants to be fed, clothed and housed, to take thought for his house, to solicit employment for the sake of use, and even to be honored according to the dignity of the affairs which he administers, for the sake of obedience; and also to be delighted and recreated from the delights of the world. But all these things are for the sake of the end, which must be use; for by these things he is in a state to serve the Lord and the neighbor. But when there is no love of serving the Lord and the neighbor, and only a love of serving himself from the world, then from being heavenly that love becomes infernal, for it causes the man to immerse his mind and animus in his proprium, which in itself is all evil."*
     * DLW 396

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     There is, finally, a number of passages which openly state that the love of self or the love of dominating for the sake of a use is a good love. But there is no need to quote them.
     We would like to finish by saying that it is a sorry thing to believe that the selfishness of the hereditary proprium is all that is in man. It is indeed true that the love of self alone must be shunned, but to believe for this reason that there are no inclinations, affections and abilities in man of real value reveals a most severe lack of trust in the Lord's Divine Providence. It bespeaks a complete misunderstanding of the unselfishness of the Lord's love. In fact, it amounts in the end to an accusation against Him and a denial of His wisdom and love and mercy. To take away from anyone, especially from a child, the confidence and belief that the Lord has endowed him with both spiritual and natural abilities and talents of inestimable value is to do him a great disservice. It is a crime not only against the child or the man himself but also against the Lord and human society as well. Indeed it is a kind of spiritual murder; for we ought to consider that each soul is created by the Lord for a specific, individual use in heaven, and is precious in His sight, for which reason it ought to be precious also in our eyes. Each man has a need for, and a right to, a belief in his own value, and it ought not to be taken away from him.
LORD A MAN OF WAR 1964

LORD A MAN OF WAR              1964

     "The Lord is called a 'man of war' primarily from the fact that when He was in the world He alone, that is, from Himself, fought against the hells, which were then for the most part open, and attacked and endeavored to subjugate all who came into the other life. The reason . . . the hells were at that time so rampant was that the Divine passing through the heavens, which before the coming of the Lord was the Divine Human, did not avail against evils and falsities, then so immensely increased. Therefore it pleased the Divine itself to assume the Human and to make this Divine, and then at the same time through combats admitted into Himself to cast that diabolical crew into the hells, and shut them in there, and to make them subject to the heavens; and at the same time also to reduce the heavens into order. From these combats the Lord is first called a 'man of war,' and also afterward, because when He had thus conquered the hells and had become righteousness, He protects men by His Divine power, and this continually, and especially in the combats of temptation." (Arcana Coelestia 8273)

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BEAUTY OF HOLINESS 1964

BEAUTY OF HOLINESS       Rev. DAVID R. SIMONS       1964

     All true worship is characterized by innocence, humility and gratitude. Genuine worship involves a return to the Lord, a reaction, a response on the part of man for all His benefits toward him. This reaction is to be innocent; it is to be qualified by a willingness to follow the Lord. It is to be humble-to acknowledge that of himself man is ignorant and helpless, that the loves of self and the world would completely swallow up his life if the Lord did not mercifully through His Word extend the hand of salvation, to elevate man to Himself in heaven. And worship-spiritually effective worship-is grateful. It recognizes that Providence is intimately concerned with every individual: challenging him, rewarding him, and leading him through new insights into truth and through a sense of accomplishment to perfect those qualities of life which can be of eternal use. In short, worship is love expressing itself-internal love to the Lord expressing itself in external forms, in the "beauty of holiness."

     Beauty is the form of love. It is the perfection of form ordered from within by life itself. The teaching is that good and charity, which are angelic life, "shape the form and cause delight and beauty to shine forth [and] when this form is beheld, it is ineffable beauty, which affects with charity the very inmost life of the mind."*
     * AC 553
     The reception of beauty is also qualified by love, for love interprets. Our ruling love colors everything we see. It is delighted with all that is harmonious with itself and irritated and repelled by what is not. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the eye is qualified by love.
     Beauty relates to form, holiness relates to content-to the connection of form with internal life. The power of genuine beauty to stir affections of good and truth comes from holiness, from the union of what is first with what is last. Worship is holy when internal states of innocence, humility and gratitude are expressed in corresponding forms of beauty.
     The first worship of men on our earth was qualified by innocence. The men of the golden age-called "golden" because love to the Lord was the precious love of their hearts-worshiped the Lord in the temple of His own creation.

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Spontaneously, from internal perception, these celestial men acted out their internal states of humility and love in simple gestures which were to become the bases for all genuine ritual and worship. Humility of mind, their acknowledgment of their own complete lack of worth and their total dependence on the Lord, expressed itself in bodily humiliation-in full prostration before the Lord their Maker. We read as follows:

     "True adoration or humiliation of heart, carries with it prostration to the earth upon the face before the Lord, as a gesture naturally flowing from it. For in humiliation of heart there is the acknowledgment of self as being nothing but filthiness, and at the same time the acknowledgment of the infinite mercy of the Lord toward that which is such; and when the mind is kept in these acknowledgments, the very mind droops in lowliness toward hell, and prostrates the body. Nor does it uplift itself until it is uplifted by the Lord. This takes place in all true humiliation, with a perception of being uplifted by the mercy of the Lord. Such was the humiliation of the men of the Most Ancient Church."*
     * AC 1999

     These most ancients directed their worship toward the east-toward the splendor of the rising sun. They knew, from open communication with the angels, that the Lord appears in the east of heaven as a sun whose radiant light is the truth of wisdom and whose life-giving heat is love. To the most ancients the drama and beauty of a sunrise was a spiritual event; for "when they observed the morning they did not then perceive the morning of the day, but that which is heavenly, and which is like a morning and a dawn in human minds, and from which the Lord is called the 'morning' and the 'dawn' or 'dayspring.'"*
     * AC 920
     The men of this first church sought out the tops of mountains as suitable places for approaching the Lord. "When they saw a high mountain, they perceived an idea, not of a mountain, but of elevation, and from elevation of heaven and the Lord, from which it came to pass that the Lord was said to dwell in the highest, He Himself being called the 'Most High' and the 'lofty one.'"*
     * Ibid.
     A further way in which celestial love expressed itself was by worship in groves of trees. To the minds of the most ancients, interpreted by their love, the beauty of trees brought on contemplation of the miracle of man's regeneration. In the growth of leaves they saw the development of human intelligence; in the bursting of blossoms, the beginnings of wisdom; and in the bearing of fruit, life's fulfillment in uses to the neighbor.*
     * AC 5115
     As long as men were in supreme love to the Lord the entire world of human experience was interpreted in the golden light of this love. Nature was their Word, and shone for them with the "beauty of holiness" from the Lord.

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But celestial love declined. Men became interested in themselves and the world, and the loves thereof could not see the Lord in His creation. They needed help, if genuine worship was to be preserved on earth.
     The Lord provided this help by giving a written Word. In this, the Ancient Word, part of which has been preserved in the early chapters of Genesis, the perceptive wisdom of the most ancients was ultimated and fixed in sacred stories. In that Word the things of heaven were re-presented in forms of nature: in a seven-day creation, in a paradisal garden "eastward in Eden," and in trees- the "tree of life" and the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." The Ancient Word was holy in that it was connected by correspondence with the love and wisdom of its Author. The key to an understanding of its spiritual content was the knowledge of correspondences passed down from the wisdom of the most ancients.

     In the Ancient Church the loves of self and the world finally became the dominant loves of the human mind, and these loves were reflected in their worship: the love of self in the desire man had to put on more of self, more of his own creative intelligence into his worship; the love of the world in his use of earthly materials-wood, stone and metal-to express his religious beliefs and feelings. But these loves were mercifully redeemed by their connection with heaven through the knowledge of correspondences.*
     * Coro. 44
     From the knowledge of correspondences, which was considered by them their chief science, the "science of sciences,"* by which they interpreted life, the men of that age could enter into the internals of worship, so that, like their ancestors, they worshiped toward the east, on mountains and in groves from an understanding of the spiritual significance of such acts. Yet unlike the most ancients, who found pure nature adequate to express their loves, these more external men sought artificial forms to satisfy their creative intelligence. They cast nature into new molds. They formed for themselves, from a knowledge of correspondences, representative images of animals, birds and fish in wood, stone and metal.** Nor were these first artisans of our race content merely to copy. Their active imaginations, for the sake of emphasizing spiritual qualities, combined and refined the objects of nature into fabricated forms, into composite trees, animals and men: a tree with golden fruit, a horse with wings, a man with the head of a hawk. In their desire to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness the men of the Ancient Church gave birth to all the arts, to the external cultures of civilization.
     * AC 9401
     ** CL 76

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     But their interest in external things carried them away; for although the arts developed forms of surpassing elegance, grace and symmetry; although man's skills in shaping the materials of the earth rose to a pinnacle of refinement and perfection; although in the glory and excellence of Egypt and Greece a rare beauty was fashioned by outstanding artists; the holiness was lost. The forms became for them empty idols, since they no longer remembered the science of correspondences.
     Concerning the decline of the Ancient Church into idolatry the Arcana states: "The Ancient Church, so widely spread, especially throughout the Asiatic world, in the process of time degenerated. . . and was adulterated by innovators, as to both its internal and its external worship. . . and especially by the fact that all things significative and representative which the Ancient Church had from the mouth of the Most Ancient Church-which all bore reference to the Lord and His kingdom-were turned into things idolatrous, and by some of the nations into things magical."* "Into such an idolatrous worship was the ancient worship changed, when they no longer believed that anything internal was signified by the rites of the church, but only what is external"** for "when external worship is separated from internal, it is made idolatrous. External worship separated from love to the Lord and from love to the neighbor is nothing except idolatrous."***
     * AC 1241
     ** AC 2441:8
     *** AC 1241

     When man was seduced by his own arts, when art forms became ends in themselves, when man in his preoccupation with the beauty lost the holiness of worship, then the Lord acted to restore the connection between heaven and earth by establishing the Jewish Church, in which every detail of worship was prescribed by Divine revelation. Since every particular of that worship had its origin in heaven from the Lord, therefore, when those particulars were acted out by the Jews, a connection with heaven could be maintained. The teaching is that "this representative [Jewish] church was instituted after all internal worship was lost . . . in order that there might be some conjunction of heaven with earth. . . . The representatives were of such an efficacy that all things that were done according to the rites commanded appeared holy before spirits and angels."* In this way a temporary link between heaven and earth was forged and preserved.
     * AC 1361
     Yet all these beauties of worship-from the burning of incense to Solomon's temple itself-meant nothing spiritually to the men who saw them unless there was internal worship within. For this reason, to the question, "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God shall I come before Him with burnt offerings?" the Lord answers: "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"*
     * Micah 6:6, 8

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     By His advent on earth the Lord revealed Himself in His own Divine Human and provided for genuine Christian worship. In contrast to the elaborate externals of worship in the Jewish Church, the emphasis in the Christian Church was on internal, spiritual things. "When thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret," that is, in the internal man. "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door [shut out the things of the world], pray to thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."* "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."**
     * Matthew 6;3, 4, 6
     ** John 4:23
     Whereas the Jews were forbidden to regard the animals in nature lest they act out their internal idolatry by making graven images thereof,* Christians were led through parables to see nature in a new light: water and wine, the mustard seed and the fig tree, a white horse-all became symbols, correspondential forms whose beauty contained the holiness of heaven. Once again men could focus on nature as an ultimate which mirrored spiritual realities, as consisting of forms superior to the works of man. "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."**
     * Cf. Ezekiel 8
     ** Matthew 6:28, 29
     But Christianity declined. Like the Ancient Church before it, it became absorbed in external things, in the loves of self and the world. The love of self reached out for power and dominion over the souls of men, and the love of the world led to the development of the sciences and to the elaboration of the arts. Yet in its decline, as had been true of the Ancient Church, there was a last flowering, a burst of autumn color before winter set in. The Christian spirit expressed itself in all the arts in works of immortal beauty.
     However, beauty is not an end in itself. Beauty without holiness, without a direct link with genuine truth, leads to idolatry, becoming merely a means of glorifying self and the world. For this reason, when Christian love turned away from eternal things, when external worship lost its spiritual essence, it became necessary for the spiritual welfare of the human race that the Lord reveal Himself anew to redeem His people.

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This He has done "in spirit and in truth," in the spiritual truths of the Heavenly Doctrine which leads to "all truth."*
     * John 16:13

     In the light of this new revelation, the arts and sciences will be redeemed. Modern man may now enter into these fields from religious insight and spiritual purpose, and for spiritual recreation.* The unfolding of the spiritual sense of the Word has restored the knowledge of correspondences and made it possible for man to understand the former Scriptures. It has also opened the way to a new understanding and appreciation of the arts of the ancients, of the holiness behind their craftsmanship; and of far more significance, these new truths open the way for the development of an entirely new culture-for a worship of the Lord in forms of beauty which are filled with holiness.
     * SD min. 4773; AE 1194, 1226
     The art forms of the ancients were innocent and humble: innocent in that they copied the forms of nature; humble in that, when they combined these forms, they did so for the sake of correspondences, of emphasizing spiritual meaning. Similarly, the art forms of the new age are to be innocent and humble. Whereas the ancients used external nature as their model, the artists of the New Church have other sources for their inspiration. Descriptions of heavenly perfection in the Writings, contrasted there with its opposites, and the life forms on other planets and earths in the universe of which the Writings speak provide one challenge. But of far more power and opportunity is the matching of the forms of internal nature with the knowledge of spiritual forces and degrees revealed in the Writings, for the sciences are opening up the internal wonders of nature before the human eye. By entering into the microcosm, the order of minute nature, and by extending our knowledge of the order of the macrocosm in outer space, science is providing a basis and model on which entirely new art forms can be founded.
     When these forms of inner nature are transposed into art forms from a religious purpose-from a knowledge of correspondences, and from an understanding of the spiritual world and of the forces which are constantly at work in creation and in the human mind-the artist of the future will unlock beauties the eye has never seen-beauties of form matched throughout by a holiness of content. Then the arts will be a dynamic means of bridging the gap between the two worlds. They will form a Jacob's ladder by which the angels of spiritual truth may descend into ultimates, and the forms of nature may be sublimated; may ascend in perfection of form to the feet of Him who is at the top of the ladder: a ladder whereby the mind of man may be elevated into the delights of worship from spiritual truth, to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

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OUR IMAGINARY HEAVENS 1964

OUR IMAGINARY HEAVENS       Rev. HUGO LJ. ODHNER       1964

     The Writings given to the New Church disclose the secret urges and inmost aims of the human heart. They show that every man forms for himself while on earth an idea of what to him would be heaven-the fulfillment of his hopes or ambitions, the state which would satisfy his longings and delights. This idea of heaven obviously changes and matures as man grows up. His early, childish delights begin to pall. His interests shift from mere play and story to the serious occupations of the adult world. He seeks to penetrate mere appearances, to glimpse some of the realities behind them. The old order passes, making room for the new. The first heaven and even the first earth pass away.
     Normally, our first idea of heaven, which at best is natural and corporeal, should be replaced by a spiritual idea, and this can be gained only through instruction from Divine revelation. But from an inherited disposition, man's actions and thoughts are moved and selected by the love of self and the love of the world. He tends to look for his delights to things which please his natural mind-and may see his final heaven in the satisfactions of his bodily appetites, in the pleasures of the senses; or in the feeling of pre-eminence and power over others. He then shuns spiritual instruction or spiritual ideas of heavenly delights. He builds his own false heaven, a heaven for this world only, which, like the first heaven of childhood, is bound to pass away. But unlike the heaven of childhood, the heaven of selfish love cannot mature into a true heaven. Instead it ripens and rots from within into a hell of phantasy.

     John, in one of his apocalyptic visions, saw a new heaven and a new earth, after the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.* It was a vision of the future which was fulfilled in the spiritual world after the last judgment on the first Christian Church. By the first heavens that perished were meant societies of evil spirits who had formed seeming heavens for themselves by simulating Christian life in externals, and thus seduced or retarded multitudes of good but simple spirits whom they then held in mental subjection.** By the new heaven was meant a heaven formed by the Lord from all salvable Christians, and their infants, who had lived since the time of the Lord, and who were now released from their dependence on false leaders and organized for spiritual uses.***

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This new heaven is now open to receive all spirits who can accept the doctrine of heaven in faith and life, and who worship the Lord Jesus Christ in His Divine Human.
     * Revelation 21:1
     ** AR 876
     *** HD 3, 4
     It was through the last judgment on the "first heaven" that order and spiritual freedom were restored in the world of spirits. It became again possible for men to perceive and receive Divine truths in light. The Writings relate that a new light came into the world of spirits; and they add: "A similar light also then arose with men in the world, from which they have a new enlightenment."* The source of this new illustration was the revelation on earth of the Heavenly Doctrine, given for the establishment of the "new earth"-a New Church which is to be conjoined with the New Heaven!
     * CLJ 30

     The last judgment occurred in the spiritual world, which is hidden from man's observation. But none can dispute that we are now living in a new age, or that mankind, since the middle of the eighteenth century, has passed into an epoch of mental ferment, a state of accelerated knowledge and of judgment, in which spiritual truth and spiritual falsities are equally questioned. Indeed, the very reality of the soul is placed in doubt.
     The false heavens have fallen, the Writings testify; but human nature is not suddenly changed. The same churches remain in Christendom.* Ancient man-made creeds have indeed lost their prestige; but the Divinity of the Lord's Human is now more and more openly denied within the churches, whereas formerly this denial was veiled. The inspiration and authority of Scripture are explained away. The idea of hell is dismissed as legend. Predestination to hell reappears as scientific determinism.
     * LJ 73
     Man continues to disdain the heaven which the Lord offers, and instead he seeks to create his own heavens-on earth! It is indeed remarkable that in this new age the efforts of men have tended to make the natural world an imitation and, in a sense, a mockery of the world of spirits. To get around the stern obstacles of time and space they increase the speed of travel and make possible instantaneous communication of voice and vision across the globe. By artifice, they turn night into day at pleasure, and create in our homes the climate of a perpetual spring. A communion of knowledge is tending to level the barriers of classes and races, while weakened convictions wipe out religious differences. Meanwhile, the gracious provisions of our Heavenly Father are forgotten by a self-centered people who trust in the provisions of the state; and men seek a measure of immortality for their bodies, even while they deny it to their souls!

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     The false heavens of great Babylon and the dragon have been abolished, and their spirits cannot find any fixed habitations in the world of spirits.* New spirits from earth indeed gather according to their religious beliefs, but they come under continual judgment and instruction.
     * AR 865f
     Every man, from whatever religion or modern persuasion, builds his heaven in his imagination according to his faith and life. The Writings tell how spirits after death go about looking for heavens where they would find eternal bliss. Heaven is where the heart is; but the heart has unsuspected depths and many levels. What we believe to be our dominant delight may be a self-deception!
     Some, who have thought little or only superficially about eternal life, think of heaven as a place where anyone, irrespective of how he had lived on earth, is surrounded by an aura of bliss and may drink in felicity until his mind is intoxicated into forgetfulness of all his problems; and the Lord permits anyone to be admitted into the heaven for which he prays.

     How innumerable are not our imaginary heavens! The Heavenly Doctrine relates some of the popular delusions of pious Christians. Some think only of sensual pleasures such as the enjoyment of a paradise of beauty and plenty; or of entertaining companionships, with witty or profound conversations-a recreational heaven; or the elevation to positions of honor and wealth or dominion over others-like sitting in judgment upon less fortunate souls. But many expect heaven to be a continual round of worship and ecstatic praise of God.
     The Lord permits such spirits to enter into the joys of their imagination-until they find that their supposed joy grows dull and wearisome and even nauseating, because empty of purpose. It may thus appear that a man's imagination does not necessarily reflect his deepest longings or highest ideals, except in symbols which he himself may not really understand! He may not ever have asked himself why feasting or companionship or possessions or dominion should lead to blessedness.
     Heaven, the real heaven, is now open to all. But whoever ventures in unprepared soon finds that he has taken himself along! Many spirits feel themselves as if stripped naked before the angels, or else feel themselves unable to breathe, and are seized with a wild desire to cast themselves down and return to their own sphere of life;* for in the light of heaven all their faults are revealed, to themselves and to others.

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A spirit is sometimes told that he will be unable to perceive any angelic joy as long as he is so anxious to come into heaven!**
     * CL 10
     ** SD 2049
     The striking statement is made in the Arcana that "the souls who come into the other life are all ignorant of the nature of heaven and of heavenly joy."* This can be true even with those who are now privileged to read in the Writings marvelous descriptions of the life in angelic societies and learn of the laws of the spiritual world. Such instruction does indeed purify our imagination of falsities and gross fallacies, and, what is more important, tutors our minds to think rationally about heaven; and even a good man, although he is unknowingly in heaven as to his spirit, is still not able to perceive the quality of angelic joy, for his conscious thought is involved with corporeal and worldly things while being prepared for heaven.** We live on the surface of life.
     * AC 547
     ** AC 2379

     Let us not think that there are no externals in heaven! There also there is a visible, tangible surface of life. The angels do not live in a vacuum. Their spiritual environment is as complete as ours. Paradises, cities with churches and libraries, palaces, as well as humble homes, treasures and wealth, banquets with delicious foods-these are not phantasies, but spiritual creations; and there are the rich and the poor, governors and servants, traders, teachers, offices and occupations, music, art and various diversions as in earthly communities. We need not stint our imagination in picturing the wondrous things of heaven.
     The reader of the Writings is not immune to the danger of confusing the external attractions of heaven-so graphically described-with the spiritual realities which they manifest in outward forms. It is natural for man to long for heaven where health is restored and youth returns and the Lord provides both the necessaries and the embellishments of life; where sensation is far more exquisite and the limitations of time and space no longer trouble us; where we shall find a home built by the Creator Himself, and, if this was not granted before, a partner who fulfills the ideal of our dreams!
     There is nothing wrong in praying for such blessings, for on their own plane they strengthen our motivations. Yet they touch only the outward phases of heavenly life. They portray the heaven of the joys of our imagination. To draw our concepts of heaven from them alone is to dwell only upon the surface of doctrine and forget the spirit which explains the origin and essence of all spiritual things.
     For this reason the work Heaven and Hell concludes with the following statements: "What has been said in this work about heaven, the world of spirits and hell will be obscure to those who are not in the delight of learning about spiritual truths, but will be clear to those who are in that delight; especially to those who are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth, that is, to those who love truth because it is the truth.

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For whatever is loved enters with light into the mind's idea because all truth is in light."*
     * HH 603
     The understanding cannot mount into heaven unless a man receives good from the Lord.* However much we may be informed about the externals of heaven, we cannot understand heavenly life unless we realize in heart that the delight which angels feel is not derived from the many things that please their senses, but from the opportunity of being of use to others and thus from their love to the Lord and to their neighbors. All their surroundings, the food they eat, their homes and possessions, their dignities, are perfect according to the measure of their usefulness.
     * AC 5497

     The Lord dwells in man's inmost, and as far as he suffers the Lord to dispose his mind into a correspondence with this inmost, the Lord creates around him a heaven which after death answers fully, not to his idle imaginations, but to his spiritual needs and uses and to the inner delights of the soul. It is an environment which-except that it perfectly reflects the angel's reception of the Lord's inflowing love-is almost indistinguishable from the familiar forms in which man's mind had pictured the objects he loved on earth.*
     * AC 2973:4; HH 489
     The joy of heaven is from the Divine inflowing into the angel's endeavor to serve others well and justly through uses, offices and benefactions. This is the inner aspect of heavenly life. Through mutual love, the love of others more than self, there is in heaven a communication of all good and thus an immeasurable increase of all goods.* Such love wills that what is one's own should be shared. No one in heaven perceives his own good in himself as good or as happiness unless it is also in another.**
     * AC 548
     ** HH 268, 399
     In both worlds, man continually makes up fictitious heavens reflecting the joys of his imagination; but these joys are hollow and such heavens pass away. Yet by the Lord's help man, when he shuns evils as sins, can acquire something which endures to eternity-a spiritual affection of truth. If he acquires something of this spiritual love-"be it ever so little" he is welcomed in heaven, and his uses grow like a mustard seed.
     It is this spiritual love of uses which opens the spiritual mind. Indeed it opens the new heaven to man's spirit; the heaven created by the Lord from love according to infinite wisdom; the new heaven, represented to John in vision, and predicted by the Lord to Isaiah: "For behold I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered nor oppress the heart.

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But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy."*
     * Isaiah 65:17, 18 OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1964

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1964

     Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is, of course, identical with the one God, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the proceeding Divine which instructs, enlightens, reforms and regenerates man, and is therefore the Divine truth from which is man's spiritual life. As the Writings point out, therefore, it is not a God by itself, but the operation of the one God in performing these uses. Note that by the Holy Spirit is meant a Divine operation that could not take place before the glorification. (See AC 9818; DLW 149; Can. HS i.)

     Human Essence. Here we have another important term which occurs in the doctrine of the glorification. It refers to something which the Lord put on by birth of Mary, but which was neither from her nor yet Divine when assumed: a truly human accession from which the Lord could conquer the hells and which He could make Divine. This was an as-of-Himself reception of the Divine love and wisdom, manifested in the desire to be led by the Divine and to learn truth. These formed in the Lord a plane of human consciousness on which, when in the state of humiliation, He could feel entirely separate from the Divine, and of Himself could fight against and conquer the hells. This is what is meant by the Human essence, and it was this that was glorified, so that, from being a receptacle of life, the Lord became life itself in the Human. (See AC 1675.)

     Human Internal. This rare but important term occurs in the phrase "the heaven of human internals." It refers to the soul-to the two superior degrees of the mind which are in the order of heaven, above consciousness, incapable of being modified or changed by man's own life, and the Lord's dwelling place in him. It is the activities imparted to these degrees by the Lord that, in reception, make the angelic heavens. For this reason, and because they are in themselves above the consciousness of the highest angels, they belong to the Lord alone. They form a very heaven which is nearest to the Lord, and this is what is meant by the heaven of human internals. (See AC 1999.)

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SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY 1964

SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY       Rev. MORLEY D. RICH       1964

     The past cannot be changed; the future is entirely in the hands of the Divine Providence, even though its form may be affected by events and the choices of men in the present. The present is therefore all that is of proper concern to us; it is the only part of time or state that is subject even partially to our choice and effort. So when the present has become the past we must lay it aside; and since we cannot know or fundamentally change the future-for the "morrow," determined by the Lord's providence, "shall take care for the things of itself"-we can take no rational thought for it; and we shall be on the road to wisdom if we can then feel, see and acknowledge that "sufficient unto the day," the present moment, "is the evil thereof."

     Yet all around us, and even within ourselves, we see signs and symptoms of a denial or at least forgetfulness of these things. We can see it in the undercurrents of all kinds of fears for the future: in the fear of old age; in the constant strivings to provide security for an unforeseeable future by all kinds of self-indulgence; in the difficulties of sincere people trying to live according to their trust in the Divine Providence, but hindered by the climate of opinion in which they live, prevented by the pressures of a world which almost demands that they provide for each and every possible future contingency or emergency lest they become objects of charity and expensive wards of the state. We can see this essential denial of Divine Providence, which is hidden atheism, in the larger affairs of nations as well. There it can be seen, first in the desperate effort to provide more spectacular weapons with which to defeat and destroy an enemy, and then, somewhat ludicrously, in the frantic search to find ways and means to restrain the use of the same weapons.
     People can, indeed, be almost paralyzed by anxiety and fear for the future. They can also be reduced to inert despair by spurious and useless guilt concerning the past; and if they are both fearful of the unpredictable future and despairing of the unchangeable past, then in a very real sense they have no present. The causes of this lie deeply hidden in the existence of evil, and in the despair of men over past evils and their fear of evils to come.

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These causes cannot now be removed permanently either by the common perceptions of past generations or the simple truths of Christianity. The causes of all distrust of Divine Providence, of all fears for the future and anxieties over the past, can be removed now only by the knowledge and acknowledgment of the new truth brought into the world by the Lord in His second advent.
     Thus we may learn from the Writings how to take the cutting edge from past evil and diminish the fear of future evil, so making ourselves stronger and more able to cope with the evils of the present. We note a few of these healing, strengthening and hope-inspiring truths which show how essentially powerless evil is, and how evil is bent to an end of good by the Lord, so that good results where only evil was intended.

     It is written that the Lord wills and provides only good for man. But He also foresees and permits evil, and secretly bends it to an end of good. He foresees evil because He knows perfectly well the evils of every man's hereditary will, and what they may lead man to do, if he so chooses; and He permits those evils to come to the surface for the sake of man's freedom of choice. But He permits these evils only to the extent that they can be turned to some good result-some effect which will eventually be of spiritual and eternal benefit to the man himself and to others of the human race.
     If no other means are available on account of the free choices of men, the Lord permits evil for the sake of man's final salvation. But it is not He who afflicts man; it is not He who, according to the old Christian doctrine, sends disaster, suffering, disease and evil upon men so that they may be forced to reform. It is only man who afflicts man; and it is only the human race which has brought suffering, disease and evil upon all its members, the innocent and the guilty alike.
     Indeed the Lord brings only good through, though not out of, the evil which man chooses, and in which he stubbornly confirms himself. Thus when a man is exposed to the sight and the feeling of evil, the Lord uses his sensations to arouse revulsion, disgust and horror at that evil in man's inner heart; He uses it to arouse man to indignation and the desire to fight against, shun, and finally flee from that evil. He even uses the horrendous cruelties of the wars He permits in order to arouse at least those who are capable of it to repentance and a turning away from those evils, even though they may not be able to escape the possible necessity of future wars. Again, the Lord makes use of manifest outward evils to provide contrast and hence a clear sight and appreciation and love of the opposite goods and truths.

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     When, in these specific teachings, the Lord shows us the essence of evil, and points out how He makes evil to be of use for man's salvation, He sheds light upon the real powerlessness of evils in themselves. To a large extent He overcomes for us the power of the hells to terrorize us with overwhelming fears of past or possible future evil things.
     This, indeed, is the major part of His endless effort with us: the effort to lead us to the realistic state of heaven, in which we will neither live in the past nor peer vainly, painfully and fearfully into the future, but will live eternally in the present; fulfilling its needs only, doing what is set before us one day and one state at a time, and finding full happiness and blessedness of life in each and every delight that may come to us.
     Even in the natural world it is possible for men to come into some measure of this, to experience rare and fleeting states of it. This is indicated by the familiar scriptural injunction: "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Since evil does not exist in the heavenly life, this must needs apply to earthly life; so it distinctly and indubitably implies the possibility of a man coming into states in which he can say these words to himself with some understanding, belief, and love. So man can realize clearly that while evil may come tomorrow, he cannot foresee what it will be, much less provide effectively against it. Even the evil which he sees today he may have no control over and no power to change; but he may realize also that "this, too, shall pass," and that the Lord will protect His children, His Word and His church. Consequently he can put aside at the end of each day or state the evils which have arisen in the course of it, and quiet his fears in heartfelt thankfulness and with the words: "The morrow shall take care of the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
ALL POWER IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH 1964

ALL POWER IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH              1964

     "The reason the Lord said that all power was given unto Him in heaven and on earth, as if it were then first given, is that by the Son of Man His Human Essence is meant, which when united to the Divine, was also Jehovah, and at the same time power was given unto Him; which could not be done before He was glorified, that is, before His Human Essence by unition with the Divine had life also in itself, and had thus in like manner become Divine, and Jehovah; as He Himself says in John: 'As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself' (5:26)." (Arcana Coelestia 1607)

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MR. FRANK G. BOSTOCK 1964

MR. FRANK G. BOSTOCK       Rev. WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1964

     A Resurrection Address

     (Extract from a Resurrection Address, Bryn Athyn, Pa., January 21, 1964.)

     This is the faith of the New Church, and this was the faith of Frank Bostock. Born the son of the Right Rev. Edward C. Bostock and Mary Elizabeth Junge Bostock, he was educated in the schools of the church and received the teachings of the Writings with deep conviction. This conviction he eagerly shared with others, particularly with young people, who found in him an unfailing friend and an understanding companion. It was this interest in young people which drew him into the teaching profession, in which he served for many years as a teacher of music and history in the Bryn Athyn Elementary School and as Director of Music in the Bryn Athyn Church. In this capacity he opened the way to many human associations which he deeply valued throughout his life among us.     
     To this work Frank brought a philosophy of music, as well as of life, that was drawn from a careful study of the Writings. We call your attention to a notable address on the subject of the use of music in worship, published in February 1947 in the ACADEMY JOURNAL. Here he said: "Everything in our worship, including music, looks to the preservation of a spiritual sphere, and thus to the opening of our good affections. The natural beauty of architecture, music, acts of ritual, robes, and all things must be in correspondence in order that they may contain the spiritual. If they do not contain the spiritual, heaven is not opened to us through them, and there ceases to be a spiritual sphere, but only a pleasant natural sphere. In so far as the natural alone is perceived, just so far is our spiritual mind disturbed and perhaps closed."* (Ref. HH 266, 267.) And in his conclusion he appealed to the schools of the church: "Let us teach a little more about correspondences; let us inculcate the idea that songs in worship are our gifts to the Lord. Let us encourage and make time for the study of music, so that our children will have the proper tools with which to praise God."**
     * p. 167
     ** p. 176
     But a man's use is not confined to his vocation. It is expressed in every human relationship.

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As a father, as a husband, as a member of the community and as a friend, we profoundly influence the lives of others. It is, then, as one who sought the friendship of those to whom he could be of some use that we think of Frank Bostock. Unlike many who tend to draw aside as they grow older, Frank seemed to find increasing enjoyment in his contact with others. In these associations his mind turned with delight to discussions of the faith of the New Church as expressed in the doctrines.
     While during the last few years of his life on earth he suffered severely from physical pain and the limitations of illness, his spirit was not deterred. Through it all he displayed a courage and faith that touched the hearts of all who knew him. Placing his trust in the Lord's providence, he accepted his limitations and sustained his interest in life and in others. Even in his last illness he encouraged those who came to see him.
     As a friend, therefore, we shall miss him; but we would not have it otherwise. To him death came as a release, and we are grateful that his period of preparation for the life of the spirit is now passed. Yet in his passing we are mindful of our temporary loss, and our thoughts and affections turn to his wife and to his children, whose devotion to him is expressed in the delight they have found in the home they established together. Amen.
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1964

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1964

     Writing in your Church, a Convention publication, the Rev. Erwin D. Reddekopp of Detroit notes that as time passes the common purpose which justifies an organization's existence may be lost. After observing that it was on the authority of the doctrines revealed by means of the Writings that the organized New Church came into existence, he asks: "What authority do the Writings have to believe that they reveal the doctrines of the New Jerusalem?" He then quotes from an editorial in the New-Church Herald which declared Swedenborg's inspiration to be such that he was directly called by the Lord to undertake a great spiritual work under Divine guidance or instruction. Mr. Reddekopp concludes: "This, we believe, admirably expresses our position in regard to the Inspired Writings. There is authority in them. If there was not we would have really no valid reason for being a distinctive organization. We are content to accept also the truth that 'Such immediate revelation is granted at this day because this is what is meant by the Coming of the Lord.'"

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REVIEW 1964

REVIEW              1964

     An Astonishing Introduction

DIVINE PROVIDENCE. By Emanuel Swedenborg. Newly translated by William Frederic Wunsch. Introduction by Walter M. Horton. Citadel Press, New York, 1963. Paper, pp. 419. Price, $1.95.

     This translation of Divine Providence was reviewed in these pages shortly after it was issued in 1961 under the auspices of the Swedenborg Foundation (NEW CHURCH LIFE, June 1962, pp. 288-290). The present edition, designed for sale by bookshops throughout the country, is noticed here because of the Introduction by Walter M. Horton, Department of Philosophy of Christianity, The Graduate School of Theology, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio.
     Dr. Horton, whose admiration for Swedenborg in a certain context seems manifest, makes his position perfectly clear. He places Divine Providence among "Christian classics of later times," and gives it as his opinion that Swedenborg was an "Evangelical Catholic" who would "recognize in the present ecumenical movement the partial fulfillment of his new Church," in relation to which "Swedenborg himself seems to accept the role of a 'contributor.'" The work of a "contributor," he observes, "is never accepted as a whole by posterity." Here we must join issue. From our viewpoint, Swedenborg was neither a contributor nor all-important; he was the sole instrument by which what was all-important was given-the revelation of Divine truth from the Lord which alone establishes the New Church.
     But that is not all. Dr. Horton notes, rightly, that Swedenborg's actual influence upon ecumenical Christianity is comparatively slight. His thesis, however, is that the exclusive claim to an esoteric revelation always tends to cut a church off from fellowship with other Christian churches and destroy its influence; that Swedenborg's potential contribution to Christian thought is much greater than any he has yet made; but that to make this contribution possible, "mutual concessions need to be made by Swedenborgians and other Christians. Swedenborgians need to accustom themselves to the idea that the man who to them seems all-important can be for other Christians only one 'contributor' to a structure of Christian thought upon which many have patiently labored and are laboring."

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     While this undoubtedly expresses with accuracy one segment of Christian opinion, there is nothing which says that we must either like it or accept it as the truth of the matter and therefore as a basis for common interest. The fact is that we simply do not speak the same language as Dr. Horton. Any doubt on this point would surely be dispelled by his suggestion that Swedenborg's philosophy should be restated in terms of the best available modern knowledge, since it was based, like any good philosophy, "upon a survey of the best knowledge then available." Such restatements, he recognizes, would need "to be criticized by other Swedenborgians and rival systems of thought be erected in friendly emulation." But he believes that they would begin a process "which would do much to revitalize thought within the New Church and attract the sympathetic co-operation of other Christians."

     Dr. Horton's right to hold and express these views is not, of course, in question for a single moment. What we cannot understand is why he was invited to express them in the Introduction to a work of the Writings in an edition designed specially to bring the Writings before a large new public through mass distribution to bookshops throughout the country. It is our considered opinion that this "soft sell," commending Swedenborg as one in a line of theologians working from his own insights to make a contribution no different intrinsically from those of others, does grave disservice to the cause of the New Church; and to Dr. Horton's question, is the New Church now ready to have Swedenborg treated as erroneous in some of his main assumptions, our answer can only be a resounding, No!
     There are problems involved in presenting the Writings to the non-New Church public in such a way as to commend them to the inquiring mind, and opinion will vary as to how this may best be done. In our view this is not the way! There is a fundamental difference between accommodation and misrepresentation. Dr. Horton holds an honest opinion, unequivocally stated; acquiescence in that opinion is something else. Whatever view one may take of the nature of the Writings, so to present them is to deny or ignore entirely their own testimony.
     The Lord noted that He Himself, coming in His Father's name, was not received, but that if another should come in his own name he would be received. There may be many who would accept Swedenborg on Dr. Norton's terms who would reject him as the servant of the Lord, and some among them might eventually learn and acknowledge their mistake; but this will not be acceptance of the Writings and it will not build the New Church. Surely it would be far better to let the Writings speak for themselves.

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LORD'S HUMILIATION 1964

LORD'S HUMILIATION       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.
     TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     While it is known that the Lord while on earth alternated between humiliation and glorification, there is a tendency, perhaps, to dwell less on the former, even to explain it away as a temporary state that was eventually displaced entirely, and to think of it as less important because of its transient nature. Yet the Lord's humiliation was the indispensable means of His glorification. It was the process through which He made His Human Divine, and it is a familiar teaching of the Writings that he who loves the end loves also the means.
     The Divine Human is indeed the sole object of the church's love and worship, but we cannot love the Lord fully unless our love includes the states of humiliation through which He willed to pass in order that He might glorify His Human and become thereby the Redeemer and Savior. In the Lord's entering into these states, with all that they involved, we may see the most ultimate expression of His love for the salvation of men, and we cannot be truly affected by the end of His love unless we are touched also by the means, regarded strictly and only as such.
     All of this has significant reference to the passion of the cross, in which the Lord's humiliation culminated. If on doctrinal grounds we are reluctant to magnify His passion, on the same grounds we are not justified in minimizing or still less ignoring it. While the passion of the cross was not redemption, it was the last temptation through which the Lord made His Human Divine and became the Redeemer and Savior. As such it comprehended all that had gone before, and as such it should have its proper place in our affections; never as an end, but as a means.

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LORD THE REDEEMER 1964

LORD THE REDEEMER       Editor       1964

     In the risen Lord we worship the Redeemer. The essential idea here is that the Divine Human is the Redeemer and that Human is the Divine love in a human form. It was the Divine love that became incarnate in Jesus Christ, from which He fought and conquered, and from which He glorified His Human to the end that He might save those who believe in Him and do His will. Unless this is understood, the most vital truth of the Lord's birth and resurrection will make no impress on our minds.
     On this point the Writings are quite clear. They tell us that Jehovah and the Lord are one and the same, that the Lord the Redeemer is Jehovah in the Human. It was Jehovah God Himself, the teaching is, who descended, assumed the Human, and became Man and also the Redeemer. He did this according to His own Divine order, and the Human by which God sent Himself into the world is the Son of God. That is, the Human by which He redeemed men was not only conceived but was born of Jehovah.
     It is of the essence of the Divine love to be one with those beings whom it has created, and therethrough to make them happy from itself. When the dominance of the hells and the state of men resulted in disjunction, conjunction could not longer be effected by the Divine itself-the Divine love, the Divine good. But Divine truth from Divine good could and did restore the possibility of conjunction, and thus effect redemption. Therefore Jehovah descended as Divine truth, which is the Word, but did not separate the Divine good. The Human by which He sent Himself into the world is a body of Divine truth, but the Divine good was within as the soul of that body, and with that soul it was united.
     At this time we celebrate also the Lord's glorification, the union in Him of the Human with the Divine and of the Divine with the Human. It was to effect this union that Jehovah God sent Himself into the world; but the cause of the union was the conjunction of Himself with men in His Human, and therein their conjunction with the Divine. This was His end, and this His love. Thus it was Jehovah Himself who bowed the heavens and came down, and then ascended on high leading captivity captive.
AS I HAVE LOVED YOU 1964

AS I HAVE LOVED YOU       Editor       1964

     Love toward one another is said in the Gospels to be the criterion of discipleship. In establishing it, however, the Lord plainly stipulated that His disciples should love one another as He had loved them.

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It is certain that we cannot from proprium love others as the Lord has loved us; this can be done only from a love that has itself come from the Lord. Yet love requires its own corresponding vessels into which it may fall and which will give it quality and direction; and these can be obtained only from the Word, now as never before.
     Certainly the Christian who studied the Lord's teachings in their own light could have learned much about how the Lord loves men, but the rational doctrine could not be delivered until the Writings were given. There it is stated as fully as men can receive it. For example, the entire work Angelic Wisdom Concerning the Divine Providence is a revelation of how the Lord loves men, what He wills for them, to what He looks in His government of them, and the means through which He achieves His end; and the more we understand the laws of His providence, shun as sins the evils that oppose them, and apply them in adaptation to our relations with men, the more will we love others as the Lord loves us.
     To take two examples: it is a law of the Divine Providence that man should act from freedom according to reason, and it is a law also that he should not be compelled by external means to think and will and thus to believe and love the things of religion, but should guide himself and sometimes compel himself. In the measure that we try to shun as sins the evils which on our part would seek to interfere with the neighbor's compliance with these laws-the evils of subjecting him to our freedom and reason and of compulsion from us-the more we begin to love the neighbor as the Lord loves us; and as we try instead to place before him the spiritual truth of the Word, which is the basis of true freedom, rationality and self-compulsion, we enter further into that love.
     There are, of course, other ways of so doing. The laws of the Divine Providence have been mentioned here as one body of revealed truth that may lead us into spiritual charity and the works thereof, and at the same time into genuine love to the Lord.
HARD SAYINGS: 2. MARRIAGE IN THE CHURCH 1964

HARD SAYINGS: 2. MARRIAGE IN THE CHURCH       Editor       1964

     After outlining the teaching of the Writings concerning marriage within the church, and indicating the ideals and attitudes that should be inculcated by loyalty to it, we gave it as our opinion that the doctrine does not mean that a New Church man or woman should never marry one who is not of the church. The principles taught in the Writings should never be compromised, but we do not think that these principles are compromised by recognition of the fact that there are people in the Christian world, ignorant as yet of the truth of the Writings, but not interiorly confirmed in the falsities of the former church, of whom the Lord says: "He that is not against us is on our part."

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     The record shows that some of those who, we have every reason to believe, are among the church's finest members have come into the church through marriage, either before or after the marriage itself; and the Writings teach that not all marriages between people of different religions are doomed to spiritual failure. We are instructed that even internal cold can be dissipated if one partner has a true religion and the other receives a religion agreeing with it; and elsewhere, speaking of "unlawful conjunctions," that is, conjunctions which are not made from conjugial affection, but from some other affection such as beauty, the Writings advise us that a lawful conjunction may nevertheless be effected afterwards, which takes place when the minds are conjoined. It may be observed that this teaching could apply also to marriages between persons both of whom are members of the church.

     There are always those who apparently think that they can circumvent the laws of Providence or that those laws do not apply to them, or else hope blindly for special dispensations-if not for miracles! So it may be well for our young people to recognize, while they have the liberty and rationality to do so, the problems that must inevitably arise in marriage with one who is hostile or indifferent to the things of the church: problems not only in personal relations but also in the training and education of children. However, when a man or woman is not hostile or indifferent, and is even affirmative to the things of the church, the situation is different. It might be asked, of course, whether it would not be better to wait until the person of one's choice had entered the church? But that is for the couple to decide, and no pressure should be exerted or gratuitous judgment made by others.
     Two things may be said in conclusion. When a fellow member marries outside the church, our attitude should not be one of censure of him or hostility to his partner, but one of good will and welcome to what we hope will be a new family in the church; and if the partner does enter the church, no wounding distinctions should be made thereafter. The doctrine of marriage within the church does not imply personal superiority or inferiority; it is given solely for the preservation of the conjugial. On the other hand, those within the church should realize that the wedding does not make a New Church marriage. Their union is not an end but a beginning. They have from the Lord the ability to receive conjugial love, but the gift is received in the measure that, together, they look to the Lord and follow Him in the regeneration. The potential is there, but its realization lies ahead and may continue to eternity.

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Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     DURBAN, NATAL

     During the month of September the Women's Guild once again held Morning Market. There were five stalls in all: a produce stall, a baby stall, a cake stall, a miscellaneous stall and a tombola stall. This was a very successful function and it will contribute considerably to the funds of the Society.
     After only six weeks of rehearsing, the hilarious farce "The Happiest Days of our Lives" was produced in the church hall. It was very gratifying to all concerned, after the tremendous amount of work put into the show, that the three evening performances were played to capacity houses. It was evident from the applause at the exit of each player that the audience just loved the play. A wonderful set was made by three members of the cast-a paneled common room, with the playing fields just visible through the open door-and was then painted by a cast member. It was impossible to single out any of the actors as they were all outstanding. Not only did they all portray their respective characters so well, but they obviously enjoying taking part in the production. All were so natural and at ease on stage that one wondered whether some of them had not, perhaps, missed their vocation.
     At 6:00 p.m., on Tuesday, November 5, the Schuurmans' home was the scene of great bustle and activity when mothers, fathers and children-also uncles, aunts and grandparents-gathered there for the social committee's November "braai." An appetizing aroma of sizzling steaks and sausages filled the air, and salad, potatoes, bread, butter and coffee all contributed to a delicious open-air supper. During the evening, needless to say, the crowd had to take shelter in the garage from a sudden shower-it always rains on November 5! However, the weather cleared sufficiently for us all to congregate on the top lawn and watch the spectacle of fireworks being let off on the tennis court. As all sorts of fireworks were let off, each flash and bang was accompanied by as many "Oohs" and "Aahs" from the delighted children.
     The Christmas celebrations commenced with the children's Christmas party, held on Saturday, December 14. The afternoon opened with some entertainment. The Chipmunks started the program off, and this was followed by a ballet dance done by one of the smaller children of the Society and some of her friends. A delicious tea followed, and it was not long before everything in sight had been polished off. The afternoon came to a close with Mr. Acton handing out toys to all the children amidst much cheering and excitement. The next item on the agenda was the carol sing, held at the home of the Rev. and Mrs. Dan Heinrichs. Thirty-seven carols were sung during the evening.
     For the services on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning the church was beautifully decorated with evergreens, candles, gorgeous red gladioli, roses and dahlias. The tableaux followed the children's Christmas Eve service and contained seven scenes, commencing with John the Baptist in the wilderness and ending with the flight into Egypt. On Christmas morning Mr. Acton preached a sermon on the sign given to the shepherds, that they would find the babe "wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." He pointed out how the meaning of these words can be applied to the lives of each and every one of us: that we must try to surround ourselves with good thoughts, and thence with angels, and that the swaddling clothes correspond to the remains implanted in us by the Lord.

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     Our thanks and congratulations must be extended to the members of the social committee, who made the New Year's Eve dance go with such a swing! Not one detail was overlooked, and the pink champagne theme was carried out elaborately and artistically. Two conjurers entertained us between dances while the large gathering sipped delicious champagne punch. Halfway through the evening an appetizing buffet supper was served, followed by coffee shortly before midnight. We then joined hands and to the strains of Auld Lang Syne welcomed in 1964.

     Mission in South Africa. The editor has mentioned that some readers may be interested in the Mission in South Africa. I will endeavor to throw some light on the subject, hoping that it will be of some benefit.
     The Alexander Township mission, situated outside Johannesburg, has approximately 80 adult members, 20 young people and 40-60 children. This mission has two ministers, supported by the church, who are most intelligent and understanding. It is, however, becoming increasingly difficult to muster this congregation; because of the Group Areas Act, the natives in these townships are being moved to other areas, and some of the members of the mission have to travel some distance to get to church. Another difficulty which has developed recently is that there may not be a gathering of natives in any one house, which rather cuts out church services. However, a garage has been built at the home of one of the ministers, and it is there that services and meetings are held. Two services a month are held at Alexander Township.
     Kent Manor is the biggest of the missions and is situated in Zululand. It consists of 120 adults, 25 young people and 50-70 children. Attached to this mission is a large farm which until recent years had been running at deficit. There are approximately 200 acres under cane, and if we can continue to increase our acreage this should be a paying proposition in the near future.
     The Rev. Benjamin Nzimande, at Bulwer, is one of the assistant superintendents of the Mission under the Rev. A. Wynne Acton, the other being the Rev. Dan Heinrichs. Mr. Nzimande goes round visiting the various missions and then reports to Durban.
     There are definite signs that the Mission in South Africa is growing. We hope and trust that in the Lord's providence this position will be maintained.
     SERENE DE CHAZAL

     PITTSBURGH, PA.

     This society has turned another corner, starting last fall with a new and capable pastor, the Rev. Kurt Asplundh, and with a few other changes in the school. First we have to observe that during the past year six families have moved out of town for business reasons: the Rev. Louis King, his wife and their twelve children, the Russell Stevens, the Paul Simonettis, the Walter Williamsons, the Joe Davids, the Carmond Odhners, and the A. Edwin Ubers. Each family is missed in its own way. To make up for these losses we have a new pastor and family, Mr. Dirk van Zyverden and family and Miss Viola Friesen; plus our newly married couples, who are beginning to take hold. If you attend our Friday suppers, you will find a fine spirit and full attendance at both supper and class, with no thought of loss in membership.
     Our pastor-making full use of our monthly news letter, the Reporter-asks the question: "What is our particular use both to ourselves as a society and to the church as a whole?" He knows that by reading the Word and the Writings individually we will be performing a use, and this he is trying to encourage in every possible way. He has opened up an informal evening of discussion of doctrine following doctrinal class, this being held in private homes; he is promoting the use of the calendar readings; and he has been stimulating thought about these things by some very fine doctrinal classes and sermons.
     Mr. Asplundh has taken firm hold of the school both in discipline and in requiring that work be well done. The school has had its changes in personnel.

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We now have the capable Mr. Van Zyverden and another loved teacher, Miss Viola Friesen. Having an extra teacher this year gives the pastor a little more time for society work, for he has no assistant. We are fortunate to have still the services of a trained teacher, Mrs. John (Angela) Schoenberger; although she can give only a half day, this is made up for by the excellent quality of her teaching, plus her long experience with our children. Miss Helene Howard continues to carry on the three primary grades, a very important part of the work. We have been fortunate also to have three extra teachers for special work. The art course took a turn for the better in the past few years with the skilled help of Mrs. Quentin (Nancy) Ebert. Some of the work is really amazing, not only the regular art work but also the making of miniature representations of a Christmas or an Easter scene, and the children love it. Mrs. Chester (Jane) Stroemple is back again, after one year off, teaching the children to sing, and Mrs. Gareth (Elsa) Acton is again teaching kindergarten three days a week. You can imagine the love of the use that these three teachers must have to give so much of their time and effort to this work. It is no wonder that one teacher, when asked what is the main characteristic of our school this year, replied: "It's a happy school."
     One event that helped set the pace for our new fall season was the coming on September 27 of our old friend and dearly beloved former Bishop, the Right Rev. George de Charms, and his friendly wife. He gave us one of the finest doctrinal classes we have ever had. It was on the doctrine of the Lord, and one person remarked afterwards: "He made it so real that you felt that the Lord Himself was in the room." After class we were all invited to the new residence of our pastor. The occasion proved to be a warm, friendly start, for it was also the housewarming for the new home. Bishop De Charms preached on Sunday, gave a talk to the Sons that evening, and finished with a talk to the children at school on Monday morning. Three other ministers have visited us. The Rev. Cairns Henderson, who came primarily to officiate at the wedding of his son and Beth Glenn, was here in August. In an exchange of pulpits with our pastor the Rev. David Holm gave a doctrinal class and preached; and on December 6, the Rev. Ormond Odhner visited us, gave a doctrinal class and a sermon, and addressed a meeting of the Sons of the Academy to which the ladies were invited. Mr. Odhner was here some years ago as assistant to the Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, who was then our pastor. He has always had our affection and admiration, and we were delighted to have this visit.
     We have had two weddings since our last report. On August 31 we were all invited to the marriage of Barbara Beth Glenn to Ian Keith Henderson. The Rev. Cairns Henderson, father of the groom, officiated. This wedding proved to be the event of the month, for so many guests and friends arrived from out of town. We have such a beautiful church for these occasions, and when beautifully decorated it makes an impressive setting; but it is the wedding service itself that has the heavenly sphere when the couple is joined in marriage. A reception in the auditorium followed. Many spoke of the inspired words of the father of the groom.
     Cheryl Ann Ebert, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Ebert, Jr., chose the Christmas holidays for an afternoon wedding. She was as beautiful and radiant as a bride can be when joined in marriage to John Edward Collins. The Rev. Kurt Asplundh officiated. It was a big affair with many attendants and guests, many of whom were visiting our church for the first time and were amazed by the sphere of our weddings. After the ceremony we greeted the bride and groom in the auditorium with toasts and songs. We were then all invited to their country club, where we had a gala reception with dancing and a buffet supper.
     The social committee, Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Blair, has put on two big parties. At Thanksgiving we had dance, or "sparkle ball," as they called it. The auditorium was transformed into an old castle, and it was amazing what was accomplished. A mink tie was given as a prize, but the "diamond" tiara was the real sparkle and top prize.

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On New Year's Eve a second party was given. This began with a cabaret supper. Card tables with candles were the decorations, and dance and song numbers kept the evening lively.
     The Christmas tableaux, under the direction of Mrs. Quentin (Nancy) Ebert, proved to be the best yet. We would like to mention also the Christmas sing held the Sunday before Christmas. This has become so big that we held it in the auditorium. The Rev. and Mrs. Kurt Asplundh and Mr. and Mrs. Dirk van Zyverden were the hosts and hostesses. All these events and the wedding occurring during the Christmas holidays made for a happy time for our folks and for the students home on vacation.
     One more social event of note was the afternoon tea given in January by Theta Alpha for all the ladies of the Society. For entertainment, the wedding dresses of a dozen or more former brides were modeled. The first was the gown worn by Stella Schoenberger Bellinger, whose wedding took place fifty years ago next fall; the last one had been worn at a wedding in 1963.
     Some news in brief. The Theta Alpha rummage sale in August cleared $127.58. Larkin Smith joined the army last fall and was home for Christmas. Daric Ebert was honored at a Sons' picnic held in September at the Lindsay farm. Copies of the Writings are given to each young student who leaves for the Boys School in Bryn Athyn. The pastor gives the following statistics for 1963. There were 8 baptisms (all of children), 2 confirmations and 5 weddings. The membership of the Society was 101, and there were 35 children in the school, which includes kindergarten and 9th grade.

     Obituary. On January 14, Mrs. Elmer (Hazel) Horigan passed into the spiritual world. She had suffered a long illness, yet the end was peaceful. The memorial service was most impressive, not only for us but also for Hazel's many business friends and neighbors who came in spite of a heavy snow because they loved her. The flowers that had been sent were banked around the rail and in the chancel were two large white bouquets. The pastor's address touched on Hazel's life on this earth, and took us right up to the other world, as it were, making us feel with her the fullness of joy that she had found at last. The Society sent flowers with this message from Isaiah: "Thou shalt keep her in perfect peace."
     LUCILE S. BLAIR
RESURRECTION 1964

RESURRECTION              1964

     "Man is so created that as to his internal he cannot die; for he can believe in and also love God, and thus be conjoined to God by faith and love; and to be conjoined to God is to live to eternity.
     "The spirit of man after the death of the body appears in the spiritual world in a human form, in every respect as in the world. He enjoys the faculty of seeing, of hearing, of speaking, and of feeling, as in the world; and he is endowed with every faculty of thinking, of willing, and of acting, as in the world. In a word, he is a man as to each and every thing, Except that he is not encompassed with the gross body which he had in the world. This he leaves when he dies, nor does he ever resume it.
     "This continuation of life is meant by the resurrection." (Heavenly Doctrine 223-226)

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FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING TRUST 1964

FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING TRUST              1964



     Announcements




     Applications for assistance from the above fund to enable Canadian students to attend "The Academy of the New Church," Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, U. S. A., for the school year 1964-1965, should be received by one of the undermentioned pastors before March 31, 1964.
     Before filing their applications, students should first obtain their acceptance by the Academy, which should be done immediately as dormitory space is limited.

Rev. Martin Pryke                     
2 Lorraine Gardens                          
Islington, Ontario               

Rev. Geoffrey Childs
R.R. 1, Blair
Ontario

Rev. Roy Franson
1108 96th Avenue
Dawson Creek, B. C

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DISCIPLES OF THE TRUTH 1964

DISCIPLES OF THE TRUTH       Rev. DANIEL W. HEINRICHS       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV APRIL, 1964               No. 4
     "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." (Luke 9:58)

     The Lord is love itself-infinite and all-embracing love. He created men in order that from His love He might bless them with everlasting happiness; for the essence of love is to love others outside of oneself, to desire to be one with them, and to make them blessed from oneself.* Because this is the nature of love and the Lord is love itself, He created men-beings capable of receiving and responding to His love; and in the beginning, in the days of the Most Ancient Church, they did so respond. In time, however, men suffered themselves to be deceived by the appearance of self-life and attributed to themselves what belonged to the Lord. When this happened they no longer responded to His love, for they ceased to acknowledge Him. Thus men alienated themselves from their Maker-the Lord who had created them so that He could bless them with never ending happiness. This alienation or separation from the Lord is damnation, and conjunction with Him is salvation.
     * TCR 43
     In order that the fallen race of men might be restored, the Lord continually revealed Himself anew to men, adapting His revelation of Himself to their ability to perceive, receive and respond. Eventually, because of the domination of the hells, it became necessary for Him to take on a body, through birth into the world, in order that He might subdue the hells and redeem and save mankind from total destruction. At the same time, through His miracles, healing and teaching, He revealed Himself as God incarnate. Yet in spite of numerous convincing proofs the Jews, for the most part, refused to recognize Him as the promised Messiah. It is therefore recorded in the opening chapter of the Gospel of John: "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.

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He came unto His own, and His own received Him not."* It was to this blind and stubborn rejection of Him by the Jews that the Lord was referring when He uttered the sad and despairing words of our text: "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head."
     * John 1:10, 11
     When we read these words, or hear them read, they automatically evoke a feeling of sadness in us. But while this is so, we must ever be careful in our thought about the Lord not to attribute to Him merely natural human emotions. An ordinary mortal suffering from intense loneliness might be tempted to litter words similar to those contained in our text; but with him, the sadness and grief implicit in the words would arise from his feelings of loneliness, self-pity and rejection. It was not so with the Lord. The sadness and grief which He felt were not for Himself, but for those who had rejected Him. His was a love for the whole human race: a love which has nothing of self in it, but rather looks to and seeks the happiness of all men. His grief was occasioned by the fact that they were deliberately turning away from and rejecting that which alone could bring the happiness He desired for them.

     It should be observed that the Lord did not say: "I have not where to lay My head," but, "the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." The Lord's reference to Himself as the "Son of Man" is very significant, for when the term, Son of Man, is used in the Word it always refers to the Lord as the Divine truth and as doctrine.*
     * AC 9807; Lord 27, 28
     The Lord's use of this expression, and its significance, provide the explanation of what otherwise might appear to be a curious reply to the man who freely volunteered to follow the Lord whithersoever He went. It would appear that this man recognized and acknowledged the Lord, and was not this what the Lord desired that all men should do? The Lord's reply indicates, however, that although many recognized Him as a man with unusual powers, and were therefore willing to follow Him, they yet did not receive Him as the Son of Man-the Divine truth made manifest. They were willing to be His personal disciples, but not disciples of the truth which He revealed.
     Yet that men should become such was the real purpose of His coming. Reception of the doctrine which He taught, and unswerving loyalty to it, were the means provided for their salvation, not admiration of and attachment to His person. This is clear from the Lord's words in John: "He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me.

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I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that His commandment is life everlasting."* "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."** "If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."*** "I am the way, the truth, and the life."**** "If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death."*****
     * John 12:44-50 [Italics added.]
     ** John 6:63
     *** John 8:31, 32
     **** John 14:6
     ***** John 8:51
     These quotations make it abundantly clear that the Lord came as the Divine truth and that salvation depended upon the reception of truth and a life in accordance with it. The Lord was not seeking a personal following, but disciples of the truth: "If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed." But it was in this respect that He was rejected. The Son of Man had not where to lay His head; and it was on account of this that the Lord grieved-for His commandment was life everlasting.

     If man does not acknowledge God, and worship Him in the way he lives, he puts off the image of God into which he was born and becomes in character like some animal. We are told that those who ascribe to themselves and to nature what belongs to God pervert their rational faculty and become like foxes in nature. Instead of intelligence they have cunning.* Spiritual foxes are those who trust in their own prudence instead of trusting in the Lord's Divine Providence. Because they trust in themselves and think from themselves they become cunning, for they cannot have trust and confidence in any but themselves. They try to foresee all possibilities and forestall those which they do not desire, for they cannot accept as in their best interests anything but what they desire for themselves. With such the interiors of the mind are closed. They interpose, as it were, a veil between spiritual and natural things, and think only beyond the veil. They are shrewd and ingenious reasoners, and they believe their shrewdness, cunning and ability to reason to be intelligence and wisdom; while those who trust in Divine Providence and try to live according to spiritual principles they consider to be simple, naive and stupid.

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We are told that these spiritual foxes confirm themselves in the love of self, calling self-interest the fire of life and the chief incentive to the performance of worldly uses. They are like foxes who dwell below the surface of the ground in holes and dens, and the obscurity in which they dwell they call light.
     * TCR 13, 34
     In contrast to these, those who trust in the Divine Providence, and strive to live according to spiritual principles, are like men who live in a house and see heaven through the windows. With them there is no veil between spiritual and natural things. They receive influx from heaven, which is enlightenment, and this enables them to see things in their true light and perspective on both planes of life. Such, we are told, place wisdom in life, and not in talking.*
     * DP 310, 311. See also AE 410:4, 581:5.
     Birds, when mentioned in the Word, have reference to thoughts and reasonings because, like birds, these can soar on high, swoop down and dart about, and be quick and extremely mobile.* "Nests" have reference to truths, both rational and natural, for these are the things wherein thoughts rest.** Like all other things in the Word, however, they also have their opposite correspondence, which is determined by the context in which they are mentioned. Such is the case with our text. In this sense, the birds of the air having nests means that fallacies and fantasies have their false doctrines and ideologies in which they rest and find comfort.
     * See AC 745
     ** AC 776:4
     The Lord was here referring to sensual men in whom there is no spiritual affection of truth. Their thoughts dart about, seizing upon all ideas that agree with and uphold their loves of success, reputation, honor and gain. Truth is of no concern to them; they call that truth which agrees with their own ideas and self-interest. If their concepts and ideas are shown to be contrary to the truths of the Word, they skilfully and dexterously argue and reason against those truths, for truth is of no moment to them. They convince themselves that whatever they think is the truth, regardless of what the Word teaches.*
     * See AC 776:4, 778, 5149:3; AE 1100:21, 648:41; AR 757
     While our text was specifically an indictment of the state of the Jewish Church at the time of the Lord's first advent, what is the situation today after twenty centuries of so-called Christianity? How many professed Christians are disciples of the truth? How many receive and follow even the basic tenets of Christianity? The Lord taught that we are to love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves. He commanded: "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."* He taught that when our fellow men trespass against us we are to forgive them, not just seven times, but perpetually.

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He taught that we are not to be on the lookout for faults in others and judge them harshly, but are to be merciful to them. He warned continually against deceit and hypocrisy.
     * Matthew 7:12
     These are a few of the basic, fundamental precepts of Christianity. But how prevalent is the practice of them in the Christian world? Admittedly there are Christians who receive these teachings and endeavor to live according to them, but they would seem to be relatively few. Millions of people in Christendom regularly attend churches and pay lip-service to their Maker-but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head. In their lives they completely ignore the Divine precepts which He taught. Indeed they stoutly defend their self-love and worldly ambitions by clever reasonings and arguments, and they make their way in the world by shrewdness and cunning. Truly, the "foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head."

     But let us not suppose that at the present day our text applies only to those of the old Christian Church. It applies equally to us. The loves of self and the world reside in us also, and it is these two loves which impede and extinguish the influx of good and truth in our minds.* As we learned in our third lesson, when the Lord's heavenly kingdom is regarded as the end, then our minds are open to and receptive of love to the Lord and charity, along with the truths of doctrine from the Word which give form and power to these loves. But when the natural world is regarded as the end, then the loves of self and the world are dominant in us, and we are receptive of that only which agrees with these loves. There is with us no dwelling place for the truth: "the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." Yet we read in the Word: "Nothing . . . is of more importance to a man than to know what is true. When he knows what is true, and knows it so well that it cannot be perverted, then it cannot be so much immersed in cupidities and have such deadly effect. What should a man have more at heart than his life to eternity? If in the life of the body he destroys his soul, does he not destroy it to eternity?"**
     * AC 7225:2
     ** AC 7894e
     If, then, we do not have a longing for truth, if we do not desire to learn doctrine from the Word, it is these two loves-the love of self and the love of the world-that have dominion in us. Though we may be supporters of the church and its activities, "the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." An oral acknowledgment and confession of the Lord does not constitute religion. If we would be disciples of the Lord, and true men of the church, we must worship the Lord in our lives, not merely confess Him orally.

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We must trust in Him-in His love, wisdom, providence and leading-and not in our own prudence. We must be disciples of the truth. We must seek it, receive it, and follow it whithersoever it may lead. When we do this, then the Son of Man will have a place to lay His head. He will have a dwelling place in His church, in and with the men of the church. Amen.

     LESSONS: Luke 9:51-62. John 1:1-14. Arcana Coelestia 4104:5.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 446, 448, 451.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 35, 113.
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1964

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1964

     In a recent communication to the NEW-CHURCH HERALD on the subject of Swedenborg's skull, the Rev. Dennis Duckworth offers a remarkable theory. Contending that Swedenborg was like the men of the Most Ancient Church-celestial in character, in open communication with the spiritual world, and enjoying celestial perception-he notes that such perception is possible only when the will and the understanding are united, and concludes that it is not illogical to think that Swedenborg's perception, spiritual intercourse and internal respiration arose from the fact that his will and understanding thus made one. This state was possible with the most ancients, he observes, because the cerebrum and cerebellum were not separated, as with us, but combined and unified. It is probable, he then suggests, that Swedenborg's brain was similarly formed, that in this respect he was anatomically and physiologically different from other men. Any structural cerebral peculiarity would, he thinks, almost certainly be impressed upon the cranial surroundings; and if Swedenborg's skull could be correctly identified, it might record the evidence, in this way, of his unique life and state. We have supposed that all the teaching given in the Writings concerning Swedenborg's use and his intromission into the spiritual world indicates that he was of the spiritual rather than the celestial genius.

     A frank and thoughtful article on juvenile delinquency written by George Pausch appeared recently in the NEW-CHURCH MESSENGER. As Mr. Pausch rightly observes, we cannot afford the complacency of assuming that New Church children and adolescents are entirely immune to the influences which contribute to what has become an alarming disorder. There is need in the church, as in the world, for parental responsibility, adult vigilance, and constructive action, and those who bring the matter to our attention with real but calm concern, deserve our thanks.

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ENLIGHTENMENT 1964

ENLIGHTENMENT       Rev. NORBERT H. ROGERS       1964

     (Delivered to the Council of the Clergy, Bryn Athyn, Pa., January 29, 1964.)

     In his paper on the doctrine of permissions, delivered at the 1963 Council Meetings, the Reverend Dandridge Pendleton referred to the need of enlightenment in making doctrine from the Word, and, in passing, suggested that it might be well to investigate how much authority could be ascribed to the products of human enlightenment. This led to a desire to make a fresh study of the doctrine of enlightenment as a whole, and eventually to its being selected as the subject to be presented by the program committee at the meetings this year.
     Although it is a subject that has been discussed by this Council at least twice in recent years, a further consideration of it at this time may not be redundant. It is a large subject with many facets, and one that is of particular interest to the church, especially to its priesthood; for enlightenment is one of the things said to pertain especially to the priestly office,* and to be required for that perception of the genuine truth of the Word which is necessary for the making of doctrine.**
     * TCR 146, 155
     ** AC 9382:3, 10323; SS 57
     The purpose in undertaking this study has been to investigate all doctrinal teachings having a bearing on enlightenment as a whole, both directly and indirectly. However, because of time limitations, I was not able to explore many related teachings-some quite pertinent ones, such as the operation of the Holy Spirit-nor to refresh my mind on the published studies of my colleagues. Needless to say, also, a good many of the points which were looked up had to be omitted from this address. This, then, is not a complete and exhaustive study of the subject, but rather a general survey.

     What Enlightenment Is

     Enlightenment has to do with the communication of light to man, his reception of it and the resulting effects. Light is the essential, and concerning it the Writings variously and frequently make clear that on earth man is affected by two distinct lights, different in origin and nature: the light of heaven, or spiritual light, and the light of the world, or natural light. "The light of heaven," we read, "is from the Lord, who to the angels is a sun and moon; the light of the world is from the sun and moon which appear before the bodily sight.

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The internal man has its sight and understanding from the light of heaven; but the external man has its sight and understanding from the light of the world."*
     * AC 3138
     The light of heaven is further described as the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun, which is the Divine love. Thus it is a proceeding of Divine truth from Divine love, or, what is the same, Divine good. This is seen as light by the angels, and is identified as the Divine wisdom which illumines the minds and the eyes of angels, and the minds of men, enabling them to understand truths and perceive goods.* Light is also ascribed to truth and to faith, to good and to love, to intelligence and to wisdom. The light of heaven pertains to the spiritual world, sheds light on spiritual objects, and enables these to be perceived.
     * AC 8694:3, 9405; LJ 38; AE 1067:3, et al.

     The light of the world from the natural sun and moon has no Divine or spiritual qualities. It pertains to the natural world only, sheds light on natural objects, and enables these to be perceived through the natural senses. By the sensations and knowledges thus acquired, and by the consequent thoughts, reasonings and conclusions, natural light affects the external or natural mind.
     The intellectual things with man are formed from both lights, and man's mind may be enlightened by both;* but the qualities of the two enlightenments are as different as are the sources and natures of the two lights, as Divine Providence no. 168 makes clear. Briefly stated, the teaching there given is as follows. From the light of heaven man has interior enlightenment of the rational, which gives him immediate perception as to whether many things are true; enabling him to perceive interiorly in himself such truths as that love is the life of faith, that love and faith are to do, that God is one, and so on. From this interior enlightenment man has a lower enlightenment of the thought by which he is able to draw from the knowledges he has reasonings which confirm his perception. Such enlightened thought sees things on both sides, that is, the reasonings that confirm and those that invalidate a conclusion. On the other hand, by interior enlightenment from the light of the world man is able to see a subject on one side only and to confirm the side he sees. By that confirmation man seems to himself to see clearly in light, as if in the light of heaven; but the light is delusive, and it blinds the rational. The more exterior enlightenment from the world enables man to think and talk solely from the scientifics impressed on the memory.**
     * AC 3138; DP 168
     ** DP 168

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     The perception and confirmation pertaining to enlightenment from the light of heaven, and the perception and confirmation constituting delusive enlightenment, outwardly appear the same but are different inwardly. True perception is to see that truth is truth, and that good is good; that evil is evil, and that falsity is falsity: but it is not perception to see truth as falsity and good as evil, or the reverse. They who do this have phantasy, which produces an appearance of perception by which they know how to confirm falsities and evils by such things as are obvious to the senses and favor their lusts. Those who do not see truths and confirm them from enlightenment, but persuade themselves that what they are taught are truths, can confirm falsities equally with truths, and by confirmation see them precisely as truths.* Such appear to be enlightened; but theirs is a fatuous light, however subtly, acutely and persuasively they may reason and confirm.**
     * AC 801:3
     ** AE 242; 6; AC 4214
     They who are in the light of heaven apprehend the Word according to its interior things, from which they make doctrine for themselves; but they who are not in the light of heaven are blinded rather than enlightened when they read the Word, for from the light of the world they see only what agrees with worldly things, and from the fallacies they embrace falsities which appear to them as truths. Most of those who are such remain in the sense of the letter, and apply it to favor falsities, and by confirming these they become so strongly persuaded that they can no longer see truths.* For as far as natural light shines in the intellectual faculty, so far is spiritual light obscured.**
     * AC 9382:2, 9039
     ** LJ 38

     But although spurious enlightenment and spiritual obscurity are produced by the light of the world, that light is necessary to form the intellectual things with man, and for the enlightenment of the mind.* For "unless the spiritual internal and the natural external are simultaneously enlightened, man is, as it were, in shadow; but when both are enlightened, he is, as it were, in the light of day."** The external man has enlightenment from the light of heaven as far as man possesses knowledges of good and truth,*** which can be acquired only from what is in the world and in its light.
     * AC 3138
     ** TCR 109:2
     *** DP 168
     Enlightenment from the world is called spurious, delusive, darkness, fatuous, and so on, in respect to Divine things, but it is very clear in respect to things pertaining to the world. Such things, indeed, can be seen only in natural light, for the light of heaven does not shine on natural objects to make them appear to the natural sight of the eyes and the mind.

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Similarly, the light of the world does not extend to spiritual things and Divine ones, so that the apperception of these depends on the light of heaven. It is in this respect that the Writings speak of enlightenment, frequently saying that all enlightenment comes to man from the Lord and enters by an internal way.* But for true enlightenment, the light of heaven must descend from man's internal into his external.**
     * CLJ 11
     ** AE 941:2; AC 3493:2
     Though the light of heaven cannot shine on the things of the natural world and make their outward form and nature apparent and known, when such things have been perceived in the light of the world and taken into the external mind, the light of heaven, descending into that mind, call illumine the things of the light of the world there from within. By this they are made translucent, so that their inner qualities and values become apparent, enabling them to be applied to the eternal purposes and uses of life. It is the influx of the light of heaven into the things which are of the world's light that effects enlightenment.* This, then, is enlightenment: the communication of the light of heaven to man, and his reception of it in his interiors and then in his exteriors.
     * AC 3138

     Communication of Spiritual Light

     All enlightenment is from the Lord alone; for He is light itself, being the sun of heaven which enlightens the understanding of both angels and men.* Spiritual light, which proceeds from the Lord as a sun, is a proceeding of the Divine, which is the Lord and is, indeed, the Lord Himself; and so the Lord's Divine, and also the Lord Himself, are said to flow in continually and enlighten man: the Lord's presence being what enlightens those who are in good and thence in truths, while those who are in evil and thence in falsity are blinded by the Divine presence.**
     * AC 5740; SS 57; TCR 59
     ** AC 9405; 5127:3, 664; AE 701; AC 7989
     The light of heaven is communicated from the Lord by influx by way of the soul, that is, by an internal way, unknown to man, into his interiors, specifically into the spiritual of the rational. This influx is said to be man's state of enlightenment.* All good, we are told, flows in by this internal way into man's rational, and through this into his faculty of knowing, even into what is of sense, and by enlightenment causes truths to be seen there.**
     * AC 6564, 2701
     ** AC 3128:2
     The influx is communicated through heaven and is transmitted by angels and spirits with whom man is associated.* The enlightenment attributed to the Holy Spirit is also said to be effected by spirits and angels; however, enlightenment is not from them but by means of them.**

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From this it follows that the actual transfer of spiritual light to man requires that man be in communication with heaven and with angels and spirits; and such communication is effected by means of temptations, by the affection of truth from good, and also by the Word, all of which serve to elevate and to open man's interiors into the light of heaven and bring him into fellowship with angels.***
     * AC 8694; CLJ 11; AC 4073, 8674
     ** DLW 150; AC 10330
     *** AC 8367, 8694, 9405

     Many passages relate enlightenment to the Word, and it is said that those who reject the Word are not able to have enlightenment.* Enlightenment is said to be from the Word because it is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and this truth causes the Lord to be present in the Word.** This truth, too, causes the light of heaven to be in the Word, concealed in its letter; and by the descent of the light of the spiritual sense into the natural sense, and into the light of it with man, man has enlightenment.***
     * AC 8941
     ** AC 9405
     *** AC 9382; AE 1067:3; SS 41, 42, 58; AR 911
     The descent of heavenly light into the external mind is necessary for enlightenment; for what can be elevated and opened into heaven are the interiors of the mind, while man's perception, as long as he lives in the world, is restricted to the lower mind of the external natural man, which cannot be elevated into a plane of light discretely higher than itself.* However, through the higher degrees of the mind the natural mind can be enlightened by a discretely higher light, although the enlightenment produced in the natural by this is not discretely higher, but is continuous.**
     * AE 177; DLW 256
     ** Ibid.
     For the transmission of light from interiors to exteriors, all the various planes of the mind must come into correspondence and make one. This correspondence and oneness of mind is not something that man is born into; it is something that is established during the course of life. Chief among the things that serve to establish this correspondence and oneness of mind are knowledges from the letter of the Word. They do not do this automatically, however; for when first learned they are obscure and communicate very little light; and they may then be so applied that they become incapable of being the means of enlightenment.* General and obscure knowledges become clarified by being filled out with particulars and singulars, which make them more receptive of the influx of light descending from the interiors.**
     * DLW 88; AE 846:2; AC 5081, 3131:3, 6222:2
     ** AC 3131:3

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     What is learned from the world, even knowledges of genuine truth from the Word, are not genuine truths as man learns them, but are merely forms and appearances of truth. As such they have no spiritual value. Yet they can be adapted by the Lord to serve His Divine ends as if they were truths. The natural is thus said to be enlightened by good inflowing into forms of truth in the natural mind and by conjunction, which causes the forms to become truths.* We read:
     * AC 5207, 5208 [Italics added]

     "Divine good with man inflows into his rational, and through the rational into the natural, and indeed into its scientifics, that is, into the knowledges and doctrinal things therein . . .and by an infitting (per inaptationem) it forms truths for itself through which it enlightens the things of the natural man. But if the life of the natural is such that it does not receive Divine good, then Divine good cannot be fitted in (inaptari), and thus it cannot form for itself truths; and consequently the natural can no longer be enlightened."*
     * AC 3128:2

     Since the natural mind is enlightened from within or through the interiors, it follows that unless the internal spiritual man and the external natural man are simultaneously enlightened, man is in shadow; but when both are enlightened he is as it were in the light of day.*
     * DLW 256; TCR 109:2
     Spiritual light flows in and enlightens the intellectual part of the mind, that is, the understanding, which is identified as the internal sight that is enlightened by the light of heaven as the natural sight is by the light of the World.* Those with little intellectual capacity, therefore, cannot see in the Word what is to be believed or done, but must have faith in what others tell them.** The intellectual, or the understanding, is enlightened, we are variously taught, by the light of the spiritual sun, according to its elevation and opening as to its interiors into the light of heaven.*** From this, through the interiors, the exteriors of the intellectual have enlightenment.**** Enlightenment is also attributed specifically to the rational, which is defined as a more interior intellectual than what comes from mere scientifics, and is said to be immediately subject to the spiritual internal, from which it receives heavenly light and transfers it to the natural.***** The conjunction of good and truth by which man has enlightenment is said also to take place in the rational; however, the enlightening influx is not directly into the understanding, but is through the will into the understanding.******
     * AC 750318707, 8780, 8861
     ** AC 6222:3
     *** DP 166; AE 923:2; TCR 59; AC 3694:2; AE 256; AC 10331:2, 9424
     **** DLW 256               
     ***** SS 41; AC 6222:4; AE 941:2
     ****** AC 3138; AE 61

     Man's Reception

     Though the Divine proceeding and its influx with man are continual, actual communication and enlightenment by it are not effected unless the light inflowing from the Lord is received by man.*

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This reception requires that the interiors of the mind be elevated and opened into heaven and that its exteriors be brought into correspondence. In so far as this elevation, opening and bringing into correspondence take place, man is capable of receiving what flows in from the Lord. So we are taught that both influx and enlightenment are according to the capability of reception on the part of man.**
     * AC 5127:3; AE 701
     ** AC 10330:3
     Man's capability of receiving influx and enlightenment is subject to change. It may be increased, and it may also be decreased; never, however, to the point of elimination. Even when the mind is in an inverted and perverted order, when the natural is separated from the spiritual internal-and, indeed, even when man actively resists receiving anything from the Lord-the interior entrances to the mind can never be shut completely, to block off all influx from the Lord. Something of that influx continues to flow in as through chinks and crannies, preserving with man some capacity for knowing and reasoning, for thinking and speaking.*
     * AC 3167:2
     This reception, preserved with all men by the Lord, is not sufficient for enlightenment; it is only the minimum essential needed to enable man to exercise the intellectual faculties of his natural mind enough to live as a man in the world, and, if he will, to make use of the means provided by the Lord to develop his mind for spiritual life and enlightenment. Man becomes enlightened as from its essential minimum his capacity for receiving spiritual light is enlarged and perfected. All enlightenment is according to that development; and man has a part to play in it, for no one is born into enlightenment, nor does the Lord force it on anyone.

     The Development of Man's Capacity

     Several factors are involved in the development of man's capacity for receiving influx and enlightenment. All are interrelated, and conspire together in the effects they produce, and they may well be regarded as distinct aspects of the same process. These factors are here distinguished into four categories.

     1. Orientation. One of these factors is man's orientation or attitude of mind. For man is receptive of light from the Lord through heaven in so far as, of his own free will, he turns his mind and looks toward the source of that light, that is, toward the Lord and heaven, but is unreceptive in so far as he turns away. By looking to the Lord man suffers his interiors to be raised by the Lord into the light of heaven; but this he does not permit when he looks to self and the world. The enlightenment of angels also is increased by their turning and looking to the Lord.*
     * AC 9405, 10330:2, 10702; CT, 261

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     Man's orientation, and thus his capacity for enlightenment, is affected by his principles. We read:

     "A man is governed by the principles he assumes, be they ever so false, and all his knowledges and reasonings favor his principles. . . . He therefore who assumes as a principle that nothing is to be believed until it is seen and understood can never believe, because spiritual and celestial things cannot be seen with the eye, nor conceived by the imagination. But the true order is for man to be wise from the Lord, that is, from the Word; and then all things follow, and he is enlightened even in rational and scientific things."*
     * AC 129

     The Writings warn against reading the Word in the light of preconceived ideas, as this leads to confirming the principle rather than to seeing truth.* However, the affirmative principle which ought to govern man when he is reading the Word is also an assumed principle. It is thus not the assumption of a principle that matters, but its quality and man's attitude to it. An assumed principle is hurtful in so far as it is false and its falsity is confirmed; in so far as it leads man to look elsewhere than to the Lord and the Word for the source and authority of truth; and in so far as man clings to it stubbornly and seeks only to confirm it.** But an assumed principle is far from hurtful in so far as it is true and leads man to look to the Lord and the Word as the source and authority of truth, and in so far as man seeks to amend as well as to confirm it from the Word.
     * AC 589, 9039, 8941
     ** AC 589
     Man's orientation and capacity for enlightenment are largely affected and determined also by his ends, which are the objectives toward which his mind and life are directed in a constant effort to attain them. So man is said to be instructed and enlightened from the Word according to his affection and end.* When the Word is read with the end of knowing truths there is enlightenment, but not when there is no affection of knowing for the sake of truth.** However, the end of knowing truths leads to enlightenment only when it is the mediate end, and when the good of life is the true end for which truths are sought.*** Ends contrary to this necessarily reduce man's capacity for enlightenment; so he is said to be in obscurity spiritually and to be blinded when he reads the Word for the sake of self and the world, for such ends focus the mind on self and on the world, and cause him to see only what is from self-intelligence.****
     * AC 3436
     ** AC 7012               
     *** AC 8078, 6222:2; AR 52
     **** AC 9188:8; TCR 233; AE 177:2, 3.
     Man may set himself as objectives in life things for which he recognizes intellectually that he should strive; and for reformation he must, to begin with, set himself such intellectual objectives selected from doctrine and from the Word, and make himself strive to attain them because he believes this to be the Lord's will. He who does so becomes enlightened by degrees.*

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But an objective is not a true end of life until it is loved, for ends are according to love and make one with it. So enlightenment is said to be granted according to the affection, that is, according to the end sought in knowing truths; and man is enlightened according to his love of being wise and in so far as he loves to know truths for the sake of truth and for the sake of the good of life.**
     * AC 1937:4
     ** AC 8078; CL 261; AC 10551; AE 759:2

     2. Truths and Knowledges. Another factor necessary for enlightenment is truth and the knowledges of good and truth. For enlightenment is said to come through truths, to be according to them, and, indeed, to be by them. Because truth is the very light of heaven, he who has truths in all abundance also has enlightenment, and the enlightenment of the thought from interior enlightenment is said to be according to the knowledges of good and truth with man; wherefore the man of the church is said to be enlightened when he is instructed in good and truth.* There is also the statement that all enlightenment is from instruction; however, instruction itself does not enlighten, but provides the means by which man becomes capable of enlightenment.** Instruction thus precedes, and enlightenment then takes place according to the degree of instruction.***
     * AC 309812588:8, 8368; DP 168:2; AC 1101
     ** AC 3011, 10400:4; DP 317
     *** AC 3141:2
     Since the truths and knowledges needed for enlightenment are chiefly contained in the Word, the Writings frequently speak of man's being enlightened from the Word. It is said that the Lord teaches and enlightens man from the sense of the letter, and that the enlightenment is from the light of the spiritual sense shilling in and through the external sense when man reads the Word with the end of knowing truth for the sage of life and use, and devoutly seeks enlightenment from the Lord.*
     * SS 50; AR 414; AC 10400:4, 7012, 5432:5
     Truths particularly-but also knowledges, and even scientifics-are the objects of enlightenment. To know truths, to understand them and perceive their use, are the reasons that enlightenment is sought and is granted; and by enlightenment man is able to see truth in light and to confirm it by an inner perception, to evaluate it, and to distinguish it from what is evil and false.* Without such objects the light of heaven could not enlighten the understanding any more than the light from the sun could enlighten the sight of the eye without natural objects.
     * AC 701216222:3, 10551; AE 177; AC 7503, 2701; DP 168: 2; AC 3071; AE 163:2               
     Truths, knowledges and scientifics also serve as vessels recipient of the influx from within by which there is enlightenment, the enlightenment being according to the quantity and quality of what the vessels receive.*

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Knowledges learned from infancy to childhood are likened to most general vessels which are to be filled with goods: if they admit genuine goods there is enlightenment from the Divine; but if they do not admit genuine goods there is no enlightenment from the Divine, though there may be the appearance of it.** It would seem here that the influx of good is not directly into the general vessels, but is by means of truths. For we are taught that knowledges from the literal sense of the Word are general vessels recipient of truth, and that only when they receive truths does their quality appear as through a transparency; and we are taught also that nothing else receives good but truth, and that such as is the truth, such is the reception and such is the enlightenment.*** The more genuine the truths with man are, the more perfectly is the Divine influx received by which there is enlightenment.****
     * AC 3665:3, 3094, 7306, 3508
     ** AC 3665               
     *** AC 6222:213094
     **** AC 2531:2

     3. Goods, Affections and Loves. A third factor, and the one essential for enlightenment, consists in goods, affections and loves; for although the Writings frequently ascribe enlightenment to truth, and state that truth is the light of heaven, truth itself does not enlighten, nor is the light of heaven Divine truth by itself, but Divine truth from Divine good.* So on every plane truth is always the means and never the source and essence of enlightenment: and when there is enlightenment by means of truth, it only appears as if it were from the truth, when actually it is from good through truth; for good is the sun's flame, while truth is the object through which the flame shines and gives enlightenment, so that the mind is enlightened in so far as truths from good are present in it.** Light shines from good through truth when truth is conjoined with good. This conjunction, we are taught, first takes place in the rational when suitable truths are elevated from the natural into the rational. The process is described in the explication of the Rebekah story and also of Pharaoh's dream.***
     * AC 3094
     ** AC 3094, 3102, 5208
     *** AC 3000 ff, 5200 ff

     Though truths and knowledges are very necessary, it is thus utterly useless for a man to know many things if he does not live according to what he knows.* Any enlightenment a man may have from knowledges alone is very external and superficial, being only apparent and fatuous; so that those who have an abundance of knowledges and great skill in reasoning from them, if they are not in the good of life, are said to be spiritually more stupid than those who have little such knowledges and skill, yet live in charity.**
     * AC 1100
     ** DP 168:5; AC 4156:2, 3

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     Knowing truth has no other end than that a man may become good, and unless use and the good of life are the ends for the sake of which truth is sought there is no enlightenment.* So we are told that those only are enlightened by the Lord who desire to know truths, not for the sake of reputation and honor, but for life and use.** The end must be such with man that he wills to act according to the truths he has; reading the Word in order to do good, and applying its truths to the uses of life.***
     * AC 1100, 3039
     ** AC 6222:3, 10105:2
     *** AC 3436, 3619; SS 57, 91; TCR 231
     By his willing them and applying them to use, truths become goods of life with man, and he is enlightened; for by this man acquires a new will, the good of life and of charity, and the spiritual affection of truth, by and according to all of which man has enlightenment.* The reason is that by the good of life the interiors of the mind are opened, and truths then appear in their own light.**
     * AC 8521, 4241, 4245, 9086:3, 7012; AE 355:9
     **AR 82
     Although enlightenment is ascribed to good from truth-which good, incidentally is identified as the good of the man of the spiritual church, and also, in another context, as the good of the unregenerate man-it is clear that it is a good of life only in a limited sense, and that the enlightenment pertaining to it is also limited.* Indeed when truths of doctrine are in the first place, and not the good of life, there is no enlightenment; for when good is the first place, and from good man is in truths, the interiors of the mind are opened and light from the Lord flows in.** From this man has spiritual enlightenment, and also enlightenment as to his natural man.***
     * AC 6974, 6406
     ** AR 82; AC 3094, 6504
     *** AE 177:4, 430:10; AC 3102
     Though doing good is necessary, enlightenment is not from that good, but is from the good that man has from the Lord. This is genuine good, which flows in through heaven by an internal way into man's interiors, and thence into his exteriors according to the recipient vessels there, even into what is of sense, and gives enlightenment. With the regenerate, the influx of good from heaven is said to be through the affection into the thought, which it enlightens.*
     * AC 3128:2; AE 759:2
     To will to do the truths of the Word opens the interiors of the mind, it is said, and to enlighten; to live according to Divine truths from the Word is to love the Lord, and all enlightenment is said to come when the Lord is loved.* For man's interiors are opened, elevated and conjoined with heaven by love to the Lord; indeed those only are enlightened who are in love and charity, which are called the two loves of heaven.**

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Charity is also called the spiritual affection of truth itself, without which there can be no enlightenment from the Word.***
     * AC 10550:2
     ** AE 85, 177; AC 10355:5
     *** AE 246:6, 759:2
     An affection of truth from the good of love and charity is possible, that is, an affection from the evil of the loves of self and the world. But this affection does not effect enlightenment, since the loves of self and the world do not permit the interiors of the mind to be opened to receive heavenly light.*
     * AC 7012, 6222:2, 8780:2, 10105:2, 10406; AE 11, 714:10

     4. Obstacles. The fourth and final factor in enlightenment consists in the obstacles to the communication and reception of spiritual light which interfere. The communication of spiritual light is interfered with by evil spirits as far as circumstances permit, and one of the purposes of the Last Judgment was to disperse the societies of evil spirits which had contrived to interpose themselves between heaven and man and were intercepting the transflux of light from the Lord.* As to the individual man, if interior association with angels effects communication of heavenly light, interior association with evil spirits necessarily prevents that communication.**
     * CLJ 11; AE 682
     *AE 759:2; AC 8013
     As to reception, this is interfered with and restricted by falsities and evils, by affections from the loves of self and the world, and by what is merely corporeal and worldly; for these are opposite, and they are resistant of all things by which man has enlightenment. Where falsities and evils are, we are told, Divine light is reflected, suffocated or perverted, and only enough is received to enable man to think and speak from sensuous things and from forms of speech impressed upon the memory.
     Doctrinal falsities act to obscure the perception of truth, though this may appear to be clear; for falsities reject and extinguish all light that enters, preventing enlightenment.* it is to be noted, however, that falsities of doctrine prevent enlightenment and blind man to genuine truth in so far as they are confirmed by a life according to them, for they then adhere to man to eternity and make him unwilling to understand truth; but when they are simply accepted as truth on the authority of others, and are merely in the memory without being understood or confirmed, doctrinal falsities do not adhere, but can be dissipated to permit enlightenment.**
     * TCR 155: AC 7306
     ** AE 233:3, 325; AR 796, 224

     Falsity bears the same relation to evil that truth does to good; that is, falsity is the means, and evil the essential, of spiritual obscurity.

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Falsity, then, prevents enlightenment in so far as it is conjoined with evil, especially when it springs from evil and is loved because evil is loved and willed. He who is in evil may know truth, but he does not believe it, and he will reject it and remain in spiritual obscurity; and those who think that they who are in evil can be enlightened as to the truths of faith are very much mistaken.*
     * AC 7950:3; AE 941:3
     Evil and falsity, and the love of them, pertain to the love of self and the world. The love of evil and falsity from the loves of self and the world may, by confirmation, appear like the love of truth from good by which enlightenment is effected, but it is not and it does not enlighten.* Even the affection of truth does not enlighten when it springs from the loves of self and the world; for to come into enlightenment, the interiors must be elevated and withdrawn from worldly, corporeal and proprial things-which is effected by the Lord through heavenly loves, but is not possible when man, from the loves of self and the world, regards self and the world principally, and the external man has dominion over the internal.**
     * AE 325
     ** AC 6222:2, 7012, 8780:2, 10105:2, 10330:3, 10406; AE 11, 177:3, 714:10; AR 224
     Though all evils and falsities are obstacles to enlightenment, not all prevent all reception of light. The evils and falsities that utterly reject goods and truths and prevent enlightenment are those which are contrary to love to the Lord and charity; but some evils with man can be such that they are not contrary to these, and with them goods and truths can be mingled by which man can be introduced into genuine goods and truths and thus be enlightened.*
     * AC 3993:8

     The removal of falsities and evils is evidently as necessary for the development of man's capacity for enlightenment as is his acquiring goods and truths; and when evils are removed, man is said to be continually under the guidance of the Lord and to be enlightened, the light received in the rational being communicated to the natural that has been purified from evils.*
     *AE 325, 941:2
     Evils are removed in so far as man desists from them because they are sins and detests them; for to that extent he has communication with the Lord, good affections enter by which he is led by the Lord and not by self, and he then has intelligence and wisdom.* The removal of evil also involves temptations, by which the concupiscences of evil and the persuasions of the proprium are subdued and broken, and truths and goods are insinuated and are conjoined in man. By this the spiritual man gains dominion over the natural, and the good of charity and faith prevails over the loves of self and the world.

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By this man is elevated into heaven, so that after temptation there is enlightenment.**
     * AE 803
     ** AC 2682, 8367, 8967
     As to falsities, these are said to take flight when truths are conjoined with good; for truth is not truth and is not seen in light before it has been conjoined with good, and therefore does not enlighten and enable man to distinguish falsity.* Before the conjunction of truth with good, then, falsities which obscure can mingle with truths in the natural, but these are seen and dispersed as the light of truth conjoined with good penetrates the natural. The passages speaking of this say that when truths are to be conjoined with goods they are withdrawn from the natural and elevated, and man then comes into a state of greater obscurity than he had before.** In keeping with this is the teaching that those who are being reformed are reduced to ignorance of truth, even to desolation, in order that the persuasion of their proprium that good and truth are from self and not from the Lord may be broken; and that after desolation they have consolation and hope, followed by enlightenment.***
     * AC 5207
     ** See the series on Pharaoh's dream, AC 5200 ff.
     *** AC 2694:2, 2699

     (To be concluded)
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1964

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1964

     Indications of Providence. Here we have another term which is firmly established in our vocabulary but is nowhere to be found in the Writings, although it expresses an idea derived from them. The phrase has been taken to mean that the limits imposed by a situation, what seems possible at any given time, are indications of Providence as to what should be done, and much has been said in the church about seeking and following the indications of Providence. It is our belief that this idea should be approached with great caution, and in the light of the teaching that the Lord never shows or tells men directly what to do; for the dictate of men's loves may cause them to see different indications in the exigencies of the same situation. There are indications of Providence; but these, we believe, are the teachings of the Word.

     Infestation. This term is used only in connection with spirits who are being vastated in the lower earth. These are said to be infested by evils and falsities injected by the hells which are round about, to the end that their own evils and falsities may be removed, goods and truths be insinuated, and they be brought into the state of being capable of elevation into heaven.

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Thus the term refers to a special process which is so called because it is like an incessant attack from which there is no escape and which appears to be almost overwhelming. (See AC 7147.)

     Infinite. The Infinite in itself is said to be the Divine itself or the Lord Himself, but the Infinite from itself is the Divine proceeding or the Lord in others created from Himself, thus in men and angels, and this Divine is the same as the Divine Providence. It is said that of the Infinite nothing can be predicated except that it is. However, if we think of those things which are characteristic of the finite-beginning and end, inner and outer limitations, spatial qualities, depreciation in time, and so on-and then abstract them, we can enlarge our idea. (See DP 55.)

     Influx. With this term is related one of the most fundamental doctrines given in the Writings. It denotes the successive operation of what is higher into and through what is discretely lower, as of thought into speech, will into action, and so on. The essential idea is that nothing under God acts of itself, but through the operation into it of something higher, and this all the way back through the scale of degrees to the Lord Himself. Influx should not be thought of in terms of water being poured into a cup, but rather of a wave motion impinging upon a substance which reacts and is thus a receptacle. This is important because it shows that the inflowing force and the receptacle are not merged. The Divine does not become finite in proceeding; yet neither does man become Divine in receiving Divine influx.

     Two pairs of related terms should be noted, first, general and particular influx. General influx, which is from the Lord through the order of the heavens, is into those things which are in the order of their life, such as animals; particular influx, which is from the Lord through angels and spirits, is into those things which are not in order, that is, the minds of men. Note that man's body is under general influx.

     The second pair, immediate and mediate influx, are readily distinguished. Influx through heaven or through the Word is mediate; influx from the Lord into the human soul, which is above the angelic heavens, is immediate. (See AC 6128, 5850, 5854, 5862, 6058, 6495).

     Innocence. By this term is meant willingness to be led by a power not one's own. Spiritual innocence, or the innocence of wisdom, consists in an interior willingness to be led by the Lord rather than by self. It is adjoined with man and is the Divine good proceeding and leading man to heaven. (See AC 7902, 9938; HH 280.)

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ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS 1964

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS       ERIK SANDSTROM       1964

     COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY

     The Annual Meetings of the Council of the Clergy of the General Church of the New Jerusalem were held in the Council Chamber of the Bryn Athyn Cathedral, Tuesday Friday, January 28-31, 1964, the Bishop of the General Church, the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, presiding.
     On the preceding Monday the Bishop held meetings with pastors and headmasters, and also a meeting of his Consistory with all members, local and distant, in attendance. One afternoon in the week was allotted to a meeting of the Church Extension Committee under the chairmanship of the Rev. Harold C. Cranch. The Council held six regular sessions. On Saturday, February 1, a joint session was held with the Board of Directors of the General Church.

     In addition to the Bishop there were present one member of the episcopal degree, twenty-two members of the pastoral degree, and four members of the ministerial degree, a total of twenty-eight: namely, the Right Rev. George de Charms; the Rev. Messrs. Elmo C. Acton, Kurt H. Asplundh, Geoffrey S. Childs, Harold C. Cranch, Roy Franson, Victor J. Gladish, Henry Heinrichs, W. Cairns Henderson, B. David Holm, Geoffrey H. Howard, Robert S. Junge, Hugo Lj. Odhner, Ormond Odhner, Dandridge Pendleton, Martin Pryke, Norman H. Reuter, Morley D. Rich, Norbert H. Rogers, Erik Sandstrom (secretary), Frederick L. Schnarr, David R. Simons, Kenneth O. Stroh; Robert H. P. Cole, Raymond G. Cranch, Kurt P. Nemitz and Lorentz R. Soneson. Candidates Alfred Acton and Peter M. Buss were present by invitation.
     The Minutes of the 1963 meetings were approved as published in NEW CHURCH LIFE, pp. 160-162.
     In opening the first session, Bishop Pendleton extended a welcome to all present, and invited consideration of several matters, among them the following: Time and place of the next General Assembly; plans for a revised policy of admissions to the Academy; reports of the Operating Committee of the General Church, the Liturgy Committee and the Publication Committee, and the report and extensive charts prepared by the secretary of the General Church.

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He referred to the recent and sudden call of the Rev. Karl R. Alden to the spiritual world, and arranged for a memorial resolution to be presented to the meeting of the Joint Council. Mr. Alden's passing posed a problem with regard to the Religion Lessons of the General Church and the journal New Church Education, and the Bishop expressed appreciation to the Rev. Robert S. Junge for stepping into the breach for the next half or full year. He also addressed appreciative remarks to the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, retiring secretary of the Council, and welcomed the Rev. Erik Sandstrom as new secretary.
     Messages of greeting were received from several absent members and from the clergy of the South African Mission assembled in their annual meetings. The secretary was instructed to acknowledge these greetings, and to send a letter of appreciation to the ladies who provided refreshments during all the morning recesses. As usual, arrangements were made for letters to be written to absent members. In the case of Scandinavia and England, however, the forthcoming episcopal visits to these countries would take the place of such letters.
     The program committee presented only one major address this year, namely, a thorough study on "Enlightenment" by the Rev. Norbert H. Rogers. Because of its length this address was delivered in two installments, and together with a full discussion it occupied the major parts of two sessions. The listeners could follow a digest on mimeographed sheets, which listed all the passages referred to in the address in the order they were used. The study was widely hailed as scholarly and exhaustive.
     Additional, briefer addresses were given as follows: 1) The reference to "an indissoluble union of souls" in CL 480, 482, 377 and 321; and 2) The problem of the third reason for divorce, CL 468. Both these subjects were introduced by the Rev. Ormond Odhner. 3) The use of the non-canonical books of the Bible (Rev. Harold C. Cranch); 4) Some comments on our recent procedure in selecting a Bishop (Rev. Martin Pryke); and 5) The two-fold representation of a priest (Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner). Dr. Odhner also distributed a mimeographed pamphlet which he had prepared, entitled: "Selected Passages from the Writings on the Use of Science and Philosophy."

     In his report as chairman of the Liturgy Committee Bishop De Charms said that his target was to see the new edition published by June, 1965. The Offices and Special Services (Sacraments and Rites) were ready for the press, and the work on the Antiphons, too, had been completed. In referring to the progress on the Hymns, Bishop De Charms paid high tribute to the devotion and skill of Miss Creda Glenn, and commented on the need to make the music and the words in our hymns say the same thing.

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Some new hymns were being added, and some had been eliminated.
     The Rev. Robert S. Junge as secretary of the General Church presented an extensive report, supported by 22 charts. These charts were designed to give some guidance in projecting future growth and needs in various areas of use in the church. Mr. Junge referred to the problem of dealing with "Address Unknown" matters, but stated that it had been possible to cut down the list considerably. Many forget to give notice of new ad dress when they move. He appealed to pastors and others to give information whenever possible.
     The Extension Committee reported through its chairman, the Rev. Harold C. Cranch, that a manual was ready to be sent out to all ministers and that it was to sell at $1.50 a copy. Other material would be handed over to the Publication Committee, and yet other material was available to visiting pastors.
     As Editor of New Church Life, the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson reported that he intended, experimentally, to drop the Notes on the Calendar Readings for the ensuing year. Since he aimed at presenting as many minds as possible, thus providing variety of subject matter and thought, he appealed for more material.
     The Rev. Robert S. Junge reported that the Bishop had appointed him new chairman of the Publication Committee. With financial help from private sources the committee had published the Rev. Martin Pryke's mimeographed booklet, entitled Discipline, and a book by Bishop De Charms: The New Church and Modern Christianity.

     The Bishop invited comments on the use of the Religion Lessons and their accompanying journal. It appeared that many pastors, especially visiting pastors, used these lessons extensively. All felt that the use should be perpetuated, and the view was expressed that there was room for further development.
     Another matter raised by the Bishop related to the translation of the Writings. He felt the time was coming when the General Church should set up a proper institution to discharge this vital use, and paid tribute to the organizations in England and the United States on whose labor and resources we are now almost entirely depending.
     The Bishop reported that he had appointed the following committees: The Committee on Modes of Selecting a Bishop: The Rev. Messrs. W. Cairns Henderson, Ormond Odhner and Martin Pryke, the Bishop himself acting as chairman; The General Church Publication Committee: The Rev. Messrs. Robert S. Junge (chairman), Harold C. Cranch, W. Cairns Henderson, Erik Sandstrom and Frederick L. Schnarr; Program Committee for the meetings in 1965: The Rev. Messrs. Erik Sandstrom (chairman) and Frederick L. Schnarr.

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     In appointing the Publication Committee the Bishop expressed deep appreciation to Dr. Odhner, retiring chairman, for many years of service.
     Several social functions graced a busy week. On Tuesday the members took luncheon with male members of the Academy faculty, and shared with them a lively discussion on how to promote still further cooperation between the Academy and pastors in the field. On Wednesday the members of the Council and the two candidates were entertained for dinner in the home of Bishop and Mrs. Pendleton, and on Friday and Saturday ministers were given an opportunity to mix socially with members of the Board of Directors, faculty men and others at luncheons in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Pitcairn. On Friday evening, after a meeting of the Bryn Athyn Church which was addressed by the Rev. B. David Holm on "The Ascension," the Civic and Social Club held Open House. In addition there were several luncheons and dinners of a more private nature. All our hosts and hostesses must have been aware of our deep appreciation for having these opportunities of delightful relaxation in the social sphere.
     Respectfully submitted,
          ERIK SANDSTROM,
               Secretary, The Council of the Clergy.
JOINT COUNCIL 1964

JOINT COUNCIL       ROBERT S. JUNGE       1964

     FEBRUARY 1, 1964

     1. The 70th regular meeting of the Council of the Clergy and the Directors of the Corporations of the General Church of the New Jerusalem was opened by the executive Bishop, the Right Reverend Willard D. Pendleton, at 10.00 a.m. on February 1, 1964, in the Council Chamber of the Bryn Athyn Church by reading from Matthew 7:6-12, 24-29, and prayer in which all joined.

     2. Attendance: Of the Clergy: Rt. Rev. W. D. Pendleton, presiding; Rt. Rev. G. de Charms; Rev. Messrs. E. C. Acton, G. S. Childs, R. H. P. Cole, H. C. Cranch, R. G. Cranch, R. Franson, V. J. Gladish, H. Heinrichs, W. C. Henderson, B. D. Holm, G. H. Howard, R. S. Junge, K. P. Nemitz, H. Lj. Odhner, O. deC. Odhner, D. Pendleton, M. Pryke, N. H. Reuter, M. D. Rich, N. H. Rogers, E. Sandstrom, F. L. Schnarr, D. R. Simons, L. R. Soneson, K. O. Stroh; and by invitation, Candidates A. Acton, and P. Buss. (29)

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     Of the Laity: Messrs. U, E. Acton, K. C. Acton, Esq., E. T. Asplundh, L. Asplundh, R. H. Asplundh, G. E. Blackman, R. W. Childs, Esq., E. H. Davis, Esq., L. E. Gyllenhaal, J. Howard, K. Hyatt, J. F. Junge, A. H. Lindsay, Esq., H. K. Morley, P. C. Pendleton, Esq., G. Pitcairn, Raymond Pitcairn, Esq., S. Pitcairn, O. I. Powell, R. H. Rose, G. M. Smith, D. H. Stebbing, Ray Synnestvedt, M. J. Walker. (24)

     3. The Minutes of the 69th regular meeting of the Joint Council were approved as printed in NEW CHURCH LIFE, April 1963, pp. 162-171.

     4. The Rt. Rev. George de Charms, offered the following memorial resolution in recognition of the Rev. Karl R. Alden's call to the spiritual world, which was adopted with a rising vote and a tribute of silence:

     "Inasmuch as the Lord in his Divine Providence has called our brother KARL RICHARDSON ALDEN into the spiritual world, we would record our deep affection for him as a friend, and as one who has devoted his entire life to the service of the New Church. Mr. Alden's great love was to preach the gospel of the Lord's Second Coming to all in the world who might be willing to receive it. His delight was to lead them into the holy city New Jerusalem; not only that they might be baptized, but that they might enter with genuine understanding and affection into the life of the church. At the same time he had a love of children and young people which enabled him to perform a use of lasting benefit to the Academy, which he served in the capacity of Housemaster of Stuart Hall and Principal of the Boys School over a period of many years. He will be long remembered with gratitude by the students who benefitted from his understanding guidance. In the later years of his life, as the Director of General Church Religion Lessons, he did much to promote the use of helping the children of isolated New Church families to acquire a knowledge of the Word and a love of the spiritual truth revealed in the Heavenly Doctrine.
     In expressing our profound appreciation of Mr. Alden's outstanding contribution to the cause of the New Church, we speak not only for this Council but also, we know, for the entire membership of the General Church which this Council represents. We move, therefore, that this resolution be recorded in the minutes of this body, and that a copy of it be sent to his wife, together with an expression of our deep sympathy for her, and for the members of her family, in their natural loss; acknowledging at the same time that, in calling Mr. Alden into the world of eternal life, the Lord is opening for him the joy and blessing of an everlasting use in His
heavenly kingdom."

     5. The Chair then recognized the Rev. Erik Sandstrom, who read a greeting from the Rev. Messrs. Frank Rose, Ronald Rose, and Alan Gill.

     6. The Rev. Erik Sandstrom then offered the following: "As Secretary of the Council of the Clergy, I place its recommendation before this joint Council that there shall be a General Assembly in the year 1966, and move that this recommendation be approved."

     7. The Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton then reminded the meeting that the last Assembly was held in June 1962, and that if possible we try to have an Assembly every four years.

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He expressed the hope that this Assembly might be held in or near Toronto as the last Assembly held in Canada was in 1926, in Kitchener. He also suggested that since this depends upon circumstances, the motion be amended to include the words "if possible" an Assembly be held in 1966. He further expressed the hope that since 1970 is a rather special year for the New Church, an Assembly might be held in Bryn Athyn in that year.
     The Rev. D. Holm said that he understood that there was an effort to have all the New Church bodies meet together in London in 1970.
     Bishop Pendleton replied that they had asked if we could send delegates, but he said it was a highly significant year and the question was whether we wanted to celebrate in conjunction with other bodies or wanted our own celebration.
     The Rev. M. Pryke pointed out that if we celebrated this event in London over the 19th, it would mean that the most important 19th of June celebration in some time would be neglected in our local societies.
     Bishop Pendleton remarked that 1970 was a long way off and there was still time for further consideration.
     The motion to have an Assembly if possible in 1966 was carried.

     8. The Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton said that the balance of the time of this meeting was set aside for consideration of the report of the Operating Policy Committee which had been circulated prior to the meeting. He said that this committee had been appointed in recognition primarily of the fiscal situation that had arisen as a result of a gradual accumulation of districts, circles and groups, each of which had developed in its own way, which was quite workable for a time. But gradually, with growth, confusion arose, and sooner or later we need to firm up our policies. He said that he had heard a comment that the report was confusing, but that his answer was that it was not nearly as confusing as the situation it was trying to correct. He pointed out that a great deal of time and thought had been put into the report, particularly by the Secretary and the Treasurer. He then explained that the report was by no means final and that it was subject to revision at this time. But something must be done to clarify the highly confused situation in the operation of our fiscal practices which exists.

     9. The discussion which followed centered on what our attitude should be towards special gifts to the ministers of the church, whether a calling society or the General Church should pay the pastor's moving expense, what type of reports are needed for non-self-supporting areas, the balance between congregational financial practices and our episcopal form of administration, the status of the treasurer's agents, building funds in non-self-supporting districts, the possibility of changing our fiscal year, the freedom of a self-supporting society, the need to explain this report thoroughly to the members of the church before presenting it to any district in detail.

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(In view of this last, and the proposed revisions, neither the report nor the detailed discussion of it are recorded here.)

     10. Mr. A. H. Lindsay moved that we accept this as a statement of policy in principle and approve it subject to revision. The motion was seconded and carried.

     11. Bishop Pendleton reported to the group that Rev. Norbert Rogers had had a coronary occlusion, and that we hope he will make a good come back.

     12. The Salary Committee reported that there was no change other than that adopted by the Board to put Sweden on the basis of 87-1/2% of the salary paid in the United States.

     13. Mr. L. Gyllenhaal reported informally for the Contributions Committee that there seems to be a general increase in contributions throughout the church. Last year contributions rose about $9,000.00. He said that he discounted the low per-cent of the potential (i.e., 35%) because we do not get a really proper figure under our present system.
     Bishop Pendleton reviewed the history of the Contributions Committee from its beginning with Mr. Charles Gyllenhaal, through an all-time high of 49% under Mr. James Junge, and an all-time low of 35% last year. He pointed out that a real job of contributions requires a tremendous amount of work and endless letter writing. We are reaching that in-between size, where a busy man cannot give that much time. As we grow larger, things often have to become professionalized. Last year's chairman, Mr. Harold McQueen, has taken a great interest in the work, but agrees that it is too large an undertaking for a man in his position. He, therefore, stated that since this effort to increase the per-cent contributing through a Contributions Committee has not really worked, this use will be back under the Treasurer's office next year.
     Some questions and discussion regarding the nature and accuracy of the percentage figures followed.
     The Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton explained that Mr. Alden's passing has made a difficult situation in the Religion Lessons. In the Council of the Clergy those pastors in areas where these lessons are being used are unanimous in their opinion that this is a very important work, and will be of increasing importance. Up to this time this work has been done on a part-time or retirement basis. It is, at the present stage of its development, still a part-time work. The problem in the General Church is how to find a half or third of a man! especially to find one who is gifted in this kind of work.

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Temporarily the work will go on under the Secretary for the remainder of this year. But that cannot continue. He said that he did not know the solution, but we have to do something as it may prove to be more and more important work as time goes on. Assistance in teaching their children these basic truths, is just about all these parents get except an occasional visit from the pastor.
     Mr. P. Pendleton asked if this work was not initiated and carried on by Theta Alpha.
     Bishop Pendleton answered that they do a great deal of the work, but said he felt very strongly that a work of this kind must come directly under a priest of the church. Many questions arise which must go to a minister. Its development and the revision of the lessons certainly is a work of the priesthood.
     The Rev. H. C. Cranch felt that this work was dedicated to meeting the need for New Church education where the groups were unable to provide schools for their children and that it should be developed and there should not be any lessening of the General Church effort. Nevertheless he recognized that we face that practical problem where it has to be on a sustaining basis for a time. But it is an area that needs development.
     Mr. P. Pendleton asked Mr. Cranch if he did not work with Theta Alpha on this in the beginning. Mr. Cranch answered that it was an effort to give direction to a private committee. It soon became recognized that it should come under the direction of the General Church, and that all responsibilities and all policies rested with it. At first it was merely a working proposition, to get it started.
     Bishop Pendleton observed that, like so many things in the church, it is not a question of their importance, but their relative importance. Now if we put this on a sustaining basis for a time, that will be all right for six months or a year, but it will not last that way. It has to have creative leadership in order to develop. He then asked how many actually receive and respond to these lessons.
     The Rev. R. S. Junge answered 464. As to response he was not sure, but felt it would be somewhere between 50-70%.
     The Rev. N. Reuter observed that he had been associated with the response through his daughter, and was very much heartened by it. Those who are teachers and counselors sometimes are in error when they feel that there is no use because there is no response. There are people who just do not answer letters. He visited one home where they had never sent a letter, but where a vigorous study program was set up every Sunday. Of course, he also visited one family that was so proud of them that they had them all saved and stacked. They never used them, but they sure saved them!

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     He felt that it is nevertheless a very real use, essentially it is the second largest school in the General Church. The closing down of this as an effective operation would be equivalent in significance to closing down every school in the church outside of Bryn Athyn.
     Rt. Rev. W. D. Pendleton said then, that when you cannot find a part time man, then your mind turns to the question of a full-time man. Do you take an able pastor for this work? Then you have to look around for one who answers letters, and that does not leave you more than one or two. As a matter of fact, he said that he was very hopeful when he heard Mr. Reuter talk about children who did not answer letters; we may get some pastors out of them!
     The Rev. E. Sandstrom expressed the feeling that while this use should be under the direction of a minister, women have a special place in teaching children. Women have a real use and ability there, and we need a balance.
     Bishop Pendleton replied that we all agree to that, and especially with little children. But this extends all the way up to secondary school. He added that we are grateful that Bishop De Charms has taken over the part that Mr. Alden usually handled with the older children. He observed also that the effect of this work on the women themselves, and what it does for them, is very important, too.

     14. Rev. O. deC. Odhner moved that this Council thank the ladies for their wonderful work in serving the coffee break. The motion was carried unanimously.

     15. Meeting adjourned at 12:30 P.M.

          Respectfully submitted,
          ROBERT S. JUNGE,
               Secretary.

     [NOTE: The thanks of the Secretary goes to the Sound Recording Committee for supplying recording facilities for this meeting.]
MINISTERIAL CHANGES 1964

MINISTERIAL CHANGES              1964

     The Rev. Gudmund Ullrich Boolsen has resigned as Assistant to the Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen, in which capacity he had served as Resident Minister of the Copenhagen (Denmark) Circle.

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ANNUAL REPORTS 1964

ANNUAL REPORTS       Various       1964

     SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH

     During the year 1963, eighty-seven members were received into the General Church. Four resigned. Thirty-nine deaths were reported. On January 1, 1964, the roll contained 3074 names.

     Membership, January 1, 1963                                    3030
(U.S.A, 1927, Other countries-1103)
New Members (cert. 5044-5130)                     87
(U.S.A.-65, Others-22)
Deaths Reported                          39
(U.S.A.-21, Others-18)
Resignations                               4
(U.S.A.-1, Others-3)
Losses (U.S.A.-22, Others-21)                43
Net gain during 1963                                              44

     Membership, January 1, 1964                                    3074
(U.S.A.-1970, Others-1104)

     NEW MEMBERS

     January 1, 1963 to December 31, 1963

     THE UNITED STATES

     Arizona: Tucson
Mr. Walter Gustav Hartter
Mrs. Clarence F. (Greta Mae Arnold) Lyman
Mrs. Paul Edward (Joan Phyllis Spencer) Vanover
Mr. Thomas Emmett Waddell
Mrs. Thomas Emmett (Linda Coffin) Waddell

     California: Glendale
Miss Nora Jeanne Cranch

     California: Los Angeles
Mr. Noel Bailey Hammond

     California: South Pasadena
Mr. Glen E. Kline
Mrs. Glen E. (Marcelite Elizabeth Mancell) Kline

     California: Venice
Mr. Francis Patrick O'Donnell
Mrs. Sophia Charlotte Price Smith

     Colorado: Holyoke
Miss Marlene Helen Fiedler

     Florida: Lake Helen
Mr. Leonard Andrew Lattin

     Florida: Miami
Miss Ronnye Lynne Gauzens

     Illinois: Chicago
Mr. George Lowell Bricker
Mr. Frank William Fabricius, Ir.

     Illinois: Glenview,
Miss Andrea Pennington Cole
Mr. Harvey Bradley Farrington
Mrs. Harvey Bradley (Marge Waugh Farrington
Mr. Kirk Hamilton Logie

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Mrs. Kirk Hamilton (Beverley Phillis Johansen) Logie
Miss Patricia Kay Nicholson
Miss Linda Louise Scalbom

     Illinois: Other
Mr. John Richard Aymer
Mrs. John Richard (Shirley Marine Forsaker) Aymer
Mrs. Frank (Rose Caroline Harck) Kitzelman
Mr. Richard Earl Stitt
Mrs. Richard Earl (Shirley Ann Kitzelman) Stitt

     Maryland: Bladensburg
Mr. Philip Dahms Coffin

     Michigan: Royal Oak
Mr. Vance Genzlinger
Mrs. Vance (Betty Jean Stewart) Genzlinger

     New Jersey: Levittown
Mr. George Martin Miller

     New Jersey: Marlton
Mrs. Wallace Raymond (Greta Amity Echols) Bockneak

     New Mexico: Socouro
Mrs. D. Garrison (Deborah Pendleton Croft) Moore, Jr.

     New York: Boiceville
Mrs. Elsa Blessmann Dicken

     New York: Forest Hills
Mr. Peter Howells Synnestvedt
Mrs. Peter Howells (Jane Tobey) Synnestvedt

     New York: New York
Mrs. Hal Allan (Myrna Howard) Farquhar

     Ohio: Glendale
Miss Valarie Ann Latta

     Ohio: Urbana
Miss Margaret Jo Ann Snyder

     Pennsylvania: Bryn Athyn District
Mr. Peter Hall Boericke
Miss Sylvia Cranch
Miss Melissa Tebeau Croft
Mr. Lawson Kendig Cronlund
Miss Carol Ellen Ebert
Miss Viola Alice Friesen
Mr. Raphael Iungerich
Mr. Richard Charles Linquist
Mr. Kirk Pitcairn Pendleton
Miss Penny Rhodes
Mrs. Cordon Elmer (Elieen Gyllenhaal) Rogers
Miss Sherryn Rose
Mr. Alfred Daniel Sandstrom
Mrs. Alfred Daniel (Bonnie Karen Linquist) Sandstrom
Mr. James Conrad Search
Mrs. James Conrad (Marguerite Thorn) Search
Mr. Thorsten Isedor Sigstedt
Mr. Michael Price Tyler

     Pennsylvania: Maple Glen
Mr. George Morgan Jones, 3rd

     Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh
Mrs. Kenneth Bellinger (Zarah Linea Brown) Blair
Miss Cora Jean Schoenberger

     Washington, D. C.
Miss Dianna Brown
Miss Mary Elinor Mahler

     Wisconsin: Shorewood
Mr. James Steven Brush
Mrs. James Steven (Grethe Oxholm) Brush

     AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

     New South Wales: Hurstville
Miss Patricia Joan Heldon

     New Zealand: Oamaru
Mr. Harry Thomas Beveridge

     CANADA

     British Columbia: Fort Moody
Mr. Donald Albert Nicholas Fedorak
Mrs. Donald Albert Nicholas (Leota Marie Westlake) Fedorak

     Ontario: Downsview
Mr. John Emanuel Hamm

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     Ontario: Timmins
Miss Donna Lee Sutherland

     Ontario: Toronto Area
Mrs. Jack Michael (Martha Jeanette Wilkins) McDonald

     Ontario: Waterloo
Mr. Reinhold John Kauk

Quebec: Montreal
Mr. Adrian Jean Lucien de Chazal

     EUROPE

     Denmark
Miss Elna Birchholdt

     Great Britain: Colchester
Mr. Andrew Ralph Hawkins
Mrs. Andrew Ralph (Wilhelmina Maria Braam) Hawkins

     Great Britain: Dorset
Mrs. Arthur Dewhurst (Margaret Maisie Nash) Atherton

     Great Britain: Kent
Mr. John Burniston
Mrs. John (Mary Leather) Burniston

     Great Britain: London
Mr. John Anthony Frost
Mrs. John Anthony (Moiralyn Sparks) Frost
Mr. Kenneth Frederick Taylor

     Holland: The Hague
Mrs. John Durban (Margarete Caroline Elisabeth Tappe) Odhner

     Sweden: Bromma
Mr. Rolf Walter Alexander Boley
Miss Lone Birgith Leisted

     NEAR EAST

     Jordan: Nablus
Miss Nuhad Khalil Abed

     DEATHS

     Reported during 1963

Acton, Mrs. Etta B. (Eliza Henrietta Broadbridge), Aug. 21, 1963, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (62)
Andersson, Miss Stanny, March 16, 1963, Stockholm, Sweden. (84)
Ashby, Miss Elizabeth, Nov. 7, 1963, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (94)
Asplundh, Mrs. Edwin Theodore (Marion Childs Pendleton), May 30, 1963, Abington, Pa. (62)
Buell, Mr. Robert Harold, September, 1962, St. Augustine, Fla. (77)
Caldwell, Mr. William Thomas, Nov. 7, 1963, San Francisco, Cal. (67)
Carlman, Mr. Jons, October 8, 1963, Stockholm, Sweden. (91)
Carson, Mrs. Frederick W. (Nellie G. McT,aughlin), Aug. 22, 1963, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. (79)
Clennell, Mr. James Thomas, March 29, 1963, Ilford, Essex, England. (70)
Cooper, Mr. Alfred, December 16, 1963, London, England. (83)
Curran, Mr. Daniel Joseph, Oct. 18, 1963, Garfield Heights, Ohio. (84)
Dahl, Mrs. Sidney George Louis (May Judith Svedlund), January 27, 1963, Jonkoping, Sweden. (52)
Doering, Mr. Edgar Henry, April 1, 1963, Bethayres, Pa. (65)
Ebert, Mrs. Charles Henry (Nellie Dover Faulkner), March 27, 1963, Meadowbrook, Pa. (81)
Ehlund, Mrs. Axel (Hildur Anderson), March 18, 1963, Rockford, Ill. (78)
Elphick, Mrs. Frederick W. (Bertha Barger), Oct. 29, 1963, Durban, Natal, South Africa. (73)
Gernheldel, Mrs. William C. (Vera Matilda Doering), March 14, 1963, Stratford, Ontario, Canada. (73)

178



Grant, Mr. Fred Martin, Aug. 20, 1963, Meadowbrook, Pa. (68)
Hall, Mrs. Charles William (Ada Nicholson), Aug. 16, 1963, Broadstairs, Kent, England. (94)
Hart, Mrs. Clarence E. (Cora Belie Waggy), Jan. 7, 1963, Columbus, Ohio. (89)
Heilman, Mrs. Marlin W. (Martha Grant), March 21, 1963, Huntingdon, Valley, Pa. (78)
Hilldale, Mr. Robert Coffin, Jan. 27, 1963, Washington, D. C. (74)
Jacobsen, Mrs. Vagn Carl (Hansine Johanne Marie Christiansen), Aug. 18, 1963, Copenhagen, Denmark. (79)
Johnson, Mrs. Edward R. (Alma Sophia Anderson), Aug. 8, 1963, Erie, Pa. (92)
Kingdon, Mr. Alvern Ward, July 8, 1963, Miami, Fla. (68)
Lunden, Mr. George E., July 10, 1963, Stockholm, Sweden. (80)
Nelson, Mrs. Gerald Farrington (Edith Walton Childs), June 30, 1963, Baltimore, Maryland. (44)
Potter, Mrs. John (Annie), April 4, 1962, Colchester, Essex, England. (92) (delayed report)
Sigstedt, Mr. Thorsten Isedor, December 2, 1963, Meadowbrook, Pa. (80)
Stebbing, Mr. William Henry, February 16, 1963, London, England. (87)
Steen, Mrs. Alfred Hachborn (Frieda Aurelle Deppisch), June 28, 1963, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (70)
Stockham, Mrs. James Warrington (Eva Harris), May 30, 1963, Washington, D. C. (64)
Waelchli, Mr. Victor Emanuel, October 19, 1963, Norristown, Pa. (73)
Waters, Mr. Alan Noel, June 4, 1962, West Mersea, Essert, England. (67) (delayed report)
Wild, Mr. Norman, November 29, 1962, Rochdale, Lancs., England. (58) (delayed report)
Wild, Mrs. Norman (Eva Thorpe), February 25, 1963, Rochdale, Lancs., England. (62)
Willis, Mr. Jack William, September 25, 1963, Dallas, Texas. (35)
Wistedt, Mrs. August Georg (Signe Maria Edwerts), January 25, 1963, Stockholm, Sweden. (80)
Wright, Mr. Douglas Neville, September 9, 1960, Norristown, Pa. (35)

     RESIGNATIONS

Bone, Mr. Milton George, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Lewis, Mr. Albert, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Lewis, Mrs. Albert (Dorothy Edna Harrad), Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Pitcairn, Mr. Bruce, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

     SOUTH AFRICAN MISSION

     The Superintendent reports: "We have only eight active Bantu ministers with the result that some of our small societies and groups do not receive sufficient attention, and are consequently declining. We have one theological student who, it is hoped, will be ready for the ministry in December, 1964. We had a full discussion as to why we do not have more candidates for the ministry at the last minister's meetings. One of the reasons suggested was that the kind of educated young man that we want can receive far more money in other fields. (The current stipend is in some cases about one-half what these men could get as teachers.) . . .
     "The appointment of the Rev. B. I. Nzimande as the Bantu Assistant Superintendent has proved most successful.

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He has informed me about situations in the various societies about which I could only have a vague idea. . . .
     "While we have an active winter school the ministers are anxious to start a day school again, probably at Kent Manor. Apart from the expense, I do not think there is any chance at all of being granted permission to establish a school. . . .
     "The lack of ministers is intensified by the fact that in these groups there is a great dearth of laymen with the ability to assume leadership. This cannot be rectified for a number of years. In the meantime each minister has been urged to draw to the attention of any likely young man in his society the importance of the use of the priesthood that they may consider entering it. . . .
     "A further difficulty has been the recent implementation of the Groups Areas Act which has adversely affected, or threatens to affect, several of our societies. However, this may not be as serious as it sounds, apart from the money for new buildings. It is really a testing ground for the societies, for although considerable inconvenience and uncertainty arises, if the true spirit of the Church is with the members they will overcome their difficulties and establish the Church anew in the places to which they are moved. . . .
     "The thing of fundamental importance-apart from external difficulties and uncertainties-is that we have a group of ministers well informed in the teachings of the Church and deeply devoted to its work. Their idea of Church organization and activity is sometimes different and the slowness of getting an active response to any new practice is at times frustrating, but we must realize that they understand the different background of their own people with whom they are working. Further, we have a large membership composed-so far as I can assess, and the difficulty of language is always a stumbling block-of loyal and informed members of the Church." =
     An authentic report of the membership as of June 15, 1963 follows:

STATISTICS OF AFRICAN MEMBERS JUNE 15, 1963

Society     Adults     RESIDENT     Children     Adults     ISOLATED     Children     Total
               Young                         Young
               People                         People
Alexandra     50     13          51          12               4          130
Brakpan     10     3          4                                   17
Clermont     31     3          19          9               13          75
Endumba     28     6          47          5                         86
Greylingstad     32     20          35          6     6          10          109
Hambrook     28     10          22                                   60
Kent Manor     99     26          79          19     2          5          230
Mofolo     26     3          26                                   55
New Farm     23     4          29          15     2          14          87
Sterkstroom     7               2                                   9
Quthing     22     1          10          5               1          39
Kwa Mashu     23     3          14                                   40
Esididini     9     1          15                                   25
          388     93          353          71     10          47          962

     Respectfully submitted,
          ROBERT S. JUNGE,
               Secretary

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     COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY

     January 1, 1963 to January 1, 1964

     MEMBERSHIP

     With three inaugurations into the priesthood during the year, the membership of the Council increased to forty. Two members of the ministerial degree were ordained into the pastoral degree. The total membership thus includes two priests of the episcopal degree, thirty-three of the pastoral degree, and five of the ministerial degree. Eight of the forty members are retired or in secular work; some of these, however, are engaged in part-lime work, or give assistance to the pastoral office. Of the thirty-two active members of the Council, eleven are outside the United States. Eleven of the twenty-one members in the United States are serving other societies, circles and groups; ten are resident in Bryn Athyn. It should be noted, however, that six of these ten priests are employed wholly or in part by the General Church and/or the Academy, and may thus be said to be serving the church as a whole.
     There are two Authorized Candidates in the Academy of the New Church Theological School and one in Brazil. The British Guiana Mission has one priest of the pastoral degree, and in the South African Mission there are seven priests of the pastoral degree and two of the ministerial degree, the same as last year. A list of the clergy of the General Church and its Missions appear in NEW CHURCH LIFE, December, 1963, pp. 561-564.

     STATISTICS

     Statistics concerning the Sacraments and Rites of the church administered in 1963, compiled from 38 reports received by the end of February, 1964, together with the final though still incomplete figures for 1962, are as follows:
                                        1963          1962
Baptisms (Children 158; Adults 40)                    198          166 (+32)
Holy Supper:      Administrations                    159          166 (-7)
          Communicants                    4474          5172 (-698)
Confessions of Faith                              31          38 (-7)
Betrothals                                   35          30 (+5)
Marriages                                   43          38 (+5)
Funerals                                   44          39 (+5)
Ordinations                                   5          2 (+3)
Dedications:     Homes                         11          6 (+5)
          Churches                         1          1
          Manse                              1          0 (+1)

     The above figures do not include administration of Sacraments and Rites in the South African Mission. There were two blessings on civil marriages which are not included in the total. Adult baptisms again approximated 20% of the total number of baptisms, and the ratio of betrothals to marriages was the same as last year.

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     REPORTS OF MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY

     The Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton reports that he served as Bishop of the General Church, President of the Academy of the New Church, and Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church.

     BISHOP OF THE GENERAL CHURCH

     ORDINATIONS. On June 2, 1963, he ordained the Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard into the second degree of the priesthood. Also, on June 16, he inaugurated the following candidates into the priesthood: Robert H. P. Cole, Kurt P. Nemitz and Lorentz R. Soneson.

     PASTORAL CHANGES. He was instrumental also in effecting a series of pastoral changes, which are recorded in NEW CHURCH LIFE.

     EPISCOPAL VISITS. In April he dedicated the new church building in Miami, Florida, and conducted the Easter service for the Circle on the following day. In July he visited England, where he presided over the British Assembly held in Colchester; and in October and November, respectively, he presided over the Midwestern District Assembly held in Glenview, Illinois, and the Eastern Canada Assembly held in Caryndale, Blair, Ontario.

     OTHER ACTIVITIES. He presided over the Annual Meetings of the Council of the Clergy, the Joint Council, the weekly meetings of the Consistory, and the meetings of the Corporation and the Board of Directors. In this connection he would report that as chairman of the newly formed Operating Committee of the Board of Directors he has been engaged in the effort to formulate a set of operating policies and procedures for the General Church. This is an especially difficult assignment due to the variety of circumstances that exists in the different localities of the church. For what has been accomplished to date he would express his appreciation of the work done by the other members of the committee: Leonard E. Gyllenhaal, James F. Junge and the Rev. Robert S. Junge.

     PASTOR OF THE BRYN ATHYN CHURCH

     As Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church he has been concerned primarily with uses of government, but whenever possible he has co-operated with the Dean in the uses of worship and instruction. He would express his deep appreciation to Bishop De Charms, who sustained the uses of the Dean's office during an interim period, and to the Rev. Elmo C. Acton who, as of September 1, assumed the responsibility of the Deanship. In both instances, their understanding and support have enabled him to fulfill the other duties of his office.

     PRESIDENT OF THE ACADEMY

     As President of the Academy he was gratified by the report of the visiting committees of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The fact that all of our schools were re-accredited is a source of encouragement to all who are engaged in the work of New Church education.

     In June, Mr. Donald C. Fitzpatrick, Jr., accepted appointment to serve as Assistant to the President. In that capacity Mr. Fitzpatrick is entrusted with the operational affairs of the institution, leaving the President free to devote more of his time to the educational policies of the Academy.

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It has proved to be a happy and useful relationship.

     The Rt. Rev. George de Charms, Bishop Emeritus of the General Church and President Emeritus of the Academy of the New Church, served as Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church through August 31, 1963, and as a Professor of Theology in the Academy throughout the year.

     THE GENERAL CHURCH

     At the request of Bishop Pendleton, he ordained the Rev. Donald L. Rose into the second degree of the priesthood on June 23, 1963. In August he gave a series of lectures to the Educational Council on Swedenborg's Principia. He continued to serve as Chairman of the Committee on the Revision of the Liturgy.

     THE BRYN ATHYN CHURCH

     As Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church until August 31, he had charge of the worship and the religious instruction of the Society and shared with Bishop Pendleton in conducting the services in the cathedral. He preached six times in Bryn Athyn, concluded a series of doctrinal lectures, and gave a series of classes throughout the year to a group of young married people. From October through December he had also two other group classes.

     OTHER ACTIVITIES

     During the year he preached also in Kitchener, Pittsburgh and Miami. On the occasion of his visit to Kitchener he dedicated the new manse.

     THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH

     He continued to serve as a Professor of Theology, teaching two courses in the Theological School and one course in the Senior College. He also served as head of the Religion Department.

     The Rev. A. Wynne Acton continued to serve as Faster of the Durban Society and as Superintendent of the General Church Mission in South Africa.

     The Rev. Elmo C. Acton was engaged as Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois, and of the Sharon Church, Chicago, through August 31. On September 1, he assumed the duties of Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church.

     The Rev. Karl R. Alden, Director of General Church Religion Lessons and Editor of the NEW CHURCH EDUCATION, preached sixteen times in various places and conducted a series of classes in Bryn Athyn.

     The Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh became Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society and Principal of the Pittsburgh New Church School on September 1, 1963. Until that date he had served as Assistant to the Pastor in Pittsburgh.

     The Rev. Geoffrey Childs continued to be engaged as Pastor of the Carmel Church, Caryndale, Blair, Ontario, Canada, and as Principal of the Carmel Church School.

     The Rev. Harold C. Cranch, Pastor of the Glendale Society and Visiting Pastor to the San Francisco Circle and to groups and isolated members in California, reports that he visits the district as a whole four times a year, and San Francisco an additional four times.

183


He continued to serve as chairman of the Missionary Committee and of its sub-committee on the Sunday school.

     The Rev. Roy Franson was engaged as Faster of the Dawson Creek (British Columbia) Group, and as Visiting Pastor to the groups in Fort St. John, Renata and Vancouver, British Columbia; Oyen and Crooked Creek, Alberta; Spokane and Seattle, Washington; and Portland, Oregon.

     The Rev. Alan Gill, although retired, preached twelve times in Colchester and four times in London; taught two subjects four mornings a week in the Colchester school; and continued as Chairman of the British Liturgy Subcommittee and as a member of the British Finance Committee.

     The Rev. Victor J. Gladish, in secular work, assisted in maintaining services in Sharon Church, Chicago, where he preached eighteen times. He also gave some assistance in the Immanuel Church, Glenview.

     The Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs continued to serve as Assistant Pastor of the Durban Society and as Assistant to the Superintendent of the General Church Mission in South Africa.

     The Rev. Henry Heinrichs was engaged as a part-time Assistant to the Pastor of the Kitchener Society. During the year he preached twenty-eight times and gave four doctrinal classes.

     The Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Secretary of the Council of the Clergy, Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE, Chairman of the General Church Sound Recording Committee, and a Professor of Theology in the Academy of the New Church, was appointed Dean of the Theological School on June 15, 1963. In September he resigned as Visiting Pastor to New England. He preached thirteen times and taught four courses in the Academy.

     The Rev. B. David Holm was engaged as Pastor of the South Ohio Circle, resident in Glendale, Ohio, and as Visiting Pastor to the Erie, Pennsylvania, Circle.

     The Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard served until August 31, 1963, as Assistant to the Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois, and as Visiting Minister to the Madison and St. Paul-Minneapolis circles and the Rockford and St. Louis groups. On September 1, he took up duty as Resident Pastor of the Tucson Circle and Visiting Pastor to the San Diego Circle and the group in Phoenix, Arizona.

     The Rev. Robert S. Junge continued to serve as Visiting Pastor to the Central-Western States until August 31, 1963. In September he took up in Bryn Athyn his new duties as Secretary of the General Church and accepted appointment as Visiting Pastor to New England.

     The Rev. Louis B. King served as Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society until the end of August, 1963; then entered into the pastorate of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois.

     The Rev. Joao de Mendonca Lima was engaged as Pastor of the Rio de Janeiro Society, Brazil.

184




     The Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner, Dean of the Academy of the New Church Theological School until June 15, 1963, and Secretary of the General Church until August 31, 1963, has been engaged since September as a Special Teacher in the Academy, teaching one course in Theology and one in philosophy. He preached once and gave three addresses.

     The Rev. Ormond Odhner continued to serve as an Instructor in Religion and Church History in the Academy of the New Church and as Visiting Pastor to the New York Circle.

     The Rev. Dandridge Pendleton, an Instructor in Religion in the Academy of the New Church, preached in Toronto and gave addresses there and in Kitchener.

     The Rev. Martin Pryke continued to serve as pastor of the Olivet Church, Toronto, Canada, and as Visiting Pastor to the Montreal Circle.

     The Rev. Norman H. Reuter again served as Pastor of the Detroit Society.

     The Rev. Morley D. Rich, in addition to his duties as Pastor of the Miami Circle and Visiting Pastor to the East-central Florida and Atlanta, Georgia, groups and to the states of Florida, Georgia and Alabama, preached and gave classes twice in Washington, D. C.

     The Rev. Norbert H. Rogers, Pastor of the Advent Church, Philadelphia, and Visiting Pastor to the Northern New Jersey Circle, was engaged also as a special teacher of Latin in the Academy of the New Church Boys School. He preached once in Bryn Athyn and to the group at Pennsylvania State University.

     The Rev. Donald L. Rose was engaged as Minister of the Hurstville (Australia) Society during the first part of the year, in which capacity he visited South Australia and New Zealand. On September 1, 1963, he became Pastor of Michael Church, London, England.

     The Rev. Frank S. Rose was engaged first as Acting Pastor and then as Pastor of the Colchester Society. He has continued to serve as Visiting Pastor to some of the isolated in England and to the isolated in Holland, France and Vienna. He again acted as Headmaster of the British Academy Summer School, and during the year became Chairman of the British Finance Committee and of the British Academy.

     The Rev. Erik Sandstrom served as Pastor in Manchester, Glasgow, Guildford and of Michael Church, London, until August 31, and in that capacity visited regularly Enfield. From the beginning of September he was engaged as a Professor of Theology and Religion in the Academy of the New Church, teaching in all the Academy schools. He accepted appointment as Visiting Pastor to the Cleveland (North Ohio) Circle.

     The Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr continued to serve as Pastor of the Washington, D. C., Society, and as Visiting Pastor in North and South Carolina and Virginia.

     The Rev. David R. Simons was engaged as Assistant Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church in charge of elementary education and as Principal of the Bryn Athyn Elementary School. He preached fourteen times in Bryn Athyn and elsewhere and gave nine doctrinal classes.

185




     The Rev. Kenneth O. Stroh served as an Assistant Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church until August 31, 1963, after which date he became full-time Director of Music of the Bryn Athyn Church.

     The Rev. Douglas McL. Taylor was engaged as Resident Pastor of the Tucson Circle and as Visiting Pastor to the San Diego Circle, the group in Phoenix and the isolated in Arizona. He then became Pastor of the Hurstville (Australia) Society and Visiting Pastor to the group in Auckland, New Zealand, and to the isolated in Australia.

     The Rev. Gudmund Boolsen was engaged as Assistant to the Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen in the Copenhagen Circle.

     The Rev. Robert H. P. Cole served, since September 1, as Minister of the Denver Circle and Visiting Minister to the Fort Worth Circle, the Oklahoma group and the isolated in the Central-Western district.

     The Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz was engaged, since September 1, as Assistant to the Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois, and as Visiting Minister to the Madison and St. Paul-Minneapolis Circles and the Rockford and St. Louis groups.

     The Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson served, since September 1, as Assistant to the Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church and Assistant to the Principal of the Bryn Athyn Elementary School.

          Respectfully submitted,
          W. CAIRNS HENDERSON,
               Secretary



     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

     (A Pennsylvania Corporation) and

      THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

     (An Illinois Corporation)

     REPORT OP THE SECRETARY FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1963

     MEMBERSHIP

     During the year 1963, the number of persons comprising the membership of both Corporations increased by 9 from 291 to 300 in accordance with the following tabulation:

186




                                   Date of          Net          Date of
Members of                         12/31/1962          Change     12/31/1963
Illinois Corporation only               7               Minus 2     5
Both Corporations                    284               Add 11     295
Total Persons                         291               Add 9          300

     Total Members of
Illinois Corporation                    291               Add 9          300
Pennsylvania Corporation               284               Add 11     295

     The several Net Changes consisted of:

     13 New Members of both Corporations:

Acton, Alfred II
Alden, Guy S.
Alden, Theodore S.
Gyllenhaal, Peter R.
Henderson, Hugo D.
nelson, Lewis III
Nicholson, Stuart B.
Pitcairn, Garth
Smith, Clyde K.
Smith, Marlyn F.
Synnestvedt, Don A.
Synnestvedt, Johan C.
Zimmer, Henry F., Jr.

     2 Deaths of Members of both Corporations:

     Grant, Fred M.
Hilldale, Robert C.

     3 Deaths of Members of the Illinois Corporation only:
Buell,, R. Harold
Westacott, William W. Died 11/25/61, reported 2/14/63

     DIRECTORS

     The By-Laws of both Corporations are identical in making provisions for election of thirty Directors, ten of whom are elected each year for terms of three years. The members of both Boards are the same, and presently consist of thirty Directors. At the 1963 Annual Meeting ten Directors were elected for terms expiring in 1966.

1964 Acton, Daric E.
1965 Acton, Kesniel C.
1964 Asplundh, Edwin T.
1964 Asplundh, Lester
1966 Asplundh, Robert H.
1965 Blackman, Geoffrey
1964 Childs, Randolph W.
1966 Childs, Walter C.
1965 Cockerell, Gordon D.
1965 Davis, Edward H.
1965 De charms, George
1964 Hill, Murray E.
1964 Howard, John
1966 Hyatt, Kent
1965 Junge, James F.
1964 Lindsay, Alexander H.
1966 Morley, H. Keith
1964 Pendleton, Philip C.
1965 Pendleton, Willard D.
1966 Pitcairn, Garthowen
1965 Pitcairn, Raymond
1966 Pitcairn, Stephen
1966 Powell, Oliver I.
1965 Pryke, F. G. Colley
1966 Rose, Roy H.
1966 Smith, Gilbert M.
1964 Stebbing, David H.
1964 Stevens, Marvin V.
1966 Synnestvedt, Ray
1965 Walker, Marvin J.

     The Honorary Directors are Marlin W. Heilman and Sydney E. Lee.

187




     OFFICERS

     The two Corporations each also have the same four Officers, each of whom is elected yearly for a term of one year. Those elected at the Board Meetings of June 14, 1963, were:
President           Pendleton, Willard D.
Vice President      De Charms, George
Secretary           Pitcairn, Stephen
Treasurer           Gyllenhaal, Leonard E.

     CORPORATION MEETINGS

     The 1963 Annual Corporation Meetings were held at Bryn Athyn, Pa., on June 14, these being the only Corporation Meetings held during the year. The President, Bishop Pendleton, presided, and the attendance numbered 56 persons, each a member of both Corporations. Reports were received from the President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer, and from the Committees on Audit of Securities and Nominations of Directors.

     BOARD MEETINGS

     The Board of Directors held four meetings during 1963, the President presiding at each of them. The average attendance of Directors was 19 with a maximum of 23 and a minimum of 12.
     The business of the Board of Directors transacted during the first half of the year was covered in a report submitted to the Annual Corporation Meeting held in June 1963.
     Since that time the organization meeting and one regular meeting have been held. At the organization meeting Officers of the Corporations were elected, reports were received from the standing Committees, members were appointed to the various Committees, and the standard banking resolutions were passed. The procedure for appointing standing Committees once a year was revised, granting the President the authority to re-appoint standing Committees at least every three years.
     In the October meeting funds were authorized for ministers' traveling expense to the Council Meetings. The Salary Committee reported that it was studying the possibility of extending the Salary Plan to some of the more stable countries. Concern was expressed over the increasing costs of the plan.
     The history of the South African Mission and a report from the Kent Manor Farm were reviewed. The Superintendent in his report commented on the profitable year and requested certain important changes in his lease. The matter was referred to a committee for study and recommendations.
     An Operating Policy Committee was appointed by the President to consider the problems of the General Church between meetings of the Board and to present to the Board certain recommendations in regard to operating policy. The need for uniform budgetary procedures and standardized expense accounts, the problem of contributions, and the need for a clear definition of General Church policy in all areas of church work are a few of the topics now under way.
     Certain transfers recommended by the Treasurer were approved and other routine matters discussed and acted upon.
     Respectfully submitted,
          STEPHEN PITCAIRN,
               Secretary

188




     TREASURER OF THE GENERAL, CHURCH REPORT FOR 1963

     The year 1963 was another favorable period for the General Church. We enjoyed substantial increases in both capital and income.
     The former was largely the result of generous contributions to endowment in excess of $135,000. The latter came from gains in contributions and investment return.
     It is worthy of note that last year the Contributions Committee under Mr. Harold McQueen increased contributions by nearly $9,000 to an all-time high. Particularly gratifying is the trend that shows improvement throughout the church. Here credit must be given to the many General Church agents in our numerous societies and circles who materially aided the committee in its efforts.
     As a natural incident to increased income, operating costs were higher for 1963. As in the past, annual increments under the Salary Plan added to expense, which was also accelerated by the establishment of a Secretary's office.
     It is important to realize that the single largest expense of the General Church, approximately 50% of the total budget, goes to support of Pastors in many societies and circles. If we are to continue implementation of the Ministerial Salary Plan, this presents one of our biggest problems for the future.
     In this past year the General Church made progress also by preparing in a number of different ways for future growth.
     Of singular importance was the establishment of a Secretary's office. Under this office many uses will be consolidated for more efficient administration, and our whole system of communication will be vastly improved.
     Next, much time was devoted to a study of operating and fiscal policy. To meet the demands of the future, it is essential that sound and uniform policies be adopted, not only to facilitate operations but also to enable the General Church to present an accurate picture of its needs and problems to those who must support it.
     Finally, a reappraisal of our investment program resulted in a substantial shift to higher-yielding securities to Provide more income for the growing needs.
     The progress we are able to report for 1963 reflects the competence and effort of many in the church who have given of their time and talents and to whom we wish to express appreciation. We also wish to thank our many contributors, on whom the future depends, for their continuing support and interest.
     Respectfully submitted,
          LEONARD E. GYLLENHAAL,
               Treasurer

189




     
     
OPERATING INCOME
. . .Where it came from
                                             December 31
Contributions                                        1963          1962
Individual Gifts                                   $53,408     $44,599
Special Endowment Income                              26,656          26,656
South African Mission Gifts                              1,722          1,608
TOTAL                                        $81,786     $72,863

     Investment Income
From General Church Fund                              36,114          39,246
From Endowment Fund                              34,474          30,287
New Church Life Sales                              5,271          4,430
Sundry Sources                                   1,366          1,170
TOTAL                                        $159,011     $147,996

     . . .What it was spent for

     Administration
Episcopal Office                                   $14,584     $12,824
Secretary's Office                                   5,467          338
Financial & Corporate Affairs                         13,256          12,720
New Church Life                                   14,389          14,222
Religion Lessons                                   3,296          3,446
Committees & Councils                              1,627          1,534

     TOTAL                                        $52,619     $45,084
Pastoral Extension Work                              47,861          47,606
Support of Salary Plans                              22,994          21,453
South African Mission                              15,118          14,817
Other                                             3,473          3,026
TOTAL EXPENSE                                   $142,065     $131,986

     Special Appropriation for
Liturgy Reserve                                   2,000          1,000
Moving Expense Reserve                              5,000          5,000
Assembly Travel Reserve                                        1,426
Balance to Net Worth                                   9,946          8,584
TOTAL                                        $159,011     $147,996

190





     COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

Assets
                                             December 31
                                             1963          1962
GENERAL FUND
Cash                                             $15,088     $13,898
Accounts Receivable                                   9,283          20,551
Loans to Societies                                   49,750          43,500
Investments
     U. S. A. Bonds                              1,000          1,000
     Group Holdings                              408,415     408,415
     Other Securities                              24,496          22,696
Real Estate                                        39,581          37,635
Inventories Publications                              2,171          2,414
Prepaid Expense                                   3,788          3,812
Due from Other Funds                              5,137          5,031
TOTAL                                        $558,709     $558,952

     LOAN FUNDS
Cash                                             $370          $(-124)
Investments-Ground Fund                              12,424          12,423
TOTAL                                        $12,794     $12,299

     ENDOWMENT & TRUST FUNDS
Cash                                             $121,109     $120,054
Investments
     U. S. A. Bonds                              60, 525     60,525
     Group Holdings                              1,428,816     1,277,427
     Other Securities                              1,488,280     1,419,511
Real Estate                                        11,000          11,000
Assets in South Africa                              53,214          47,932
TOTAL                                        $3,162,944     $2,936,449
TOTAL ASSETS                                   $3,734,447     $3,507,700

191




     Accountability
GENERAL FUND                                   
Accounts Payable                                   $20,003     $20,673
Special Contributions for Future Expenditures               31,571          43,047
Reserve for Liturgy                                   8,788          7,085
Reserve for Moving Expense                              28,314          35,298
Reserve for Publication                              312          (-408)
Net Worth Balance                                   474,721     453,257
TOTAL                                        $558,709     $558,952

     
                                             December 31
                                             1963          1962
LOAN FUNDS
Building Revolving Fund                              $12,794     $12,999
TOTAL                                        $12,794     $12,999

     ENDOWMENT & TRUST FUNDS
General Endowment                                   $319,717     $260,392
Specific Endowments
     Income Restricted                              543,002     515,710
     Income Unrestricted                              417,304     356,795
Special Endowment                                   1,737,727     1,665,971
Trust Funds                                        145,194     137,581
TOTAL                                        $3,162,944     $2,936,449
TOTAL FUNDS                                   $3,734,447     $3,507,700

192




     EDITOR OF "NEW CHURCH LIFE"

     No extra pages were needed in 1963, as the additional pages required for the report of the Annual Council Meetings were recovered in other issues. In order of space used, the total of 576 pages was made up as follows:

                    Pages
Articles                278
Sermons                75
Reports                52
Church News           46
Editorials           39
Announcements           27
Miscellaneous           25
Reviews                12
Talks to Children      8
Directories           8
Communications           6
                    576

     These figures indicate a normal distribution. Excluding editorials, news notes and reports, the contents of NEW CHURCH LIFE in 1963 came from 39 contributors-22 ministerial and 17 lay, the latter including 5 ladies. The thanks of the church are due to them and also to our news writers in societies, circles and groups. A most unusual feature was the appearance of several issues without news. This was probably due to the large number of pastoral changes taking place late last summer.

     CIRCULATION

     Figures as of December 31, 1963, supplied by the Business Manager show that paid subscriptions decreased by 16 from 1062 to 1046. Total circulation is shown in the following tabulation:
                                         1963      1962
Paid subscriptions                          1046      1062
Free to our Clergy, Public Libraries,
New Church Book Rooms, Exchanges, etc.           168      164
                                         1214      1226

     Respectfully submitted,
          W. CAIRNS HENDERSON,
               Editor

     SOUND RECORDING COMMITTEE

     At the end of the financial year, September 30, 1963, committee net worth was $16.017.85. The net worth of equipment at the same date was $12,871.37. Total income, $6,080.28, exceeded total expenditures by $423.11, as compared with a deficit of $619.69 for the previous year. User contributions, however, were down 20% from the previous year.

193



     A new and revised edition of the Catalog was issued late last summer. In the preparation of this issue, 625 recordings were retired and 198 were added for a total of 1650 titles. It should be noted that retirement of a tape means only that it is no longer listed. Many of the retired tapes have been deposited in the archives and final disposition of the others still awaits decision. Most of the retired tapes had been heard by nearly all of our listeners; others were withdrawn on account of age, at the request of the author, or because they were no longer topical. All of this is in accordance with the policy of the committee that the circulating library shall consist mainly of current material.
     Total circulation in the year under review was 865. Again this represents a slight decrease, and one that gives no cause for concern. As members of the church move from one place to another, listening stations are opened and closed. Furthermore, it is altogether possible that some tapes are played more frequently than is reported.
     The committee has again had a quiet if busy year, and the chairman would again express his continuing appreciation of the work done.
     Respectfully submitted,
          W. CAIRNS HENDERSON,
               Chairman

     VISUAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

     Cash on hand, January 1, 1963                              $241.88

     RECEIPTS
Rental on slides, etc.                         $25.65
Donations                              12.00               37.65
                                                  $279.53

     EXPENDITURES
Insurance on movie film and slide library          8.97
Postage, etc.                              5.50               14.47
                                                  $265.06

     Respectfully submitted,
          WILLIAM R. COOPER,
               Director

194


THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE 1964

THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

     TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     With the recurrence of Easter, our minds have again been directed to the Lord's glorification. However, our thought concerning it should always be qualified by the significant fact that when the Lord spoke of His union with the Father, He spoke immediately and without a break of His conjunction with the human race, because that was the cause of the union. In the union of Himself with the Father the Lord had in view the conjunction of Himself with the human race: the conjunction of men with the Human made Divine, and therethrough with the Infinite or Supreme Divine. This He had at heart throughout the glorification process, for this was His end and His love.
     The teaching of the Writings concerning the Lord's glorification is indeed the supreme doctrine; but to think of the glorification apart from the salvation of the human race is to isolate the means from the end for the sake of which it was brought into being, and to engage in a sterile intellectual exercise which must fall short of real understanding. The doctrine of the glorification challenges, as it taxes, the best minds in the church. It must, indeed, be under constant study, and everyone in the church who seeks a living faith must try to reach some understanding of it. But to separate it entirely from the Lord's purpose in glorifying His Human and uniting it with the Divine, would be, as has been said, to make a merely intellectual approach, for that would be to consider the means apart from the end and from the effect. This, surely, is implied in the Lord's own prayer to the Father: "that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee."

195


OF HUMAN PERFECTION 1964

OF HUMAN PERFECTION       Editor       1964

     It is sometimes asked in the church whether man can ever become perfect, and, indeed, whether the term, perfection, can properly be applied to him at all. The answer given by the Writings is quite clear. There is no fixed time, we are taught, in which man is regenerated, so that he can say, "I am now perfect"; nor to eternity can he ever be so regenerated that he can in any way be called perfect. No one can ever arrive at absolute perfection. The Lord alone is perfect, and in and from Him is all perfection.
     Those who have been regenerated here, and thus the angels, are continually being perfected by the Lord; and angelic perfection consists in intelligence, wisdom, love and good, and in the happiness thence derived. Yet to eternity the angels can never be perfected so much that their wisdom and intelligence can be compared to the Lord's; there cannot be to eternity any ratio between angelic wisdom and the Divine wisdom. Nor, lastly, can the angels ever come to any degree of perfection that is final for them there are always indefinite things beyond. To eternity, every stage of angelic perfection, while real in itself, is an embryonic state in relation to that which is yet to come.

     Furthermore, the perfecting of every angel is according to the degree of the affection of good and truth in which he was when he left the world. It is this degree which is being perfected to eternity; that which is beyond it is outside of the angel, and what is outside of him cannot be perfected within him. In other words, the perfecting of the angels is by continuous degrees, not an ascent through discrete degrees.
     The finite mind can be drawn closer and closer to the Infinite to eternity, but can never attain to it. It can become a more and more perfect receptacle of the Infinite, but can never become the Infinite, which alone is absolute perfection. Thus the perfect man is an impossibility; but the man who is continually being perfected, and this to eternity, is truly human and an angel.
     A creature who could be brought to final perfection would not image the infinity and eternity of his Creator; and it is in the fact of his being perfected continually as to his mind and in his uses that an angel has eternal life and happiness. Every state yields the fullness of life and happiness then possible, but an indefinite succession of new states is yet to come. Reflection on this truth may lead to the lifting of any fear of eternity that may linger in the mind. For those who are led by the Lord what lies ahead is not endless repetition, but a perfecting of all the powers and uses of the mind that will never cease.

196


HARD SAYINGS: 3. DIVORCE 1964

HARD SAYINGS: 3. DIVORCE       Editor       1964

     Whether or not there has been involvement, direct or indirect, some New Church men have found in the teaching of the Writings concerning divorce yet another hard saying. By divorce the Writings mean the abolition of the conjugial covenant and a consequent full separation, and after this full liberty to marry again; and their unequivocal teaching is that the only cause for divorce is adultery. That manifest obscenities and malicious desertion which causes the wife to commit whoredom are said to belong also to this cause does not mean that there are three grounds for divorce. There is only one, subdivided into three parts, for adultery is involved in each of the things mentioned.
     The fact that the Writings do allow divorce at all is not in conflict with their teaching that marriages should continue to the end of life. As long as there is a possibility of conjugial love being present in a marriage, or of its being attained-and imputations involving spiritual judgments are forbidden-marriages should so continue. However, adultery is opposed to the conjugial; and when it is committed from set purpose, or the partner is deliberately exposed to it, there is a full and intentional separation of minds on the part of the one who is guilty, and this may properly be ultimated by divorce. Yet the Writings nowhere teach that adultery must always lead to divorce and should do so; the possibility of repentance, and of forgiveness, is not to be excluded.

     However, this is not the real difficulty. This arises from the fundamental opposition between the teaching of the Writings and a growing section of public opinion and practice. There are jurisdictions in which divorce may be granted on other grounds than the one sanctioned by the Writings; and where adultery is the only legal ground for divorce, there are advocates of reform who contend that the law is not in touch with modern conditions, and who demand, is the name of progress and enlightened humanitarianism, that the grounds for divorce be enlarged and that the courts exercise a wider discretion. While their arguments must be met from the Writings, they cannot simply be dismissed out of hand. Natural reason and concern may easily ally themselves with the plea that insanity for which there is no known cure, chronic alcoholism and penal servitude for life, for example, should be recognized as grounds for divorce. Yet according to the teaching of the Writings, if a divorce were obtained on one of these grounds, and a second marriage contracted, adultery would be committed.
     From the standpoint of human reason and concern this may be a hard saying.

197


Yet the laws unfolded in the Writings are laws of infinite wisdom, given from infinite love for the true and lasting happiness of men and women by the Lord, whose providence looks to, and is aware of, the eternal consequences of human actions. To say this is not to issue a call for faith alone! There are things that we cannot fully understand. However, there are certain things that can be suggested, and these will be presented for consideration next month.
FINITE "OF ITSELF" 1964

FINITE "OF ITSELF"       COLIN M. GREENHALGH       1964

Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE:
     In your January issue (page 41), the Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner refers to my article, "The Confession of the Celestial Church" (November 1963, page 494). He says that to suggest the finite nature is evil in itself seems to go beyond the meaning of the teachings involved. I offer no personal interpretation of that which the Writings sufficiently describe as the finite "of itself." An angel, considered "in himself," is the vilest excrement and breathes nothing but hatred and the most filthy adultery.* This the celestial man acknowledges.** "For in humiliation there are two things . . . the acknowledgment that in himself man is nothing but evil, and compared to the Divine being is as nothing."*** Again we read: "Of himself man looks only downwards . . . because of himself he is in evil and falsity. When he looks thither, the sensual mind rules, and interior things have no counteraction. . . . Yet man, not of himself, but from the Lord, looks upward."**** The Lord "wills to be conjoined to the human race . . . and this He cannot do unless man acknowledges and believes that he is dust and ashes, that is, nothing but evil," and that of himself he dare not approach the Lord.*****
     * AC 987
     ** AC 981
     *** AC 7640               
     **** AC 6954
     ***** AC 7550
     "In a word, the Lord cannot have a dwelling place in man and angel . . .except in His own; not in what belongs to them, for this is evil; and if it were good, still it is finite, which in itself and from itself is not capable of holding the Infinite . . . the finite has a capacity for the Infinite; not the finite in itself, yet as if in itself from the Infinite from itself in him."*
     * DP 53
     In the first place, therefore, Dr. Odhner's statement that "the race is not evil simply because it is finite" fails to reflect the position taken up in regard to the "of itself" element; nor does it apply itself to the eternal aspect of the celestial confession to proprial evil.

198


Though my paper acknowledged the perfection of the facultative receptacle of life created by the Lord, its basic reference was to the qualification of this life by the "of itself." Even the most regenerate angel is not pure before the Lord, nor can he ever be in relation to that human internal which is his perfect creation in the Divine aspect.

     From his reference to the origin of evil, Dr. Odhner apparently fears I could consider proprial evil to be implanted in man from creation. My understanding of the doctrine is simply that, although the faculty of life with man was perfect, the things which he proceeded of himself to derive from it contained fallacies which favored evils. Was not this because the natural mind consists of substances of the spiritual world and of the natural world, and the latter-that is, not the substances themselves, but man's conclusions from them-"by their nature resist, and combat ensues"?*
     * DLW 260
     Refer this to the Most Ancient Church and we find that in the beginning the external man was in continual combat with the internal.* Coronis 23 and Apocalypse Explained 294 speak of the establishment of the first church when the earth was void and empty because men were without good and truth. Man was then in the image of God only "interiorly," meaning as to the faculty of reception, the interior degrees not yet being open, while exteriorly there was an inclination to lick the dust. If not subdued, the external puts on the image of the serpent, as it did in the case of Adam.**
     * AC 95
     ** Coro. 25
     The fall of the Most Ancient Church identified by Dr. Odhner as the origin of evil would, by comparison with these and other passages, suggest that Adam's sin referred to a particular origin of evil.* It is true that prior to the fall the evil is not specified as the evil of sin-that confirmation of evil by profanation whereby hell is established; rather is it described as the evil of ignorance. But in both cases the "of itself" was involved. Man cannot be born into angelhood. He must be born with necessary limitations which in themselves are a perfect arrangement, but from which, of himself, he is permitted for the sake of freedom to entertain certain appearances of life. Not being at once regenerate, he inclines to these appearances; and from them, in his ignorance, he mistakes evil for good.
     * See also AC 20, 39, 55, 95, 99
     I am especially disappointed with Dr. Odhner's final paragraph, where he states his belief that the celestial man, while confessing his proprium to be evil, would also be filled with gratitude that the nature of the finite human of itself is not evil but, as a creation of God, "very good."

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In the celestial aspect, a creation of God is very good, even though the individual finite result is a devil. Likewise, the Lord's arrangements of the hells are perfect. Again, the celestial reflection upon itself is mirrored in this: "When the spiritual man becomes celestial he is called the work of God, because the Lord alone has fought for him, and created, formed and made him."*
     * AC 87
     I believe it is this supreme aspect aligned to the Lord which governs any form of gratitude with the celestial. We cannot afford to speak loosely of any celestial state, otherwise we confound it with the spiritual. In my understanding, the kind of gratitude of which Dr. Odhner appears to speak is qualified by the idea of grace. Yet we are told that the celestial do not entertain this idea; they speak instead of mercy. The spiritual are scarcely able to mention mercy, but easily speak of grace. This is the effect of the different humiliation of each."*
     * AC 981

     Let anyone read Dr. Odhner's final paragraph and see if they can associate the gratitude attributed to the celestial with the degree of humiliation described in Arcana Coelestia nos. 1999, 5758, 7477-7479. All in all, I consider that Dr. Odhner's letter lends itself to the obscuration rather than to the confirmation of the celestial confession. The care with which we should hold to the confession of evil is referred to in Spiritual Diary no. 3493, but, of course, in quite a different connection. The prime feature of celestial doctrine is its purity in relation to the Divine, divesting itself as much as possible of the "oblique" aspect of the spiritual. The latter seeks assurance from, and qualifies its gratitude in, a justification of appearances. In the celestial aspects the Lord alone is good, and the finite human of itself can only be described as evil, as taught in Arcana Coelestia no. 633.
     "The fact is, that there is with no man any understanding of truth and will of good, not even with those who were of the Most Ancient Church. But when they become celestial it appears as if the will of good and the understanding of truth were with them; when nevertheless they are of the Lord alone. And this such celestial men know. . . . With every celestial man, and with every angel, even the most celestial, the proprium is nothing but what is false and evil, for it is a known thing that the heavens are not pure before the Lord, and that all good and truth are of the Lord alone." Man "receives as it were the understanding of truth and the will of good; but that he possesses them is only an appearance.
     COLIN M. GREENHALGH

200


Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     GENERAL CHURCH

     On February 12, 1964, the following gentlemen, second year students in the Academy of the New Church Theological School, were authorized as candidates for the priesthood: Daniel Webster Goodenough, Jr., and Willard Davenport Heinrichs

     TORONTO, CANADA

     Read one set of news notes in these columns and you may feel that you have read them all. This is not monotony but unity, because it shows that although miles separate us, we are all doing much the same things: attending worship, holding school, witnessing marriages, admiring baptisms, joining in weekly suppers and welcoming guests. However, here are some highlights from Toronto.
     On the higher plane, we have been richly privileged to hear visiting ministers, including the late Rev. Karl R. Alden and the Rev. Messrs. Geoffrey Childs, Louis King, Dandridge Pendleton, Henry Heinrichs, Erik Sandstrom and Roy Franson, and Candidate Peter Buss. Together with our pastor, these gentlemen have all given us much food for thought, and guidance in the way of life-if we could but follow it through.
     The day school skips happily along with joyful vim and vigor. There was a change in the teaching staff this year when Miss Joan Kuhl left to take up the work in Kitchener and Miss Barbara Charles came to take over the older classes. The children were disconsolate at losing Miss Joan, but with the readiness of youth are now quite as happy with Miss Barbara. Miss Sylvia Parker continues with the younger grades, and takes general charge when Mr. Pryke is absent. This year there is a record enrollment of 34.
     The late Rev. Karl R. Alden was guest of honor at the school closing last June and again at the New Church Day service and banquet for adults. These events we treasure in our memories.
     Our Wednesday suppers and classes were changed last fall to Friday, an experiment for one year. So far the attendance has been good, and the suppers, prepared by the ladies, par excellence. The classes have been most interesting. One diversion was Mr. Pryke's geographic following of the sons of Israel, the subject being illustrated with maps. There have been series on "The Inspiration of the Word," "Remains" and "The Doctrine of the Word," and before Christmas we enjoyed a preparatory talk on the Incarnation. In addition, the Rev. Martin Pryke and the Rev. Geoffrey Childs exchanged classes for three weeks, Mr. Childs choosing the subject of "Influx."
     There have been two weddings in our chapel: that of Ruth Parker and Daniel Goodenough and of Mieke de Heus and Frank Jean-Marie. A third was held in Bryn Athyn, but we won the bridal couple in the persons of Donald and Ann (Kirby) Barber. Ann has been a wonderful addition to our Society in many ways, but particularly when, in emergencies, she assists in the day school.
     We lost a longtime friend with the passing from this world of Mrs. Nellie Carson. A very generous and willing helper in the work of the church, she gave of her utmost.
     On the lighter side we have enjoyed showers: one for the three girls going to the Academy schools for the first time-Laurie Lehne, Pamela Orr and Susan Parker-who received beautiful and practical gifts to assist them on their way. Three others were bridal showers for Ruth Parker, Mieke de Heus and Ann Kirby, and these also brought forth most acceptable gifts.

201



     Baptisms are happy events, so may we list the sweet babies who were baptized "into the name of the Lord: Christopher George Lawrence (Marnie and Basil Orchard); Patrick John (Linda and Desmond Holmes); Virginia Louise (Doris and Dennis McDonald); Jill (Joan and Gordon Jorgenson); Stephen Michael (Martha and Jack McDonald); Mark Harold (Nancy and John Wyncoll); Sheila Lois (Gillian and Richard Parker); Holly Ann (Ersa and John Parker). To this healthy list we would like to add two who were baptized elsewhere: Robert Glenn (Sheila and Justin Synnestvedt), and Thomas James (Evelyn and Thomas Fountain). There was also a double Confirmation, when Beth Ann Orr and Jennifer Scott declared their faith.
     A whole new family is a marvelous addition to our Society, and particularly when it is Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Horigan and their four sons; but as we preened ourselves on this, lo, we lost Mr. and Mrs. Ron Smith who, with their two children, have taken up residence in Calgary. We hope they will enjoy life there, even though we miss their cheerful company here. Lightning did strike twice, for we learned a short time ago that the Stanford Lehne family was being moved to Windsor. Good news for Windsor, but we just don't like it!
     School night was held in place of a Wednesday class. This is an evening devoted to an exhibition of the children's work, with able and interesting papers by the teachers. Thanksgiving Sunday, when the children bring an offering of fruit to the Lord, was observed one week early as Charter Day had been arranged for our Thanksgiving weekend. A most enjoyable Eastern Canada District Assembly was held in November, and was attended by a large portion of the Toronto Society, but that is a Kitchener item.
     The Christmas season lived up to all our great expectations, and commenced with a very lovely showing of the ever-wonderful story in tableaux. A capacity audience was most impressed with the sphere of this evening.
     On the social side we have held several events. There was the Theta Alpha burlesque, which had to be seen to be believed, and the Forward-Sons' ladies night, which fails into the same category. There was the bridge tournament final, and a barn dance for which the young people outdid themselves on the decor. The children had a spring party, a Christmas party in which the adults joined, and a picnic in June as well as a school field day. A New Year's Eve party brought good food and entertainment, and closed officially with a church service at midnight.
     We have visited with friends far and near, and have welcomed many guests. We hope that you, dear reader, will soon be among the latter.
     VERA CRAIGIE

     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA

     The Rev. Douglas Taylor assumed the pastorate of the Hurstville Society in September, 1963, and soon showed that he will continue the work of the Rev. Donald Rose in endeavoring to make the New Church more widely known and to reach those thinking people to whom the Heavenly Doctrine should appeal. He showed also that it is our duty as fortunate receivers of the doctrine to help increase the membership of the church. In a series of doctrinal classes he showed that it is not very difficult to talk about the church if we do it in the right way. He has continued the advertising campaign begun by Mr. Rose.
     The Theta Alpha supper in October was a happy occasion. After a delicious meal there were toasts and songs, and then a talk by Mr. Taylor on the accreditation of the Academy schools. The Academy had come through with distinction.
     There was a delightful evening of carol singing just before Christmas. Slides depicting scenes from the Christmas story were shown, with recorded commentary by Mr. Taylor and background music.
     On Swedenborg's birthday the Society gathered to hear an address by Mr. Taylor on an aspect of Swedenborg's life that is not often written about-his visions and dreams prior to his call.

202


Swedenborg suffered greatly in coming into the state of humility that was essential for his use. At the church on the following Sunday luncheon was served, buffet style, after a family service. Mr. Taylor gave a short talk afterwards, addressed to the children and young people, on Swedenborg, his character and his work.
     During the January recess the Taylor family motored to South Australia, where Mr. Taylor conducted services and classes and performed a baptism-that of the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Erland Brock. They drove back by another route, arriving fit and well.
     There was a baptism in the Hurstville church in November-that of Mark Andrew Brettell, son of Reg and Laurel (Stephenson) Brettell. Mr. and Mrs. Keal and their four boys made a spur of the moment trip to Canberra, where they were happily welcomed by Mr. Basil Later. Mr. Later is planning a trip to Hurstville at Easter time.
     NORMAN HELDON
NEW RECORDING 1964

NEW RECORDING              1964

     An Introduction to the Hebrew Language, by Jennie Gaskill.

     Especially intended for use with the booklet of the same title published in 1959, this is a ten-inch, 331/3 RPM record of 45 minutes duration. Both the record and the booklet include the Hebrew alphabet, vowels, a small vocabulary, quotations from the Word and the Ten Commandments in Hebrew.
     The record is priced at $1.00, the booklet at 50?. If they are purchased together, the price is $1.25, postpaid.

     Orders should be sent to the Academy Book Room, Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009.
NEW CHURCH LIFE INDEX 1964

NEW CHURCH LIFE INDEX              1964

     The Index of NEW CHURCH LIFE for 1951-1960 is now available. Compiled by the Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson and published by the Academy of the New Church, the Index consists of 168 mimeographed pages in an Accopress binder, and is priced at $3.20 per copy.
     Orders will be filled by the Academy Book Room, Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009.

203


GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS 1964

GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS       STEPHEN PITCAIRN       1964




     Announcements.
     The 1964 Annual Corporation Meetings of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in the Benade Hall Auditorium, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, on Friday, June 12, 1964, at 8:00 p.m., D.S.T. Notices will be mailed.
     STEPHEN PITCAIRN,
          Secretary
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1964

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH              1964

     SCHOOL CALENDAR: 1964-1965

     Eighty-eighth School Year

     1964
Sept.      9 Wed.     Faculty Meetings
          10 Thur.     Dormitories open
               Secondary School Registration: local students
               College registration: local students
          11      Fri. 8:00 a.m. All student workers report to supervisors
               3:00 p.m.     Opening Exercises
               3:30 p.m.     Lawn Party
               8:00 p.m.     President's Reception
          14 Mon.               Chapel and classes begin in Secondary Schools
                    College Registration
     15 Tues.               Chapel and classes begin in College

     Oct.      23 Fri.               Charter day
     24 Sat.               Annual Meeting of Corporation

     Nov.      25 Wed.               Thanksgiving Recess begins at 12:30 p.m.
     30 Mon.               School exercises resumed

     Dec.      18 Fri.               Christmas Recess starts at 12:30 p.m.

     1965
Jan.      4 Mon.               School exercises resumed
     25-29                    Semester examinations

     Feb.      1 Mon.               Second Semester begins
     22 Mon.               Washington's Birthday holiday

     Mar.      26 Fri.               Spring Recess starts at 12:30 p.m.

     Apr.      5 Mon.               School exercises resumed

     May      21 Fri.               Joint Meeting of Corporation and Faculty
     31 Mon.               Memorial Day. Half-holiday

     June      15 Tues.               8:30 p.m.      President's Reception
     16 Wed.               10:30 a.m.     Commencement Exercises

205


LAWS OF CREATION 1964

LAWS OF CREATION       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV          MAY, 1964               No. 5.
     "O Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is Thy name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:1)

     The universe was created by Divine love, and all things in it are held in their order and connection by that love. However, that God is love is not the essential new truth concerning God's quality that is revealed in the Writings; it is that God is love itself and wisdom itself. Love without wisdom lacks quality and has no power; but love by its own wisdom can accomplish all. Love unformed and undirected by wisdom is of no effect. A love of the good of our fellow man apart from conjunction with the knowledge of how good can be done to him is ineffectual, and it may even do him harm.
     The Divine love which is God is Divine love in its own form-wisdom. Divine love and Divine wisdom in God are one, and they are Divine Man. This is the essence of the new truth now revealed in the Word of the Second Coming. When we think of creation from this truth, we see in it not only purpose but also the order and connection of all things for the realization of an end-the end of an angelic heaven from the human race. Divine love in its own form, wisdom, is Man. So it is the same whether we say that God is Man or that God is Divine love and wisdom. Love is not man. Wisdom is not man. But love and wisdom together are man: the human itself, in ultimate form; the human figure, considered from use.
     "O Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is Thy name in all the earth!" The name of the Lord is His quality-sis Divine love and wisdom visible in use. The quality of these is written in all the earth. It is there present, to be read by all who have eyes to see. But the eye must have light in which to see, and the light in which the works of God may be seen in the earth is that of the spiritual sun.

206


The light of that sun, falling upon the knowledges of the Word and the phenomena of creation, shows forth the glory of God. Man can see and discover from experience and reason the natural laws of creation and the hidden secrets of nature. Revelation is given to disclose what man cannot discover through his experience and reason, namely, spiritual truths, and also those interior natural truths, metaphysical in nature, which teach the origin of the finite from the infinite, and its connection with and continual dependence upon the infinite.
     The Writings give us very clear and definite instruction on the general truths of natural and spiritual creation; and unless these truths are understood, and form the thought of the church on these subjects, its spiritual faith will fall to the ground. The Word teaches of the necessity of these general truths. "It is necessary that an idea of these things should first be gained, for unless this is done the human mind, from mere ignorance of these things, easily falls into a notion of a creation of the universe by nature, while on mere ecclesiastical authority it asserts that nature was created by God; and yet, because it does not know how creation was effected, as soon as it begins to look interiorly into the matter, it plunges headlong into the naturalism that denies God."* Is not this just what has happened in the so-called learned Christian world?
     * DLW 75

     The text teaches the general truth that all creation is from God, who is called Jehovah; and by a careful study of the text in relation to Jehovah as the Redeemer and Savior, we discover that this God is none other than the Lord who came upon earth-the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator and Preserver of the universe. Thus we draw the conclusion that God the Creator is one and that He is Man.
     How important this subject is to the existence of the church is evident from what is said in the Writings on these general truths. "The first of the church is the knowledge that there is a God, and that He is to be worshiped. His first quality to be known is that He created the universe, and that the created universe subsists from Him."* "As the acknowledgment of God from a knowledge of God is the very essence and soul of the entire contents of theology, it is necessary that the unity of God should be the first thing treated of."** "The Lord from eternity, or Jehovah, could not possibly have created the universe and all things there unless He were a Man."*** These general truths are the same in the Old and New Testaments and in the Writings; but the Writings go on to show how they are true, and establish them by revealing the means and causes of creation. On the necessity of this knowledge they say: "When the angels look into the world they see nothing but darkness, and among men nothing of knowledge of God, or of heaven, or of the creation of nature; no knowledge whatever on which their wisdom may be based."****

207


From this revelation of the means and causes of creation, the man of the church may now look interiorly into "how creation was effected, without plunging himself headlong into the naturalism that denies God."
     * AC 6879
     ** TCR 5               
     *** DLW 285
     **** DLW 284
     From the oneness or unity of the universe it may be inferred that there is but one God. "All sound reason, even when it is not religious, sees that every composite thing would fall to pieces unless it depended upon some one thing."* The way in which all things in the universe hang together and act as one presupposes a oneness of purpose in their creation, for we know from all experience that a composite unit is held together by some one purpose, end or use. Therefore "this vast system which is called the universe is a work coherent as a unit from things first to things last, because in creating it God had a single end in view, which was an angelic heaven from the human race; and all things of which the world consists are means to that end, since He who seeks an end seeks also the means."** If, then, God were not one, the universe could not have been created and preserved.
     * TCR 10
     ** TCR 13

     The one God who created the universe must be Man, for where can purpose exist outside of man! The natural man has trouble in accepting this essential truth because he thinks of man from time and space. He thinks of him as great or small, as being here or there, and therefore he confines his thought of man to finite time or space. As long as his thought is thus bound to nature he cannot conceive of the Creator as Man. But the Writings tell us to remove the thought from time and space as far as possible and to think of God, or of man, from essence. What is man? Is he not love and wisdom, mercy and grace, good and truth? The form of love is man; and because man is the form of love, he is also wisdom or truth, because these are love formed so that it may be intellectually perceived.
     The evident wisdom in creation, as exhibited in its marvelous law and order, and the unity of its purpose, clearly reveal the truth that its Creator is Man. With our natural eyes we see God as a Man in form and figure, but this picture arises from our perception of His infinite love and wisdom, which are truly man. What our natural eye sees is the true appearance of this Divine Man on the plane of nature, without which all idea of God as man falls to the ground; for love and wisdom cannot be comprehended apart from their subject, which in natural thought is the form and figure of man.

208



     The new thing revealed to the church concerning the first means of creation is that the universe was created "in God by God"; or, as it is stated elsewhere, God created the universe by finiting His infinity, by finiting His own infinite substance. This may be seen by the truly rational mind, but it cannot be established by reason from nature except negatively. God could not have created the universe of nothing, "for of nothing, nothing is made, and nothing can be made. This is an immutable truth." All things, therefore, have been created out of substance which is substance in itself,* and substance in itself is God. "Many have seen this," the Writings say, "because reason gives to see it; but have not dared to confirm it, fearing lest haply they might be led into the thought that the created universe is God because from God, or that nature is from itself, and thus that the inmost of nature is what is called God."** Those who have not been held back by this fear, but who from the pride of self-intelligence have tried to conceive of the first of creation from their own reason, have fallen into this very falsity, which is called pantheism-the belief that the inmost of nature is God. Man's thought cannot from itself reach to the understanding of this arcanum, it must be revealed; but when it has been revealed, the enlightened human understanding can see that it is true, although it may not understand how it came about.
     * DLW 283
     ** Ibid.

     Although God created the universe and all things in it out of Himself, still there is nothing at all in the created universe which is God.* Everything from the first of finition to the material of which the earth is made is in itself finite and dead. It exists and subsists only by the creative power of the infinite God. No finite thing has an esse of its own; there is only one esse, one life-the infinite God; and every created thing continues in existence by the influx of His life. Thus the inmost of nature is not continuous with God; it is as dead and lifeless as its outmost; for it is finite, and between the finite and the infinite there is no ratio, although, from the human side, it appears more active and alive because more fully receptive of the Divine. If this were not so, God, in loving and preserving His creation, would be loving and preserving Himself.
     * Ibid
     The fact that the universe, although created "in God by God" is yet outside God, enables it to fulfill the three essentials of the Divine love, which are the cause of its creation and the end of that love: "to love others outside of oneself, this is seen in the universe in that it is outside of God . . . and in that He is able to extend His love to it, and exercise His love upon it. Second: His desire to be one with others. This is seen in His creation of man in the image and likeness of God, which means that man was made a form for receiving love and wisdom from God, thus a being with whom God could unite Himself, and also for man's sake with each and all things in the universe, which are nothing but means for conjunction with the final cause. . . .

209


Third: to render others blessed from oneself. This is seen in the angelic heaven, which is provided for every man who receives the love of God, and in which the blessedness of all comes from God alone. These three essentials are also the cause of the preservation of the universe, since preservation is perpetual creation."*
     * TCR 46

     Another truth concerning creation which is a matter of revelation is that the first of finition is called the spiritual sun. That sun is the first proceeding of the Lord in the act of His creation and in its preservation. Therefore He Himself is immediately present in it, and it is so full of the Divine that it is called by angels "the Lord." Yet in itself it is dead, for it is the first of finition and everything finite in itself is dead. Present in it, however, are the ends of all things; from it in the spiritual world are all causes, and from it in the natural world are all effects. For there is a continuous series of finitions, through discrete degrees, from the spiritual sun to the matters at rest in the natural world, and through it the Divine is present from firsts to lasts.
     This conception of creation as being a continuous series of finitions from the first, which is the spiritual sun, is so important that the Writings say: "Those who do not deduce the creation of the universe and all things there by continual mediations from a prime, cannot do otherwise than build broken hypotheses which, when they are surveyed by a mind with a clearer and deeper vision of things, do not appear like houses but like heaps of rubbish."* They teach further: "The progression of the creation of the universe was from its prime, which is the Lord encircled by the sun, to the ultimates, which are earths, and from these through uses to its prime or the Lord; also that uses have been the ends of the whole creation."** "There are continuous successions from the first . . . down to the ultimate things that are in man, nay, to the ultimate things that are in nature."***
     * DLW 299
     ** DLW 314
     *** AC 7270
     The general truths concerning creation which have been presented from the Writings are not necessary to anyone's individual salvation, but they are necessary to the continued existence of the church, and therefore indirectly for the individual's salvation, for without them spiritual faith cannot be preserved and defended. The New Church, to perform its use, must see and understand how the spiritual truths of its revelation are established and confirmed in creation, by experimental science and by natural deductive reasoning.

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This correspondential union between spiritual truth and natural experience is the "rod of iron" that is to rule all nations. This is the foundation upon which the holy city, New Jerusalem, rests.
     These general truths of nature and of spiritual creation may further he applied by everyone to the states of his own regeneration. For as the creation of the universe took place in God by God, so the creation of the regenerate man takes place in God by God, and his preservation is nothing but the Lord's continual creation. Thus it may be seen, truly and convincingly, that every state of the regenerate man is preserved in him by the continued influx of the Divine. The regenerate man has no esse of good or truth; his esse is the Divine existere. In himself he is dead. Everything of good and truth with him, from the inmost of his soul to the acts of his body, is nothing but the continual spiritual creation of the Lord. Yet the spiritual man, as to his inmost, is not continuous with God; he is a creation outside of God, and as such he can love and adore his Creator, and receive from Him ever increasing love and wisdom.
     As we grow in wisdom, may we come to see ever more fully the presence of the Lord in all things of natural and spiritual creation, and, seeing, say from a thankful heart and a grateful mind: "O Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is Thy name in the whole earth." Amen.

     LESSONS: Psalm 8. Revelation 4. True Christian Religion 13.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 460, 510, 444.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 29, 71.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1964

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1964

     Inspiration. By this term, we are told, is not meant dictation but inspiration from the Divine. The distinction is that whatever inflows from the Divine is Divine in itself, but passes through heaven, in which it becomes celestial and spiritual, and then enters the world, where it becomes worldly, but with the Divine and what is heavenly within it. This definition shows what is the nature of the inspiration of the Word and enables us to distinguish between it and what is commonly called the inspiration of secular writers. Inspiration is also defined as insertion into angelic societies, which has the same general implication, namely, insertion into the spheres through which the Divine proceeds. (See AC 9094; TCR 140.)

     Intellectual, The. The intellectual is the truth of faith. In general it is the sight of the internal man, which sees from the light of heaven that is from the Lord. What it sees is heavenly. The term is used also of the understanding. (See AC 863, 5114, 8458.)

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ENLIGHTENMENT 1964

ENLIGHTENMENT       Rev. NORBERT H. ROGERS       1964

     (Continued from the April issue.)

     Enlightenment and Regeneration

     Much of what is taught about enlightenment applies also to regeneration. The two are evidently closely related, requiring, and being advanced by, the same things; and the Writings frequently ascribe enlightenment to regeneration, teaching that before regeneration a man does not see and confirm truths from enlightenment, but from a persuasion of the truth of the doctrines of his church, and that an unregenerate man is as to his spirit in an infernal society from which evils continually inflow and obscure.* On the other hand, the regenerate receive from the Lord an intellectual that is capable of being enlightened, and as to their spirits are in a heavenly society and receive the influx that enlightens.** For spiritual light to descend through the rational into the natural, the natural must be purified from evils and regenerated by the Lord; so every regenerated person is said to see goods and truths in his natural light from the light of heaven, and thus to be able to perceive the arcana of the Word which are hidden from those who are not enlightened.*** Few, however, are said to have their rational in spiritual light because few are regenerated.****
     * AC 8013:2; AE 759.
     ** AC 6222:3; AE 759.          
     *** AE 941:2; AC 3167:2, 3993:7
     **** AC 3596
     Although enlightenment clearly pertains to regeneration, the two are not necessarily concomitant. For we are told that the spiritual sense of the Word cannot be comprehended except by one who is regenerated and enlightened at the same time let tune illustrate); and that the men of the spiritual church, who acknowledge as true the teachings of their church would not find anything further in the Word unless they were regenerated and at the same time enlightened in a special manner (si non regenerati essent, et tunc peculiater illustrati).* The et tune used in both passages suggests a separate and additional thing, not necessarily one that is concurrent. That there may be regeneration and yet no enlightenment appears more clearly in the fact that the Writings, in describing the change in the relation of good and truth in regeneration, teach that this is not apparent to any but those who are regenerated, and to no other regenerated persons than those who reflect; that few at this day are being regenerated; and that still fewer reflect.** Moreover, as long as man lives in the world he does not see anything in the higher mind, however enlightened it may be, but in the lower mind, the thought of which is occupied and obscured by corporeal and worldly things.***
      * AC 8106:3, 7233:2
     ** AC 4245
     *** AE 177; AC 3957:2

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     Nor does all enlightenment result from regeneration. There is enlightenment before regeneration. Although enlightenment is ascribed especially to the regenerate, spiritual light enlightens the understanding of others, too; for man cannot close his internal man as to the understanding, else he would not be a man.* So it is that everyone, the good and the evil alike, even devils in hell, can elevate the understanding almost into the light and intelligence in which angels are, and understand truths even to the inmost degree of the third heaven.** So although we are taught that the evil cannot be enlightened, it is taught elsewhere that man can be enlightened as to his understanding, and yet be in evils as to his will, because with the unregenerate the understanding is separated from the will.*** This separation is maintained with evil spirits, so that as to the understanding they can turn themselves towards heaven and thus have intelligence and perception of truth such as the angels have; and together with the consequent ability to receive light from heaven even when the will is evil, it is given and preserved with man for the sake of his reformation and regeneration, that he might come to know and understand what is true and good, and that from this the will might come to will and do what has been understood.****
     * AC 3195; TCR 14:2
     ** TCR 588, 589; DLW 258
     *** AC 7950; AE 140:6
     **** HH 153; TCR 588; AC 3539:6; AE 140:6
     But although it is never lost, the ability to be enlightened as to the understanding is not always exercised. For the understanding is actually enlightened when, and to the degree that, man's evils are quiet, and some desire to know truth is active in the mind.*
     * AC 914, 10309; TCR 507:6
     Though the evil, from a burning desire to know truths that they might be exalted above their fellow men, may sometimes be in greater enlightenment as to the understanding than the good,* their enlightenment is neither of the same quality nor as lasting as that of the regenerate. The enlightenment of the unregenerate is that of truth from which there is good rather than of good through truth, from which is clear enlightenment; and there are present with them evils and falsities which always act to intercept and obscure heavenly light. Besides, although the understanding can be elevated into the light of heaven apart from the will, as long as the will is not raised also, the understanding does not remain elevated, but relapses. The presence and activity of evil in the will draws the understanding back to itself and away from heaven, and infatuates it with falsities.**
     * TCR 507:6
     ** DLW 258; HH 153; TCR 14:2; DP 35

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     The Effects of Enlightenment

     The effects of enlightenment relate to the perception and confirmation of truths, enabling them to be used to benefit man's life. That his life may be spiritually blessed by truths is the Divine end for the sake of which enlightenment is granted and the reason that it is needed. For truths come to man's apperception in the form of scientifics which are full of fallacies of sense. The truth pertaining to the scientific cannot be distinguished and separated from the fallacies when man is only in knowledges from doctrine, and not in the perception of truth from good, for then the light of the world predominates and obscures; whereas, when enlightened by the Lord, man is able to discern whether a scientific is true and good, thus whether it is to be confirmed; seeing, as he does, what is true and good, and also what is evil and false.* More significantly, enlightenment enables man to notice, see and acknowledge the truths and goods of faith, to understand what he believes, and to think and reason spiritually in the light of truth, that is, in the light of heaven from which angels have intelligence and wisdom.**
     * AC 6865:2; SD 4772; AE 176:4
     ** AC 7503, 9382:3, 10659:3; AE 763:2
     The ability man has from enlightenment to discern, acknowledge and confirm truths and goods is by a perception from within, interiorly within the man himself, which appears to be innate in him and to proceed from his own intellectual, although it is not from that but from the influx of light from the Lord.* By this perception an enlightened man perceives interiorly within himself, and also acknowledges, whether a thing is true or not as soon as it comes to his attention; the confirmation taking place in the thought from the interior enlightenment by means of the knowledges and scientifics the man has.**
     * AC 8780;2, 2701
     ** DP 168:2, 3; AE 85
     A most vital effect and use of enlightenment is that of enabling man to apprehend the genuine sense of the Word, which is possible to none but those who are in enlightenment.* For the Word in its letter consists of appearances of truth and correspondences, within which lie genuine truths that cannot be seen or understood without enlightenment; and when the hidden truth is not grasped in one passage, the Lord gives an enlightened man to understand it from other passages.**
     * AC 10323
     ** AE 826, 174:4; AC 3436
     The effects of enlightenment relate to the perception and confirmation of truths, enabling them to be used to benefit man's life. That, as has been said, is the purpose for which enlightenment is given. Those who are in enlightenment are said to see the Word from within, and to see Divine truths in natural light while they are reading the Word; for with them the spiritual light in which the spiritual sense is flows into the natural light in which is the natural sense, and illumines the rational, causing them to see and to recognize Divine truths both where they lie open and where they are concealed.*

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An enlightened man thus sees from both spiritual and natural light at the same time, the natural light with him being enlightened by spiritual light; and his natural man also is said to be enlightened from enlightenment in the spiritual by influx from the Lord.**
     * AC 10551:2; SS 41
     ** AE 826, 176:4

     When the light of the spiritual sense flows into the natural sense, the genuine truth of the Word appears in its letter. This truth can be seen by those only who are enlightened by the Lord; for although it is seen in the letter, it does not pertain to the letter but to the spiritual sense, which cannot be comprehended except by a regenerate man who is also enlightened.* Further, in seeing the truth of the spiritual sense in the natural sense an enlightened man sees truth as it is heaven, according to which the angels apprehend the Word; and although we are told that it is possible even for an evil man to understand truth to the inmost degree of the third heaven, we are taught elsewhere that truth such as it is in the lowest heaven can in some small measure be perceived by man if he is enlightened, but not truth such as it is in the higher heavens.**
     * SS 57; AC 8106:3, 9086:3
     ** DLW 258; AC 8443
     The things of the internal sense of the Word are what the genuine doctrine of the church teaches, for they are the genuine truths of the Word which must be of doctrine and serve the church as a lamp.* Since these truths appear in the sense of the letter to none but those who are in enlightenment from the Lord, they only are able to see whether the doctrinals of their church are true, and they only are able to make from the Word doctrine that is properly of the Church.**
     * AC 9086:3, 10400:3; SS 57
     ** SS 57; AC 8522, 9382:3, 9424:2
     Since the Word is Divine truth from the Lord, and in its supreme sense treats of the Lord, those in enlightenment are said to see the Lord when they perceive the genuine truth of the Word.* The perception of truth is the primary effect of enlightenment There are also secondary effects, as it were, which accompany or result from the perception of truth, such as the acknowledgment which is of faith, also peace of mind, and delight and joy according to man's affections.**
     * AC 9411
     ** AC 8694:3, 8993:4, 5221

     Awareness of Enlightenment

     While he lives in the world, man may be enlightened by the light of heaven and in that light perceive the genuine truths of the Word, and he can know from the Writings that true enlightenment is from the influx of light from the Lord through heaven.

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But no one, not even an enlightened man, is consciously aware of the heavenly light itself, nor of its source and influx, nor of his actual state of enlightenment. This we are taught in various ways in many different places;* and although an enlightened man is in the internal sense of the Word, perceiving the Word as angels do, he is not aware of this in the world, for he is not then aware of the nature of his interior intellectual ideas.**
     * AC 2701, 3195, 10551:2; DP 169
     ** WH 10: AC 10400:4, 10551:5

     The reason is that as long as man lives in the body, the light of the world, which has nothing in common with spiritual light, is regnant in his conscious mind; and although the light of heaven inflows into the knowledges in his memory when an enlightened man reads the Word, since these are in the light of the world and man thinks from them, he cannot perceive the influx.* While he lives in the world man has no clear perception of the ideas of the internal man, for these are spiritual ideas, the objects of which are not such as are from the material world; for which reason spiritual ideas cannot be comprehended in the natural, and man while in the world thinks in the natural and in natural ideas.** In these natural ideas, spiritual ideas are said to lie concealed with those who are in the affection of truth, and we are told also that spiritual ideas flow into man's natural ideas and there present themselves to view in natural forms.*** This helps to preserve the appearance that man thinks, wills, speaks and acts from himself, without which he would have no will or understanding, no affection and thought, and also no reception of good and truth from the Lord.****
     * DP 169; AC 3195, 10551:2.     
     ** AC 10237:2; WH 7
     *** WH 7; AC 10551:5; WH 10      
     **** DP 174:2
     But although enlightenment when the Word is read, and perception thence, is not manifest, neither is it altogether hidden, we are told; for various indications are possible to an enlightened man from which he may have some knowledge of his enlightenment.* These indications must lie within the scope of man's conscious thought and life, which, during natural life, is confined to the external natural mind. Man cannot be aware of what lies above his plane of consciousness, as do the interior aspects of enlightenment, namely, the light of heaven itself, its source and influx, and the enlightenment in the interiors. These are therefore said to be not manifest. But when that which flows in and enlightens the interiors descends into the exteriors, into the things there of which man is conscious, it manifests itself in and through them in ways of which man can be aware. In brief, man can be aware of the effects enlightenment produces in his mind, even though he cannot be aware of the interior causes of these effects. The effects of enlightenment in the natural must, then, be indications by which man may have a knowledge of his enlightenment.

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However, no passage making that equation has been noted.
     * AC 8694:3, 10551:2

     The chief effect, and therefore the chief indication, of enlightenment is the interior perception from within, which appears innate in man, and which enables him to perceive truths from within and immediately to perceive whether a thing is true and whether it agrees with good.* Other effects of enlightenment, which may serve as indications, are a certain consent and favoring that a thing is true, and a non-favoring if it is not. When there is a favoring, the mind is at rest and serene; and there is then the acknowledgment which is of faith.** Yet other indications of enlightenment are the delight and joy said to be felt in perceiving truth and in being wise in spiritual things. For those whose thoughts and affections are from heaven find delight in truths, while those whose thoughts and affections are from hell delight in falsities and have no concern for genuine truths. Moreover, spiritual matters are wearisome to man in so far as he is in a natural sphere, and especially if he is in a sensuous sphere.***
     * DP 168:2; AC 2701, 8780:2, 10551:2
     ** AC 8694:3
     *** AC 5221, 8993
     Zeal is also to be included in the list of indications, for we are taught that "those who are in the truths of Divine wisdom and in the good of Divine love, when affected by these, are said to glow with love to God; this sometimes becomes so evident as to be perceived and felt, as when a preacher speaks from zeal. These same are also said to be enlightened by God, because the Lord, in His proceeding Divine, not only enkindles the will but also enlightens the understanding with spiritual light."* Zeal itself is said to be a glow of the natural man which, if it has within it a love of truth, is like the sacred fire that descended upon the apostles.** There are, doubtless, other effects and indications of enlightenment.
     * DLW 148
     ** TCR 155
     It would be well to recall here that influx from within can descend from interiors to exteriors to produce effects there, in so far as there are suitable vessels, the influx being according to the quantity and the quality of the vessels. A lack of discernible indications of enlightenment is thus not necessarily a sign of no interior enlightenment; it may just as well he due to the lack of means in the exteriors to produce effects.
     Also to be noted here is the only passage which, as far as we know, mentions indications in connection with enlightenment. "Those who when reading the Word are in enlightenment see it from within, for their internal is open and is in the light of heaven. This light flows in and enlightens, although man is unaware of it. The reason he is unaware of it is that his light flows into the knowledges that are in the man's memory, and these knowledges are in natural light.

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As the man thinks from these knowledges as from himself, he cannot perceive the influx; nevertheless, from various indications he is able to know, that he has been enlightened (ex variis indicis scire potest quod in illustratione fuerit)."* The Latin tense sequence makes clear that the state of enljghtenment was prior to the knowledge of its having existed. From this it would appear that the knowledge of having been enlightened is possible ex post facto rather than during enlightenment. No confirmation, or refutation, in other passages has been noted; but there is agreement with the teaching that man is not given to know of the operations of the Divine Providence, except sometimes from the back, after they have occurred.**
     * AC 10551 [Italics added]
     ** DP 187

     Validity of Indications

     However manifest or strongly felt, the effects of enlightenment are not to be regarded as proofs and gauges of enlightenment, but only as indications from which man may draw conclusions as to his having been enlightened. Although the indications a man may discern in himself may well be the effects of actual enlightenment, the conclusions drawn from them fall for the most part within the realm of possibility, sometimes extending, perhaps, to reasonable probability, but never to any certainty of enlightenment.
     The reason is, of course, that actual enlightenment pertains to man's interiors and is therefore not manifest to him during earthly life. Perceptible evidences of enlightenment become available to man only in so far as the light-giving influx descends into his conscious exteriors and manifests itself in and through the things there.* These things are natural, so that which manifests itself in and through them must necessarily appear in natural form and natural light and be entirely similar in appearance to what pertains to the natural world and natural light, although inwardly it may be quite different.**
     * AC 9051, 10551:2, 10237:2; DLW 256, 148; TCR 146 et al
     ** WH 10
     Through the natural things in the natural mind the light of the world pervades that mind, predominates in it, and obscures it as to interior spiritual things.* Yet although natural light acts to obscure man's perception of spiritual things, it is most necessary for enlightenment. By it man's natural has light, and is furnished with those knowledges and truths from the world without which the light of heaven could not be received.** When that light descends into the natural, the sight and understanding of the natural do not come into spiritual light per se, but remain in natural light; but with an enlightened man the things of natural light become translucent from spiritual light that is within them, so that he then sees from spiritual light and natural light at the same time; while a man not in enlightenment sees only from natural light, which, in spiritual things, is in thick darkness.***
     * AC 3195, 6865:2, 10237:2, 10551:2; DP 167
     ** AC 307113094, 3098, 3138, 3142:2; DP 317
     *** AC 3183, 3493:2; AE 826

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     That it is thick darkness, however, does not appear to him who is only in natural light. For as to his natural he has a species of enlightenment from the light of the world and from reasonings which, though delusive and fatuous in respect to spiritual things, does not so appear to him who is in it. To him it appears most clear, for in outward appearance spiritual light and natural light are alike, there being little discernible difference between them. Moreover, to everyone, his own light appears most clear, whether it be true or fatuous, and in comparison any other light appears most dark.*
     * AC 3665:3, 4214; DP 166, 167, 318
     Whether the light which appears clear to a man is from heaven or is merely fatuous cannot be determined with any certainty from the indications, particularly if man is in fatuous light. For that light can produce effects similar to those of true enlightenment, so that the indications of the one appear the same as those of the other.

     Perception may be possessed by those also who are in no enlightenment from heaven. The quality of their perception is different from that of the perception which pertains to enlightenment from heaven, but in outward appearance it is the same.* The perception of those not enlightened from heaven is not lasting, being said to exist only as long as doctrinal knowledges of good and truth are retained, and to be lost when these knowledges are taken away.** But while it lasts it is perception, and, by man's confirming the knowledges, may appear as the clear perception of genuine enlightenment even by confirming knowledges of evil and falsity perception may be made to appear clear; and by confirming their evils and falsities so that they appear to be goods and truths even those in evil can appear to have perception. However, it is not the genuine perception of good and truth, but an appearance of that perception produced by the fantasies of those who are confirmed in evils and falsities.***
     * AC 7680, 4214
     ** AC 7680
     *** TCR 155; AC 7680
     Those who are in the affection of truth from the loves of self and the world do not care about truths, we are told, but will confirm anything they can pass off as true; and by confirmation and reasonings man can make anything he wishes appear to be true-even falsity can be made to appear true and to endow man with the clear light of truth.*

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By confirmation and reasonings, too, man may persuade himself that he believes the truths he merely knows, that he is wise, and that he thinks and reasons spiritually, when yet this is not at all the case.**
     * AC 8993:2; DP 318; AE 826
     ** AC 4156, 7950:3; DP 318

     Of the certain consent and favoring of what is true, and non-favoring of what is false, also the holy and reverent feeling for the Lord, love to and faith in Him, the Word, and all things of the church which are ascribed to those in enlightenment, nothing is said in connection with the unenlightened that we have noted. But there can be little doubt that those who are motivated by the loves of self and the world favor and believe to be true anything that appears to be to their advantage, whether it be true or not, and oppose and believe to be false anything that is detrimental to their interests. Nor can there be any doubt that they would feel what seemed to them to be a holy and reverent feeling for the Lord, the Word and the things of the church in so far as these seemed to be of benefit to them.
     The delight that the enlightened feel in perceiving truth also has its counterpart with those who are not enlightened. For there is a natural delight in truth which is from the love of self and the love of the world with those who learn and confirm doctrinals for gain and not for the good of life. Such are said to be in complete darkness as to themselves.* So that it is doubtful whether they can perceive that their delight is not genuine. By confirming his evils and falsities man becomes insane, although he believes himself to be most wise, and is delighted with his fatuous light.** This delight, which is felt when man thinks and wills evils, is said to be an indication that his thoughts and affections are from hell;*** but recognizing this requires the ability to evaluate the evil and falsity in oneself-which is not characteristic of those who are in evil loves and in fatuous light.
     * AC 8993: 2, 3
     ** AC 4156
     **** Ibid
     Of zeal-which is a manifestation of love to the Lord, and an indication of enlightenment-we are taught that there is a like and warmer zeal which prevails with enthusiasts, and with those in utmost falsities of doctrine, and even with those who despise the Word and worship nature instead.* For this reason preachers are specifically warned to be very careful not to persuade themselves that the zeal with which many are carried away is the Divine operation in their hearts.** This warning no doubt applies to the other indications of enlightenment one may discern in himself. For whatever the indications, "everyone is deceived who believes himself to be in enlightenment unless he loves to know truth for the sake of truth and for the sake of the good of life."***

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The quality of our love of truth, then, and the nature of our ends, may serve both as indications of enlightenment and as checks on the validity of other indications.
     * DLW 148; TCR 146
     ** Ibid.
     *** AC 10551:4

     But our assessment of our love of truth also is subject to error. Our true loves are hidden within our interiors, and we can have knowledge of them only from the effects they produce in our conscious thought; and these, like all other conscious effects of interior things, are merely indications, not revelations, of what is interiorly active in us.
     No doubt an enlightened man, one who is able to discern truth and to distinguish it from mere appearances and fallacies, is better able to assess the validity of the indications of enlightenment he notices in himself than is one who is not enlightened. However, even an enlightened man, we are told, is not able to know the manner and quality of his enlightenment as long as he lives in the world.*
     * AC 9300 et al.
     From these considerations it would appear that the indications of enlightenment a man may have, however many and clear, do not give him assurance that he is enlightened from the Divine. Nor, therefore, do they place the stamp of authority on what he perceives and is convinced is true when he feels himself to be enlightened. The use of the indications of enlightenment granted to man lies rather in encouraging him in his search for genuine truth.
BRITISH ACADEMY SUMMER SCHOOL 1964

BRITISH ACADEMY SUMMER SCHOOL              1964

     SIXTH SEASON: JULY 28 to AUGUST 8, 1964

     The school will be held at "Kingsmoor," Harlow, Essex, about twenty-five miles northeast of London, and will commence with an opening service at 11:00 a.m. Lectures, given every morning except at the weekends, will be given by the Rev. Donald L. Rose, the Rev. Frank S. Rose, and Professor Edward F. Allen of the Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa. It is hoped also to have some special lectures by important visitors. The afternoons will be free for recreation. So far inquiries have been received from young people in England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Holland, France, Canada and the U. S. A. The cost will be L7 for the full twelve days, L4 for those who arrive on Saturday for one week.
     Inquiries about what promises to be a very happy and exciting Summer School should be addressed as early as possible to the Rev. Frank S. Rose, 185 Maldon Road, Colchester, Essex, England.

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CONJUGIAL LOVE 1964

CONJUGIAL LOVE       Rev. DANIEL W. HEINRICHS       1964

     (Delivered at the annual Ministers' Meetings of the General Church Mission in South Africa, January, 1964.)     

     The doctrine of conjugial love is a doctrine of supreme importance to the New Church. We are taught that conjugial love and religion go together at every step,* and that the origin of conjugial love and the origin of the church in man are in one seat and are in mutual and continual embrace.** We are told further that because of its Divine origin and spiritual correspondence, conjugial love is "celestial, spiritual, holy, pure and clean beyond every other love from the Lord that exists with angels of heaven and with the men of the church."*** It is the fundamental love of all loves, celestial, spiritual and natural,"**** "the precious treasure of human life, and the repository of the Christian religion."***** Because its use surpasses all other uses, "all the states of blessedness, satisfaction, delight, gratification and pleasure that could ever be conferred on man by the Lord are gathered into this love."******
     * CL 80
     ** CL 238               
     *** CL 64
     **** CL 65               
     ***** CL 457
     ****** CL 68

     However, at the present day this love, we are told, is so rare that its quality is not known and scarcely that it exists.* There is ample evidence in our modern world to support this statement. Many of the Sunday newspapers revel in accounts of infidelity and promiscuity. On every news-stand magazines are on display which deal almost exclusively with lust, fornication and adultery. These subjects, apparently, are considered a source of entertainment and regarded as amusing. Furthermore, the divorce rate in nearly every country of the world is increasing steadily and rapidly, and so is the birthrate of illegitimate babies. Among all people of whatever race there is a growing belief that sexual relations prior to marriage and outside of marriage are normal and natural. There can be no doubt in the mind of an observant and rational man that the moral standards of modern men have reached a very low point indeed and that society itself is in grave danger as a consequence of this degeneration.
     * CL 58, 59
     The clear teaching of the Writings is that the New Church is to be the means whereby the Lord will stem this rising tide of immorality and degeneracy.

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Swedenborg relates that after he had visited the heavens of the Golden, Silver, Copper and Iron ages, and had witnessed the successive decline of conjugial love, an angel told him: "Yet I am fed with the hope that this love will be revived again by . . . the Lord: for it can be revived."* "Conjugial love will be raised up anew by the Lord after His [second] advent, such as it was with the ancients."** On another occasion, when Swedenborg was meditating on this love, an angel appeared to him with a parchment in his hand, saying: "'I saw that you were meditating on conjugial love. In this parchment there are arcana of wisdom on that subject not hitherto made known in the world. They are now disclosed, because it is of importance. . . . But I predict that none will appropriate that love to themselves but those who are received by the Lord into the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem. Saying this, the angel let down the unrolled parchment, and a certain angelic spirit took it up and laid it on a table in a certain room which he immediately closed," and handing the key to Swedenborg, he said, "Write."***
     * CL 78:3
     ** CL 81e
     *** CL 43

     From these teachings several things are clear. 1) Conjugial love, which is extremely rare at the present day, is to be restored by the Lord. 2) The work Conjugial Love was given to this end. 3) This love is to be revived among those who embrace the doctrines of the New Church in thought, affection and life. 4) This pre-eminent love is vital to the very existence of the New Church. From this it follows that we, as priests of the New Church, have a deep responsibility and duty to bring this doctrine to the awareness and understanding of our members. In order to do this effectively, we must be thoroughly familiar with this doctrine ourselves. We must reflect upon the meaning and implications of the teachings given, and we must provide regular periodic instruction on the subject adapted to the various age levels and states of our congregations. I would like to emphasize the importance of reflection on the meaning and implications of the teachings on conjugial love. For it is our belief that in the past, and at the present also, there is a tendency to deal with this subject too abstractly; and the reason for this, we believe, is that the ministers themselves have not devoted sufficient attention and study to this doctrine.
     The result of this inadequate approach is that many of our members know only that there is such a thing as conjugial love, but have little perception of its quality. They regard it as a far distant ideal but have no idea of how to prepare themselves for its reception. The knowledge of the parents on this subject is often so sketchy that they do not know how to instruct their children or lead them toward it, and few of them know what they must do to attain it for themselves.

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The whole sphere of society is opposed to the ideals of this love. On every hand our members are exposed to, and bombarded with, its opposite-the lust of fornication and adultery. Clearly, if they are to withstand this continual assault, which, let us remember, strikes a responsive chord in every one of us, they must have thorough, direct and clear teaching on the subject. It is a law of the mind that the knowledge of a thing must precede the perception of it. This means that nobody can strive to have a marriage of conjugial love, or strive to have this love in their marriage, unless they know what it is they are striving to establish, and how it can be attained.* In our consideration of this subject let us, as priests of the New Church, bear in mind the fact that the quality of the church is according to the quality of the conjugial in the church. This fact should make this subject one of vital concern to us.
     * See CL 332

     In a paper of this nature, and with the limitations that time imposes upon us, we cannot attempt to treat of every phase of this doctrine. We shall therefore confine our attention to certain vital aspects of the doctrine and consider the meaning and implication of these teachings.
     In its essence, conjugial love is the conjunction of love and wisdom or of good and truth. The Divine Essence is love conjoined with wisdom or good conjoined with truth. Now, because creation is a work proceeding from the Lord, and the work of every man bears a likeness of its creator, therefore, in everything of creation there is something of good and of truth.*
     * CL 84
     In the human kingdom the male is a form of wisdom and the female a form of love. Implanted in the man is the love of growing wise. From this love, if all is in order, the man acquires wisdom. Then a secondary love develops-the love of the wisdom one has acquired, or the love of one's own wisdom. Such a love, if it remains in the man, is destructive of spiritual life, for it is the love of one's own intelligence, or conceit. The Lord has therefore provided that there be two sexes. This secondary love-the love of acquired wisdom-is inscribed on the woman. Implanted in the woman, then, is the love of appropriating the wisdom of the man and conjoining it with her love.*
     * CL 88
     Love and wisdom in the Lord are one, and they proceed from Him as one. But because of their connate natures, the man receives more of wisdom and the woman more of love; and because these are one in the Lord, there is inherent in each sex a desire for conjunction in order that love and wisdom may be reunited.

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But, we are told, "this re-union takes place with men who are in genuine wisdom, and with women who are in the love of that wisdom in the husband, who are thus in love truly conjugial."*
     * CL 89
     Note the emphasis in this teaching that love truly conjugial is dependent upon the husband having genuine wisdom and the wife being in love with that wisdom in her husband. In the work Conjugial Love it is repeatedly emphasized that conjugial love can exist only where there is wisdom. Note the following statements: "Conjugial love is peculiar to man because in man is the faculty for growing wise with which this love makes one."* [Italics added.] "Love truly conjugial is with those only who earnestly desire wisdom and therefore progress in wisdom and more. For wisdom and this love are inseparable companions."** [Italics added.] "Conjugial love is of the internal or spiritual man. . . . The more intelligent and wise a man becomes the more he becomes internal or spiritual, and the more perfect becomes the form of his mind, and that form receives conjugial love."*** [Italics added.] Now as we have seen, the male was created a form of wisdom-he is by nature intellectual; while the woman is by nature affectional-the affection of masculine wisdom; and so we are told that the male "is an affection for knowing, of understanding, and becoming wise; the affection of knowing in boyhood, the affection of understanding in youth and early manhood; and the affection of becoming wise from manhood, even to old age."**** "The mind is opened successively from infancy to extreme old age. For man is born corporeal, and as the mind next above the body is opened he becomes rational, and as this rational is purified, and emptied of . . . fallacies that flow in by the bodily senses, and of the concupiscences that flow in from the allurements of the flesh the rational is opened, and this is done by wisdom alone. And when the interiors of the rational mind are opened the man becomes a form of wisdom; and this is the receptacle of love truly conjugial.
     * CL 96
     ** CL 98
     *** CL 95
     **** CL 90

     "The wisdom which makes this form and receives this love is rational and at the same time moral wisdom. Rational wisdom looks to the goods and truths that appear interiorly in man, not as his own but flowing in from the Lord; and moral wisdom flees from evils and falsities as leprosies, especially those of lasciviousness, which contaminate . . . conjugial love."* [Italics added.]
     * CL 102
     In a marriage which aspires to the conjugial the church "is first implanted in the man and through the man in the wife; because the man receives its truth in his understanding, and the wife from the man.

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If the contrary, it is not according to order. This, however, does sometimes occur; but with men who are not lovers of wisdom, and therefore are not of the Church."* "I have heard from the angels," says Swedenborg, "that a wife becomes more and more a wife as her husband becomes more and more a husband, but not the reverse. Because it rarely if ever fails that a chaste wife loves her husband, but the husband fails to love in return, and fails for the reason that there is no elevation of wisdom, which alone receives the wife's love."** [Italics added.]
     * CL 125
     ** CL 200

     From the teachings which have been presented it is evident that there are three things which are inseparable-conjugial love, the church and wisdom. Conjugial love and the state of the church develop step by step together, and wisdom is the only means by which either can be established and developed to fruition. What are some of the implications of these teachings?
     It would appear that the man has a far greater responsibility in providing for marriages of conjugial love than has been supposed within the New Church heretofore; It has been frequently emphasized in the New Church that women are the custodians of conjugial love. This is true in the sense that conjugial love inflows immediately into the female sex and is communicated to men by them. The inference that has been drawn from this teaching is that women have the major responsibility in the preservation and establishment of conjugial love in the marriage relationship, and in the church in general. We believe that the emphasis which has been given in the past to the woman's role in the protection and development of conjugial love has been misplaced and has, in fact, obscured the essential truth of the matter. Marriages of conjugial love are to exist between a husband and a wife, the wife being a form of love and the husband of wisdom; and this alone receives conjugial love. Now, according to the teachings, women in general rarely fail to love their husbands, because they are essentially forms of conjugial love. In other words, there is not much of a problem as far as women are concerned. The problem is the men. In them there is no innate love of one of the sex, in fact, they are from heredity in the lust of variety.* There is only one thing that renders a man receptive of conjugial love and that is wisdom-genuine wisdom formed from the goods and truths of the church.**
     * See CL 296
     ** CL 161
     It would seem, therefore, that we would do well to give much greater emphasis in the church to the vital nature of the man's role in providing for marriages of love truly conjugial. We should ask ourselves: What is the truly masculine characteristic!

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Is it not the love of growing wise, which manifests itself as a love of truth? Yet how many people in the church regard this love of truth as the sign of true masculinity! For the most part, our attitudes are governed by the world around us. In the world masculinity is thought of in terms of physical development and athletic prowess. Yet this is not the essence of masculinity, it is only an external manifestation of something more interior.
     The fact that we should bear in mind is this: If we wish to provide for the possibility of marriages of love truly conjugial in the church we should concentrate our efforts on the male sex. We should cultivate and encourage in our boys the love of knowing, in our youths the love of understanding, and in our men the love of wisdom. Fathers should seek to inspire in their sons a love of truth; they should instruct them in the truth, and let them know that it is truly masculine to love truth-to seek and pursue it. We should seek to raise up in the church men who are lovers of wisdom. In a marriage, if the man does not have a love of growing wise, there can be no love truly conjugial between husband and wife. The wife may receive the influx of the conjugial from the Lord. She may long to be conjoined with her husband by the appropriation of his wisdom; but if he has none, she has nothing to appropriate to herself. She may receive the conjugial sphere but there is not, in such a marriage, conjugial love between husband and wife; and it follows from this that they, as a married couple, are not a church in its particular form.

     The Writings contain teachings on this subject which have a definite and practical application. In Conjugial Love we are told that the wisdom in husbands with which wives conjoin themselves is twofold, rational and moral. Rational wisdom is of the understanding, and moral wisdom is of the understanding and the life. Rational wisdom has to do with judgment, intelligence and learning. The gateways to rational wisdom are those subjects which develop the mental faculties, such as philosophy, sciences, mathematics, law, politics, history and many others. Also the particular knowledges which a man uses in the performance of his occupation. All of the knowledges which are acquired through these means, and the mental discipline which comes from acquiring them and reflecting upon their uses, produce rational wisdom.*
     * CL 163
     Moral wisdom is formed from a life according to spiritual-moral standards, that is, through the acquisition and practice of the moral virtues. These are a few which are enumerated: honesty, kindness, sincerity, sobriety, modesty, friendliness, courtesy, courage, willingness to accommodate to others, industry, generosity and diligence.*

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In what way do these teachings apply, in a practical way, to providing for marriages of conjugial love! Here we are told specifically what that wisdom is which is receptive of conjugial love-what it is that the wife takes from the husband and which binds the two lives into one. From these teachings we can see that boys must be educated: their understanding must be developed by acquiring knowledges of many kinds, and these knowledges must be interrelated in their minds so that they have an insight into the laws of nature, civil law, moral law and spiritual law. We must also let our boys and youths know that these knowledges are not just for earning a living, or for reputation, but that they are a necessity for developing in them true masculinity, and for preparing them for truly happy and enduring marriages. We must instill in them the moral virtues mentioned above and so inspire and guide them that they have them, and for the reason that they are essential to a truly happy spiritual marriage.
     * CL 164
     It is within the power of parents to open the gates to rational wisdom for their sons by instructing them and doing their best to provide a true education for them. It is within their power to instill in them the moral virtues. And, if they let their sons know that these things are necessary for a genuine and happy marriage, their sons will strive to acquire them; for every normal boy, at least before adolescence, longs to be a good husband and father-to have a loving wife.

     Conclusion

     As we have pointed out, in the marriage relationship, the church is implanted first in the husband and through the husband in the wife.* Does this not indicate that the man should play the leading part in acquiring the knowledges of truth from the Word and doctrine from the church?
     Yet what do we see? For the most part, the women attending church and doctrinal classes far outnumber the men. This is contrary to order. It indicates a serious weakness in our church. The members of our church, it appears, are following the trend of the consummated Christian Church in thinking that the church is an organization which exists to satisfy an emotional need of women and children. If this is true, and the indications are that it is, it is a very serious state of affairs indeed. It indicates that a high proportion of our men are not lovers of wisdom, and hence that we are very far from fulfilling our intended purpose of re-establishing marriages of love truly conjugial in the world; and yet this is one of the essential uses which the Lord envisions for the New Church. We believe that the priesthood of the New Church has a major responsibility in this matter; that there is much that we can do, that has not been done, in bringing this vital doctrine, and its relation to life, within the comprehension of our members.

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We must study this doctrine, not as an abstract theological ideal, but with a view to seeing its meaning and application, and then we must present it to our members in a living and meaningful way.
     * CL 125
     This is our responsibility, and if we fulfill it we can be sure that the New Church will be immeasurably strengthened. It will be infused with a new spirit and new life-the spirit and life of love truly conjugial.
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1964

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1964

     The Rev. Richard H. Teed is contributing to the NEW AGE a series, "Some Distinctive New Church Terms," which is similar in purpose to "Our New Church Vocabulary" in this journal. Here is a sample. "Use is the goal of orderly spiritual living. We are taught that the Lord's kingdom is a kingdom of uses; and this applies both in this world and in the next. All in heaven perform uses, and find therein their constant delight. All in hell have to perform uses. So we may recognize that to serve the Lord is to perform uses-to be of use. In use there is life. To be useless is death: likewise abuse is death-as are the 'wages of sin.' The Lord taught that the measure of greatness is in service. For that reason the Lord is the Greatest of all as He is the Servant of all. In an orderly world all serve, which inevitably means that all are served."

     In the Winter (1963) Number of the NEW-CHURCH MAGAZINE there is an article by the Rev. Leslie Chambers entitled "The Ascension." Readers who have access to that journal will find it of interest to compare Mr. Chambers' treatment of the subject with that offered by the Rev. B. David Holm in this issue. In a letter to the editor commenting on an earlier article, "Sex and the New Church," and with reference to Conjugial Love 459, the Rev. Frank Holmes has an interesting footnote on church history. "Some years ago," he writes, "the Conference inserted in the declaration of Faith, at the head of its roll, the word 'Theological' before 'Writings,' with the then expressed, well-understood purpose of ruling out of our church these contested paragraphs, which suggest an immoral way as a 'refuge or asylum' for the quite hypothetic excessive salacity. I am sorry to see the spirit and well-understood meaning of this old resolution of Conference now being set aside. The Conference Church," Mr. Holmes concludes, "does not sanction any teaching to the effect that any kind of fornication or sexual intercourse outside conjugial marriage, is, in any circumstances, allowable. . . .No such sanction should ever appear in its organ the Magazine."

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ASCENSION OF THE DIVINE HUMAN 1964

ASCENSION OF THE DIVINE HUMAN       Rev. B. DAVID HOLM       1964

     Its Place and Purpose in the Lord's Glorification and in Man's Regeneration

     A STUDY

     (An address based on this study was delivered to the Bryn Athyn Society, January 31, 1964.)

     I. INTRODUCTION

     The Event Of The Ascension

     Our topic is the ascension of the Lord-that final return of His glorified Human into and above the heavens forty days after the Resurrection on Easter. Concerning this important event we are taught in Luke that after the Lord's last appearance to His disciples in Jerusalem, "He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and was carried up into heaven."* Also, in Mark we are told: "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."**
     * Luke 24:50-51          
     ** Mark 16:19

     Only in these two passages in the Word of the New Testament is described the actual ascension of the Lord. However, in the book of nets (one of the non-canonical books of the New Testament era) we are given quite a full description of the Ascension. Here it is said in the beginning of the book: "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen: To whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me. . . . And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."*
     * Acts 1:1-4, 9-11

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     From this we see that the Ascension took on a form of spiritual vision in that the disciples, having their spiritual eyes opened, saw the glorified Lord rise above them into the heavens. Their vision was both a representative and a fulfillment of actual statements of the Lord, as in the following. "No man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up."* "Ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before."** "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me."*** These are but some of the Lord's words regarding His ascension, and they were spoken prior to His crucifixion. Immediately after His resurrection, He said to Mary Magdalene: "Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: But go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father and your Father; and to My God and your God."****
     * John 3: 3-14
     ** John 6:62               
     *** John 12:31-32
     **** John 20:17               
     The ascension which the disciples witnessed was indeed a representative fulfillment of the Lord's own words-words spoken both while He lived on earth and immediately after His resurrection. But it was also a fulfillment of what had been foretold long before in the Old Testament. In the Psalms we read: "God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with a sound of a trumpet."* And again: "Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive."** And in Isaiah: "For the Lord shall rise up . . . that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act."*** Indeed, when we begin to search, we find that the Old Testament (and the New as well, to a lesser extent) has a great many references both direct and indirect to the Lord's ascension. This alone would give us reason to regard this event as very important-marking a definite phase in the Lord's glorification.
     * Psalm 47;5
     ** Psalm 68:18
     *** Isaiah 28:21
     
     Celebration of the Ascension

     The importance of the Ascension was recognized quite early in the Christian Church-sometime during the first three centuries.* It should be noted that this was in the era that the Christian Church was still genuine and spiritual.** The day itself was set aside as a holy day and celebrated forty days after Easter.

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This has continued to some extent in the Christian Church up to the present day. But it would appear from current information that only the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Episcopal and Lutheran churches have a celebration of the day itself. Among these churches it is officially considered equal to any of the other major Christian festivals, although it is admitted that not as much is made of it. In the remainder of the Protestant churches, any observance would seem to range from moderate to no observance at all.
     * George Park Fisher, History of The Christian Church, p. 65 (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1887).
     ** TCR 174, 638
     Within the New Church, Ascension Day has been given some stress even from its beginning, when in 1793 one of the first New Church liturgies was published in England. In this liturgy the Church of England's religious calendar was used, and in accordance with that calendar special Psalms and passages from the Prophets and New Testament were to be read on Ascension Day. The following prayer was to be used as well: "Grant we beseech Thee, Almighty Lord, that like as we do believe Thy Glorified Manhood to have ascended above the heavens unto perfect union with Thine Eternal Godhead; so may we in heart and mind, by spiritual conjunction, ascend towards Thee in Thy heavenly kingdom, where Thou, O Lord, livest and reigneth, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, One God in One Divine Person, blessed forever."*
     [Two footnotes were numbered 12]
     * Liturgy for the Lord's New Church, Manchester, 1793. Collect for Ascension Day.
     Since this early liturgy, definite observance of the Ascension is provided for in at least nine other New Church liturgies and hymnals-more or less according to the same mode as in the first liturgy mentioned above. In addition, at least fourteen separate hymns have been either revised or newly written to express the New Church concept of the Ascension.*
     * Note: Examination of all New Church liturgies and hymnals has not been completed.

     It is almost impossible to determine to what extent the actual observance developed within the New Church at any given time. But at the present time the General Convention's Book of Worship provides for the celebration of the Ascension, and it would seem to be a custom among its congregations to give some stress to the occasion on the Sunday immediately following.
     In the General Church liturgy we do not follow any religious calendar and so no special stress is given to the celebration of the Ascension (nor indeed to any of the Christian festivals other than the hymn sections for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter). Just when we changed from the "calendar" type of liturgy is not known, but it is likely the change was made near the beginning of the Academy movement. However, it should be pointed out that there is more than sufficient material in our present liturgy to make celebration of all the festivals possible-including the Ascension.

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     But outside of occasional sermons on the Ascension near the time of the day itself, and passing historical references to it here and there in our publications, no real celebration or consideration has been made of it in the General Church. The same is true of several other Christian festivals, such as Pentecost, Epiphany, etc. The dropping of the religious calendar and the consequent omission of some of the Christian festivals has been of very real use to the General Church. By so doing only those festivals seen to be of real need from doctrine are celebrated.

     Doctrinal Study of the Ascension

     No full study of the Christian Church's doctrine concerning the Ascension can be entered into here, but it is of interest to note that the event is considered of such major importance that it has been included in all the main creeds of the Christian Church since the second century. Also, while the Lord's ascension was evidently thought of in a very literal way for many centuries, in the present century it is considered in a more allegorical way. The Abingdon Bible Commentary in discussing Mark 16:19 says: "The words must not be taken too literally. The real meaning of Jesus being at the right hand of God is that Jesus and what He represents is the determining influence in God's governance of the lives of men."*
     * The Abingdon Bible Commentary, p. 1021 (Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, New York-Nashville, 1929).
     Within the New Church the doctrinal implications of the Ascension have apparently received but little published study. Occasionally we find references to it, but for the most part these are passing references in articles essentially on other subjects. We may tend to be surprised by this, considering the many articles on other aspects of the Lord's glorification-especially on His advent and His resurrection. Indeed very little has been published on the whole of the forty-day period after the resurrection. But this relative silence is not very surprising when we consider how very young we are, both as a church and as an organization. We have had very little time to give proper study to all of the events in the Lord's life as they apply to His states of glorification.
     There is another and perhaps more important reason why little study has been made. At first the doctrines appear to say very little on the subject. There are probably less than twenty references to the Lord's ascension, as such, and some of these are but passing references. On the surface this would seem to indicate that only limited doctrine can be formed on the subject.
     But can this be when we consider the many texts in the letter of the Old and New Testaments that refer to the Ascension?

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while in the Writings we are taught: "'To go up' involves elevation to interior things and when predicated of the Lord it signifies elevation to the Divine."* Further, there is the statement: "As the Lord ascended into heaven with the Divine and the Human united into a one, it follows that His Human substance or essence is just as is His Divine substance or essence."** And again we are told that in heaven children are instructed about the ascension (and also the resurrection) by most tender representations and in a most holy way.***
     * AC 4578 (See AC 8760)
     ** Lord 35:11
     *** HH 335

     The Place of the Ascension in the Glorification

     When we reflect on the passages immediately above, we begin to see that the doctrine of the Ascension is one that must have considerable import both in heaven and on earth. Involved in it is the elevation of the Lord's Human to His Divine life itself; and further involved is the uniting of His Human with His Divine. The Ascension, then, must have a prominent place in the central purpose of the Lord's glorification, namely, the uniting of the Human made Divine and the Divine itself in order that mankind might be saved.
     That this was the real purpose of the Lord's glorification we are quite clearly taught in the following: "In the union of His Human essence with His Divine essence the Lord had in view the conjunction of Himself with the human race, and this was His end and this was His love. . . . This conjunction was the cause of the Lord's coming into the world."* The same passage points out that by glorification is meant the union of the Human and the Divine.
     * AC 2034:4, 5
     Thus the final goal of the glorification was simply the conjunction of the infinite God with the fallen race-a conjunction on the very natural plane, the disorder of which had removed mankind from its Creator. To achieve this conjunction, Infinite God came into the world by taking on a natural degree-a finite human nature. By this He entered into the plane of evil which threatened the human race, and faced that evil through temptations of every kind. In His victory in every temptation He not only conquered all the hells of evil and thus freed men, but He also purified His natural human of all that was merely finite and so glorified it. Thus it became the Divine Human, or the Divine Natural, as it is sometimes called.
     In this way God Himself descended to the natural plane of man's life and was immediately present with the fallen race. But He did not only make this natural or Human essence Divine. He also united and made it one with the Infinite from which it had descended, and the natural degree became very Jehovah God.

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Yet at the same time He remained natural and so retained all the power and effectiveness of the natural Human essence in approaching human frailty and evil. Almighty God had indeed become a Divine Man with men-Savior and Redeemer.

     As we have seen, the Ascension has a bearing upon the latter part of this glorification process, for it is involved in the elevation of the natural or Human to the Divine and is also involved in their unition. Indeed it would seem that the very occasion of the Lord's ascension marks this final elevation and unition. This is confirmed by the following passages. "To ascend to His Father signifies the uniting of His Human with His Divine, the human from the mother being fully rejected."* "After the unition was accomplished, He returned into the Divine in which He was from eternity, together with and in the glorified Human."**
     * AE 889:14
     ** Can. 25 (See AC 3737 and references)
     Note the word returned in the last number. It is this return of the Human to the Divine (from whence it came) that is the central part of the Ascension. The Lord did not only bow the heavens and come down* at the time of His advent into the world. He also returned in peace to the house of His Father**-but only after the maternal human with all its hereditary tendencies to evil had been rejected and His glorified Human had been united with the Divine itself.
     * Psalm 144:5
     ** Genesis 28:21 (See AC 3737)
     This coming forth of the Human from the Divine and His return to the Divine can be termed the Divine cycle. By an understanding of this cycle we gain better insight into the whole of the glorification process; and at the same time we see more clearly the place and importance of the Ascension. For would it not mark the close of this cycle and thus the completion of the glorification? If this be the case, then the Ascension must have a bearing upon the other aspects of the Lord's life. All else in the process of making His Human one with the Infinite would look to the Ascension as the achievement of the final goal-the goal that God made Man might be conjoined with His children.

     Conclusion

     A closer consideration of this subject must wait for a future article, where there will be opportunity to compare the few teachings on the Ascension with those on other areas of the Lord's glorification. Only by such comparison, together with careful exposition of the passages where the Ascension is spoken of in the Word, can the doctrine of the Ascension be developed. Indeed this is the only way in which we are able to draw out the doctrine of genuine truth on any subject of revelation-by comparison of related passages and by exposition, using the science of correspondences.*
     * SS 26, 55, 56; TCR 229, 230; Verbo 58

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     We must realize that this places the doctrine of the Ascension (except for its very core) in the category of derived doctrine. Great care must always be taken by the church before such doctrine is accepted. Careful consideration must be made over a period of time, and further studies should be undertaken. Yet there is always real need for derived doctrine in the church, for the development of it is the church's reciprocal response to the Divine revelation the Lord has proffered us. Without such doctrine there can be no full understanding of revelation.*
     * TCR 226-28
     When a derived doctrine involves the glorification of the Lord, our attitude of mind is of the greatest importance. Our purpose must not be that of adding another interesting facet to our understanding of the Lord. Rather we must cultivate a worshipful attitude-humbly standing under the Divine Human that we might behold Him with something of new light, and from love better amend our lives.
     In the case of the ascension doctrine, our prime purpose should be that of worshiping the glorified Lord as truly ascended; and this that we might more fully acknowledge that in Him the Divine and the Human are one-that Jehovah and Jesus are one, and ever present with us in each phase of our lives, leading us to His kingdom. Then may He indeed ascend in us as a Divine Man, and in our individual regeneration His words will be fulfilled: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men Unto Me."*
     * John 12:32

     (To be continued)
LORD JESUS CHRIST 1964

LORD JESUS CHRIST              1964

     "That the profoundest mysteries lie hidden in the internal sense of the Word very manifestly appears from the two names of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Fete, have any other idea, when these names are mentioned, than that they are proper names, and almost like the names of another man, but more holy. The more learned indeed know that Jesus signifies Savior, and Christ, the Anointed, and hence conceive a somewhat more interior idea. But yet these are not the things which the angels in heaven perceive from these names; they are still more Divine. By the name Jesus, when pronounced by man in reading the Word, they perceive the Divine good; and by the name Christ, the Divine truth; and by both, the Divine marriage of good and truth, and of truth and good." (Arcana Coelestia 3004)

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REVIEW 1964

REVIEW       HAROLD CRANCH       1964

THE STRUCTURE OF NEW CHURCH TEACHING. BY Alan Gorange. The Missionary Society of the New Church, London, and the Scottish Association of the New Church, Glasgow, 1963. Paper, pp. 143.

     The trend toward presenting studies of scholarship and importance in attractive, reasonably priced paperback books has had a definite influence upon the New Church. The latest book to join the ranks is from Britain, Alan Gorange's The Structure of New Church Teaching. The author expresses as his purpose "to ask the questions which arise from Christianity and to give the answers found in the theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg." He addresses the book to the general reader as an introduction to the New Church and its new revelation, and attempts to show the spiritual structure of the teaching of that church and its fruit when received by man-the evolving life of regeneration. This he has done well. No one reading this work can remain in doubt that it describes a new church and dispensation, a new revelation and a new way of life and religion that will displace the former Christianity.
     Mr. Gorange is uncompromising. His conclusions are set forth in a clear-cut, decisive way. He presents clearly the fact that the former Christian Church is consummated, and he shows the reasons why. He disposes neatly of the permeation theory, pointing out: "the preaching and writing of individuals may ignore tripersonalism, but the latter [which with faith alone had destroyed genuine Christianity] remains the substantial teaching of the church, expressed in countless hymns, prayers, and sermons."*
     * Page 19
     After showing that tripersonalism inevitably leads back to mystery or tritheism, Mr. Gorange establishes the need for a "systematic unipersonal theology which shall explain the facts of Scripture and of existence as a whole upon a rational method applied consistently throughout the Word."* He then presents such a system, beginning with Swedenborg's call, the Second Coming, the descent of the New Jerusalem, and its doctrine that the Lord is the only God. Creation is shown to be a necessity of the Divine love to make a heaven from the human race. Man's nature as the image of God is shown to be freedom and rationality, which provide the means for a reciprocal love. The book treats also of redemption, salvation and the glorification, the inspiration of the Word, methods of interpretation and the spiritual sense.
     * Ibid.

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     The effect of the new doctrines on man, and his responsibilities, are also presented clearly in such teachings as the need to shun evils and do goods as of self, the necessity for self-examination and temptation combats, and the doctrine of remains as the starting point with regeneration as the goal. The nature of heaven and hell, spiritual ideals in marriage, its eternal nature and the importance of the work Conjugial Love, are all strongly stated. The work proper then ends with some affirmative ideas concerning the earths in the universe.
     This book is delightful because it uses the Writings as authority, acknowledges their Divine origin, and often presents its arguments either by direct quotations or by an effective summary, with abundant references. It presents some of the most distinctive and hard-to-explain doctrines so naturally and clearly that they can be readily accepted.

     The final chapter considers "What are the Writings of Swedenborg?" Although the reader is advised that this section can be omitted without the contents of the book proper being affected, it is not likely to be left unread. Its inclusion in a missionary work seems unwise. To introduce doubts as to the nature of the Writings which New Church scholars have not been able to resolve to the satisfaction of other scholars in the church despite the best of intentions, seems premature, particularly at a time when the serious reader may be wrestling with the apparent ban on new doctrines which seems to be imposed in the letter of the book of Revelation.*
     * Revelation 22:18
     The question as to whether the Writings are part of the Word is, for most members of the General Church, merely an exercise in logic, as that question has already been settled to their satisfaction. However, it is gratifying to find that Mr. Gorange meets the question head-on by considering some of the strongest and most important teachings on this subject. Although he attempts to show that the title, the Word, should not be applied to them, he does not minimize the Divinity of the Writings themselves. He labors diligently to uphold his position, and might succeed were his quotations all the teaching that is directed to the subject in the Writings. In point of fact, there are so many, many more which answer his objections that one who has studied them remains unconvinced by his arguments. There are difficulties that must be met in maintaining either position; but the difficulties in denying that the Writings are part of the Word are far more serious, and less amenable to solution, than those involved in accepting them as such.

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     It seems obvious that we are justified in speaking of the Writings as the "Word for the New Church," since the Lord is the doctrine,* and Divine doctrine is the Word;** since the Lord wrote the Heavenly Doctrine, and it reveals Him, and its use is to build a new church;*** since for this use it is the supreme revelation, and all revelation is the Word;**** and since it does for the judgment of the old and the establishment of the New Church what the New Testament did at the time of the establishment of the first Christian Church, only more completely and interiorly, and it is the internal sense****** in agreement with the Ward in the heavens*****-which is called the Word despite the lack of the letter such as there is on earth*******-and the internal sense is the verimost Word.******** On these grounds it seems obvious that we are justified in speaking of the Writings as the "Word for the New Church," although by no means do we separate them from the Old and New Testaments: the three revelations make an organic whole.
     * AC 3393, 2531, 2533          
     ** AC 3712
     *** Ecc. Hist. 3; AC 3712; AE 641, 670, 948; Coro. 18
     **** AC 2894, 3712, 5075, 10646.
     ***** Subtitle to Arcana Coelestia, AP 6v.
     ****** AC 2094, 9025; SS 25          
     ******* AC 1887
     ******** AC 3432, 1540
     This book should prove to be a useful addition to the literature of the church. In the opinion of this reviewer this presentation is addressed to the better than average intelligence. Its greatest use may well be to the New Church man himself. Its systematic, scholarly treatment may help him to organize his own thoughts, and may strengthen his ability to present our doctrine systematically to new minds. Another important benefit may be derived directly from the last section. It may jolt him out of a complacent attitude concerning the Writings and their authority so that he may think about them-to hold to their Divine authority from understanding and conviction, and not from any inherited bias.
     HAROLD CRANCH

     [EDITORIAL NOTE. The Rev. Alan Gorange, B. A., was ordained into the ministry of the General Conference of the New Church in 1940. Now minister of the Kensington Society in London, he was previously minister of the Society in Glasgow and superintendent minister of the Scottish Province. He is a member of the New Church College Council and of the New Testament Translation Committee of the General Conference.]

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PREPARATION FOR THE HOLY SUPPER 1964

PREPARATION FOR THE HOLY SUPPER       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

     TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     As the Sacrament of the Supper is the most holy act of worship, the opportunity to partake of it is the highest privilege granted to the men of the church, and to avail themselves thereof is an undoubted responsibility. An important part of that responsibility is preparation for the Communion, and there are many who do prepare themselves before each administration. We are wondering, however, whether preparation should not begin even earlier. It is to be supposed that the general doctrine concerning the Holy Supper is taught to most of our adolescents either in the Academy schools or in young people's classes; yet some of our young people, when they come of age, approach the Holy Supper for the first time without ever having seen it administered.
     This is, we feel, unfortunate. The Holy Supper is not a mystery, to be concealed from all save initiates. No one is ever expected to leave the service, or to stay away altogether, because they are not going to receive the elements; those who would like to take part in the service, but who do not wish to receive the Holy Supper, or cannot as yet do so, are always welcome to remain. If they follow the ritual of the Holy Supper with close and reverent attention, and with some background of knowledge formed from doctrinal instruction, they will be drawn into the sphere of the service, to receive from it and contribute to it. They need not feel that they are merely spectators. It is true that this cannot be forced. But if parents can see the use, and the young people be led to view it affirmatively through full explanation, they may be prepared in this way for the practice of receiving the Holy Supper.

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HOLY SPIRIT IN THE CHURCH 1964

HOLY SPIRIT IN THE CHURCH       Editor       1964

     The General Church has no special observance of Pentecost. It finds the beginning of true Christianity, not in the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles in Jerusalem, but in their being sent forth to preach the new gospel throughout the spiritual world. Yet while no claim to have received the Holy Spirit may or would be made, it acknowledges that without reception of that Spirit the church is dead and the way of eternal life is closed. For without the activity of the Holy Spirit there is no instruction in Divine truth; no enlightenment, and thus no wisdom and intelligence; and without it there is no reformation and regeneration, and therefore nothing of love and charity.
     However, if the church is not to go astray, there must be understanding and acknowledgment of the truth that there is no teaching and enlightenment by the Holy Spirit apart from the Word. The doctrine is that the church is from the Lord by means of the Word, and that the Lord teaches man only in the Word. Certainly this means the Word in the mind of man-the man who, from love of good, seeks truth in it for the sake of use. But with this proviso the operation of the Holy Spirit in the church is through the Word. It does not take the form of immediate, internal revelation. The Spirit of truth leads into the interiors of the truth man has from the Word, but it does not impart new truth to him.
     To believe otherwise is to hold to the doctrine of an "inner light," whether it be called by that name or not. In the Christian churches which subscribe to that doctrine, the inevitable result has been the transfer of final authority from the Word to internal revelation and the demotion of the Word itself to the status of a mere source of confirmation and illustration. So would it be also, we believe, in the New Church. We cannot know beyond all doubt whether our insights into doctrine are the result of genuine enlightenment from the Lord; and there is safety only in giving authority, not to the enlightenment of the church, but to the teachings of the Word in which the Lord speaks to us.
ALL IS NOT VANITY! 1964

ALL IS NOT VANITY!       Editor       1964

     Many names have been used to describe our age. Among other things it is, we believe, an age of suspicion. There is certainly much to be cautious about, if not suspicious of, in today's society. Infidelity, corruption and rapacity; cruelty, violence and lawlessness; prejudice, bigotry and hate; chicanery, connivance and fraud; dishonesty, laziness and parasitism-all are so commonplace that many accept them as a way of life. Nor do those who seek power, prestige or wealth always pursue their objectives with any degree of frankness.

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They are more likely to conceal their aims behind a facade of moral concern, and to profess the highest regard for the welfare of those who are marked as their victims.
     One unfortunate result of all this is that, although the terminology is unknown to them, too many of our contemporaries seem to assume that the only driving forces in society are what the Writings call the loves of self and the world. In their eyes everyone is suspect until he shows himself to be guilty. Because their simple working hypothesis is that everyone has an angle, no one troubles them more than the man whose angle cannot be discovered; that he may not have one is beyond belief. A guileless man is all the more to be suspected; surely he must be practicing a hypocrisy so sophisticated and subtle that it remains cleverly hidden. No other explanation would seem to be feasible.
     Affected by these influences, and who is not? the New Church man must take a firm grip on sanity. If there is little spiritual good in the world, there is a great deal of simple good, and there is also quite a lot of sincere civil and moral good. Charity must be discriminating, but it should not be distrustful of all. Until there is just cause for suspicion, men can and should be taken at face value; and it is surely less serious to be deceived occasionally than to be encased in a weary cynicism that nothing can surprise. In certain circles lack of guile may evoke pity, if not contempt; but it is not the least of the qualities in which spiritual charity manifests itself.
HARD SAYINGS: 3. DIVORCE 1964

HARD SAYINGS: 3. DIVORCE       Editor       1964

     Last month we stated the teaching of the Writings concerning divorce. It was conceded that from the standpoint of natural reason and concern their restriction of the grounds for divorce to adultery may be a hard saying. Yet it was pointed out that the laws delivered in the Writings are of infinite wisdom from love itself; and it was said that certain things can be suggested which may help us to understand why other things that were mentioned are not allowed as causes for divorce.
     These principles appear to be clear. Adultery is the cause for divorce because marriage is holy and adultery is profane, and when opposites act upon each other one destroys the other. A vitiated state of mind-to take one example from those mentioned-is cause for separation, though not for divorce, because conjugial love is a conjunction of minds, and if the mind of one goes away into what is diverse the conjunction is dissolved. In the first instance the breaking of the conjunction is deliberate; in the second it is not, and it may be the result of a condition for which the person is not responsible.

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     When adultery is committed deliberately, there is introduced the opposite of marriage which can destroy the conjugial; but although the conjunction is dissolved in other cases, the destroying opposite is not introduced and the conjunction may indeed be renewed. This suggests an important distinction. The world looks to the ordering of society and to the happiness of men and women in this life; the Writings look to an angelic heaven from the human race and to the eternal welfare of men and women, which is achieved only through regeneration. Their concern is with the preservation of the conjugial-of the faculty of receiving and developing conjugial love upon which eternal happiness depends; and the reason for their teaching about divorce would seem to be that once marriage has been entered into, and as long as its opposite has not been introduced, the preservation of the conjugial depends upon its continuance, as a bond if not as a state of union. Hence the law of divorce, which, as was said, is of infinite wisdom from love itself.

     In holding to this teaching the church is not without deep sympathy for those whom it seems to consign to a half-life of loneliness, unhappiness, frustration, or even real tragedy. Yet it is necessary to make a distinction between what is real and what is apparent; and, in the case of what is real enough, between what is temporal and what is eternal. One of the most dangerous beliefs extant in the world today is that men and women have a "right" to happiness, especially in marriage: a right which transcends every duty and obligation and makes everyone and everything else subservient to its exercise and fulfillment. This supposed right is appealed to every day to justify easy divorce; for the theory is that if a man or woman cannot find happiness with one mate, or think they can find it with another, they have an inalienable "right" to be free and to try again.
     Nothing, however, could be more destructive of true happiness. It puts a premium on selfishness and discourages all effort. The simple facts are that no one has such a right and that happiness is not to be "found"; it is granted to those who are willing to strive for it, and who realize that the striving will certainly involve temptation-perhaps much of its bitterness and suffering. The very temptations that a man and woman face in their marriage may be those upon victory in which their regeneration, and therefore their true and lasting happiness, depend. Happiness lies, not in yielding, but in patient loyalty to the truth.
FINITE AND THE ORIGIN OF EVIL 1964

FINITE AND THE ORIGIN OF EVIL              1964

Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE:
     The commendable effort of Mr. Greenhalgh to show that those who are celestial acknowledge the human race, or men as to their proprium, to be nothing but filthiness and evil, was accompanied with some expressions which raise important questions; especially the statement that "the finite nature is evil in itself" (November 1963, p. 494; referred to in January 1964, p. 41 and April 1964, p. 197).

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     My main concern-and in this I believe the celestial angels join me-is lest we should think that God is the Creator of something that is evil from the start or of something which, in its spontaneous "as-of-itself" reaction, inevitably becomes evil.
     Using the word "evil" in the sense employed in Conjugial Love 444, it is clear that the origin of evil was not "implanted in man from creation," but arose when man "turned away from God." (So he was at first turned toward God.) Indeed, while every man "now" is infested with hereditary evils, yet "if man were born into the love into which he was created, he would not be in any evil, nor would he even know what evil is. . . ."* By Adam and his wife-as in Arcana Coelestia 4317:4 and 310-are here meant "our first parents"-whoever they were. Was not this innocence dominant with the first preadamite also, as it is with babes?**
     * DP 275, compare CL 444
     ** Compare SD 3390, CL 444
     Evil, of course, does not refer to acts but to motivation.* The evil proprium is not the sensual of man, but the sensual when reacting against the higher spiritual degrees. The love of self is not evil unless it refuses to be governed by higher loves-which are given as the love of the world and the love of heaven.** "Those three loves are in every man, from creation and thence from birth. . . ."*** And when rightly subordinated, as was the case before hereditary evils destroyed the order of creation with men, and also after that order is restored by regeneration, these three loves perfect a man.****
     * AC 4317:5               
     ** TCR 394
     *** TCR 395               
     **** AC 1902
     "Man was created a form of Divine order."* "If man Were without hereditary evil, he would be born into Divine order itself, namely, into love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor . . . just as animals, which are born into their order, are born into the affections natural to them. . . . The sons of the most ancient church were born such in general [ita fere], namely, into the affections of good and the affections of truth; wherefore, in the very affection was everything whatever of good and truth which the doctrine of faith teaches. . . ."** "If man were imbued with no hereditary evil, the rational would then be born immediately. . . ." Man would then at once come into the faculty of knowing what pertains to his life.

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But now he is not born into such order, and "the cause" is the evil inherited from parents.*
     * TCR 65; HH 30          
     ** SD min. 4635, 4636
     *** AC 1902
     The infernal proprium was formed by man's free choice, through which he rejects the Lord's upholding hands. But if free, why should the choice be evil? Why could he not act as of himself from the Lord?* The Writings speak of a "heavenly proprium," formed by the Lord of goods and truths in the free endeavor of his thought.** This is felt as man's but acknowledged as from the Lord-as that which is the Lord's own, in which He can dwell with man.*** This proprium is not evil but good. yet it is finite, and cannot contain the Infinite.**** Being finite does not make it evil. It is when man or angel views his evil proprium and the terrible potentialities of his hereditary evils from his heavenly proprium that he becomes capable of the profound humiliation and self-abasement which characterize the celestial church.
     HUGO LJ. ODHNER
     * Compare DLW 116-117
     ** AC 1937               
     *** AE 254:2
     **** See DP 53 GOD, MAN AND EVIL 1964

GOD, MAN AND EVIL              1964

     "Everything that God created was good, as is evident from the first chapter of Genesis, where it is said, 'God saw that it was good'; and finally, 'God sate, everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.' The same is also evident from the primeval state of man in paradise, but evil originated with man, as is evident from the state of Adam after the fall, in that he was driven out of paradise. Hence it is clear that unless man had been endowed with free will in spiritual things, God Himself and not man would have been the cause of evil. Consequently God must have created both good and evil; and it is dreadful to imagine that He created evil. God did not create evil, although He endowed man with free will in spiritual things, and He never inspires him with any evil, because He is good itself. God is omnipresent in good, perpetually urging and entreating to be received; and if He is not received, still He does not withdraw. If He were to do so, man mold instantly perish; indeed he would be annihilated, for man's life, as well as the subsistence of all things of which it consists, is from God. Evil, then, was not created by God, but was introduced by man, for man turns into evil the good which continually flows in from God, by turning away from God to himself" (True Christian Religion 490).

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Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     DENVER, COLORADO

     Do not count us out just because the Denver Circle has not been heard from recently! We are very much alive and as active as other circles of our size. According to a recent count, the congregation now numbers eighty. This includes twenty members of the General Church and their eight children, those in the area who are New Church, and some who have taken an active interest in the church.
     We were most sorry to lose the Rev. Robert S. Junge and his family after such a long, pleasant and useful association. Our loss, however, is the General Church's gain, and we know that he will go on to larger and better uses. A farewell party for the Junge family was held at the home of Mrs. Robert Norton. The table was very prettily arranged with a floral centerpiece, and the assorted "tea-wiches," petits-fours, nuts and mints added color. The Circle presented to the Junge family a living memory gift of a shrub for their new home. With it went our best wishes for their happiness and success.
     With every loss there is given a gain to keep the scales balanced. So we have taken to our hearts the Rev. Robert Cole and his dear family. They are endearing themselves to the Circle more and more each day. The Circle was entertained at a Christmas party in their home on December 20, and all enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
     Mr. Cole has been delivering some very fine sermons recently, and his talks to the children each Sunday are excellent. He gives specific, everyday examples of the uses children might perform, or, for instance, of the way in which the stealing of Esau's birthright might pertain to them. Sometimes these talks are most beneficial to the adults, too, you know!
     In addition to his weekly sermons, the monthly doctrinal class and the monthly young people's class, Mr. Cole has a discussion class at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs which is held twice each month. So you can see that he is a busy person.
     Two of our members had pleasant trips last winter. Mrs. Peter Norton had a most enjoyable trip to our newest state, Hawaii. Of course, as is customary, she returned to Denver to rest. It seems that while there she was constantly on the move, enjoying all the "luaos" and the warm weather. Dr. and Mrs. F. J. Evans have returned from a trip to Africa. It was most enjoyable for them, and they took many pictures which it is hoped they may share with us in the future.
     MARIAN DICE

     FORT WORTH, TEXAS

     It has been two years since news from Fort Worth was sent in, so it is hard to be anything but sketchy on all but recent happenings. In the fall of 1962, the Don Haworth family moved away, leaving quite an empty spot in our circle. We miss them, but wish them well in their new life. We lost other old friends, and gained some new ones, in 1963, which was quite a full year for us. The Brad Williamson family moved to south Texas, which makes it almost impossible for them to get to church, except for very special occasions. We miss them particularly, as they were one of our younger couples. We were all very sorry when Jack Willis passed away last September. In the short time he was with us he grew to be a staunch member of our circle, but with our knowledge of the other world we can be sure that he is well and at peace.

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     We were all disappointed when the Rev. Robert Junge was called to Bryn Athyn to serve as Secretary of the General Church, but we were fortunate that the Rev. Robert H. P. Cole was named to replace him. We had a dinner after church on Mr. Junge's last visit, and we presented him with two volumes of the Concordance as a going-away gift.
     Another dinner was held after church on a Sunday in December, this time to welcome Mr. Cole and his family formally to the Circle. It was a very pleasant gathering with all members and families attending. Mrs. Cole and the children stayed with the Louis Hurt family while Mr. Cole went on to New Orleans, and then joined him on his way back through Fort Worth to Arvada, Colorado, where they live.
     At Christmas we had a taped children's service. Appropriate gifts were given to the children: lambs for the babies, dolls for the little girls, and books suited to their ages for the rest.
     For Swedenborg's birthday we had a lay-conducted service at which Mr. Chuck Morey gave a very good talk to the children about the life of Swedenborg. After the service there were cupcakes and dixie cups for everyone, and the children sang "happy birthday" to Swedenborg. The adults then sang "To Swedenborg," and taught it to the older children, who then sang with them.
     During Mr. Cole's regular monthly visit in February we had a doctrinal class at the home of Jean and Sam White, after which Mr. Cole told us a little about the Ministers' Meetings. It was a very interesting and congenial gathering. On Sunday, after our regular service, we held our annual business meeting and election of officers. Chuck Morey, vice president, Marjorie Williamson, treasurer, and Beverly W. Hurt, secretary, were all unanimously elected. We then decided to undertake Epsilon Society work, with Nancy S. Hogan and Marcella W. Jones working out of the Fort Worth area and Chuck Morey from the Dallas area.
     We have a regular Sunday school, with Marjorie Williamson teaching the older children and Betty Morey the younger ones. Both teachers and children enjoy it and get a great deal from it. We have a lay service every Sunday that Mr. Cole is not with us, the adults listening to a taped sermon while the children have Sunday school. Doctrinal classes are held only when Mr. Cole is here. We have been studying the world of spirits and heaven in these classes. There has been quite a bit of discussion, and the study has been very inspiring and enlightening to all of us.
     BEVERLY W. HURT

     STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

     An Episcopal Visit

     After visiting the circles in Copenhagen and Jonkoping, the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton arrived on February 27 in Stockholm, where he was joined by Mrs. Pendleton, who had taken a jet plane straight from New York. The following day, a Thursday, the Rev. and Mrs. Bjorn Boyesen held a reception in order to give the members of the Society the opportunity to meet our honored guests informally, to renew old acquaintance, or, for a few of them, to meet the Bishop and his wife for the first time. The problem of the language barrier was solved by the presence of Mr. Boyesen and others who served as interpreters whenever it was necessary. The Bishop's address and sermon were available in mimeographed translation.
     On Saturday evening we had the great pleasure of hearing the Bishop's address: "Where is Thy God?" The Bishop pointed out that at the present day many people do not believe in God because they deny everything that they cannot perceive with their five senses; this in spite of the fact that the whole universe bears witness to a creative intelligence. He went on to discuss the difference between the revelation of God in the Old Testament, on the one hand, and in the New Testament on the other. The ancients as well as the Israelites regarded God in much the same way as a child looks upon his father. But the states of men having changed, God came on earth and taught humanity that the essence of the Divine consists in everlasting love and all-comprehensive wisdom.

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Later came the idea of two Gods: the Father as He is seen in the Old Testament, and the Son as He is represented in the New Testament, to whom was added the outgoing Holy Spirit. In the Writings of the New Church we find an explanation of how these three are really united in one person.
     This highly condensed resume can give but a faint idea of the depth of thought which distinguished a most interesting doctrinal class. The ensuing discussion caused the speaker to enlarge on the subject; and, according to his own words, two additional classes were given extemporaneously.
     The Bishop guile naturally had a conference with the Society Board as well as the Pastor's Council in order to discuss things of importance to the Society. One current problem taken up was that of where to find another place of meeting. In a, year or two we will have to give up the one we are now renting; the entire block on which it stands is doomed to be pulled down in order that the street may be widened to help meet an ever-increasing and almost over whelming flow of traffic in the center of the capital. Because of the troublesome housing shortage it seems to be almost impossible to rent another hall for worship, and the building of a church would also present great difficulties. The only way out may be to acquire a house, but there is the question of where to find one at a reasonable price that is suitably situated. In any case, the problem is a vital one and must be solved sooner or later.
     It was the first time Mrs. Pendleton had come over here and she was eager to see, in a very short time, the things that interested her most. Ably guided by Mrs. Boyesen, she went to the Royal Academy of Sciences, and she was delighted to be able to touch and handle some of Swedenborg's manuscripts. In the House of Nobles she saw Swedenborg's coat of arms hanging among hundreds of others on a wall in the Assembly Hall. Of course she also went to Skansen, the outdoor museum, to have a look at Swedenborg's graceful little summerhouse, which is now being transferred from its former rather remote and inaccessible place to a conspicuous site not far from the main entrance. In summer there will be a rose garden blooming all round, and New Church visitors will be glad to find it in such pleasant surroundings. They may have heard of it, and longed to see it, ever since they were children in school.
     On Sunday this successful episcopal visit came to an end. Bishop Pendleton preached a sermon on the woman of Samaria, and officiated at the administration of the Holy Supper. The time had then come to bid our guests farewell, but with the hope of having this much appreciated and popular couple with us soon again.
     SENTA CENTERVALL

     BRYN ATHYN, PA.

     Many Bryn Athynites may look back on the past winter as a difficult one. In one sense it was. The hepatitis epidemic necessitated confining rules and regulations: no community suppers, considerable absenteeism in the schools, the minimum of social life, and much washing of hands! More deeply, the Society felt the passing of several much loved members: Elizabeth Ashby, Victor Waelchli, Thorsten Sigstedt, Frank Bostock, Don Rose and the Rev. Karl Alden. Their leaving affected hundreds of relatives and friends. The loss of President Kennedy created a sphere of shock and somber meditation here, as throughout the country. Care and anxiety, an integral part of life in the natural world, seemed more evident than usual.
     But in spite of this the Society showed signs of developing increased unanimity, confidence and spiritual strength. Christmas festivities, for example, were particularly outstanding for their spirit of rededication to the establishment of the Lord's New Church on earth. The nine hundred viewers of the tableaux considered them the best ever given here. The seven hundred and fifty attending the Glencairn Sing were richly rewarded by the beautifully decorated home of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Pitcairn, the singing of the Bryn Athyn choir, and the delightful music played by the orchestra and soloists.

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     Perhaps one of the most significant signs of internal growth is the growing desire for doctrinal instruction. The large number of members of the Society, nearly seven hundred, is fortunate in having available a considerable group of resident ministers active in their uses. The Dean is able to call on these men for assistance in meeting the demand for many private and public classes on a variety of subjects. It might be well to mention some of these groups now meeting in Bryn Athyn, and the subjects that are covered.
     The regular Friday night doctrinal classes, of course, reach the largest number gathered at any one time, attendance averaging 262. In addition, there is a class offered every other week by the Rev. Ormond Odhner on the subject of conjugial love that is specifically for young married couples. The Rev. Lorentz Soneson is reviewing the work New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine for the single young people in the Society (the BAYPO). The Rev. Erik Sandstrom is presenting a thorough review of the doctrine of charity every other Wednesday; and Dean Acton has opened his home to a group of inquirers-curious about and interested in the doctrines, but not yet members of the General Church.
     Every other week there is a men's discussion group that meets to exchange views on assigned readings on the subject of the Ten Commandments. This group is unique in that it is organized and run by a lay leader, the Dean or his assistant being present only as consultants. The Rev. David Simons offers two courses during the week: one on the life of the Lord, the other a survey of the Arcana Coelestia, now in volume five. The Rev. Dandridge Pendleton and the Rev. Cairns Henderson are also giving classes in private homes on the same work.
     Bishop De Charms has two groups meeting with him during the week. One of these is studying The Growth of the Mind; the other, the non-canonical books of the Bible. The Rev. Karl Alden, right up to his death, gave his well-known "newcomers' class," actually well advanced into the finer particulars of doctrine as presented in the Arcana. Dean Acton has recently organized a beginners' class in Hebrew for interested adults, and the Rev. Lorentz Soneson has a "beginners' class" on basic doctrine, addressed particularly to parents who came into the church as adults.
     Over two hundred and sixty adults are receiving regular instruction from these fourteen classes. All, or nearly all, require preparatory reading. This in itself represents a creditable adult education program for a borough as small as Bryn Athyn. Sunday services also are well attended. Attendance at the regular services has increased to the point where empty pews in the cathedral are scarce; and the attendance at children's service, children and adults, frequently exceeds four hundred and fifty.
     It is no small wonder that countless other activities find difficulty in scheduling meetings and events on the social calendar. Nevertheless the Pastor's Council and the Board of Trustees, the choir and the orchestra, the Women's Guild and the Civic and Social Club, The Sons of the Academy and Theta Alpha, the Borough Council and the Fire Company, the Garden Club and the Boys Club counselors all find time to meet regularly throughout the year.
     For particularly active people who still find time on their hands there is a speech course being offered, a colored slide contest in the spring, a constant demand for chaperones at school parties and trips, and a science fair that needs willing hands. Parents of children in the community must reserve time for the eighth grade's staging of Toad of Toad Hall, the secondary schools' production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Princess Ida, and the college's offering of Shakespeare's As You Like It.
     Signs of Bryn Athyn's overcrowded calendar were in evidence on a recent Friday evening, during those precious few minutes between supper and singing practice. A small political meeting was in session in one corner of the auditorium, an emergency meeting of the Swim Club was being held in another, and a Deka bake sale was going on in a third corner! The fourth corner of the hall was free for uncommitted and unplanned socializing.
     LORENTZ SONESON

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     THE CHURCH AT LARGE

     General Convention. The Rev. Louis Alexander Dole, Pastor of the Bath, Maine, Society, and General Pastor of the Maine Association, died on February 15, 1964, at the age of seventy-nine. Mr. Dole was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the son of the Rev. George Henry Dole and Louise Stuart Dole. After receiving his bachelor's and master's degrees from Yale University he taught in Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania before entering the New Church Theological School in 1914. He began his ministry at Urbana, Ohio, where he also taught in Urbana College and served for two years as principal, and was Pastor of the Fryeburg New Church for seventeen Years before going to the Bath church in 1937. A devout and thorough student of the Writings, Mr. Dole for many years wrote the "Swedenborg Student" for the Swedenborg Foundation. These studies have appeared regularly in the NEW-CHURCH MESSENGER, and were of great value to the serious student of the Arcana Coelestia. In Mr. Dole the General Convention has lost a scholar and a man of deep convictions who was respected by all who knew him and his work.

     General Conference. The Rev. Eustace R. Goldsack, until recently the Superintendent of the Mission in West Africa, has been inducted into the joint pastorate of the Nottingham, Northampton and Leicester societies in England.
     The Rev. Arthur Clapham, Vice President of Conference and Pastor of the Jersey Society in the Channel Islands, died suddenly on January 25, 1964, at the age of sixty-seven. Mr. Clapham, who was the senior Ordaining Minister in active service, had been three times President of Conference, editor of the NEW-CHURCH HERALD, Secretary of the New-Church College and Tutor in Hebrew, and later its Principal. He served pastorates in Burnley and Camberwell, London, as well as Jersey, and was a valued member of the Swedenborg Society's Advisory and Revision Board. Mr. Clapham served on many committees and councils, notably the Conference Council, the Ministerial Advisory Council and the Old Testament Translation Committee. He was well known in the church to which he dedicated his life as a stalwart champion of the Writings and a staunch and outspoken advocate of a distinct and distinctive New Church. The New Church everywhere has been strengthened by the work of Mr. Dole and Mr. Clapham, and we join with the bodies they served in paying tribute to the uses they performed in and for the Lord's New Church.
SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION 1964

SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION              1964

     Organized for the preservation, translation, publication and distribution of Swedenborg's scientific and philosophical works; the promotion of the principles taught in them, having in view likewise their relation to the science and philosophy of the present day. Annual fee for membership, including the NEW PHILOSOPHY, published quarterly, is $3.00 (or 12 shillings).
     Address: Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh, Treasurer, Bryn Athyn, Pa., U.S.A.

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GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS 1964

GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS       STEPHEN PITCAIRN       1964




     Announcements.
     The 1964 Annual Corporation Meetings of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in the Benade Hall Auditorium, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, on Friday, June 12, 1964, at 8:00 p.m., D.S.T. Notices will be mailed.
     STEPHEN PITCAIRN,
          Secretary
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1964

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH       E. BRUCE GLENN       1964

     Annual Joint Meeting

     The Annual Joint Meeting of the Corporation and Faculty of the Academy of the New Church will be held on Friday, May 15, 1964, at 7:45 p.m., in the Assembly Wall at Bryn Athyn, Pa. The meeting will be addressed by the Heads of the Academy schools.
     All are cordially invited who are interested in the Academy's work.
          E. BRUCE GLENN,
               Secretary
SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION 1964

SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION       MORNA HYATT       1964

     The Sixty-seventh Annual Meeting of the Swedenborg Scientific Association will be held in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, in the Auditorium of Benade Hall, at 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 13, 1964.
     There will be reports and election of president and members of the Board of Directors, after which there will be an address.
     All interested persons are welcome.
          MORNA HYATT,
               Secretary
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1964

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH              1964

     SCHOOL CALENDAR: 1964-1965

     Eighty-eighth School Year

     1964

Sept.     9 Wed.     Faculty Meetings
     10 Thur.     Dormitories open
                    Secondary School Registration: local students
                    College registration: local students
     11 Fri.     8:00 a.m.     All student workers report to supervisors
               3:00 p.m.     Opening Exercises
               3:30 p.m.     Lawn Party
               8:00 p.m.     President's Reception
     14 Mon.     Chapel and classes begin in Secondary Schools
               College Registration
     15 Tues.     Chapel and classes begin in College
Oct.     23 Fri.     Charter day
     24 Sat.     Annual Meeting of Corporation

Nov. 25 Wed.     Thanksgiving Recess begins at 12:30 p.m.
     30 Mon.     School exercises resumed
Dec. 18 Fri.     Christmas Recess starts at 12:30 p.m.

     1965

Jan.     4 Mon.     School exercises resumed
     25-29          Semester examinations
Feb. 1 Mon.          Second Semester begins
     22 Mon.     Washington's Birthday holiday
Mar. 26 Fri.     Spring Recess starts at 12:30 p.m.
Apr. 5 Mon.          School exercises resumed
May 21 Fri.          Joint Meeting of Corporation and Faculty
     31 Mon.     Memorial Day. Half-holiday
June 15 Tues.     8:30 p.m.      President's Reception
     16 Wed.     10:30 a.m.     Commencement Exercises

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INVITATION TO THE NEW CHURCH 1964

INVITATION TO THE NEW CHURCH       Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV          JUNE, 1964               No. 6
     "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take [of] the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17)

     The twenty-first chapter of the Apocalypse records the vision of the holy city, New Jerusalem, as it was seen by John the Evangelist "descending out of heaven from God."* It is evident, even in the literal sense, that this "city" was intended to represent a new church to be established by the Lord, for it is said that "the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it";** and in the following chapter we read: "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."***
     * Verse 10
     ** Verse 24
     *** Revelation 22:14
     That what is here described was prophetic of what would happen when the Lord made His second coming is clear, because it is said: "These things are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."* That it was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who was to come is evident from these words: "I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."** Therefore, He who lived with men, who died upon the cross, and who rose again the third day, promised that He would surely come again to raise up a new church, and to establish His eternal kingdom on the earth.

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This promise has now been fulfilled by the advent of the Lord in the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem. There the Lord appears in His glorified Divine Human, extending to all men a Divine invitation to enter into the "holy city, saying: "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take [of] the water of life freely."***
     * Revelation 22:6, 7
     ** Revelation 22:16
     *** Revelation 22:17

     From infinite love, the Lord invites all men to enter into His kingdom, both in heaven and on the earth. To invite is to express the desire and the wish, and thus to open the way and present the opportunity, leaving one free to accept or to decline. If, then, one accepts, he does so willingly and with affection, gladly returning the love that is offered. From himself, however, man has no power to return the Lord's love. By hereditary nature he loves only himself, and others only for the sake of himself. If he has any regard for the Lord, it is with a view to what the Lord can do for him. Knowing this, the Lord provides that every man may be secretly imbued with the delight of love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor, and that this delight may be insinuated by his unconscious association with the angels of heaven, especially during infancy and early childhood. He provides also that this delight may be recalled in later life, producing states of innocence and of willingness to "hear what God the Lord will speak."* Thus subtly, and from within, the Lord invites all men to come to Him. But in addition to this, He calls men to His church openly by means of a Divine revelation through which He speaks to them, makes Himself known to them, and explains to them the way of life that leads to heaven. These two modes of invitation are meant when it is said: "The Spirit and the bride say, Come."
     * Psalm 85:8
     The "Spirit" here represents the new Christian heaven which was formed by the Lord as a result of the Last Judgment, which took place in the spiritual world in the year 1757. That judgment was brought about by the opening of the internal sense of the Word through the writing of the Arcana Coelestia. That massive work, comprising twelve volumes and some seven thousand printed pages, was begun by Emanuel Swedenborg in 1749, and was completed in 1756. By Divine command it was written not only on earth, but also and simultaneously in the spiritual world. The knowledge of its teaching could spread but slowly among men on earth but among spirits in the other life it could be disseminated with astonishing rapidity, because there they have a common language and enjoy a far more perfect mode of communication. As it became known there, it challenged the traditional doctrines of the Christian Church, and caused immediate conflict among societies of Christians gathered together in the world of spirits.

255


All who entered that world by death brought with them the faith with which they had been imbued during their life on earth. Those of a similar faith remained together, and formed societies corresponding to the various sects of Christendom. These societies were called in the Writings "imaginary heavens" because those who constituted them believed that they were in heaven. The human interpretations of the Bible which they had accepted in simple faith were all ostensibly founded on the Sacred Scripture, and were, for that reason, regarded as the very Word of God. But when the true internal sense of the Word was revealed by the Lord in the Arcana Coelestia, those who had blindly followed the teaching of men in whose wisdom they had every confidence, awoke to the realization that what they had been taught to believe was not in accord with the testimony of the Scripture. Because at heart they loved the truth they gladly received the teaching of the Heavenly Doctrine, and withdrew from those who for so long had exercised dominion over their minds. Being set free from this spiritual bondage, they could be instructed by the angels, and prepared gradually to form a new Christian heaven wherein the Lord was seen and worshiped in His glorified Divine Human as the one God of heaven and earth.

     This judgment had to take place in the spiritual world, and this new heaven had to be formed there before the New Church could even begin to be established on earth: this because it was from that heaven that the holy city, New Jerusalem, was to descend. Before the judgment, the minds of men on earth, like those of spirits in the world of spirits, were held bound by a strong allegiance to doctrines which they identified with the Word. They were, indeed, under the constant influence of the imaginary heavens. Only when these heavens were broken up could this oppressive weight of tradition be lifted. Then it was that men began to experience a gradual liberation of thought, which, since that time, has steadily increased, and which has become so apparent in our day. The immediate result has been a breaking down of man's allegiance to religious dogmas, a loss of confidence in the authority of the Bible, and a steady growth of religious skepticism and materialistic philosophy. Yet we are assured that the Lord, operating secretly through the new Christian heaven, is preserving with many a simple faith in the Word. He is protecting a remnant of innocence, and making possible the ultimate salvation of all who, either here or in the life to come, may be willing to be taught and led. At the same time, in a thousand unseen ways He is preparing for the eventual acceptance of the Heavenly Doctrine by men on earth with whom He may establish His New Church.

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This hidden current of the Divine Providence is what is meant in our text by the "Spirit" calling and inviting all men to enter through the gates into the holy city.
     By the "bride," however, in the inmost sense, is meant the Heavenly Doctrine. By this revelation of Himself, the Lord appeals to man openly, consciously, by expounding the internal sense of His Word and teaching him what truly constitutes the life of religion. The Writings are the Lord's church in its very essence, in its Divine perfection, as He Himself wills it to be. They are the Divine of the Lord that makes the church. They are the laws of life according to which alone the church can be built. Just as far as man learns these laws, as far as they form his conscience and govern his life, to that degree a man becomes truly a member of the New Church; for the church must come into existence in the mind, the heart and the life of each individual. This the Lord plainly taught them when He said to the Pharisees who had asked Him when the kingdom of God should come: "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or lo there! for the kingdom of God is within you."*
     * Luke 17:20, 21

     The church is called the "bride" of the Lord. It is not man's faltering faith, nor is it his imperfect understanding of the Word, that is so called, but the Divine truth itself as revealed by the Lord in the Writings. That is why the "holy city," descending from God out of heaven, is said to be "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."* For the same reason, when the angel was about to show John the New Jerusalem, he said unto him: "Come hither, and I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."**
     * Revelation 21:2
     ** Revelation 21:9
     Because the Lord calls men into His kingdom, not only secretly from within, through the new heaven, but also openly from without, by means of the Heavenly Doctrine, therefore it is written: "The Spirit and the bride say, Come."
     The church consists of those who hear the Lord as He calls to them from the pages of His new revelation, and who forsake their all to follow Him. To such as these is granted, in varying degree, a new vision of the Lord, a new realization of His immanent presence and protection, a new understanding of His Word that floods the mind with spiritual light. Spiritual light, the light of the sun of heaven, is the radiance of the Lord's Divine love for the salvation of the whole human race. As far as this light is received by man, therefore, it cannot fail to inspire him with love toward the neighbor. As all human experience testifies, one who first discovers the truth of the Heavenly Doctrine, and is deeply impressed with the joy and the wonder of it, spontaneously longs to share it with others.

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His first reaction prompts him to proclaim it from the housetops, because he is sure that every one must welcome it gladly and respond to it eagerly, even as he does. But this first enthusiasm is doomed to disappointment when he discovers that even those who are nearest to him, and for whom he has the deepest affection and respect, are completely blind to the truth that seems to him so clear and undeniable.
     Nevertheless, no one can ignore the responsibility that membership in the New Church entails. This responsibility is two-fold: in the first place, it requires him to strive for the establishment of the New Church in his own mind and heart by constantly perfecting his understanding of the Lord's teaching and by shunning the evils in himself of which that teaching makes him painfully aware. But since the arena in which this conflict of regeneration takes place is a life of use to others, only by meeting his obligations to the neighbor, in his business or profession, in all civic and social relationships, and in his duty to his home and family, can a New Church man make his religion truly a living thing. Foremost among these human responsibilities is his duty to the organized body of the church-participation in its public worship and instruction, and in all the activities which are designed to promote its health and extend its advantages to all who are prepared and willing to receive them. This dual responsibility to the church within him and to the church in the world around him is what is meant when it is said: "Let him that heareth say, Come."

     From these three, then, from the new Christian heaven, from the pages of the Heavenly Doctrine, and from the members of the New Church on earth there goes forth the invitation to all in the whole world to hear and to receive the truth which the Lord has now revealed for the salvation of the human race. From these three together goes forth the cry: "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take [of] the water of life freely." It goes forth with deep longing, but of necessity with gentleness and patience, for above all else it must have regard to man's spiritual freedom. The wish that men may come into the New Church is the wish that they may come in response to the Lord's own leading, willingly, gladly, from rational conviction and with spiritual insight. There must be no emotional persuasion, no external pressure or compulsion, no mere social or worldly attraction of any kind. That is why the New Church must, of necessity, grow slowly. It cannot employ the modes of conversion that are characteristic of other religious bodies. It must await the effects of the secret operation of the Lord's providence, which is the Spirit of God moving "upon the face of the waters,"* and preparing, through the darkness, that at last there may be light.
     * Genesis 1:2

258



     Nevertheless, though they accept the restrictions which the protection of freedom demands, the Lord gives to the members of the New Church a vitally important part to play in the spread of His kingdom throughout the world. The translation of the Writings into many languages, their publication in many countries, the proclamation of the Lord's second advent to all who are willing to hear this everlasting gospel-all these are the means of spreading the church which depend upon the persistent labor of New Church men. Just as the Lord called together the twelve apostles who had followed Him in the world, and on the 19th of June 1770 sent them forth throughout the whole spiritual world to proclaim the gospel that the Lord God Jesus Christ doth reign, so also He calls those who belong to His church on earth, and sends them forth to labor for the establishment of His kingdom here, in the hearts of men. Their numbers are pitifully few. They are lacking in the wisdom and the strength to fulfill the task required of them. But of this they may be assured: if they will do their allotted share faithfully, persistently, with patience and unswerving trust in the Lord, the church in due time will prosper and grow. This is the Divine promise of the Word from the beginning of time. By His conquest over the hells, and by the glorification of His Human, the Lord has taken to Himself the power to fulfill this promise. In His sight it is already accomplished in potency, and nothing can prevent its ultimate achievement. The Last Judgment, the formation of the New Heaven, the giving of the Heavenly Doctrine, the tender beginnings of the New Church on earth-by all these means combined, the holy city, New Jerusalem, is even now descending out of heaven from God, and all men are invited to enter into "its gates with thanksgiving, into its courts with praise." This is the glad message of our text: "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take [of] the water of life freely." Amen.

     LESSONS: Revelation 21:1-10, 22-27. AE 948:2, 3.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 470, 452, 604. Psalmody, page 325.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 82, 126.
WHO MAY ENTER IN 1964

WHO MAY ENTER IN              1964

     "The essential doctrine of the New Church, which is called the New Jerusalem, is this one concerning the Lord, and he mho wants to be there acknowledges it; for this church is the Christian Church itself, and no one is admitted thither except him who thinks of and believes in one God, thus in the Lord alone." (Athanasian Creed 147)

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SENDING HIS ANGELS 1964

SENDING HIS ANGELS       Rev. KENNETH O. STROH       1964

     A New Church Day Talk to Children

     Wouldn't it have been wonderful to be one of the disciples who sat down with the Lord on the Mount of Olives? The Lord had come out of the temple in Jerusalem for the last time. He had left the city, crossed the little brook, Kidron, and gone up the side of the Mount of Olives. His disciples were with Him. As they looked back, they could see Jerusalem across the valley, and the temple. The Lord had told them that this temple was going to be destroyed. It was going to be torn down, so that not even two of its many stones would be left standing together. The disciples asked Him when this was going to happen, and the Lord gave them an answer that they did not fully understand.
     He told them about the troubles there would be in the world. He told how men would hate others; how some would want others to bow down and worship them; how they would try to make others believe things that were not true, until people would scarcely be able to tell what was right and what was wrong. He called this a time of darkness, the end of His church. He said that then there would have to be a new church. He said that He would come again, in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. The disciples did not know it, but His coming was to be by means of a new Word which He would give through His servant, Emanuel Swedenborg; the Word which is called the Heavenly Doctrine, and sometimes, the Writings. The Lord would give this new Word for His New Church, so that all people would be able to know the truth about Him and be able to find the way to heaven, if they wished.
     The Lord also said that He would send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet to tell this good news through all the heavens. Little did the disciples dream that they themselves would be those angels. The new Word has now been given to the Lord's New Church, so that all people may know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one God, who loves us and who rules the universe, and that we should worship Him alone; and the New Church began on the day that the Lord sent His twelve disciples throughout the whole spiritual world, to tell everyone the good news that "the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns." This was done on the nineteenth day of June, in the year 1770. That is why the Nineteenth of June is the birthday of the New Church, which is called the New Jerusalem.

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     As we celebrate the birthday of our beloved church, we might think also how wonderful it would have been to be one of those disciples on that bright June day, one hundred and ninety-four years ago. For surely these were very special men. They had lived in this world almost two thousand years ago, and had then given up everything that was dear to them. They had left their homes to go with the Lord. These twelve men had followed Jesus wherever He went. They had listened to His teaching. They learned many wonderful things about Him and about the life of heaven. They watched Him heal sick persons and do many other miracles. Later, the Lord had sent them out to teach others about Him, to baptize, and to heal the sick. But often they would come back to Jesus, to be with Him and to learn more from Him.
     Now these twelve disciples, who later were sent forth throughout the whole spiritual world, were also called apostles, because an apostle is a person who is sent out to teach what the Word tells about the Lord, about the life of religion, and about heaven. So, today, those who teach and preach the Word are apostles. Ministers are apostles. Of course, not all people can be apostles. Not all people can be ministers, preachers, or teachers of truth. But all can and should be disciples of the Lord, because a disciple is a person who follows Him, listens to what He says, and learns from Him. When these twelve men followed the Lord, they were called disciples; but when they were sent out to preach and teach they were called apostles. Perhaps some of you children will become apostles when you grow up. But all of you can and should be disciples, for the Lord has called you all; and you can be disciples now.

     How can you become one of the Lord's disciples? A disciple is a person who is learning things, especially the things which are taught in the Word and which are called truths. The truths of the Word show us how to live as the angels do in heaven. They teach us the Ten Commandments, and tell us how to learn to love the Lord. They tell us not to hate and want revenge, but to love others. For the Lord said: "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another." Also, the Word promises that those who become disciples of the Lord will have deep happiness while they live in this world, and that afterwards they will become angels in heaven.
     Wouldn't you like to be a disciple of the Lord? Wouldn't you like to be like those twelve men who went throughout the whole spiritual world to spread the news of the Lord's second coming? The Lord calls each one of you to be His disciple; and you can be one if you try to listen carefully when the Word is being read, if you learn to read it for yourself, and especially if you do what the Lord says is true and good, no matter how hard it might seem.

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For then you will be following the Lord. You will be with Him. You will be His disciple, and He will speak to you from His Word. For He said: "If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed: and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Amen.

     LESSON: Matthew 24:1-14, 29-31
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 425, 478, 476
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. C12, C16
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1964

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1964

     New Church men are naturally disturbed by racial discrimination and are concerned to find teaching in the Writings from which they may think about it. The issue raises questions which are not always as simple as they might appear to be, and very little has as yet been written about it. In place of an editorial, the May issue of NEW CHURCH EDUCATION offers a few quotations from the distinguished historian, Arnold J. Toynbee, on the Negro in America, followed by quotations from the Writings on the genius of the African race. The material thus presented may well stimulate a search for further teachings that bear upon the subject.

     Writing in NEW HOKIZONS, quarterly magazine of the Conference Mission in South Africa, the Rev. John O. Booth says: "Since the Amalgamation we have had firsthand experience of the two main streams of African separatist churches-the Zionists and the Ethiopians. Zionism was started by missionaries who came from Zion City, Illinois, and has nothing to do with Jewish Zionism. It is one of the 'holy spirit' movements. Its 'mainspring' is healing and it has become impregnated with traditional Zulu beliefs. The main authority, from a doctrinal point of view, is intuitive and springs largely from dreams. Speaking with tongues plays its part. Ethiopianism, as the name suggests, is a reaction against the white man, and may adopt any Christian doctrine or forms of worship."

     In a recent issue of the MISSIONARY NEWS LETTER the Rev. Donald L. Rose argues in favor of sending a letter before sending the book to a person who has responded to an advertisement. Caroline Hotson Sullivan reports on her experiences with direct mail and telephone advertising, and the Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh describes engagingly a thirty-minute talk to the women's group of a Protestant Episcopal church.

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SWEDENBORG'S MISSIONARY WORK 1964

SWEDENBORG'S MISSIONARY WORK       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       1964

     (Continued from the February issue, pp. 61-66)

     "I apply to myself what the Lord has said to His disciples in Matthew 10:16." (Emanuel Swedenborg.)

     Towards the end of the year 1769, it was literally true that books of the Writings had been spread "throughout the whole of Christendom" The work of distributing these books had been diligently carried out by Swedenborg himself, and it was in this work that he applied to himself the words spoken to the disciples when they were sent forth to preach the kingdom of heaven: "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." The letter to Dr. Beyer from which this is taken is itself an example of Swedenborg's missionary work, for it was at his suggestion that the letter was published in Gothenburg.*
     * Docu. II:309
     The astonishing amount of missionary work that Swedenborg did is not widely realized. We are often reminded that he did not start a sect and did not seek a personal following, and sometimes the impression is given that he merely wrote the books and held himself aloof from the work of propagating them. Even the excellent biography by George Trobridge contains a sentence with something of this implication: "He was a great believer in the power of the press, and sent his books forth quietly into the world, hoping that their intrinsic reasonableness would prove convincing.* It is mentioned on the same page, however, that he sent the books to the principal universities in several countries, to the Bishops of Sweden, England, Holland and Germany, and to other persons of note. Swedenborg did not do this work "quietly" in the sense of avoiding attention. It seems rather that he did not leave any stone unturned in his efforts to bring the books to the attention of the world.
     * Page 212
     We do have the testimony of several contemporaries which may seem to give substance to the idea that he was aloof from missionary work. Thomas Hartley said that Swedenborg was "far from the ambition of heading a sect."* Arvid Ferelius said that Swedenborg "never spoke of his own views unless he was asked about them."** Carl Robsahm thought it remarkable that Swedenborg, "unlike sectarian persons, never tried to make proselytes or to force his explanations upon any one.***

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The Abbe Pernety said that Swedenborg was "unwilling to enter into any disputes on matters of religion."**** There is truth in each of these testimonies; but it is a matter of fact that Swedenborg energetically defended the doctrines when they were attacked, and the record of what he actually did and said is eloquent testimony that he was a tireless distributor of the books and a zealous advocate of the truths contained in them.
     * Docu. II:503. Cf. 485          
     ** Docu. II:560
     *** Docu. II:34
     **** Docu. I:57
     A striking way in which to gain an appreciation of Swedenborg's phenomenal distribution is to consider separately what we will call nine "campaigns." These extended over a period of two decades.

     First Campaign: Arcana Volume One

     The first book of the Writings was published in 1749. Besides his ocean voyage, his initial expenditure of two hundred pounds, and his arrangements with the publishers, Swedenborg had also to arrange with Joachin Wretman in Amsterdam to handle his mail in order that his anonymity might be safeguarded. The book was advertised in the newspapers, a brief notice appearing in the London Magazine or Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer,* and was put on sale in the Strand and at Paternoster Row. Swedenborg arranged through Messrs. Grill, his Amsterdam bankers, to have copies imported into Holland and turned over to the book dealers.**
     * The Swedenborg Epic, p. 233
     ** Letters and Memorials, p. 512
     The first reception was very slow, but it is interesting to note that some twenty years later the Arcana was sold out both in England and in Holland, whereas, as we shall see, the Last Judgment was in plentiful supply. The letter from which we derive this information shows how painstaking Swedenborg could be in providing copies of the Writings for interested persons. He wrote to a gentleman in Germany concerning the Arcana: "It can no longer be obtained either here in Holland or in England, as all the copies are sold. But as I know that there are some persons in Sweden who possess the work, I will write to one of them and ask if he is willing to sell it. As soon as I receive a reply from them, or from one of them, I shall communicate with you."*
     * Docu. II:387
     Returning to the year 1749, we note that the first volume was put on sale at six shillings for an unbound copy. This was expensive-equal to a week's rent for Swedenborg's London lodgings.* We note how loath Cuno was to pay four florins and a half for a copy of Apocalypse Revealed,** but the following year saw a far more attractive arrangement.
     * Docu. I:386
     ** Docu. II:446

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     Second Campaign: Arcana Volume Two

     The second volume of the Arcana was presented to the public in a different way. Swedenborg engaged a translator, so that it was available simultaneously in Latin and English. Instead of appearing as one large volume, it came out in six attractive installments. This was the occasion of the elaborate advertisement which began: "Be it known to all the learned and curious."* The installments came "exceedingly cheap" to the public, the "cheap numbers" being provided in either language "in order that the public might have it in an easier manner."
     * NEW CHURCH LIFE, February 1964, p. 64
     The first installments came to fifty-two quarto pages in English and sold for ninepence, subsequent numbers being sold at eightpence each. For some reason, however, the volumes of the Arcana that came out over the following six years were not made available in the same way. Very little is actually known of Swedenborg's activities between 1750 and 1757, but it is certain that he sent a full set of the Arcana to the Bodleian Library, and it is likely that he paid John Lewis to present free sets to other designated libraries.*
     * Letters and Memorials, p. 515

     Third Campaign: The Five Works in 1758

     In 1758 Swedenborg made the journey to London, bringing with him the manuscripts of Heaven and Bell, Heavenly Doctrine, Last Judgment, White Horse and Earths in the Universe. He himself read the works as soon as they were off the press and gave a list of errors to the printer. He directed that Mr. John Marchant should see to the corrections "that they may be exactly printed."* Marchant was the man whom he had engaged to translate the second volume of the Arcana and whom he later engaged to translate Brief Exposition.
     * Letters and Memorials, pp. 523-526
     The distribution of these five works in England has already been mentioned,* a distribution which appears to have amounted to hundreds of books in a few months. It is interesting to note that twelve years later, when copies of the Arcana were not to be had in England, there was still a good stock of Last Judgment. It is stated in True Christian Religion 123 that "the work is extant, and numerous copies of it are still at the printer's in London." One wonders how many copies of these various works were published originally. Evidently at least a 1000 of each of these five works were published in 1758.**
     * NEW CHURCH LIFE, February 1964, pp. 65, 66
     ** Letters and Memorials, p. 524
     Many people throughout England received copies of these works "as a gift" from Swedenborg.* This campaign was deliberately sabotaged by the clergy.

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In particular, a certain bishop denounced Heaven and Hell, "and at last put a stop to the reading of it." It was disclosed to Swedenborg in the other world "in what manner other priests were employed to destroy that work, which also brought it to pass that it was utterly rejected, when yet these things are from the Lord out of heaven."** This did not, however, discourage Swedenborg from later efforts to circulate the Writings.
     * AR 716
     ** SD 6101

     Fourth Campaign: The Seven Works of 1763

     In the year 1764, Swedenborg again made a voyage to England. This time he brought with him seven works of the Writings that had been recently published in Amsterdam: Four Doctrines, Continuation Concerning the Last Judgment, Divine Love and Wisdom and Divine Providence. Apparently the distribution of books was the sole purpose of this voyage. This was the year in which Swedenborg said to Gjorwell: "My purpose in publishing them has been to make them known, and to place them in the hands of intelligent people." In his autobiographical letter he said later: "The only reason of my journeys abroad has been the desire of making myself useful, and of making known the arcana that were entrusted to me."* Thomas Hartley described him as a man who "spends his substance in traveling and printing, in order to communicate instruction and benefit to mankind."**
     * Docu. I:9
     ** Docu. II:404
     From England, Swedenborg proceeded to Denmark, still bearing copies of the seven works. In Sweden he spoke frankly to the librarian, Carl Gjorwell, about his inspiration, the "living" revelation that had been granted and the New Church that would be established, Gjorwell made careful notes of the conversation. "His mission consists in communicating this new light to the world; and whoever is willing to accept it receives it; the Lord also has granted him this revelation, that he may make it known to others; which he has done in Latin, the most universal language in the world."*
     * Docu. II:404
     Of the seven works that had been published in Amsterdam, Gjorwell wrote: "He has . . . been over to England, in order to present them to the Royal Society; and on his return home he presented them in Copenhagen to the King of Denmark; even as last week he presented them to both their Majesties at Drottningholm. They have been favorably received everywhere. He has only twelve copies of the works with him in this country, four of which are intended for the public libraries, and four more for our most prominent bishops."*
     * Ibid.

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     Fifth Campaign: Apocalypse Revealed

     The year 1765 found Swedenborg, then seventy-seven years old, still more active in missionary work. This was the year in which Dr. Gabriel Beyer heard Swedenborg talking to a group of intellectuals at dinner. Swedenborg was deeply moved at Beyer's conversation, and there were tears flowing down his cheeks when he said to him: "My friend, from this day the Lord has introduced you into the society of angels, and you are now surrounded by them."* Even before publication of Apocalypse Revealed was completed, Swedenborg had begun the task of distribution. He wrote to Beyer: "As an opportunity offers, I make use of it to send you the beginning of the Apocalypsis Revelata, so far as it is printed. I send you two copies." When the publication was completed in 1766 he sent Beyer eight more, and in April of that year he was off again to London to distribute copies there.**
     * Swedenborg Epic, p. 322
     ** Letters and Memorials, p. 613
     Swedenborg emphasized the Apocalypse Revealed in his first letter to C. F. Oetinger. In that letter, full of missionary zeal, he mentioned all the books of the Writings that had been published. "The mere bearing witness, however, does not suffice at the present day to convince men," he wrote, "but anyone of sound understanding may be confirmed by the testimony of my writings, and especially by the Apocalypsis Revelata. . . The works which I mention above are sold by Mr. Lewis, Paternoster Row, near Cheapside, London, England."*
     * Docu. II:249
     He wrote to Archbishop Menander: "The Apocalypse has now been explained, or rather revealed, but I have not yet met with an opportunity for sending it to you, and at the same time to the Library. Will you kindly point out to me someone in Stockholm who will take the copies in charge." In the same letter he called Menander's attention to particular teachings in the book.* He wrote to the Swedish ambassador in France, calling his attention particularly to the Memorable Relations, which would, he said, "probably excite the reader to a first perusal." "I have sent your excellency twenty copies of it," he went on. "Two copies of the work I addressed to the Cardinal de Rohan, two to the Royal Society of Sciences, two to the Secretary of State, and one is intended for the Royal Library."** His letter to the Secretary of State in Stockholm shows how hard he labored in this book distribution. "I have at last finished the explanation of the book of Revelation, and circulated it in all the universities in Holland, Germany, France and England; and am going to send seventy copies to Stockholm. . . .I intend to distribute them among the academies and libraries of Sweden, and among clergymen. . . .

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Four I intend to present to the Court, and the remainder to universities and theological seminaries in foreign parts."***
     * Docu. II:245-248
     ** Docu. II: 242
     *** Docu. II:243

     Sixth Campaign: Conjugial Love

     In 1768, Conjugial Love was printed with Swedenborg's name on the title page and at the end a complete list of the "theological works hitherto published by me," together with two addresses in London where they might be obtained.
     In October of that year he wrote to Beyer: "By Captain Magnus Sjogard I am sending off a copy of the work on Conjugial and Scortatory Love which has just come out. If the work is desired by anyone in Gothenburg, enclosed in the copy will be found a slip showing where it can be obtained on payment here in Amsterdam, and as soon as I receive notice thereof, they will be sent off at the first opportunity."* Seven months later he wrote to the Doctor: "I herewith send you ten copies of the published work on 'Conjugial Love,' which, when an opportunity offers, you may sell at nine dollars per copy. The book is very much in demand in Paris, and in many places in Germany."** He wrote to Oetinger: "I am sorry you have not yet received the three copies of the work on 'Conjugial and Scortatory Love.' I took them to a place in Amsterdam, whence similar parcels are dispatched to various parts of Germany."***
     * Letters and memorials, p. 644
     ** Docu. II:275
     *** Docu. II:268
     From Amsterdam Swedenborg sent a hundred copies of Conjugial Love to Sweden. When he heard that this shipment had been detained by Bishop Filenius, he immediately sent a memorial of protest to the House of the Clergy in Stockholm. "I was informed that the book given out by me in Holland . . . was confiscated. . . . Now, as I intended to present copies thereof to the Libraries and also to the Bishops, and to some other persons who have ripe understanding, and to send the rest to Petersburg Danzic, Konigsburg and Lubeck, and the carrying out of this intention is now denied me, therefore it is my respectful request that the copies confiscated in Norrkoping may be released to me. I will mention here that the abovementioned book has been permitted entrance into Holland, England, Germany, Denmark, and also into France and Spain, and has been well received."*
     * Letters and Memorials, p. 689
     Although Swedenborg protested against the confiscation of the book, it had not really prevented his circulation of Conjugial Love in Sweden.

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He wrote to Beyer: "The procedure of Bishop Filenius, however, does not affect me, since I have brought with me thirty-eight copies, and I previously sent in five; more than half of these are already distributed to the Bishops, the members of the House of the Clergy, the Senators, and their Majesties, the King and Queen; and after the rest are distributed, there will be more than enough in Stockholm. Those that are detained at Norrkoping will be sent abroad, where there is a great demand for them."*
     * Docu. II:307

     Seventh Campaign: Brief Exposition

     In the month of March, 1769, the Brief Exposition was published, and Swedenborg witnessed beautiful changes in heaven because of it. That month he busied himself with a wide distribution. When he sent it to a gentleman in Leyden, Holland, he promised to make a personal visit to see how it was received. "I had lately the honor to send you a copy of a work published at this place, which contains an abridgement of all the doctrinal points treated of in all my other writings. I think of making a tour to Leyden in a few weeks time, when I shall be glad to be informed of the opinion of the learned in your city respecting the work. It is sold by Christian Sepp, Bookseller, Amsterdam."*
     * Docu. II:272
     Swedenborg wrote to Dr. Beyer of the Brief Exposition: "This treatise was sent by me to all the clergy in Holland, and will come into the hands of the most eminent in Germany. I have been informed that they have attentively perused it, and that some have already discovered the truth, while others do not know which way to turn; for what is written therein is sufficient to convince anyone that the abovementioned doctrine is the cause of our having at the present day no theology in Christendom. I intend sending to you by the first ship twelve copies of the work."* In a later letter to Beyer he mentioned the English translation which he would eventually superintend in London. "This little treatise has been sent to all the professors and clergymen in the whole of Holland, and has already reached the foremost universities in Germany. Moreover, it will be turned into English in London, and will be published in Paris."**
     * Docu. II:273
     ** Letters and Memorials, p. 672
     John Cuno testified that the Brief Exposition was "printed, bound, and dispatched to the preachers and priests of all sects, and at the same time scattered throughout all the towns and universities of Holland. No less than ten copies were brought to me to my house."* Thus, seven months after it was published, Swedenborg could testify that with the exception of Sweden, "this little treatise has been spread throughout the whole of Christendom."**
     * Docu. II: 464          
     ** Docu. II:308

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     Eighth Campaign: Intercourse of Soul and Body

     Swedenborg was in London in 1769, seeing to the translation of Brief Exposition and to the publication of Intercourse of the Soul and the Body or Influx. One of the men to whom he presented Brief Exposition was the Rev. Thomas Hartley, who became a complete convert to the doctrines and agreed to translate the new work, Influx. Thus Swedenborg wrote to Beyer: "I am sending herewith a little treatise, De Commercio Animae et Corporis, given out by men in London, which was presented to the Societies and to the Universities in England and France. Please read the very last lines there. Probably it is now also translated into English."*
     * Letters and Memorials, p. 692
     Swedenborg sent a list of the books thus far published to de Treuer, and through him to a distinguished man in Germany. At the end of the list he wrote: "The last two have been translated into English. They are to be found in London, at Mr. Lewis in Paternoster Row near Cheapside."
     He later sent a copy of Hartley's translation of Influx.* In this little work we read: "I am obliged by my conscience to manifest these things; for what is the use of knowing, unless what is known to one be also known to others? Without this, what is knowing but collecting and storing up riches in a casket, and only looking at them occasionally and counting them over, without any use from them? Spiritual avarice is nothing else."**
     * Letters and Memorials, pp. 745, 754
     ** Infl. 18

     Ninth Campaign: True Christian Religion

     Two months before True Christian Religion was finished, Swedenborg wrote to Beyer: "This subject in its whole extent will soon be placed before the whole of Christendom."* The work was finished on June 19, 1770, but it was not published until a year later. During the intervening months Swedenborg gave thought to its distribution. In April, 1771, he wrote to Beyer concerning the time "when I send over my Universa Theologia Novi Coeli et Novae Ecclesiae, which will leave the press towards the close of the month of June. I will send two copies of this work to each House." In the same letter he spoke confidently of the eventual establishment of a new church based upon this theology.**
     * Docu. II:355
     ** Docu. II:383
     At the age of eighty-three, Swedenborg was circulating copies of True Christian Religion. He wrote to Beyer: "This work is already being bought by many persons, and in a short time the printed copies will likely be sold out. . . . I will send copies as a gift to the libraries and also to those members of the Reverend House of the Clergy who are desirous of truth.*

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Not many months before he died, Swedenborg wrote to a gentle man in Germany: "Read, if you please, what has been written by me in a recently published work called Vera Christiana Religio, nos. 846 to 851, or pages 498-586, concerning the arcana disclosed by the Lord through me His servant, and then make your own conclusions concerning my revelations but from reason."** The paragraphs indicated included the occasion when the angels noticed sadness in Swedenborg for the reason that arcana of surpassing excellence were considered on earth as of no value.
     * Letters and Memorials, p. 148
     ** Letters and Memorials, p. 744
     Swedenborg was diligent and zealous to the end, but he exercised caution and judgment. He cautioned Beyer concerning his sermons in 1766: "I presume you will use all necessary precautions in this work, because the time has not yet arrived when the essentials of the New Church can be received in this manner. It is difficult to convince the clergy, who have been confirmed in their dogmas."* He was fully aware of unreceptive states and of outright opposition, but he said: "Still there are those in the ecclesiastical order who are exceptions."** He purposed to be as prudent as a serpent and as harmless as a dove, for he applied to himself what the Lord said to His disciples.
     * Docu. II:2.50
     ** Docu. II:309

     (To be concluded)
SECOND COMING 1964

SECOND COMING              1964

     "Since the Lord cannot manifest Himself in person, as shown just above, and yet has foretold that He will come and establish a new church, which is meant by the Neter Jerusalem, it follows that this will be effected by means of a man, who is able not only to receive the doctrines of that church into his understanding, but also to publish them by the press. I testify in truth that the Lord manifested Himself to me, His servant, and sent me to this office; and that afterwards He opened the sight of my spirit, and so intromitted me into the spiritual world, and has granted me to see the heavens and the hells, and also to converse with angels and spirits, and this now continually for many years; likewise that from the first day of that call I have not received anything relating to the doctrines of that church from any angel, but from the Lord alone, while I was reading the Word. To the end that the Lord might continually be present, He has opened to me the spiritual sense of His Word, in which Divine truth is in its light." (TCR 779, 780)

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NEW KINGDOM 1964

NEW KINGDOM       Rev. ORMOND ODHNER       1964

     The Apocalypse, or, as it is also called, the book of Revelation, is at its end a prophecy of the Lord's New Church. In that closing part of it we read: "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. And He said unto me, It is done."* Note the words: "It is done." All things have been made new already. This is the New Jerusalem! This is the New Church, the final fulfillment of all prophecy since the world began The kingdom of the Lord has been established. The Lord God Jesus Christ reigns-reigns now; and as He now reigns, He shall continue to reign to eternity.
     * Revelation 21:5, 6
     This was the real message that the twelve disciples began to proclaim throughout the universal spiritual world one hundred and ninety-four years ago. The kingdom of the Lord has been established. He reigns. For He reigns when men and angels can receive from Him, and from Him alone, every perception of truth pertaining to their faith and every good of love pertaining to their charity. Such is now the case, and so will it be to eternity; but such was not the case before the completion of the revelation of the Second Advent that nineteenth day of June in the year of our Lord, seventeen hundred and seventy.

     Why was this? Why was it not so immediately after the First Advent? What caused all this, at the Second Advent, that was not present even when the Lord, fully glorified, said to His disciples: "All power is given unto Me in heaven and on earth"? Why could not the eternal reign of the Lord God Jesus Christ have then been immediately proclaimed?
     The answer is to be found in the simple fact that the state of the spiritual world is dependent upon the state of Divine truth with men on earth. Thus we are told that when the church on earth is at its end, the heavens lose their wisdom, their integrity and their happiness. When the church on earth is fully established, however, the heavens can continue in their appointed order. The church, of course, is formed through the reception of Divine truth from the Lord; and it was not until the revelation of the Second Advent was finished that Divine truth was present with men in all its fullness.

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Nor, until then, had it ever been so present, not even in the days of the Most Ancient Church.
     When the Lord was on earth, He, from His Divine love of humanity's salvation, penetrated the dark appearances of truth that the Jews possessed, even to their inmost Divinity. He, by His own power, came to an infinite sight of all truth as one. With that infinite perception of truth as His weapon, He conquered all evil in temptation, cast away from Himself all falsity, all mortal frailty, all finition, and rendered the Human mind and character in Himself completely Divine, one with the Father, To Him, therefore, the hells were in eternal subjection. They were, that is, in eternal subjection to the Divine truth in Him.

     Yet the men then living on earth were by no means ready to receive any revelation of that Divine truth in its fullness, and He therefore lovingly taught them in adaptation to their state of ignorance and sin. "I have yet many things to say unto you," He told them, "but ye cannot bear them now." So ignorant were they of spiritual life that He could not teach them the actual nature of life after death; He could only tell them that there was a blessed heaven for the good and an unhappy hell for the evil. Nor could He even tell them what that blessedness was, or what that unhappiness. So depraved were their ideas of marriage that He could not reveal to them the doctrine of conjugial love; He could only condemn lasciviousness, and, mystically, compare Himself with a Bridegroom and Husband, and the church to His bride and wife. "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." But He promised to come again, and to send to men the Spirit of truth that would lead to all the truth that mortal man on earth can ever comprehend.
     In Him Divine truth was present in its fullness; but He taught men only the outmost appearances of that truth in spiritual-moral maxims adapted to their state. When He rose from the dead, that infinite perception of truth was with Him no longer here on earth; and that is why, although He was already glorified, He could not yet proclaim His reign as present and already established to eternity. That could still happen, and it did, which would once more intercept Divine influx with men.
     Divine truth was not yet present in its fullness with men on earth, and the state of the spiritual world is ever dependent upon the state of Divine truth with men. Especially is this true of the world of spirits.
     In the Writings we are told of the setting up of false and imaginary heavens in the world of spirits which result, not only in the enslavement of the ignorant masses that arrive there from earth, but also in the stopping off of Divine influx and inspiration from the Lord, through heaven and the world of spirits, to men.

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     The false heavens, so called, are set up by evil men who can feign the appearance of good Christian living, and can thus ensnare the ignorant and the undiscerning. The imaginary heavens are societies founded upon false and imaginary ideas of the nature of heavenly or genuine happiness. Both the false heavens and the imaginary heavens have power to endure because they have some connection, at least in externals, with the genuine goods and truths of heaven. They have power to endure, moreover, until, in the case of the false heavens, the internal evils of their rulers break out into the open, destroying the external appearances of heavenly living and thus estranging the deluded followers of such rulers; or, in the case of the imaginary heavens, until a fuller revelation of truth can expose the falsities on which they are based. Only then can the ignorant and misguided masses of fundamentally good men be freed from their enslavement-to begin their final instruction in the genuine truths of heaven, their final preparation for heavenly life.

     Such false and imaginary heavens were set up in the world of spirits in untold numbers by Christians almost from the beginning. Christianity's perception of spiritual truth had never been very keen. The primitive Christian Church was, as the Writings say, like the Garden of Eden; but it was such because of the mutual charity that prevailed among its members rather than because of many doctrines of genuine truth.
     Even under the disciples, strange ways of life were set up as the ideal-communal ownership of all wealth, for example. Very, very early, false ideas entered the church-marriage was not ideal, celibacy was to be preferred-and falsities multiplied rapidly. Christ was merely an appearance, His incarnation not an actuality; the world and the body are evil, only the spirit is good; man could merit or deserve reward after death through bodily acts on earth; martyrdom fever, with the belief that passage through the lion's mouth was into the arms of God; the flagellants, with self-inflicted bodily torture as the truly Christian ideal; stylites sitting thirty-six years on top of their pillars to be near to God. Over the centuries the falsities grew worse: three persons in God; two natures in Christ, who was part Divine and part merely human; the vicarious atonement-Christ's suffering paid for our sins; the Pope the vicar of Christ on earth; the church as an institution supreme in all the realms of life; the banning of the reading of the Word; the divorce of reason from religion. The Reformation came, but it was not enough. It restored the Word to the laity, and it broke the universal power of Rome, but it brought more falsities with it: salvation through the unmerited gift of faith without the works of the law; freedom from moral law; the rejection of the internal sense of the Word; a universal priesthood of all believers.

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And men take their beliefs and ideals with them into the spiritual world, and found societies upon them there.
     Such was the state of the world of spirits throughout the seventeen centuries of the Christian era: false heavens and imaginary heavens filling that world in ever increasing numbers, until, by the end, Divine influx and inspiration were almost entirely choked off there before they ever reached men on earth. Yes, even from the beginning of Christianity, enough falsity and evil existed in the world of spirits to prevent man's full reception from the Lord God Jesus Christ of the love of good and the understanding of truth which alone constitute His kingdom. That is why His reign could not be proclaimed at the First Advent as present and enduring to eternity; and nothing then in the Christian Church on earth could end the situation. The state of the spiritual world depends upon the state of truth with men on earth, and Divine truth had not yet been revealed on earth in fullness sufficient to expose the falsities and evils on which the false and imaginary heavens had been founded.

     The Second Coming took place. Judgment was rendered upon the world of spirits. The crown of revelations was given-Divine truth in its fullness, revealed in rational form, the highest, most exalted sight of truth that the human mind can ever gain on earth; and not one single facet of human life was left untouched by this, the final revelation.
     The eternal rule of the Lord God Jesus Christ could then at last be proclaimed as already present and enduring to eternity. Nothing again could ever arise to interfere for long with the influx of love and wisdom from the Lord to man. Imaginary heavens can exist only as long as they are founded on at least something of truth, and that, of course, is still possible; but imaginary heavens can endure only as long as the church on earth does not possess that truth in greater fullness, sufficient to expose every whit of the falsity that has been interwoven with the truth. Today the church on earth has all truth within its reach and grasp.
     The Writings, toward their end, speaking of the spiritual world as though it were a place, treat again of the formation of imaginary heavens. There they teach that formerly such heavens could have permanence because they were formed in the vast empty spaces of heaven. Today, however, they cannot endure; for heaven is now fully settled, and imaginary heavens, to exist at all, must now be formed so close to the real heavens that the truth of those heavens will quickly expose the falsities of the others, which will immediately lose their power over all good men.
     But heaven is not a place. It is a state. What, then, do these teachings really mean? It was not in heaven that there were formerly vast empty spaces; but in the Word then on earth there were vast empty spaces as it were-vast realms of human life untouched by the truths of revelation.

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Imaginary heavens could be founded, and could endure, in such realms of life as these, and the truths then possessed by the church on earth could not expose the falsities on which they were founded.

     Such is no longer the case. Divine truth in fullness is now present with men in the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem-Divine truth in rational form, the highest form in which men on earth can ever understand it. No facet of life is left untouched in this, the crown of revelations. Imaginary heavens may indeed still be formed; societies may still be founded on some man's imaginary notions of the highest good of human life. But somewhere in the Writings, for those who seek it out-and the Lord will inspire some man on earth to find it, though we are the men He must so inspire-somewhere in the Writings there is the genuine truth on that subject. The imaginary heavens cannot endure. Some man of the New Church on earth will, if his heart is open to Divine inspiration, see that truth and judge that falsity. In the spiritual world this will cause its hold on the good who have been deluded by it to be quickly broken, and they will at last find their way to the Lord's own heaven itself. The pathway of Divine inspiration will again be cleared, from heaven through the world of spirits to men on earth, and the Lord God Jesus Christ Himself shall reign in the hearts of all good men, the vision of Him no longer be clouded by evil, falsity and vain imagination.
     This, then, is why it was that when the revelation of the Second Advent had been completed, the reign of the Lord God Jesus Christ could be proclaimed as already existing, and why it could then be said that His kingdom would endure to eternity. Nothing again could ever long stand in the way of man's conjunction with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Judgment will be rendered in the world of spirits at least once in every generation hereafter. Every false heaven shall be destroyed. Every imaginary heaven will fall; and the corresponding ultimation of it in the world will pass away.

     The kingdom of the Lord, therefore, is with us now-not a thing of the future, but already present and enduring to eternity. In this the Lord's purpose in creation is achieved: a heaven can now be formed out of the human race, and nought can ever again hamper its formation. A heaven can be formed out of all those who rationally and freely receive the Lord in His second coming; be they the few who thus receive Him here on earth, or the multitudes who will thus receive Him after death.
     It is quite possible that evil will always be with us here on earth. Hereditary evil can indeed be modified, ameliorated; but from all we are taught, it would seem that it can never be wiped out.

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The Writings contain no prophecy of the end of evil. They do not say anywhere that someday there will again be a golden age, when all men on earth shall be converted to the Lord. No church in all history has yet been universally accepted, not even the Most Ancient. The Writings say merely that the New Church will at first be with a few and then with more, until at last it spreads to the many and reaches its "fullness" in its "appointed state." We may always be a minority church in an indifferent, unfriendly or even hostile world. But that matters not. After all, the kingdom of God does not consist in the isolation of good from evil, but rather in the overcoming of evil by good.
     Yes, the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns now; and as He reigns now, His kingdom shall be for ages of ages. In all their fullness the means of salvation have now been permanently established, and nought can again destroy them. The fullness of Divine truth has at last been revealed on earth- revealed on the highest plane on which man can understand it, the rational. Communism, the atomic bomb, race riots, the population explosion-somewhere in this final revelation there is, for those who search, instruction which will give the answers to all such problems. Somewhere in the Writings there is, for those who search, instruction in every possible phase of human life; yea, even for those not yet known.
     This is the New Church! This is the New Jerusalem, the final fulfillment of all prophecy. The kingdom of the Lord has been established. It is done. The Lord God Jesus Christ reigns, reigns now; and as He now reigns, His kingdom shall endure forever. Behold, I have made all things new.
BY LITTLE AND LITTLE 1964

BY LITTLE AND LITTLE              1964

     "There are a number of reasons why this church which is called the New Jerusalem will first begin with a few, be afterwards with more, and finally be infilled. The first is that its doctrine, which is the doctrine of love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor, cannot be acknowledged and thence cannot be received except by those who are interiorly affected with truths, who are no others than those who can see them; and those only see them who have cultivated their intellectual faculty, and have not destroyed it with themselves by the loves of self and the world. The second reason is that the doctrine of this church cannot be acknowledged, and thence received, except by those who have not confirmed themselves in doctrine and life in faith alone. If only in doctrine it does not prevent." (Apocalypse Explained 732:2)

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WEDDING OF THE LAMB 1964

WEDDING OF THE LAMB       Rev. DAVID R. SIMONS       1964

     The most intimate, the most delightful, the most productive of human relationships is marriage. That is why the Lord in His Word defines His relation to man-that it is intimate, that it is filled with delight, and that it is eternally productive-in terms of a marriage. He calls Himself "Bridegroom and Husband," and the church, "the bride and wife of the Lamb"; and in the prophecy of His second advent He calls all men to acknowledge that "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth," and to "rejoice and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."*
     * Revelation 19:6, 7
     A genuine marriage is a living, growing relationship. A husband can become more and more a husband, and a wife more and more a wife. For he can grow in those qualities of understanding and wisdom which make him a man, and she can grow with him in the qualities of love and affection which make her a woman. In this way marriages are to progress to all eternity, and the key to this spiritual progress is the gift of free communication which unlocks doors between minds and opens the way for partners to share all things of life, "even to the inmost."* It partners are to learn to think and will each as the other, which is the end toward which genuine love strives; if the image and likeness of the one is to be impressed on the other; then there must be open communication-the free giving and free receiving of mutual love. Love is free when it is reciprocal, that is, when there is "consent on both sides."** Where such love exists, where such communication is practiced, the two partners become as one man, and dwell together as angels after death.
     * Liturgy, page 86
     ** AC 3090

     The Lord has made His second advent in the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem. By means of this new revelation of Himself He provides a key to unlock the mysteries of faith, and in so doing He has opened wide the doors of communication between God and man. No longer need men wonder who the Lord is. No longer need men doubt His omnipotence-that He reigns supreme in heaven and on earth-in the intimate states of man's regeneration and in the broad affairs of nations. No longer, either, need men be puzzled as to how the marriage of the Lamb is to come, or as to how His wife can make herself ready.

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For the teaching is that "there is the full marriage of the Lord and the church when His Human is acknowledged to be Divine. For then God the Father and He are acknowledged to be one as the soul and the body. When this is acknowledged, the Father is not approached for the sake of the Son, but then the Lord Himself is approached. Moreover also there cannot be given three husbands to one wife, nor three souls to one body: and therefore, unless one God is acknowledged, in whom is the Trinity, and that that God is the Lord, there is no marriage."*
     * AR 812

     In true marriage there can be nothing of dominion. Rivalry for supremacy or rule, we are taught in the work Conjugial Love, casts out from a marriage a union of the wills and freedom of agreement between partners, for it divides and tears the wills into pieces, and turns freedom of agreement into servitude.* Conjugial love is characterized by innocence, by a willingness to be led by what is of use to the marriage. Those who receive this love will the partner every good. They are ever concerned with the other's freedom. They fear lest they should in any way violate friendship and love. When such mutual concern is developed between husband and wife, then is the marriage free, reciprocal and happy.
     * CL 248
     In the marriage of the Lord and the church, the Lord is called "the Lamb" to represent His innocence and love. As "the Bridegroom" He never forces anyone to accept His love. He wills to conjoin man to Himself in order that man may receive the happiness which He wills for him, yet He never violates man's freedom. "It must be understood," we read in True Christian Religion, "that God is unceasingly present, and continually striving and acting in man, even touching his freedom of will, but in no way violating it. For if God should violate man's freedom of will, man's dwelling place in God would be destroyed.* We are taught also that it is a law of His own providence that "man should not be compelled . . . to think and will, and thus to believe and love, the things of religion, but should guide himself, and sometimes compel himself."**
     * TCR 74
     ** DP 129
     In the Writings the Lord becomes present in the fullness of His love and wisdom. Behind the pages of Divine revelation stand the same mighty energies which brought creation into being, which sustain and which order the universe. Yet these infinite powers of Almighty God are restrained and held back in the written Word, lest in any way they should infringe on man's free will. What John heard as a "great voice, as of a trumpet" and as "the voice of mighty thunderings,"* in the reality of the spiritual world, is muffled to become the "still small voice" heard by Elijah**-a printed symbol read, a picture generated, an idea formed, an affection felt.

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What could be gentler and milder than the written Word? What could be less assuming. What could apply less pressure? What could leave man-the longed for partner-more free? For man can avert his eyes and turn his gaze elsewhere. He can look away. He can refuse to open the book, and remain untouched by the deepest delight offered to him by a merciful providence. He can neglect life's greatest opportunity for internal peace and happiness-the direct advances of One who loves him most, The Bridegroom comes as a Lamb; for there is to be no compulsion in this marriage, no exercise of dominion, nothing but love and opportunity-an invitation, a challenge and a call.
     * Revelation 1:10, 19:6
     ** I Kings 19:12

     As the Lamb of God, the Lord has now come and is present in the fullness of spiritual truth, in a way and with a power never before open to mankind, and He calls each one of us to the wedding. But we must hear His call and respond, and we do this by approaching Him directly and reading His Word. Once we do this, once we turn our eyes to the source of all spiritual life, once we open the door of our minds, the Lord will come in; and He will stir up delights in our hearts which will call us back, affections of truth which will "lead to all truth." For the teaching is that "all conjunction is effected in the spiritual world by means of looking,"* a looking which is to begin right here on earth as our first response to the wedding invitation. The reason is that to look is to direct one's mind and thought to an object, to think about it; and it is a spiritual law, constantly working in the human mind, that thought brings presence and thought from love conjoins. "Looking to [the Lord] conjoins," we read; "not, however, a mere intellectual looking, but an intellectual looking from the affection of the will. And the affection of the will is not given unless man keeps His commandments; wherefore the Lord says: 'He that doeth My commandments, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father . . . and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.'"**
     * DP 29
     ** John 14:21, 23
     The church makes herself ready by adorning herself with "fine linen, clean and white . . . the righteousness of the saints."* To be clothed in fine linen is to be instructed in truths which shine from the good and purity of life;** for it is the "soundness and purity of doctrine" and of life therefrom that makes the Church.*** Individual reading, study and reflection cannot be overemphasized in the New Church, since these are the church reciprocating the Lord's love.

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How can the church be conjoined to a husband it does not know! How can any communication take place if the church will not listen to the Lamb? In no other way can man exercise the gift of spiritual freedom more fully than in approaching the Lord in secret, in the privacy of his own home. Public worship and instruction come alive when they serve to strengthen and confirm private meditation. In this way the image and likeness of her partner is gradually engraved on the church.
     * Revelation 19:8
     ** AR 814               
     *** TCR 245

     In these remarks we have, for the sake of clarity, referred to the ideals of true marriage, and then to how these exist in the marriage of the Lord and the church. But this is backwards, for the spiritual marriage of the Lord and the church comes first. It is because the Lord has come again, and speaks in a new way in the Heavenly Doctrine, that the men of the church can learn to speak in a new way to each other. It is because the Lord now communicates His wisdom and His love in a fullness never before possible that the men of the church can communicate with each other with a fullness and freedom never before open to the human race. It is because the Lord has opened the internal truths of His Word that the internals of the human mind can be opened, can awaken to the dawn of a new spiritual day. It is because the Lord is truly the Bridegroom and Husband of the church-the source of all genuine intelligence and wisdom and love-that the man of the church can himself be a husband and be truly wise, and his wife truly a wife who loves and cherishes his wisdom. This is because now the Lord provides for the "full marriage" of Himself and the Church.* Because of that, marriages once again can be full-filled with the spiritual blessings of conjugial love. These are the things that fulfill the prophecies in the book of Revelation. These are the things for which we are particularly grateful on the Nineteenth of June, so that, with angels, we can say from the heart: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. . . . Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."**
     * AR 812
     ** Revelation 19: 7, 9 IN PLACE OF MIRACLES 1964

IN PLACE OF MIRACLES              1964

     "For many reasons this new Christian Church is not being established through miracles as the former was; but instead of them the spiritual sense of the Word is revealed, and the spiritual world disclosed, and the nature of both heaven and hell manifested; also that man lives after death, which things surpass all miracles." (Coro. Pref. L, LI)

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MR. CHARLES HENRY EBERT 1964

MR. CHARLES HENRY EBERT       Rev. WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1964

     (Extract from a Resurrection Address, Bryn Athyn, Pa., April 13, 1964.)

     In this connection it is interesting to note that in speaking of the uses which are served by death, the Writings mention first the use that is performed to men in this world.* This use is that our minds may be turned to the Lord and to His providence. For death, being what it is, brings to mind the purpose in creation and inspires reflection upon the meaning of life. It is true that this state cannot be sustained, for we are soon caught up by the cares of the world and the seemingly endless necessities of daily existence. Nevertheless, a purpose is served, for in the passing of those whom we love, spiritual affections are aroused, early remains are reawakened, and new remains are implanted in the interiors of the mind. Like the one who has departed, during the period of the resurrection of the spirit we are held temporarily in the thought of eternal life.
     * SD 5003

     It is in the light of these teachings concerning the life of use that we now think of Charles Henry Ebert. Knowing him as we did, we know that on this occasion he would not want us to speak of him as a person. For although we were drawn to him as a person, he had no interest in personal tributes. It is, then, not of the man as a person that we would speak, but of the uses which as a person he performed.
     It is indicative of the man that these uses were many-too many to be enumerated here. Yet we note with special interest that it was he, who, with a few others, was responsible for the organization and development of the Sons of the Academy. Serving as Secretary, and later as President, he expressed his abiding confidence in the importance of New Church education. As a student in the schools of the Academy (1894-1897) he was imbued with its purpose, and in later years he eagerly sought the opportunity to serve as a means whereby others might receive the benefits of a New Church education. In recognition of his interest and services he was later elected a member of the Corporation of the Academy, a position which he held till the time of his death.

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     But it was as a member of the Pittsburgh Society that his influence was most intimately felt. Here he served on the councils of six successive pastors, as a member of the executive committee, and as Secretary of the Society. In all these capacities he rendered valued assistance, supporting the hands of the pastor and the uses of worship and instruction. With his wife, Nellie Faulkner Ebert, he provided a home which for many years was an active social center of the church. The spirit of cordiality and warmth with which they received their guests is remembered by many at this day.

     Yet services are not uses. They are only the forms which uses take. Nevertheless, within the form the spirit is present, and it is the spirit of the man who is now entering into the interior delight of the uses he served here on earth. What specific form these uses will take in the other life we do not know, for uses take form according to need, and the needs of the world of the spirit are not directly revealed to our sight. But there, as here, there are uses to be performed. For "in My Father's house are many mansions"; that is, there are many uses to be served. There are uses of worship and uses of instruction; there are uses of administration and uses of organization there are uses of government and uses of service. Indeed, in the Lord's kingdom in the heavens, uses are infinite in their variety, far excelling any concept that we can form of them here on earth.
     We are grateful, therefore, that in his eighty-fourth Year Charles Henry Ebert has entered into that interior life of usefulness which is the ultimate destiny of man. With strength restored, and with a far deeper perspective and understanding than are possible to man on earth, he can again resume the life of responsibility With his wife and his former associates he can take up the work that they mutually served upon earth, and this with far greater delight. In this, therefore, we know that the Lord has done mercy* (Genesis 24:14). For "this is the Lord's doing; [and] it is marvelous in our eyes."**
     * AC 3073
     ** Psalm 118:23 PROMISE TO THE CHURCH 1964

PROMISE TO THE CHURCH              1964

     "In the New Church there will not be any falsity of faith, and men there will not be in knowledges concerning God from the natural lumen which is from proprial intelligence, and from the glory originating in conceit, but will be in spiritual light from the Word from the Lord alone." (Apocalypse Revealed 940)

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NEW COMMUNION 1964

NEW COMMUNION       Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1964

     The familiar declaration in the Apocalypse, "Behold, I make all things new,"* is a prophecy of the New Heaven and of the New Church. It is the Lord's promise that in the New Church there will be doctrines, and therefore things of worship and life, not previously known or practiced. As the prophecy is all-inclusive, it follows that the Holy Supper in the New Church is a new Communion: new because the uses and the benefits of the sacrament are understood differently in the light of new Divine doctrine; and new because they are sought from a new affection, for another end and purpose, than was previously the case.
     * Revelation 21:5
     In the Holy Supper of the New Church we approach the Lord immediately, and He alone is adored; the object of this most holy act of worship is the Divine Human as the person of the one God. In it, according to actual repentance beforehand, we seek introduction into and consociation with the New Angelic Heaven, and thereby conjunction with the Divine Human-with the Lord Jesus Christ who reigns in and from that heaven as over a kingdom that will endure to eternity. In it we seek a conjunction of love-the conjunction of the Lord with whatever of spiritual charity and faith has been formed in our minds-that we may receive the benefits of His redemption and the gift of His Holy Spirit; that we may be nourished in and sustained for the life of regeneration.

     It is in this that the Holy Supper is new, and that which made possible the new Communion was the opening of the internal sense of the Word by the Lord in His second coming. The things that have been mentioned here are the uses and benefits of the Holy Supper, and these could not be entered into and enjoyed fully until the Lord had introduced His servant into the spiritual world and from His own mouth had given through him those genuine truths which are the revelation of the internal sense of the Word. Essentially the opening of the Word was the revelation of the Divine Human-the Divine doctrine that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one God of heaven and earth which makes it possible for men to know and acknowledge Him as such and to approach Him immediately. This was the Lord's second coming; and the Heavenly Doctrine in which it took place, and which is one with the internal sense of the Word, is the doctrine of charity and faith-of that charity and faith with which, in the minds of men, the Lord conjoins Himself in the Holy Supper when He is approached immediately after men have repented in the light of the doctrine.

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     Furthermore, in opening the internal sense of the Word the Lord also revealed the doctrine of correspondence, and this, too, that men might be able to enter into the uses and benefits of the Holy Supper in such a way as to make of it a new Communion. The sacrament is a holy supper, and holiness can be predicated of that only which proceeds from the Lord and is received by that which is of the Lord with man. Therefore there is a holy supper, a holy eating and drinking, only when what thus proceeds from the Lord is so received and appropriated. The man of the church who looks to the Lord in His Divine Human as He is now revealed in the Heavenly Doctrine, and who repents by shunning evils as sins against Him as directed in the doctrine, receives from the Lord charity and faith to which the bread and wine of the Holy Supper correspond. It is with these that the Lord conjoins Himself in the sacrament, not with the elements of bread and wine; and when the conjunction takes place in the sphere of heaven, the Lord inflows with life and light and man appropriates these, to the upbuilding of his spiritual life.

     The teaching is that the spiritual sense of the Word has been revealed, and the knowledge of correspondences disclosed, that men might enter into the use and benefits of the Holy Supper because, with the establishment of the New Church, Christianity itself is beginning to dawn. Thus the new Communion and the New Church, the establishment of which in the spiritual world began on the nineteenth day of June in the year 1770, are most intimately connected; and indeed it is the priesthood and the sacraments, together with those who receive, that make the church.
     True Christianity is the acknowledgment of the Lord in His Divine Human as the God of heaven and earth which leads men to approach Him immediately and worship Him alone. It is to will well and do well, and thus to be in truth from good-good to which man has been led by the truth of faith; and the affection of charity and faith are what make man truly Christian. This is Christianity such as it is in itself, not the shadow or merely a name. It is that which began to be established with the preaching of the new gospel by the apostles in the spiritual world; it is that to which the Holy Supper looks, and to which the new Communion is a powerful means of leading.
     In the Holy Supper our minds are uplifted and directed to the Divine Human. We are prepared for the Supper by repentance, which is the first essential of charity; and in the sacrament we may receive from the Lord that delight in the life of charity and faith which will bring about the further establishment of the New Church in our minds.

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It is to this that the Lord invites us in the new Communion, when He says: "Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God."
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1964

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1964

     Intellectual of the Church. The intellectual of the church, we are taught, is that when a man reads the Word, and carefully compares one passage with another, he perceives thence what is to be believed and done. It exists with those only who are enlightened, that is, who desire to know truths only for the sake of life and use. Thus the term should not be confused with what is usually called intellectualism; the emphasis here is on the search for truth as a means to the good of life. (See AC 6222.)
     Intellectual Truth. By this term is meant truth conjoined with a perception that it is so, that is, truth adjoined to good. This truth is distinguished from scientific truth, which is a matter of knowledge, and from rational truth, which is said to be scientific truth confirmed by reason. (See AC 1895, 1496.)
     Intelligence. According to the Writings, intelligence is from the light of the world illumined by the light of heaven. It consists in knowing, understanding and believing Divine truths; in perceiving inwardly whether what is presented is true or not; and in understanding the causes of things. Intelligence, therefore, does not require great learning, and in varying degree it is given by the Lord to all regenerating men. (See AC 9943; AE 198, 408.) Wisdom will be defined later, but we may note that it is distinguished from intelligence by two things. It is from the light of heaven; and it consists in willing, loving and doing the truths which intelligence sees and understands. (See AC 9943; AE 408.)
     Internal and External Man. These are not terms for the mind and the body, respectively. Both refer to the mind, and they are descriptive of the two minds by which man is in company with angels and with men. The internal man is the ruling love and its perceptions from which man mediates when alone, and by which he does uses in the spiritual world; the external man consists of the affections and thoughts which are displayed by a man when he is in company, and by which he performs uses in this world. An important corollary is that these two minds, distinct from each other, are also distinct from the body. (See AC 8742; AR 641.)

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EPISCOPAL VISIT TO ENGLAND 1964

EPISCOPAL VISIT TO ENGLAND       FRANK S. ROSE       1964

     It must be many years since we have had an episcopal visit during the course of our "on season." Usually the Bishop is a distinguished and very welcome visitor at Assembly times, when all is hustle and bustle, and there is not quite the same opportunity to see him at close range. Therefore when Bishop Pendleton and Mrs. Pendleton came to England in March of this year we felt especially favored.
     Colchester. They arrived in Colchester from Sweden on Monday, March 2, and scarcely had they unpacked their bags before we came to item 1 on our program-a young peoples class. Bishop Pendleton chatted with the young people for almost half an hour before his implacable host, Mr. John Cooper, snatched him away for dinner.
     On Tuesday evening the Joint Council had an hour and a half in which to discuss future plans for Colchester with the Bishop. The first item on the agenda was the Colchester school which, during most of its history, has accepted outside children as well as New Church ones. At times that policy was necessary for bare survival. Of recent years the policy has changed, and now all of the children are baptized into the New Church. But we have had a few applications from outside the church, and many in Colchester are in favor of accepting them.
     After considerable discussion, we all seemed agreed that we could accept outside children if we did so as a form of missionary work. Indeed this could become a powerful missionary tool, if and when we extend our school beyond the age of eleven, which is the present limit.
     The second item was the Society's building program. We explained to the Bishop that we have given the matter considerable thought, and have gone as far as looking toward a new house of worship on our present site within ten years. (We now house the school in the church building, and must convert from one use to the other on Friday, and again on Sunday after church.) The Bishop urged us to look far enough ahead and to have an adequate program. He wondered whether we had enough room on the present site for two buildings, and thought that we should prepare for growth.
     On Wednesday the Bishop and his wife went to three different homes for coffee, dinner and tea, respectively, and then joined the Society in the largest Wednesday supper on record.

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After the supper the Bishop addressed the Society on the uses of the General Church. Nearly sixty people were there to hear him.
     The Thursday evening meeting was much smaller, but correspondingly more intimate. A dozen or so in the young married group gathered at the church in a circle and plied the Bishop with questions on a wide range of topics. It was just the kind of occasion to stimulate much thought and leave happy memories.
     By the time of their departure for London on Friday, Bishop and Mrs. Pendleton had visited at least seven homes. The Bishop had talked to the school, the young people, the young married people, the Joint Council, and the Society as a whole. Little wonder that we now feel an even stronger bond of respect and affection and friendship with him and his very charming wife.

     Special Council. The Bishop and his wife spent a long weekend in London which included, for the Bishop, a special council meeting on Saturday, and for them both a service, luncheon and afternoon program at Michael Church.
     The special council consisted of the chairmen, secretaries and treasurers of the following organizations: the Colchester and Michael Church societies, the British Finance Committee and the British Academy, plus the General Church treasurer's representative, also two members without portfolio-twelve persons in all. The council met at 2:30 p.m., on Saturday, March 7, at Swedenborg House.
     In opening the meeting the Bishop explained his reasons for convening this special council, stressing the fact that the General Church is based on council and assembly. He had visited England on many occasions for Assemblies, but this was his first opportunity to have the benefit of a British council.
     Altogether, five items were discussed: 1) a third priest for England; 2) the method of appointing members to the British Finance Committee; 3) the possibility of holding another General Assembly in England; 4) the British Academy; 5) a salary plan for Great Britain. The Bishop explained that he could not promise a third priest for England in the immediate future, but the discussion made it clear that the need is felt very keenly here and that it is hoped that someone can be spared for the work as soon as possible. Bishop Pendleton pointed out that although it seemed for a time as if we would have a surplus of priests, we have certainly not yet reached that position and will not do so in the foreseeable future. If and when a third priest is sent to England, he would like him to work in close conjunction with Colchester and London, all three priests sharing in the traveling work.

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     Under the second item, the Bishop asked why it was that members of the British Finance Committee were appointed by the Bishop of the General Church and expressed the belief that it was unwise for a priest to control the appointments to lay uses. It was explained that the Bishop now nominates and the British Assembly ratifies the nomination, but that the Bishop takes the advice of people in England before he makes the nomination. No firm decision was reached, but it seemed clear that a better system might be adopted. The council agreed that we should plan for a European Assembly in 1968 and a General Assembly in England in 1972. The preceding General Assemblies here were in 1928 and 1956.
     The Bishop spoke, under the fourth item, of his appreciation of the work of the British Academy Summer School in helping to strengthen the work of the church, not only in Great Britain, but on the Continent as well. He expressed the hope that we might be able to hold a summer school in Stockholm one year.
     The last item discussed was ministerial salaries in England. At present the salaries are determined by each of the responsible groups-the Colchester and London societies and the British Finance Committee. It might be better to have a salary committee for Great Britain to determine the stipends for all priests working for the General Church in this country.

     Michael Church. Bishop Pendleton preached in Michael Church on Sunday, March 8. After a provided luncheon, he addressed a group of some eighty people on the uses of the General Church.
     FRANK S. ROSE
BIRTH OF THE NEW CHURCH 1964

BIRTH OF THE NEW CHURCH              1964

     "After this work was finished, the Lord called together His twelve disciples, who followed Him in the world; and the next day He sent them forth into the whole spiritual world to preach the gospel that the Lord God Jesus Christ doth reign, whose Kingdom shall be for ever and ever, according to the prediction of Daniel 7:3, 14, and in Revelation 11:15, and also that they are blessed who come unto the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). This took place on the nineteenth day of June, in the year 1770. This is meant by these words of the Lord: 'He shall send His angels . . . and they shall gather together His elect . . . from one end of the heavens to the other' (Matthew 24:31)." (True Christian Religion 791)

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PEACE OF JERUSALEM 1964

PEACE OF JERUSALEM       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.
Editor               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

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     Much of our affection for the church, and many of our aspirations for it, are expressed in the singing of the anthem, "Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem." It is important, then, that we should understand what these words really mean, for affection is always qualified by truth and aspiration is determined by it. Jerusalem signifies the church as to doctrine and worship, we are told, and peace means everything of that doctrine and worship, for when these are out of heaven from the Lord they are from peace and in peace.
     To seek or pray for the peace of Jerusalem, then, is to open our hearts and minds to the Lord in the Heavenly Doctrine and seek His teaching and leading therein, to the end that all things of doctrine and worship in the church may be out of heaven from the Lord, and not from ourselves. To do this is to worship the Lord from love, from a spiritual love of the New Church in which He reigns.
     When we consider the slow growth of the church on earth and the many difficulties with which it has been and is beset, we can only acknowledge that none of these have been the Lord's doing. Our failures, when and where they occur, are due entirely to the proprium. It is when the things of doctrine are from ourselves and for ourselves, when the loves of self and the world cause dissension, that difficulties arise. If we can acknowledge this, and guard prayerfully against it, we may be certain that the church whose birth anniversary we celebrate this month will be from the Lord, that its doctrine and worship will be from Him out of heaven; and that in His peace it will grow and prosper.

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SON OF MAN AND THE SON OF GOD 1964

SON OF MAN AND THE SON OF GOD       Editor       1964

     Whenever the Lord spoke of His second coming He referred to Himself as the Son of Man. This was done for a specific reason. By the Son of Man, we are taught, is meant the Divine Human from which the Divine truth proceeds, the Lord as to the Word from which is the New Church, and therefore the truth of the church from the Word. That Divine name is used in Scripture whenever the Lord's advent, redemption, salvation and regeneration are treated of; and by the coming of the Son of Man is signified the Lord's presence in the Word and also the Divine truth revealed on earth by His advent.
     We can readily understand, then, that the Second Advent was the coming of the Son of Man. That advent was, essentially, the coming of the Lord in His Divine Human. The Lord made it in and as the Divine truth revealed in the Heavenly Doctrine, that truth which is the truth of the New Church; and His purpose in making it was to effect redemption, to form and establish a new heaven and a new church, and thereby to regenerate and save men. As a result of that advent, the Lord is present in the Word as never before; present in a new way in the Word of the Old and New Testaments, indeed, but present also in the Writings in a way that He was and is not in the Old and New Testament Word.
     Yet although the Lord has come as the Son of Man, in His coming He reveals Himself as the Son of God. That Divine name is at first rather startling to some New Church men, for it seems to run counter to the idea of the Lord's sole Divinity. Yet, when rightly understood, it attests as does no other that He is the one and only God; for it refers to Jehovah God in His Human, and teaches us that the Lord's Human was not only conceived but was also born of Jehovah, and is therefore entirely Divine and the person of the one God. The essential teaching of the new revelation, that which makes it the Second Coming, is that the Lord who gave the Writings is one and the same with Jesus the Christ, and that He is one with Jehovah. Thus is the Son of God revealed by the Son of Man.
VIVAT NOVA ECCLESIA 1964

VIVAT NOVA ECCLESIA       Editor       1964

     It is entirely fitting that the song, Vivat Nova Ecclesia, should have a traditional place in the Academy's commencement exercises. Although the Academy is not a church, but is the arm of the General Church for secondary and higher education, the deeper purpose behind all of its work is the continuance and further development of the Lord's New Church. Without that purpose it would have no real reason for existing.

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     By the very nature of the enterprise in which it is engaged the Academy cannot be an end unto itself. Although it is distinct from the General Church as a corporate body, the two are one as to use and in fact. The Academy relies on the General Church for its faculty, for most of its student body, and for its financial, moral and spiritual support. If these resources were withdrawn, it could not long continue as the body it was chartered to be; and it is not likely that they would continue to be available if it ceased to be faithful to its chartered purposes. The Academy and the General Church walk the same road; yet in so doing the Academy is ready to serve, as it has in the past, the young people of other bodies of the church, hoping that they will be helped to strengthen their own societies when they return to them.
     The Academy's use of propagating the Heavenly Doctrine can be performed apart from its use of engaging in education, but its conviction is that the latter cannot be done effectively if it is separated from the former. New Church education is not merely a process carried on in the environment of the church. Nor is it a program of religious instruction which is added to the curriculum or which takes over in every subject field. It is an education in which the philosophy of subject-matter in every discipline is developed from the Writings and guides in the presentation of that subject-matter.
     So it is that when we watch our young people receive their degrees, diplomas and certificates, we see more than successful preparation to enter the world or to go on to further education. What we hope has been accomplished also is preparation to enter into the uses and responsibilities of the church; that in those who leave the Academy we see a living promise of the continuance and further development of the Lord's New Church on earth, and an assurance of that for which we pray when we sing: Vivat Nova Ecclesia.
HARD SAYINGS: 4. SLOW GROWTH OF THE CHURCH 1964

HARD SAYINGS: 4. SLOW GROWTH OF THE CHURCH       Editor       1964

     At the very beginning of church membership there are always some who find in the teaching of the Writings concerning the slow growth of the New Church a hard saying of a different kind from those that we have been considering. In their joy that they have been brought to the light, their gratitude for the effect this has had upon their lives, and their enthusiasm to share with others the blessings they have received, they feel certain that there must be countless thousands who would respond as they did-if only the church had the means, the methods and the manpower to engage in mass evangelization.

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That the church must first be with a few, and increase successively, seems a hard saying indeed.
     If this were something the church had formulated to compensate for being a minority, or to foster the idea of a spiritual elite, it would, of course, be indefensible. But we are dealing here with some very explicit teachings in the Writings. The faith of the New Church, we are taught, cannot be together with the faith of the former church because they do not at all agree, and if they were together, such a collision and conflict would ensue in the mind that everything of the church with man would perish.
     Therefore the New Church can be formed in the minds of men only as the falsities of the former church are removed from them; as, one by one, they are seen and acknowledged to be false and are rejected. Except as this is done, the truth of the Heavenly Doctrine cannot be received; and that doctrine, which is the doctrine of love and charity, is received by those only who are interiorly affected by truths-those who have cultivated their intellectual faculty and have not destroyed it by the loves of self and the world, or have not confirmed themselves in doctrine and in life in the dogmas of the former church. Further, the church increases on earth according to its increase in the world of spirits, which is from both the church specific and the church universal.

     All of this takes time, and we may safely conclude that Providence would scarcely allow an external extension of the church far in excess of its internal development. However, and here is where serious misunderstanding may arise, the teaching that the church must first be with the few does not sanction complacency or a waiting in patient inactivity until the Lord prepares in some secret way for its extension to the many. Rather is it a call to action: to external evangelization and to the establishment of the church in our own minds and lives.
     Although it is the Lord who prepares men and women for the church, He does so in part through others. How else can the doctrines of the former church be shown to be false, so that men may see and acknowledge them as such and reject them, than through the translating, printing, publishing and dissemination of the Writings! How else can the church be prepared to receive increase than through men and women who are striving to follow the Lord in the regeneration and are faithfully performing the uses of the church. It is indeed best that the church grow slowly under the Lord's leading; and if we will do our part, faithfully and intelligently, we may feel that those whom the Lord has prepared in secret will not be without the means of entering into His church.

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PATERNAL HEREDITY 1964

PATERNAL HEREDITY       AARON B. ZUNGU       1964

Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE:
     In your February issue, under "Our New Church Vocabulary" on the word, heredity, the statement is quoted from the Writings, namely, "paternal heredity can never be eradicated," and nos. 1313, 4317 and 4563 in Arcana Coelestia are quoted. However, no. 4563 does not seem to bring this point out clearly; while no. 1313 does not mention heredity, and perhaps a different number might have been intended in its place, the number which treats of this teaching being 4317.
     Here an aspect of the nature of the Jewish nation is described as deriving from their ancestors, the sons of Jacob and it is said that this nation had a heredity which could not be eradicated by regeneration, "because they would not allow this." This is explained in connection with the regeneration of the spiritual man further down in the number where it is said: "In respect to spiritual things they [the Israelites] could not be tempted because they knew no internal truths and had no internal good, and no one can be tempted except as to what he knows and what he has. Temptations are the veriest means of regeneration. These things are signified by their not allowing regeneration."
     So even in this number it does not appear clearly that the "paternal heredity can never be eradicated." What appears more clearly is that the hereditary evil from the father is more inward, while the hereditary evil from the mother is more outward. "The former cannot be easily rooted out, but the latter can."*
     * AC 4317:4
     On the other hand, we have the teaching, in Arcana Coelestia 1444, that "this infirm nature which man derives hereditarily from the mother is a corporeal something which is dispersed when he is being regenerated, but that which man derives from the father remains to eternity." Now, the question is this: is this "remains to eternity" to be understood to mean the same as "cannot be easily rooted out" in Arcana Coelestia 4317? May we suggest that the two ideas become one in the fact that evils are not rooted out (except the maternal?), but moved from the center of the life of the regenerating man to the circumference of his life, which is the case also in the angel, and that this is what remains there to eternity!
     Your comments, Mr. Editor, would be appreciated.
          AARON B. ZUNGU,
P.O. Ntumeni,
Natal, South Africa

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     [The reference questioned by our correspondent should have been Arcana Coelestia 313, not 1313, and the error is regretted. We believe that Mr. Zungu's suggested reconciliation of the two ideas under discussion is correct. The general teaching is, as he notes, that evil is not eradicated, but is removed from the center to the circumferences of the mind as man is regenerated, and all other teachings about the removal of evil should be understood in the light of this principle. The paternal hereditary is thus removed, not dispersed; but while the regenerate man is withheld from it, it has qualified his life. It might be of use to mention here that the definitions offered in this series are not quotations from the Writings, unless so marked; the references are to key passages on which the definitions are based. EDITOR.]
BRIDE AND WIFE OF THE LORD 1964

BRIDE AND WIFE OF THE LORD              1964

     "It is said that John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, and here (Revelation 21:2) that he saw that city prepared as a bride for her husband; from which also it is evident that the church is meant by Jerusalem, and that he saw this, first as a city and afterwards as a bride-as a city representatively, and as a bride spiritually. Thus he saw it under a twofold idea, one within or above the other, just as the angels do, who, when they see, hear or read of a city in the Word, in the idea of their lower thought perceive a city, but in the idea of their higher thought perceive the church as to doctrine; and if they desire, and pray to the Lord, they see it as a virgin-in beauty and dress according to the quality of the church. Thus has it also been granted me to see the church.
     "By 'prepared' is signified attired for her espousal, and the church is no otherwise made ready for espousal, and afterwards for conjunction or marriage, than by the Word; for this is the only medium of conjunction or marriage, because the Word is from the Lord and concerning the Lord, and thus the Lord; and therefore it is called also the covenant, and a covenant signifies spiritual conjunction. For this end, indeed, the Word was given. That the Lord is meant by 'husband' is plain from verses 10 and 11 of this chapter, where Jerusalem is called 'the bride, the Lamb's wife.' From all this it may be seen that by Jerusalem 'prepared as a bride adorned for her husband' that church is signified, conjoined with the Lord by the Word." (Apocalypse Revealed 881)

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Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     THE HAGUE, HOLLAND

     Looking back on 1963, we members of the Dutch Circle of the General Church have more than one reason to be grateful to the Lord. To begin with, there was the baptism of Mrs. Odhner, which was performed by her husband, the Rev. John D. Odhner, in the month of October. We are very glad that she is a real member of our circle now. In July your correspondent married Mr. Lupker. The wedding service was conducted by the Rev. Frank S. Rose, who came from England for that purpose, Mr. Odhner being in the Congo at that time.
     Financial assistance from the General Church enabled us to rent a room in which we can hold our Sunday services, and where the "Swedenborg Wetenschappelijke Vereniging" (Swedenborg Scientific Society) can have its weekly lectures. This society was founded in 1962 by members of our circle and some other people who are interested in the scientific, philosophical and theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg. We are a small group and are very thankful for the support we have received so far from some private persons. Should there be others among you who would like to become contributing members of our society, please send your gift to our treasurer, Mr. A. Weber, Nieuwersluisstraat 10, The Hague, Holland.
     As usual, the Rev. Frank Rose visited Holland twice, in April and in November. The meetings were attended by some thirty people. On these occasions we had services in which Mr. Rose as well as Mr. Odhner delivered sermons. The other services we had in the course of the year were conducted by Mr. Odhner.
     Mr. Odhner also visited every month a small group of our members in Heemstede and held a class for them. Our small circle is unable to pay Mr. Odhner a salary for this work, or for all that he does for our monthly paper, Nova, and for the "Swedenborg Wetenschappelijke Vereniging"; so besides this work he is engaged full-time as a teacher at the International School in The Hague. Knowing this, you will understand that we feel very much obliged to Mr. Odhner, and very much thankful to the Lord, who gives him the energy and strength to do so much work for the General Church in Holland.
     HETTY ENGELTJES LUPKER

     KITCHENER, ONTARIO

     At our semi-annual meeting in the spring of 1963, the Carmel Church Society voted to name the New Church community which was about to grow around the new church building "Caryndale." This name is made up of Car from Carmel, yn from Bryn, and dale from the hills and dales of the property. The summer which followed saw the first beginnings of the new community. The manse was completed in June and was dedicated at a moving service conducted by Bishop De Charms, after which the Society gathered on the lawn to drink toasts and listen to speeches in honor of the church and the occasion. Then we gathered for our first picnic lunch under the big elm trees in our park area.
     The pastor and his family moved into their new home at the end of June and became the first residents of Caryndale. For a few months they were the only residents, but not for long. During the summer ground was broken for other homes, and by New Year's Day they had four families to call neighbors. There are now twenty-nine people living in Caryndale, and other homes are under construction.

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     The day school opened happily in September with a change in teaching staff. Miss Joan Kuhl is teaching the upper four grades, since Mr. van Zyverden left us in June to take up teaching in Pittsburgh. We miss the cheerful presence of the van Zyverdens at our society activities and wish them success and happiness in their new home and work. We were, however, happy to welcome Miss Joan home to stay. The younger four grades are again being taught by Miss Joey Odhner, who became Mrs. Roger Kuhl at Christmas. The school children did not take long to remember that her name had changed from Miss Joey to Mrs. Kuhl. We were all happy to see the newlyweds in their new home in Caryndale after their honeymoon. We are most grateful to Miss Venita Roschman, who is again teaching kindergarten.
     The highlight of our fall season was being host to the Eastern Canada District Assembly, over which Bishop Pendleton presided. It was a delight to us to be able to hold the Assembly services, meetings, luncheons, banquet and tea all in our new buildings, and to have all the open houses in Caryndale.
     On November 29, instead of the usual Friday doctrinal class, a Society-School Meeting was held. We enjoyed hearing papers by the three teachers: Miss Joan, Miss Joey and Miss Venita.
     Christmas 1963, the second Christmas in our new building, was marked by a spirit of peace as we had by now come to feel at home in our new, beautiful surroundings. We began the celebration of the season with an evening of tableaux of the Christmas story. Mr. and Mrs. Cecil James were hosts in their home to the Society for a delightful Christmas sing, held a few days before Christmas. The chancel was beautifully decorated with greens and candles for the Christmas Eve children's service. After that service the children received gifts from the Society. A lovely representation in the narthex drew our attention as we passed through the door of the chapel. The Christmas morning service filled us with the peace of the season.
     Many happy social events have been held this past winter. A particularly spirited and pleasant New Year's Eve dance was enjoyed by many. In February came a banquet for the adults and a party for the children in honor of Swedenborg's birthday. A highlight for the whole family was the Theta Alpha fun night, with supper and games for all ages. The annual Sons of the Academy Ladies Night was enjoyed in March. A large attendance enjoyed an address by the guest speaker, Mr. Robert H. Johns, a member of the Academy faculty.
     Spring has come again to Caryndale with the hope of new growth. A landscaping committee plans to plant and work to beautify our church property. Homeowners hope to grow grass and trees on their hills of earth, and we look forward to the completion of more new homes this summer.
     RITA K. BRUECKMAN

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS

     Christmas seems a long time ago, and no doubt interest in it has waned by this time, so we shall recall just a few of the highlights.
     There were no tableaux, but large cr?che scenes of the Christmas story were displayed above and behind the altar in Pendleton Hall. Of the four Christmas services, one was set aside for the giving of gifts from the church to the children. The committee in charge had a tremendous task. About two hundred and fifty gifts were presented. The crocheted balls for the babies were worked on all year round by a few of the ladies who do this work year after year. The one to two-year olds received handmade lambs; the two to three year-old girls, handmade doll quilts and pillow sets; the two to three-year old boys, handmade rag dolls; the three to four-year old boys, handmade boats; the four to five-year old girls, handmade doll outfits with doll; the four to five-year old boys, miniature Ford cars; the five-year old boys, prekindergarten, matchbox cars; the five-year old girls, prekindergarten, handmade doll outfits.

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All handmade presents were crafted by various members of the Society. The school children were given large colored prints of famous biblical paintings. The joy of having our college and high school students home, and the warmth of friendship that visitors brought, were large contributions to the happiness of the season. They also made the celebration of the New Year more enjoyable.
     In February the school put on an operetta entitled "Up on Old Smokey." It was acted and sung by the thirty-five pupils of the seventh, eighth and ninth grades, with two separate casts. Each cast performed twice on alternate evenings, commencing on Thursday and continuing through the weekend. The training of the singers, the arranging of the music, and the piano accompaniment were done by Mrs. Warren Harer (Gloria Asplundh) and Mrs. John Barry (Gloria Smith). Mrs. Ralph Synnestvedt (Barbara Barns) again contributed her time and talent as director. This production meant a lot of work, and took a great deal of practice and rearranging of the school schedule; but it was thoroughly entertaining, and it brought much pleasure to the whole society.
     The Easter season started with the celebration of Palm Sunday, at which there was an attendance of four hundred and fifty adults and children. The Rev. Louis King spoke on the spiritual significance of the story, and especially about the representation of the beautiful palm tree.
     Easter Sunday was an extraordinary surprise, as far as the weather was concerned. Glenview awoke to a terrific snowstorm, and by the time services started an eight-inch layer of snow had to be overcome to get to church. It was incongruous to see folks bedecked in their spring finery in a midwinter scene. The heavy snow evoked much joking, but it made quite a mess with boots, leggings, difficult parking, and a sloppy floor in Pendleton Hall. However, the worship elevated our thoughts to spheres above the natural, and we rejoiced in the Easter message.
     Glenview is experiencing severe growing pains. The Immanuel Church must expand its buildings to accommodate increasing numbers. The school needs more room and more teachers. The problem of increasing space will be solved by adding rooms, a stage and a library to Pendleton Hall. After the pastor explained to the Society the desperate need, pledges were made, contributions given and loans floated, and now it is a possibility. We hope to see work begin any day now. The Nineteenth of June is the next big celebration for which we are preparing, and a certain age group is looking forward to school closing.
     VERA G. KITZELMAN

     THE CHURCH AT LARGE

     General Conference. The following note on the Easter Gathering of the General Conference of the New Church, held in Birmingham, April 2-4, 1964, has been received from the Rev. Frank S. Rose.
     For some time many people in the Conference have felt a need for meetings such as we have at our Assemblies. The annual Conference is primarily for the sake of business; discussion is confined to the question before the meeting, and a person may speak only once on a given topic. Besides, those only may take part who are official delegates, or who, as distinguished visitors, are invited to address the Conference.
     At the Conference held in Brightlingsea in June, 1963, it was decided to hold a special gathering "in the week after Easter Week, 1964, open to all our members, in which matters of spiritual importance and the affairs of the organization might be freely discussed." (Minute 99)
     In keeping with this minute, the emphasis at the gathering was on freedom of discussion. There were seven sessions in all: one on Thursday evening, four on Friday, and two on Saturday morning. Among the items discussed were: "Our Task," "The Business of Church Unity," "Home Missionary Techniques" and "Church Order and Organization."

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     I was able to attend on Saturday morning, and learned that the debate on church unity included the question of unity among the various New Church organizations, although the intention was to discuss some kind of co-operation with non-New Church bodies.
     The first Saturday morning session consisted of an address by the Rev. John Elliot on principles of church government as laid down in the Writings. He said that between the two extremes of episcopacy and entirely congregational government there were many forms of government that complied with the teachings in the Writings.
     The final session was devoted to questions put to a panel of four men, two priests and two laymen. There were sixty persons in attendance, including at least twelve ministers.
     The 1964 Annual Conference will be held at Besses o' th' Barn, Lancashire. Meetings will commence on June 22.
     As an experiment in New Church education, the New Church Sunday School Union announces that a summer school will be held at Purley Chase, August 8-15, 1964, for children between the ages of twelve and fifteen years. The Rev. Norman E. Riley has been named Director of the school, and the Rev. Frank S. Rose will be the Headmaster.

     Australia. The Rev. Christopher C. V. Hasler, president of "The New Church in Australia" and pastor of the Brisbane Society, will return to England with his wife and family late this year. The Rev. John E. Teed will move from Sydney to Brisbane to take up the pastorate there in November.
LORD'S ADVENT TO MAN 1964

LORD'S ADVENT TO MAN              1964

     "The Lord's presence is perpetual with every man, the evil as well as the good; far without His presence no man lives. But His advent is to those only who receive Him, who are those that believe in Him and do His commandments. The effect of the Lord's perpetual presence is that man is made rational, and that he can become spiritual. This is effected by the light proceeding from the Lord as a sun in the spiritual world, which man receives in his understanding; and that light is the truth by which he has rationality. But the Lord's advent is to him who conjoins heat with that light, that is, love with the truth; for the heat proceeding from that same sun is love to God and toward the neighbor. The mere presence of the Lord, and enlightenment of the understanding thereby, may be compared to the presence of the light of the sun in the world; unless it is conjoined with heat all things in the world become desolate. But the advent of the Lord may be compared to the advent of heat, which takes place in the springtime; and because heat then conjoins itself with the light, the earth is softened, seeds shoot forth and bear fruit. Such a parallelism exists between the spiritual things in which man's spirit dwells and the natural things in which his body lives." (True Christian Religion 774)

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GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS 1964

GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS       STEPHEN PITCAIRN       1964




     Announcements
     The 1964 Annual Corporation Meetings of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in the Benade Hall Auditorium, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, on Friday, June 12, 1964, at 8:00 p.m., D.S.T. Notices have been mailed.
     STEPHEN PITCAIRN,
          Secretary
BRITISH ASSEMBLY 1964

BRITISH ASSEMBLY       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1964

     The Forty-ninth British Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in London, England, July 17-19, 1964, the Right Rev. George de Charms presiding.
     All members and friends of the General Church are cordially invited to attend.
          WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
               Bishop
PEACE RIVER DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1964

PEACE RIVER DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1964

     The Tenth Peace River District Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held at Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada, August 1-2, 1964, the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton presiding.
     All members and friends of the General Church are cordially invited to attend.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop
MINISTERIAL CHANGES 1964

MINISTERIAL CHANGES              1964

     Candidate Alfred Acton has been appointed, effective after his ordination in June, assistant to the Rev. Louis B. King and resident Minister at Sharon Church, Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Acton, who will take up his duties on August 1, will also teach in the Immanuel Church School, Glenview, Illinois.
     Candidate Peter Martin Buss has been appointed, effective after his ordination in June, assistant to the Pastor of the Olivet Church, Toronto, Canada, and will assume his duties on August 1.
GENERAL CHURCH 1964

GENERAL CHURCH              1964

     Candidates Daniel W. Goodenough, Jr., and Willard D. Heinrichs will assist and gain experience of pastoral work this summer in the Pittsburgh and Kitchener societies, respectively.

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RULING LOVE 1964

RULING LOVE       Rev. LORENTZ R. SONESON       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV          JULY, 1964               No. 7
     "I will not blot out his name out of the Book of life." (Revelation 3:5)

     We read in our third lesson-from the Apocalypse Explained-that the "book of life" signifies heaven. Those who will be in heaven are they whose states, in respect to love and faith, are such that they are fitted for heaven. Those who are prepared for heaven are, in fact, already in heaven as to their interiors even while in this world. If heaven has descended into the heart of a man, descending as love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor, that man is kept in this love to eternity. Thus we read: "I will not blot out his name out of the book of life."
     But let us examine in closer detail just what is meant by the "book of life." It is a misconception common in the world today that there is actually in existence somewhere, presumably at heaven's gateway, a book in which all the acts and thoughts of each individual are being recorded. This book is referred to when man seeks entrance into paradise, and a judgment is made by weighing all the factors that have been entered in it. A judge, presumably unbiased, comes to a final decision as to the destinations of all those who leave this world. Man's eternal abode, whether in heaven or in hell, is determined by the record of events written in the book of life.
     Now in a sense this is, of course, true. There is a record of all that man has ever said, thought and felt; but it is not written in some distant ledger. The book of life is carried within each man and is known as his interior memory. Therein is recorded all that a man experiences while in this world, without any exception. This memory within every man is taken with him to the spiritual world when he leaves his earthly body behind. We are not aware of the process of recording in it while we are in the natural world, yet it is going on every moment of our natural lives. In this connection we read: "The memory of all these things the man has with him when he comes into the other life, and he is successively brought into full recollection of them.

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This is his book of life, which is opened in the other life, and according to which he is judged. Men can scarcely believe this, but yet it is most true. All the ends which to him have been in obscurity, and all the things he has thought, together with everything that from these he has spoken and done, down to the smallest point, are in that book, that is, in the interior memory, and [can be] made manifest before the angels as in clear day."*
     * AC 2474
     Man has an exterior memory, too. That memory, of which we are conscious and which we utilize while in this world, records every personal event as well. However, our ability to recall conscious thought is not always as perfect as we might desire it to be. Nevertheless the memory of our experiences, as well as of the thoughts and affections associated with them, operates continually throughout our lives.

     The interior memory, we may say, is the memory of the spirit, while the exterior memory is proper to the body.* These two work as one, yet are distinct from each other. "To the exterior memory, which is proper to man living in the world, pertain all the words of languages, also the objects of the outer senses, and also the knowledges that belong to the world. To the interior memory pertain the ideas of the speech of spirits, which are of the inner sight, and all rational things, from the ideas of which thought itself comes into existence."**
     * AC 2469
     ** AC 2471
     These two classes of things are distinct from each other. Man does not know this because he does not reflect upon it; also, he is in corporeal things, and can withdraw his mind from them only with difficulty. Furthermore, we are told, things of the exterior memory vanish, as it were, when they become part of man's life. When ideas, truths and concepts are brought into one's life, they become part of man's will; and to become part of the Will is to become part of the man himself.*
     * AC 9349:4
     We take special note of this in connection with man's book of life. It is the teaching that all the knowledges which man acquires while he is in this world are arranged and disposed in a most specific pattern. This form and arrangement differ with every man, for knowledges are made one with man according to his loves. As man's loves are changing, so are the arrangements of his body of truths. With a regenerating man, we are told, there is a continual commotion among the truths with him as conjunction takes place between the good of the internal man and the truths of the external.* The arrangement of man's loves is established accordingly into a pattern by what man loves above all else.

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This general or principal love is called in the Writings man's ruling love.
     * AC 5881

     The Writings speak much of this reigning love in man because it is the very man himself. "The very life of man," we read, "is his love, and such as the love is, such is the life, yea, such is the whole man. But it is the governing or ruling love which constitutes the man. That love has many loves subordinate to it, which are derivations. These appear under another form, but still they are all in the ruling love and constitute with it one kingdom. The ruling love is as their king and head; it directs them, and through them as mediate ends it regards and intends its own end, which is the primary and ultimate end of them all. . . . That which is of the ruling love is what is loved above all things."*
     * JD 54
     All the delights enjoyed by man are from the delights of his ruling love. Whatever satisfies him, whatever pleases him, is the result of some love within him, and that which delights him most of all is that which he loves above all other things.* Since no man has exactly the same ruling love as any other man, their variety is as great as there are men and spirits and angels. For this reason everyone's face is different in the other world, for the face reflects man's ruling love.**
     * HH 486
     ** Ibid.
     Although each man is different, the ruling loves of men can be classified under two general heads, namely, love to the Lord and love of self. Thus it is evident that man's ruling love determines whether he will be in heaven or in hell, or rather, whether heaven or hell is within him! When we read that the universal ruling love in heaven is love to the Lord, we understand that all there have similar ruling loves, though with indefinite variety.
     Everyone has many loves, but all are subordinate to and make one with his ruling love-that which brings him the greatest delight. It is this love, ruling in each one of us, that awaits each of us after death. An interior man is being built within us secretly as we make our choices in this world. Our choices determine which loves we wish to confirm as part of us, those delights which we seek for our happiness. Each day we are molding the form in which we will appear in the spiritual world.
     In the other world we are not conscious at first of what our true nature is, but come to realize it only gradually. The wiser angels, however, know what our ruling affection is when we utter a few words. Just by hearing him speak, such angels can tell the character of another's life. Our words, and thus our thoughts, convey to the learned observer our ruling love, thus the total man. "[The angels] know also that man's book of life is nothing else."*
     * HH 236

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     Man is not so aware of his ruling love while he is in this world. He can catch some glimpse of it, provided he is honest in his examination of himself. The nature of that which reigns universally can be known from the delight one feels when it succeeds, and from the Pain when it does not succeed. In this world we are not always successful in keeping the ruling affection from showing in the face. In the other world, that which reigns universally with man makes the visible presence of his spirit. There his affection shows especially in the face.*
     * AC 7648
     "It is therefore the part of a wise man to know the ends that are in him. Sometimes it appears that his ends are for self when yet they are not so; for it is the nature of man to reflect upon himself in everything, and this from custom and habit. But if anyone desires to know the ends that are within him, let him merely pay attention to the delight he perceives in himself from the praise and glory of self, and to the delight he perceives from use separate from self; if he perceives this latter delight, he is in genuine affection."*
     * AC 3796
     This kind of examination is impossible for those who are in the love of self above all else, and who also refuse to be instructed by those who are wise. Those who are in such confirmed evil are also blind to the truth about themselves.* The king, or the reigning love, permits only that which aids and expands his court and kingdom. His attendants are falsities, his ministers are as insanities, permitting fallacies and illusions to appear as truths to the ruling love.**
     * HH 486
     ** DP 113

     One might think that a ruling love is active at certain times, and at others not in command of the man. But that is not so. Every man always has something which he loves above all other things. This is constantly present in his thought and in his will, and therefore makes his very life.* For example, one who loves riches above all other things continually ponders how he may obtain them. He rejoices inmostly when he acquires them, and grieves when he loses them, for his heart is in them. The selfish man regards himself in everything. He thinks, speaks and acts for the sake of himself, for his life is the life of self.** This love is present even when he is doing something else, and when he does not suppose it to be present in his mind.***
     * AC 8853
     ** HD 55
     *** AC 8067
     Man can deceive himself by saying that what he knows and understands is also what he loves. Truths may be in the memory, such as the truth that happiness comes through serving one's fellow man unselfishly; but unless those truths have become part of man's life by being practiced, they do not bring delight to his ruling love.*
     * HD 58

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     What a man loves is in front of him constantly; it is foremost in his mind. In the other world this is literally true. Although angels turn their faces and bodies in every direction, their ruling love is ever before them. In heaven that is in general love to the Lord, for their love to Him rules with them; but the law holds true even in particulars. Man radiates a sphere of his ruling love all around him. What he loves, therefore, is ever in front of him; and because he cannot change his ruling love once he has left this earth, he remains in its environment to eternity.*
     * HH 143

     He is led to the final abode of his loves through the world of spirits. With each state through which a spirit is led he comes to see his ruling love more clearly. Finally, all is removed from him that is not his, and he is alone with his loves and in the company of those with similar loves. We are told that in the spiritual world ways are seen, laid out like paths in the natural world. Some of these roads lead to heaven, and some to hell; but the ways leading to hell are not visible to those who are going to heaven, and the ways leading to heaven are unseen by those who are going to hell. There are countless pathways of this kind: roads leading to every society of heaven and to every society of hell. Each spirit enters the way which leads to the society of his own ruling love. Thus it is that each spirit, as he turns himself to his ruling love, goes freely and willingly toward it.*
     * DLW 145
     The man who has love to the Lord as his ruling love receives an influx from the Lord which arranges each and every thing in him into a heavenly form. Heaven is in the man because his love is the love of heaven! This is what makes an angel to be a heaven in the smallest form; and when those in similar ruling loves are gathered into societies, they make a heaven in a larger form.* Ruling loves distinguish the degrees of heaven. They determine also the degrees of hell, where spirits of similar loves are gathered together. Everything in the spiritual world is oriented according to love.
     * HH 59
     From these teachings we can see that a man's ruling love is his very esse; and since all that a man thinks and does is from what he loves, then the memory of man is really a record of his loves. Furthermore, since man's knowledges are arranged according to his loves, beginning with his ruling love in the very center, so also is man's interior memory so arranged. The final form of his memory is the final form of man in the spiritual world.

306



     Man's book of life is more than a record and a judgment of his choice of loves while he lives in the world. The whole story of his life is written on his face and form. More important, he appears in the other world as he wishes to appear. He is in the company of those who delight in similar loves and seek the same environment as he does. His ruling love dominates his environment. He desires to be in no other state or place than that which is in keeping with the longing of his heart, that which he holds nearest and dearest to him. Neither judgment nor direction is necessary for those entering the world of spirits. Love leads and conjoins man to his lot there, and nothing is changed within him after he leaves the natural world. This is promised in the words of the Lord given in our text: "I will not blot out his name out of the book of life."
     However, our life is not fixed in this world. Here we are free to choose; there we are free only to pursue the ruling love in which we have confirmed ourselves. Our life in this world determines the road we will instinctively follow when we pass into the next world. The knowledges we seek, the goals we pursue, all give subtle clues, outlining to us our ruling love. Let it be our fervent hope and earthly ambition to allow the Lord Himself to be the King in the center of our lives! Let His court in us be administered by truths, and let the delights of heaven reign in us!
     Let us sing with the Psalmist, who wrote: "How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even Thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God."* Amen.
     * Psalm 84:1-3

     LESSONS: Psalm 69:12-28. Revelation 3:1-13. AE 199.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 438, 455, 474.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 46, 101.
GOLDEN JUBILEE 1964

GOLDEN JUBILEE       Editor       1964

     The entire church will, we believe, wish to congratulate the Right Rev. George de Charms and the Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner, who, on June 28, marked the fiftieth anniversary of their inauguration into the priesthood. Although Bishop De Charms and Dr. Odhner have officially retired, both continue to take an active part in the uses of the General Church and the Academy, to which they have contributed between them a century of devoted service, and their valued counsel is still available. THE EDITOR

307


ASCENSION OF THE DIVINE HUMAN 1964

ASCENSION OF THE DIVINE HUMAN       Rev. B. DAVID HOLM       1964

     Its Place and Purpose in the Lord's Glorification and in Man's Regeneration

     A STUDY

     (Continued from the May issue.)

     II. THE ASCENSION'S PLACE IN THE GLORIFICATION

     Review

     In an earlier article we began a study of the Lord's ascension into the heavens forty days after His resurrection from the sepulcher. The historical event of the Ascension was considered as recorded in the Gospels of Luke and Mark and in the book of Acts. We noted that what the disciples witnessed when the risen Lord was parted from them, and carried up into heaven,"* was a representative vision-a vision fulfilling both the prophecies of the Old Testament and the Lord's words when on earth. "Now will I rise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up Myself."** "No man hath ascended up to heaven but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven."***
     * Luke 24:51
     ** Isaiah 33:10               
     *** John 3:13
     Also, something of the history of the celebration of the Ascension, both in the Christian Church and in the New Church, was traced. We saw that the occasion was marked with a special stress from an early time in the Christian era, and that this remains true today with a number of the churches. We noted further that the Ascension has been mentioned in the major creeds since the second century. Within the New Church as well, it was pointed out, opportunity to celebrate the event has been provided in various New Church liturgies up to the present day. We mentioned also that in the General Church no special stress is laid on Ascension Day, but that there is, nevertheless, material enough in our liturgy to make the celebration of it possible.
     Concerning the doctrinal aspects of the Ascension, we noted that there had been little published study on the subject in the New Church. It was observed that this was both because of our youth as a church and because the Heavenly Doctrine has but little to say directly on the subject. Yet we cited the importance of the Ascension, both from the very nature of the event itself and from the many references to it in the Old and New Testaments.

308


This, together with the manner in which the Writings refer to the Ascension, led us to the statement that the Ascension must have had a prominent place in the central purpose of the Lord's glorification, namely, the uniting of the Human with the Divine in order that mankind might be saved.
     The passages from the Writings which were stressed last time are the following. "As the Lord ascended into heaven with the Divine and the Human united into one, it follows that His Human substance or essence is just the same as His Divine substance or essence."* "'To go up' involves elevation to interior things, and when predicated of the Lord it signifies elevation to the Divine."** "To ascend to His Father signifies the uniting of His Human with the Divine, the human from the mother being fully rejected."*** "After the unition was accomplished, He returned into the Divine in which He was from eternity, together with and in the glorified Human."**** Added to these there is another related statement: "The Lord ascended into heaven with His Human glorified even to the ultimates."*****
     * Lord 35:11          
     ** AC 4578
     *** AE 899:14          
     **** Can. 25. (See AC 3737 and references.)
     *****AE 1087

     From these teachings we concluded that the Ascension must be intimately connected with the final phase of the glorification of the Lord's Human. Involved is the elevation of the Human to the Divine life and the consequent unition of the two into complete oneness. Indeed, from both sections quoted from the Apocalypse Explained, the very event of the Lord's ascension would seem to mark that elevation and unition; while it is clear from the passage in the Cartons that the elevation and unition spoken of resulted in the Lord's return "into the Divine in which He was from eternity." Is not this return the very ascension itself! Such was the conclusion we reached in the last article, for the Lord's return was "with and in the glorified Human." This was the Human He took on and made Divine in the world. It was the return of this Human that was witnessed representatively by the disciples forty days after the Resurrection.
     We noted also that the return of the glorified Human was "into the Divine in which He was from eternity." Thus by His advent into the world He descended from the Divine, and after glorification He returned by ascension to the Divine. We termed this descent and ascent the Divine cycle, and stressed the conclusion that the Ascension itself marked the closing or termination of this cycle, and thus the completion of the glorification and the salvation of mankind.

309




     The Descent of the Human

     When the Lord was on earth He spoke of His descent from and return to the Divine in the following way. "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world, and go to the Father."* Concerning this passage from John we are taught: "By 'coming forth from the Father' is meant that the Divine itself assumed the Human; by 'coming into the world,' that He was a man; and by 'going again to the Father,' that He would unite the Human essence to the Divine essence."**
     * John 16:28
     ** AC 3736

     To understand better the place of the Ascension in this cycle of the glorification process we should review briefly the teachings concerning the descent of the Divine Human into the world. Here we can hope only to summarize the major points of the doctrine as they apply to the Ascension.
     We are taught that the Lord took on the Human in order to enter into the ultimate planes of truth, such as they were with men in the world, and thus take those planes upon Himself.* It was necessary for Him to do this because mankind had essentially rejected its reception of the truth as it flowed through the heavens.** The Human that He took on in the world, then, was an ultimate Human on the planes of natural truth. Therefore it is sometimes called in the Writings the Divine natural.*** Also it is called simply the Divine Human or Human essence, and care must be taken to determine just what is meant when the Divine Human is mentioned.
     * AR 798; AE 1087:4
     ** AR 798; AE 1087:4
     *** Q ii; DLW 233
     For it is said that the Lord had a Divine Human before His coming into the world. This Human is generally defined as the Divine existere from the Divine esse.* It has always existed, for neither angels nor men can have communication with the Infinite itself.** This Human is defined in several ways in the Writings,*** but here we will refer to it as the prior or former Human. From the passages referred to immediately above we note that this former Human is not only eternal and identified with the Divine existere or Divine truth, but is also identified with truth proceeding from the Divine to the heavens. Thus it is closely associated with the spiritual sun and the "Word" or Logos of the first chapter of John.**** Further, it is associated with the Divine celestial and Divine spiritual degrees of accommodation to the heavens spoken of in several places in the doctrine as having existed prior to His coming to earth.*****

310


Here we would stress, as important to the doctrine of the Ascension, that this prior Divine Human is said to have been "not so completely one with the Divine itself as when the Lord made it in Himself altogether one."******
     * AC 6880
     ** AE 183:10
     *** AC 2803:3, 2814, 3061:2, 3251:11 4687:2, 5110:2, 3, 5663, 6000:7; DLW 221; Ath. 116-120, 177; Q ii, vi.
     **** AC 1530e; DLW 233; TCR 641:2-4
     ***** DLW 233; AC 2069:3; Coro. 51; SS 6
     ****** AC 6000:7
     Again, this former Human is described as the "Divine transflux" through the celestial heaven, and it was the "Divine man which was presented to view when Jehovah so appeared."* Here is called to mind the familiar teaching about the "angel of Jehovah" appearing to men before the Lord's birth.** But it would appear to be open to question whether the "Divine transflux" or "angel of Jehovah" can be said to be identical with the prior Human described in the paragraph above. The prior Human would seem to be essentially the Divine truth proceeding or accommodated to the heavens, while the other appears to be this Divine truth as received by heaven and transmitted through heaven to men in the world. Further, it is closely identified with the angelic rational reception of Divine truth.*** However, this Human in the heavens is also referred to as the Divine Human before the Advent.**** But in the church we have often called it the Human Divine, or the "borrowed Human," and for clarity's sake we will so term it here.
     * AC 6371:
     ** AC 6831
     *** Q ii
     **** AC 3061, 6371:2, 10579:4; Q vi

     That the prior Human and the borrowed Human are distinct is confirmed by the passage which states that the borrowed Human ceased after the Lord made the natural degree in Himself Divine.* But the prior Human, together with its celestial and spiritual degrees, did not cease, but rather was united with the natural degree when the natural was glorified.**
     * AC 6371:2
     ** AC 3251e, 4687:2, 5110:3
     We are told that the Lord took on the plane of the borrowed Human when He came into the world, thus when He took on the finite human from the virgin Mary.* Essentially the plane of the borrowed Human was an interior rational degree of reception, such as was with the angels;** and it would seem to have consisted in an ability to receive both the Divine celestial and Divine spiritual-of the Divine truth proceeding-in a rational way.*** Is this not what is meant when we are told that the Lord alone was born a celestial and spiritual man!****
     * AC 6371:2
     ** AC 4675, 5145:2, 5150, 5689:2. Cf. AC 2069:3
     *** AC 5145:2, 5150
     **** AC 1434e, 4592:3
     In addition to this rational degree, the Lord, of course, took on by birth the lower degrees of reception such as are with men in the world. These were purely natural, and indeed sensual.

311


Thus the rational together with the merely natural constituted the finite human which the Lord took on in the world. In the broadest sense, these two made up the ultimate or natural degree which the Lord, it is said, put on over the two degrees-the Divine celestial and spiritual-of the former Human.*
     * DLW 221. Cf. AC 3017
     So it was that the Lord descended through degrees, from the infinite life itself to the very ultimates of man. Thus He "bowed the heavens, and came down."*
     * Psalm 18:9

     The Union of the Divine Essence with the Human Essence

     We have emphasized this descent of the Divine through degrees into the world because of its bearing upon the Ascension. As the Lord descended according to degrees, so He ascended according to the same degrees. Indeed, throughout His life in the world, the glorification process was a successive descent of His Divine essence into His Human essence; and in turn a successive ascent of the Human essence into the Divine essence.* This is the Divine cycle of which we spoke earlier, and each state of His life was an image of this cycle.
     * AC 2033, 2523:2; Lord 35:7
     As to His internals, because of His Divine conception, the Lord on earth was both the Divine itself, Divine good, and the former Human, Divine truth.* This is What appears to be meant generally by His Divine essence. However, as to the external or finite human, He was a receptive vessel of the truth of the Divine essence.** But this finite human cannot be called the Human essence in any but a receptive sense; for by the Human essence is meant, apparently, the presence or reception of the Divine essence on the finite human planes.***
     * AC 3251, 5307:2. See Ac 3017
     ** AC 5417
     ** See AC 2649:2, 4, 2625:4
     The very purpose of the Lord's life was that this Human essence be established and become the Divine truth. This could be accomplished only by the Divine essence-the Divine truth within which is Divine good-flowing into the several degrees of the finite human. In this way these degrees were first formed into recipients of Divine truth, and at last into the Divine truth itself on these planes, even the most ultimate.* This was the Human essence the Lord took on in the world, and by it He became Divine truth on mankind's own planes, instructing men immediately from Himself.** In no other way could heaven be safeguarded and men be saved.**
     * AC 1603:2, 3318e, 9670:4, 10730
     ** AC 9818:14
     *** AC 2554; Lord 33:3
     This was, however, a successive process. By birth the Lord merely took on the rudiments of the finite human, as is the case with men.*

312


Only through development was this Human established. For this to be accomplished two things were necessary: first, there had to be constant influx from the Divine essence; second, there had to be the continual development of vessels in the finite in order that the Divine might be received. These finite vessels were scientifics and knowledges from the senses. The influx from the Divine was from things highest successively to things lowest, or from internals to externals;** but the development of the knowledges was from lowest to highest, or from the sensual to the celestial.*** It is the same with our development; but with the Lord, because of His Divine essence, the knowledges were adapted in such a way that they "should afterwards become vessels to receive the Divine."****
     * AC 1450
     ** AC 1495
     *** AC 1495, 4585:2, 1545
     **** AC 1460
     Thus through the remains of infancy, childhood and youth-and also through the knowledges successively gathered during the same periods-the Lord's Human essence was established. The influx from the Divine essence was received in the knowledges of the finite human, and the two were brought into communication on all planes-celestial, spiritual, rational, natural and sensual.* Of course, this was not accomplished at once, but successively throughout His formative years. Yet in each phase and in each degree there was both influx from the Divine and reception and response from the Human. There was both descent and ascent by which the Divine ever increasingly approached the Human, and the Human the Divine.** The result of this, in the first phase of the glorification, was the reception of the Divine in the finite and the consequent establishment of the Human essence.
     * See AE 918:11
     ** AC 2137

     The next phase was the ordering of this Human essence so that the Divine essence could be conjoined with the Human. This was done by the ordering of the knowledges. Knowledges receptive of the Divine are truths: not Divine truth itself, but rather truths in which the Divine can be present, such as are with the regenerating man. Thus we are taught that before the Lord glorified His Human essence He ordered it, that is, made it holy, regenerated it, and brought it into correspondence with the Divine.* This was essential, for only as the external was brought into order "so as not to impede" could "the internal man or Jehovah act as one with the external, or with the Lord's Human essence."** His Human essence, then, first became a recipient of life before it became life itself.*** As such it became truth from the Divine on all planes of human reception.****

313


This is also referred to in the Writings as the truth of the Lord's Human Divine.*****
     * AC 3017, 4559, 3182:2, 3660:2
     ** AC 1603               
     *** AC 5256
     **** AC 5331
     *****AC 2814, 2813, 2795e

     Again there was response on all planes of the Human essence; for the ordering of the Human was accomplished through the combats of temptation, even from the Lord's earliest childhood.* It is always truth that fights evil.** With the Lord, it was the truth Divine as received by the various degrees of His Human essence that was tempted and from which He faced the hells and conquered.*** This was done successively in each degree until the whole of the Human was ordered. The hells could not tempt or even approach the Divine itself in Him, nor His Divine Human, for they were above all temptation. But the hells could approach and tempt the truth Divine of His Human Divine.**** Indeed we are told that His Human essence was left to itself to fight and conquer from its own power-the power of truth Divine.*****
     * AC 1661:5
     ** AC 1685               
     *** AC 2795e
     **** AC 2814               
     ***** AC 2025:5, 5005 and references
     This truth Divine is described as "rational truth such as the angels have."* This was the Lord's Human essence itself, for "the human begins in the inmost of the rational, and extends itself thence to man's external."** It was such truth that "was no longer acknowledged when the Lord came into the world, and therefore it was that from which the Lord underwent and endured temptations."*** This again calls to mind the teachings about the borrowed Human or Divine transflux through the heavens appearing to men as the angel of Jehovah before the Advent. Is not the truth Divine of the Lord's Human Divine on the same plane as this borrowed Human? Did not the Lord put on "just that which was with the angels of the celestial kingdom" in actuality only through the combats of temptation when He ordered His Human essence and made it the truth Divine?**** Indeed was not this truth Divine on the same plane as the celestial and spiritual degrees of angelic reception?***** If such is the case, then the ordering of the Human essence and the consequent establishment of the truth Divine in the Lord's Human Divine would mark a vital step in the ascent of the Human to the Divine, for it would mark the full development of the finite degrees of the Human essence.
     * AC 2814               
     ** AC 2016
     *** AC 2813               
     **** AC 6371:2
     ***** See footnote 28, AC 2069:3

     The next general phase of the glorification was the formation of the Divine Human from the Human Divine.

314


Again there was both descent and ascent, or reception and response on all planes of the Human essence. We know that when a man is in temptation the Divine is inmostly present with him, and so it was with the Lord's Human essence. Thus successively on each plane, while He was conquering in temptations, "an inmost and thus a complete union was effected between the Divine of the Lord and His natural Human essence."*
     * TCR 126

     By conquering in temptation from its own power, the Lord's Human essence responded to this inmost presence of the Divine. The result of this response was the expulsion of all hereditary evil from the mother, and the purification of the "organic things of His Human essence" so that "these, too, received life." Thus the Lord, "being already life as to His internal man, became life as to His external man also."* We are taught also that the Lord made "Himself Divine even to the vessels, that is, as to the truths."** It should be noted that these passages refer to the disorders and limitations of the Lord's whole finite human-sensual, natural, rational, and even spiritual and celestial. Through the combats of temptations He rejected human disorders from things sensual to the plane of spiritual and celestial reception.*** Indeed we are taught that the Lord "in temptations at last fought with the angels themselves, nay, with the whole angelic heaven."**** These are said to have been the inmost temptations of all, and thereby He rejected even the plane of angelic reception or the Human borrowed from the heavens which He had put on Himself.***** Thus, from being truth Divine, the Human essence of the Lord, successively as to each degree, became the Divine truth itself in the natural-the Divine natural Human. The Human essence was now not only conceived of Jehovah but also born of Him.******
     * AC 1603:2
     ** AC 3318e               
     *** AC 5331; AE 918:11
     **** AC 4295               
     ***** AC 6371:2
     ****** AC 3061
     The Lord's natural Human, then, underwent definite changes during His life on earth. In His formative years the Human essence was established to receive the Divine essence as to the celestial, spiritual, rational, natural and sensual. Then, by means of temptations, the whole of His Human was ordered so as to receive the Divine inflowing as truth Divine. At last it was glorified, again on each plane, by the rejection of all that was finite. Thus each plane of the natural became Divine truth itself on that plane. The Divine had truly descended and united the Divine to the natural Human.

315




     The Union of the Human Essence with the Divine Essence

     The constant descent of the Divine essence and constant ascent of the Human essence is called in the Writings the reciprocal union.* In the preceding section we have considered mainly how the Divine descended and how the Human responded by approaching the Divine on each degree. However, more is implied by this reciprocal union than the presence of the Divine in the Human essence and the response thereof to it. This is but the first major division of the glorification process-the union of the Divine with the Human-by means of which the Human essence became the Divine natural Human. Of course there was something of reciprocation in each degree of the Human essence in order for this first conjunction to be effected. As we have seen, there was both descent and ascent in every phase of the Lord's life.
     * AC 2004
     Yet we must view this cycle of descent and ascent in a broader way if we are to grasp the importance of the Ascension as a doctrine. For the Human did not only respond to and receive the Divine; it also returned to the Divine. We are taught that "with all unition, unless it is reciprocal it is not full.* "As regards the Lord's life itself, it was a continual advance of the Human to the Divine, even to absolute union."** "He ascended continuously to glorification, that is, to union."*** By the glorification, then, is meant not only the union of the Divine with the Human essence but also the full union of the Human with the Divine essence. This was the second major part of the glorification, and it is important to note that this was done by the Human essence from its own power.****
     * Lord 35:8
     ** AC 2523               
     *** AC 2033
     **** AC 2004               
     As we have seen, the Divine good itself, Jehovah, descended by means of the Divine truth, the former Human, and was received by the Human essence. It was received first as truth Divine, but by glorification it became Divine truth itself in the natural. Now, as the Human became Divine natural truth, so it was able to return or ascend to the Divine good itself, implanting its truth in the Divine good.* Concerning this we are told: "The Human essence was conjoined with the Divine essence by degrees according to the multiplication and fructification of knowledges. . . . The Lord from His own power conjoined His external man with His internal man, and filled His knowledges with celestial things, and implanted them in celestial things, and this, in fact, according to Divine order; first in the celestial things of His childhood, next in the celestial things of the age between childhood and infancy, and finally in the celestial things of His infancy; and thus at the same time became, as to the Human essence, innocence itself and love itself."**
     * AC 3030
     ** AC 1616:5

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     As the scientifics and knowledges of the Human were infilled and became Divine truths, so the Human advanced through all its degrees to meet the Divine.* This was done through a progressive return through the remains of His formative years, as the quotation above makes clear, and as does the following: "Remains in the Lord's case were possessions of celestial goods by which He united the Human essence to the Divine essence."** Thus was the Human implanted in the Divine, and this implantation took place successively and continually throughout His life, "so that there might be in everything a marriage of the Human with the Divine and of the Divine with the Human."***
     * AC 2574, 4585, 3030:6
     ** AC 1988:2
     *** AC 2574

     This continual process of infilling of the Human with the Divine and implantation of the Human in the Divine is the very reciprocal union itself-the Divine marriage of good with truth and of truth with good in the Lord.* Good is ever the ground which must be provided in which the seed of truth must be implanted. It is ever an innate quality within good to seek out its truth, and an innate quality within truth to seek out its good.** In the Lord's case, the good inflowing was Divine and life itself, which formed for itself Divine truths in the natural. His natural truth-by process of glorification-was also Divine, and sought to unite itself in every way with the Divine good. Thus we are taught: "From good, which is Jehovah, He united the Divine essence to the Human essence, and from truth He united the Human essence to the Divine essence."***
     * AC 2649
     ** HD 15
     *** AC 2025:5
     The Human, then, ascended from truth to good in its union with the Divine. We are told that "the Lord's glorification proceeded from truth to the good of truth, and finally to good."* It is essential for us to understand this thoroughly if we are to understand the absolute need for the Human to ascend to the Divine. This is, perhaps, the most important aspect of the ascension doctrine, and in order to understand it better let us trace the same process in our regeneration; for man is regenerated according to the same laws of order, on the finite plane, as those by which the Lord glorified His natural.**
     * AC 4538:2
     ** AC 10730
     Truth, on whatever plane, is only a form, a receptacle, a vessel of life. It is never life, for good is life. Thus it is ever a law of Divine order that man is led by means of truth to good, or, what is the same, that in man truth be conjoined with good. In no other way can man be led to life, and so live himself.

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For man to be led by truth is absolutely necessary in the beginning of his regeneration, for it is only by the acceptance and following of truth that he learns what good is. Yet this is not good itself. Indeed it is said to be contrary to genuine order, for it is essentially artificial. The state in which truth rules is largely one of self-compulsion and obedience and is thus relatively non-free. This state must be changed to one in which good rules if man is to be fully regenerated, or, indeed, more than reformed. This so important change is effected slowly throughout a lifetime of regeneration.
     It is effected through definite degrees. The first of regeneration is to know truth, the second is to will truth, the third is to be affected with truth and thus come into charity, while the fourth is the celestial of love which is good itself.* "When the regenerate man, or he who is born anew, arrives at this stage, the Lord appears to him, for he has then ascended from the lowest step, as by a ladder, up to the step where the Lord is."** Thus by loving the truth and living it with joy man comes into good, for truth that is joyfully loved and lived becomes good. By means of truth, as a vehicle, man comes into good and thus into the presence of the Lord. Only then can he be said to be regenerate and alive. That is the whole purpose of life in this world for man.*** So important is this that the Heavenly Doctrine stresses it as few other teachings are stressed. This is brought out, both directly and indirectly, in passages almost innumerable, and the serious reader is urged to consult at least the passages referred to below.****
     * AC 3882               
     ** AC 3882
     *** AC 4538:2-5
     **** AC 6396, 7923, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8512, 8513, 8516, 8517
     The same was the case with the Lord's glorification of His Human essence, that is, its unition with the Divine good itself. "When the Lord was in the world," we are told, "He first made His Human Divine truth; but when He went out of the world, He made His Human Divine good through a union with the Divine itself that was in Him. . . . The Lord does the like with the man whom He is regenerating; He first imbues him with truths, and afterwards by means of the truths He conjoins him with Himself . . . for the regeneration of man is an image of the glorification of the Lord; that is, as the Lord glorified His Human, so He regenerates man."* "When the Lord made His Human Divine, He advanced in a like order to that in which He makes man new by regeneration, namely, from what is external to interior things, thus from the truth which is the ultimate of order to a good which is interior and is called spiritual good, and from this to celestial good."**
     * AC 10730
     ** AC 4585:2
     Thus from its own power the Human essence ascended through degrees by means of truth: from the sensuous through the natural to the rational, thus from the lowest of the natural Human proper to its highest.*

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At the same time, the Divine essence, having already formed truth for itself in the natural, now met those ascending truths, uniting them with good.** Thus there was a full marriage of the Human with the Divine and of the Divine with the Human on each plane.*** In its ascent toward the Divine, each degree of the natural Human was conjoined with the degree above-the sensual with the natural, and the natural with the rational.**** Thus did the whole Divine natural, even as to the body, ascend to the Divine.*****
     * AE 918:11; AC 1425:2     
     ** AC 2063:3
     *** AC 2574               
     **** AC 4009
     ***** AC 2083:2
               
     But the ascent of the Divine natural Human had one more definite phase before its full unition with the Divine itself. This was the unition of the Divine natural with the former Human or Human from eternity. It is taught that "the Divine Human which is from eternity [is that] from which came forth and to which He reduced or brought the Human that was born in time when He glorified it."* By coming into the world, the Lord put on the natural degree over His two prior degrees, the Divine celestial and the Divine spiritual. Now, by ascending after glorification, the Divine natural was conjoined with the two prior degrees of the Human from eternity. "After He assumed the natural Human, and united this, when glorified, to His Divine, [He] then conjoined into one in Himself the Divine celestial, the Divine spiritual, and the Divine natural."** The result of this unition was the uplifting of the Human from eternity; for we are told, concerning the former Human, "the same the Lord lifted up [took up] (suscepit) when He glorified or made Divine the Human in Himself."***
     * AC 3251
     ** Coro. 51
     *** AC 5110:3
     Is not this what is meant by the passage which teaches that the Divine Human from eternity "was not so completely one with the Divine itself as when the Lord made it in Himself altogether one?"* Thus the Divine natural Human united with the Divine Human from eternity constituted the glorified Divine Human which ascended to union with the Divine itself.** The form of the Divine was made one with the substance of the Divine; the existere one with the esse of God; the Divine truth one with the Divine good. The Divine cycle had been closed. This is stated simply in the Writings as follows: "In the Lord a plenary conjunction or eternal union with Jehovah was wrought, so that His very Human essence is Jehovah."*** Yet, marvelous to say, it is Jehovah in His Human; for this is the meaning of the name, "the Lord."****
     * AC 6371:2               
     ** AC 6831
     *** AC 1745e               
     **** TCR 81

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     The Ascended Lord

     This is the ascended Lord whom we can truly love and worship, and with whom we can intelligently co-operate. "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you."* He is ever near and visible to whoever seeks Him from love, for He descended to all planes of finite limitation and disorder. He dealt with all limitation and disorder, and so entered into all degrees of human reception of truth, from the angelic rational to the lowest sensual reception. Indeed He became that truth: Divine sensual truth, Divine natural truth, Divine rational truth, directed to every angelic and human need. Further, He united this Divine natural to the Divine spiritual and Divine celestial degrees of His Human from eternity. Thus His Divine Human became Divine truth itself from firsts to lasts.
     * John 15:15
     Yet the glorified Divine Human is more than Lawgiver. He is also Life-giver, for He ascended to the very Divine good or life itself. "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."* The Ascension, then, marks not only the climax of the glorification but also its wonder. The Divine truth became Divine good; the Human form of Jehovah became Jehovah in Human form. This Divine change is more than we can hope to comprehend, but we can see something of it if we compare the nature of the Divine truth before and after the Lord's advent and glorification. Prior to His coming, the effectiveness of Divine truth was dependent upon angelic and human reception of that truth. The truth men then received was essentially from the Divine and it taught about the Divine. After His coming, the Divine truth was one with the Divine life, and therefore the truth we now receive is the Lord Himself. Thus the Ascension was essential for mankind's salvation. This is shown in the following teaching. "When the Lord conjoined His Human essence with the Divine one, He also conjoined with Himself all who become rational from truth."** We need not wonder, then, when we are taught that after the assumption of the Human the spiritual sun "shone out with greater effulgence and splendor than before the assumption."*** Good and truth united as one shone out upon His creation.
     * John 10:10
     ** AC 2112               
     *** DLW 333; TCR 641:4
     The whole of the Divine cycle was for the sake of men. He descended to men and ascended in order that He might uplift men to the very presence of Divine good and truth in Human form. Yet if we are to be so uplifted, we must follow in the path of the Lord's ascension, the path of truth which leads to good. Nor can we do this unless we worship the Lord as indeed ascended.

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We must see the Lord as more than Divine truth-as the authority in our lives. We must acknowledge Him as Divine good-as our very life itself. Only then can we love the Lord from the Lord.* For we shall then see Him ascended and "sitting on the right hand of God,"** having all power in our lives and all the glory in our salvation. If such be our acknowledgment, then, through the discipline of regeneration, truth will become good in our lives, and we will be raised up to be lasting receptacles of His Divine Human ascended.***
     * AC 9863               
     ** Mark 16:19
     *** Can. 27:8-9          
     "The universal truth of all is that the Lord united His Human to the Divine itself, and that from this man has peace and salvation."*
     * AC 10730:3
     In a later article it is planned to consider the ascension doctrine in a more historic sense, comparing it with the events of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Also, we plan to trace something of the spiritual happenings during the forty-day period between the Resurrection and the Ascension.
REASON AND RATIONALITY 1964

REASON AND RATIONALITY       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1964

     (The first in a series of six doctrinal classes.)

     This is the first class of a series on reason and rationality. It is an inquiry into what they are, their origin and development in the history of man, their part in the formation of faith, and their relation to Divine revelation. Rationality, and rational, as used in the Writings, have a meaning that is peculiar to New Church terminology. Their meaning as they are used in the Writings will be considered in the last class of this series.
     Here it may be said in general that rationality refers to a faculty of the soul with which every man is endowed by the Lord, and by which he is distinguished from brutes. It is an indestructible faculty, and it enables man to see truth in the light of heaven whatever may be the state of his life, that is, whether he is an evil or a good man.
     The rational man-the rational mind-is one who from the faculty of rationality sees and perceives Divine, eternal and spiritual truths within the knowledges and experiences taken in through the bodily senses, and this before and apart from confirmation by reason. The statement in True Christian Religion that there is an influx into the souls of men, that there is a God and that He is one,* refers to the faculty of rationality with which every man is endowed, and to the evidence of that faculty in the inmost of the natural, or the rational degree of the mind-the sight or perception of its truth.

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But this sight or perception can be blotted out by the abuse of reason in the lower degrees of the natural mind.
     * TCR 9

     We shall first concern ourselves with the use of the term, reason-its historical development, its philosophic and common use-and consider such questions as: At what truths, if any, can man arrive by the use of his reason? Is there an innate sense of reason to which we appeal when we say, "Be reasonable"? "Were you driving at a reasonable speed!" What is the relation of reason to revelation? Do we arrive at a belief in revelation from reason? and if so, at what point does reason cease and revelation and faith assume command? Is reason a real quality of the human mind, existing from reason in the universe, or is it purely a subjective quality that is to be under continual suspicion and to be regarded as useful only if found to be correct by concrete and controlled experience? Is reason a real quality of the mind, or is it established from without by multiple choices derived from experience? or again, is it only a trick of self-justification, and in itself a thing of no value or reality? Is there objective reason, or reason in the universe, apart from man, which subjective reason, or reason in man, can discover and grasp?
     We shall pursue this inquiry in the following order: the place of reason in the Most Ancient Church; reason in pre-Christian thought; reason in orthodox Christian thought and in the Age of Enlightenment; reason in modern thought; the place given to reason by Swedenborg in his preparatory works; the place given to reason in the Writings; and, rationality and the rational man.
     The dictionary definition of reason is: an expression or statement offered as an explanation of a belief or action; a consideration; a judgment or motive explaining a belief or action; a logical defense; a general principle or law; a ground or cause, or that which makes a fact intelligible; the power of comprehending or inferring; a sane or sound mind; a confirmation. The general idea of reason, which rules in all its variations, is that of a relation, a ratio, a judgment, a weighing in the balance.*
     * Webster's New International Dictionary (Second Edition)
     The Writings say that the human begins in the inmost of the rational, the degree of the mind in which the two worlds meet: the natural world, inflowing through the senses, and the spiritual world, inflowing through the internal man. Reason, then, is an innate power of the mind arising from the interplay of these two forces. An animal lacks this degree of the mind, and enjoys conscious influx only from the world; therefore the animal, while it may be said to have an analogue of reason, does not have reason.

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It cannot, from an interior degree of the mind, look down upon and examine the quality of what is going on in an exterior degree, or know the quality or state from which its desires and acts proceed. The animal has instinct, which is action from knowledges implanted in its appetites and desires, and it cannot judge concerning their quality. It cannot dissimulate.
     Thus we may conclude that an action done by man instinctively from natural love, apart from truth or knowledge, is animal rather than human. Into this category fall many good and kind acts that man does from his native disposition rather than from truth or reason.

     The Place of Reason in the Most Ancient Church

In the New Church, any study of man, his mental faculties and their development, must begin with the man of the Most Ancient Church. If the human begins in the inmost of the rational, then the most ancients must have had a rational, for they were most eminently human; yet we are taught that they did not use reason in arriving at the truth, or even in confirming it. They enjoyed perception. The influx from the Lord through the soul met the influx from the world through the senses in the rational, or the inmost of the natural; and because the receiving vessel was in order, they perceived the presence of the Divine in all the sensations inflowing from the world. Thus they saw the Divine in all the objects they beheld. They perceived that the things which they saw and sensed in themselves as their own were the Lord's with them, and so they worshiped and adored their Creator.
     The tree of life with them was the sensation of self-life, the sensation that they loved from themselves; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the knowledge and perception that everything of life with them was the Lord's. They were forbidden to eat of this tree; for in so far as they claimed their perceptions to be the result of their own proper love those perceptions would cease, for they would begin to conclude from the experiences of their senses, and not from the light inflowing from heaven, and would thus come into falsity, and from falsity into evil.

     Perception is not knowledge; it is the sight of truth within knowledges. The most ancients were not born into knowledges. They learned knowledges from without, both through the senses and through speech with angels, and as long as they acknowledged that the all of their life was from the Lord, they enjoyed a most exquisite perception of Divine and heavenly truths within these knowledges.
     While the most ancients had no written revelation, yet they indeed had revelations.*

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These revelations were by speech with angels, and then, "without further instruction, they had perception of innumerable other truths, so that from one general truth they became acquainted from the Lord with all its particulars and singulars, which at the present day must be learned to be known."
     * AC 895
     They had perception and they also had thought from perception, or they thought according to their perceptions. For perception and thought are distinct things. As their perceptions led their thoughts they were continually led into new perceptions, and from these again into new thoughts. They were led by their perceptions, and they had no need to confirm their perceptions by reasons derived from the things of nature.
     Reason implies a doubt, a question of the truth of a thing; and if they reasoned, they would lose their perception. From the beginning, man had potentially, from the sensation of self-life, the power to call into question and to doubt the truth of his perceptions by means of the scientifics taken in through the senses. Thus it is said of the most ancients: "I have heard that the more they were in scientifics from the objects of sight and hearing, the less perfect were their perceptions; but the more they were elevated from these things to the heavenly things of charity and love, the more interior were their perceptions, because they were nearer to the Lord."*
     * AC 2157

     From this they fell into the delusion that their sensation of self-life would become more exquisite if they concluded concerning truth from the experiences of the senses, and did not trust to their perceptions. The serpent said: "Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."* To understand this it must be seen that they did not acquire their knowledges through perception. Their perceptions were of the truths within the knowledges they received through revelations. Of this we read: "The Most Ancient Church had an immediate revelation from the Lord through consociation with spirits and angels, and also by visions and dreams, whereby it was granted them to know in general what was good and true; and after they had attained such general knowledges, they then confirmed these general ideas as principles by innumerable things, through perceptions."** In another place it is said: "The men of the Most Ancient Church had the cognitions of their faith by means of revelations, for they conversed with the Lord and with angels, and were also instructed by visions and dreams. . . . When they thought about the things which were treasured up in the memory, they instantly perceived whether they were good and true."***
     * Genesis 3:5               
     ** AC 597:2
     *** AC 125

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     From their freedom-the faculty with which man is endowed by the appearance of life as being his own-they began to desire the delights of this love apart from the wisdom of their perceptions, especially the wisdom of the perception that their life was the Lord's with them. They gradually fell into the dire falsity that their delight would increase if they formed their ideas and conclusions concerning the knowledges they received from revelation from themselves. They then began to doubt the truth of their perceptions, and to form their ideas from the appearances of the senses, thinking that if they acquired wisdom from their own thought they would have a greater sensation of self-life. They began to act from love, the appearance of self-life, apart from wisdom, the perception that all love is of the Lord with man.
     In explaining the origin of evil, Conjugial Love no. 444 says: "Love without wisdom is love from man and not from the Lord. This love, because it conjoins itself with falsities, does not acknowledge God but acknowledges itself as god, and it tacitly confirms this acknowledgment by the faculty implanted in man from creation, of being wise as if from himself. This love, therefore, is the origin of evil."
     With the fall, perception was obliterated, and the way of revelation through visions, dreams and conversations with angels was closed. As the internal way of revelation was closed, it became necessary for the Lord to approach man from without, through, and in, the very plane to which he had descended. For the preservation of human freedom, it seems that the Divine always provides the means of man's redemption by approaching him on the very plane into which he descends.
     As the fall of the Most Ancient Church approached, the Lord raised up men who wrote down the perceptions of that church in representative forms. By these, men could be instructed from without in the truths of wisdom, and could thus be restored to order. But this could stem the tide of man's downward trend only for a time. It was foreseen that the fall would involve a series of consequences that could be corrected fully only by the Advent, and finally by a full revelation of the Divine Human in Divine-rational form.
     For the reception of such a final revelation the genuine natural truths within the sensual appearances of natural creation had to be uncovered; also, the use of genuine reason to support spiritual doctrine by means of such truths had to be developed. A rational revelation, to be set deeply in the heart and mind of man, must not only be perceived, loved and lived; it must also be confirmed by reason and defended by reason from the fallacious appearances of man's sensual experience.

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USE OF THE NON-CANONICAL BOOKS 1964

USE OF THE NON-CANONICAL BOOKS       Rev. HAROLD C. CRANCH       1964

     Many members of the General Church somewhat neglect the non-canonical books of the Bible. Many of our members have not read the complete Bible. We use the Word itself for our worship, and we have published an edition of the Word for children. As a result, some New Church families do not even have a Bible in their homes. Many feel that it is somehow wrong to use the non-canonical works-disloyal to the Writings, and rather old-church. Yet the Writings call the Acts and Epistles useful books for the church, and in a letter to Dr. Beyer Swedenborg terms them "good books of the church, insisting upon the doctrine of charity and its faith as strongly as the Lord Himself has done in the Gospels and the Book of Revelation."*
     * Docu. 224
     Swedenborg used them often. In Searle's Index we find that he referred to the works of Paul 143 times; to the Acts, 31 times; and to the other Epistles 61 times-which is a total of 235 in the Writings themselves, and 87 in the Word Explained. If we include the references in Dicta Probantia, there is a total of 549 references to the New Testament non-canonical writings. Some references are so familiar from frequent use that we do not think of them as being from these sources. Swedenborg referred to Col. 2:9, "In Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," 27 times; I John 5:20, "We know that the Son of God is come . . . this is the true God, and eternal life," 33 times. We are also very familiar with the quotation: "He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being."*
     * Acts 17:28
     Many other teachings from Paul's works are also frequently referred to in the Writings, when genuine Christian doctrine is demonstrated by them. So we read:

     "What is said by Paul (Romans 3:28) that 'man is justified by faith without the works of the law,' was not rightly understood, because Paul, by 'the works of the law,' meant the works of the Mosaic law . . . [So he said]:'Do we then abrogate the law through faith) Not so, but we establish the law' [and] 'Not the hearers of the law are justified by God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.' (Romans 3:13). Then that: 'God will render to every man according to his deeds.' (Romans 2:6.)"*
     * AR 417

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     Since the Writings use the non-canonical works so many times, and speak of them as "works good for the church," where does the strong prejudice against them arise? There are reasons for prejudice, arising from the works themselves with their evidence of Paul's egotism, and the confusion of thought which may be seen in many places, augmented by poor translation; and there is also a discontent with everything "old church." The prejudice is greatly increased when we read what the Writings teach concerning Paul's character and eternal lot.
     Paul's egotism is very evident from the following quotations: "I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting."* "I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him."** "For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles."*** "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day."****
     * I Cor. 9:16; II Cor. 12:1-10
     ** Tim. 1:16
     *** II Cor. 11:5               
     **** II Tim. 4:7-8
     But such egotism, by itself, might be only an appearance, and would not be sufficient to discredit him, if the Writings did not give direct teachings about his ambition and his evil nature. They also tell of the nature of his inspiration:

     "If all the things I know about Paul should be related, they would fill volumes. That he wrote epistles does not prove that he was such (as that would seem to imply), for even the impious can preach well and write epistles; it is one thing to be and another to speak and write, as was also said to him. Moreover he has not mentioned in his epistles the least word about the Lord as to what He taught, nor does he cite one of His parables, so that he has not received anything from the life and discourse of the Lord, as was also said to him, when yet in the Evangelists is the very Gospel itself."*
     * AE 815; SD 4212, Docu. 224

     The Writings teach many other things about Paul's nature as revealed in the spiritual world. Dr. Iungerich summarized them as follows:
     1) He spoke against the truths of faith continually when the opportunity was given him.*
     2) He rejected the interior things of the Word.**
     3) He loved to make disturbances and be in scenes of tumult.***
     4) He lent his aid to some adulterers who infested Swedenborg in his sleep.****
     5) He frequently associated himself with evil spirits and devils to make for himself an infernal heaven.*****
     6) He especially wanted to have hypocrites about him.******
     7) It was made known to all that Paul is a nefarious one.*******

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     8) He did all things to acquire glory for himself, and believed he had merited more than others.********
     9) "The love of self, with which he was filled before he preached the Gospel, remained with him also afterwards. . . .That he has remained such afterwards, is evident from very much experience."*********
     10) "It is only for certain reasons that he has hitherto been delivered, for a nefarious one undergoes the penalty of his evil deeds."**********
     11) "Nay, he is such that the rest of the apostles in the other life have rejected him from their company, and no longer recognize him as one of themselves."***********
     * SD 4321
     ** SD 4321, SD Minor 4561     
     *** SD 4412, SD Minor 4562
     **** SD 4321               
     ***** SD 4321, 4412, SD Minor 4561
     ****** SD 4413               
     ******* SD 4321
     ******** SD 4321, 4413, SD Minor 4561
     ********* SD 4412
     ********** SD 4321
     *********** SD 4412. (NEW CHURCH LIFE 1910 p. 379)

     One number in the Diary plainly uses the term, hell, as the state into which Paul had fallen, but there is just a very slight possibility that this is used on a merely comparative basis of a passing phase of his spiritual nature. But there is even a developing dislike of Paul with some earnest students of the first Christian Church who recognize the great disparity between the Pauline doctrine on which their church is founded, and the truly Christian doctrine on which it should be founded. This is illustrated by the following extract from the book, Follow Christ; Away with Paul, by M. Michel (German), quoted from NEW CHURCH LIFE:

     "Paul was the destroyer of the Law, the only tutor able to elevate man to moral and religious freedom. Paul has set up, in place of the slow education of the Law, an idea of Redemption which makes men believe that they are able without any work or self-education on their part, through means of grace that operate in a purely objective way, to enter the Kingdom of God at once. . . .
     "By these teachings Paul has destroyed the work of the greatest prophet of Israel, the work of Jesus. It was Jesus' purpose to have the people accept the Law in a way that would educate them from the letter to the spirit. In Paul's eyes the Law is not only purposeless, but it is even harmful, and is a curse that weighs heavily upon mankind. The destructive effects of his idea of Redemption appear on all hands. "This idea of Redemption, in which not moral worth but faith alone decides, has at all times been a welcome luxury for preachers and criminals, but it was an easy way of finding excuses for everything. Paul was the creator of this anti-legal and non-legal idea of Redemption, the destroyer of Christianity, the Anti-Christ. For the poison that has found an entrance through the Pauline system, has become the ruling dogma of the Church. Only one thing is necessary, namely, to get rid of Paulinism entirely and return to the original teachings of Jesus."*
     * Literary Digest, 1906; quoted in NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1906, p. 673.

     The Writings basically agree with this indictment of the church founded on Paul's theology. But they tell why these Epistles were permitted, and one of the uses they served.

     The Epistles of Paul "were permitted in the church, lest those who are of the church should do evil to the Word of the Lord.

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For if a man lives in an evil way and still believes the holy Word, he does evil to heaven; therefore the Epistles of Paul have been permitted; and therefore Paul was not allowed to take a single parable, and not even a doctrine, from the Lord, and to expound and explain it, but he took all things from himself. The church does indeed explain the Word of the Lord, but by means of the Epistles of Paul; on account of which, also, it everywhere recedes from the good of charity, and accepts instead the truth of faith."*
     * SD 4824

     However, it was not Paul but the early and later leaders of the church who actually perverted the church, using his epistles. The Writings call such men "idolators," for they served their own purposes, and their own intelligence. Of them we read:

     "By 'idolators' are signified they who establish worship, or are in worship, not from the Word, thus not from the Lord, but from their own intelligence (n. 459); as also they have done who, from a single saying of Paul, falsely understood, and not from any word of the Lord, have fabricated the universal doctrine of the church, which likewise is a species of spiritual theft."*
     * SD 924. AR 892, 675, TCR 389

     However, it is said of Paul that he was not permitted to take a single parable, and not even a doctrine from the Lord, to expound and explain it, but he took all things from himself.*
     * SD 4824
     It is important that we not allow this fact to invalidate the other important teaching that his writings "are good books of the church insisting upon the doctrine of charity and its faith as strongly as the Lord Himself has done in the Gospels and the Book of Revelation."
     Light is given on how these are to be correlated in the following numbers, presented originally by Dr. Iungerich.
     Apocalypse Revealed 566 reports a debate among spirits as to whether anyone can see any true theological doctrine in the Word, except from the Lord. Several evil spirits from the abyss were explored, and it was declared from heaven that they did not know one single doctrine from the Word. Yet they insisted: "Have we not this truth, that Christ is our Redeemer and Savior? Have we not this truth, that Christ alone is Justice, that Merit belongs to Him alone, and that he is unjust and impious who ascribes to himself anything of His merit and justice? Have we not this truth, that no mortal can do any spiritual good of himself, but that all good in itself is from God? . . . Who of you can deny any of these, and yet you said that in our conventions we have not a single truth, not even one? Was it not mere dislike of us that made you cast up such things against us?"
     The reply given them also applies to Paul: "All the things you have stated are in themselves truths, but you have falsified them by applying them to confirm a false principle. Therefore both with you and in you they are falsified truths which derive from a false principle their falseness."

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     Dr. Iungerich concludes from this that the true things which Paul wrote were not true with him and in him any more than the true statements made by the spirits from the abyss were with and in them. But viewed in themselves and as knowledges possessed by regenerating men they are nevertheless true. That is how his epistles can be useful books for the church. And not the least useful thing about them is their illustration of the principle exemplified in their author's character and life after death, that it is not mere verbal accuracy which causes the truth to be with a man, but the love and use for which he acquires it. "To those who desire truths from any spiritual use, the Lord will give all that are conducive to that use from Himself through the Word . . . To the rest there is not given truth from the Word; they read, but every true doctrine therein they do not see, or if they see it, they turn it into falsity, not so much in speech when repeating it from the Word, as in the idea of their thought about it."*
     * AR 889. (NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1909, P. 652; Article: Truth with the Evil.)
     Paul did desire truth for a spiritual use, so he could receive and use it, but he could not make it his own. In that effort he falsified it. We will return to this point in a moment. But first let it be pointed out that the Writings do teach that Paul enjoyed a kind of "inspiration," although it consisted only of a general "influx into the things which were with him," such as "enables even the wicked to preach well and write letters."*
     * SD 4212, 6061
     His inspiration is mentioned in regard to his work in building the church where we read: "It is known that when the apostles had received from the Lord the gift of the Holy Spirit they preached the Gospel through a great part of the world, promulgating it both by speech and by writing. And this they did of themselves from the Lord. For Peter taught and wrote in one way, James in another, John in another, and Paul in another, each according to his own intelligence. The Lord filled them all with His Spirit; but the measure in which each partook of it was in accordance with the character of his perceptions; and this was made use of in accordance with the use of his ability.*
     * TCR 154
     But Paul, with all his egotism, did not claim Divine inspiration, or that his epistles are Divine revelation. He was merely the exponent of the doctrine which he had received from the other apostles. This is illustrated in many places. So he said: "I speak these things as a permission, and not of commandment."* "To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate. . . . To the rest I say, not the Lord. . . . Now concerning the unmarried I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion.

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I think. . . ."** He often used such phrases as, "in my judgment," and, "I think," etc.
     * I Cor. 7:6
     ** DP 257
     If Paul was a supreme egotist, if he was only inspired much as any man or minister can be inspired, and if he was basically evil, why did the Lord permit him to do so much to found the church, and how can his writings be books good for the church?
     As to the first point we read:

     "The Lord permitted such things for the sake of the end, which is salvation. For it is known that apart from the Lord there is no salvation; and it was for this reason necessary that the Lord should be preached from the Word, and that the Christian church should by that means be established. But this could be done only by an advance guard who would do this with zeal; and none would do this except those who were in an ardor resembling zeal that was from the fire of self-love. By such a fire they were at first stirred up to preach the Lord and to teach the Word."*
     * DP 257

     So in the beginning of the Christian Church missionary work was performed by leaders full of zeal and fire; but there was no other zeal and fire save that of self-love. And as to the uses of the Epistles to the church:

     1) Originally they prevented profanation of Revelation itself.*
     * SD 4824
     2) They teach church history and the history of Christian doctrine.
     3) They show weaknesses and the origins of errors that we may avoid them in our church.
     4) Their chief use to the church today is in the missionary field-giving truths to others.

     In regard to this chief use-in meeting the needs of a missionary presentation-so often we set up doctrinal straw men, which we knock down to our own eminent satisfaction; but this does not convince our prospects. The principle of accommodation demands that we meet them on their own level-coming to their level of thought and refuting the doctrine that they really hold. This is illustrated in the following passage, which teaches why the Lord put on the human in order to effect man's salvation.

     "There are many reasons why God could redeem men, that is, could deliver them from damnation and hell, only by means of an assumed Human; which reasons shall be set forth in the following pages. Redemption consisted in subjugating the hells, restoring the heavens to order, and after this re-establishing the church; and this redemption God with His omnipotence could effect only by means of the Human, as it is only by means of an arm that one can work . . . or as one can attack a fortified town and destroy the temples of idols therein only by means of intervening agencies. That it was by means of His Human that God had omnipotence in this Divine work is also evident from the Word.

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For in no other way would it be possible for God who is in the inmost, and thus in the purest things, to pass over to outmost things in which the hells are, and in which the men of that time were; just as the soul can do nothing without a body, or as no one can conquer an enemy without coming in sight of him, or approaching and getting near to him without proper equipment, such as spears, shields or muskets. It was as impossible for God to effect redemption without the human as it would be for men to conquer the Indies without transporting soldiers there by means of ships."*
     * TCR 84

     Paul said he wanted to be all things to all men; weak to the weak, under the law to the Jews, not under the law to the gentiles, so he could save them all.
     In the light of the Writings the Acts and Epistles can teach New Church doctrine and confirm it for new people. So we find many of our doctrines are either directly taught in the Epistles, or are strongly hinted at. They teach that man is a spirit, having both a natural and a spiritual body, a house eternal in the heavens; that he is judged in the spiritual world, and there receives according to his works, that is, according to his acceptance of the Lord in life; that the Lord is one, and the Lord Jesus Christ is He (God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself); that the Lord is the only person of God, for in Him is all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; that we should view all things from a spiritual point of view; and that we perform uses, but it is the Lord who does the actual good within our uses. They teach also that we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling; that the Lord was tempted in all things like unto us, but without sin, and in His victory became our Savior; that we should shun evils in their beginnings, and touch not, taste not, handle not. Paul also taught that faith comes by receiving the teachings of the Word.
     We also get such New Church ideas as these concerning temptation: "God is faithful and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."* Also, that we should shun evils as sins against God, serving the Lord by serving the neighbor: "Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God; and whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."**
     * I Cor. 10:12, 13
     ** Col. 3:18, 4:1
     Some of our favorite New Church expressions had their rise in Paul's works, as when he said, when he could not meet with some, "I will be with you in spirit," and many other things. Some familiar expressions quoted in an early NEW CHURCH LIFE are: "A law unto themselves," "Heaping coals of fire on his head," "Wise in your own conceit," "All things to all men," "Through a glass darkly," "I shall know as I am known," "Evil communications corrupt good manners," "Of the earth, earthy," "In the twinkling of an eye," "A house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," "God loveth a cheerful giver," "The right hand of fellowship," "Work out your own salvation," "Be not weary in well-doing," "Touch not, taste not, handle not."

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(This was not said of wine, as many suppose, but of vain traditions and the worshiping of angels.) "The love of money is the root of all evil," "Fight the good fight," "Entertained angels unawares."*
     * 1885, p. 31
     To reach others intelligently we must be able to use properly the teachings on which their church is founded, the doctrines they accept as well as the Gospels and the Writings, to demonstrate our doctrine. So we must know the Pauline doctrine and yet learn to explain to them in a reasonable, acceptable way our attitude to the Epistles, and why they are non-canonical-and so are omitted from our Word.
     I propose the following statement as an example for missionary use. It emphasizes our authority for their omission in terms and arguments most Christians will accept:

     The Books Of The Word

     The New Church canon of the Word does not contain all the books of the Old and New Testaments. It omits such books in the Old Testament as Esther, Job, Proverbs, the Song of Solomon and Ezra. In the New Testament, it omits the Acts and the Epistles. The reason for this is that the New Church believes that only that which treats of the Lord, and has a continuous internal or spiritual sense-a deeper meaning within the letter-is part of the Word. So the Lord said the words that He spoke were spirit and were life. Now, this view of the Bible is not so different from the commonly held view as it might seem at first. We have authority for that which we do from several sources. First, and most important to the New Church, is the teaching of the Writings which lists the canonical books.* But the five following points emphasize how we look at the Bible, or should look at it, and give authority from other sources than the Writings for what books we should receive as canonical from the Bible.
     * AC 10325, HD 266
     1) In the first place, it should be borne in mind that we accept the whole Bible as firmly and fully as most churches, but we give special reverence, exceeding that of most other churches, to the greatest part of the Bible. We teach that the books that we do not accept as part of the canon are still books good for the church. They might be compared to the writings of good men, while the rest of the Bible, the greatest part of it, is by Divine inspiration and is completely holy.

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     2) We believe the Bible was given as Revelation to show the relationship of God to man and of man to God, and it should therefore treat of the Lord. That the books of the Old Testament which we consider the canon of the Word do so treat of the Lord becomes evident by His words, "ye search the Scriptures . . . they are they which testify of Me." It is clear that the New Testament in the Gospels and in the book of Revelation teaches of the Lord; for the four Gospels are the stories of His life, and the book of Revelation begins: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ."
     3) The Word, to be received as Divine authority, must be understood. We must test it. So John, one of the disciples, wrote in his first Epistle* that we should test the spirits to see whether they be of God or not. The test that he gave was that they should testify that the Lord Jesus Christ had come in the flesh, and all that did not testify to this were not true spirits. We can apply this to the Word also, for the Word was written by the Holy Spirit by means of man. And the test for the Old Testament books is whether or not they inmostly treat of the Lord and tell of His coming in the flesh by prophecy and by inner meaning. We can test this by the Lord's own words, for He referred to every book of the Old Testament that we consider canonical. He did not refer to a single book that we do not consider canonical. Of the books that He spoke about, the books of Moses, the books of the Jewish church in Samuel and Kings and Judges, the books of prophecy, and the book of Psalms are all mentioned specifically; and it was to these that He referred when He said: "Ye search the Scriptures." Time and time again, He quoted part of these scriptures, and it is said many times that something He had done in His life was done that the scriptures might be fulfilled. Yet when we look up the reference, quite often it is speaking of the history of the Jews. So, in Hosea, it is said: "Out of Egypt have I called my son," where in context it obviously means the whole nation of Israel; and yet in the New Testament it is applied to the Lord Himself, so that it is said He was brought out of Egypt that this prophecy might be fulfilled. The Lord also, through the disciples, teaches about Himself in the Gospels and the book of Revelation.
     * Chapter 4:1-3
     4) Paul did not claim Divine authority. What he taught was taught to establish Christianity with the peoples of the world. He referred to the work of the Gospels-the work of the Lord-and he explained the Gospels and the Lord's purpose and life in the Acts and Epistles which he wrote. So was it with the other Epistles that are included in the Bible. They are like good sermons, important to the church, explaining Christian doctrine, but still not completely enlightened or revealed. Although the Writings teach that Paul was at least partly enlightened,* Paul himself emphasizes his limited understanding in Corinthians, chapter 13: for there he says:

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"Now I see in part, but when He who is perfect shall come, I shall see plainly." So also he said: "Now I see as through a glass darkly, but then I shall see face to face. He spoke as men speak, but the Lord spoke with Divine authority, and the prophets of old also spoke with authority, saying, "Thus saith the Lord."
     * TCR 154
     5) From ancient times this difference between the Gospels and the Acts and Epistles was shown and is still shown in the tradition and ritual of some of the churches, such as the Roman Catholic, the Greek Orthodox and the High Episcopal churches. In them, when the Gospel is read, people stand; but when the Epistle is read, the people sit. Thus the differentiation that we make is basically known in the other churches. Because we believe that these books teach Christian history and give light upon basic doctrinal issues, we believe all of the books of the Bible should be studied and used. But the books which inmostly treat in a continuous spiritual sense of the Lord, of His life and purpose, and of the life which leads to heaven, these books should be called the Word of the Lord, and should be given special reverence.

     The fact that we do not accept the Acts and Epistles makes a severe stumbling block for many people to their acceptance of the New Church. But it can be made an asset if we are able to explain the canon of our Word to their satisfaction. So our members must know why the Acts and Epistles are not the Word, yet are books good for the church. They should be able to explain our doctrine in the terms of Pauline doctrine as an introduction to the church. They should be able to show that the Epistles can merely introduce, and that there are many difficulties and inconsistencies, as Paul himself admitted by showing his uncertainty. So he said: "Now we can see as through a glass darkly . . ." The New Church fulfills the rest of his statement: "But then [that is, the time of the Second Coming] we shall see truths face to face."
     Every young person should have a Bible-and know how to use it. They should know the Acts and Epistles, and see their use. Their questions as to why certain books of the Bible are not in our Word, when they do arise, will help them to receive the canon of the Word with understanding and reason; and their knowledge of these books will make them in practice as well as in principle "books useful to the church."

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SWEDENBORG'S SECOND RULE OF LIFE 1964

SWEDENBORG'S SECOND RULE OF LIFE       SYDNEY B. CHILDS       1964

     It was our privilege to present last year an article on Swedenborg's first rule of life: Often to read and meditate on the Word of God.* The second rule-To be content under the dispensations of God's Providence-again reflects an attribute of Swedenborg's, his devout humility. His mission in life was foreordained by the Lord. As an instrument serving as the revelator of the Lord's second coming, Swedenborg again and again emphasized that his Writings, as an exposition of the internal sense of the Scriptures, were wholly directed and inspired by the Lord.
     * NEW CHURCH LIFE, November 1963, pp. 498-500
     We know that a true church can be established on earth through faith inspired by charity. The church is established, not by man, but by God. Yet God permits man to serve in working toward His highest purpose-the salvation of souls. The Lord alone knows whether any given organized church is one that truly represents His kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven."

     It is here that Swedenborg's second rule of life is of paramount importance: To be content under the dispensations of God's Providence. One might say, "This is an easy matter"; but the sincere in heart will know that it is not. It may be a matter of a lifetime of spiritual and natural struggle before a given individual can attain to a state in which he becomes willing and able to realize that there are dispensations of Providence, and is then content with God's direction of his life. Truly, we must learn that the Lord does govern the life of every man.
     The Lord's government is not according to an earthly concept of dominion. God's leading is by inscrutable means that are compared in the Writings to the great currents in the ocean. Such currents are powerful, yet nearly hidden from sight. It is God's way of leading a man to heaven, provided only that man opens the door so that the Lord may enter.
     The Lord also openly reveals His truths in the Scriptures and in the Writings. Where man acknowledges the Lord in mind and heart the way is open to salvation. Such a man may actually be dwelling in heaven as to his spirit, although his spiritual eyes cannot be opened until after the resurrection which immediately follows death.

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     Life on earth can at times seem endless and hopeless, especially in states of temptation and despair; yet this life's duration is as nothing in comparison with eternity. To those in despondent states it has been said, wisely: "Count your blessings." In every devout man's life there are innumerable evidences of God's blessings-of His leading and His protection from the hells.
     The hells continually inject their poison of despair and even of distrust of God. A good man must shun the resulting states as enormous evils; and the Lord, through the angelic heavens, will then bring peace and contentment into his life.

     He who endeavors to shun evil as a sin against God is not alone in the struggle. It is recorded in the Word that the King of Syria warred against Israel, which was then under the special protection of God through His prophet, Elisha. On one occasion the King sought to capture Elisha. "Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."*
     * II Kings 6:14-17
     We see something of the Lord's leading in the past events of our lives. Every event in the life of a regenerating man can be seen as a gift of Almighty God. When physical and mental suffering have occurred, compassion for others is given by the Lord. The great ideals of life are not achieved except by seeking to fight against our evil loves. This is the "good fight" which must be waged until we depart this life for the "other side of Jordan."
     Concerning the hidden leading of God there is a wonderful passage in the Writings. "From His earliest infancy the Lord advanced according to all Divine order to celestial things, and into celestial things; and in the internal sense the nature of this order is described by what is said concerning Abram. According to such older also they are led who are being created anew by the Lord, but this order is various with men, according to the nature and genius of each one. But the order by which man is led while being regenerated is known to no man, and not even to the angels, except obscurely, but to the Lord alone."*
      * AC 1554. [Italics added]

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     The scope of our life on earth is limited. It is here that we must seek to learn of God's leading. His leading invites man's co-operation in every step that leads along the way to heaven. What must be attained in our brief sojourn in this world is the will to be led by the Lord, not by ourselves. Man's leading would be down the "broad way" that descends to hell. The Lord's leading is along the straight and narrow way that ascends to heaven.
     Through the Heavenly Doctrine we are taught the truths that lead to salvation. If we value these truths as pearls beyond price, we shall endeavor to raise our sight unto the things of heaven rather than to be unduly concerned about the pitfalls and blindness of our material world. A state of peace can then be given by the Lord, a state beyond all earthly fears and anxieties. Then we shall partake, even while on earth, of the Lord's greatest blessing. For it is the Lord who says: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."*
      * John 14:27.
MR. GEORGE ALEXANDER McQUEEN 1964

MR. GEORGE ALEXANDER McQUEEN       Rev. LOUIS B. KING       1964

     A Resurrection Address

     (Extracts from a Resurrection Address.)

     In his seventy-ninth year, our dear friend Alexander McQueen slipped silently from our midst, thus terminating a long, an active and a useful life in this natural world. Today, this moment, perhaps, he awakened to life anew in the spiritual world-a world far more real than he could possibly have imagined while living in his earthly body. We rejoice in the sure knowledge of this, his new and active life, and we give thanks for the privilege of having known and loved him as a fellow New Church man.
     So many admirable qualities come to mind when we recall his person. His generosity and persistent thoughtfulness for others stand out, perhaps, above the rest. Many of us entertain kind and unselfish thoughts; yet how many of us bother to go so far out of our way, as did Alex, to show a genuine interest in others and a sincere appreciation of what they may have to offer?
     As a lifelong New Church man, his study of the Writings, his interest in church history, his devotion to the uses of the organized church, particularly Sharon Church, his eagerness to share the inspiration and comfort of the Writings with others-these manifestations of New-Churchmanship profoundly affected his friends within and without the church until the very moment of his death.

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His associations within the church reach back to those who were the founders of the General Church and its principles; and with his passing, our personal touch with an earlier age of the church grows weaker. Yet through our association with his person the inspiration and strength of the past have become the inspiration and strength of the present, and we can be better New Church men for it.
     Alex knew worldly success, being widely acclaimed a celebrity at one point in his professional career. As a man of letters, an authority on words, and a specialty author he contributed substantially to the biographical literature and scholarly reference works of our day. Much of this type of work lay unfinished on his desk when, the other evening, he closed his natural eyes for the last time.
     Alex knew discouragement as well as success in his work. We remember him for this also: not the discouragement, but the courageous and conscientious way in which he rallied, turning adversity into opportunity for the development of humility and trust in the Lord's providence. So was he able to perceive and respond sensitively to others' need of encouragement. Alex had a delightful way of noticing and appreciating others, old and young alike, which helps to explain why he himself was so much loved. No effort was too great, nor opportunity too small, for him to demonstrate his awareness of others and his concern for their welfare. In every true sense of the expression, Alexander McQueen was a gentleman and a scholar.
     Our sorrow in being separated from him, our regret that he left unfinished so much of the work for which he was specially fitted, our anxiety for the future welfare of Sharon Church without his pillar-like support: these our sorrows, our regrets and our anxieties are overshadowed only by a firm and unwavering trust in the omniscient leading of the Lord's Divine Providence. "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people, from henceforth even forever."* "I will life up mine eyes unto the mountains. From whence cometh my help? My help is from the Lord, which made heaven and earth."**
     * Psalm 125:2
     ** Psalm 121:1, 2
     We are grateful indeed that to the very end our friend could have remained so active, so alert mentally, so appreciative of God's providence; kind and gentle to the last. And what appears to the natural thought to be the last is, in reality, but the beginning of life-eternal life and everlasting peace and joy. Amen.

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ENTERING INTO DIVINE REVELATION 1964

ENTERING INTO DIVINE REVELATION       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.
Editor               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

     TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     In one of His discourses the Lord said to the disciples: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." While recognizing their application to the twelve, New Church men have seen in these words, when taken in context, a reference to the Second Advent. In the Heavenly Doctrine, they believe, the Lord speaks those interior truths which the Christian Church in its integrity was not ready to receive, and which in its decline would have been rejected.
     Yet it would be a mistake to suppose that these words have only an internal-historical meaning. Rather should they be regarded as of continuing significance for the church. The Writings are indeed the Lord's final revelation to mankind; He has no further Word to give either by mediate or immediate revelation. But it would be folly for the church, or the man of the church, to assume at any given time that everything the Lord says in the Writings is heard, understood and received.
     The Lord speaks to us in the Writings, and to every receptive state He speaks that which is fully adequate to its needs. There should be no mistake about that. Yet because of the limitations of human states, no regenerating man ever sees what the Lord will yet teach him in the Writings. It is this that makes the Writings an inexhaustible source of truth: that as we are prepared, the Lord will bring forth for us from their treasures things ever new. No matter how much we have learned from the Writings, there is always a more interior understanding for which we are not yet ready, but for which we can be prepared. To eternity the words we have quoted are a promise that will never fail.

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DISCIPLES AND APOSTLES 1964

DISCIPLES AND APOSTLES       Editor       1964

     "A disciple is one who learns; an apostle is one who, having been instructed, is sent to teach others what he himself has been taught." The distinction here made is basic and is useful for children, but it does not convey the full meaning of discipleship. By definition, a disciple is more than one who receives instruction from another; he is one who also accepts the doctrines of his teacher, becomes his follower, and assists in spreading his teachings. Thus discipleship implies personal adherence to the master's doctrines: an implication that becomes clear when we say of someone that he was another's pupil and remained his disciple.
     When we turn to the Gospels, the fuller meaning of discipleship at once becomes evident. As the conditions for becoming His disciples the Lord said that men must hate their life, that is, their proprial life; forsake all, namely, the things of self and the world that meant all to them; and bear their cross, by which is meant to enter into temptations. He added that they should be His disciples if they bore much fruit; and He spoke of the bearing of love one towards another as the sign by which it should be known that men were His disciples. Evidently, then, much more is involved than learning the Lord's teachings; although to be taught by the Lord in the Word comprehends all that is involved.
     To be a student of the Writings is not necessarily to be the Lord's disciple! The Lord's doctrines all look to the good of life; His leading is to the same end; and to accept His doctrines, adhere to them and follow Him is to learn and try to understand His teachings for the sake of life, to see their application to one's uses, and then translate them into action. It is also to spread those teachings wherever it seems that they may be received. Only to the priesthood is it given to preach the gospel, but in this deeper sense all in the church should become the Lord's disciples. That, indeed, is what regeneration is; and the becoming is the work of a lifetime of devotion.
BUT ONE FLESH 1964

BUT ONE FLESH       Editor       1964

     As long as men remain natural, they are likely to assume that marriage and freedom are not fully compatible. For the natural mind tends to regard compromise as the only basis for a working agreement between individuals; and while a person may be willing to compromise, there is a point beyond which he does so only under threat of losing something that is considered more valuable than what is conceded: a situation in which freedom is not always apparent. When men add stupidity to their natural loves, it may even be asserted that the tensions of marriage can be resolved only by one partner claiming the dominant role and the other acquiescing by assuming a posture of servitude: this whether it results in the dominance of the husband or of the wife.

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     It is a familiar teaching of the Writings, however, that the wish to command in marriage is destructive of genuine love between husband and wife because it destroys the freedom of marriage and therefore its delight. However deeply it may be hidden, the result can only be enmity according to the dominance of the one and the subservience of the other for the love of dominion can only despise what it crushes, and subservience can only resent tyranny even while it submits. At best-or at worst?-there is only a dreadful perversion of love.
     On the other hand, the Writings teach that in love truly conjugial each loves what the other thinks and wills, and therefore loves to think and will as the other does; thus to be united with the other and become one man. Whatever is done from that love is done from freedom on both sides, because all freedom is from love, and both partners have freedom when each loves that which the other thinks and wills.
     This teaching deserves thoughtful consideration. It is not said that one partner must submit to the thought and will of the other, but that each loves to think and will as the other, which could not be if there were opposition between them. What is implied is a thought and will common to both because it does not originate with either but comes from a source to which both look. That source is, of course, the Lord in His Word, and those who seek Him there can be united in the inmost friendship of conjugial love in which is perfect freedom. This was what the Lord meant when He said: "And they twain shall be one flesh, therefore they are no more twain, but one flesh."
HARD SAYINGS: 5. THE NATURE OF REGENERATION 1964

HARD SAYINGS: 5. THE NATURE OF REGENERATION       Editor       1964

     The teaching of the Writings that there is no instantaneous conversion, regeneration or salvation is one which commends itself to the reflective mind. Yet even among those who see it to be reasonable, there are some who find in the teaching that regeneration is the work of a lifetime a hard saying. Either they are so moved by the beauty of spiritual charity that they want to come into it quickly, or else it seems that what is asked of man is total commitment in a lifelong combat against the hells with no firm assurance of ultimate victory. Surely, it would seem that even if their evils will not yield to a lightning war, the timetable might be advanced so that they may enjoy the fruits of peace after a less protracted conflict than one consuming all the days of their natural lives?

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     These questions arise, we believe, from a failure to appreciate just what is to be accomplished in regeneration and a misconception of the nature of the process itself, both of which are quite understandable in the beginning. Of course the teaching given concerning the nature of the unregenerate man has itself proved to be a hard saying for some who have gone no further, but have turned from the Writings in anger or disbelief. When that teaching is accepted, however, we can begin to appreciate just what it is that the Lord does in the regeneration of a man.
     What the Lord does, to put it forcibly, is to take a man who was headed straight for hell and turn him completely around so that he looks to heaven as his goal, and this without ever once violating his freedom! Evidently this cannot be done in a moment, or even in a short span of time. If man is to reject his evils freely, they must be permitted to return again and again, but with decreasing delight, until delight ceases and aversion begins: an aversion that he feels as his own and that grows until evil can no longer touch him.
     Furthermore, no man could face at the beginning of spiritual temptation the interior evils he will eventually meet and conquer. In spiritual as in natural warfare training and seasoning in combat are needed. Indeed if a man could see at the beginning; of regeneration all the forces that will be arrayed against him, and that will be vanquished, he would yield before the battle was joined. For this reason also regeneration is and must be a slow process.
     However, the regenerating life is much misunderstood if it is thought of as one of unremitting conflict, suffering and gloom, or if it is supposed that the rewards of victory are withheld entirely until after death. The regenerating man is not always in combat. States of temptation alternate with states of rest and refreshment, consolation and peace, in which man is given a foretaste of the true and lasting happiness that will eventually be his. The kingdom of heaven is not denied him until he reaches it through the gates of death; it is established in his mind gradually as he overcomes in temptations. It may be that some sermons overemphasize the length and hardship of the road and the uncertainty of the journey's outcome. The truth is that the regenerating life, far from being an unhappy one, is the happiest life that man can live on earth. There is rigor, but there is also achievement.

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Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

     Easter brought a snowstorm instead of spring flowers; but the wintry weather, which seemed more like "Merry Christmas" than "Joyous Easter," daunted no one. In spite of swirling snowflakes and icy streets, people came from every part of the city and even beyond the city limits to share in the celebration of the Lord's resurrection. The Rev. Victor Gladish preached the sermon and administered the Holy Supper. Members and friends who are quite far away always make a special effort to attend the special festivals and also the Holy Supper services, so that our little church was full.
     Nearby is a large and imposing Baptist Church which has a good-sized congregation every Sunday. As this correspondent walked through the snow on the way to church, a cheerful lady in her seventies, undoubtedly on her way to the big church, stopped momentarily and smiled good humoredly. "I haven't seen anything like this," she said, "in all my years on this earth." She sounded so philosophical, and looked so really joyful, that we could not help wondering about her and what she believed about the Lord and eternal life. Of course, one cannot assume from a pleasant external that a person has any spiritual ideas; but often it seems that people whom we cannot seem to bring to the New Church have a strong idea of good that the Lord has given them
through some other means. We know this from the Writings, but are sometimes inclined to forget that although the doctrines of the old churches are dead, something good remains in each one who is willing to be led to the Lord. Anyway, we did not tell the pleasant Baptist lady that if it were not for the truths taught in our little church and in associated churches around the world, she would not be in any communication with heaven. Then she would have had a greater surprise, and surely would have said: "Well, I have never heard any think like that in all my years on this earth."
     Many changes have come to us since we last communicated with NEW CHURCH LIFE, and we hear that more are in store. We have been without a resident pastor for some time, but it has not seemed to be so. When the Rev. Fred Schnarr left us for Washington, D. C., the Rev. Elmo Acton consented to be our acting pastor. He led us with such strength and affection, and he and his wife Ione seemed so much a part of our church life, that sometimes we forgot that he belonged mostly to Glenview! Mr. Acton, with his fine classes and sermons and his gentle but firm leading, made us feel a sense of use and of oneness in it as well as trust that our work would progress. In June, before the Actons left for Bryn Athyn, we shared in a memorable occasion with Glenview to bid our friends goodbye and wish them well in their new and greater uses.
     Although we had to say goodbye to the Actons, greeting the Louis B. King family was like welcoming back old and good friends. Mr. King was our pastor from 1952 to 1955, and when he was called to the Immanuel Church in Glenview he also consented to act as our supervising pastor. It was, to us, as if the Kings had come home again. The little Kings we knew have grown bigger, but there are other little ones to take their places. Sometimes the children come in to visit us. Such visits are nice, for there is nothing like a King or two or three to make our Sunday school look more flourishing and active.

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     Almost at once Mr. King suggested that we might like to have two doctrinal classes a month instead of one, if the ladies could see their way to cooking extra suppers. Considering all of his many jobs, what lady could have refused to provide natural sustenance for additional spiritual instruction? The classes have been well attended and discussions have been lively and questions plentiful. Quite often the Rev. Kurt Nemitz, Mr. King's assistant, comes in to take a class, and we enjoy him very much. The last time he did so he also showed two films prepared by the Rev. Harold Cranch. In making these, Mr. Cranch had the assistance of other talented people, one of whom works for the Disney Studios, but the devotion and enthusiasm that he gives to any project of this kind were in our minds as we watched. It was thrilling to see the words, "New Church Film," flashed on the screen. The subjects were the correspondences of water and animals of the Bible, and both were well done in every respect. The films were visually appealing, the narration was good, and the ideas from the Writings came through clearly.
     In addition to our doctrinal classes we have had services regularly each Sunday. On one Sunday each month we have a tape-recording and hear sermons by ministers throughout the church. Each festival has been appropriately celebrated. Christmas, as usual, was followed by the giving of gifts to our children. Our Thanksgiving service is always held on the preceding Sunday rather than on Thursday. Our last service was scheduled for the Sunday following the assassination of our late president, so on that Sunday we had a memorial service as well. John Fitzgerald Kennedy served his country with courage in many ways during his relatively short time on this earth, and he has left many of us with a renewed dedication to the welfare of our country. His wife, too, set an example of faith and courage that did much to alleviate the sense of shock and somber sorrow that affected not only our own people but people all around the world who felt that they had lost a staunch and loyal friend. It has become somewhat of a habit to look down on government and its officials as if they were somehow more prone to falsities and dishonorable actions than the rest of us. Mr. Kennedy did much to change that idea, especially among young people. He exemplified the highest ideals of devotion, use, and service to family, country and God.
     Roger and Corinne Echols and their children, who have occupied the apartment above our church during the entire period that we have been without a resident pastor, have moved to Glenview. These young people made themselves a valued part of our society, and performed many uses above and beyond the call of duty.
     Not long ago we heard that Mr. Alfred Acton and his wife are coming to the Midwestern District and will reside in Chicago, at Sharon Church. By the time they arrive, Mr. Acton will have been ordained into the priesthood and will serve as an assistant to the Rev. Louis B. King in the work of the district, ministering to Sharon Church and teaching part-time in Glenview. All of this reminds us of Shakespeare's question: "What's in a name?" Certainly a minister by any other name would be welcomed eagerly, but we must admit that the name, Acton, brings pleasant and affectionate thoughts to our minds. We look forward with particular delight to welcoming these "new" Actons to their Chicago home.

     Obituaries. We have lost a beloved member. Mr. Alexander McQueen passed into the spiritual world on March 7, 1964, after a short illness. Alec was a staunch and loyal member of Sharon Church who performed so many uses that we wonder what we will do without him. He was our secretary, the editor of Sharon Report, and the one who encouraged us to stand fast no matter if things went well or ill. His resurrection service was conducted by the Rev. Louis R. King, and many New Church friends from Chicago and Glenview, as well as business associates, attended.

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These last included friends from the Encyclopedia Britannica, lexicographers, and others with whom Alec had worked in his many research and scholarly pursuits. The service was beautiful. (See pp. 337-338.) In addition to his lifelong interest in the church and his active contributions to its uses, Alec contributed to the scholarly literature of the day. In the course of this work he had collected a large and outstanding library of reference works. Alec wanted some of these books to be useful to other New Church men, and we understand that some of his fine dictionaries and other reference works have been given to the Academy of the New Church Library, where they will be helpful to scholars.
     We shall also very much miss Carrie Louise Alden, who entered the spiritual world on January 18, 1964. Although she had been in fragile health since childhood, she lived a full life and performed many uses both within and without the church. He death took place not long after that of the Rev. Karl Alden, and we could not help thinking that they would have a joyful meeting, talking of New Church affairs. She often spoke of her uncle Karl and of his work for the church. The memorial service was held on January 20, and the Rev. Louis King spoke particularly of the courage and humility with which Carrie Louise rose above her physical handicap and of her strong and gentle character. She was warm and generous and had a delightful quiet sense of humor. She set an example to those who knew nothing of New Church doctrine, as one member of Sharon Church can testify. This member met a young man who had worked with her in an editing capacity. When he found that she was a mutual acquaintance, he said: "She was an unusual person. I have never known anyone quite like her." When asked why, he paused, then said: "It was the way she did her job and managed to help others while she was doing it." We shall miss her, but we are glad that she is now free from pain and physical limitations to perform those uses for which she was prepared in this world.
     MILDRED MCQUEEN

     SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION

     The Sixty-seventh Annual Meeting of the Swedenborg Scientific Association was held on May 13, 1964, at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, with an attendance of 47 members and 16 guests.
     Mr. Donald C. Fitzpatrick, Jr. was reelected to the office of president, and the incumbent members of the Board of Directors were also re-elected: Lennart O. Alfelt, Edward F. Allen, Charles S. Cole, W. Cairns Henderson, Morna Hyatt, Hugo Lj. Odhner, Joel Pitcairn, Kenneth Rose, Tomas H. Spiers. At a meeting of the Board later in the evening the following officers were elected: Vice President, Mr. Charles S. Cole; Secretary, Miss Morna Hyatt; Treasurer, Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh; Editor of NEW PHILOSOPHY, Mr. Edward F. Allen. The Editor was empowered to appoint his own editorial board for each issue.
     In his report as president, Mr. Fitzpatrick referred to past presidential reports of Professor Allen with their recurrent call for scholarship. Mr. Allen's record of scholarly accomplishment is an inspiration to those of the generation now faced with the prospect of entering into the labors of others instead of merely enjoying their fruits. The purposes of the Swedenborg Scientific Association are 1) the preservation, translation, publication and distribution of Swedenborg's scientific and philosophical works, and 2) the promotion of the principles taught in these works. The first of these is carried on by the board, officers and committees of the Association. The second can be realized only through individual study, the Association giving aid through the NEW PHILOSOPHY and through opportunities to meet with others who share an interest in Swedenborg's philosophy. These two purposes are related to expansion and growth, respectively. The Association could expand by concentration on the first, but to ignore the second would be to ignore its real use. Promotion of the principles of Swedenborg's philosophy means growth in understanding, and without this growth, expansion in the external uses of the Association would be hollow.

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Responsibility for seeing that this growth takes place is upon all of us.
     The Treasurer circulated his report, which showed a total membership of 301 plus 57 subscribers, a balance of $1415.36 in the General Account, and $7146.19 in the Publication Account.
     The Editor of the NEW PHILOSOPHY said in his report that the efforts of the Editorial Board to get the journal up to schedule are meeting with some success, but scarcity of material still hampers planning into the future. The main question concerning the NEW PHILOSOPHY is, "What sort of article should be printed?" This is accompanied by the question, "Who will write these articles?"
     Messages from the Kitchener and Glenview Chapters were read.
     Dr. Odhner reported for the Committee on Translations that Mr. N. Bruce Rogers will be employed again this summer to continue with his translation of The Brain.
     The President announced that the Board has adopted a new nominating procedure which will eliminate nominations from the floor. The nominating committee will be appointed in October, and its slate of nominees will appear in the January-March issue of the NEW PHILOSOPHY. Members who wish to make nominations will be requested to obtain the consent of their nominees and to submit their names to the committee before May 1st.
     Mr. Kenneth Rose gave the annual address, "On Discovering Planets." He traced the history of planet discovery, pointing out how some had been found by accident and others by keen mathematical analysis. The story dealt only indirectly with Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn, which are so prominent that they did not have to be discovered. Nor was it limited to Uranus, Neptune and Saturn, which are only the best known members of a very large family. There are at least 3000 minor planets in our solar system, and possibly hundreds of thousands of comets. The discovery of these is inseparable from that of the major planets. Not only are these bodies all essentially the same thing-objects in orbit around the sun-but observations of comets and "asteroids" have made indispensable contributions to the science of planet discovery. They helped to suggest and to confirm the laws that men have abstracted from their observations of planets. It is around these laws-even some with very unfirm foundations-that the history develops. Mr. Rose considers the whole story an unparalleled illustration of the ways that men's minds come to recognize truth.
     In the discussion following the paper Mr. Charles Cole asked why Swedenborg showed extra planets in his diagrams. Dr. Odhner responded that Swedenborg may have had seven planets for traditional poetic and correspondential reasons. Mr. Edward Allen referred to the analogy between the forces and motions of particles, giving some startling information about the latter. Mr. Joel Pitcairn pointed out that methods similar to those used to calculate the orbits of as yet undiscovered planets from the perturbations of neighboring planets are used today in calculating the size and shape of the earth from the perturbations of artificial satellites. Today, however, computers eliminate the drudgery of the computations.
     The reports and the address will be published in the July-September issue of the NEW PHILOSOPHY. Those interested in becoming members of the Association or in subscribing to its journal are invited to write to Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     MORNA HYATT,
          Secretary

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PEACE RIVER DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1964

PEACE RIVER DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1964




     Announcements
     The Tenth Peace River District Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada, August 1-2, 1964, the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton presiding.
     All members and friends of the General Church are cordially invited to attend.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop
General Church of the New Jerusalem FORTY-NINTH BRITISH ASSEMBLY 1964

General Church of the New Jerusalem FORTY-NINTH BRITISH ASSEMBLY              1964

     PRESIDENT: THE RIGHT REV. GEORGE DE CHARMS

     Members and friends of the General Church are cordially invited to attend the Forty-ninth British Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, which will be held in London, July 17-19, 1964.

     Program

Friday, July 17
     6:00 p.m. Tea at Swedenborg House
     7:30 p.m. First Session. Address: Professor Edward F. Allen

Saturday, July 18
     10:15 a.m. Second Session. Address: Right Rev. George de Charms
     2:00 p.m. Luncheon
     3:30 p.m. Third Session. Address: Rev. Donald L. Rose
     7:00 p.m. Social. Toastmaster: Mr. Geoffrey P. Dawson

Sunday, July 19
     11:00 a.m. Divine Worship. Holy Supper
     1:30 p.m. Luncheon
     3:00 p.m. Service with Talk for Children
     4:30 p.m. New Church Films
     5:30 p.m. Tea

     For accommodations please write to Mrs. Percy Dawson, 28 Parklands Road, Streatham, London S.W. 16, England.

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INNOCENCE IN EDUCATION 1964

INNOCENCE IN EDUCATION       Rev. ROBERT S. JUNGE       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV AUGUST, 1964           No. 8
     "Thou shalt not seethe a Kid in his mother's milk." (Exodus 23:19)

     A little child reaches out in complete trust and love to his parents.* When he cries, it is a sign of his total dependence upon his parents for sustenance, even for the protection of his life. The innocence of little ones, trusting and willing to follow, stirs our own hearts with innocence and kindles in parents the love of their offspring, and from that the ability to represent the Lord to the child. It is through the innocence and trust of children that the Lord can establish good and true affections in their hearts that will counterbalance, even through adult life, the evils of heredity. Without these remains inflowing through innocence the child would be steeped in evil alone-worse than a beast.** "Innocence, then, is the receptacle of all things of heaven."*** These states of innocence are the little children that the Lord takes up in His arms, and blesses.
     * AC 6107               
     ** AC 560
     *** HH 341
     We all want our offspring to mature, to grow, and to accept responsibility. Yet we must guard lest we hinder the full range and development of innocence in each new state. True education looks to richness of state, not the forced advance of states. In fact, states advance in large measure according to internal affectional changes which are in the Lord's hands. The order, timing and sequence of states should be patterned by the Lord and the teachings of His Word.
     Our times are so filled with rushing! There is so much pressure, and such demanding intellectual standards are set for our children, that we cannot but wonder whether the innocence and the fullness of childhood do not suffer. Do parents provide time for gentle, orderly play, when the imagination can expand as a treasure-house of delight for the child?* In fact, even the highest angels use an interior imagination.**
      * TCR 335:7
     ** SD 679; HD 48:5 and references

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     Those tender times when our children find the security of a strong lap, or when they sense the protection of their parents' arms, are all too often cut short. The innocence from parental love inflowing into the souls of parents conjoins itself with the innocence of infants, particularly through the touch. Unless parents themselves are innocent, they are affected in vain by the innocence of their offspring. If parents do not cultivate innocence in their hearts, and provide times when they can quietly share this state with their children, the gentle states of the children fall like seeds upon flint.*
     * CL 396
     Now worship together provides one of life's tenderest opportunities for sharing affections and loves. Yet it is so easy, with today's pressures, to neglect the daily bowing of our heads as families before our Heavenly Father. The ultimate of the Lord's Word, read together in the simple sphere of willingness to learn of Him, is the cornerstone in the building of the home. This is true, not only because it brings about the conjunction of parent and child through innocence, but also because it builds what is truly human with man.* It builds the human because it brings the presence of the angels of heaven. Their presence in turn builds the affection for spiritual truth, which makes man uniquely human-uniquely capable of seeing and loving the Lord.
     * AC 560

     While worship, then, is the heart of religious education, nevertheless religious education in the home is much broader. The parents as shepherds lead and protect their innocent flock day and night. One of a shepherd's primary duties is to keep the flock together and in order. Order is essential. With children, order is the example they see at all times. It is the peaceful times established for patient, truthful answers to their questions; it is also the discipline of justice and judgment tempered with mercy from tender love. These states and their affections may be aroused during meals, during play, at any time. There is no substitute for parents in this role; for the Lord has given them storge, the love of their offspring, to lead them to a special light which will guide them in this use. That light must never be hidden under the bushel of self-love. The innocence of infancy itself causes that parental love in the wife, and it is then transferred from her to her husband.* As Isaiah says: "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?"** Yet in disorderly times the prophet answers: "Yea, they may forget"; and so we in our day must ask: If our sons ask the bread of love, will we forget and give them stones?***
     * CL 395, 403               
     ** Isaiah 49:15
     *** See Matthew 7:9

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     Innocence is always associated with peace in the doctrines of the church. Do we not owe it to our children to give them a full measure of both external and internal calmness and peace in their homes! From the mistaken urgings of spurious conscience we are often tempted to indulge too much in this or that worthy cause, even church causes, even causes related to the education of children; but let us never forget our primary responsibility-the most sacred trust given to parents-the care of children born into their home.
     It is true that the innocence of infancy is external "and dwells in dense ignorance."* Hereditary evil dwells in everything that children do. Actually the truths which belong to this ignorance are "founded upon the fallacies of the external senses."** Much of our teaching of children is through those appearances which consist in believing that all that they know and think, and also all that they will, is in themselves. "The ignorance excuses, and the innocence makes it appear good."*** They do not understand these apparent goods and truths, which are in reality selfish; therefore they are not held accountable.
     * AC 9301               
     ** AC 4563:2
     *** AC 1667
     Nevertheless these fallacies must be shaken off gradually by education if man is to advance towards wisdom. The innocence of infancy is followed by the innocence of ignorance during the child's active instruction, perhaps from five years of age to age twenty.* The tender innocence of infancy-continuing up to five years or so-is the plane upon which the scientifics and later cognitions of childhood are built.** The innocence of ignorance which follows infancy must not, however, remain innocence without knowledge. It becomes at first innocence coupled with knowledges which look to self;*** but gradually these apparent truths give way to genuine truth as the youth approaches maturity.
     * AC 2280:2, 10225
     ** AC 1555:2, 3, 3111e
     *** AC 1667

     Some suppose that the innocence of childhood, or of ignorance, is preserved by keeping a child figuratively in the dark, or in ignorance, about external things or scientifics. Nothing could be further from the truth. For the child, when his affection of knowing is kindled, will learn of these things. He will grow, for it is ordained that he should. We cannot hold back these states indefinitely, nor should we try to do so. When a child comes into affections which need knowledge and instruction, the best way of preserving innocence, the best way of weaning the child, is to try to protect him from fallacies and to feed him the truth. Scientifics which are not darkened by fallacies are true and adaptable.

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They can later be brought into a perfect one with regenerate love.* To teach a child without fallacies is to feed him scientifics and natural truths, in subordination to the teachings of the Lord and His kingdom.
     * AC 6112

     Now the giving of this instruction is the clear duty of husband and wife together. It is true that the duties of the husband and the duties of the wife are distinct, in that "the care of the suckling and the education of infants of both sexes, and also the instruction of girls up to the age when they may be marriageable and associate with men, is a duty peculiar to the wife," and the "care and instruction of boys after childhood and up to puberty is a duty proper to the husband.* Nevertheless, parents should mark well the teaching that "these duties conjoin themselves by counsels and support and many other mutual helps," and that "as to their distinctness, and their conjunction, these duties make one house."** One house, serving the Lord, will prepare the way for genuine innocence, not of ignorance, but of wisdom.
     * CL 176
     ** Ibid.
     Now the Writings teach that conjugial love is innocence itself.* To represent this, "it was customary in the representative church to enter in unto a wife by a present of a kid of a she-goat."** This meant that there could be no entrance into conjugial love except in a state of innocence. That is why youths are instructed to shun wandering lusts and to pray for a conjugial partner from their youth up. But the innocence of entrance into conjugial love is not founded upon the fallacies of the senses, which dwell only in the externals and lack the ordering power of the Lord. The innocence at the heart of conjugial love is the innocence of wisdom, which recognizes that all life, and thus all genuine love, is from the Lord alone. The offering of the kid of the goats represents this innocence which a young man must bring to his marriage. To enter into the use of the home, there must be this fundamental willingness to be led by the Lord. What is essential in entering the marriage state is that the wisdom of life should acknowledge that the Lord is the first of any marriage. When the externals of preparation for marriage, and of marriage itself, are ruled by such a conviction, genuine innocence then rules. With the gradual growth of innocence throughout life come peace, tranquillity, full confidence, and a mutual desire to do each other every good.
     * AC 2736
     ** AC 3519
     We want our children, then, to be weaned from the innocence of ignorance. Mature innocence even in external life is represented by the kid of the goats mentioned in our text. We do not want that mature innocence in our children to be still dependent on us when they are full-grown; seething, or boiling, in the milk of their innocence of ignorance.

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When the fallacies of that former state are clung to in mature life, they become devastating falsities. But the gradual weaning process from a completely self-centered innocence to a genuine innocence of life is effected through the truth. We want our children to enter freely into the mature loves of life. But one of the greatest rules of education is framed in the Lord's own words: "know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."*
     * John 8:32
     The Writings set forth a wonderful ideal, particularly regarding the education of our daughters. They say of young women in heaven, and similarly on earth, that "after the nuptials, their virgin state was changed into a new state of which they knew nothing at all before . . . that after this the flame of love burns for the husband alone. . . . But it is different with those who catch allurement from erudition before marriage."* By erudition before marriage the passage seems to mean learned information, perhaps based upon sensuous things and even upon experience. Substantial evidence indicates how wrongfully experienced many of our young people are in our day.
     * CL 502

     It seems clear that this passage does not mean that ignorance prepares for marriage-neither ignorance of the externals already filled with the fallacies of the external senses, nor ignorance of spiritual truths and responsibilities. In an orderly state, external truth is conjoined to internal as a servant to a master. The fallacies are combated by external truths properly subordinated to spiritual truths. We can rush the learning process, and can hamper and limit it by pushing-advancing a state beyond what the affections indicate.
     But how shall we, as parents, learn when our children are ready to be given certain truths! There is but one way that we can learn of these deep affectional needs-from the Lord's Word, seen in the light of parental love. The whole curricular structure of New Church education is founded upon knowing from the doctrines the internal affectional needs of different ages. There are alternations between negative states and highly idealistic states which must be met in their own way, always leading from generals towards particulars. Yet surely a very different type of knowledge is appropriate to the betrothed state, when that solemn change of state occurs when the universal love of the sex is determined in each partner to one of the sex, and when conjugial love is proceeding from its spiritual origin to its nuptial flame.* When in the light of parental love the needs for instruction are expressed-sometimes affirmatively, sometimes as obvious, negative demands and even disorders; when the affections for knowledge are aroused in new states, then we cannot neglect to feed our children.

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If we do, our flock will scatter from us in disorder, turning its back on our leading as shepherds in those things which require, perhaps, the tenderest innocence of all.
     * CL 301
     The education of our children in all the paths of innocence is an awe-inspiring and profound task. We may be tempted to hesitate and to question our own worthiness to live up to this work. But the Lord always helps those who themselves are innocent and thus are willing to be led by Him. If we make sincere mistakes from lack of knowledge, the Lord will nonetheless overrule them for good.*
     * AC 6765e, 6405:3
     If we in our own limited way can help our children to lift their eyes to the mountains of love to the Lord, to look beyond the valleys of merely external delights and the fallacies of the senses, we will have weaned our children successfully. They will stand as mature adults before their Heavenly Father and His church. Amen.

     LESSONS: Exodus 23:14-26. Luke 18:9-20. AC 8519, 2736.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 442, 440, 463.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 122, 96.
WRITINGS IN PORTUGUESE 1964

WRITINGS IN PORTUGUESE              1964

     The Rev. Joao de Mendonca Lima, Pastor of the Rio de Janeiro Society, recently advised the Bishop that the printing of his Portuguese translation of True Christian Religion had been completed. Mr. Lima, who had already translated Conjugial Love into his native language, mentioned also that he had finished translating Divine Love and Wisdom and was working on a translation of Divine Providence.
     When these last two volumes come off the press, the number of works of the Writings available in Portuguese will have been increased to seven. Heaven and Hell was rendered into that language in 1921 by the Rev. Levindo Castro de LaFayette, and there are Portuguese versions of Doctrine of Life and The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine. The art of translation can be put to no higher use than that of making available, for the first time or in greater fullness, a knowledge of the Lord in His second advent; and in congratulating Mr. Lima we express the hope that this important work may be continued until all of the Writings are available in Portuguese.

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HOLY OF HOLIES 1964

HOLY OF HOLIES       Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS       1964

     (Delivered at the Second Session of the 49th British Assembly, London, England, July 18, 1964.)

     Man is so created that he may see God. He is gifted with the faculty of perceiving what is Divine. Even as he is endowed with a body through which he may touch the objects of the material world, so also is he given a mind so formed that it may sense the things of the spirit, may feel with delight the truth and the good of heaven. This faculty of spiritual sensation is the ground of immortality. When the natural body has been laid aside by death, then only by virtue of this faculty is man enabled to live in a spiritual world, to know by living experience the joys of heaven; and if the life after death presupposes the power to sense spiritual things, if the years of sojourn on earth were Divinely intended as a preparation for that continued existence beyond the grave, then must that faculty of spiritual sensation be present with man even in the natural world, for in passing from one world to another, man cannot be changed into an entirely different being. He must retain his personality, his individuality, else it would not be he who went on living, but another.
     There is with men on earth a God-given power to feel Divine things; not indeed with the senses of the body, but with the touch of the soul. In the Writings this power is called "perception," and it is the origin and source of all true religious faith, for genuine religion, in its essence, is but the revelation of God. It is the Lord seen, His presence realized, the working of His mercy and His providence sensibly felt by man. Religion begins with the manifestation of the Lord's presence, and only as long as the perception of that presence remains does it continue as a vital and saving faith. The vision of the living God is the first and the inmost of the church, and that vision must be an individual personal experience, renewed with every generation.
     The truth of this is objectively illustrated in the history of the Jewish people. The Lord appeared to Abram in Ur of the Chaldees, calling unto him, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land which I will show thee." The Lord appeared to Isaac in Beersheba, and said: "I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham's sake."

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Jacob, at Bethel, dreamed, "and behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God ascending and descending upon it. And behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed." To Moses in the burning bush the Lord appeared, and said: "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is My name forever, and this is My memorial unto all generations."

     So was the vision renewed and a living faith preserved from father to son. But the religion of the Jews was not established with the twelve tribes until, at Mount Sinai, Jehovah came down in the cloud and the fire before the sight of all the people. Then for the first time were they convinced, by actual experience, that the Lord was with them; then were they filled with holy fear, and gave a solemn promise to serve Jehovah, and to worship Him alone. The Lord spake with Moses upon Mount Sinai, saying: "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with Me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold."* I And when Moses came down from the mount and told the people all the words of the Lord, then the people answered with one voice, and said: "All the words which the Lord hath spoken will we do." "And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning and builded an altar under the hill. . . . And he sent young men of the children of Israel which offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do and [hear]. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words."**
     * Exodus 20:22, 23
     ** Exodus 24:4-8
     This marked the beginning of the Jewish Church as a national organization. The fountain of their faith was the vision of Jehovah as He came down to speak with Moses in the mount. From the top of Sinai, out of the midst of the cloud, while the people watched from afar, the Lord gave the tables of the testimony on which had been written with the finger of God the commandments of the Decalogue. He gave them as a perpetual sign of His covenant, as an eternal memorial of His presence.

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To look upon these tables of the law recalled to mind the mount from which they had been taken; it restored the memory of that miracle whereby Jehovah had made Himself known before the eyes of all the people, in the glory and in the cloud. By means of it that vision could be renewed, and Jehovah could be seen again, in distant lands, by future generations. Here, then, was the medium by which not only the faith of their fathers could be perpetuated, but the faith of their children could be renewed by actual communication with God by actual revelation of His presence, that they might hear His voice and feel His power for themselves.
     It was to enshrine this precious witness of their God that Moses was shown, in the mount, the pattern of the tabernacle. That the tables of the law might be enshrined and protected, they were commanded to build a house of holiness, a dwelling place of God in the midst of His people, a place whither Jehovah might come to commune with Moses and Aaron that He might be continually present to teach and to lead; and for this reason, because its essential purpose was to protect the tables of the covenant, the building of the tabernacle began, not from without, but from within. It began with the construction of the ark, into which the tables of stone were to be placed. Then followed the building of the tabernacle itself, with its walls of gold, its coverings and its veil, its holy place for the ministrations of the priests, and its holy of holies, in which the ark alone, with its sacred contents, was to be kept. And finally, round about the tabernacle, the court was to be constructed as a further guard and protection for the law, that the people should not draw too near to the living presence of Jehovah.

     This is the real order in which the church is built with every man. There is no beginning of religion until the Lord has been seen and His presence acknowledged in the inmost soul. All the forms of worship, all the externals of organization and of religious custom which are later developed, are but the protective coverings, intended as a means of preserving and perfecting that vision of the Spirit. Unless the Lord has been seen, unless the holy of holies contains an ark and the tables of the law by which that vision can be restored from time to time, the forms of religion are but an empty building in which there is nothing truly sacred, in which there is no Divine power to help in time of trouble and from which Jehovah has departed. With every man, the things of the church must be filled with the spirit of holiness, by an internal revelation of the Lord. With every man, at the beginning of adult life, when the rational mind begins its individual functioning, Jehovah must descend upon the top of Mount Sinai. His voice must be heard out of the cloud.

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There must be imparted to the soul a sense of His presence, of His power, of His mercy and providence; and this before any need will be felt for the church, for the building of a tabernacle of human love and knowledge and understanding, in His name.

     It is true, indeed, that the external forms of worship are established in childhood. Prayer, the pious observance of the Sabbath, the reading of the Scripture, listening to preachings, giving a regular offering to the church-all these are the outward symbols of religion into which children must be initiated that remains of heavenly affections may be implanted with them. These, simply as matters of external order, as established traditions, do indeed form in the mind of the child a sacred edifice through which he is given to feel the sphere of worship, through which angels inflow to impart the delights of heaven, and through which the Lord is present interiorly to guide and to guard; but it is an edifice that does not belong to the child. It has been built in him by the hands of others.
     It is not his church, but the church of his fathers, around which are gathered the happy memories of childhood, and by means of which deep affections have been stirred within him. He may take delight in it, he may feel a strong sense of loyalty to all its accustomed modes, he may love it from a realization that it has given him a refuge of defense against evil impulses, and with this acceptance of his father's faith he may for a time be satisfied; but the day will come, as he progresses in life, when he will realize that it is a borrowed faith, that it is not his own. He will realize that it is based, not on what he himself has seen and felt with any inward conviction, but on what he has been taught by parents and teachers in whom he has had confidence. He has believed in their vision, he has accepted their description of religious truth, but he has never really seen that truth himself. The description is somewhat vague in his mind; it is broken and incomplete. He is unable to understand it deeply enough to apply it to the altered conditions of his own day and generation. He feels bound in loyalty to the external statement of it which he has learned; and yet this does not seem to fit exactly his own experiences.
     If, after this discovery, he continues to worship in this temple dedicated to the God of his fathers, it is not because of insight and spiritual conviction, but rather for some external reason. Perhaps it is because to do so is the easiest course, requiring no individual thought, no trouble of soul or temptation of the spirit, and yet affording him the outward appearance of religious faith; or perhaps it is because acquiescence in this religious tradition brings with it worldly rewards, the approbation of men, a reputation for uprightness and piety, and social, political or business advantages.

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If either of these is the case, then however true he may be to his ancestral religion, his worship is idolatrous. Before the angels of heaven his voice of confession and of prayer will echo with a hollow sound through the empty halls of his spiritual temple. The Lord has not appeared to him. The Source of all holiness in religion and in worship has not been livingly revealed. He adores with the lips a God whom he does not know, while with the heart he cries to the idols of his own imagining.
     Yet there is that within every human being by which he may, for himself, see God. He has been blessed with the faculty of spiritual sight, of spiritual touch, through which the Lord's presence may become for him an intimate personal experience. That this sight may be opened in him is the very purpose of his creation. To this end was he formed in the womb, and towards this goal of spiritual awakening has he been gently drawn by all the converging forces of the Divine Providence during the years of his minority.

     There is none who, at the threshold of manhood, being of sound mind, cannot be brought to see the inner truth of religion. He cannot, indeed, attain that vision for himself by his own effort or determination. It is a precious gift of God, imparted only in the Divine mercy when first the state has been prepared by the secret operation of providence. But if he will face earnestly the responsibilities of life, seeking by sincere reflection to solve the vital questions as to how he may rightly direct his own destiny, then will the Lord come to him from within. Though he wander for a time in the wilderness, in a land barren of truth, a land of hopeless reasoning where any sure answer seems impossible as to the reality of God, the reality of the life to come, the reality of those beautiful religious teachings in which he had placed such implicit faith in the innocent ignorance of his childhood; still the Lord will bring him, like Moses tending the flocks of Jethro, to the other side of the desert, to the mountain of God, even to Horeb, where the Angel of the Lord may appear to him in the flame of fire out of the midst of the bush that burned and was not consumed. He will, for himself, hear the Lord's voice, and will set to his seal that God is true.
     This Divine revelation, sensibly perceived, will become in him the fountain spring of a new religious faith. This first inmost perception will increase and descend until it takes possession of his entire being. It will set his spirit free from the binding influence of traditional laws and doctrines that are for him but the formal symbols of a faith he does not share; and it will bring him at last to the inner perception of a new law, a new covenant, a new doctrine from God out of heaven, which for him will be living and real because at the center of it is a vision of the Lord.

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Jehovah will come down to him upon Mount Sinai, in the blackness of a cloud, with the voice of a great trumpet to proclaim His presence and His power. He will come down to commune with him, as He did with Moses; to write in his own heart, upon the tables of stone, upon the inner memory of his spirit, the eternal law of God, the Divine truth with regard to his own life and regeneration. Then for the first time does the church live for him.

     In describing this religious experience we speak not of any obvious or emotional conversion. It is something that takes place in a region of the mind so deep, so far removed from the surface reactions of thought and affection that come to our daily consciousness, that little is realized of what is there transpiring. This spiritual awakening is known rather by its effects, by a sense of conviction, by an assurance and confidence, by an illustration and enlightenment that for the first time make the things of religion living and give to them vital meaning. From this inmost revelation there is born the love of spiritual truth, the sincere desire to know for one's self, and to understand what the church teaches. From it arises an impulse to build within the inmost heart a tabernacle of love and wisdom, whereby that deep vision of the living God may descend, whereby the celestial perceptions of truth may be accommodated by influx, and brought within the reach of human thinking and human acting in the realm of practical religious life.
     What a man realizes, in connection with this appearance of the Lord to him, is that he perceives the teachings of the church in a new way. He experiences, as in a flash of insight, what lies within and gives life to the outward forms of worship and of religion. He perceives the truth contained in the internal sense of the Word. He beholds, through that truth, the actual presence of the Lord therein, as never before, as a Divine glory lighting up the clouds of literal appearances; and that vision imparts a heavenly delight. It lifts his mind out of the material world with its thousand perplexities into a living world of spiritual realities: this because it opens to him internal sensations the very existence of which was totally unknown before. When the delight of this internal sensation is felt, man is introduced into the spiritual love of truth. The deepest longing of his heart is then to build an ark in which the tables of the law may find a suitable resting place, and around it, a protective tabernacle in which is a holy of holies, out of which the Lord may speak from behind the veil, to reveal the inner meaning of His Word, that He may teach man, and lead him immediately from Himself, day by day, in every state of life.

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     It is of this sanctuary that we would particularly speak. It was a chamber measuring ten cubits in all its three dimensions. Here there was no aperture for light to enter from the outer world. It was a dark, mysterious room into which no one dared to enter except once a year on the day of atonement, when the high priest, having first filled the tabernacle with the smoke of the incense, lifted the veil and stood in awe for a moment in the presence of Jehovah. Dark it was, indeed, and yet the source of all Divine light because the Lord was there. It was dark only in the eyes of men, because their sight was not accustomed to its transcendent splendor. This darkness that yet is light is spoken of also in connection with the holy city, New Jerusalem, of which it is said: "there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light." What human meaning has this inmost sanctuary, the immediate abode of Divinity?

     The holy of holies has essentially the same representation as has the ark itself. The one was a sanctuary, and the other a repository for the law. They both represent the celestial degree of the mind, whereby man has association with the angels of the highest heaven, where innocence of wisdom reigns, where love to the Lord holds sway, where the angels speak face to face with Him, and where they receive from Him the fullness of joy and the perfection of life. There is with every man, by creation, such a sanctuary. It is in him by virtue of the fact that he is a man. It is present whether he is good or evil, whether he becomes an angel of heaven or makes his bed in hell. It can be neither destroyed nor injured, because it is the Lord's own abode with him. It can, however, either be opened or closed. If opened by regeneration, then does the man receive consciously its blessings and its delights. If closed by a rejection of the inner truth of religion, of the Divine revelation of the Lord, then does it remain wholly above his consciousness, a plane of life into which he does not enter. It is then merely a secret means by which the Lord can continue to inflow to give him the power of thought and will, the power to perform some use in the life to come, even though that use be evil, and his place of abode be hell.
     The characteristic of this inmost degree of the mind is that it is above thought, above reason, above rationality. The life of this mind is not dependent upon any process of logic, but upon an intuition, a perception, a direct sensation of Divine realities, deeper, more certain than any reasoning. It is a life derived from the immediate touch of the soul with what is Divine. It is from this inner touch that there is with man, even in his fallen state, a dictate that there is a God, and that He is one. It is from this that there is derived that universal foundation of all sane thinking, common sense, that perception of axiomatic truth which cannot be proved by analytical reasoning, but of which there is nonetheless a deep assurance, more positive than reasoning can possibly bestow.

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     Certainty must ever be based, not on thought, but on living experience. With reference to material things, it is the product of ultimate sensation, of physical contact. As to the things we personally see and feel, we have no need to argue or debate. Their existence and their quality are to us self-evident. Reasoning as to whether they exist becomes superfluous. They are facts indisputable. It is in the realm of the unseen, the unknown that reason holds its sway. By processes of logical thought se seek to attain to a truth which eludes the senses; but all recognize that the light of thought is illusory when compared to direct sensation. It leads to surmises, to opinions, to deductions from which we may be compelled to recede by further investigation and experience. To this all the history of scientific development bears testimony. That which is today asserted with positive assurance, as far as it is not fact but a deduction from observed phenomena, may tomorrow have to be abandoned as untenable. Theories, however logically sound, however beautiful in outward form, however convincing to the uninitiated mind, are never sure until they have been checked and proved by actual experiment. It is only by virtue of gathering many facts, by analyzing the experiences of the past, by applying to these the laws of analogy and generalization, that we have power to reach out with the tentacles of reason, with any prospect of success, to probe into the darkness of the future, to uncover things as yet unseen, that they may be brought to view; and this we could not do unless we had power to touch a higher truth, and by that truth gain light to guide us in our further study and inquiry.

     This is an unchanging law for natural things, and it holds with equal force in the realm of spiritual things. Unless there were an actual touch of the soul with heavenly realities-a world in which the spirit lived, objects which it could feel, and a mind capable elf sensing them-religion would be but a house of cards, a figment of the imagination, a beautiful dream, as to the truth of which we should have no possible assurance. It is because men at this day in the learned Christian world-steeped as they are in the things of the body and the world-have lost their touch with what is spiritual and Divine, that religion has become for them an insubstantial thing. It is because they reject, at the very outset, the revelation of the Lord from within, refuse to see Him in His Word, close their eyes to the vision of His descent upon Mount Sinai, with blind assurance that the only reality is the sensation of matter and that all else is vain illusion. They deny the existence of any touch of any real experience save that of the corporeal senses.

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There may be higher realities, they hold, but if there are, men know nothing of them, and they can learn nothing positive about them.
     All that men call spiritual truth is thus relegated to the realm of the unknowable. Those religious ideas in which men have believed from time immemorial-the existence of a God, the existence of the soul after death, the existence of a heaven and a hell, the existence of any Divine revelation, any God-given message from that higher world-all this, they say, is the product, not of experience, not of tangible sensation, but of thought alone; and if this be true, as long as there is no means of reducing it to the plane of indisputable fact, then must it be subject to all the shifting uncertainties of imaginative reasoning. This being the case, the teaching of religion has lost its hold upon the minds of men. The Word of God is no longer regarded as a practical source of Divine wisdom. The study of the Scriptures is considered rather as a field of fruitless speculation in which men may find archeological interest, but from which can come no discoveries of practical value to the race. The Word of God is held to be no more than the dreaming of men, from an unconquerable desire to continue life, to be happy, to enjoy surcease of sorrow and pain, and to labor in a more perfect world.

     If men were right in holding that physical sensation was the only real experience, then would their conclusion be justified, and we must indeed acknowledge religious faith to be a delusion, an unsatisfying mirage. But what if there is a God who is substance itself and reality itself? What if He did create man, not only with a body and brain adapted to the sensation of material things, but also with a mind capable of touching that substance, of feeling that reality? What if that faith in God and in the life to come-that faith in the eternal destiny of the human soul and in the actuality of the Divine law of Scripture as a revealed mode of human salvation, which has been the dominant characteristic of man's life from the earliest dawn of history, in every race and country of the habitable globe-what if this is not merely the product of imaginative thought, but rather the fruit of a real experience, an actual touch of spirit with spirit as tangible as the touch of matter with matter? What if there is an inmost sanctuary of the mind above thought, above reason, a dark chamber into which no dream can enter but out of which comes a living sense of the Divine.
     Then must religion, the truth of heaven, the teaching of the Lord's Word be given quite another place in human life. Then must it be seen as something resting upon a firm, unshakable foundation. And this indeed is the truth, now livingly revealed in the inner understanding of that holy of holies which Moses commanded should be constructed in the tabernacle of Israel to enshrine the ark and the tables of the law; for that tabernacle is a true picture of the human mind, illustrating its real relation to the Infinite God.

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The Lord does actually dwell within us. He is able, in very truth, to speak to us from behind the veil, from between the cherubim. He is able to give us the power to touch Him, to feel His life, to see and know the objects of His heavenly kingdom with the direct sensation of the soul. This ability was the gift of God to man in the beginning, and was enjoyed in full measure by the most ancient peoples. Only because of the Fall has it been withdrawn, lest man use it to his own eternal destruction. It is that very tree of life in the midst of the garden, all access to which was denied to Adam after the Fall; for the Lord placed to the east of the garden a flaming sword turning every way to keep the way to the tree of life. It has been withdrawn, but still a remnant of it remains, by means of which it may again be restored.

     This restoration was the purpose of the Lord's coming. Its accomplishment was promised at the crucifixion, when "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom"; and the promise is now to be fulfilled in the New Church by the revelation of the internal sense of the Word in the Heavenly Doctrine. Therein the Lord has again descended on the top of Mount Sinai, before the sight of all men who will turn their eyes to see. By means of that new revelation it is now possible for us to "enter intellectually into the mysteries of faith," to climb the heights or Parnassus, that we may see and touch the things of heaven.
     It is to be remembered, however, that because this touch of the spirit is a property of the inmost mind, it cannot be Passed from man to man. Indeed, physical contact, of which it is a correspondent, cannot be so passed but must be individually experienced Me" must see the Lord in His second coming, not through the eyes of others, but through their own eyes. He must come to them, He must touch each one and lift him up. He must reveal Himself to every generation in the Writings if the church is to be livingly established Our fathers saw the vision. They beheld the glory of the Son of Man in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. They established the Academy in His name, dedicated to the worship of His Divine Human. They founded a church of which that worship would be the center; and they formulated principles elf doctrine to express their living faith.
     All these things, in providence, we have inherited, and they are all that can be given to us from without and below through education and training and environment. But all combined they are not enough, if the central vision, which comes only from within and above, and which alone makes them holy and gives them saving power, should be lost.

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We ourselves must go into the house of the Lord. We must enter into the tabernacle of the Most High, and bow ourselves down in spirit before the great King. We must go individually to the Writings, with prayer for guidance, seeking the Lord, longing to receive in our own souls the light of truth, for the Lord Himself must build His tabernacle within us. He must reveal the pattern thereof to us, as He did to Moses, in the mountain of His holiness. He must write the law with His own hand upon the tables of our hearts, that we may feel His presence and bow in fear and adoration at His footstool. And to protect this inner vision of His Human, we must build, in obedience to His command, a living vessel in our own minds to receive Him, an ark of the covenant, a mercy seat and cherubim of actual association with heaven, a holy of holies, to which we may draw near in worship to receive answers to our human questioning from the mouth of the Lord alone.
     To do this lies within our reach. With all our frailty, with all our limitations, with all our variability of intellectual attainment, there is none who has not within him the ability to feel Divine things if he will but turn to the Lord in His Word with sincerity of heart and humility of spirit. To do this is our God-given privilege, our inalienable right, and our inescapable responsibility. To the degree in which we respond to this Divine call rests the future of the church with us, and, humanly speaking, with the world. Only in that degree will the church, as a living religion, be preserved and perpetuated on the earth, that the tabernacle of God may be with men, "and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God."
MINISTERIAL CHANGES 1964

MINISTERIAL CHANGES              1964

     The Rev. Norbert H. Rogers has resigned as Pastor of the Advent Church, Philadelphia, effective August 31, 1964. He has accepted appointment as Director of the General Church Religion Lessons and will continue to serve as a part-time teacher in the Academy schools.
     The Rev. W. Cairns Henderson has accepted appointment for one year as Supervising Pastor of the Advent Church, Philadelphia.
     The Rev. Ormond Odhner has resigned as Visiting Pastor to the New York Circle.
     The Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson, in addition to his duties in Bryn Athyn, has accepted appointment as Visiting Minister to the New York Circle.

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IMPORTANCE OF PERSPECTIVE 1964

IMPORTANCE OF PERSPECTIVE       Rev. LORENTZ R. SONESON       1964

     (Excerpted from a sermon.)

     One purpose of Divine revelation is to expose us as we really are. The true nature of our inherited loves, because of the fall of those preceding us, is unmistakably corporeal and worldly. The light of heavenly truth illuminates the external man for all who have willing eyes to see it. Those who do are filled with humility and will look no further than their own eye for the beam of evil and falsity.
     But revelation tells us more than just the true nature of man. It reveals the infinite mercy of the Lord. It tells us of how the Lord is continually protecting us from the evil spirits who could descend into us through our perverted will and could draw us all into the lowest hell. Infinite care and mercy protect us from ourselves, and continually lift us up toward heaven. Truths are carefully placed before our understanding when we are ready to bear them; and our freedom is eternally preserved, allowing us to apply what we have learned.
     This upward journey is not accomplished in a moment, as some might wishfully think, but through a course of years; and as man's states of life have to be greatly changed, it must needs be that he is long kept in mediate good, that is, in a good which partakes of both the affections of the world and the affections of heaven. Unless he were kept in this mediate good, he could not admit heavenly goods and truths.
     It is of extreme importance, then, to see both the truth about ourselves and about the Lord, and to see them together! To accept one teaching and forget the other is disastrous. Accepting only the truth that man by nature is evil would drive one to despair. Confessing our sins, but ignoring the teachings about an all-merciful God, would create frustration, instability, and eventual loss of any hope or desire to continue our existence. On the other hand, to dwell only on the teachings that the Lord is ever protecting us, constantly drawing us toward heaven, would lead to a false security and an unfounded promise of eternal happiness. A balance of these two fundamental concepts is prerequisite to true repentance and reformation. Unless the two are in proper perspective we will fall either to the side of utter futility or to the side of a blind faith in an all-forgiving God.

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SWEDENBORG'S MISSIONARY WORK 1964

SWEDENBORG'S MISSIONARY WORK       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       1964

     (Continued from the June issue, pp. 262-270.)

     One cannot help being impressed with the amount of book distribution that Swedenborg attended to personally. One of the historical documents that gives us a glimpse of this work comes from Count C. G. Tessin, who visited Swedenborg out of curiosity and asked him about the book Heaven and Hell. Besides his own copy Swedenborg had only two, which he had first intended for two bishops. Later he had changed his mind and sent one to a senator and the other to the Censor of Books and Councillor of the Chancery. But Swedenborg took note of the curiosity of his visitor. Tessin wrote: "He expects fifty more copies from England next spring, when he will send me one."*
     * Docu. 11:399
     Swedenborg's famous letter to the King of Sweden-written only a few weeks before the disciples were sent forth throughout the universal spiritual world-testifies how he had labored to spread the doctrines. "That our Savior visibly revealed Himself before me, and commanded me to do what I have done, and what I have still to do; and that thereupon He permitted me to have intercourse with angels and spirits, I have declared before the whole of Christendom, as well in England, Holland, Germany and Denmark, as in France and Spain, and also on various occasions in this country before their Royal Majesties, and especially when I enjoyed the grace to eat at their table, in the presence of the whole royal family, and also of five senators and others; at which time my mission constituted the sole topic of conversation. Subsequently, also, I have revealed this before many senators; and among these Count Tessin, Count Bonde, and Count Hopken have found it in truth to be so, and Count Hopken, a gentleman of enlightened understanding, still continues to believe so; without mentioning many others, at well as home as abroad; among whom are both kings and princes."*
     * Docu. 11:375
     One might wonder from this phrasing whether Swedenborg considered such evangelization as his own personal mission, something in which he did not expect others to participate. The answer to this is plain enough from the historical evidence. Swedenborg welcomed all the help he could get from others in this work.

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He encouraged others to further it, and sometimes seemed to solicit considerable effort. Just imagine today being given five copies of Apocalypse Revealed to give to your friends-in Latin! This was the experience of a Swedish official of Swedenborg's acquaintance.* It is of historical interest that the first exegetical work of the New Church** received Swedenborg's encouragement and support. "I wish much blessing to the intended 'Collection of Sermons;' and I send herewith my subscription to if."***
     * Docu. 11:243               
     ** Annals of the New Church, p. 83
     *** Docu. 11:250               

     Besides the letters to Dr. Beyer in which Swedenborg so frequently asks him to distribute books, perhaps the best examples of missionary work encouraged by Swedenborg are the three letters written by Dr. H. Messiter, an eminent English physician, to divinity professors in Scotland. The letters were sent in 1769 to prominent men in the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Some sample phrases: "The Hon. Mr. Swedenborg has desired me to send you, as a present, some of his late Tracts. . . .I should be glad, Sir, to be honoured with a line from you when you get the books, and happy to receive your opinion when it may be suitable to you." "The Hon. Mr. Swedenborg has desired me to send you, as a present from him, some late Tracts of his writing, I hope not more extraordinary than true." ". . . this letter, which I address to you in obedience to the desire of my learned friend the Honourable Mr. Swedenborg, who has desired me to present you with some late pieces of his writing. I wish, good Sir, you may think them worthy of your perusal."*
     * Docu. II:522-527

     Such missionary activities took place in several nations. While Messiter wrote on behalf of the "Hen. Mr. Swedenborg," Scandinavians wrote of the "well-born Assessor Herr Swedenborg" or "Baron Swedenborg," and de Treuer wrote of "Monsieur de Swedenborg," while Oetinger wrote of "von Schwedenborg." "The illustrious Assessor of Mines, von Schwedenborg, has corresponded with me now for some time, and has sent me several copies of his book, De Amore Conjugiali, as a gift, with the request that I bring it to the attention of any illustrious duke I might know."* "During my last stay in Amsterdam, I had the pleasure of meeting Monsieur de Swedenborg. This incomparable man is now at work upon a book, of which I enclose the title which he wrote with his own hand."**
     * NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1948, PP. 3541 356
     ** Ibid., P. 362

     Joachim Wretman we might call a Swedish Johnny Appleseed.*

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His business in Amsterdam was plants and seeds, but he handled many book matters at Swedenborg's request and was his close friend. Swedenborg invited efforts from Ludwig IX to bring attention to the Writings. "I hope that . . . the last printed work, called Vera Christiana Religio, has come into your hands. If it be pleasing to you, you may perhaps order some learned men among the clergy in your Duchy to present and lay open their judgments concerning it; but I pray that such learned among your clergy may be chosen as love truths and take delight in them because they are truths. If others are chosen, they will not see in this work a single grain of truth, but everything therein will be in shade."**
     * Johnny Appleseed's phrase, "the good news right fresh from heaven," was perhaps inspired by a more dignified phrase in one of Swedenborg's letters about one of the books of the Writings: "I pray that you favor the work, for in it are pure truths disclosed from heaven." (NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1948, p. 364)
     ** Letters and Memorials, p. 751
     Swedenborg encouraged General C. Tuxen in Denmark to translate and publish a letter on behalf of the doctrines. "If the enclosed could also be translated into German, and printed in Hamburg, I should be very much pleased."* This was the letter in which Swedenborg said: "This doctrine they there call Swedenborgianism; but for my part I call it Genuine Christianity."**
     * Docu. II:372
     ** Docu. II:354
     The several Dutch booksellers who aided the cause of book distribution seem to have been commercially motivated. A man in Holland testified of Swedenborg: "All these writings are printed on large and expensive paper; and yet he gives them all away. The booksellers to whom he gives them for sale charge as much for them as they can get. Indeed they sell them dear enough, as I found out by my own experience; for I had to pay four florins and a half to the bookseller Schreuder in this town for a copy of his Apocalypsis Revelata. The bookseller himself, however, mentioned to me that the author never demands an account either from himself or any other dealer."* Bookseller J. C. Sepp wrote to one man: "The two bound copies of Vera Christiana Religio, which, on Herr v. Swedenborg's account, I sent directly to your High Princely Serenity, these Herr v. Swedenborg makes a present of to your High Princely Serenity; but if your High Princely Serenity still wishes to pay for them the price is 6.5 florins a copy plus portage via Arnhem, 1.10 florins. But, as said above, Herr v. Swedenborg desires no payment whatever for them."**
     * Docu. II:446
     ** Letters and Memorials, p. 753

     Swedenborg's valuable example in missionary work is in his remarkable patience in the face of discouragement and exceedingly slow reception. The work of promulgating the doctrines has always required this quality, and the missionary zealot who is without it soon gives up. Mere evangelical enthusiasm has been a fairly common commodity in the history of the New Church.

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The man credited with preaching the first New Church sermon in the United States, the Rev. James Wilmer, was avid enough. He wrote to James Hindmarsh in 1792 that he had "cast his everlasting all" in the heavenly Jerusalem and anticipated missionary success.* Three years later he returned to the Protestant Episcopal Church, "discouraged at the slow reception of the Heavenly Doctrines."**
     * Rise and Progress of the New Jerusalem Church, p. 153
     ** Annals, p. 180

     All who have labored to spread the doctrines have known discouragement, but few have faced it as Swedenborg did. He had been distributing books of the Writings by the hundreds for at least ten years when General Tuxen asked him how many people were favorable to the doctrines. His estimate was, around fifty.*
     * Docu. II:440
     One might well imagine Swedenborg's feelings when John Cuno, professing to be a friend, wrote to him in a letter: "Your last work you have distributed among the clergy of every denomination in this city, not only among the Reformed, but also among the Roman Catholics. You have also made it known in other towns, and in the universities of Holland. Almost a whole month has since elapsed, and I do not hear of a single person who is rising against you. It seems, therefore, as if you were looking for adversaries; but to say it openly, I am afraid you will find none. For most people despise your memorable relations, which are indeed wonderful but not proved, and they ridicule them as the mere out birth of your imagination. Others are delighted with them, as with fairy tales, but nevertheless make sport of them. Still others from a common report speak of you as a heretic; and others regard you as a madman. Others, finally-but why should I mention more? Our age is either too wise or it looks upon religion as a matter of little account."* He continued: "You have published your writings at great expense of money; and as soon as they have been published you have distributed them. Of what use has all this been? Of none whatever!"**
     * Docu. II:468
     ** Docu. II:472
     Swedenborg continued his work patiently and diligently to the end of his life. The Rev. Arvid Ferelius seems to have become a convert to the doctrines after attending Swedenborg on his deathbed. He testifies that Swedenborg solemnly told him that what he had written was the truth, and said to him: "When you enter eternity, you will see everything, and then you and I shall have much to talk about." Ferelius continues: "Afterwards, from gratitude, he presented me with a copy of his larger work, the Arcana Coelestia; of which only nine copies remained unsold, which were to be sent to Holland."*
     * Docu. II:558

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     The example of Swedenborg's life is true to the words of advice with which he once concluded a letter. "I am very sorry that you should have had to suffer for the translation of the book Heaven and Hell; but what suffers more at the present day than the truth itself? How few there are who see it, yea, who are willing to see it! Do not allow yourself to be discouraged thereby, but be a defender of the truth."*
     * Docu. II:257
REASON AND RATIONALITY 1964

REASON AND RATIONALITY       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1964

     (The second in a series of six doctrinal classes.)

     2. REASON IN PRE-CHRISTIAN AND CHRISTIAN THOUGHT

     Reason in pre-Christian Thought

     The Most Ancient Church was eminently rational. The rational is that degree of the mind in which the influxes from the two worlds, the spiritual and the natural, meet; and the rational man is he who thinks from the light and heat inflowing from heaven, or from within, concerning the things inflowing from the world through the senses. Within all the objects and experiences of the world without he perceives what is of infinite and eternal value. In the light of the fire of love to the Lord he perceives love and its wisdom in all the objects and experiences of his senses. Such sight is the true and inmost rational.
     Man began to fall from the state of that rational when-from his freedom, inherent in his sensation of self-life-he desired to enter more fully into the delights of his senses: to acquire from them a proprium apart from his perception that all life with him, from inmosts to outmosts, was the Lord's. This started a series of consequences which finally resulted in the complete fall of the Most Ancient Church.
     The influx of life through the will into the understanding, which had given celestial perception, was cut off; for the will, having become perverted, could no longer enlighten the understanding in the perception of truth, but could only flood it with falsities in correspondence with its evil loves. The Lord then provided a new plane in man for the reception of influx from heaven by the giving of a written revelation-the Ancient Word.

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By the truths of that revelation a heavenly form could be impressed upon the understanding; and in this reformed understanding, by influx from heaven, a new will could be formed. From this new will man was again endowed with a perception of truth: not a perception from good in the will, but a perception from the affection of truth in the understanding which is called conscience. How long it took for this change to be effected is not known, but it must have taken place through many generations.
     The beginning of the fall seems to have occurred early in the history of the Most Ancient Church, for it is said that in the third generation they already had a knowledge of the Advent, and the first prophecy of the Advent was given at the time of the expulsion from the garden of Eden;* that is, unless we take the "third generation" as a representative number. We say that the decline to the fall of the Most Ancient Church must have extended over many generations because of the great changes that took place. First, there were the physiological changes, from internal to external respiration; and also the separation of the innate will and the provision of the means by which a new will could be established in the understanding. Second, there was the development of a language of spoken words in which the Ancient Word could be written, and the development of writing itself.
     * AC 1123, 2661

     The most ancients in their pristine state did not have a language of articulate words. They communicated their loves and affections through sounds and through facial expressions, apparently having the use of many muscles, especially around the mouth, which are now in disuse. But "with some, external respiration began, and with it articulate sounds, or the language of spoken words."* In another number we read: ". . . with external respiration a language of words, or of articulate sounds into which the ideas of thought were determined."** That this took place over a long period of time seems evident from the teaching that "the words of language were not imparted immediately, but had to be invented or applied to things, which could not be done except in the course of time."*** Towards the end of the decline of the Most Ancient Church, a language of words and writing must have been developed; for while something of the perception of the Most Ancient Church still existed, certain men, represented by Enos and Enoch, were raised up, who committed to writing the perceptions that then still existed. These writings were the beginning of the Ancient Word, and during the period represented by the Flood they were preserved for the use of the Ancient Church.
     * AC 1120
     ** AC 608
     *** AC 8249
     These writings were representative and significative; they were not in natural rational and moral form.

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Through the knowledge of correspondences, the ancients knew what spiritual and heavenly things were represented by them, and in the light of conscience they perceived spiritual truths, or truths concerning man's spiritual life, within them. Perception is to perceive good from the affection of good; this is a sure guide to the spiritual truths which will support and uphold that good. Conscience is a perception from the affection of truth, and the quality of the good thereby revealed is dependent upon the purity of the truths in the understanding.
     The most ancients had a perception of truth from the good of love to the Lord. The men of the ancient churches had conscience, which is a perception of truth from the affection of truth, or from charity or love toward the neighbor. The sight of truth in the light of conscience is dependent upon the quality of the cognitions of truth received through the senses, so that the truth of conscience is always more or less true. In both instances, the light in which the truth is seen is the light of the sun of heaven, and it is that light falling upon the things in man's rational mind; for without a rational mind, man is not human.
     The human with man is not established from without through sense and experience. It inflows from the Lord. Through the faculties of rationality and liberty, indelible properties of the soul, man is potentially human; but only by the influx of the light and heat of the spiritual sun inflowing into the rational degree of the mind is man actually human. Hence we may say that every revelation is an opening of the rational mind so that man may receive what is human. "The fathers of the Most Ancient Church . . . thought from the interior rational. The fathers of the Ancient Church . . . thought from the exterior or natural rational."*
     * AC 1914

     It should be noted that the Ancient Church was not established with the descendants of the Most Ancient Church, although a beginning was made with a remnant from that church, represented by Noah and his sons. As long as conscience existed, and in it the reception of the light of the sun of heaven, the Ancient Church flourished; but gradually man again turned to natural and sensual loves and fell from a representative worship to the worship of representatives and significatives. Men turned their knowledge of correspondences to worldly and selfish ends, and some into magical arts.
     There was danger that the rational degree of the mind would be completely destroyed, and that thus man would perish, for in such case he could receive nothing truly human by influx from heaven. This brought about the necessity of the Advent.

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So it is said: "After there was no man any longer on the earth,"* when no operation of the Divine was possible through man's rational things into the things of the internal sense, then the Lord came. While this was happening, preparation for reception of the Lord in His advent was taking place with a people outside the church specific at that time. It is true that the decline was arrested by the revelations given through the prophets, which contained many things of genuine reason; but it would seem that these were only on the concrete moral and civil planes. There was with the prophets no development of reason, supporting and upholding truths concerning man's eternal life-the reality of the spirit.
     * AC 1894
     In order that the Lord might be received in His advent, and the Word of His first coming be understood, it was necessary that there should be a preparation for the opening of the rational mind through the development of reason-abstract reason: a reason by which the knowledges of science and experience could be so arranged as to support the interior truths of that revelation. This preparation took place with a gentile people, for the church was to spread with those among whom it had not previously existed.
     The development of reason, and the words of language by which it could be expressed, took place with the Greeks and permeated the thought of the people among whom the Christian Church had its rise. Reason, in the classical Greek sense, refers not only to the subjective reason of the human mind but also to a reason in the universe-an objective reason above and beyond man's small power of reason. The very power of human reason was evidence of a supreme reason, a reason outside of and beyond man which gave man the power to reason: something that transcends reason-a body of truth that true reason can uncover and confirm, but cannot arrive at by its own powers.
     Later in this series we shall show that this body of truth, in its inmost and supreme form, must be revealed, and always has been, for even the Greeks had their knowledge of God and of the eternal existence of the human soul from the Ancient Word. Those today who reason the existence of a God, or first cause, from the order in nature have received their first knowledge of God from the Word, either directly or indirectly.

     Reason in Christian Thought and in the Age of Enlightenment

     In the classical sense, reason refers to the structure of the whole man as well as to the structure of the universe. Reason in man may be called subjective reason, and reason in the universe may be called objective reason. Both of these are included in the definition that reason is "the structure or organization of the mind which enables the mind to grasp and transform reality."

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     Reason in the human mind, or philosophy, does not give reason to the universe and to the existence of man; it merely empowers man to observe and discover reason in the universe. To say that there is reason in the universe is to acknowledge that there is law, order, purpose and final end is creation; and to acknowledge reason in man is to say that man, by virtue of the structure and organization of his mind, is able to grasp and transform reality-to understand final ends and to order his life according to them. Reason, in this sense, had a great influence in early Christian thought. We see it in the external form of the Gospel of John, in Paul and in the writings of the Church Fathers. Again it led the way in preparation for the Second Advent, following the Renaissance, and even notably in Swedenborg's preparation.
     In between these periods, during the Dark Ages, reason lost its meaning and was discarded as a means of arriving at anything of truth. The understanding was to be held in obedience to faith, and the faith was in the formal dogmas of the church. Revelation was conceived of as revealing all truth, natural as well as moral and spiritual; so there was no purpose in reconciling the sensual and scientific truths of man's experience with the spiritual truths of revelation, for they were believed to be part of that revelation.
     With the freeing of man's thought from dogmatic theology that was brought about by the Renaissance and the Reformation there arose a number of philosophers, many of whom were Deists, who returned to reason in the classical Greek sense, but supported now by the rapid advance of scientific and experimental knowledge. The truths of revelation had little or no influence upon their thought, and they sought to solve by reason the social problems of the world and the riddle of the universe.
     Without the aid of revealed truth they were doomed to failure, and at the end of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries reason took on a new meaning, which now rules in all positivist schools of thought. This will be the subject of our next class.
GLORY TO GOD! 1964

GLORY TO GOD!              1964

     "God desires glory from man for man's sake; for when man gives God the glory, he ascribes all things to the Divine and nothing to himself, and when he does this, the Divine can inflow with Divine truth, and give him intelligence and wisdom" (Apocalypse Explained 33).

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ORDINATIONS 1964

ORDINATIONS       Various       1964

     Declarations of Faith and Purpose

     I believe that the Lord God Jesus Christ in whom is the Divine Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit reigns. His kingdom shall be for ever and ever. In His second advent He now stands forth as the visible God we worship: the God who is present in His threefold Divine revelation-the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem.
     In His infinite mercy, our Lord, the Redeemer, is ever speaking to man, leading him on the path of eternal happiness-the way to heaven and its blessed life, the peace of use found in a life of love to Him and towards the neighbor.
     Regeneration, the reciprocation of His Divine love, is His free gift to man, if only man on his part will accept the gently guiding truth of revelation; if only he will strive to live thereby; if only he will perform the works of charity in his daily life, shunning evils as sins against the Lord.
     The church on earth is constituted of all those who love the Lord and look to Him in His open Word. It is the responsibility of the church and of her priesthood to aid her members in their approach to the Lord. She must ever seek to lead them towards the good of life, the blessedness of use. This leading takes the form of presenting the truth of revelation in its fullness-of awakening the spiritual affection of truth. Thus the zealous preservation of the soundness and purity of doctrine is the first use of the church.
     In recognizing these essential truths I present myself for inauguration into the priesthood of the New Church. In humility I acknowledge that the Lord alone preserves and builds His church, and I pray that in His infinite providence the Lord will lead me to abide by the words which He spoke through His prophet, Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek: He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound . . . that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified."
     ALFRED ACTON

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     I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Divine Man, a God of infinite love and wisdom. He alone is God. He is unceasingly present with all men, urging them to accept His gift of eternal happiness in heaven.
     I believe in His threefold Word-the Heavenly Doctrine, the New Testament and the Old Testament. It teaches and shows what is good and what is evil, and there is no other criterion of good and evil.
     I therefore believe that acknowledgment of the Lord and obedience to His Word constitute the life of the church.
     The purpose of the priesthood is to teach the truth in such a way that it will lead men to a good life. A priest may instruct men in the doctrines merely from a diligent study of the Word; but to teach truth in such a way that it opens up the paths of salvation requires more than study. It needs a love which desires to know human states, to perceive the truths which will meet them, and to teach them aright. It needs a love which will enable the priest to receive enlightenment from the Lord.

     In presenting myself for inauguration into the priesthood, I declare my intention of seeking from the Lord this love and this enlightenment, that I may become His instrument in the Divine work of salvation.
     PETER MARTIN BUSS
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1964

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1964

     Internal Sense. The internal sense of the Word lies concealed within the letter and should not be confused with the genuine sense of the letter. It is characterized bb the entire absence of the elements of person, place and time, and it contains two elements, namely, affection and thought. This sense is threefold. The inmost, supreme or celestial sense, which treats of the Lord, is for the third heaven; the spiritual sense, or internal sense proper, in which the subject is the Lord's kingdom, is for the second heaven; and the internal-historical, spiritual-moral, or proximate internal sense, which describes the state as to morals and doctrine of the nation mentioned in the letter, is for the first heaven. (See AC 1405, 7233, 4279).

     Law. The nature of Divine law will be better understood if we think of it as being represented by the laws of aerodynamics, physics or chemistry rather than by laws enacted by legislative bodies and then turned over to the judicial branch for enforcement; for the former cannot be broken, but the latter can.

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As is well known, a law of physics is not the statement in the textbooks but the order or relation of phenomena noted and described in the statement. Divine laws are unchangeable and unbreakable operations of Divine order, and the revelation of them in the Word is not the law itself but the statement of the law. Thus when we are told that it is a law of the Divine Providence that a certain thing should be done, the teaching does not only prescribe a mode of conduct; it states an unalterable order with which man must co-operate if he wishes to achieve the end. Note that there are no laws of nature; Divine laws in nature. (See AC 7186, 10119, 7206.)

     Limbus. The limbus is a border, drawn from the finest things of nature, which man retains after death to give fixation, stability and permanence to his life in the spiritual world. Because it is natural, even though formed from the purest things of nature, the limbus does not enter the spiritual world, but remains within nature as a basis for man's immortality; and as his character is impressed upon it, it is the basis for his survival as an individual. The limbus is also referred to as the cutaneous envelope or border, and the substances which constitute it are the natural substances of the mind. (See AC 3293, TCR 103; DLW 257, 388e; Wis. viii:7.)

     Love of Self. In the form in which it is usually spoken of, this love consists in wishing well to oneself alone, and not to others except for the sake of self, and it is a corporeal love of exercising dominion over others. It was not evil in the beginning, however, but one of the three universal loves into which man was created; and when it has been purified and subordinated by regeneration it becomes the proper love of self care and preservation for the sake of uses, and one of the loves which makes man to be truly a man. (See HD 65; TCR 507.)

     Love of the World. This term denotes a material love of desiring to appropriate to oneself by every artifice the wealth and possessions of others; one which causes a man to set his heart on riches and suffer the world to lead him away from heaven. However, there is also a proper love of the world, but by regeneration it is subordinated to the love of heaven This is an important teaching because, as the Writings emphasize, it is not necessary for man to renounce the world in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. The spiritual man continues to love the world, as he continues to love himself, but as a master loves a servant. Love of the world is less deadly than love of sell, but these two loves are the origins of all evils. (See HD 76; TCR 507.)

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REVIEW 1964

REVIEW              1964

CREATION. Doctrinal Essays by Hugo Lj. Odhner. Academy Publication Committee, Bryn Athyn, Pa., 1964. Cloth, pp. 112. Price, $2.00.

     Since the first decade of this century, the author says in his preface, there seems to have been less and less general interest within the New Church in the teachings of the Writings concerning creation. Yet in an age of nuclear physics, when science has become the predominant influence on men's minds, it is important for the New Church man to ponder what revealed doctrine offers for a deeper understanding of the universe and man's place in it. The seven essays which follow are the fruits of an attempt to gather together the general teachings of the Writings on the subject of creation. For the sake of comparison, however, occasional references are made to Swedenborg's preparatory works.
     The introductory essay, God and Creation, brings out the central teaching that God created the universe out of His own substance, which is love itself. However, the process by which matter arose out of the Infinite was a complex one, involving the intermediation of spiritual causes, which can be understood only in the light of Divine revelation. All things of the natural world are only effects produced by the spiritual as a cause. Thus the spiritual world is to be regarded as the world of cause, and spiritual substance is prior to natural substance; and the creation of the universe involved a spiritual as well as a natural creation-the formation of spiritual as well as natural substance.
     This prepares the way for the second essay, The Spiritual Sun. Here certain teachings are cited to show that the first of creation was the production of the primary spiritual substance that is universal in everything finite, whether spiritual or natural. This substance is called the spiritual sun, because it is a medium by which the Lord proceeds into His creation, and this proceeding is sensed by the angels as heat and light are perceived by our physical senses. As a universal substance out of which everything finite is formed, the spiritual sun contains all potencies and varieties that can ever come into existence. It is not a most simple substance, but one most multiple, perfect and full, and is beyond the limitations of space and quantity. Being spiritual, it is called living; yet it has no life in itself, but lives from the life that is God. It is at once a beginning of creation and a mode of Divine proceeding and revelation.

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     However, no matter how perfect the spiritual sun may be in potentialities, it does not by itself satisfy the ends of Divine love. The purpose of creation is that the Divine may give of itself to others so that they may receive the gifts of love and wisdom; and this purpose requires the creation of vessels receptive of life and responsive to it-vessels formed from substances and matters created by the Lord. In the next three essays-Successive Spheres of the Spiritual Sun, The Sequence of Creation and The Expanse of Nature-Dr. Odhner outlines the teachings about the creation of the spiritual world as a prior world of causes, and of the natural world as a posterior world of effects; each arising from its own sun, whence atmospheres issued in a series of three discrete degrees; and each, through these atmospheres, forming its own threefold ultimate. However, the final end of creation is a heaven from the human race. Creation therefore looked to man as its plane of fulfillment. Yet man had to be created last as the basis of all that preceded. Accordingly, The Creation of organic Forms is the next essay, and the book concludes with Man-The Final End of Creation.

     These essays, as do the Writings themselves, free the concept of creation out of Divine substance from any idea of pantheism; show the dualistic nature of created substance; and insist throughout on the correspondence of the natural with the spiritual, in the full sense of the term. The author is keenly aware of the difficulty faced by the human mind, which is finite, in comprehending how the Infinite finited itself, and he discusses interestingly the problem of understanding correctly the priority of the spiritual in view of the fact that time was introduced with the natural world-a problem that enters into all cause and effect relations. Dr. Odhner realizes that he may differ from some in his interpretations; and there will be some, although this reviewer is not among them, who will question his conclusion that there are spiritual ultimates. However, as he says, the Writings are our final authority.
     In the introductory essay this teaching is noted: the first thing of the church is the knowledge that there is a God and that He is to be worshiped; and the first quality of God to be known is that He has created the universe and that the created universe subsists from Him. This knowledge needs to be infilled by a rational understanding of how God created the universe; one that will lead to an informed perception that it indeed subsists from Him. The church is indebted to Dr. Odhner for bringing together so lucidly and interestingly the teachings which furnish that understanding, and it is to be hoped that the publication of this book will help to revive interest in the subject of creation.

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CHURCH AND INTELLECTUALISM 1964

CHURCH AND INTELLECTUALISM       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

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     Recently we have been warned against mere intellectualism in the church. There is nothing new in this. It has happened before, and no doubt it will happen again. Certainly the danger is always with us, for the church does not consist only of regenerate or even of regenerating men, and the very form of the Writings is such that the natural man's preoccupation with them may easily become merely intellectual. However, without minimizing the danger, or presuming to judge that a tendency to it exists, there are two things that need to be said about the matter.
     If some in the church have become guilty of intellectualism, they have done so in opposition to the Heavenly Doctrine and to the consistent teaching of the church from the beginning. The strongest warnings against intellectualism come from the Writings themselves; their emphasis is always on the search for truth for the sake of good and the uses of life. And if there is any thought that the clergy have been negligent, there has been serious lack of attention to priestly instruction, for the same emphasis is to be found in countless sermons and classes.
     Furthermore, since we are always liable to try to guard against one extreme by going to the other, it should be pointed out that the study of the Writings and the good life are not mutually exclusive, competitive or antithetical. The New Church man is not faced with a choice between the two, though some have wrongly supposed this to be the case. Where there is a state of intellectualism, the cure is not less study of the Writings, but a change of motive in studying them. In making that change men conform with the unvarying teaching of the church.

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ENIGMA OF PEACE 1964

ENIGMA OF PEACE       Editor       1964

     We are taught in the Writings that no one can perceive the peace of heaven who has not been in it, and that as long as man is in the body the perception of heavenly peace is beyond him since he cannot receive it. That peace is indeed given to the regenerate, and from it they perceive themselves to be content in God; but it lies concealed in their interiors and is received only when they leave the body behind and enter heaven. If that were not enough, we are taught also that heavenly peace as it is in itself cannot even be described. Human language is inadequate to the task, and by no idea from the world can the nature itself of that peace enter into man's thought and perception.
     Why, then, do the Writings have so much to say about heavenly peace! One answer, and a rather obvious one, is this. The universal promise of the Sacred Scripture is peace, and that promise appeals to one of the deepest longings of the human heart. Yet the natural man's ideas of what constitutes genuine peace are so utterly false that without instruction he would misdirect his efforts and forfeit the chance of attaining it by deluding himself that he already had it. However, there is more to the matter than that, important as it is.
     If heavenly peace cannot be described as it is in itself, or be perceived from within, it can be and is described as it is comparatively to what man may perceive from within-that rest of the lower mind which is possessed by those who are content in God. The Writings can and do describe in detail the things in which that peace consists, the human states that oppose entrance into it, and the conditions for attaining it. On the basis of what man can perceive, there can be formed an affection of peace that will lead him to comply with the teaching viewed in the Writings; and thereby he can be led to the peace of God which passeth understanding, but is inmostly present within all temptation.
HARD SAYINGS: 6. CONJUGIAL LOVE 1964

HARD SAYINGS: 6. CONJUGIAL LOVE       Editor       1964

     For certain New Church men the hardest of all sayings, perhaps, is that Conjugial Love is an integral part of the Heavenly Doctrine. The difficulty arises in connection with the second part of the book, specifically with two paragraphs in it, but its shadow has fallen on the entire work. Conjugial Love has been described as an illuminating and useful work, but not the fruit of direct revelation from the Lord. Some years ago, the General Conference revised the declaration of faith at the head of its roll with the well understood purpose of tacitly excluding Conjugial Love from the Theological Writings which contain the Heavenly Doctrine. Part II has been referred to as "the skeleton in the New Church cupboard," and one writer expressed the wish that "that blunderer Swedenborg" had never written it!

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     We do not intend to quote the teaching of the disputed passages, nos. 459 and 460. They should be read carefully in full and in context, especially in the wider context which sets them in the second part of a work the first part of which is devoted to the delights of wisdom concerning conjugial love. The reader should note precisely what is said, and should give due consideration to the end for the sake of which it is said, namely, the preservation of the conjugial. He should ask himself also whether those who have not read the first part, and been affected by it, can have that end in view and at heart. It is our belief that unless all these conditions are met the passages cannot be seen rightly.

     However, the real issue here is this. Are the Writings a Divine revelation from the Lord, or do they contain both the Heavenly Doctrine and what is absolutely Swedenborg's own! If the latter, who is going to decide what is from the Lord and what is from Swedenborg, and by what criteria is he to make that judgment? Every student of the Writings will reach his own decision, but it seems to us that the difficulties implicit in the second view are greater than these inherent in the first. If they are Divinely inspired in part, then the authority is not the Writings themselves but the human mind-either the mind of the individual or the corporate mind of the church. It is men who decide what is from the Lord and what is not, and this by the standards they have set up; and even that which is held to be from the Lord is accepted because men have so decided. The General Church believes that if the Writings are not Divinely inspired from beginning to end, then we can have no assurance of the Divine inspiration of any part of them, for it has no faith whatsoever in human authorities.
     The things that are written about in the second part of Conjugial Love are unpleasant because the general subject is the pleasures of insanity concerning scortatory love, and in that part there are things difficult to understand. Yet there is a vital distinction between what is unpleasant, even offensive, in itself, and the revealed Divine truth about it, and problems of understanding are not solved by flat rejection but by a greater effort to understand in the Lord's own light. Under the principle that evil can be seen from good, but not good from evil, the second part of Conjugial Love should be read last, and in the light of the first part, in order that from the delights of wisdom the pleasures of insanity may be seen for what they are and be shunned, and we be moved to seek humbly from the Lord those delights, and this in the way of His appointment. If this is done, then gradually that part of the work may be seen in a new light. We may see that in it, as in the first part, the Lord speaks wisdom from love of imparting the conjugial; and see it, not as a hard saying, but as Divine revelation from the Lord.

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Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH

     Commencement

     The Academy's eighty-seventh Commencement on June 12 did not impinge on New Church Day preparations as much as has sometimes been unavoidable. Perhaps for this reason there was an unusually large gathering of parents and friends from distant points, and the sphere of celebration which began with the President's Reception on Thursday evening lingered throughout the weekend.
     The exercises on Friday morning, warm and sunny, saw graduates receiving diplomas and degrees from all five Academy schools. A list of graduates and honors follows this report. The speaker, Alexander H. Lindsay, Esq., addressed himself directly to the graduating students. His address, to be published in a later issue, was delivered with characteristic vigor and forthrightness; very much, as one hearer remarked, the tone of a father talking to his son from strong conviction and wide experience.
     Valedictorians were: for the Girls School, Roxanne Howard; for the Boys School, Charles Smith; for the Junior College, Robert Glenn; for the Senior College, Erik Sandstrom; and for the Theological School, Alfred Acton. Each had the virtues of freshness, brevity, and appropriateness to the educational state represented, from the acknowledgment that a girl graduate's mind ought to be more than a "fluffy cumulus cloud" floating around, to the theolog's testification of his teachers' humility before the revealed truth. Bishop Pendleton expressed the Faculty's response to the valedictories in noting the spirit of gratitude as a recognition of those who serve as instrumentalities of use; the inscribing of the New Church in students' hearts is the essential of the Academy's unique use.
     At the close of the service, awards made by the Board of Directors from the Glencairn Fund to Otho W. Heilman, Miss Frances M. Buell and Miss Lucy E. Potts were announced. Bishop Pendleton also presented a special award from the Board of Directors-and on behalf of the staff and students as well-to Dr Andrew A. Doering, who has served quietly, unassumingly over many years as the Academy's school physician. On this warm note, and amid sustained applause, the Bishop bade the student body goodby until September.
     E. BRUCE GLENN

     ACADEMY SCHOOLS

     Awards, 1964

     At the Commencement Exercises on June 12, the graduates received their diplomas and the honors were announced as follows:
     Theological School

     BACHELOR OF THEOLOGY: Alfred Acton, Peter Martin Buss.

     Senior College

     BACHELOR SCIENCE: Lennart Ola Alfelt, Altys Elaine Crockett, Erik Sandstrom, Deryck van Rij.

     Junior College

     DIPLOMA: With Distinction: Patricia Kay Nicholson, Carol Jane Schnarr.

     DIPLOMA: Nuhad Khalil Abed, Sylvia Cranch, Terry Faulkner Ebert, Melinda Echols, Robert Lee Glenn, Carol Ann Gurney, Elisabeth Sandstrom.

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     Boys School

     ACADEMIC DIPLOMA: Fred Chuan Ming Chen, Edgar George Cross, 3rd, Charles Alan Echols, Dale Brent Genzlinger, Richard Walter Glenn, Jan Junge, Alexander Heilman Lindsay, Jr., Richard Ernest Nicholson, Bruce Alan Reuter, Prescott Andrew Rogers, Richard Herbert Rose, Gary Robert Schnarr, Charles Clinton Smith, Stephen Heilman Smith.

     GENERAL DIPLOMA: William Richard Leezer, Donald Edmonds Robbins, Kingsley Glenn Rogers, Paul Michael Schoenberger, David Ball Smith, Robert Frank Stitt.

     CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE: William Leslie Alden, Adriaan Braam.

     Girls School

     DIPLOMA: With Honors: Kathleen de Maine, Mary Parker, Karen Sue Wille, Julia Williams.

     DIPLOMA: Janice Louise Archer, Sandra Louise Cole, Susan Doering, Meredith Glenn, Barbara Jill Heilman, Roxanne Howard, Gail Kintner, Margaret Ann Klein, Peggy Klippenstein, Carol Ruth McCardell, Elizabeth Anne Orr, Elizabeth Clyde Moore, Jill Pendleton, Stephanie Rich, Jennifer Scott, Phoebe Simons, Shirley Anne Spracklin, Valerie Joy Stevens, Judith Ann Stitt, Sandra Nell Synnestvedt, Elsie Patricia Waddell, Gwen Darlene Wilkinson, Linda Wille.

     CERTIFICATE: Cheryl Ruth Carlson, Terry Clifford.

     Glencairn Award

     The Glencairn Award was received by the following: Professor Otho Ward Heilman, for outstanding service in the fields of church, school and community uses; Miss Frances Margarita Buell, for outstanding service as an administrator and Professor of English in the Academy schools; Miss Lucy Emma Potts, for outstanding service as a teacher of young children in the Bryn Athyn Elementary School.

     PACIFIC NORTHWEST

     On his usual May visit to the Northwest, the Rev. Roy Franson this time went first to North Vancouver, to the Elden Fairburn home, where he performed the marriage of their daughter, Patricia Penner, to Mr. George Smith. There is quite a group of young people attending Mr. Franson's services and classes here. They are a very active and interested group, and they make things very interesting.
     On this visit also Mr. Franson stopped at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Priebe in Port Angeles. A class and service were held there. Whether the attendance is large or small, Mr. Franson always makes his message to us so interesting, filling our need for spiritual food from the Word and the Writings. He stopped with the group in Bellevue, and the usual welcome from all the New Church men in it was awaiting him. He was sorry to hear of another Bellevue family, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bedford, having moved away. They have gone to Huntsville, Alabama. We wish them the very best and hope that they will soon find New Church friends in their new surroundings.
     Mr. Franson visited the Zollmans in Joseph, Oregon, before coming to Walla Walla, to the home of Antonia Pribilsky and Marian and Carol Johns, who had invited a group of us to come for dinner in the evening and for the class afterwards. Olena Zollman and her three children, Hugo, Mildred and Lee, came in the late afternoon; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shields of Kennewick brought Mrs. Ann Poston and Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Harthill from Rosalia; and Mrs. Margaret Brechen of Walla Walla also attended. After we had all been welcomed to the new home, a delicious dinner was served by our three hostesses; and as always seems to happen among New Church people, all lighter talk and visiting gave way to discussion on New Church questions and topics of interest to each one. Mr. Franson chose as the subject of the class which followed "The Nineteenth of June, or, The Birthday of the New Church," which, I am sure, was very interesting to many of us who knew so little about the founding of our church. There is something so exhilarating and soul-satisfying about talking with others who are New Church people, and who think and believe as we do, that time passes so quickly as to mean almost nothing.

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So the evening was gone before it seemed to have begun. We retired until the next day, when we all drove to Kennewick and met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shields for our Sunday service.
     Those present, in addition to the pastor, were Mr. and Mrs. Shields and their three lovely little daughters, Cornelia, Klara and Heidi; Mrs. Ada Rose, Yakima; Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Rose and their daughter Beverly; Mrs. Ann Poston and Antonia Pribilski, Walla Walla; and Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Harthill, Rosalia, Washington. The sermon was entitled "The Gathering of the Elect." After the service was over we were shown round the Shields home and the ladies prepared and served a lovely dinner. We all became better acquainted and enjoyed more discussion around the table. It was lovely warm spring day, and the flowers and fruit trees were all in bloom. Everyone enjoyed the day so much and appreciated the hospitality of the Shields family and all those who helped with the dinner and entertainment.
     Mr. Franson returned with the Harthills to their home in Pine City. It was Memorial Day, and there was a lot of traffic on the highways; but in spite of any difficulty we had a fine trip and
much good conversation, and many questions which we had been saving for a long time were answered. It was good to come back to our quiet home in Peaceful Valley in the evening: the crops and grasses fresh and green, the old white house nestled against the hills, waiting to welcome us once more to dear familiar things.
     On Monday Mr. Franson went on to Spokane to meet with the group there at W. E. Hansen's for the evening class. The service on Tuesday evening was held at Mrs. Marie Hansen's home. The congregation consisted of Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Hansen and their daughter Helen Marie; Mrs. Marie Hansen, Carith Hansen, Everette Sorenson, and Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Harthill. Mr. Franson gave us a wonderful sermon on "Conjugial Love"-one of the finest we have ever heard, and one which truly touched our hearts. It made us feel how important it is that we keep striving to do the right, the good and the true; to read the Word every day and the Writings right along with it each time; to pray to the Lord for more charity and faith in our hearts and to do what we learn and believe; to perform every day those particular uses that it is our part in the world to do; to love the Lord above all else, and our neighbor even more than ourselves.
     After Mr. Franson has been to visit us, and we have all had services such as these, and we each go back to our weekday living again, we find our tasks much lighter, our problems much smaller. We feel closer, somehow, to the Lord and His teachings; and when we read the Word it seems to have new meaning for us. We resolve to do better, to help others more, and in every way to try to do His will and to walk in the light of His Word.
     MELVA HARTHILL
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN 1964

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN              1964

     People coming to Bryn Athyn for the Academy's opening exercises, Charter Day or any other occasion who need assistance in finding accommodation will please communicate with the Hostess Committee. Please address letters to: The Hostess Committee, c/o Mrs. Roy H. Rose, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

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ORDINATIONS 1964

ORDINATIONS       Editor       1964




     Announcements
     Acton.-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, June 19, 1964, Candidate Alfred Acton into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton officiating.

     Buss.-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, June 19, 1964, Candidate Peter Martin Buss into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton officiating.
EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL 1964

EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL       DAVID R. SIMONS       1964

     The 1964 meetings of the Educational Council of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., from Friday evening (8:00) August 21, to Friday noon August 28, inclusive.

     Members of the General Church who are teaching, whether in society schools or not, are cordially invited to the following series of classes: "The Establishment of Values," by the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton; "The Rational Psychology and New Church Education," by the Rev. Erik Sandstrom. Please notify the Rev. David R. Simons if you plan to attend. Members of the Council have received the complete program and registration cards through the mail.
     DAVID R. SIMONS,
          Chairman

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MANNA OF HEAVEN AND THE CORN OF CANAAN 1964

MANNA OF HEAVEN AND THE CORN OF CANAAN       Rev. B. DAVID HOLM       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV SEPTEMBER, 1964          No. 9
     "And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the sons of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year." (Joshua 5:12)

     This text marks the historical climax of the story of the manna as given in the Word. For forty years-six days each week-the manna fell with the dew of the morning, and the sons of Israel had only to gather it. Without this aid of the Lord the Israelites could not have endured their journey through the barren land of the Sinai peninsula. Nor was the manna to be found only in one place in the wilderness. Wherever they went, there it was to be found-new every morning; and because of this, the manna has become an almost universal symbol or sign of the Divine presence, blessing and help.
     Yet as soon as they entered the land of Canaan, this Divine blessing ceased, and this at the very time when it would seem that the people would need it most-at the very time of their difficult battles to secure their heritage of the promised land. "Neither had the sons of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year."
     This change from the daily giving of manna to the seeking out for themselves of the old corn of the land would seem, on the surface, to represent a state of retrogression-a backward step from dependence on the Lord to reliance upon self. Yet quite the opposite is the case; for this change from the manna of heaven to the corn of Canaan marks a most important, perhaps the most important, step or change in each person's individual spiritual development.

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This is the tremendous change from that state of regeneration in which truth rules supreme and guides our spiritual progress to the later state of regeneration in which good reigns and causes us to enter spontaneously into the joy of our Lord. "And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land."
     The manna, then, is our spiritual nourishment during the time that we are in the general state of truth, or the state of self-compulsion or reformation.* The only good that a man is able to experience actually at that time is, we are told, the good of truth; and it is the good of truth that is represented by the manna. What is this good of truth? It is simply the truth of faith turned to the good of life by man's forcing himself to live that truth. This is the manna, the good that is produced by truth during that long period through which we must all pass if we would enter the spiritual Canaan-the period of temptation and vastation. So it was that the manna was produced by the dew of the morning in the barren wilderness.**
     * See AC 8458, 8459, 8525-8533
     ** AC 8458, 8459
     On the other hand, to eat the corn of Canaan represents the state of good itself: that state in which a man as it were produces his own good, not by self-compulsion, but by spontaneous love of good and joy in it. This is the state of regeneration proper rather than the preceding state of reformation, in which truth produces good through self-discipline Such spontaneous good is the state of Canaan-the promised land in which man, like Joshua, is able to lead the spiritual forces of his mind to certain victory over his evils; and this because he eats of "the old corn of the land."

     The differences between these two states-of the manna and the corn, or reformation and regeneration-are great. Indeed they can be said to be the differences between life in this world and life in heaven. But let us beware of thinking that the goal of spontaneous good signified by the corn of Canaan is reserved for our life in the other world only; for truly we are able to enter into the state of heaven to some degree while still performing our earthly uses.
     The very fact that there is such a difference between these two states lends an added emphasis to the first state that of receiving the manna; for it is only by entering actively into this first state that we can ever hope to enter into the state of good itself, which must ever be our final goal. Let us, then, first look to the Exodus passage concerning the manna, which formed the first part of our lesson. This tells us of the first beginning of the manna and the laws surrounding it.
     The manna was not given to the Israelites until about a month after their escape from Egypt.

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The bonds of their slavery in Egypt had been broken; in terror they had seen the pursuing army of Pharaoh overtaking them, and had watched, awestruck, the total destruction of that army. Further, they had begun their wilderness march, had undergone the terrible thirst of the desert, and had witnessed Moses' making sweet the bitter waters of Marah.
     All of this shows us that the good of truth, the manna, is not given to man until some time after the beginning of his spiritual development. He must first make good his escape from the rule and infestations of the hells signified by Egypt. He can do this, of course, only from the power of the Divine truth with him, which is represented by Moses. But more than this, he must face the first general state of reformation, and face it successfully. This involves the temptations of memory. The hells pursue the man who has broken their bonds, recalling to his mind his past states of weakness and of slavery to evil. He feels himself to be helpless to resist the onslaught of evil. Yet if he hearkens to the strengthening voice of Divine truth he will be saved from the power of his past evils, and he will see their power destroyed, for they will be dismissed to the hells from which they arose. But even then the man is not yet ready to receive the good that is produced by truth, for the truth from which that good is to come has not yet been sufficiently established in him. He must now face the second general state of temptation-temptation as to truth. He knows that he does not yet have a sufficient love of truth, and he longs for the proper regard for truth: he thirsts in the wilderness. Yet, as he examines the truth, his external or perverted nature discovers that the truth is bitter and distasteful, for it calls for much sacrifice on the part of man's external nature. The issue, the temptation,-is between the man's interior love of the truth and his external resentment of it. If he allows his internal love of the truth to rule, and refuses to compromise, then his delight in truth will return and he will find the water made sweet.*
     * AC 8395, 8366-8370

     The man now not only delights in the truth intellectually, he is also urged to make the truth his own individual way of life. This prepares him for the third general state of temptation-the hungering in the wilderness which was satisfied by the giving of the manna. When the man begins to try to live the truth he has come to love, he finds it most difficult, for he discovers that he has no genuine good that he can apply to life. He hungers for good in the vast barrenness he sees in his mind. He feels that his very life depends upon this-as truly it does, for good is love and love is life.

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The only loves he had experienced previously were the so-called goods of selfishness and love of the world; and his external mind cries out that such goods and their accompanying delights are better than no goods and no delights at all-as it so appears in the harsh wilderness state in which he is. He cries out for the fleshpots of Egypt, and murmurs against the Divine truth which has led him out of evil.
     When man's hereditary nature is considered, this is a most natural stage of reformation, for good cannot be formed from truth except through many temptations. It is only by struggle that a new will or continent of the Lord's good can be formed, and the old perverted will be destroyed. Such are the combats-or voluntary temptations-between the old will of man and the nascent new will. If when we are in such temptations as to good-when we see that as yet we have no genuine good, and thus no genuine life and delight, and we feel impelled to return to the delights of evil in order to have at least something of existence; if when this occurs we refuse to give way, and persist in our search for genuine good even though we be in a wasteland, then we may be most sure that such good will be given us by the Lord. This is the Lord's solemn and holy promise. It is the promise of the manna which will not fail. This is our hope in the wilderness;* and indeed we sense this even when we would despair over our lack of good and murmur against the Lord.
     * AC 8416-8418

     Our temptations as to good are brought to a close when we hearken to this promise of the Lord. For then we look to Him, and to Him alone, for good, since it has been abundantly proved to us that we cannot find any spiritual good by our own efforts because man is never the source of good. When man fully acknowledges this, then the temptations as to good cease, and in their stead there comes a state of delight-a state of external but orderly delight. Even as the Israelites were given the quail before they were given the manna, so the man who is striving for good must first be brought into ultimate delights of charity and use. These are not the delights of actual good, for man is not yet in the state of that good. Rather are they the delights we sense in potential good, and such delights are familiar to us all. They are those states of mental warmth, happiness, even bliss, when we envision ourselves in a truly good state-living a life of selfless use, charity and love. How nice it would be to be good! How devoted we will be! how patient, wise and truly useful! How gladly will we turn to the Lord all the praise we receive! Truly we are filled with delight at such times, even as the Israelites were filled with the flesh of the quails.

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     The external delights we sense from such envisioning of good are great, and even though our later actions may well fall short of our imagining, still they have served a great purpose in our reformation, for they prepare our external mind for the reception of genuine, actual good. Thus it is of order that external delight should precede internal good in the time-sequence of reformation;* and we would do well as parents to encourage such dreaming of good in our children, for we are taught that it is a Divinely provided state in order that man can be perfected.** Yet it is only a stepping stone to the actual ultimation of internal good from the Lord; just as the quail were sent to the Israelites to prepare them for reception of the bread of heaven.
     * AC 8452, 8453
     ** AC 8431, 8487
     The giving of the manna marks an entirely new state in our reformation,* and this state comes in a marvelous way. In the morning, when the dew that lay around the Israelites' camp went up, behold, on the face of the ground there lay a small round thing. Thus was the manna given, and thus is given the spiritual good signified by the manna; for as the manna fell with the dew of the morning, so spiritual good comes with the truth of peace, which is meant by the morning dew. What is this truth of peace which serves as the vehicle of good? The Writings tell us: "This truth, which is called 'truth of peace,' is the very Divine truth in heaven from the Lord, which universally affects all who are there, and makes heaven to be heaven; for peace has in it confidence in the Lord, that He directs all things and provides all, things, and that He leads to a good end. When a man is in this faith, he is in peace, for he then fears nothing, and no solicitude about things to come disquiets him."**
     * AC 8454
     ** AC 8455

     This state has its beginnings in the external delights spoken of before in connection with the quails given to the Israelites; for within all orderly delight, no matter how external, there are this state of peace and its accompanying truths concerning the Lord's care of us; and we can have a glimmering of awareness of this wonderful peace if we but look into any of the genuine delights we experience; We can see the dew of the morning, if only for a short time, before it evaporates in the heat of the day; and during that short time the dew of peace can vivify us, can vivify even the scant verdure of the barren wilderness of the as yet unregenerate mind. Such peace is a further and vital preparation for the reception of the Lord's good. Without that utter confidence in the Lord-without that confidence entering into what little truths of religion we have-those truths will never receive life, will never be vivified. Without this confidence the truths of religion can never be made the truths of faith with us;* and when religious truth has been vivified, has become the truth of faith with us, what is it but a conscience of truth-the beginning of the new will, or truth made good?**
     * AC 8454-8456
     ** AC 8457

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     This is that small round thing left upon the face of the wilderness when the dew went up. It is the manna, the first genuine good received by the man who is being reformed by the Lord. In itself it is truth as to quality, for truth rules in the man, and it is seen as truth by him; but, wonderful to say, it is felt as good. It is loved, and it gives delight. As truth it forms the new intellect, and as good it forms the new will. It is truth formed into good-this, of course, by a most gradual process. This is the wonder of reformation, the miracle that is wrought in the wilderness.*
     * AC 8458, 8459
     A man who is being reformed finds amazement in this actual good of life which he now experiences. He is filled with wonder that the truths concerning charity, which he has known for some time, can be formed into the good of charity with all its accompanying warmth, joy and delightful activity of use. As the Israelites did when they saw the manna upon the ground he cries out: "What is this?" Indeed the Hebrew word, manna, means "What is this!" There is this amazement because genuine good has been entirely unknown before this time. Prior to this, only the perverted delights of self and the world have actually been known.*
     * AC 8461, 8462

     But once the manna, this good formed from truth, is seen for what it is-a Divine gift for the salvation of our souls-there comes a Divine command.* We are commanded to gather and eat this spiritual food. We must actively and willingly receive it in our lives. For although this is but the first good, still within it there is all good: the celestial good of love to the Lord, and indeed good itself, thus the Lord. The manna is truly the Lord in us: His first presence, granted, but still it is His presence with us in the good of charity.**
     * AC 8466
     ** AC 8464
     But we are warned and exhorted not to be solicitous or to worry about acquiring this good of truth for ourselves. That is impossible, for it is given freely by the Lord alone. Thus we are not to save or store up the manna with miserly prudence or careful doling out; we are to use unstintingly all the good of charity we receive-to the full and to the very best of our ability-for there will always be an abundance. In each new state we receive all the good that is needful for us. To try to save it for ourselves is to try to acquire good from ourselves; and this is most foolish, for in doing it we destroy the good.

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The manna then breed worms, and stinks; for it becomes proprial good, which is evil.*
     * AC 8477-8482
     During this whole period of doing good from the truths of faith we must labor to gather that which is freely given. We must force ourselves to live the truth we inwardly love. This is not easy, for we live in the wilderness which is for the most part empty of genuine life. We are being reformed through trials by having our genuine loves attacked, which is the only way in which they can be strengthened, and there are vastations of our natural mind in which our evil tendencies are separated from us. Such a life is not always pleasant for it is a forced life, indeed an unnatural life; there is little that is spontaneous in it, nor can there be, for if we were to act spontaneously at this stage of our spiritual development we would return to the bonds of evil.
     Yet all is not strife; there are the sabbaths of rest at stated intervals, those sabbaths in which we sense something of good itself-of spontaneously doing good from love. These states give us spiritual rest and comfort, and strength to continue the journey, for in them we see what it will be like when truth has been made good in us fully. We do not need Lo go out and laboriously gather the manna, for twice as much has been given us the day before; and this extra manna we can save and store up, for when we genuinely acknowledge from living experience that all good is from the Lord alone, then His good can safely be given to us as if it were our own to use from the wisdom He has given us. In this state, if we try to gather good laboriously by applying the truth, we find no good at all, for in it good is intended to be entirely spontaneous. The Israelites who went out to gather manna on the sabbath found none at all. We are to beware of doing this.

     These temporary and yet quite regular entrances into the state of good itself are but a final preparation for our entrance into the state of good-our entrance into the promised land, where we will eat the corn of Canaan. For it is not the Lord's final intent that we should labor for good by applying truth to life; this is essentially an artificial state, as many times we are only too well aware! It is meant only as a means of attaining to good itself, or as a preparation for us to become receptacles of good-each one of us a heaven in least form; for gradually, as we live the truth, our love of the truth grows and grows until at last it is this love that rules, and love is good. We need no longer apply the truth, for it becomes a spontaneous thing; it has become good, and our wilderness years are over.
     Then we enter the state of regeneration itself, the state of good.

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We are led fully by the Lord, by His good. We do not do good by forcing ourselves; we do it from joyful habit. We take no merit in the good we do, for we are blessedly unmindful of self, and because of this we are for the first time truly alive. No longer do we strive to love the Lord from ourselves; we love Him from what is His own in us. We are no longer in the general state of truth, but of good. We are in Canaan, and the corn we eat is the old corn of the land-that ancient good which the Lord supplied to man in the beginning; and it is corn, a natural food grown in the mind of man himself and not an artificial good produced by truth. We are never to return to that previous state of being sustained by manna, for to do so would be to doubt the Lord's good in us. With the crossing of the Jordan the manna ceased forever. Amen.

     LESSONS: Exodus 16. Joshua 5. Arcana Coelestia 8516.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 497, 456, 455.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 18, 89.
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1964

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1964

     The Spring Number of the NEW-CHURCH MAGAZINE contains a challenging article by the Rev. Frank Holmes, "Things Revealed and Things not Revealed." Mr. Holmes' thesis is that the matter of Swedenborg's revelation, inspiration and perception is beyond question, but that the revelation given through him could not overstep the scientific knowledge of his times. While biblical authorship and astronomy are cited as examples, the main thrust of the argument is against the permissions in the second part of Conjugial Love. These, the article contends, are not doctrinal; they are what reason saw and experience taught from the medical view of man's sexual necessity that was held in the eighteenth century. Even Swedenborg's most sublime perceptions of heavenly conjugial realities, it is argued, could not reveal to him the now known facts of sexology, and it would be a grave error to regard them as the Word.
     The argument deserves serious consideration for two reasons. It is founded on a principle enunciated in the Writings; and it is undoubtedly true that the Lord does not reveal what man can discover, and that loyalty to the totality of revelation does not necessarily imply commitment to the scientific knowledge of Swedenborg's age. The principle, found in Apocalypse Explained 1086, is that the Lord does not operate from firsts by mediates into ultimates, but from firsts by ultimates into mediates, and the application made is that in this instance the ultimate was the medical knowledge of Swedenborg's day. We do not think, however, that these permissions are based on that knowledge, but that the dangers spoken of are spiritual. There we must differ from Mr. Holmes.

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MEMORABLE RELATIONS 1964

MEMORABLE RELATIONS       Rev. ERIK SANDSTROM       1964

     Memorabilia is a Latin word meaning "memorable things." Most translations of the Writings render it "Memorable Relations." Actually the term first occurs in the singular, and we then have aliquod memorabile-"something memorable." In the sense of a "memorable relation" it so first occurs in Apocalypse Revealed 153. This number may be regarded as introducing a long series of Memorable Relations. We here have the term in its adjectival usage. Yet already in the next following chapter the adjective becomes a noun, as is so frequently the case in the Writings, and we now find hoc memorabile-"this memorable thing." From then on and in the later Writings the term stays a noun without, or in any case almost without, exception. Occasionally memorabilia, the plural, is used as a heading for only one Memorable Relation, as after Apocalypse Revealed, Chapters 12 and 20.

     As indicated, the Memorable Relations commenced in the Apocalypse Revealed, namely, after Chapter 2. It may be noted, however, that instead of a Memorable Relation there follows, after Chapter 1, the statement of "The Faith of the New Heaven and the New Church in a Universal Idea."* Now, since the pattern of Apocalypse Revealed is one or more Memorable Relations after each chapter-there is only one other exception, Chapter 18, which has a kind of epilogue appended to it-it may, perhaps, be fairly argued that the Faith of the New Heaven and the New Church is an introduction and an entrance court to the special revelations contained in the Memorable Relations.
     * AR 67
     The Apocalypse Revealed is the only expository work that contains Memorable Relations, that is to say, under that name. Earlier, the Arcana Coelestia indeed has many portions of a comparable nature. The whole series on the inhabitants of other earths, for example, could be classed as in that category, for there, as in all the Memorable Relations, the revelations are based on what has been heard and seen.
     In addition to the Apocalypse Revealed, two other major published works contain Memorable Relations, namely, Conjugial Love and True Christian Religion. Of the smaller published works the Brief Exposition has one, quoted from the Apocalypse Revealed, and Intercourse Between the Soul and the Body has one.

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In the posthumous works we find Relations in Five Memorable Relations and in Conversations with Calvin. Altogether there are some 150 Memorable Relations in the Writings, a few of which are quoted from one work in a later one, thus occurring twice.* Of course, all the five volumes of the Spiritual Diary, a posthumous work, might be added to the list, in which case the total number of Relations would be swelled very considerably. Some New Church scholars have, in fact, wished to change the title of the Spiritual Diary to Memorabilia.** Swedenborg, not intending the work for publication, gave it no title. Here, however, it may be sufficient to note that the Spiritual Diary also contains very much material which could not well be classed with the Memorable Relations. But in any case it is clear that the Writings offer a great many "memorable things" from the spiritual world. Those from the major published works alone would, if collected in one volume, form a book of perhaps about 500 pages. More than one-fourth of the True Christian Religion is taken up with this kind of material.
     * For a list of Memorabilia see NEW CHURCH LIFE, October 1955, PP. 465-468. EDITOR
     ** See "Some Little Known Facts Concerning Swedenborg's Memorabilia," by Alfred Acton, NEW CHURCH LIFE, March 1953, pp. 112-130. EDITOR.
     Many affirmative readers of the Writings have wished that the Memorable Relations had been left out. Scoffers speak of "figments of the imagination." Even members of the church sometimes give them a reluctant hearing, saying that they are Probably true, yet not very important.
     What do the Writings themselves say about them? After the last published Relation we have the following declaration, quoted from the first paragraph of Conjugial Love:

     "I foresee that many who read the Memorable Relations that are appended to the chapters of this book will believe them to be figments of the imagination. But I declare in solemn truth that they are not inventions, but were truly seen and heard; not seen and heard in some state of the mind when asleep, but in a state of complete wakefulness. For it has pleased the Lord to manifest Himself to me, and to send me to teach these things which will belong to His New Church, which is meant by the New Jerusalem in the Revelation. For this purpose He has opened the interiors of my mind, that is, of my spirit; and in this way it has been granted to me to be in the spiritual world with angels, and at the same time in the natural world with men, and this now for twenty-seven years."*
     * CL 1. Cf. TCR 851

     Count von Hapken, once chancellor of the country, or prime minister, and a friend of Swedenborg, took his concern to the latter in person. Later he wrote to another friend concerning his interview as follows:

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     "I asked him once why he wrote and published those visions and memorable relations, which seemed to throw so much ridicule on his doctrines, otherwise so rational; and whether it would not be best for him to keep them to himself, and not publish them to the world? But he answered that 'he had orders from the Lord to publish them,' and that 'those who might ridicule him on that account would do him an injustice': for, says he, 'why should I, who am a man in years, render myself ridiculous for fantasies and falsehoods?'"*
     * Docu. I:66e

     Another of Swedenborg's friends, perhaps his closest friend of all, was Gabriel Beyer, a doctor of theology and a member of the Consistory in the diocese of Gothenburg. Beyer became one of the very earliest New Church men in the world, and he worked openly and at great risk to himself for the spread of the doctrines. The Apocalypse Revealed having been published, Swedenborg sent copies to him, and wrote in a letter:

     "At the conclusion of every chapter there are memorable relations separated from the text by asterisks which you will please to read first. From these a thorough knowledge may be gathered of the wretched state into which the Reformed churches have been brought by faith alone."*
     * Docu. II:p. 239

     There is no apology here for these relations! We have, in fact, a first intimation of one of their uses, namely, to expose the true state of the world. Their more general use, however, is suggested in another letter of Swedenborg's:

     "Some spirits were not willing that I should say anything of the things revealed to me; but they were told that these things were in the place of miracles."*
     * Docu. II:p. 975

     Here is the clue-"in the place of miracles." Miracles at the Lord's first advent served to establish His authority. "The works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me."* The works bore witness to His teachings. In His first advent, these teachings later formed the letter of the New Testament. It would therefore follow that the Memorable Relations are to the Writings what the miracles are to the New Testament. (The miracles wrought by Moses and the prophets in the Jewish Church similarly reinforced their teachings.)
     * John 5:36
     The Writings are a revelation of the spiritual sense of the Word. That spiritual sense makes one with the Word in heaven. In it are contained all the arcana of the spiritual world, that is to say, the world of the spirit of man. Deeper still, there are also in it the secrets of the Lord's own mind. Now, how can we really understand, really receive, the spiritual sense without the spiritual world? Must we not be brought, in thought, to the world where there is no space and no time, in order to comprehend the workings of the affections and thoughts within our own minds, above and beyond the space-time limitations of the world of the five bodily senses?

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Must we not, in thought, be brought to the true kingdom of the Lord in order really to see and understand the King of the kingdom? Nor are we shown only the kingdom itself in the Writings, but the opposite also, and the intermediate region between the two opposites-but all in order that the kingdom may be the more fully revealed; for everything is known by comparison with opposites and with things commingled in between the opposites. It is as if the Writings were saying: "See the beauty of life when men live by the order and law of the Lord; and see its misery when there is a departure from order."

     Of course, inherent in the argument is the observation that the spiritual world is nothing but the world of the human mind. Man, in his mind, is a citizen of that world from birth, and openly so after death. Consequently all things that are true of the mind are also true of the spiritual world, and vice versa. We ought not to think that the panoramic scenery with its trees and flowers, animals and birds, mountains and valleys, is the spiritual world itself. The spiritual world is not just a finer material world. The panoramic scenery is nothing but a complete and absolute correspondence of the states of those who dwell in it. That is why it is so utterly and deeply real. Hence it is that even the descriptions of the things that stand forth to external view in the other world are descriptions of the mind.
     Accordingly it may be said that the Memorable Relations are like illustrations in a book. They tell us of what goes on in heaven, in the world of spirits-the intermediate region-and in hell, in order that the interior state of the angels or spirits might be revealed.
     As for revealing the Lord Himself, this is done through the wonderful things that exist in His kingdom. It is also done adversely by means of the horrible things that come to view among those who date and oppose their Maker. The Writings tell us of heaven and of hell; giving a general description in the work of that name, and recounting particular experiences in the Memorable Relations.
     Referring specifically to the states of angels and spirits, as these are revealed through the Memorable Relations, we should reflect that there could be no more powerful means of leading to an awareness of our own state. A man is not different before death from what he is after death, that is, within himself. True, he must be divested of many concepts and habits before he can enter heaven, but this is only in order that his interior self may be laid bare and may come into its own. That self was there already. It was formed in the world, for good if his destination is heaven, for evil otherwise.

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     Many think that spirits in the Memorable Relations sound silly, and that the angels themselves occasionally appear like pious simpletons! But do we not at times, within ourselves, think silly thoughts? The point is that in the spiritual world we speak them tool In this world simulation is possible, for we can cover over the things of our spirit with things observed and memorized from the world of the senses. Talking "facts" will frequently be regarded as talking wisdom. But what is our actual interior idea concerning these facts-their uses, their relation to life, their relation to one another? Perhaps that idea is foolish. If so, the folly would stand forth in the other world. There no one is able to speak differently from his real thought or idea: in the first state after death he is, but that is a transient state, and not the true state of his spirit. That is why a spirit who had an interior image of three Divine persons in his mind on earth openly speaks of three Divine persons after death.

     In the world most people speak differently, because it sounds silly to say there are three persons and one God. Yet at the same time many of them pray to the Father "for the sake of the Son," and quite obviously the "Holy Ghost" is someone or something apart from either Father or Son. What matters, obviously, is the interior idea a man has of his God, and that idea, whatever its nature, is what he professes in the other life. This should be taken to heart, for the Writings reveal that a man is judged according to his idea of God. Hence the necessity of having a really true, if only general, understanding of the Lord; a correct, if simple, internal image of Him; and an accurate knowledge of His qualities and His laws, if but the most universal of these. Not that the idea separate from love and life judges, but that our actual concept of God is that from which we form our love and life.
     Every man is created into the image of God, spiritually into his own image of God! That is why the Writings tell us that whatever we love the most is our god, and that, of course, does not necessarily mean the true God; or conversely, the real god of our hearts is whatever we love the most, or He whom we love the most.* Our unregenerate love forms its own image of God, and it is a false one; while the regenerate love, having first been built by a life spent in the following of the Lord, responds by forming for itself an interior view of its Lord. It is in agreement with this that the Lord does not appear the same to all persons, nor to all angels, but in each case according to the person's or the angel's own state.** Yet although He appears variously, it is one and the same Lord who so appears; and, clearly, His universal appearance, and also the universal concept and love of His qualities, will be the same with all angels.
      * AE 950:3               
     ** On this point see HH 55 and 121

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     If we should ever think that an angel sounds simple in a Memorable Relation, let us stop to reflect that everything true and wise can be reduced to a simple statement. For instance, if an angel husband says of his wife, "She is my heart, and I am her lungs,"* then he is not expressing a pious, poetic idea such as might be received on earth with a benevolent smile. He is saying that her whole being, with her wonderful love of what is beautiful and true, enters into him as the universal impulse of his whole life; and that he in his turn, by his whole bearing and usefulness, and through everything he says, breathes the truths of wisdom-the truths of life-into her longing and receptive heart. To earthly ears his words may sound "simple," but what he is actually saying is full of exquisite wisdom.
     * CL 75
     In True Christian Religion 111 there is a striking illustration of the principle that in the spiritual world no one can speak differently from his thought. It was found that certain spirits were utterly unable to say, "one God"; nor could they pronounce the name "Jesus" or "Divine Human." Over and over again they tried, and they twisted their lips, but to no avail. On the other hand, they could say "Christ" and "God the Father." It is explained that the reason for this was that the latter names, which are capable of standing for the traditional concept of the Messiah-"Christ" in Greek-and for the universal idea that there is some Supreme Being, were compatible with the interior ideas they had held in the world concerning Christ as one person and God the Father as another. But "Jesus" means "Jehovah saves." It is a name which interiorly not only identifies the Lord with the infinite God of eternity but also stands for His infinite love of saving the human race from its sins. That concept was utterly alien to the real thoughts of those spirits; hence their inability to say "Jesus." "Divine Human" is the most wonderful combination of two names in all human language: Divine, that is, in itself infinite and eternal, and at the same time Human, namely, capable of showing itself and communicating with men and angels. Nor, therefore, can anyone interiorly say "Divine Human" save he who turns to the Lord as He reveals Himself, thus to the visible God, and follows Him. As for the idea of one God, it is self-evident that no one can interiorly and truly say it unless he actually thinks it.
     In all this the Memorable Relations, and particularly the one just referred to, reveal the interior law within the Lord's words: "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."*
     * Matthew 12:37

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     Seeing, then, that the law of the spiritual world is such that everything whatever that comes to external view is an accurate and full representation of what is interiorly in the angel or in the spirit, it follows that the whole doctrine concerning that world is a doctrine of psychology. If we so view the revelations concerning the other world we shall see something of their real purpose, and discover the echo or reflection of that world within ourselves.

     It was said that we cannot possibly understand the spiritual sense without the spiritual world. Possibly it may now be confirmed that the expositions of the literal sense of the Word, as we find these in the Writings, and the revelations concerning the other world have one and the same purpose; and that the expositions and revelations how together in order to open up the secrets of the human mind, and at the same time to set forth in its glory and power the Human mind of the Lord God the Savior Jesus Christ Himself. It is thus that the Lord presents Himself to view in His second coming, in the Writings, in order that men may again, as in ancient times, become His images after His likeness.
     Finally two points. First about the speech of angels and spirits as quoted in the Memorable Relations. Do the Writings quote verbatim? Did the angels and spirits speak Latin-the very Latin words the Writings give? Of course not! No angel or spirit can utter a single word of earthly language. But Swedenborg, in his unique state, was able to comprehend accurately and fully the ideas that angels or spirits expressed in their spiritual language, and it is these ideas that are quoted in the Writings through the analogous Latin phrases and words.
     Second about the placing of the Memorable Relations at the end of an expository chapter, in the Apocalypse Revealed, or of a doctrinal chapter, in Conjugial Love and the True Christian Religion. An analysis of these Relations proves that they have a distinct bearing on the respective chapters to which they are appended, and chapter and Relation should be read, or reviewed, together. This close bearing is never more obvious than in the case of Revelation 11 and its Relation.*
     * Apocalypse Revealed 485-530, and 531, respectively.
     It may to some extent appear from all of this that the Memorable Relations are absolutely indispensable to a true understanding of the revelation which the Lord now gives to save the world; thus why Swedenborg, according to von Hapken's testimony, "had orders from the Lord to publish them."

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REASON AND RATIONALITY 1964

REASON AND RATIONALITY       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1964

     (The third in a series of six doctrinal classes.)

     3. REASON IN MODERN THOUGHT

     In the last class we traced the general history of reason from the beginning of the fall of the Most Ancient Church to the Age of Enlightenment which, in general, ended in the eighteenth century.
     The philosophers and leaders of thought in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were for the most part Deists. They believed in a God, and many of them were religious men, but they did not hold to an infallible Divine revelation; at least, the idea of such a revelation in no way affected or directed the formation of their philosophic doctrines. They thought that the existence of a Divine being, of eternal ends and universal truths, could be seen and established by reason in man, because there was reason in the universe outside of man. In this they were similar to the Greek philosophers and also to many thinkers of the present day. They were not cognizant of the fact that their first and only knowledge of God, and of higher or eternal truths, came from revelation, either directly from the Word or from the writings and teachings of those who knew such teachings from the Word. The Writings specifically say: "If there were no Word, there would be no knowledge of God, of heaven and hell, or of a life after death, still less of the Lord."*
     * TCR 273

     Therefore their philosophies were not an endeavor to support and confirm revealed truth; to erect a bridge between the truths of revelation and the facts of scientific investigation; or to adapt revealed principles to the physical and social world discovered by observation and experience. In general, they believed in the dignity of man, in the sense that he could, for himself, by reason-metaphysical reason-discover the underlying truths of creation, when such reason was controlled by observation and experience. They held that metaphysical reason could discover the order of creation and arrive at the universal truths upon which man's moral, social and political life should be established.

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They maintained that man's happiness and security depended upon his recognizing and observing such truths.
     The principles upon which our country was founded were the result of such reason. The men who formed the Constitution of the United States were such men. While they considered the fundamental law of every society "the law of the greater part," they were far from substituting the verdicts of the majority for those of reason. Noah Webster, in commenting on the checks and balances in the structure of the government, expressed the opinion that "the powers lodged in Congress are extensive, but it is presumed that they are not too extensive." To these men there was no principle that did not derive its authority from a law of reason, or to some, from a religious source. Its truth did not take its rise from the will of the majority. Reason was conceived of as an entity, a spiritual power living in each man. This power was held to be the supreme arbiter-nay, more, the creative force behind ideas and things to which we should devote our lives.

     With the development of the physical sciences, a great change in the thought of the Western world began early in the nineteenth century. Natural theology, that is, the application of the truths of revelation to the facts of nature-with some, the strict interpretation of the facts of science according to the literal statements of the letter of the Bible-was severely attacked, and many of the teachings of the Bible were challenged. Also, the conclusions of metaphysical reasoning were called into question. Men began to draw their thought concerning order and universal truths from the facts of science and from reasoning restricted thereby. Objective reason was gradually discarded and subjective reason took its place. Truth became identified with experience and method, with change and probability, and reason became a means of man's adapting himself to and accepting the world as he found it. Reason as an end was rejected.
     This change began with the development of the science of geology, and the attack was especially upon the truth of Divine revelation as given in the Genesis story-the seven days of creation. Thence it spread to the questioning of the literal accuracy of the whole of the letter, and finally of the spirit as well. From the study of fossils and rock formations, the idea of the seven days of creation became untenable, and a great controversy arose both within and without the Christian Church. This was soon answered by extending each day into a long period of time.
     The greatest attack was upon God's operation in His creation. If the creation of the earth took place according to unchangeable laws, where was there room or place for the operation of the will of God?

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How could He, by an act of will, bring about the flood? Was He not restricted to acting according to the laws of nature? Did they not limit His omnipotence? How could He manipulate His creation to serve His ends in regard to man? This, too, soon was answered by identifying the laws of nature with Divine law. The very fact that geology demonstrated order in creation was taken as evidence of a Being prior to creation who foreordained that order.
     In general, the relation of science and religion, in the religious thought of that time and even to this day-was divided into three general theories. There were those who thought that there was no connection at all between physical science and religious truth, that they were two separate and distinct areas and planes of thought; those who held that science is the witness of a Divine plan for the universe; and those who held that science discovers a Deity who is not only a first cause but also an active governor of His creation, directly participating in its development and adapting it to benevolent ends.

     The most severe attack upon design and purpose in creation, the stronghold of both religious and metaphysical thought, came about the middle of the nineteenth century with the rise of Darwinian evolution. (His work, The Origin of Species, was published in 1859.) The laws of the origin of species as expounded by Darwin left no room for a Divine plan in the development of life on earth. As Darwin said: "We can no longer argue that, for instance, the beautiful hinge of a bivalve shell must have been made by an intelligent being, like the hinge of a door by man. There seems to be no more design in the variability of organic beings, and in the action of natural selection, than in the course which the wind blows." Darwin's theory was necessarily fatal to the idea of God as craftsman and governor. He conceived of evolution as a blind sequence of events, in which survival depends upon adaptation to the conditions of life, rather than as the unfolding of organic entities in accordance with their innate design.
     It is recognized by most students that Darwinian evolution, more than any other theory, is the father of modern thought. Max Horkheimer says: "Darwinism has possibly influenced American thinking more than any other single intellectual force." And again: "Darwinism is one of the landmarks of popular enlightenment that pointed the way with inescapable logic to the cultural situation of the present day."*
     * The Eclipse of Reason
     Although Positivism, which holds that the highest form of knowledge is that of sensory phenomena, arose prior to Darwinism, yet Darwinism seems to have been the source of inspiration for the development of Pragmatism.

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Charles Peirce, William James and John Dewey were all great admirers of Darwin, and they were all pragmatists. John Dewey has been called the philosopher of the evolutionary theory.
     Pragmatism is the prevailing philosophy of the day, although there are many men of high intellectual standing who are not pragmatists. We believe that its great influence is due to the teachings of John Dewey, and that its widespread acceptance is due to the influence Dewey has had, and still has, in the training of teachers throughout the country.
     Pragmatism is the theory that thought is useful only as a guide to action, and that the truth is to be determined by its practical consequences. "The meaning of a proposition is its logical [physical] consequences." What works is true. Truth as an abstract noun is meaningless; while the adverb, truly, refers to a way or mode of action. Any idea that can be established by the scientific method is true; all else is theory and myth. William James says: "On pragmatic principles, if the hypothesis of God works in the widest sense of the word, it is true"; and John Dewey says: "The hypothesis that works is the true one; and truth is an abstract noun applied to the collection of causes, actual, foreseen and desired, that receive confirmation in their work and consequence."

     Reason in the classical sense has been overthrown. It is so thoroughly purged of any significance that it is no longer fit to pass any judgments upon man's actions or way of life. In pragmatism, religion is reduced to the status of one cultural good among others; its object is not truth, but the reconciliation of man to his situation in place and time. One cultural good is no better than another, for good can be evaluated only in regard to its practical use to the individual. It is meaningless to call one economic or political system less reasonable than another, for its good and its truth are to be measured in terms of its total success. There is no higher truth. Man has no essence, other than what is determined by experience. All the mental faculties are established from without by experience, and are determined and conditioned by the age and social environment in which man finds himself. It is interesting to note that Dewey, in a work entitled How We Think, after arguing for the establishment of all the mental capacities by a succession of sense experiences, admits that still he must acknowledge that "there is something in you that enables you to understand what I say"-thereby admitting an essence that is prior to experience.
     According to pragmatism, nothing has meaning in itself, but only in practical value, and the practical values are material and of time and space. In this situation, one critic (Horkheimer) says: "The same voice that preaches about the higher things of life, such as art, friendship, or religion, exhorts the hearer to select a given brand of soap.

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Pamphlets on how to improve one's speech, how to understand music, how to be saved, are written in the same style as those extolling the advantages of laxatives."* By Pragmatism in its extreme form, man is stripped of all aims except self-preservation. He tries to transform everything within reach into a means to an end. Every word or sentence that hints at relations other than pragmatic is suspect.
     * The Eclipse of Reason, p. 101
     Pragmatism has emasculated religion, especially the advanced thought of the Protestant sects. Religion is spoken of, and individually evaluated, in terms of deep Personality needs, giving emotional stability, and sharing rich common sentiments. It is regarded as one of the ingredients that help man to adjust to his surroundings. It is not concerned with truth, or with the great doctrines of redemption, eternal life and salvation, and still less with the true nature of God; for it matters not into what image man casts his god as long as it is satisfactory to him. One religion, therefore, is no better than another, except on the basis of personal satisfaction. Of this situation one man remarked: "If man be a dying creature, restricted in his existence to the present scene of things, what does it really matter to him, for any one moral purpose, whether there be a God or no?"

     With pragmatism in its extreme form there are no eternal values, no eternal ends, no universal truths, and no intrinsic spiritual and moral goods other than those established by statistics, polls and probabilities. What is done by the majority of the people at any one time is true and good and right. What the majority of the people do is normal, and it is not to be judged as to value by some abstract idea of what is good and true.
     The good of one age and society is not to be compared with the good of another age and society. Each may be good in its own time and its own place in history. To what extent this has been accepted may be illustrated by the following quotation: "Lillian Bye, executive director of Boston's Crittenton House (for unwed mothers), suggested at a National Social Welfare Conference that as the number of unwed mothers is increasing so rapidly, the unmarried and pregnant girl might in the future be considered the 'established American woman' who accepts conscious responsibility for her final freedom in sex and responsibility for motherhood, when it occurs, in or out of wedlock."
     Reason has fallen from its position of discovering universal truths and final ends to become an arbiter in the explanation and justification of majority or "normal" practices and customs.

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Where did philosophical reason go wrong? What caused it to become so debased? It tried to reach heaven without the aid of Divine revelation. It tried to build for itself a tower of Babel.
     How is this to be remedied in the New Church? It is to be remedied by the very nature of the revelation given at that point in history when the present situation arose-by a revelation in which not only spiritual truths are revealed but also those inmost natural truths which reveal how God is conjoined with man and rules in His creation.
     The preparation of a mind trained to think according to genuine reason will be the subject of the next class.
REVEREND A. WYNNE ACTON 1964

REVEREND A. WYNNE ACTON       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1964

     On June 28, the Reverend A. Wynne Acton, Pastor of the Durban Society and Superintendent of the General Church Mission in South Africa, passed into the spiritual world. While we accept his passing as a call to the more interior uses of the priesthood, we shall keenly miss his personal presence among us.
     For thirty-two consecutive years the Rev. Wynne Acton has served with distinction in three successive pastorates: first as Pastor of the Michael Church in London, later as Pastor of the Olivet Church in Toronto, and more recently as Pastor of the Durban Society, South Africa. In each of these pastorates he was deeply loved and respected. The same may be said of his work as Superintendent of the South African Mission. As one who has visited South Africa, I can testify to the esteem in which he was held by our Bantu ministers. To them he was the good shepherd, who deeply cared for his flock.
     As a pastor and leader of the church, Mr. Acton was a man who combined scholarship with a human understanding of people. It was this that enabled him to meet the needs and states of all ages. A careful and profound student of the Writings, he could present interior doctrine with an unusual degree of enlightenment, and in his application of doctrine to life he never lacked illustration. But whether giving instruction or dealing with human problems, his most outstanding qualities were his abiding patience and kindliness. I never knew him to force an issue or to share irritation with others.
     But while Mr. Acton was primarily a priest, he was also a responsible administrator. Although far removed from the center of the church he never failed to keep the episcopal office advised of his activities.

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Taken together, his reports constituted a record of the many services he so ably performed over a period of many years.
     In this work, as in all that they did together, Mr. Acton was ably supported by his wife, Rachel Kendig Acton. As an active worker in the church she never spared herself. His concern was always her concern, and together they have been an instrument in the hands of the Lord in the establishment of His church in the hearts and minds of many. To Mrs. Acton, therefore, I would express the sympathy and affection of the entire church, and assure her of our deep appreciation of her husband's devoted service.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop of the General Church of the New Jerusalem
MEMORIAL ADDRESS 1964

MEMORIAL ADDRESS       Rev. ERIK SANDSTROM       1964

     (Delivered in Bryn Athyn, July 5, 1964.)

     Use is the fulfillment of love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor; for in loving the Lord man draws power and enlightenment in his use, and in loving the neighbor he administers and applies the use as of himself. Thus it is that for a man to be truly a servant of use he must both receive and give forth. Nor is he in the genuine sense a man unless he does. Hence the Writings teach: "A man of use is a man according to use; and a man not of use is a man who is not a man. . . Man, therefore, is such as his use is."*
     * AE 1193:2, 3
     Today our thoughts are particularly addressed to the use of the priesthood. It, too, results from love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor, but it is distinct in that it is immediately directed to the salvation of souls. All other functions and their fruits have a bearing on this inmost use, but indirectly rather than directly. The priestly function is to draw forth spiritual truth from Divine revelation in such a way as to show the good within it: the good that is in its origin in the Divine love and in its application in the thoughts, affections and lives of men. To this end the priesthood is set apart by special ordination; and by this act it is recognized that when a priest teaches or gives guidance, whether publicly or privately, he does so in the name of the Lord-for such is his sacred duty. Priests may fail; but they are ordained to serve, and not to fail.

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Indeed, there cannot but be an element of human inadequacy in whatever a priest undertakes; and yet, if he is sincere in study and endeavor, the Divine will prevail where he falls short. After all, it is the Divine that is in the use of saving souls. The priest as a man is only adjoined to the use, or the use to him. Thus it is that the imperfection of man fades from view when it is remembered that the priestly office as such is provided by the Lord Himself in order that His Divine may be among the people.*
     * See Char. 134, 135
     The case is supremely illustrated in the Holy Supper. While the Lord alone is the bread of life and the wine of eternal truth in his holy communion with men, yet He appoints His ordained servants to administer these things to His church through representative bread and wine. It cannot otherwise be established that the sacrament is celebrated in His own name and in His behalf. Even so, the Lord gives, and men administer, in all things related to the priestly office; and it is thus that the Lord provides for the unity and integrity of His church.
     It is therefore owned that the use is exalted, and that the Lord is exalted, while the man in his use is a servant of use. Yet because the man is such a servant, honor is therefore due unto him. A man ought to have honor because of use, and according to it, but not apart from it.

     It is in this sense that we pay tribute to the memory of the Reverend Alfred Wynne Acton, who was called into the spiritual world in his sleep on Sunday evening, the twenty-eighth of June. While the whole of his ministry was carried out in countries outside the United States, it was here in Bryn Athyn that he was born and reared, passing through all its schools until he was graduated from the Theological School and ordained in the year 1932. Most of his close relatives and lifelong friends live here.
     Yet it is not only or even chiefly on this account that we are gathered in this cathedral today, but in order to remember the uses he served with distinction in various areas on three continents; also, in order to be strengthened in the awareness of the unity of the General Church in the world, and in order to render thanks to the Lord for His omniscient and merciful Providence.
     Wynne Acton held pastorates in London, Toronto and Durban. For many of his early years he also ministered to isolated members in several places in England, and as a Latin scholar he served on the Advisory and Revision Board of the Swedenborg Society in London. Even after his removal from England he rendered services to that Society, notably as translator of the first volume of the new edition of the Spiritual Diary, which was published as recently as two years ago.

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In South Africa he served both as Superintendent of the General Church Mission and as Pastor of the Durban Society, and these were the posts he held when called to the other world. As Superintendent he studied the Zulu language, and so learned to communicate many things, and even in part to conduct a service in the tongue of the natives themselves. He traveled far and wide among them, and was almost like a father to many.
     Everywhere he was loved and held in high esteem. He was a gentle man, not given to fierce argument; but when a firm stand was needed, he was able to taken it, and when courage was called for, he showed that he had it in plenty. The friends in England will never forget the leadership and example he and his wife Rachel gave to the London Society during the war years. As citizens of another country they could have left at will, but they stayed with the society amid blackout, bombing and rationing, and services and classes were carried on. Nor was their home ever too small to receive, day or night, New Church boys who came in uniform from overseas. A keen sense of humor, understanding and patience, and an unusual measure of tact and what may be described as a diplomatic sense, are qualities to which friends in writing and orally volunteer testimony. The societies and day schools which have been under his care, and also the Theological School for native candidates for the ministry, have all benefited from his clear insight in the doctrines of the church and his straightforward and unembellished exposition.

     Human thoughts may wonder why such a man could not have been spared for several more years of service in the church on earth, and perhaps in due course within the borders of his own native land. But the Lord alone knows where it is best for any person to be; and these, the Writings reveal, are the four considerations according to which the time of earthly death is determined in the Lord's Providence: First, on account of use in the world together with men; second, on account of use, while in the world, together with spirits and angels, for man as to his interiors is with spirits, and he is among them as long as he is in the world in which all the things among spirits terminate; third, on account of use to himself in the world, either that he may be regenerated or that he may be let into his evils lest they lie dormant and afterwards break out, which would be to his eternal ruin; fourth, therefore also on account of use subsequently in the other life, after death, to eternity: for everyone who will be in heaven has his place in the Gorand Man, or he has, according to what is opposite, his place in hell. Wherever forces fail they are balanced, and in the Providence of the Lord men are brought thither.

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In this manner the kingdom of the Lord is also cared for, the welfare of which is universal Providence."* In a word, spiritual use to oneself and to others in both worlds determines the life span of each man.
     * SD 5003
     In this knowledge no one has a cause for rebellion against the provisions of God when someone held dear is taken from this life. Should we not desire the greatest possible good for him who is called and for all others who are concerned? And is there a better vehicle for such a desire than the words, "Thy will be done"? Love to the Lord is in such a disposition of the mind.
     Yet in this disposition a measure of earthly sadness is mingled. It cannot be otherwise, for a person's presence is not full unless it is ultimate. In this recognition we extend deep and affectionate sympathy to Rachel, the wife and close companion of our friend, and to all near relatives, sharing with them a sense of temporal loss. But at the same time, let all rejoice with Wynne, knowing that the use which a man loves, and which has formed him, remains with him forever; and knowing, too, that eternal life is eternal development in the love and wisdom of use-or in the words of Holy Writ: "Their works do follow them." Amen.

     [EDITORIAL NOTE: A biographical sketch and a tribute from the Durban Society will appear in a later issue.]
SONS OF THE ACADEMY: 56TH ANNUAL MEETINGS 1964

SONS OF THE ACADEMY: 56TH ANNUAL MEETINGS              1964

     The Annual Meetings of the Sons of the Academy will be held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., on September 11 and 12, 1964. All men are invited, and there will also be programs for the ladies. The program:
     Friday Afternoon-Workshop and discussion sessions.
     Friday Evening-Buffet Supper (ladies invited) followed by an address by the Academy representative, the Rev. Dandridge Pendleton.
     Saturday Morning-Annual Business Meeting. Reports, discussions and elections, followed by a luncheon for men.

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COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS 1964

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS       ALEXANDER H. LINDSAY       1964

     (Text of address delivered at the Academy's Commencement Exercises, June 12, 1964.)

     It is a great honor and privilege for me to have been asked to be your speaker today: this goes without saying. It is also a personal thrill and a pleasure: I feel like a prophet who has been honored in his own country, and because I am a parent, I feel like all of your parents feel. This is also my graduation. All your parents join with you here today in this happy moment. We are grateful and relieved that you have finally made it.
     In retrospect, these years you have spent here in the Academy for most of you will be some of the happiest of your life. Your friends here will be bound to you by the ties of your church and your religion, from now on. They will be some of the deepest and closest friends you will ever have. Scholastically, by this time you should have acquired some of the rudiments of an education. You will never lose your education, nor will anyone take it from you. Some of you will continue your formal education, either here or elsewhere. All of you will continue to learn to develop and mature as you experience the responsibilities, sorrows and delights of life. Providence will send you, in a grand succession, troubles, rewards, grief and joy in exactly the right amount to mature you and to prepare you for eternal use, and never in quantities more than you can bear or endure.

     Here you should have learned a great deal about your church. How much of the church you have learned and acquired and made a part of you is still to be proven. You have been shown the way, but you are going to have to travel that road and to learn these teachings yourself, and you are going to have to apply them in your life and your worldly use. By this application, you will acquire the things of the church as you confirm these things in yourself, and not before. We were created on this earth to perform worldly uses; in the words of our lesson, "to live for others is to perform uses, uses are the bonds of society; which are as many as there are good uses, and uses are infinite in number." Your religion should be a wonderful comfort to you and a tremendous source of strength and encouragement to everyone around you.

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Good men of the world are everywhere grasping for new sources of strength and faith.
     In these moments, I would like to give you some of my reactions and present reflections on my experiences that I have had in the 32 years since I received my Junior College certificate here. I hope they will not be received as a final "broadside" lowered upon you, but as words of encouragement and challenge.

     I went here to Junior College because my father sent me. Some of our older friends who may remember my father will tell you that that was reason enough! Oh, I was co-operative, I liked the place. When I graduated from the Boys Academy and went home, I was lonely for the companions and friends I had made here, particularly some of the lady friends. I hadn't given much real thought to this New Church education, to the meaning or effect of it. I did, however, have some sort of a vague, general idea that it would be good for me, and at that time I sort of felt it was best to trot along dutifully with my father. My father graduated from your Junior College 60 years ago this year. To support the statements I am going to make and to encourage you, our combined schools include: Northwestern, Penn, Pitt, Michigan, plus military service schools, and the faculty of the United States Military Academy. Our law practice, if it was stretched end to end, now totals 72 years. I am privileged to testify for both of us: First, while we may have learned about the church before, the real introduction to matters of the church came in our Junior College years. Second, that while because of credit adjustments on transfer both of us took a little longer to complete our formal professional education, we both have been of the opinion that the extra time was well worth it over and over again. Third, neither of us have ever felt that we were short changed when it came to scholastic preparation for our combined studies elsewhere and in our profession. We have been beaten and out-smarted at times, but we have never been out-classed in our scholastic training or background by anybody. You have much better all-around facilities here than my father had in the year 1904, better than I had, and we had enough. You have had well-trained teachers, your school has its accreditation. Anyway, you are smarter than we were and I think you are better trained. You should do better than we have done, and I am sure you will. To those of you who, for one reason or another, are not going to return, I know that your reasons will be good and worthy. You, however, will have the added responsibility of acquiring further religious training in other ways on your own. The easier way would be to return here.

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     Your better performance of spiritual, moral and civil uses will have a direct relationship to your continued use of the wonderful material, academic, scholastic and religious surroundings here and elsewhere in the church. The generous support of a few, which in Providence has made all this possible, may not sustain the church and school indefinitely. The permanent support, and I mean financial, of the church must be broad based and must come from those of you who perform these natural uses which belong to the world and its necessities. This means all of us. It is one concrete way we can show our appreciation for this, our wonderful heritage. Of course, it is important that all in the church perform the other uses of the church. This responsibility of our church leaders to see that all of us can and do participate fully, is the highest order of leadership; even every last child must have a place in church activities. We must help in this by never doing or saying anything which would make anyone feel that they were not wanted and loved or that they were not useful, or not a part of this church.

     To those who are about to leave here and go into other work, other institutions of learning, perhaps you will probably be the first to stand up and be counted on the matter of religion. If you are like most of us who have gone before, you are in for a few surprises. In some of the philosophy, sociology or science courses, you will meet pseudo-intellectuals, those instructors of youth who have failed to distinguish between freedom and license, who have perverted academic freedom, and somehow come to the supposition that they have the right deliberately to plant seeds of disbelief. They suppose that they may proclaim unproved theories as facts, and teach their own opinions as scientific truth. Anytime that falsity is spoken as truth, whether it be on the witness stand or in the classroom, it has a far reaching impact on the lives of all of us. These instructors will have repeated their unverified beliefs now to so many students and so many classes, in short, to so many immature minds, under conditions where refutation is all but impossible, that they will not only implicitly believe what they are saying is true, but will have clever, persuasive and polished arguments. They are, in fact, so stupid that they think that because they have not been able to reach a solution, no one else has. Their conceit, of course, has closed their minds to even the possibility of revelation.
     Your problem will be to pass their courses; you will have to return to them some of this brilliantly conceived dogmatic baloney. If you cry out in class, you will find yourself involved in a debate with someone who has been practicing the debate for years, or you will simply be skillfully ridiculed. You will come into these classes better prepared than the students from anywhere else, you will have been told often enough what to do and what not to do, what to believe and what not to believe, and you will have listened to it.

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Now you are going to find out how much of the church you have assimilated. Don't be alarmed or panicked if some of this intellectual exercise has perhaps raised a few doubts here and there. No man among us is without doubts. It is through the doubts and patience that we make the truth our very own. Yea, as you have said in your class motto, "only through temptation." These things should send you personally to seek revealed truth in the Writings. Give your church and our church leaders a chance, come to them. Never lose confidence or faith, remember that the Lord is on your side and our basic principles of life are everywhere confirmed-everywhere about you. How much you will want to argue with these intellectual maggots really won't matter. There are really more important things to do, you be the judge.
     Brushes with materialism will also come to you in later life as you apply yourself to your uses. You may become so absorbed in your uses of the world that you become unbalanced and lose your perspective. These should also be used by you as opportunities to increase your depth of perception and understanding. They should make you strong, as the muscle of the body that is used and exercised. Here again, don't forget to come back and get your spiritual battery recharged.

     Hand in hand with this abominable idea of some you may meet, that freedom involves planting the seeds of unbelief, seems to go the insane idea that everyone should have unlimited freedom of self-expression, which is nothing more than license. This unlimited freedom of self-expression seems to involve a failure to distinguish between right and wrong, and a failure even to understand anything about this perversion. It is only a small step from the teaching of unproved theories as facts and the planting of seeds of unbelief to this hallucination of unbridled corrupt and perverted license. I'm sure you have run into this and will see it everywhere. Today, in my business, I often come home and think that everybody in the world is dishonest, and I suppose that a doctor comes home thinking that everybody is sick. We run into people today who seem to think they have no spiritual responsibility for things that they do. Human beings seem to have somewhat the same herd instincts as my cattle. Some even seem to have the same lack of morals. They seek to justify their acts by such terms as "everybody does it." They want to hide in the crowd, they don't want to take any responsibility, they seem to have the idea that they are not to blame for what they have done. They want to be "a good sport." Then, too, tied in with this is the whole theory that the world owes them a living.

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The government should keep them, and so on-What a mess! Recently there has been considerable publicity about the poor morals of college students. This, too, is all tied in with this type of fuzzy irresponsible thinking. I don't know if it's any better or any worse than when I was in college, or when I tried over 900 courts-martial for the Army. I do know, and you know, that moral laxity is one of the worst traps that young people can fall into. Your teachings on conjugial love are plain, and I'm sure you are familiar with them. Aside from this, the lame excuse "everybody does it" simply isn't true; and I not only refer to these college scandals, but I mean also the graft, bribery, kickbacks, payoffs, examination cheating, the fancy Christmas presents to business customers, and all other forms of dishonesty. Everybody does NOT do it, even outside of the church. The crowd offers nobody protection, the crowd can't think. Individuals in the crowd can think. Historically, crowds have not always been right. Here we surrender our individuality unthinkingly. We also surrender our character, our leadership and our courage. So beware of these traps!
     To those who will become teachers and ministers, on you will fall the difficult task of expressing clearly and without resorting to the obscure language of the translator, the simple and beautiful truths of our faith. These callings are truly sacred callings, but sometimes I think of the man who, after the sermon, told the minister: "Before I heard you I was confused, now I am still confused, but it's on a much higher level."
     You will not foresee your experiences anymore than I did mine or do now. Some of your decisions will have a great effect and influence on your future and your life. Your selection of a marriage partner, for instance, along with your choice of your work, will be your two most significant decisions. Take your time on each of these. Consider each earnestly and be thankful that the Lord is especially watchful and provident in both of these matters. The husband or the wife that the Lord sends you in your "earnest desire for a lovely and beautiful companionship with one" could be much more suitable than one you pick out yourself in sudden emotion.

     Permit me to comment briefly on the subject of marriage outside of the church. You have been taught that conjugial love is an achievement which few people realize in this life. After you are married you will be successively removed from the honeymoon state so that you may grow together. You either have to start with an agreement on the fundamental principles or you have to develop an understanding. The most important thing between you and the person that you will marry is that there either is this community of principles and ideals or that you have made sure that this community can be developed between you.

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"Same faith" and "same belief" will even mean more than merely being a member of the same church. There must be the community of spiritual motivation which will permit you to agree on the important decisions on a common ground of deep faith and common belief. If you have this, external decisions and disagreements will not disrupt your marriage. They will be resolved. Just because you have both been baptized in this church, or have been here at school, do not assume that automatically all the rest will follow. You will have to earn it and you will have to work for it.
     Those of you who will be fortunate enough to find your partner here in the church may have some things easier, but believe me, you will miss the unique and interesting experience of having to explain this whole thing under pressure. This, in itself, could be in Providence to make you really learn it. To sit here passively through school and drink it all in is one thing, but when you have to return it, to teach it and to dish it out, then you will have to learn it.

     Graduates of the Academy in the past in great numbers have been able to explain "this whole thing," as the presence of many of you, our children, here today bears witness. When one of you marries or is about to marry out of the church, it will be very important for the rest of you to avoid appointing yourselves as personal missionaries. What you should do is be consistently warm, always friendly and ever considerate. Our church runs deep and our religion is not only a religion only of life, but an internal religion. The best advice I can give is the advice of Bishop De Charms to the effect that if the door can be kept open so that the parties concerned can enjoy the warmth and fellowship of the church without pressure or coercion, the internal differences will, in time, be seen and resolved. Remember this! We do not destroy anybody's faith, we add to it. The Lord gives to everyone sufficient unto his spiritual needs. If one of you marries outside the Church, external differences which you probably never noticed will be brought into sharp focus, and you will be the sensitive one. There have been situations where the rest of us, by our thoughtlessness, good intentioned though it may have been, not only confirmed but exaggerated some of the criticisms which came into focus in the mind of our own young person. We should ever be on our guard against this, all of us. It is often the anger and dismay of our own member at the conduct of his fellow New Church men that has turned him or her against us.
     Those who have joined the church in marriage have been a source of new strength, they have been an encouragement, they have brought us a point of view that has enabled us to understand and communicate with the world around us.

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They have been our life blood. They have shown an enthusiasm and a zeal for things of the church that serves as an example for us all.
     The world is not all bad. While the hells may be just beneath the surface, so are the heavens. Earthly life is composed of the states of heaven as well as hell, and there are millions of good souls in the world who need your encouragement and who need to reach out and feel the strength of men who have the courage of their convictions. For the last 32 years, I have spent over 90% of my time with these people. I have also come to know first hand the loneliness of our isolated. Not many men like to be alone in their views; this takes courage. From the isolated point of view, our church is so small and our people so few. As we have said, it's easier to follow the crowd, even our own church crowd. However, these other people of this world have been my schoolmates, my classmates, my faithful and wonderful professional partners. We have been buddies as soldiers, I have been their commanding officer, have prosecuted and defended them, have been their teacher, their banker, their counsel, their lawyer, their employer, their employee, their boss and now, I hope, their friend. I have felt their loyalty, their affection, they have supported me and helped always. Through their tender, devoted loving care and with the help of the Lord, they saved the life of one of my children.

     I have said to them "I believe this," "my Church teaches that." I try never to say "You believe." We don't know what they believe! At their request, these outsiders have come to my home once a month in numbers of ten to sixty at a time to hear my pastor explain further, "I believe this"-"My church teaches that" now for over these twelve years. It is they who in the words of our lesson have shown me "that no one is wise, and none lives for himself alone, but at the same time for others. From this comes society, which would not otherwise exist.
     To live for others is to perform uses." I have admired their faith and admired them for it, I think they have a heavier burden to carry than we do. As Louis Bromfield has written: "The religion of the good farmer involves faith in the Great Plan with which he must live daily as an infinitesimal Part of the whole Divine Scheme." "The faith of a good farmer is a direct faith in God himself, and the very universe in which he lives in so close an association." Emerson expressed it: "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all that I have not seen."
     We have more than this. As you make this church a part of you, you should be humbled with the thought that the way has been opened that you may understand this Greater Law, that you have been given a source of information that goes deep into the mysteries of faith.

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Let us never look down on other people because of this, and never indulge in any sort of intellectual snobbery, even and especially toward our own people. Remember, we have this faith because it is in the mercy of Providence, and we might not be otherwise saved.

     In the words of our lesson: "There are spiritual uses which are of love to God and of love toward the neighbor." "Love towards thy neighbor" directly involves the charitable responsibility on the part of all of us to share with the neighbor those things which are nearest and dearest to us; this means the things of our church, so that he may be encouraged in his faith and strengthened in his convictions.
     You should not necessarily all try to be missionaries in the literal sense. While life is but a moment in eternity, it is a very important moment. If you live it well and happily and enjoy it, as well as use it wisely, you will, in the performance of your spiritual and natural uses to society, spread the church. Some of it will rub off. We need these people as much as they need us.
     You should ever be on your guard lest you convey an erroneous impression and thereby effectively close the minds of outsiders to further reception. "Distinctive New Church social life" is necessary. Obviously, however, a lot of us do not think that the term "distinctive" means "exclusive" New Church social life, or a lot of you wouldn't be here today. Your standards of personal conduct must always be at least equal to, or better than, the standards of the world around you. They should be!
     Deep, doctrinal discussions steeped in alcohol impress nobody of any consequence. I think we should drop from our vocabulary the phrase, "Convention tried this" and the words, "Old Church." What was tried by one group of men at a different time under different circumstances with different media is really of little value. If I have ever had any personal success, I have many failures to show for it. Besides it will be for you young people to try the new and wonderful media of mass communication, to spread the teachings of our church. The term "Old Church" may have one connotation to some of you, but from the point of view of most people this term is rude and insulting and effectively destroys our ability to communicate with them.
     Your church is not a cathedral, it is not Bryn Athyn, and above all, it's not a set of unused books collecting dust in your living room. From the point of view of the world, you will be the church. You will speak for it, you will represent it, and the church will be judged more by what people think of you than by some unapplied lofty doctrine.

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Always make your own example worthwhile, no matter what the other fellow thinks or does! This is particularly important, in that you may be the only representative of the church where you are. Others will gain their entire impression of this church from you, you will reflect it. You should show them that you have confidence, that you have faith, that you apply the teachings of this church to the uses of the world by being dependable, honest, loyal, industrious and fair in your dealings. Perhaps most important, you must show them that your religion has brought you happiness, comfort and confidence, and that you are proud of your church affiliation. Our countenances must be pleasant and smiling. With the churches of the world, assuming a posture of defense through unity so that they can get the comfort of running with the crowd, it's time we throw off the cloak of fear that has led us to cloister in timidity and now lead from strength. This is your job, this is your duty and your future. It is your real charity toward the neighbor. Our challenge in this regard is of such a magnitude that if we fail to meet it, other churches will rise to carry our faith in all or part of the world. This is the danger-in part.
     Our beloved friend, Karl Alden, conducted a class, the subject of which was, "It's easier to get to heaven than you think." So worry less about your distant future in some hell and a little more about how to live your life. Be of good cheer and smile. Touch life with zest and enthusiasm and enjoy it; that is what you are here for.

     We congratulate you, we are proud of your achievement. If we parents have anything in this world that is worthwhile, it's you, our children. Our prayer, to paraphrase the words of our psalm, is: "May you our sons be as plants grown up in your youth; may you our daughters be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace; may your garners be full according all manner of store; may your sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in Your streets; may your oxen be strong, may there be no breaking in, nor going out, may there be no complaining in your streets. Happy is that people in such a case; yea happy is that People whose God is the Lord."

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REVIEW 1964

REVIEW              1964

WE NOW PROCEED. By Basil Later. Published by the Author, Canberra, Australia, 1964. Mimeographed. Paper, pp. 31.

     This attractively presented pamphlet, subtitled "Five Studies in Christian Living," is the most recent of several that have come from Mr. Later's pen. At least the first of these short essays, "Worthy Receptacles," has already appeared in print. The variety and range of the others which accompany it may be seen from their titles: "Tolerance," "Use, or Service to Others," "Experience," and "Lovest Thou Me?" We are told in the Introduction that the general title has been suggested by the important truth taught in the Writings, that we need to proceed in our spiritual life and not slacken our effort or permit ourselves to become apathetic. The essays are followed by three pages of references to selected numbers in the Arcana Coelestia for further study.
     As one whose introduction to the Writings is still fairly recent, Mr. Later writes, not with the object of teaching something new, but rather, as he says, "of presenting some of the wonderful truths of the Writings in a more personal manner, which can be related to the circumstances and experiences of daily living." He believes that sometimes a newcomer to the Writings is able to see certain facets of their great truths from a viewpoint different from that of those who are more familiar with them; and he does not presume in these studies to tell others what to do, but seeks to confirm some of the truths which the Writings have taught him.
     Mr. Later writes with simplicity, modesty and an evident desire to share with others the insights he has gained through his study of the Writings. It seems quite clear that he has read extensively and thought and reflected much, and his comments on human nature, occasionally seasoned with humor, show a penetration which finds confirmation of much of what the Writings teach about it. However, while the author is writing about truths which he is endeavoring to apply in his own life, the tone is not didactic and there are no embarrassing intimacies. The style is nearly always easy. This pamphlet should be of interest to those whose acquaintance with the Writings has been much longer than the author's, and it may be of help to those whose experience with them is more akin to his own.

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WHO MERELY SANG, AMEN 1964

WHO MERELY SANG, AMEN       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

     TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     "Such, moreover, was Baron Stjerncrona, who merely sang, Amen, but paid no attention to any knowledges." This Pithy statement follows a description in the Spiritual Diary of those who have been in external worship and have lived morally, have attended church and listened to the sermons, but have given no heed whatever to the things that were preached, and who thus did not imbibe any knowledges of truth and good-to which they paid no attention.
     There is here an obvious warning: the habit of churchgoing, superficial listening and mechanical response is no more saving than is morality by itself. However, the matter may be carried further. Attendance at public worship is sometimes likened to a recharging of one's spiritual batteries. In our view, the comparison is not only crude but also misleading. Affections as well as emotions can be renewed in worship; but man is not saved by affection alone, still less by emotion. Affection must be the affection of something, and the only affection that can save man is the affection of truth for the sake of good.
     Man is saved by learning, understanding and applying the knowledges of good and truth from love of them as means to the end, which is the good of life. The teaching of these knowledges in the reading and preaching of the Word is a vital part of public worship, and unless we pay heed to them we do not enter into the use for the sake of which that worship is established. We would do well to reflect and then act on this, lest, when it is too late, we find ourselves among those "who merely sang, Amen, but paid no attention to any knowledges."

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CHURCH AND THE ACADEMY SPIRIT 1964

CHURCH AND THE ACADEMY SPIRIT       Editor       1964

     From time to time the spirit of the Academy is mentioned in a way which suggests that it has ceased to exist among us. If this were true our situation would be serious indeed. Without that spirit to animate them, there would be no valid reason for the General Church and the Academy to continue. They might remain as separate entities, but they would no longer be distinct and distinctive. However, while this could have happened, we do not believe that it has happened.
     By the spirit of the Academy we understand the spirit of unqualified acceptance of the Lord's teaching and leading in the Writings, and we believe that the church and the Academy schools are still imbued with that spirit. In so far as they can be discerned, the states of the church, like those of the individuals who compose it, must be examined. If we would appraise them accurately, however, we must remember that the church, like the individual, undergoes alternations of state, and instead of focusing on one state only seek the broader view that includes and tries to interpret a series of states. Also, we should try to remember that as the church grows, the same spirit may manifest its presence by different modes than those which it used in the beginning.
     The states of the church should concern us deeply, and it is not the part of wisdom to refuse to consider even the possibility of decline. Yet when and if we feel that there has been a falling away, the remedy does not lie in seeking to revive past states. There must be a return: not to the past, but to the Lord in the Writings, and a sincere desire to advance through repentance into new states. Wonderful things have been done through the spirit of the Academy; and even more wonderful things will be accomplished if, through all our vicissitudes, we maintain the desire to go forward under the Lord's teaching and leading.
GAINS OF NEW CHURCH EDUCATION 1964

GAINS OF NEW CHURCH EDUCATION       Editor       1964

     Every so often we are warned that New Church education, at its present stage of development, is only a holding operation; that we have merely established a beachhead; even that we are just hanging on by the skin of our teeth! Well, now, let us see. Complacency, false optimism, an unrealistic appraisal of the facts are never in order; but we cannot believe that such extreme pessimism is justified by a sober interpretation of the same facts. Nor do we believe that it is either necessary or fair to minimize what has been done in order to emphasize the magnitude of the task that still lies ahead.

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     No one is more acutely aware of that task, or better informed about it, than those who are engaged in the day by day work of New Church education and in hard thinking about its future. They would be the last to contend that there is no room for fair and constructive criticism; still less, that the ultimate goal is within sight. In terms of measurable outcomes, results still leave something to be desired. Much remains to be done in the further development from the Writings of an educational philosophy and psychology, in curricular study and its implementation, in both teacher-pupil and home-school relations and in communication; and there are fundamental problems of attitude yet to be resolved.
     Work is being done now in all of these areas; but it is work which rests on a solid foundation of what has been accomplished in the past and a carrying forward of what has been a continuing process through the years. The Academy and the schools of the church have not been standing still, nor have they ever lost sight of the fact that the ultimate end of New Church education is life. There have been considerable gains. A small but important body of literature has been built up; there have been advances in teacher training and in course development; and with experience has come a clarification of aims and objectives.
     In the life of a growing institution, as of a maturing individual, there are periods of self-examination leading to dissatisfaction and stimuli which kindle zeal for entering into uses more interiorly, and with experience vision becomes longer and more penetrating. All of this is good. But in our zeal for an undistracted view of what is still to be achieved, and for purposeful action, let us not sell short what has been accomplished! Let us rather go forward, humbly confident that if we look to the Lord in His Word, as did those who went before us, He will lead us, slowly but surely, to still further gains in this use.
HARD SAYINGS: 7. EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE 1964

HARD SAYINGS: 7. EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE       Editor       1964

     Yet another hard saying for some New Church men-and with it we close this series-is that the moon, the planets in our solar system and countless other earths are inhabited. Their difficulty may be stated thus. If science succeeds in placing men from our earth on the moon, or one of the planets, and no human life is found there, how will it be possible to sustain faith in the Writings? Faced with this theoretical problem, some are already seeking escape hatches or preparing positions to which they may retreat if necessary. Others have simply remained concerned, and others again have found consolation in the thought that the Lord will not allow interplanetary travel because confirmation of the teaching that other earths are inhabited would be a miracle and would compel faith in the Writings.

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     The issue must be faced squarely. We are taught that if the human race were to cease on some earth, the heavens from that earth would then be given a basis in another earth, which indicates the possibility of there being earths from which mankind has vanished; and we must surely concede that in the vast extense of the Lord's creation there may be planets which are being prepared to support human life. However, the Writings nowhere state that any of the spirits with whom Swedenborg spoke were from planets on which human life had since failed, and in certain instances there seems to be no doubt that the planets spoken of were inhabited as recently as two hundred years ago.
     Certainly the theological argument for there being many inhabited earths is unassailable, and anyone who is unfamiliar with it is invited to read Earths in the Universe, nos. 24, 112 and 126. If the Divine end in creation is an angelic heaven from the human race, how can it be held rationally that this end was present only in the creation of our small earth? How can it be believed that the planets and the earths in the starry heavens were created without purpose because without that end-to swing through space as empty worlds? How could the inhabitants of one small earth reflect, let alone satisfy, the infinity of God the Creator, for whom myriads of inhabited worlds and heavens from them would not be sufficient? These questions cannot be dismissed lightly.

     The teaching that there are other inhabited earths is not in itself, it is true, a theological doctrine. To say this, however, answers nothing. The reasons for their being inhabited are theological, and the two cannot be separated. Indeed the inescapable logic of those reasons is that wherever there is an earth there are men upon it and those men are in the human form. If we accept the theological argument, and enlightened reason can scarcely do otherwise, why should we be concerned? Science has not yet proved that any planet is devoid of human life, it has only reached theoretical conclusions based on the interpretation of available data; and in any case, surely our fear of what men may discover is not greater than our faith in what the Lord has revealed?
     Angels and spirits know, we are told, that other earths are inhabited, and even those who have not seen and spoken with spirits from them believe this, because they know that where there is an earth there are men upon it: this because they know what the essence of the Divine is. Should we not try to make this our faith, a truly rational one, rather than be troubled by "but what if?"

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Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     BRYN ATHYN, PA.

     The Bryn Athyn Elementary School's graduation ceremonies climaxed another year for the average third and sixth grader; but to the teachers in these two grades, school closing meant the completion of a lifetime of school openings and closings. Miss Erna Sellner and Miss Anna Hamm were retiring.
     To some in the church, especially those unacquainted with the history of our school, these two teacher retirements are not unusual and might slip by unnoticed. However, they are significant for several reasons. The obvious one, of course, is that two wonderful people have completed forty-five and thirty-eight year teaching careers Their first pupils are now grandparents scattered throughout the church. Anyone passing through Bryn Athyn's school system in the last four decades had the opportunity to sit in one or both of their classrooms
     Besides acknowledging with deep appreciation the selfless careers of these two ladies in furthering New Church education, Bryn Athynites thoughtfully noted that their retirement marked the passing of an era. Recent years have seen the loss through retirement of several of those grand women who pioneered through difficult years, helping to bring the dream of New Church education into reality. Now, none of their old colleagues remain on the staff. Miss Jennie, Miss Phillis and Mrs. Victor Waelchli were synonymous with the first, fourth and fifth grades for many years. Today, Bryn Athyn teachers are comparatively young and the school is the largest it has ever been. Eighteen full-time teachers and some twenty part-time instructors will meet this fall's enrollment of more than four hundred children. When the kindergarten numbered fifty-four, registration was closed There are now double classes for all grades.
     At the teaching staff's party these two retiring teachers spoke for the whole society when they expressed confidence in next year's teachers. What is lacking in experience can be supplied in time. Next year's teachers will enter the classroom well trained in subject-matter, in doctrine and in classroom procedure. The present staff also accepts in-service training as part of its professional commitment. Bryn Athyn introduced two new systems into the program in the past two years. The Carden system of teaching grammar, spelling and composition involves not only new textbooks but a new approach to two of the three Rs. The third R, 'rithmetic, is now being conveyed to the children with the aid of colored rods in an effort to instill the fundamental principles of mathematics at an earlier age. All of this necessitates additional study on the part of the teachers. Add to this the Educational Council Meetings here in August, plus summer school for some in June and July, and it may be seen that teaching is a year-round profession.
     The Principal, the Rev. David R. Simons, is careful to evaluate Progress in the school in the light of New Church objectives and not by the world's educational standards alone. Knowledges of the world and of the Word are being implanted in the sphere of an affection for learning to larger numbers today, and with studied effectiveness. Even parents have discovered that they are not of much help at homework time unless they have carefully prepared themselves!
     The ending of the era personified by these two retirees does not mean that the new era is without challenges. Quite the contrary! The scarcity of qualified teachers is disturbing. The senior college is pitifully small. Teacher-mothers are returning to meet the demand and others are teaching before their own education has been completed.

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Meanwhile, pupil enrollment is increasing at a rate of nearly fifty every three years. Teacher turnover is not decreasing; there are five new ones this year, with more expected next year. The current growth pattern indicates that present facilities will be inadequate within five years. The problem of increased expenses is compounded by the threat of a school merger under state law that could result in a crippling tax increase. In spite of the challenges ahead, the parents in this community are determined to maintain the school that their parents and teachers fought so hard to achieve. Somewhere there will be those who will see the growing need and the rewards of teaching in our schools, and who will prepare themselves and then step forward.
     The school will not be quite the same this fall without Miss Erna and Miss Hamm. But the principles to which they dedicated their lives, and which they now leave others to serve, will be the same. As long as our people hold to the goal of New Church education as one of the reasons for their being members of the General Church, the school bell will ring again in Bryn Athyn every fall.
     LORENTZ R. SONESON

     PITTSBURGH, PA.

     School is out, weddings are over-and Pittsburgh is nicely into its summer season, having completed a very successful year. Our new and young pastor, the Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh, has guided us with a firm and kindly hand through his first year in full charge. We confess that it was hard for us to give up our former pastor, the Rev. Louis B. King, but ever since the days of the Rev. W. H. Benade, who was here from 1864 to 1818, this society has always had a wholesome respect for the ecclesiastical authority of its pastor. We would always follow the one who is in charge, for it is the Lord's use with the man that we respect and love; but invariably we have come to love the man because of his performance of the use.
     During the season from September through May the Society enjoyed twenty-six delicious Friday suppers, put on by the members of our Women's Guild. These suppers are most delightful. They are followed by singing practice, conducted by Mr. Robert Glenn, and then an interesting doctrinal class. We have such a friendly crowd, and we welcome all guests. It is at these suppers that we welcome visiting ministers, who in turn give a doctrinal class and deliver a sermon on Sunday. It is always a happy affair. Since our last report we have welcomed the Rev. Erik Sandstrom in March, Dr. Hugo Lj. Odhner in April, and the Rev. David R. Simons in May. Each brought his wife with him, which was most delightful. Often we have social gatherings in homes after the class, where we can visit with these guests.
     In January the school children were given their annual Swedenborg's Birthday banquet, sponsored by Theta Alpha. The banquet used to be for adults, and was one of the main affairs of the year, but this is not now possible because of the Annual Council Meetings. However, the children still have the joy of preparing and presenting a program of entertainment and speeches. A visitor might be surprised at how well our children are taught about the great use that Swedenborg performed. They are not taught to glorify the man, but they do learn what he did.
     On February 14, Valentine's Day, Gareth and Elsa Acton put on a party at the request of the social committee. We were asked to wear costumes portraying old time Hollywood actors and actresses. The motif was carried out in decorations and entertainment. There was even a complete movie of the early days. Refreshments and dancing rounded out the evening.
     A grand dinner and dance was held on April 4. It began at 7:30 p.m., and the dinner was followed by entertainment as well as dancing. This occasion was especially delightful for our young students and their guests who were here for the spring vacation. Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Blair took charge of this affair.

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     The biggest event we had during the year was at the end of May and was a camp held in the mountains at Laurel State Park. It was a grand weekend, with entire families present, and there were sports, swimming and games of all kinds. The camp began with a Friday supper and ended on Sunday afternoon with a service attended by no fewer than 142 persons, which included a few guests from out of town. Our pastor had conducted a service in Pittsburgh in the morning with 23 present! The camp was a bit cool at first, but the spirits of the campers were not, and they all agreed that this was the most successful camp we had yet had. Our "old scout," Gilbert Smith, inspired it; but it was the younger couples who did the work, and it was our pastor and Lee Horigan who organized it in the first place, though it took all of them together to put it over. It is good for us, a city society, to learn to play together.
     Our 79th school closing took place on June 14. It was inspiring to hear our 39 pupils sing so beautifully. Two students graduated from the eighth grade. Martha Alden gave a talk on "Good," and Christopher Glenn, the other graduate, a talk on "Truth." Mr. Robert Glenn gave a fine address. We feel that the Lord has sustained and blessed our New Church school, or it would not have been here for seventy-nine years. Besides the school, the pastor has conducted weekly a religious class for those in high school, and one Sunday afternoon a month he has given a missionary class at Freeport, 35 miles away.
     Once more we had inspiring tableaux on New Church Day. A service is held at 4:30 p.m., after which we go quietly outside on the church grounds and in the same spirit of reverence watch the children enact the giving of the Word from the time of the Most Ancient Church down to the sending out of the twelve disciples and the giving of the Word for the New Church. The children are taught the meaning of this, and their innocence and sincerity are most effective.
     The following day, June 20, we were invited to the marriage of Judith Ann Nemitz to David Allen Griffiths. The Rev. Louis B. King, our former pastor, officiated. The church, filled to overflowing with the many friends of the couple, repeated in its decorations the pink motif introduced by the bridesmaids' dresses. Bert and Freda Nemitz, the parents of the bride, provided a band for the reception. The Rev. Kurt Nemitz, brother of the bride, introduced the pastor, who responded to a toast to the Church, and Mr. King responded to the toast to the bride and groom. It was the first visit for the Kings since they went to Glenview, and we were all so very glad to see them. Mr. King preached on Sunday.
     A week later we responded to the invitation of Robert and Wilma Glenn to the marriage of their daughter Jeryl to Kent B. Fuller, who had invited the Rev. Elmo C. Acton to perform the ceremony. Again the church was beautifully decorated, this time in green and white, and the bridesmaids and flower girls were in yellow. The dignity and beauty of our weddings impress all our guests and in a quiet way tell others of our teachings about conjugial love. At the reception which followed a toast was given and good wishes were expressed for the happy couple.
     On Sunday Mr. Acton touched our hearts with a wonderful sermon. We were very happy to welcome his wife, Ione. Previous to both weddings, the Rev. and Mrs. Kurt Asplundh invited all out of town guests and their hosts and hostesses to a delightful luncheon.
     During the summer a family service will be held every week. The nursery for little ones will be open, with Mrs. Dirk van Zyverden in charge, and a summer Sunday school will be held. Regular monthly flannel board Sunday school continues all the year round.
     Candidate Daniel W. Goodenough and his wife and child will be here this summer staying at our pastor's home. Mr. Goodenough will conduct services from July 19 through August 23.
     Cards of consolation were sent to the families of the three children of Mr. Charles H. Ebert upon his passing into the spiritual world.

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Mr. Ebert was an old and beloved member of the Pittsburgh Society in time past. Cards of congratulation were sent to Meredith Glenn, Carol Lindsay and Dan Heilman when they made their confession of faith. Dan Heilman was confirmed on July 12, and his wife and daughter were baptized at the same time. This makes us feel that the church is going forward, for we feel certain from what the Writings tell us that the angels in heaven rejoice when a new couple joins the church on earth.
     LUCILE S. BLAIR
CHARTER DAY 1964

              1964




     Announcements
     All ex-students, members of the General Church and friends of the Academy are invited to attend the 48th Charter Day exercises, to be held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., on Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, 1964. The program:

Friday 11 a.m.-Cathedral Service, with an address by the Rev. Erik Sandstrom.
Friday Afternoon-Football Game.
Friday Evening-Dance.
Saturday, 7 p.m.-Banquet. Toastmaster: Marlyn Smith, Esq.
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN 1964

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN              1964

     People coming to Bryn Athyn for the Academy's opening exercises, Charter Day Or any other occasion who need assistance in finding accommodation will please communicate with the Hostess Committee. Please address letters to: The Hostess Committee, c/o Mrs. Roy H. Rose, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

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CONTEMPT FOR OTHERS 1964

CONTEMPT FOR OTHERS       Rev. DOUGLAS TAYLOR       1964

     
NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV OCTOBER, 1964           No. 10
     "And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others." (Luke 18:9)

     Self-righteousness, or self-congratulation, and contempt for others in comparison with self almost always go together, for both are manifestations or signs of the love of self-the fountainhead of all evil, in fact, evil itself. Whenever the evils of the love of self are enumerated in the Writings, that is, whenever the various forms under which that universal love of hell manifests itself are set forth, contempt for others in comparison with oneself is always included, together with such other general evils as hatred, revenge, cruelty and adultery. All these forms of hell spring forth from loving oneself first and foremost, and thus looking to one's own happiness as the primary end and purpose in life.
     This utter contempt for others in comparison with oneself, being inspired from hell, condemns the man who habitually receives it as his own-condemns to the life of hell, here and hereafter. But there is another kind of contempt for others, or despising of others, which does not spring from the love of self and may even be present with those who are in charity, and this kind of contempt does not condemn. This teaching is elaborated as follows: "Despising others . . . is of no account when not prompted by the love of self, or leading one to despise others as compared with himself from hatred. Contempt of this latter kind is what damns in the other life; but the despising of others because they are of no ability or endowment, or aptitude to this or that use, because they are deficient in functions or business activities and other things, does not damn; for this cannot but exist with all men who live in society, and where one ought to think concerning another whether he can be associated with him considering his quality, as also whether he is adapted to the performance of such and such functions of such and such businesses.

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Contempt of this kind . . . does no injury in the other life, as it is easily dissipated when one is in love and charity, as then everyone is estimated according to his real quality; it may remain a little while until charity has found a place (but not longer). The contempt of hatred is when one desires to rob another of his honors, goods or life; while contempt of another as compared with oneself is when, from preference of self, another is not regarded at all, showing that contempt is but another form of self-love."* In line with this view of the matter there is also the teaching that those who are in charity, and thus do what is good from the heart from good will and a love of the neighbor, despise those who do what is good in the expectation and hope of receiving some suitable reward.**
     * SD 4347
     ** See AC 6390e

     It is always the motive that imparts the quality to any act or utterance. If there is absence of anything of self-congratulation or of gloating over another's deficiencies; if one's own status and wellbeing are not regarded as of primary importance, but the common good is regarded first of all; then it does no harm to despise, as it were, the capabilities of another. The term, despise, may, perhaps, seem a little strong, but the meaning is "to have little esteem for" the capability or capacity of another. Yet it should be pointed out that we should exercise both care and restraint in making such judgments, because the love of despising others in comparison with oneself may very easily creep in and thus connect us with hell.
     A good criterion is to observe whether or not we can make the judgment in a calm, deliberate, dispassionate manner, regarding it as a matter of fact rather than as a matter of great delight. If we delight in despising the abilities of others, then let us beware, for we may be sure that that delight has not flowed in from the Lord through heaven but has come from hell. If contempt is accompanied by elation of mind, a certain self-satisfaction and self-eminence, a certain puffing up, it is of the infernal kind. What we have to aim at, when we come upon a deficiency in another, is described in the Writings as a "certain sadness that is attended with a prayerful wish that it be not so; and in a form still more interior it is merely a certain obscure feeling that breaks in on celestial delight on account of something not good and true in another."*
     * AC 3909e
     The reason those who are in some charity call still hold others in law esteem without harm to their spiritual life is that they do acknowledge that all good and truth comes from the Lord and originates in Him alone. They would not be in a state of charity unless they did make this acknowledgment. It is a prerequisite for entrance into heaven, into a heavenly state.

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It is the key to the kingdom of heaven. Because those who love the neighbor must also have some love for the Lord, and because they could not be in this state without acknowledging from the heart as a permanent conviction that they are nothing but evil, while any good they have acquired has been a gift from the Lord, they are therefore preserved from the evil of self-righteousness, They do not attribute any righteousness or merit to themselves, but to the Lord alone, and this saves them from the further evil of being contemptuous of others in comparison with themselves.
     It is the very opposite with those who are devoid of charity or good will to others. To be in charity is to wish well to others, to be delighted by and on account of their happiness and well being. It is to wish for others what we would wish for ourselves, or even more than we would wish for ourselves. This is heavenly charity. But those who lack this love of the neighbor, those who have no regard for others outside of themselves at all, cannot help but be in the loves of self and the world. They love themselves and their own pleasure, comfort, convenience and status more than anything else. They love others only as long as those others pay them their respects, flatter them or serve their purposes; but should those others ever oppose their will or fail to honor and praise them, or should they cease to be able to be of use to them, they would be despised as of no account. Such is the love of self, which must perforce rule and regulate when there is nothing of charity.

     This is, of course, selfishness in the extreme, and it is not the kind of contempt of others that is pictured in the parable. The love of self is cast aside in proportion as charity flows in from the Lord; or, what is the same, charity flows in from the Lord in proportion as the love of self in all its forms is shunned as a sin and cast aside. Consequently man retains more or less of the love of self according to the degree and extent to which he has allowed the Lord to redeem him from it. Accordingly, there are less extreme forms or manifestations of the love of self than those we have been considering. However, while anything of the love of self remains, man is inclined to be a spiritual thief and a spiritual usurer. That is to say, he is inclined to attribute to himself the good that he does, instead of attributing it to the Lord, to whom alone the power and the glory belong. The Lord deserves the praise for the good done by any man, for good can come only from the Lord. The Lord alone is righteous or just in Himself, and thus He alone deserves or merits the thanks and praise of the man of the church. If man thinks that he deserves to be praised or rewarded for anything good that he does he is a spiritual thief, because he is attributing to himself what belongs to the Lord. That is the inmost meaning of the commandment: "Thou shalt not steal."

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     He is likewise a spiritual usurer, one who does good for the sake of a spiritual reward or profit. While man is still moved to some extent by his love of self he cannot help thinking that he does good from himself, nor can he help thinking that he deserves to be rewarded in the other life for what he has done. This self-righteousness in turn leads inevitably to a certain contempt for others who seem to have less good. Self-congratulation and contempt for others in comparison with oneself go hand in hand. This is the state that is depicted so powerfully by the Lord's parable of the two men who "went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican" or tax-collector.*
     * Luke 18:10

     It is to be clearly understood that while the parable refers in the literal sense to actions and people, the underlying subject is not actions and people but states of mind, the early states of regeneration in which we take the appearance for the reality. The appearance, the very strong appearance, is that we do good from ourselves; but the reality, of course, is that man cannot do good that really is good from himself, for he is not the source and fountain of good. To do good, man must shun his evils as sins against the Lord; in proportion as he does this he acts from the Lord, and to this extent, and no more, does he do what is good.
     In the beginning of his regeneration everyone finds it very difficult to realize that this is the truth. Still more difficult for him is the sincere and heartfelt confession that it is also good. In fact, it is almost impossible for one embarking on the great crusade against his own particular form of self-love to feel any delight at all in the confession that all good is from the Lord. Yet this is the rock on which the church and heaven are founded. "Without this acknowledgment," we are taught, "man attributes everything he does to himself as merit, and at length as righteousness; for to claim to himself the truth and good which are from the Lord is to make himself righteous. This is the source of many evils; for he then regards himself in everything that he does for the neighbor, and when he does this he loves himself above all others, whom he then despises, if not in word, yet in heart."*
     * AC 5758e
     The opening words of the Pharisee's prayer, therefore, have an empty, hollow ring: "God, I thank Thee." In the first stages of regeneration, the man of the church does not really thank the Lord at all, at least not deeply from the heart. He may utter words of thanksgiving, and may even seem to himself to mean them, but in reality he is not thanking the Lord for the spiritual progress that he seems to have made. He is not giving thanks to the Lord.

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He finds more delight in announcing and declaring the progress he sees in himself; and in this merely natural view of spiritual things the delight comes from the thought that he has done it all himself. This the Lord permits-this thinking from the appearance, this self-righteousness with its accompanying contempt for others in comparison with self. It has to be permitted, for at this stage the man who wishes to be of the church is in great obscurity, although it certainly does not seem so to him. To begin with, most of us have to be led by means of such natural affections because they are all that we have, our spiritual affections being then merely in the embryonic stage.

     We are therefore complete strangers to those feelings of humiliation before the Lord that come when we have been affected personally by the truth and have seen that it applies to us. We do not associate with the humility, represented by the publican, from which they come. We despise it; it stands "afar off."
     Being thus pleased with ourselves, and in love with ourselves, we are satisfied with ourselves; we think that we have arrived at the end. We are self-sufficient, and are like the Pharisee who "stood by (or with) himself" and prayed. This divisive separation and disunity is another result of thinking that by our actions we deserve honors and rewards, and the following explanation from the Arcana Coelestia should provide us with a good basis for self-exploration, "Those who place merit in the actions of their lives do not have charity's faith . . . for thereby they desire to be saved, not because of the Lord's righteousness, but because of their own. That there is no faith belonging to charity in them, that is, no charity, is evident from the fact that they set themselves before others, and thus regard themselves and not others, except in so far as they are of service to them; and they either despise or hate those who are not willing to render them service. Thus by the love of self they dissociate, and never associate, and thus destroy what is heavenly, namely, mutual love, which gives heaven its stability; for heaven itself is in it, and all its consociation and unanimity consist in it; for in the other life whatever destroys unanimity is contrary to the order of heaven itself, and thus conspires to the destruction of the whole. Such are they who place merit in the actions of their lives and claim righteousness for themselves."*
     * AC 2027
     In addition to self-righteousness, contempt for others in comparison with self, complete ignorance of what humility is, and a tendency to cause disunity, there is yet another evil that comes forth from doing good from self rather than from the Lord, or from failing to acknowledge that only evil is from man, while good is from the Lord.

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This additional evil is solicitude or care for the morrow-anxiety with regard to the future. This is taught most succinctly as follows: "Good from the Lord is with those who love the Lord above all things and the neighbor as themselves; but good from man is with those who love themselves above all things and despise the neighbor in comparison with themselves. These are they who have care for the morrow, because they trust in themselves; but the former are they who have no care for the morrow, because they trust in the Lord."*
     * AC 8480:3

     The parable brings out, even in its literal sense, the necessity of having a right motive in what we do. Works alone do not save from hell, because works that appear to be good may be done from infernal motives. The motive must be love to the Lord or charity toward the neighbor. Yet the Writings point out in the plainest language that those who, like the Pharisee, act as if works alone, or external things alone, saved man, and who therefore obey outwardly the Lord's commandments, are also in the Lord's kingdom, "but on the threshold, and therefore the Lord says: 'I say unto you, the publican went down to his house justified more than the Pharisee' . . . thus that the Pharisee also went down justified, because he had done works from obedience to command."*
     * AC 6405:3
     Every New Church man is, of course, in this first state of obedience to command at some time in his life. It is the first thing that has to be done after the truths of the Word have been learned, or are being learned. Obedience to command, by the exercise of self-compulsion, must be undertaken strenuously and constantly; otherwise no further progress can be made. But while we are in this state we have to be on guard at all times against thinking from the appearance: against thinking that our obedience is from what is our own, that whatever good we do has been from ourselves. For, as we have seen, this is the source of many other evils, including infernal contempt.
     But there is one particular form of contempt for others in comparison with self of which New Church men must beware, and that is being contemptuous of those in religions outside of the New Church, being contemptuous of them for their mistaken beliefs. We may have nothing but contempt for the false and foolish principles of the consummated church; but we need to take care that it does not stealthily become contempt for people-the people who, for all sorts of reasons-have mistaken those false principles for the truth itself. For how would we be able to distinguish between the true and the false, the real and the apparent, if the Lord had not revealed the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem? How would we have come to know about it but for the Divine Providence of the Lord? And how would we have accepted it unless the Lord had implanted in us remains of good and truth?

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These things we know and believe; happy shall we be if we do them.
     Let us, then, check the sins of merit, self-righteousness and contempt for others in comparison with ourselves whenever they make their appearance in our minds, for they are from hell and they bind us to hell. Let us explore our minds, lives and conversation thoroughly to see just how often we delight in contempt and derision, for this will furnish us with an indication of how great a hold that particular form of self-love has upon us. And let us not look around to see to whom this applies most aptly! Let us, like the publican, look within ourselves. Then shall we begin to feel a real humility before the Lord, a genuine humiliation which is the essence of true worship. Do we not realize now just how blessed we are when we throw ourselves on the mercy of the Lord, saying each day and every day, "God be merciful to me, a sinner"? "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted." Amen.

     LESSONS: Malachi 3:7-9, 13-18. Luke 18:9-25. AC 3994:2.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 442, 448, 488.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 74, 85.
GENERAL CHURCH BOOK CENTER 1964

GENERAL CHURCH BOOK CENTER              1964

     Change of Location

     We regret to announce that for reasons of health Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lee, who have given long hours of faithful service and time to the Book Center in Glenview, are unable to continue the distribution and mail order aspects of the work. The Immanuel Church Book Room will, however continue its local operations. We are all deeply grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Lee, not only for a job well done, but also because they have clearly demonstrated a new need among the uses of the General Church.
     To meet this need, Mr. and Mrs. Donald C. Fitzpatrick, Sr., will begin operating the center, including a reading room, in Bryn Athyn. As of October 12, all mail orders and distributorship correspondence should be addressed to the General Church Book Center, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzpatrick hope to have a fine and complete stock available for quick shipment by that date. The General Church is delighted to have their interest and help. Discounts, pricing and shipping practices will be explained shortly by the book steward in your society.

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TWO FOUNDATIONS OF TRUTH 1964

TWO FOUNDATIONS OF TRUTH       EDWARD F. ALLEN       1964

     (Delivered at the First Session of the 49th British Assembly, London, July 17, 1964.)
     I do not really know why I should be speaking to you today. This is my first trip across the Atlantic, and it is I who should be spending my time learning from you, not the reverse. But accepting things as they are, as I prepared my remarks at home, I could not help but anticipate in my thoughts somewhat about London.
     So many things today are so overdone that there is a danger of deterioration on every hand. Take "traveler," for example. Who is a traveler? Tourists you have; tourists we have. But who acknowledges that they have travelers?
     This brings me rather abruptly to London in 1710. Because in that year London had its visitors even as today. I recall that many years ago-at least thirty-I read a book, when it first appeared in English translation, entitled London in 1710 From The Travels of Zacharias Conrad von Uffenbach.
     Something of the nature of von Uffenbach can be understood from the following selection. Among many other things he describes in his diary, a visit to St. Paul's Church, just then being brought to completion under the architect Christopher Wren. Von Uffenbach comments: "One mounts a fine wide stone staircase of a hundred and ten steps to the first gallery and then there is a wooden one, which is not nearly as wide."* As he and his brother, who accompanied him, neared the top of the dome, he writes of their experience as follows: "A charming effect is produced by all kinds of carvings in stone round the whole of the interior of the dome. Right at the top of the tower we found countless names written in chalk or scratched in stone, so we had ours done also by our man."** I leave it to you to decide whether in the final listing of his accomplishments von Uffenbach should be referred to as a traveler or a tourist!
     * P. 32               
     ** P. 32
     But in 1710 London had other visitors, among them three young Swedes: Andreas Hesselius, Gustaf Hesselius, and their cousin, age 22, Emanuel Swedenborg. If, as has been presumed, these three went sight-seeing together, then an entry in a diary of Andreas Hesselius is of interest to us:

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     "There is no necessity for me here to note down my remarks about this renowned city, the largest and the most populous in the whole Christian world, since it is too extensive a subject to describe, inasmuch as it cannot be adequately described either by books or by travelers. Let it only be stated that he who has a desire to see the whole world's races, riches, glory and grandeur in miniature may see it in London, on the Royal Exchange, and the Custom House, not to mention innumerable other places . . ."*
     * Cyriel Odhner Sigstedt, The Swedenborg Epic, p. 20. Cf. Alfred Acton, Letters and Memorials of Emanuel Swedenborg.

     Although Swedenborg did, in part, play the role of tourist in his travels, he was mostly about more serious business. So it was on this occasion, as testified to by his letters home and by his conduct on other visits to London, as, for example, to publish the Arcana Coelestia here some 40 years after his first visit.
     In 1710 Swedenborg's great contributions were yet to be realized, but in that year there lived in London one whose greatness was already beginning to appear throughout the learned world. I refer to Sir Isaac Newton. It is in the writings of Swedenborg on one hand and in those of Newton on the other that I find the suggestions for the substance of my remarks today. My topic can roughly be described as the relation of religion and science. But put in this way, as you all know, the subject is so broad as to be almost meaningless. Let us narrow it down somewhat. There is an oft-quoted passage in the Spiritual Diary one sentence of which reads: "There are two foundations of truth; one from the Word, and the other from nature."*
     * SD 5709
     What these words mean has been the subject of much writing and some debate. Because every man who seeks truth must at some time-or even many times-make judgments with reference to the scientifics whether their source be in revelation or in observations in nature, I suppose these words will always be a proper subject for consideration.
     Even before his spiritual eyes were opened, Swedenborg taught the essential idea expressed above, but in somewhat different language when he said that the truths of revelation and those of science can never be at variance. The essential problem which faces every man is thus apparently twofold: first, to recognize the source-whether it be revelation or science; second, to recognize the truth-whether it be from revelation or science.
     In either case, the first presentation to man by revelation or by science is through scientifics; and scientifics, as is so often the case with ultimates, in themselves are neutral-yet potentially they are powerful. Swedenborg says:

     "Scientifics, in themselves, are neither true, nor false; but they become true with those who are in truths, and false with those who are in falsities. Their application and use does this.

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Scientifics with man are like riches and wealth with him. Riches and wealth with those who are in evil are pernicious, because they apply them to evil uses. But riches and wealth with those who are in good are useful, because they apply them to good uses. If therefore riches and wealth which are with the wicked, are transferred to the good, they become good. So also with scientifics."*
     * AC 6917

     Even as Swedenborg himself is the principal servant making possible revelation for us, so also Newton assumed the primary responsibility through three great works-Fluxions, Optics and the Principia-for making possible the great strides in science during two centuries following 1710.
     Going back to that year for a moment, Newton was in the middle of the preparation of the second edition of his Principia. Some twenty-four years later Swedenborg was to publish a work by the same name.
     There are certain similarities in these works. The first of these is especially interesting in comparison with reference to the universality of laws of nature. Newton himself was very reluctant to label his law of gravitation as a universal law. In one of his explanations of why the stars from remote regions do not under the influence of gravity "fall upon one another," as he puts it, if gravity were universal, "this frame of things could not always subsist without a divine power to conserve it." He offers as one suggestion that all of space is divided up into cells or parts, in each of which natural law proper to that cell operates:

"And since space is divisible in infinitum, and matter is not necessarily in all places, it may be also allowed that God is able to create particles of matter of several sizes and figures, and in several proportions to space, and perhaps of different densities and forces, and thereby to vary the laws of nature, and make worlds of several sorts in several parts of the universe. At least, I see nothing of contradiction in all this."

     Swedenborg in his Principia is discussing "The Diversities of Worlds." He is talking of a world in some other region of the universe than ours where the laws of mechanics might differ from ours. He says:

     "Machines of every kind might there, perhaps, be constructed by different rules and by a different application of mechanical powers. The magniloquent Archimedes, who talked of moving by his mechanism the world out of its place, were he translated to another system and earth, might perhaps somewhat lower his tone, when he found in those worlds all his skill and ingenuity disappear, and himself at a loss how to apply the common powers of mechanism; for, if he there wished to make any experiments, he would have first to learn the very first principles and rudiments of mechanism; which could be deduced only from the phenomena peculiar to that earth."*
     * Principia, Ch. III, Pt. II, 4.

     The two Principias have other similarities, but I cannot go into these. Let me merely quote from Newton to indicate the general nature of his religious attitude, which agrees with ideas expressed by Swedenborg in the opening chapter of his Principia.

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I quote from a selection by Burtt, in his Metaphysical Origins of Modern Science from Brewster II, 348:

     "We are, therefore, to acknowledge one God, infinite, eternal, omnipresent, omnipresent, omnipotent, the creator of all things, most wise, most just, most good, most holy. We must love him, fear him, honour him, trust in him, pray to him, give him thanks, praise him, hallow his name, obey his commandments, and set times apart for his service, as we are directed in the third and fourth Commandments, for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous."

     But there are differences in the two Principias. Newton's presentation is mathematical; Swedenborg's is descriptive and qualitative. Newton's Principia is physics; Swedenborg's is largely metaphysics in the strict original sense of that word. Newton's work depends entirely upon experiment; Swedenborg brings in experiment only after a considerable development, after all of the finites and actives have been described.
     While he goes back to God as the Creator in his general ideas, Newton begins in particulars with what can be seen and felt. For him the primordial substance is nothing more than smaller parts of objects sensed. He says:

     "We no other way know the extension of bodies than by our senses, nor do these reach it in all bodies; but because we perceive extension in all that are sensible, therefore we ascribe it universally to all others also. That abundance of bodies are hard, we learn by experience; and because the hardness of the whole arises from the hardness of the parts, we therefore justly infer the hardness of the undivided particles not only of the bodies we feel but of all others. That all bodies are impenetrable, we gather not from reason, but from sensation. The bodies which we handle we find impenetrable, and thence conclude impenetrability to be an universal property of all bodies whatsoever. That all bodies are movable, and endowed with certain powers (which we call the inertia) of persevering in their motion, or in their rest, we only infer from the like properties observed in the bodies which we have seen. The extension, hardness, impenetrability, mobility, and inertia of the whole, result from the extension, hardness, impenetrability, mobility, and inertia of the parts; and hence we conclude the least particles of all bodies to be also all extended, and hard and impenetrable, and movable, and endowed with their proper inertia."*
     * Newton's Principia, Cajori translation, p. 399

     Many of you will notice the considerable difference between this view and that of Swedenborg. Briefly, Swedenborg says of his particles that "there is an internal state tending to a spiral motion"; "there is a progressive motion of the parts, an axillary motion of the whole, and provided there be no obstacle, a local motion of the whole. . . ."*
     * See Principia, Preface XIV
     The scientifics upon which the two Principias were based were the same, and yet the natures of the elementary particles were so different.

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The parting of the ways of two philosophical ideas makes its appearance in these statements by Newton and Swedenborg. God created the universe in each case. But what is God's place in that universe after creation? In the one case the corpuscles, hard, solid and indestructible have all and everything given them at the time of creation. And while a closer study of Newton's theological ideas shows that he personally objected to the current opinions of his time, that God created the world in the beginning and after that things ran along smoothly in a clockwise manner, nevertheless, this objection does not shine forth strong enough in his scientific works. In consequence, such statements as are made above, coupled with the successes later of Newton's mechanics, led his name to become identified with deterministic philosophy. Still later, when it became more evident that the essential nature of his Principia: was experimental, that is, dependent solely upon sensual perceptions, mathematics becoming secondary, Newton also became identified with the positivistic doctrine.

     There are many things about Newton, which indicate to me that he himself would not have allowed his name, nor his natural philosophy, to be so used. History, however, has had something different to say.
     This history has enabled the successes of Newtonian mechanics to support a thesis originating largely with Descartes, an immediate predecessor of Newton, that God is the Creator of a universe that is a clock-like mechanism. Such a Creator has been referred to in literature as only half a Creator. Once created, such a universe has no further need of its Creator.
     Thus the parting of the ways of two philosophical ideas is here to be emphasized. One leads, during the nineteenth century, to an overwhelming assurance that God's presence is no longer an essential in any scientific discussion. On the other hand, in the case of Swedenborg's philosophy, the principle of action from within in all the particles of nature is necessary for the very existence of those particles, as explained in his Principia.
     The place of the Creator in the scheme of things for Newton's immediate predecessor, Descartes, is that of Creator of a clock. The principle, "existence is perpetual creation" is of a priori importance in any New Church philosophy. This essential idea in Swedenborg's philosophical works and in the Writings becomes especially important as the doctrine of influx. It says, for example: "Thence it is that universal nature is a theater representative of the Lord's kingdom, and that everything in it is representative (Nos. 2758, 3483); and that nature subsists from influx according to this order, and that without such influx it could not subsist even for a moment."*
     * AC 4939

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     II.

     The case in science for many years was that a possible belief in influx, or denial of it, rested on the view man had of the source of energy in this world, which is the sun. Before the very recent past, no other source was known to men. Even products such as oil and coal owe their existence to the effects of the sun in ages past. Water power is continually dependent upon the operation of the sun, and so it goes. What is the explanation of the source of the sun's heat? In ancient times it was believed to be a natural fire. But a natural fire is soon consumed and is extinguished. Later, after Newton, extreme pressure due to gravitation in massive bodies like the sun could be regarded as extending the life time of these bodies as sources of heat. For a brief spell after its discovery, radioactivity could account for the life of the sun being extended somewhat; and finally, nuclear fusion can be used to explain its life being still further extended.
     But where does the primordial substance that feeds the fires of fusion come from? It has been seriously suggested by cosmologists, Hoyle, for example, that creation is going on perpetually at all times with the creation of hydrogen atoms spontaneously-in vacuum. Out of what! Perhaps nothing!

     How this carries us back in time when one could seriously say creation out of nothing? Yes! By what means? At one time it was said even within the halls of Christianity "out of nothing!" by a means described by the term pat-by the command of God. And so today at least one segment of a science that will have nothing to do with revelation finds itself with the same conclusion as a church challenging the doctrine that is the only sensible one, ex nihilo nihil fit.
     Is it not strange that a materialistic science in one age should agree with a church in another age in such a purely magical solution as creation out of nothing? Although the details of a Science in the latter age are more numerous than in the former, the scientific consists in each case in the simple observation that nature exists-and continues to exist. The philosophical question is, how? The answer, "out of nothing." I am not concerned here whether some modern cosmologists or earlier church fathers believe in a God. The question here is whether, in their view, God operates within the receptacles of nature continually-whether, indeed, explanations can or cannot be given either in religion or in science by avoiding the continual operation of God.
     Passing from the example of the sun let me proceed to one other example, the transformation during the last 60 years of materialism into naturalism.

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There must be people still living today in their eighties who can remember a materialism which was based upon explanations of all that is in nature in terms of hard, impenetrable bodies. Who remembers, to follow an outline in a well known book on philosophy as it describes materialism, that such, a materialism depends upon eternally independent atoms, upon conscious life consisting of motions of atoms, motions according to a fixed law, upon a belief that there is no chance in nature-that determinism reigns-and upon a belief in a world without intelligent purpose or a Divine Ruler?
     But what has happened to these foundations? Every one of them except one has been changed. The atoms are certainly no longer independent. I could find much for you to show that conscious life is not the motion of atoms. A recent writer has taken some pains to point out that the hierarchy of the physical world, the molecules, atoms, nucleii, etc. are "on the side of," as he puts it, that is, not the same as, the biological hierarchy from genes and other macromolecules to world biota.* Quantum mechanics is used on every hand to supplant classical Newtonian mechanics which was the fixed deterministic law of the nineteenth century. As a consequence chance is everywhere used as an explanation. This leaves only the denial of Divine Purpose or Ruler in creation which has been held.
     * Sewell Wright, "Biology and the Philosophy of Science," Monist, April 1964.
     In these circumstances, no one can hold to such a materialism today as that defined in the philosophy textbook. As far back as 1927 one of the world's best known naturalists, Bertrand Russell, stated: "Materialism as a philosophy becomes hardly tenable in view of this evaporation of matter."* I have not the time or the background to explain to you that this does not mean that Russell or anyone like him has adopted any of the ideas you and I hold. If naturalism has taken the place of materialism, it must be remembered that they are exactly alike in one of their grounds, even if they differ in all others, and that is that both avoid God.
     * Philosophy, W. W. Norton, N. Y., 1927. Quoted by Barrett p. 69 f.m.

     I have come hurdling through the two and a half centuries since 1710. Two examples out of many that might have been used have been given to show that man has succeeded in separating the sources of truth so that he cannot represent to himself any longer any manner in which they can agree. Also he has succeeded largely in denying one of the sources altogether. We have noted in the first case that religion at one time can think and has thought of God as acting by "fiat," creating out of nothing, and science at a later period also suggesting that nature creates out of nothing. However fantastic this idea, it is evident that man can and does come to this conclusion either on religious grounds or on scientific grounds.

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This indicates that the two foundations of truth can also, each in its own way, become foundations of falsity.
     The second example indicates that man can come to the scientifics from nature by looking for sufficient causes within nature itself, even though all of the scientific grounds have changed-in some instances even into their opposites. The only common principle held by the two influential philosophies of materialism and naturalism is the denial of God the Creator-or at least the acceptance of the principle that His existence is not a necessary hypothesis.

     III

     In this third part of my remarks I wish to consider briefly the state of some things today. The telescope and the microscope extended man's eyes to see further and deeper into nature than when unaided. This is what caused the scientific revolution of which Newton was a part. But in the middle of the nineteenth century means of extending and deepening this vision still farther began to appear. The spectroscope, the first of these numerous means, does not see directly. It tells us indirectly of a vast variety of activities which take place in nature: a variety of activities that man will never see either with telescope or microscope-let alone the unaided eye. With this new instrument, which itself is a manifestation of the wonders in nature, man began to see in detail farther away in space than he had seen before. Helium was first discovered in the sun with the spectroscope. Going in the other direction, it was the lines viewed in the spectroscope which led to the present dynamic concept of the atom.
     An important development of all this, on the one hand, has been the broadening of man's vision of what he means by "universe." Its center was moved by Copernicus 93,000,000 miles to the sun. Its center was moved in this century 30,000 light years away, and now it appears that this is only the center of our galactic system. There are many galaxies. On the other hand, penetrating into the depths of nature, there is the series of molecules, atoms and elementary particles: the end is not yet in sight.
     The existence of "levels" as they are called is one of the most interesting things of new scientifics. Eugene Wigner, one of the latest to share in the Nobel Prize in Physics, said recently:

     "As to the possibility of this (that is, to study a deeper reality than that now studied in physics), we need not despair even though the problem of the reality of the second kind, the emergence of almost infallible and decisively important concepts, probably lies several layers deeper than reaches our present search into the laws of nature."*
     * E. Wigner, "Two Kinds of Reality," Monist, April 1964.

     Sewell Wright, a biologist, has also considered the existence of levels beyond those normally considered as scientific.

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He says:

     ". . .but most of us became aware very early of constellations or sensations that perished with such regularity, whether we wished it or not, as to give an overwhelming impression of external reality. Adults who relapse into a private world in which no distinction is made between fantasy and external reality must be shut up in institutions."*
     * Mionist, April 1964, p. 215

He says further: "The behaviour of . . . individuals seems to transcend physico-chemical interpretation and the phenomena of consciousness in ourselves. . . ."*
     * Ibid., p. 275
     Do such things as these drive man into thinking the thoughts Swedenborg had about nature when he wrote his Principia Let us be cautious and recall that the scientifics themselves are neutral. The old presuppositions of denial are still with us.               
     Let me give you one example to illustrate what I mean. There is an increased willingness in science today, in contrast with the immediate past, to view favorably certain kinds of purposeful explanations. Apparently the all-out tendency to explain according to chance is showing up slightly; and there is a slight effort to use purpose and cause-and-effect explanations. But it must be understood that such purpose that has been recognized is a purpose introduced by man. The essential character of the evolutionary process up to the time man appears is still according to chance. Thus J. A. Wheeler, prominent physicist, as a cosmologist says the following: What about . . . "the accident-filled evolution that brought us into being? If so much has been accomplished, how much more can be achieved by purpose?"* And a little later he says: "We, the human species, call and must take control of our own fate."**
     * In an article, "Cosmology,", The Delaware Seminar on Philosophy of Science, Vol. 2, 1962-63.
     ** Ibid., P. 521
     Clearly the Writings do not permit us to retire intellectually from the world, or its science, in which we live. It is said in one place, for example: "unless spiritual things were thus representatively presented in the natural by such things as are in the world, they could by no means be comprehended."* Also: "Nothing ever exists with man in his thoughts, even as to the most hidden thing of faith, which has not some natural and sensual idea with it, although man for the most part does not know it."**
     * AC 5373
     ** AC 3310
     Probably one of the most complete treatments of topics associated with the subject of this paper is in the Words for The New Church, one of the earliest published works of the Academy of the New Church. Its opening paragraph reads as follows: "Natural science deals with natural things; the Church deals primarily with spiritual things.

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The spiritual world rests upon the natural world. Hence also the truths of the spiritual world rest upon the truths of the natural world; and consequently the truths of the church rest upon the truths of natural science."
     I began with the sentence from the Spiritual Diary: "There are two foundations of truth; one from the Word, and the other from nature."* But whether it is from the Word or nature the first presentation to man is through scientifics, which in themselves are neither true nor false. The remarks made here have dealt with some ideas arising in natural science which indicate that man brings something to these decisions from another source. Whether or not that something is a spirit of belief or denial, the power that is in the ultimate scientifics will confirm that belief or that denial.
     * SD 5709
     If one wishes to deny the operation of God one swings away from materialism, when its scientific grounds are threatened, toward naturalism. Even when one of the older categories of right thinking is restored, such as, for example, the recognition of purpose, even this can be directed toward confirming the denial of God.
     In the early part of the eighteenth century Swedenborg, even while he was a philosopher-scientist, and Isaac Newton each saw in nature a real representation of God's creation and operation. In our day we have a new revelation and we also have deeper insight, albeit by intermediate means, into the scientifics of nature. Man is in freedom to make of these either truth or falsity.

     I have undertaken the theme that this is the case. I believe that as a lay teacher it is my function to come to intellectual grips both with the dangers and the profit that are in scientifics. Such a use we try to perform in the Academy in the teaching of science and other secular subjects.
     But there is a missing element in all this; I am sure you all have noted it. This is not that man can and does either turn scientifics to truth or falsity but how he does it. It is said in one of the numbers referred to that "scientifics . . . in themselves are not truths, neither are they falsities, but they become truths with those who are in truths, and falsities with those who are in falsities.* This sounds almost circular, and yet it is not, for the number goes on to say, "this being the effect of their application and use."
     * AC 6911
     So the "how" depends upon application and use. Application and use to life-this is the theme of religion! That application to use which is taught in the new revelation is the responsibility assumed by the General Church, and all of its teaching by its ministers is directed to answering the question how scientifics may be directed toward use.

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REASON AND RATIONALITY 1964

REASON AND RATIONALITY       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1964

     (The fourth in a series of six doctrinal classes.)

     4. REASON IN SWEDENBORG'S PHILOSOPHY

     This series of studies is an inquiry into the place and use of reason, subjective and objective reason, and its place and use in theology and philosophy. Our object is to discover the value given to reason in the Writings, its use in the formation of the rational mind, and its relation to rationality, which is said to be the proper possession of the celestial man.
     As a background and base it seemed useful to examine the history of reason from the beginning to the present time. So far, we have considered rationality as it existed with the most ancients, with whom, because they were in the order of life, there was no need for developing reason from sense experience to support their perception of truth from the interior rational. We then traced the development of reason, through the invention of a language of words, finally of words expressing abstract ideas, and mathematical equations expressing general and universal truths. Such thought was seen to reach its height with the Greeks, in preparation for reception of the truths-external rational and moral truths-revealed by the Lord in the Word of His first advent.
     We considered the place given to reason in Christian thought prior to and following the Renaissance and the Reformation; then the place given to reason in the Age of Enlightenment during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Finally, we considered what might be called the decline and eclipse of reason in modern pragmatism, instrumentalism, existentialism and materialism.

     In this class we wish to discuss the significance of reason as used by Swedenborg in his pre-theological works. The understanding of this subject must be of great importance, for Swedenborg was the instrument or servant of the Lord in the giving of the Word of His second coming-of great importance to a clear understanding of the ultimate meaning of the natural rational ideas upon which that revelation rests. The meaning given to reason in the Writings must rest upon the idea of reason existing in Swedenborg's mind as formed by his own thought and reflection; for according to his repeated testimony, he was prepared for the office of revelator from his "early youth."

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     A revelation given through a human instrument is always clothed, in external form, in the language, ideas and concepts already existing in the mind of the instrument, although the truths within it are not limited by them. However, the more clearly and distinctly we understand the specific meanings of the words as used by the instrument through whom the revelation was given, the more interiorly can we enter into the understanding of the revelation itself.

     Swedenborg's mind was prepared through the study of the wisdom of the ages. In him, in a sense, all the progressive states of reason, from the fall of the Most Ancient Church, were simultaneously present, and the truth and wisdom within them were drawn forth and embodied in his philosophical system. In the Divine Providence, the progressive development of thought and reason looked forward to, and prepared the way for, the giving of a revelation by which the interior rational might again be opened, and by forming his life and thought according to its truths the man of the church might again think from the interior of the rational-might become a celestial man. The Philosopher's Note Book gives evidence of how Swedenborg gathered and assimilated the wisdom of all ages. The learning and thought of all previous ages contributed to the formation of his mind. In Swedenborg's age reason reached its peak. Without a belief in Divine revelation it could go no farther, and as it tried it sank into present-day materialism. Also, the scientific age was well advanced, and the time was ripe for the formation of a mind that could receive the doctrine in the understanding and publish it by the press, a mind in and through which the Divine Human could be revealed to man. Another favorable circumstance was the release of the thought of the learned world from the chains of dogmatic theology, and the general climate of freedom of thought.
     In the prologue to the Animal Kingdom, Swedenborg speaks of the ripeness of the time for the formation of a true philosophy:

     "A rich store of experience is at hand; an accumulated heap sufficient for us to build a palace; a luxuriant field where our sickles may reap an abundant harvest; a table where we may enjoy the most sumptuous banquets. Nor do I think we ought to wait any longer, lest haply experimental knowledge should be overtaken by age, night and oblivion; and the arts and sciences be hurried to the tomb; for unless I mistake the signs of the times, the world destinies are tending thither wards."*
     * AK p. 11

     Swedenborg's philosophy was first formulated in the introduction to the Principia.

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His later principles, and his developments of them, are an elaboration of the principles contained therein. However, before presenting the means leading to a true philosophy as there given, we must first present certain postulates, upon which it is founded. All thought must come from certain accepted hypotheses; without them, no system of thought, or philosophy, can be formed.
     We suggested in the last class that reason had failed to arrive at universal truths which would lead to an earthly Utopia because it had attempted too much. It had tried to build a tower of Babel which would reach unto heaven. It denied Divine revelation and higher truths, truths which human reason cannot discover by its own power. Swedenborg accepted without question, and did not make dependent upon reason, a belief in an Infinite and Eternal God. He did not claim, as many do today, that his belief in God was dependent upon the evidence of a planned order of creation. With him, the manifest evidence of such an order confirmed but did not establish belief in God.
     "Without the utmost devotion to the Supreme Being," he says, "no one can be a complete and truly learned philosopher. True philosophy and contempt of the Deity are two opposites. Veneration for the Infinite can never be separated from philosophy; for he who thinks himself wise, while his wisdom does not teach him to acknowledge the Divine and Infinite, that is, who thinks he can be wise without a knowledge of and veneration of the Deity, has no wisdom at all."* Therefore, "the wiser a man is the more will he be a worshiper of the Deity."**
     * Principia, p. 38          
     ** Ibid. P. 49
     He also accepted as higher truth, that is, as a truth not dependent upon reason, the absolute authority of Divine Revelation, this in the written form of the Bible. He was not a student of theology nor of the Bible, although a constant reader and worshiper, as is evident from his frequent quotations in his note book and in his works. Of revelation he says: "The Holy Scripture is the code of rules for obtaining the end by the means";* and in the work, The Infinite and the Final Cause of Creation, he says: "Philosophy, if it be truly rational, can never be contrary to revelation."**
     * Economy of the Animal Kingdom II:351
     ** Page 5
     Swedenborg further accepted the reality of the soul, and that all man's wisdom and genuine reason were from the order of the soul as created and formed by the Lord. "The rational principle in the soul consists in knowing how, and at the same time in being able, to arrange into such order and connection the reasons known from the world, so as to view their analogy.

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Yet this presupposes an active principle, or a certain force, impelling into motion all those things which inhere in a similarly orderly manner in its organs; that is, it presupposes a soul."* Therefore he held that reason in man came from reason in creation, from the order into which man was created. "It is beyond all doubt," he says, "that the rational mind is, in its very nature, philosophical, and possesses the ability to arrange and distribute ideas in an analytic form, and to revolve and sum them up so as to form a certain conclusion. The mind does not derive these predicates from its body, but from a higher essence in which the above faculty is, in fact, from the soul, which lives immediately under the auspices of the superior mind."**
     * Prin. p. 31               
     ** AK vol. 2, p. 356

     Swedenborg's philosophical argument therefore includes the original integrity of man, in whom there was a perfect contiguity of the soul with the body and of the body with the soul. In that state nothing would be concealed from man, and he would see the Divine in all things of creation.
     Hence reasoning as we know it, and science and experience, would not be necessary for him to fulfill the end of creation, the adoration and worship of his Creator. But with the fall the state was completely changed. Now the influxes through the senses are distorted in the lower degree of the mind and nothing is distinctly and clearly presented to the soul in the rational mind, with the result that the soul cannot reveal its order, and reason therein. The state of man in disorder is compared to intoxication, in which the orderly continuity of the sensations inflowing from the world is received in a broken and distorted form so that nothing is clear and distinct, that is, nothing of the wisdom of the soul.
     The three general means for restoring order in the lower degrees of the mind, so that the soul can again reveal itself therein, are: experience, including science; geometry-mathematics in its widest meaning; and reason, or the power of thinking distinctly.
     Because of his fallen state, man can no longer be instructed by synthetic reason, by thought a priori, that is, by deducing knowledges and facts from principles. He must first be instructed by experience and science; he must approach truth a posteriori, or by the analytic method. "Our wisdom" is now "proportioned to the acquisitions of our memory."* "Those who set out, relying on mere reasoning not fortified by the sure patronage of experience, will never, as I think, attain the goal; for they begin from the goal, and hurry to the starting place; thus they bend their course outwards instead of inwards, contrary to the order which the human mind prescribes for the discovery of the occult and unknown."**
     * Prin. p. 34               
     ** AK. Prologue, no. 8

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     "Unless, however, principles be formed with which experiment and the phenomena of our world agree, geometry also adding its calculus, they are to be regarded as the mere fictions and dreams of a delirious mind. But if our principles agree with experiment, and are also confirmed by the test of geometry, then it may be permitted us to liken them to truths, and to declare them to be a legitimate offspring. . . . But if anyone is content with devising principles, and is so indulgent of his imagination as not to look in them for the evidence of geometry and their agreement with physical facts; or if he forms to himself a distinct theory for every series of phenomena, and for every series of experiments contrives new links of connection, and, when his fragile tie gives way, endeavors to restore their coherence with clumsy knots-such a one can never be admitted to these oracles."*
     * Prin. Pp. 35, 37

     Swedenborg continues: "We need accumulations of effects and phenomena, collected by numerous laborers in the field, and during successive lifetimes, and even centuries; for we must be instructed by all things of one thing, if we are to know that one thing thoroughly. Each contributes in some degree, and brings, as it were, its particular stone to build this edifice that truths can inhabit."*
     *AK, Epilogue, p. 460
     Geometry, the second means leading to a true philosophy, means a knowledge of the order of forms and motions in created things derived from experience. The whole of creation is mechanical in the sense that it is formed according to laws and flows continuously by contiguity. "Nothing can exist in any finite world which does not depend upon some mechanical principle, and a similar principle of geometry must be common to them all."* These laws must be deduced by experience and experiment.
     * Prin. P. 17
     Firmly based on experience and geometry, reason is now prepared to deduce the hidden purposes and causes in creation. For "our rational mind is the uniting medium, where mystic meetings are carried on and sacred covenants ratified."*
     * AK, Epilogue, p. 364
     But this reason is no longer natural to us, as it was to the first man. It must be cultivated. It is cultivated by a right education in many branches of learning-an education according to true and right principles; and, secondly, by the shunning of the lusts of the flesh and the delusive light of self-glory. This second means is stressed by Swedenborg over and over again, and it is an important and integral part of his whole philosophy. In this, we think, Swedenborg is unique. As the mind is formed by a right education, and selfish and worldly loves are shunned, the original contiguity of the mind with the order of creation and of the soul is restored, and genuine truths can be discovered by reason.
     This is a most important part of Swedenborg's philosophy. He says:

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"Above all things, we must aim by education to become thoroughly imbued with the power of recalling the rational mind from the senses and the animus; in short, from cares, from the lusts of the body, from the allurements of the world, and thus, as it were, from our lower selves."* "That vices and lusts not only disturb but destroy the natural connections of the organs and modifications that lead to the reasoning faculty of the soul may be illustrated by example. Anger and an intemperate excitement of the body so dissolve this connection as to render a man irrational, utterly incapable of reasoning, insane, and more like an animal than a rational being."** Therefore "we are commanded to restrain the passions of the animus, and to extinguish the desires of the body, in order that we may allow the Divine spirit to approach us."***
     * AK, Epilogue, p. 355          
     ** Prin. p. 47
     *** AK, Epilogue, p. 358e
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1964

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1964

     Now under the editorship of the Rev. Norbert H. Rogers, NEW CHURCH EDUCATION began last month a new season of publication with an interesting variety of offerings. The aim of our educational system are analyzed by the editor, who also comments on worship. An excellent address given by Mr. Rey Mr. Cooper at the closing exercises of the Bryn Athyn Elementary School last June is published in full, and there are contributions by the Rev. Robert S. Junge, Miss Kristin Odhner and Mr. Norman Heldon, a member of the Hurstville Society in Australia. The Explorer continues to appear, and letters to the editor show that active thought and interest on the part of readers continue. Now entering its twenty-ninth year, this journal should continue to make significant additions in the field of New Church education.
     In a recent issue of the NEW-CHURCH MESSENGER the Rev. Brian Kingslake concludes a re-appraisal of Emanuel Swedenborg, Scientist and Mystic, by Signe Toksvig, thus: "I would say that under Providence it provides a means by which a modern generation, with its knowledge of psychic laws and phenomena, can study Swedenborg and understand him without accepting him. Signe Toksvig has untied the man Swedenborg from his theology, and let him emerge from the closet where he has hitherto been shut up lest he should compel belief. She has put the teachings of the New Church into the main stream of psychological studies." The reappraisal is extremely frank, but we cannot help feeling that Miss Toksvig has put the church up a creek rather than in the mainstream.

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UNDERSTANDING OF DEATH 1964

UNDERSTANDING OF DEATH       Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR       1964

     In the Writings of the Lord's second coming we are presented with a concept of the order, the cause and the purpose of death which is entirely new and alien to all the thought of present day theology. The teachings of the Writings, on which the New Church is founded, now make it possible for man to understand the statements of the Old and New Testaments concerning death, and to enter into an intelligent and rational understanding of the use and purpose of death in the order of creation.
     The Writings explain that the word "death," as it is variously used throughout Scripture, refers either to the state of damnation or to the state of salvation.* It never refers to the actual dying of man's physical body. The state of damnation is one wherein man loves what is evil and false and rejects what is good and true. The love of evil and falsity is what makes man spiritually dead, and the man who is in such love is said to die and to be dead. This does not mean, of course, that an evil man does not continue to live after death, for everyone who is born lives to eternity; what it means is that an evil man has nothing of the life of heaven within him. He has killed in himself everything that was from the Lord, everything good and true.
     * AE 899

     When we think of "death" as referring to the state of damnation, the life of evil and falsity, the meaning of many passages in the Word at once becomes obvious. In Isaiah we read, in a prophecy concerning the Lord's work upon earth: "He will swallow up death in victory."* The death that the Lord was to swallow up was not natural death, the death of the body; rather was it the power of evil and falsity from hell, which the Lord was to overcome through victory in temptations. The Lord said to His disciples: "If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death."** Here the Lord certainly did not mean natural death, but that those who obeyed and lived the truths of the Word should never come into the state of damnation, which is spiritual death. We find in Scripture many passages in which death signifies what is evil and false, that is, the state of damnation. "The dead shall not live."*** "The soul that sinneth, it shall die."****

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"We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement."***** "Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living."******
     * Isaiah 25:8
     ** John 8:51               
     *** Isaiah 26:14
     **** Ezekiel 18:4
     ***** Isaiah 28:15               
     ****** Psalm 116:8, 9
     Many other passages in the Word refer to the "shadow of death," by which is meant a state of being in the presence of the influx of evil and falsity. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."* "The people which sat in darkness saw a great light, and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."**
     * Psalm 23:4
     ** Matthew 4:16

     As we have noted, however, death refers not only to a state of evil and falsity-or the state of damnation, which is spiritual death-but also to resurrection into the life of heaven, or, what is the same, to salvation. "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."* By the "dead" here are signified good spirits who, through ignorance, were bound by falsities and evils. At the Lord's first coming these spirits were freed from bondage and were raised into heaven. In the Apocalypse we read: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth";** and in explanation of these words we read in the Writings that "death signifies resurrection, and thus the 'dead' signify those who rise again into eternal life, having lived a life of charity from the Lord."**
     * John 5:25               
     ** Revelation 14:13
     *** AE 899
     The Writings also tell us that when the word, death, is mentioned to the angels of heaven, they think nothing about the death of the body but only of resurrection, or about the spiritual meaning of death. To them, death is but a continuation of life, for they know that through death man merely passes from a life in the natural world to a life in the spiritual world. In this transfer of his life from one world to the other he loses absolutely nothing that makes him a man. As to everything of his thought, his love and his life he is the same. He is given a new body, a body more healthy and perfect than the one he had in the world. To the angels, then, the body which is left behind in this world is of no concern whatever, for it has no further use to serve. Because of these things the angels can think of death only in terms of resurrection-of entrance into a better and more perfect life. That is why, in the Word, "death" or "to die" often means resurrection into spiritual life. "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."*
      * Revelation 2:10

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     When we consider the subject of the death of the natural body, it is well for us to keep in mind the fact that the references to death in the Word do not relate specifically to natural death. They refer either to the spiritual death of evil and falsity, or to the resurrection of man's spirit into eternal life. The Word directs our thoughts to what is important, to what is eternal, namely, the formation, the nature and the quality of our thoughts and loves; and in so doing it gives us the means to see temporal things, including the death of the natural body, in their proper order and place.

     If it were not for man, the entire natural universe would not have been created by the Lord. If all the Lord had desired were creatures who could receive His love through the instincts with which they were born-creatures who could not depart from the order of life into which they mere created because they could not will or think to do so, creatures without the capacities of liberty and rationality, and therefore also without the ability to return the Divine love which they received as of their own volition: if this had been the Lord's desire, the natural world would not have been created, for it would not have served in the least the happiness of the Divine. The Lord's happiness in creating the world as a starting place for the existence of human life lay in the fact that He foresaw that by this means a being could be formed who would be able to receive the Divine love, feel it as if his own, and give it to others and to his Creator freely as he chose. The Lord's purpose in creating the human race was that He might give of His love to others; give it in such a way that they might enjoy the most abundant and delightful happiness possible.
     Now for such a human being to exist it was necessary that he be born into a world of fixation, a world in which man's environment would exist in a stable and permanent form, and this quite apart from man's own thoughts and affections. Such a world of objects fixed quite apart from man's nature was necessary for the formation of the rational or reasoning faculty; for that faculty, in order to develop, must have fixed ultimate ideas of space and time relationships. Only as it accumulates many such natural knowledges can it possibly begin to think about abstract ideas and qualities, whether they be civil, moral or spiritual. Because, then, the limitation and fixity of space and time objects and ideas are necessary to the rational development of man, and hence also to the formation of his loves, the Lord placed him in a world where such limitation and fixity exist.
     But let us note that the Lord places man in this world only that his loves and affections may be formed through his understanding and thus become permanent.

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He does not intend that man should continue to be limited and bound by the laws that govern the natural world once that formation has been completed. For this reason He has provided another world: a world where the loves that man has formed may be free to express themselves and to find their full joy and delight, unhampered by the limitations of the laws of the natural world.
     In order to accomplish the purposes for which we have been born into this world, the Lord has provided each one of us with a material body, a body formed in a wonderful order from the material elements of the natural world. In outward appearance we think of the body as being the man himself, yet we know that the real man is not the body but the various loves and affections, the ideals and thoughts, which form the spirit that is within the body. The natural body is but an outer covering, a garment designed to clothe the spirit, a means by which the spirit may grow and develop. It is an instrumental means that enables man's spirit to acquire the knowledges and experiences which constitute the ultimate basis of the eternal life and progress of the spirit.
     We know also, however, that although the Lord has given us a natural body most perfectly designed to serve the spirit on the natural plane, it can do so only for a time. Sooner or later, as the spirit develops, the body's natural limitations, imperfections and infirmities begin to hamper the life and use of man's spirit; and this they do more and more, until the body finally becomes a greater hindrance to the spirit than it is of use. Just when this state is reached is known, of course, to the Lord alone.

     Nevertheless, in order that we may have some intelligent idea of why and when death occurs, the Writings set forth four reasons explaining why death comes at different ages acid periods of life. It is extremely important for us to consider these reasons because only in them do we see an explanation of why the Lord permits long periods of disease or infirmity, of pain and suffering, to precede the death of the body.
     The first reason that the Lord permits some to continue to live regardless of their physical condition is the use which their living performs to other men in the world. It may seem harsh, in a sense, that one man should suffer physical pain, or that he should live in the extreme feebleness of old age, simply to serve others. Yet when we think of the fact that man may in some way be a means by which the Lord is able to lead another, or others, to eternal happiness in heaven is it not a greater mercy to allow his relatively short period of suffering or discomfort, which he will soon completely forget, that another may find an eternity of greater happiness?

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     The second reason that the Lord permits some to continue to live on earth is that they are of use while in this world to angels and spirits in the other world. Many things are involved in this teaching concerning the relation of the natural and the spiritual worlds which we cannot enter into here. However, we would recall the teaching that natural creation, and the things of natural life, serve as bases for spiritual creation and the things of spiritual life. Also, we would note that as long as man lives in this world, spirits are able to use the things that are in his memory, and this in many different ways and for many different reasons.
     The third reason man continues to live is for the use that may be served to his own spiritual welfare. We have noted that the reason man is born into the natural world is that he may form permanent loves and affections through knowledges and conclusions in the understanding. The Lord wills that man should form his loves and affections through the truths of the Word, and thus prepare himself for the life of heaven. However, the Lord does not force man to do this. He leaves him in freedom to choose what his loves shall be. If the Lord foresees that through the continuation of his life on earth man may better prepare the nature and quality of his eternal life in the spiritual world, He then preserves man's natural life until that use had been performed.
     The fourth reason man is permitted to continue in this world is that he may be more fully prepared to perform his particular use either in heaven or in hell. Every man is created to perform a use, and this to all eternity. His use includes not only his employment or work but every other association he has with others. Only the Lord can possibly see the complex nature of each man's use, and only He can foresee how it can best be performed to eternity. Where He sees that man can be better prepared for his eternal use by continuing to live on earth, then the Lord assures the continuance of his life here.*
     * SD 5003

     Any of these four reasons, then, may be the cause of man's remaining in this world. But if all of these reasons for natural existence have been met as far as possible, then it is that the Lord calls man to his eternal home in the spiritual world. Then it is that the life of the spirit is withdrawn from the natural body, and man leaves the confines of this world to enter the freedom of the spiritual world.
     The Lord does not will that man should die of disease, with suffering and pain. He does not will that man's body should be crippled or malformed, or that he should die a violent death. Such disorders and perversions have arisen from the wrongly directed exercise of man's freedom. They have arisen from man's choice of evil and from his defiance of the Divine laws of order.

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The Lord is constantly striving to bring an end to the disorders engendered by mankind; but He cannot openly direct and protect man's natural freedom and the concerns of his natural life without utterly destroying the very quality of the human. The Lord can operate only through the secret workings of His providence, and through the influence of the truths of His Word upon men's minds.

     Although the death of the body is often violent or preceded by long suffering, let us remember that the order of creation which the Lord has provided wills it otherwise. In that order, death is not an act of violence, not a result of sickness or disease, not a giving out and wasting away of the body, but an act of the Divine Providence filled with mercy and love. It is the peaceful departing from this life to enter the life of heaven after the orderly uses of this world have been fulfilled. That such an order of death existed in the golden age of this earth is evident from the fact that it still exists with the people of certain other planets. We read, concerning the people of Jupiter: "On that earth they do not fear death, except on account of leaving their wives, their children or their parents; for they know that they will live after death, and that they do not go out of life, because they go into heaven. Therefore they do not speak of dying, but of being heaven-made. Those who on that earth have lived happy in conjugial love, and have taken care of their children, as it becomes parents to do, do not die by diseases, but tranquilly, as in sleep, and thus migrate from the world into heaven."*
     * AC 8850
     Because of the teachings which the Lord has given in His second coming we should not, nor indeed need we, allow ourselves to be influenced by the morbidity and mystery which surround the subject of death in the Christian churches. Death, after all, is a part of the Divine order in creation. It was provided by the Lord because it was necessary for the development of human quality. All of life, from infancy to old age, is nothing but a progression from the things of the world to the things of heaven, and death is merely a transition, a step on the ladder.*
      * AC 3016
     The release of the spirit from the natural body is the purpose and use of death, and when we look upon it from considerations of purpose and use, as the New Church is instructed to do, we are led to see that the death of the body is essentially a merciful act of providence. It is evidence of the Lord's infinite love for and kindness toward man, being, not the end of his life, but the continuation of life in a far more beautiful, free and perfect state.*
     * LJ 25, 21; HH 493; AC 5006

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     With this in mind, then, while we may feel deep grief at the temporary parting from those whom we dearly love, we may at the same time rejoice that the Lord has so wonderfully provided a spiritual world where loved ones will meet again with all their human qualities and characteristics, in a state freed from the bonds and limitations of natural existence with all its confusion, disorder and disease, suffering and deep sorrow. We may learn to think of death as the angels do, as resurrection into eternal life. We may learn to prepare ourselves for that life intelligently through the truths which the Lord has given us in His Word, that we may remain faithful unto death and receive from the Lord the precious crown of heavenly life.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1964

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1964

     Love to the Lord. Here we have another term which expresses a concept peculiar to the Writings and strikingly at variance with the one held in the world. It does not mean love of the Lord's person on account of His example, sufferings, and death on the cross, but love of the Divine things that are in Him and from Him. Thus the term does not refer to a personal affection such as is implicit in the evangelical Christian idea of the Lord as Companion, Elder Brother and Friend, but to a love that is spiritual in origin and extension-believing in and loving the Lord's precepts and loving and doing in sincerity what is good. (See AR 903; HH 278.)

     Love to the Neighbor. This also denotes an impersonal affection, that is, not love of the proprium of others and what proceeds from it, but love of good from the Lord in its subjects, which are men and women. It therefore refers to love of uses, which are goods. This does not mean that love toward the neighbor is cold and abstract, for what we love in others anyway is quality of mind and achievement, but that love is given to those qualities which seem to be good. The concept implies wise discrimination. (See DLW 426; HH 278.)

     Masculine and Feminine. Although the world may suspect that the distinction between man and woman is more than biological, it is not known what the real distinction is or that it lies so deep as to be indelibly impressed on the soul itself. According to the Writings, the inmost of the male is love and its covering is wisdom; the inmost in the female is the wisdom of the male, and its covering is love thence derived. The masculine consists in perceiving from the understanding and the feminine in perceiving from the will. These are ideal definitions, but the distinction holds good in all conditions. (See CL 32, 168.)

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FORTY-NINTH BRITISH ASSEMBLY 1964

FORTY-NINTH BRITISH ASSEMBLY       FRANK S. ROSE       1964

     LONDON, JULY 17-19, 1964

     On Friday evening, July 17, people from various parts of Great Britain and many countries over the seas gathered in the hall of Swedenborg House for a sandwich or two and a cup of tea before the first session of our 49th British Assembly.

     First Session. The session opened at 7:30 p.m., with worship conducted by the President of the Assembly, the Right Rev. George de Charms. After the brief service, Bishop De Charms spoke of his pleasure in representing the Bishop of the General Church as president of this Assembly, and read a message from Bishop Pendleton. He then spoke of the work of the late Rev. A. Wynne Acton, so dearly loved by the church in England, and invited the Assembly to stand in silence in honor of his memory.
     The minutes of the 48th British Assembly as published in NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1963, pp. 488-491, were then adopted as the official record of that Assembly.
     At 7:45 the floor was given to Professor Edward F. Allen, who spoke on the two foundations of truth (SD 5709). He showed that the scientifics or knowledges obtained from revelation or from a study of nature can be falsely applied. They become true according to the way in which they are applied to uses.
     Professor Allen's address (pp. 440-449) stimulated a good deal of discussion then, and no doubt in private conversations thereafter. When asked to define truth, he pointed out that truth is essentially undefinable because any definition is more limited than the truth itself. Truth is something that we live.

     Second Session. Thanks to an early start on Saturday morning and a late luncheon, at 2:00 p.m., we managed to have time for some business, Bishop De Charms' address and a full discussion at our second session.
     The business included the report of the chairman of the British Finance Committee, the Rev. Frank S. Rose, and that of the treasurer of the same body, Mr. Kenneth Pryke; ratification by the Assembly of the Bishop's re-appointment of Mesrs. Roy H. Griffith and John F. Cooper to the BFC and of his appointment of Mr. Norman Turner as a new member of that committee; as also the re-election of Messrs. A. J. Appleton and Philip Waters as auditors.

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In the discussion of these business items we were asked what the total contribution of the General Church was to the work of the church in Great Britain; but since the amount was not known to the BFC, it was suggested that this fact might be publicized through the News Letter.
     At 10:52 a.m., Bishop De Charms began his presidential address, "The Holy of Holies" (NEW CHURCH LIFE, August 1964, pp. 355-365). He spoke of the teaching that each person must have at the very heart of his religious life a vision of and love to the Lord, for otherwise his worship is like the tabernacle without the holy of holies. He showed that this vision cannot be passed on from man to man, but must be created by the Lord in the hearts of each new generation. This was not possible until the Lord had revealed Himself in His own Divine Human and had opened up the internal sense of His Word.
     There was a break for coffee from 11:35 to 12:05, after which the session was resumed for a discussion of the address. It was soon evident that the Assembly had been greatly moved by Bishop De Charms' remarks, and many were anxious to explore ideas stimulated by them. It was also clear that we wanted Bishop De Charms to answer questions as they were put to him rather than accumulate a long list to be answered en bloc at the end. The result was that we soon fell into a question and answer pattern, in which he was at the top of his form and in the course of which he gave a series of miniature addresses. People asked about the "inner light" of the Quakers; the Lord's words, "No man hath seen God at any time"; the teaching that man cannot be reformed after death; how the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Writings made one; our responsibilities in spreading the church; and the relation between modern problems and the decline in attendance at Sunday schools. When the session came to an end, shortly after one o'clock, we felt that we had been privileged to enjoy a morning of unusual interest and inspiration.

     Third Session. The third session opened at 3:30 p.m., on Saturday afternoon with worship and a few items of business. The business included reports from the two visiting pastors, the Rev. Donald L. Rose and the Rev. Frank S. Rose; the chairman of the British Academy, the Rev. Frank S. Rose; and the editor of the News Letter, the Rev. Frank S. Rose. The visiting pastors explained the visits made and acknowledged that many on the Open Road had been neglected during the year, but hoped that one day a third priest in Britain would help to share in this important work.

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The chairman of the British Academy spoke particularly of the summer schools, an active use of the British Academy now looking forward to its sixth season.
     After a brief discussion, we turned our attention to the address by the Rev. Donald L. Rose, "He Who Fights and Runs Away." This intriguing title proved to be the introduction to a very good summary of the subject of the shunning of evils, since this involves a fleeing from evils and also combat against them. Mr. Rose pointed out that a person may not be conscious of doing good, but if he shuns evil he cannot help being conscious of the fact. Because of the heat, and sundry noises coming in through open windows, the chairman allowed only a brief discussion, and the Assembly then adjourned to prepare for the social that evening.

     Social. Apart from the fact that we had our view partly blocked by massive pillars, we found the ball room at the Russell Hotel very elegant. We spent a very happy evening there meeting with friends, dancing, eating, and enjoying entertainment under the direction of Miss Edith Elphick and a program of toasts under Mr. Geoffrey Dawson. The former included skits by Mr. Garth Cooper and Fred and Jane Elphick, with a Crambamboli thrown in by visiting Pitcairns and relatives. They must have felt that they had traveled a good many miles to hear their near neighbors speaking to a British Assembly, since the speakers were the Right Rev. George de Charms, Professor Edward F. Allen and Mr. Charles S. Cole. The evening concluded with the singing of the 27th Psalm by an octet from Michael Church and Colchester. At the request of Mrs. De Charms, the 45th Psalm was sung by as many as could remember it or could come within view of a Psalmody.

     Worship. Bishop De Charms preached at the Assembly service on Sunday morning, on "The Key of David" (Revelation 3:7). During the interlude, 34 children were taken from the hall to a room upstairs where they were given a lesson. After the sermon the Holy Supper was administered to 105 communicants.
     There was no set luncheon, due to the difficulty of getting waiter service in London on a Sunday afternoon. However, many of the people attending the service went together to the "Restful Tray" self-service at Lyons Corner House and enjoyed eating within hailing distance of each other.
     In the afternoon there was a children's service at 3:00 p.m., with a talk for the children on "The Lord a Hero of War" in which there was particular emphasis on various heroes in the Word. The children were told that they, too, must become heroes in the battle of regeneration.

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     Films. The closing item on the Assembly program was the showing of three New Church films: Animals of the Bible, The Water of Life and Our Faith. This provided the families with something of interest to young and old alike.

     Statistics. Altogether, some 220 people took part in the Assembly: 148 adults, 22 young people and 50 children. Ninety-three of these were from London, 49 from Colchester, 45 from other places in England, 3 from Scotland, 24 from the United States, 3 from Norway, 2 from Denmark and 1 from Holland.
     Attendance figures were as follows:

First Session           80           Assembly Social 100 (approx.)
Second Session           105           Worship          158
Saturday Luncheon      98           Holy Supper 105 communicants
Third Session           105           Children's Service 104 (52 children)
          FRANK S. ROSE,
               Secretary of the Assembly
NEW CHURCH CLUB 1964

NEW CHURCH CLUB              1964

     The Assembly was preceded by a meeting of the New Church Club on Thursday, July 16. Professor Edward F. Allen gave an address on "Motions in the Particles of Modern Physics." The men were treated to a look at some of the recent developments in physics. Professor Allen explained that there is always a tremendous difference between the models constructed to explain the structure of atoms and sub-atomic particles and the particles themselves. Some of the more recent theories seem to fit in with what Swedenborg suggested in his philosophical works about the internal motion of the finites. There was a lively discussion of the address. Twenty-eight people attended the meeting.
MINISTERIAL CHANGES 1964

MINISTERIAL CHANGES              1964

     At a society meeting held on August 12, 1964, the Bishop's nomination of the Rev. Daniel Winthrop Heinrichs as Pastor of the Durban Society was accepted unanimously.
     Mr. Heinrichs has also accepted appointment by the Bishop as Superintendent of the General Church Mission in South Africa.

467


REVIEW 1964

REVIEW              1964

WHEN MEN BELIEVE. By Loella Eby. The Carmel Church of the New Jerusalem, Blair, Ontario, Canada, 1964. Mimeographed, pp. 123.

     In these pages is unfolded the story of the aspirations and struggles of the Carmel Church from its beginning to the establishment of the community which is now taking form around the church and school buildings at Caryndale, Blair, Ontario. This is, as the author observes, the story of men striving to uphold and maintain high ideals, such as that of New Church education, in the face of prejudice, opposition and discouragement. Miss Eby seems to have grasped the essential issues and to have absorbed their spirit to a degree remarkable in one who is a fairly recent member of the church; and it is no less remarkable that she can convey something of that spirit as well as she does.
     The story behind this Canadian New Church community is indeed a fascinating one. It is not an artless tale of a purpose common to all quickly and easily formed and as effortlessly and swiftly achieved. Rather is it the story of a common purpose fashioned slowly and with difficulty and then implemented through hard labor persisted in despite setbacks. In human terms, it is the story of strong-minded men, united in their loyalties but frequently at variance as to how they should be ultimated: men not readily given, perhaps, to reviewing their convictions, but willing to respect the convictions of others and, above all else, to look to the Lord for leading and, when necessary, to wait on the Lord. Miss Eby has described it as the story of what can happen when men believe in something wholeheartedly. In other terms, it is the story of what can be accomplished when patience, perseverance and a regard for freedom are brought to the task of achieving essential unanimity, and a situation is not pressed but allowed to mature slowly.
     We can learn a great deal from this story, and one could wish that the history of every society in the church might be written in order that there might be access to its lessons. For while we must be careful not to reach final or facile conclusions, it is true that in the history of the church we can see, in retrospect, something of the Lord's dealings with men, and of their success or failure in responding to His leading: this that we may better shape our course for the future. Miss Eby's book can therefore be a useful contribution to our literature.

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REQUIREMENTS FOR BAPTISM 1964

REQUIREMENTS FOR BAPTISM       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.
Editor                    Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

     TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     The adult who has accepted the Writings and desires to enter the church is sometimes in doubt as to when he should seek baptism. How much should he know and understand before he is qualified? A few have supposed, a great deal, and have therefore delayed their baptism, in some instances for several years. We believe, however, that reflection on what the Writings teach about the nature and purpose of baptism would lead to a different conclusion.
     Baptism, we are taught, is a sacrament of repentance and of introduction into the church. As one of the two universal gates to eternal life it admits and introduces into what the church teaches from the Word concerning the future life, which teaching is the means whereby man may be prepared for and led to heaven. This would indicate that baptism does not presuppose a knowledge of the Writings that is both extensive and profound. Rather is it a sign of the adult's desire to be instructed further by the priesthood within the sphere of the church in the truth of the Word, the essentials of which he understands to some extent.
     Man is introduced into the church by universal and general truths; the infilling of these with particulars comes later, and is, indeed, the work of a lifetime. We feel that anyone who can answer sincerely, and with a general understanding of what is involved, the questions that are asked of a candidate for adult baptism need not think that his doctrinal preparation is inadequate. These questions go to the heart of the matter, touching as they do the essentials of the church. What is vital is acceptance of them and a sincere desire to be instructed further.

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HOUR OF DEATH 1964

HOUR OF DEATH       Editor       1964

     It is a teaching of the Writings that if man knew the hour of his death he would prepare himself, not from a love of what is true and good, but from a fear of hell; and whatever a man does from fear does not remain with him, but what he does from love remains. The point is, of course, that states of fear and of imminent death are states of compulsion which deprive man of freedom and take away the use of reason, both of which are necessary for the appropriation of heavenly life; and the conclusion drawn is that since the hour of his death is unknown to him, man should be preparing himself all the time.
     Because it is the Divine will that man shall be in freedom and rationality this law is never violated. Even King Hezekiah did not know the hour of his death; for although he was told through the prophet that the Lord would add fifteen years unto his days, and probably thought he was about to die then, he did not know it. Swedenborg's case might possibly be cited as an exception, but it may be argued with some assurance that he had prepared himself long before his final days on earth.
     If it is human at times to wonder how long we are going to live, it would be foolish to wish that we knew. What could be worse than to see the number of our days diminishing with increasing speed? In a sterner age the doleful reminder that in the midst of life we are in death was used as a spur to fear; at any moment the sinner might be consigned to the flames of hell which burned eternally but never consumed. We should not be afraid to face the fact of death, as so many of our contemporaries apparently are. It is wholesome to recognize that some day death must come; and that recognition, where it is neither obsessive nor tainted with morbidity, can stimulate freedom and reason. Yet we can be grateful that we do not know when death will come, for in withholding that knowledge the Lord preserves our freedom to prepare ourselves.
LORD'S MANSIONS WITH MAN 1964

LORD'S MANSIONS WITH MAN       Editor       1964

     Few of the Lord's words are better known and loved than those in which He declared that in His Father's house are many mansions and assured His disciples that He went to prepare a place for them. Yet it is not so well known, because the same Greek word has been translated differently, that the same discourse contains a striking companion passage which may be rendered thus: "If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our mansion with him."

470



     Here we are presented with two distinct ideas which stand in sharp contrast: the kingdom of heaven is so remote from man that the Lord must needs depart from him in order to prepare his place in it; yet the place prepared is not far off, but is in man's mind. That which reconciles these two ideas is, of course, the teaching that those are received into heaven after death who have received heaven in themselves while they lived on earth. However, these two ideas-that the Lord is remote and apart from man, and that He is near and within him-recur throughout the Word, and both are necessary for a true understanding of the Lord and of our relation and responsibility to Him.
     Throughout the Old Testament Word it is taught that Jehovah is both transcendent and immanent, and the same teaching is found in the Gospels. Thus the Lord told His disciples that He went to the Father, yet promised that He would be with them in the Holy Supper. In the Writings we again meet the same teaching, but given now in the language of rational ideas, because it is necessary that w, be able to distinguish in thought the Divine above the heavens and the Divine in heaven; realizing, however, that they are the same Divine-the Divine in itself and the Divine in proceeding and in reception.
     However, the immediate application here is that the abode in which the faithful dwell forever with the Lord is not a mansion in the sky but one formed in their own minds as they love Him and keep His words here on earth. The Lord prepares our place by preparing us, by introducing heaven into our minds as we follow Him; and we cannot look forward to an abode with Him that has not thus been made ready. Not that it must be completed before we leave this world, but that the work must have begun.
FREEDOM THROUGH TRUTH 1964

FREEDOM THROUGH TRUTH       Editor       1964

     Perhaps few of the Lord's words have so often been misused in our time as "the truth shall make. you free." Quoting in part can be as harmful as misquoting, and this is a case in paint. What the Lord said was: "If ye abide in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Those who are made free by the truth are those who know, it those who not merely know and remember what it teaches, but know it in their lives; and no man can thus know the truth unless he abides in the Lord's Word and becomes His disciple. That is the essential condition.
     There are two implications here. It is only the truth of the Word that can make men free, and those who do not know it in the sense just noted are not free, however much they may suppose that they are.

471


Now the opposite of freedom is, of course, servitude. But what are freedom and servitude in relation to the truth of the Word? The Writings answer this question clearly. To think about the truths of the church only from others, and to believe what another says, is, they teach, a state of servitude; but to believe what one himself thinks from the Word is a state of freedom.

     Obviously this does not mean that we should turn a deaf ear to priestly instruction lest we find when it is too late that we have lost everything but our chains! What is meant is that we should not rely entirely upon human authorities, never going to the Word for ourselves. Children, young people, and for a time newcomers to the church, do think from what others have said: they can do little else. But the adult New Church man who thinks only from what some revered teacher has said becomes, whether he knows it or not, the servant of his teacher's thought processes. He is bound to and by his understanding of the truth, and his mind obediently follows that of his mentor.
     It is true that a man can go far astray if he thinks only from himself. He can misinterpret and misunderstand, and thus move further from freedom into deeper servitude. However, that is not what is advocated here, either. The key phrase is, believe what one himself thinks from the Word; not what one thinks from himself about the Word. To think from the Word is to think, not from proprium, but from the Lord, from the Word itself; and all who go to the Word, sincerely desiring to be taught truth by the Lord for the sake of use will be given to think from it as of themselves. They, more than others, will be eager to be instructed by the priesthood, but while they will learn much they will think of themselves from the Word; and because they abide in the Word, and have thus become the Lord's disciples, the truth will lead them out of servitude into freedom.
     If we would be made free by the truth, then, there are two things that we must do. The first, and the more obvious, is to read the Word regularly. The second is to learn to think about what is read in it, both at the time and later; reflecting upon it, trying to understand its meaning and to see its application to our lives. As we do this, not seeking to read into the Word the views of others or to find support for our own views or confirmation of our preconceived ideas, the Lord will give us gradually to see the truth as it really is. We will be so affected by it that we will begin, little by little, to live according to it. Thus will we abide in the Lord's Word, and become His disciples; and we shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free.

472


NON-CANONICAL BOOKS 1964

NON-CANONICAL BOOKS       DOUGLAS TAYLOR       1964

Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE:
     We all owe the Rev. Harold Cranch a debt of gratitude for his very helpful study, "The Use of the Non-Canonical Books" (NEW CHURCH LIFE, July 1964, pp. 325-334). They are indeed "good books of the church" and should be studied more widely.
     New Church men have no need to fear these books, because the teachings in them that support the Heavenly Doctrine are probably, on balance, more numerous than those that seem to oppose it. Mr. Cranch's article will no doubt help us to overcome the fear that the Pauline Epistles are full of snares and pitfalls for us.
     But there was one statement, repeated later, that was rather surprising. In his gallant attempt to spray a little whitewash on Paul, Mr. Cranch says: "But Paul, with all his egotism, did not claim Divine inspiration, or that his epistles are Divine revelation."*
     * Page 329
     Sir, I cannot reconcile that with Paul's words in the Epistle to the Galatians: "I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."* Certainly he regarded his epistles as authoritative. "I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren."** "If any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed."***
     * Galatians 1:11. Cf. Ephesians 3:3
     ** I Thessalonians 5:27
     *** II Thessalonians 3:14
     It would seem, then, that at times Paul did claim Divine inspiration but at other times disclaimed it, emphasizing his limitations. In discussing this matter with "Pauline" Christians it is, of course, advantageous to draw attention early in the discussion to Paul's equivocal attitude to the status of his writings, so that any overweening confidence in Paul may at least be weakened. Only then will we gain a hearing.
     By the same token, I have always felt a little uneasy about the very conciliatory approach advocated by Mr. Cranch in the first of his five-point explanation to inquirers.* He suggests telling people that "we accept the whole Bible as firmly and fully as most churches, but we give special reverence, exceeding that of most churches, to the greatest part of the Bible."
     * See page 332
     In the first place, I do not think that this is a true statement of our position. We simply do not have the same reverence for the non-canonical books as "most churches"-certainly not as much as, say, the Southern Baptists, the Seventh Day Adventists, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Brethren, the Churches of Christ, and the fundamentalists in all denominations.

473


To pretend that we do is at best misleading.
     Secondly, this seems to me to be a totally unnecessary concession. For the fact is that there should be no basis whatsoever for the assumption that Paul's letters should be included in the Word of God. Why, then, should we allow this false assumption to be entertained unchallenged even for a split second? We acquiesce in it if we follow the line suggested by Mr. Cranch, because this presupposes that it is perfectly in order for the other fellow to go on thinking that these books should be bound together with the New Testament.

     Would it not be better if, instead of remaining on the defensive, in a discussion we were to throw the onus of proof on the other fellow, requiring him to defend his position? Would it not be better to ask him to show cause why these letters should ever have been included in the first place? Before defending their exclusion, should we not first require a reasonable defense of their inclusion?
     In requesting this we have nothing to fear at all, because the arguments in favor of including Paul are extremely tenuous. (In fact, it is a great temptation to the unregenerate actually to enjoy watching a Paulinist splutter and blink rapidly when so challenged!) There are only two criteria in the Christian Church for deciding for or against including any book in the scriptural canon: 1) the argument of tradition-it was accepted and read in the early church; 2) apostolic authorship-it was written by one of the apostles. Even if we are generous enough to grant Paul the right to be called an apostle, we can eliminate the first criterion in advance by gaining agreement to the very obvious proposition that the mere fact that the Epistles have been traditionally regarded for centuries as inspired does not prove that they aught to be so regarded. Once this pillar is removed, the whole structure collapses.
     Mr. Cranch may possibly object to this approach on the ground that it may hurt the feelings of the inquirer. But I have found that a Paulinist deflated is a much more attentive listener than one whom I have tried to conciliate.
     DOUGLAS TAYLOR,
Hurstville, New South Wales
Australia

474


LOCAL SCHOOLS DIRECTORY 1964

LOCAL SCHOOLS DIRECTORY              1964

     1964-1965

Local schools report the following teaching staffs for 1964-1965:

BRYN ATHYN: Rev. David R. Simons                     Principal
Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson                          Assistant to the Principal
Miss Mary Louise Williamson                          Kindergarten (I)
Miss Eleanor Cranch                               Kindergarten (II)
Miss Gretchen Schoenberger                          Grade 1 (I)
Mrs. Edward Cranch                               Grade 1 (II)
Mrs. Grant Doering                               Grade 2 (I)
Miss Cora Lee Woodworth                          Grade 2 (II)
Miss Vanessa van Rij                              Grade 3 (I)
Mrs. Lorentz Soneson                               Grade 3 (II)
Miss Nancy Stroh                                    Grade 4 (I)
Miss Alison Glenn                                   Grade 4 (II)
Mrs. William Homiller                              Grade 5 (I)
Mrs. Peter Stevens                               Grade 5 (II)
Miss Diana Carpenter                              Grade 6 (Girls)
Mr. Bradley Smith                               Grade 6 (Boys)
Miss Cynthia Hyatt                               Grade 7 (Girls)
Mr. Carl Gunther                                   Grade 7 (Boys)
Mrs. Dan Echols                                    Grade 8 (Girls)
Mr. Yorvar Synnestvedt                              Grade 8 (Boys)
COLCHESTER: Rev. Frank S. Rose                     Principal
Miss Hilda M. Waters                               Grades 1-6
DURBAN: Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs                     Principal
Miss Sylvia Pemberton                              Grades 1-3
GLENVIEW: Rev. Louis B. King                          Headmaster
Mrs. LeRoy Streicher                               Kindergarten, Grade I
Mrs. Warren Reuter                               Grades 2 & 3
Mrs. Donald Alan                                    Grades 2 & 3
Mrs. Ben B. McQueen, Jr.                          Grade 4
Mrs. Bruce Fuller                               Grades 5 & 6
Miss Gertrude R. Hasen                              Grade 7 Assistant to the Headmaster
Mr. Justin Synnestvedt                               Grades 8 & 9
KITCHENER: Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs                Principal
Miss Laura Gladish                               Grades 1-4
Miss Joan Kuhl                                    Grades 5-8
PITTSBURGH: Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh                     Principal
Mrs. Gareth Acton                               Kindergarten
Miss Helene Howard                               Grades 1-3
Miss Viola Friesen                               Grades 4-6
Mr. Dirk van Zvverden                              Grades 7-9
Mrs. John J. Schoenberger                          Latin, Social Studies, Grades 5-8
TORONTO: Rev. Martin Pryke                          Principal
Miss Sylvia Parker                              Grades 1-4
Miss Barbara Charles                               Grades 5-8

     Part-time teachers are not included here. The teaching staff of the Academy of the New Church is listed in the Catalog Number of The Academy Journal, pp. 4, 5.

475


Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA

     It was a pleasant supper that we enjoyed at the church on Saturday, April 4. That was before watching some films which kept us interested for over two hours. It was a delight to watch the film made by the Rev. Harold Cranch and entitled "The Faith of the New Church." Mr. Cranch and those who assisted in making the film may be pleased to know that the Hurstville Society thinks it is a fine effort, one which shows what a useful future there is for New Church movies. Mr. John Hall made his projector available and also showed some movies, while Mrs. Salisbury showed slides of New Zealand.
     Mr. and Mrs. Norman Heldon and their three children spent a week's holiday at Sorrento, Victoria, where live Grace and Chris Horner and family-seven children, including David Emanuel, two months old. The sun did not shine much, but there was plenty of sunshine and laughter in the Horner home during that week. On Sunday evening the Heldon family joined in the service which the Horners always hold. They live nearly six hundred miles from a General
Church society.
     An evening full of fun was the Beetle Night held at Hurstville on Saturday, May 9. An exciting game is played with dice, in which the players draw a beetle limb by limb. A hilarious item was the performance by the "Beatles," four of the Hurstville Society who turned in a swoon-producing show.
     The Rev. Douglas Taylor has visited the New Zealand group. It is probable that a letter describing that visit will be sent to NEW CHURCH LIFE. New Church Day was celebrated with a special service in the evening followed by supper, toasts and songs. On the following day a banquet was held for the children, after which two of the young people, Gai Simmons and Owen Heldon, explained to the younger children the significance of the day. Then presents were given to the children to add to the happiness of the day.
     Mr. Keith Morley from Toronto, Canada, flew in the other day on a short business visit. Luckily he spent a weekend here and attended a Sunday service. New Church people, we love to meet you! Bring your wives and children, and stay as long as you like.
     But "mumps" the word in the Rev. Douglas Taylor's family at present. So, visitors, don't rush here for a few weeks until this epidemic is over. Get-well cards are in order at the moment for Christine, Peter, Maret and Jonathan.
     NORMAN HELDON

     DETROIT, MICHIGAN

     Our last report mentioned the two greatest concerns of the Detroit Society at the time: the Sunday school and future day school needs, and the loss to the society of several families. A special meeting of the society was called some months ago and it was resolved unanimously to construct an addition to our building. The actual work is to begin soon. In reference to the loss of families, it seems that we must just wait a while and be patient, for we always seem to be blessed with new families in due course. Two families who had left us have returned, and we are most happy to welcome the Cyril Day family from Glenview and the Stanford Lehne family from Toronto. Also, we hear that one of our members, Mr. John Howard, put an advertisement in the recent Academy Year Book encouraging New Church young people to come to Detroit. This should certainly help to increase our numbers!

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     As to our religious program, and specifically the Friday doctrinal classes, our pastor, the Rev. Norman Reuter, announced in the October Detroit New-churchman that there would be a change in presentation from a study of one continuous series-"The Literal Sense of the Old Testament in Relation to the Spiritual Sense." This year a number of short series and also single classes on a variety of subjects would be given. The first series was on "Degrees-Discrete and Continuous." On February 7, in place of the regular doctrinal class, Mr. Reuter chose to present a general report on the Council Meetings in Bryn Athyn. The classes in March dealt with the Lord's humiliation and glorification; and in April, and continuing to the end of the season, there was a series on the general subject of the state of children and teenagers and adult responsibility in regard thereto. The booklet, Discipline, by the Rev. Martin Pryke, was recommended as excellent reading in preparation for these classes.
     Leading into the Advent season theme, the evening service on December 1 centered in the Messianic prophecies. The doctrinal class on December 6 was on "The Angel of Jehovah," while the class on December 13 was on "The Word Made Flesh." There was no service in the morning of December 22, however. Instead, tableaux were presented at the church at 4:30 p.m. The children's festival service was held on Christmas Eve at 6:30 p.m., and the adult service on Christmas morning. A regular service was held on the Sunday after Christmas, but with the administration of the Holy Supper at its close. The carolers made the round of church families with their fine singing and spirit and then returned to the manse for a buffet supper.
     Mr. Reuter mentioned in the January Detroit Newchurchman that every year he is impressed by and grateful for the considerable number of people who gladly and cheerfully give of their time, talents and energy in the busy holiday season to make the delightful Christmas program of the society what it is. He feels that the whole society is brought together in this way in a fuller awareness of the meaning of the Incarnation. It might be interesting to mention that there were 141 people at the tableaux-the largest count we have had; 114 at the Christmas Eve children's service; and 34 at the Christmas Day service.
     The children's celebration of Swedenborg's birthday took the form of several plays, acted by the children themselves, depicting important events in Swedenborg's life. These were presented on February 16, at three o'clock in the afternoon, and were thoroughly enjoyed by children and adults alike. A banquet was planned for the adult celebration on Saturday evening, February 29. Our guest speaker was Dr. Sigfried Synnestvedt, who was representing the Academy. He spoke on the matter of preparing our young people to attend the Academy schools. An open house for the Synnestvedts was held at the manse on Friday evening. It was a wonderfully informal evening. Dr Synnestvedt was asked to speak about conditions in Latin America, and after he had done so he answered the many questions which came forth.
     Most church activities cease for the summer in June. However, during that month we always look forward to the New Church Day celebrations and to the Sunday school display of work done by the children during the year. The children's New Church Day banquet was held on Sunday evening, June 21, at the church. Many of the children presented papers, and then Mr. Reuter asked questions of all the children to see how much they could remember of the papers that had been read. They found this great fun and, as is usually the case, behaved like little ladies and gentlemen throughout their banquet and program.
     Mr. Willard McCardell was toastmaster for the adult banquet and his theme for the evening was "Love to the Neighbor." Speakers who presented different aspects of this theme were: Mr. Leo Bradin, "Raising a Family"; Mr. Bruce Elder, "Business and Management and Mr. Walter Childs, "The Community." The fine speeches and the excellent dinner made the evening most enjoyable.
     The Sunday school display was held after church on Sunday, June 28. Mrs. George Field, who is in charge of the work, and her helpers had arranged the little projects in a most interesting manner on several large tables.

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     On Saturday, May 16, Theta Alpha, with the assistance of the Women's Guild, provided the society with the opportunity to hear from two New Church teachers, Miss Joan Kuhl and Mrs. Roger Kuhl, both of whom teach in the Carmel School in Kitchener. They spoke to us about their teaching procedures. The Carmel Church School is similar to the type of school the Detroit Society hopes to establish in the future. We learned a great deal from these ladies and can certainly see why they are considered to be such fine teachers. They were most friendly, and we were happy that they were able to be with us.
     The engagement of Miss Char Osmun and Mr. Nelson Howard was announced on Sunday, March 1. At a church service in April Nelson was confirmed and Char was baptized. Their marriage took place at the church on May 23. They met while they were attending Oakland University. This fine, highly rated institution is about eight miles from our church and is drawing more and more of our young people every year. Mark Reuter recently graduated with the Howards. Robert Bradin is now attending the university, and others are to follow next year. Nelson and Char are in Vermont, in training for the Peace Corps, and they expect to be stationed in Turkey. We miss them, but hope that they will be happy in their work and that they will return to Detroit when they have completed their two years of service.
     FREDA BRADIN

     TORONTO, CANADA

     During the past six months our members have given careful thought, to the extent of writing papers on them, to the following subjects:

     Emanuel Swedenborg, Servant of the Lord
     Psychiatry and the New Church
     Distinctive Application of the New Church to Life
     Our Distinctive Educational Concepts
     The Distinctive Doctrine of the New Church
     Spiritual Affinities
     Easter
     Lent
     A Bit of Isolated History
     The Growth of the Church in our Own Borders
     The Lord's Bounty
     Natural Charity

     To this varied list may be added the papers given by the Forward-Sons at their monthly meetings and the readings and tapes enjoyed by the Ladies' Circle and Theta Alpha: this in addition to the sermons and doctrinal classes which we have been privileged to hear, and which, as is well known, are appreciated. Our pastor excels in this field.
     In May we were most honored by a visit from Bishop Willard D. Pendleton who not only preached on Sunday but also gave a very interesting class on Friday under the title "The Formation of a Moral Conscience." Also he sat and talked informally with the school children on Monday morning, speaking about the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, which was much enhanced by the charming presence of Mrs. Pendleton.
     We have also been fortunate in hearing sermons by the Rev. Geoffrey Childs, the Rev. Henry Heinrichs and Candidate Daniel Goodenough.
     Socially there have been banquets, including that for the Swedenborg's birthday celebration; the end-of-season joint occasion when the Ladies' Circle and Theta Alpha were joined by thirty-four ladies from Kitchener; the eagerly anticipated "Ladies Night," which was of particular note as it lived up to our high expectations; the children's New Church Day luncheon; and the adults' commemoration of that event. Parties included the bridge tournament and the spring dance, at which latter we were greeted by the Bishop and his wife. Also there were two bridal showers, for Janelle Schuurman and Evelyn Barber, respectively; and another very pleasant social event was the reception given after the marriage of Mr. Isaac Romero and Miss Evelyn Barber. The annual picnic this year was held at the country home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pritchett and Mr. Haydn John.

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The site is a beautiful one with plenty of space for the many sports, and even the weather was as ordered. With all conveniences "laid on," and free ice cream and drinks, what more could one ask! Estimates were that over one hundred souls enjoyed this occasion.
     The day school closing, on June 25, was outstanding, so that both the principal and the teachers could justly have reason for satisfaction at the impressive number of lovely and talented pupils. After a service in the church we were shown one aspect of their talents in the entertainment given under the direction of Mr. Jack McDonald, from the recitation by the little ones through the rendition of Snow White by the junior grades to Tom Sawyer by the senior grades.
     There are a number of groups who meet, such as the Epsilon Society, the young married group, the high school young people, the out-of-school young people and the "married group." This last is a somewhat ambiguous title; we are told that it is not meant to insinuate any illegality on the part of the other couples!
     Three new families have been heartily welcomed with the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Bellinger and family, Mr. and Mrs. John Starkey with their little daughter, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Delyea and family. As against this we have been geographically deprived of the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Stanford Lehne and their sons and daughters, and of Dr. Basil Orchard, his wife and their small son. However, before going, Mrs. Orchard was welcomed as a member of the Olivet Society.
     It is always a pleasure to mention the babies, and this time "the girls have it"-Elizabeth Anne (Mr. and Mrs. Erdman Hendricks); Janice Margaret (Mr. and Mrs. Fred Longstaff); June Gladys (Mr. and Mrs. John Starkey). Although no longer a baby at four years of age, Ivy Lynn (Mr. and Mrs. Martin Dickson) was among those baptized.
     The Olivet Society has lost some friends in the passing from this world of Mr. Percy Izzard, to whom a tribute is added to these notes, and Mr. Stanley Anderson, who unexpectedly passed into the spiritual world in June. With the rest of the church, we feel a personal loss in the passing of our former pastor, the Rev. Wynne Acton; and at the time of writing we learn that our friend of many years, Mrs. John A. White, has quietly entered the other world.
     In more cheerful tone we should tell you of many happy smaller events such as exciting journeys near and far this summer and delightful guests who have visited here. But what is more wonderful than the day school touring a candy factory?
     VERA CRAIGIE

     Obituary. "We are gathered in the Lord's house on the occasion of the passing of Percy Izzard into the spiritual world, and in so doing it is by no means inappropriate that we should be mindful of those blessings which we received from the Lord, who is the Author of all good, through his long and full life here. In this there is a spirit of profound gratitude as well as a sense of obligation to see that those things which lived in him shall not die with his passing but shall remain among us.
     "Percy Izzard delighted in the life of his family. He enjoyed watching his children and then his grandchildren growing up, and spoke of his gratitude for a happy old age among them. In his work he was respected by all who came in contact with him; be it those who worked under him, those for whom he worked, or the professional men with whom he was associated. His faithfulness and thoroughness were appreciated, and his delight in the result of his labors was manifest.
     "The Olivet Church, first in Parkdale and now in Islington, has benefitted from his loyal support for most of his adult life. No member of the church will ever fail to associate him with the work entailed in enlarging and remodeling the former building and with the erection of this church in which we now worship. It was a delightful experience to work with Mr. Izzard in this last, which was in a sense the very peak of his work here on earth, and one in which he found the most profound satisfaction.

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His conscientious and kindly efforts to help us erect a building which would meet our needs and inspire our work will not be forgotten." (Excerpt from a memorial address by the Rev. Martin Pryke.)

     SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

     It has been some time since news of the Miami Circle and the Southeastern United States area of the General Church has appeared in these pages. So this will be in the nature of a pastor's report.

     Miami, Florida

     It has now been over a year since the dedication of the Miami church on Easter Sunday, 1963. In that time a number of events; changes and adjustments have taken place, not the least of which was the final adoption in recent weeks of a name for the buildings-Biscayne Gardens New Church.
     As in all new church habitats acquired by our societies, the "first things" have contributed much to establish a general and characteristic atmosphere: the first Holy Supper service, the first wedding, the first baptism, the first memorial service, and so on. All of these, together with the regular services, doctrinal classes and special events, serve to give assurance of permanence and orderly tranquility to members; to give them the definite feeling that the church is here to stay, so to speak!
     A source of much encouragement to the circle has been the number of visitors from other parts of the church who, at festival services, have helped to bring our attendances into the 70's and 80's. Chief among these helpful visitors, of course, have been the visiting clergy: the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, Bishop of the General Church, the Rt. Rev. George de Charms and the Rev. Karl R. Alden. Besides the services, which are held every Sunday except when the pastor is visiting the isolated, and the classes, which have been studying some of the primary doctrines of the New Church, there have been occasional suppers and socials as well as coffees and sandwich buffets following services. The instruction of the children has consisted in talks by the pastor during the regular services and classes provided for the older and younger groups.
     As sometimes happens in our societies and groups, there has been in the last two or three years a "loss" of 35-40 adults and children due to removals and deaths. Also missed are the dozen young people who have attended, or are attending, the Academy schools. Only partially balancing this are the half dozen or so adults and children who have moved here during the same period.
     Despite this, however, improvements to the church and reduction of the debt on the building have gone steadily forward. Because of the generosity of a number of people the church building is now virtually free of debt. It has been possible to acquire additional necessary furnishings, to make major improvements and alterations, and, finally, but not least, to increase substantially the support of the pastor's office. Our responsible members are proud of the fact that all of this has been done in addition to the fact that there was no call upon the General Church for any financial assistance whatsoever in connection with the Miami church building program.
     Conscious of the fact that this is a big tourist area, we are always very glad to see and to welcome the many New Church visitors who come here. Come and join us in worship when you are here. We have services regularly at 11:00 a.m., on Sundays except when the pastor is traveling in the southeast. The address of the church is in NEW CHURCH LIFE, and it will be quite easy to find and to get to when all our interchanges are completed!

     Southeastern Groups and Isolated

     Rather than a kind of travelogue of a pastor's trips in the southeast it might be of more interest this time to give a separate account of each group.

     East-Central Florida. Here in a 50-mile area including Daytona, Lake Helen and New Smyrna is a group of New Church men which has been growing both in numbers and activities. In the past year visits by the pastor have increased until they are now almost on a monthly basis.

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They include each time a service with a children's talk, adult doctrinal classes, young people's and children's classes. In addition the group holds services between the pastor's visits, using tape-recordings of services, classes and children's talks. Services have swelled to attendances of 25-30, and a good spirit of enthusiasm and co-operation has increased among all.
     Atlanta, Georgia. In the Atlanta group the uses of the church go forward steadily in spite of the fact that, due to the limitations of space and time, the pastor has been unable to increase the number of visits beyond the usual four or five per year. Here also the tape-recorder has been used for meetings between visits, ably supervised by Mr. Jean Daly. Some six families and couples, plus one lone bachelor, make up this group, and the ambition of the pastor is to begin to increase his visits to them.
     Birmingham, Alabama, Area. In this general area of 60-70 miles around Birmingham now live half a dozen New Church families. This has been a rather sudden development within the last year; for while the two families in Birmingham itself have been there for some time-as well as a family in Alexander City, some 60 miles southeast of Birmingham-Huntsville, a space-age city some 60 miles to the northeast, has suddenly been blessed with three New Church families in the past year. While the members of this group have not yet met all together, the Huntsville contingent met for the first time last June for a pastoral visit which was most useful and enjoyable; so the prospects for the future in this area are most promising.
     St. Petersburg, Florida. As in the Birmingham area, this group of New Church people is still feeling its way on a partial visiting basis. But it has grown in the past two years, and services have been attended by members from Sarasota and Lakeland as well as St. Petersburg.
     Isolated. In addition to these four groups, the visiting pastor also stops with isolated families and couples in the following locations:

     IN FLORIDA: Jacksonville, Pensacola, Jensen Beach and Sarasota.
     IN GEORGIA: Albany.
     IN ALABAMA: Alexander City, Butler.
     IN MISSISSIPPI: Gulfport.

     For those who enjoy such particulars, a complete pastoral visit involves 2500-3000 miles of driving, a dozen stops, between two and three weeks' time, services and/or classes every evening and some days. A full round trip is not made every time, but in general the groups receive four or five visits a year and the single isolated families and couples two visits or more. One exception to this is the East-Central Florida group which has been able to have eight to ten visits in the past year without depriving the Miami Circle: this because the pastor took off after morning service in Miami and drove the 250 miles there on Sunday afternoon, to arrive in time for church there, followed by two days of classes.
     In general, the growth and prospects in the southeast, including the Carolinas and Virginia, have been such as to give at least a good promise of further developments. Over two hundred adults and children now make up the address list for this area, exclusive of the Miami area. With the support and co-operation of all, it could be possible shortly to consider affirmatively the possibility of having another visiting pastor in the southeast. In addition, the increasing responsibilities of the Washington pastor and the increased financial responsibility of the Miami Circle begin to make such an advance seem not only more possible but even imperative.
     MORLEY D. RICH,
          Visiting Pastor

     THE CHURCH AT LARGE

     General Convention. With "Our Church in Action" as its theme, the 141st Session of the General Convention was held in Philadelphia, June 18-21, 1964. In addition to the presidential address delivered by the Rev. Richard H. Tafel, Convention heard addresses by the Rev. Antony Regamey on New Church Day; the Rev. Ernest O. Martin on "Where the Leisure Hours Go"; and the Rev. Brian Kingslake on "The Impact of Swedenborg on the Africans." The following officers were chosen: president, Rev. Richard H. Tafel; vice president, Mr. Stewart E. Poole; recording secretary, Mr. Horace B. Blackmer; editor of the NEW-CHURCH MESSENGER, Rev. Bjorn Johannson.

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     At the meetings of the Council of Ministers, June 15-17, there was discussion of various points of view regarding the authority of the Writings and the name of the church, the advantages and disadvantages of holding conventions every other year rather than annually, and the Swedenborgian exhibit at the World's Fair. The Rev. Robert Kirven read a paper on "Swedenborg's Psychological Theory," and the Rev. Brian Kingslake presented a re-appraisal of Signe Toksvig's Emanuel Swedenborg, Scientist and Mystic. The Committee on the National Council of Churches was authorized "to converse with appropriate officers and committees of the Council in order that the basic positions of our church might be better understood and that a basis be established for our formal application for membership." It was resolved to publish a quarterly journal for the ministry under the editorship of the Rev. Paul Zacharias of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; the journal to include articles, reviews, letters, questions, comments, news, views, etc.

     On Convention Sunday, F. Robert Tafel and Theodore Foster were ordained into the ministry by the Rev. Richard H. Tafel, president of Convention. The Rev. William E. Fairfax, pastor of the Harlem, N. Y., Society, passed into the spiritual world last June.
TEST 1964

TEST              1964

     "Let anyone . . . put himself to the test, as to whether he desires to know how good adjoins itself to the affection of truth; and how the affections of truth apply themselves to good; and whether knowing this is irksome to him or not; and he will say that such things are of no benefit to him, and that he apprehends nothing about them. But if such things are told him as relate to his business in the world, even though they are of the most abstruse character, or if he be told the nature of another man's affections and how he may thereby join the man to himself by adapting himself both mentally and orally, this he not only apprehends, but also has a perception of the interior things connected with the matter. In like manner he who studies from affection to investigate the abstruse things of the sciences loves to look, and does look, into things still more intricate. But when spiritual good and truth are in question, he feels the subject irksome and turns his back on it. These things have been said in order that the quality of the existing man of the church may be known" (Arcana Coelestia 4096:2, 3).

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CHARTER DAY 1964

              1964




     Announcements
     All ex-students, members of the General Church and friends of the Academy are invited to attend the 48th Charter Day exercises, to be held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., on Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, 1964. The program:

Friday 11 a.m.-Cathedral Service, with an address by the Rev. Erik Sandstrom.
Friday Afternoon-Football Game.
Friday Evening-Dance.
Saturday, 7 p.m.-Banquet. Toastmaster: Marlyn Smith, Esq.
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN 1964

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN              1964

     People coming to Bryn Athyn for Charter Day or any other occasion who need assistance in finding accommodation will please communicate with the Hostess Committee. Please address letters to: The Hostess Committee, c/o Mrs. Roy H. Rose, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

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THANKSGIVING FOR RESPONSIBILITY 1964

THANKSGIVING FOR RESPONSIBILITY        Rev. KURT H. ASPLUNDH       1964

     
NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV NOVEMBER, 1964          No. 11
     "And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for Thy servant heareth." (I Samuel 3:10)

     In many stories throughout the Word, as in this story of Samuel, we find the theme of call and response. The Lord calls and man answers. So it was that when Moses saw the bush that burned with fire but was not consumed, and turned aside to see it, "God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I."* Again in the time of Eli's old age, and before the last flickering light of truth was extinguished among the Israelites, the Lord called Samuel; and he answered: "Here am I."** But Samuel did not know that it was the Lord who called. He went instead to the old priest, Eli, saying, "Here am I; for thou calledst me." After two more similar instances, however, Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child, and he told Samuel what his duty must be: "If He call thee . . . thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth."***
     * Exodus 3:4               
     ** I Samuel 3:4
     *** I Samuel 3:5-9          
     Again, when the Lord entered into His public ministry, He called disciples to Himself. He said to Peter and Andrew, who were fishermen: "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him." He also called two other brothers, James and John, "and they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him."*
     * Matthew 4:19-22
     In each instance the Lord called these men to a certain task, to fulfill a need. He called Moses to lead His people out of slavery and bondage in Egypt; He called Samuel to minister in the priest's office in the place of Eli's wicked sons; and He called His disciples that they might go forth into the world preaching, healing, and baptizing in the Lord's name.

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     Here we have a pattern of life for all men. The Lord has a call for each one of us, and when He calls, we are to follow the instructions of Eli the priest. We are to say: "Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth."*
     * I Samuel 3:9
     Man alone, in all the created universe, is able to respond in this way. Man alone has the responsibility, that is, the ability, to respond to the Lord's call. The Lord's life flows out continually from Himself into all created forms. He nourishes the plant kingdom, charging the grasses and trees with vitality. He brings the heat of life into animal bodies, and into human bodies. Yet these forms of plant and animal life do not reciprocate, or even truly receive, that life. They are merely activated while the Divine life passes through their organic forms and is then dissipated.*
     * AC 5114e

     In man, however, there is a reciprocal. There is that which receives the Lord's life and takes it for its own. The reciprocal in man is this, "that the good which he wills and does freely, and the truth which he thinks and speaks in accordance with his reason, appear to be from himself and appear to be his."* Notice that these only appear to be his. Yet "if man had no consciousness in thinking truths and in doing goods," that these were his own, "he would be either like an animal or like a stock. . . . The difference between animals and men is that animals are unable to think and speak truths and to will and do goods from God, while men are able to do this, and thus to believe those things that they think, and to love those things that they will, and this as if of themselves. If it were not as if of themselves the Divine influx and operation would flow through and not be received, for man would be like a vessel without a bottom, which receives no water."** Man, therefore, can never die, "because he has thus been implanted in the Divine, and is therefore in what is eternal and infinite, not merely through the influx thence, but also through the reception of it."***
     * DP 92:3               
     ** AE 802:5
     *** AC 5114:4               
     The Lord's call to man is therefore of a far different kind than His calling forth other forms of creation. It is a call which seeks an answer, but never compels. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."* The Lord continually flows in with man with good, and in good with truth; but man either receives or does not receive. If he receives, it is well with him; but if he does not receive, it is ill with him.**
     * Revelation 3:20
     ** AC 5470

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     Reception, then, is the reciprocal of influx. But reception is an empty and meaningless word unless it flows into application, that is, into use. "For the influx from the Divine passes first into the perception. . . thence it passes into the will, and next into act, that is, into good work, which is use, and there it ceases. When the influx of good and truth from the Lord makes this passage, then the good and truth are appropriated to the man; for then the influx goes down into the ultimate of order, that is, into the ultimate of nature, whither all Divine influx aims to come."* It is formed upon the anvil of natural life, and the man in whom Divine influx thus advances may be called a "way of heaven"** because he has been a means of opening the way between heaven and earth, and of letting the power of heaven, which is from the Lord, act into ultimate uses.
     * AC 8439
     ** Ibid.

     By virtue of his capacity for reception, and the application that is implied in his reception, man is created a responsible being, and therefore is expected by the Lord to accept certain responsibilities. Man's primary responsibilities have to do with the life of regeneration and are everywhere taught in the Word. Thus, "as there is in man from the Lord this ability to reciprocate and return, the Lord says that a man must do the work of repentance, which no one can except as of himself. Jesus said, 'Except ye repent, ye shall all . . . perish' (Luke 13:3, 5). . . . [Again] the Lord says that man must keep the commandments, and must also bring forth fruits: 'Everyone therefore who heareth these words of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man' (Matthew 7:24). . . . [Also] man is to render an account of his works, and to be recompensed according to them; for the Lord says: 'Behold, I come . . . and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his works' (Revelation 22:12)."* We are told also that a man must examine himself, confess his sins before God, desist from them, and lead a new life.
     * Life 103-105. Cf. 106
     When the Lord called men, it was to certain needs and tasks that were to be met and done. These were not the Lord's needs. He needs no help, for He is omnipotent. The Lord alone fills His needs, but He calls upon us to fill ours. The Lord's call to us, then, is to discharge our human responsibilities, and to perform those uses which exist where one human being is brought into relation with another. Basic to all of these relationships is the quality of our own life; so our first responsibility is in the recognition of our own evils and in amendment of life.
     But the Lord also calls us to a recognition of innumerable other human needs, such as the needs of our own families, as to both their physical and spiritual welfare; the needs of society and the country; the needs of the church: all of these in great multitude and variety.

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It is to the satisfaction of these needs that our responsibilities take us. For the Lord has given us the ability to respond to these uses as of ourselves, and to feel and enjoy this life as our own in so doing.
     In fact, it is only in responding to uses such as these that man opens himself to receive the Lord's life, and then enjoys the manifold blessings that accompany it. If we do not respond, neither will we receive from the Lord; reception is according to the response.
     The Lord's call to every man is an individual one. Each man's responsibility is unique. So it was that when the Lord called Samuel, and also when He called Moses, that He called them by name. By this is signified a calling up of the particular qualities of the man who bears the name, for every name in the Word represents the quality of the man. We are to respond, as did Moses and Samuel, in the manner in which we are able to respond. Nothing is expected of us by the Lord that we are unable to do. Rather, we are expected by the Lord to do those things which we are most capable of doing by virtue of our particular talents and gifts.

     What, then, is to be our answer or response? It is to be as Eli said and as Samuel did. We are to say: "Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth." We are to have a clear recognition of the Lord's wisdom and of the need for us to humble ourselves before His wisdom. To hear means to obey. So must we obey and co-operate with the Lord's leading in all that we do. It is true that certain responses which the Lord asks us to make are entirely foreign to our native will and desire. This is illustrated by the doubt which Moses entertained, that he would be able to lead the sons of Israel out of bondage. Moses said: "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the sons of Israel out of Egypt! . . . Behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice. I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue."* "And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord! Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say."**
     * Exodus 3:11, 4:1, 10          
     ** Exodus 4:11, 12
     Here is a lesson for those who would shrink from higher or more important responsibilities. If we are thinking only of ourselves, perhaps of some new limitation upon our personal comfort, or of the possibility of failure and the consequent loss of reputation, then we will always fear to assume new responsibilities.

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But by our shirking responsibilities, and turning our backs on the needs which are presented to us, we cut ourselves off from reception of new life from the Lord. Rather do we seek to stir the stagnant waters of the perverted pleasures and the dominion that are already ours. The truth is that only by giving of ourselves can we receive. Assumption of new responsibilities, rather than limiting our comforts and possessions, tends to reward us with a greater store of these things, if not in earthly treasures then in treasures of heavenly states of peace and joy. Again, responsibilities rightly taken on do not diminish our reputation and personal position, but tend to enhance them. The kings and princes of heaven are those who are most willing to undertake higher responsibilities, and the joy of life that is theirs is commensurate with their response.

     Samuel faced an unenviable situation. The Lord opened his eyes to the fate of Eli's house-that it would be utterly destroyed. It was Samuel's responsibility to report this to his own master and beloved teacher. Only after strict urging did he tell Eli every whit, hiding nothing from him; and then Eli answered: "It is the Lord: let Him do what seemeth Him good."* In like manner, some responsibilities require us to bring judgment upon our fellow men. This is often a repugnant task. But our reluctance is, in most instances, born of self-love. We may fear to sunder the bonds of a pleasant friendship; we may dread repercussions which will fall upon ourselves; we may be reluctant to see a beloved organization which is threatening to topple undermined by such criticism and judgment. Yet if we render just judgment we will have nothing to fear. The evil need never be feared; and as for the good, they will accept the judgment as did the old priest, saying: "It is the Lord: let Him do what seemeth Him good."
     * I Samuel 3:11-18
     So it is that we must approach our responsibilities with humility and a mind open to the Lord's leading. This calls for a complete submerging of self and a bowing to the Lord's will. It may seem a strange thing that the Lord has given us freedom and rationality to act as of ourselves, when yet we are instructed to submit ourselves to the Lord's will and seek instruction from Him. But the Lord did not give us these capacities for the purpose of granting license to our inborn tendencies to evil, or for the purpose of exalting our faulty wisdom above His. Rather, the Lord has given us these capacities to render us able, as of ourselves, to accept His love and follow His truth. There is no more perfect love than His, and no more perfect wisdom; but we must be able to see this as of ourselves and respond affirmatively.

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     We should be grateful to the Lord for many things and at all times: for the life that flows in, for the capacities of freedom and rationality with which every man is endowed by the Lord. But perhaps most of all we should be grateful for our responsibilities-grateful for the needs and responsibilities that arise in the Lord's providence, to which we may respond; and give thanks for them especially at this time. For in our acts of response, intimately bound up with them and never apart from them, are all the happiness and blessedness of the Lord's own life, given us to cherish and enjoy as our very own. Therefore are we commanded in the Word: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations."* Amen.
     * Psalm 100

     LESSONS: I Samuel 3. John 15:1-17. Apocalypse Explained 802:5.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 570, 432, 561.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 89, 129.
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1964

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1964

     In "Charity in the Church," an address published by the NEW-CHURCH HERALD, the Rev. George T. Hill says: "One of the prime uses of charity is the instruction and training of children according to the heavenly doctrines. This is a duty devolving largely on parents, and to a lesser extent on Sunday school teachers and ministers, and it should be an important aspect of the work of day school teachers. Our New-Church day schools in connection with Conference (with one exception) have vanished. Even that one remaining example can scarcely be called New Church. Perhaps we, as a church, have failed to put forth the effort needed to maintain this use. Many arguments might be brought forward to show apparently good reason for this failure; but it is a failure nevertheless, and its effect on the membership of the church is undoubted. . . . If we argue that we are too small a body to finance such large undertakings, it might be considered whether we should start in a modest way. It could be looked upon as a duty of charity to provide the means for such a project. The education of children within the sphere of the church is not just a matter of securing a steady flow of new members, desirable though that may be, but it is a duty of charity toward the children themselves."

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OUR BENEFITS FROM THE LORD 1964

OUR BENEFITS FROM THE LORD       Rev. KURT P. NEMITZ       1964

     A Thanksgiving Talk to Children

     King David knew that all the help he had been given throughout his life was from the Lord. Certainly it was the Lord alone who had raised him up from a lowly shepherd boy to a great king of Israel, and it was the Lord alone who had protected David from all his enemies. So it was that in one of his psalms, or songs, he praised the Lord, and said: "Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." David felt deeply thankful for all that the Lord had done for him. Therefore he asked, in the same psalm: "What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?"
     We, too, should think-especially at this time of the year-about the Lord's many benefits toward us. Benefits are favors or good things given as gifts. Surely with us, just as with David, all the good things that we have are benefits given to us by the Lord. They may have been passed on to us by other people, but every good thing that we have ever received came to us from the Lord in the first place.
     When we think about the Lord's benefits toward us, we usually think of or notice only the outside, so to speak, of what the Lord gives us. At Thanksgiving, many of us think first of being grateful for the food that we are given by the Lord, for we are used to giving thanks at mealtimes. Perhaps we are grateful also for our clothing and for the toys that He has given us. But the Lord's benefits are many more than these things; they give us more than just the outside of life, the part that we can see and touch. What we can see with our eyes and touch with our hands of the Lord's benefits is very little compared with what we cannot see and touch. It is just as with an apple. An apple is indeed bright, red, and beautiful to look upon, but the outer appearance is as nothing compared with the treasure that is inside. Within the beautiful skin is a delicious fruit, and deeper yet there is a multitude of wonderful seeds. Each of the many tiny seeds within the apple can become a whole new apple tree. So it is with this life which the Lord provides for us every moment; within life, beyond what our eyes can see, there is a multitude of spiritual benefits from the Lord.

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     What is the important part of the apple to us-the outside, or the inside? The inside, of course! The inside of the apple is useful to men in many ways; the outside is merely beautiful to look upon. It is much the same with the Lord's gifts. The Lord's spiritual benefits, which cannot be seen with our eyes, are the more important to us. The things the Lord gives that can be seen, such as food and clothing, help our natural bodies to grow and be healthy; but each one of us has also a spiritual body, a body that we will use when we go to the other world.
     That body, our inner self, is the most important part of us. It, too, must be fed so that it may live, grow and be healthy; and the Lord gives us the spiritual things that are necessary for our spiritual bodies, just as He gives us what is necessary for our natural bodies. Although we cannot see it or feel it, the Lord provides us every moment with the bread of heaven and the water of life to nourish and support our spiritual life. The bread of heaven is the delight in doing what is right that the Lord sends down to us through our souls, and the water of life is the truth about what is the right thing to do which He gives us in His Word. If the Lord stopped giving us these spiritual benefits for even a single moment, we would cease to exist and would vanish.

     We have reason to be deeply thankful to the Lord. Everything good that we can see is from Him; and all the spiritual things that we cannot see, but which are so necessary and important to us, are also gifts from our Heavenly Father.
     When we think about all that the Lord does for us, we should wonder, as did King David: "What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?" If we were left to ourselves, we would never know how to show our love and thanks to the Lord for all that He gives us, for we cannot think anything without help from the Lord. Therefore the Lord has given us yet another gift; He has told us how to give thanks. In His Word we read, in answer to that question: "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now, in the presence of all His people." This teaches us that in order to render thanks to the Lord for all His benefits toward us we should "call upon His name" in worship, and then "pay our vows unto Him" by being good children and faithfully, every moment of every day, obeying the commandments of the Lord our Heavenly Father. Amen.

     LESSONS: Psalm 116. Arcana Coelestia 681.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 560, 562, 569.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. C10, C18.

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TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS 1964

TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS       Rev. MORLEY D. RICH       1964

     1. Who is God and What is Love?

     Like the created universe, the written Word is a perfect and striking demonstration of the Lord's infinite love for the human race. This is seen more and more awesomely as men learn the laws of His providence and the ways and means by which He has striven for mankind's redemption through the ages; as they comprehend with what infinite patience, care and love the Lord has provided for them the things necessary for their eternal life, while at the same time guarding their freedom of choice and of identity with the most exquisite precision.
     Perhaps the most outstanding example of this in all the Scriptures is furnished by the Two Great Commandments, which enjoin total love to the Lord and love of the neighbor as oneself. For there, compressed into a simple form, are the basic essentials of all love and eternal life. "On these two commandments hang," that is, depend, "all the law and the prophets"-all things of truth and good for man. Everything true and good for man depends upon these two universal laws of human life.
     In truth, every man's life in eternity depends upon his understanding of, his reaction to and his application in life of these two simple rules; and even his life in the temporal and natural world is to a large extent determined, qualified and affected by his relationship to these commandments. This becomes even more clear when we begin to ask ourselves the basic questions involved: Who is God! What is love?

     Who is God? As an illustration, it is clearly taught by the Lord in His second coming that "the idea of God enters into all things of the church, of religion and of worship";* that it composes the inmost of man's thought;** and that it is the very essence and soul of all things of theology.*** Furthermore, it is made plain in other parts of the Writings that man's idea and love of God, being the inmost of his personality, vitally affect, color, form and organize all his conscious affections and attitudes towards life, and finally even his reactions and words.
     * BE 40               
     ** DLW 13
     *** TCR 411
     Outward appearances often seem to contradict this.

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Quantitatively, in terms of time and space, it does not seem to be true. For even with religious people, the number and duration of times when they consciously attend to thoughts of God are few and brief when compared with the rest of their everyday lives: limited, perhaps, to the short, periodic times when they attend their church's functions.
     But we shall be able to penetrate the surface of time and space if we begin to think from the essence and nature of the matter; for it is a common experience that one flickering flash of enlightenment can affect and even change a person's life and outlook more than thousands of everyday repetitive experiences. A few brief floodings of the heart with the emotion of love can change the direction of one's life more than many, many repeated delights and pleasures.

     The first and basic truth about this begins to emerge in a man's conscious understanding when and as he realizes just how weak and helpless he is by himself; when he really sees that he cannot stand alone; when he finally knows that something beyond his ken rules him, that he is being governed by some dominating force or love in himself, and begins to suspect that this love is such that it would eventually destroy him. For this spurs him to ask himself: Who and what and where is your God? that is, what force is moving him without his knowledge and choice?
     When a person does this, he is approaching what will be a most shocking revelation of himself; and as time passes, the pattern of his life, his attitudes and affections, his ideas and beliefs will expose to him the self-love which forms the center, the nucleus and the inmost core of his personality. He will also begin to perceive that every man's god is whatever he really loves and strives for, what he constantly thinks from and thinks about, and what he really worships, whether he is aware of it or not. Further, he will see that a man's god is what affects, forms, organizes and colors the ideas of his understanding, the emotions and attitudes of his will, and even the pattern of his speech and actions.
     Such a personal revelation, which can come only through man's knowledge of the Word combined with the moving power of the Holy Spirit, is both a wonderful and a terrible experience. For the first time, the man is able to perceive something of the wickedness and falsity behind many of the fair-seeming theories of humanity and their authors.
     We have only to examine the ideas of the learned world as to what principally moves men to see how this works. Thus, some students and disciples of psychology have deduced from their experiments and the resultant data that power is the main factor behind all human reactions; that the desire for power is the moving force behind and within all human thoughts, motives, emotions, actions and reactions; and they examine and analyze all of human life in the light of this theory.

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Any other motivation that they may see they call only a subsidiary force which is related to the underlying desire for power. The real truth, of course is that because they-the authors, students and disciples of this theory-are excessively power-conscious and seek power for themselves, therefore every human reaction, every piece of data which they gather and examine, is seen by them as evidence of what they believe in and love, what they want to see, namely, the desire for power. Is it not possible that, despite individual variations, and despite their religious protestations, their real god is power? For this is what they see in all around them, this is how they interpret all human behavior; and this is therefore what they believe in and love, and inwardly worship. What is that but a god?

     The same is true of those of the learned who have deduced that sex is the driving power in all human life, and who view all human behavior from that premise. Outwardly at least, to judge only from their habitual attitude and ideas, sex is therefore really their god; for they believe that this is humanity's driving force, and the driving force of anyone is his god.
     Or we may reflect on the political philosopher who believes that the state is everything and the individual exists only for the sake of the state, and who couples with this theory a denial of the God of the universe. Though he denies God, he still has a god whom he loves and serves and worships, and to whom he even sacrifices with fanatical devotion. For his god is that really incomprehensible monolithic entity which he calls "the state," whatever that means in terms of the human community!
     Many students of economics have assumed that money or wealth is the force that drives human nature, that all great events in history can be viewed solely in the light of economic forces and attributed thereto. Is it not a simple thing to deduce what their god is? And the real status-seekers are those who declare that the desire for recognition and prestige are the principal human motives, and who therefore dissect every human emotion and reaction, every community, in the cold and merciless light of that belief.
     The most tragic thing about these diverse and sometimes conflicting theories of what man's god is, however, is that there is an element of truth in each of them-a truth which is turned into falsity when any one of them is over-emphasized. It is true that some have no real god but power and that sex is the ruling motive of others. It is also a fact that with still others the desire for wealth is the god which secretly drives them and colors the entire pattern of their lives.

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Many in the world deny God in order to make the political state their god; and it is undoubtedly true that in every human being there is some longing for recognition and the love of others. It is also true that, in many, all of these driving forces may be present at different times. In fact it is absolutely true that before regeneration, before man really turns to the only God of the universe, these motivations-any one, or all of them in turn-are the ruling loves of his life, are his gods. Inmostly he is god to himself. He makes his god in his own image; for he is absolutely self-centered, loves himself above all others, and the world as himself.

     Such motivations when they rule in man, when they dominate him, are most deadly, poisonous and infernal. They turn man to destruction: to destruction of all genuine love and life, and even of his own God-given spiritual life. His hand is turned against every man, if not openly on account of fear of the law and of loss of reputation and wealth, then secretly; for, his own nature being such, he cannot but suspect or believe that every other human being with whom he is associated must also be governed by these forces. This cannot but drain all the juices of life out of him; quenching in him every generous and kindly impulse and feeling; killing his every disposition to believe in, to trust and love others; making him inwardly, if not outwardly, mean and cold and sterile, living in a very desert of bitterness and searing hate.
     So we can see how marvelously "blessed is that people whose God is the Lord,"* who strive to obey His command: "Thou shalt love the Lord [as] thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind."** For in such case man does not worship and make his god either power or wealth or sex or the state; nor does he divide God into three separate and distinct persons, thus inducing on himself a state which inevitably degenerates into the worship of nature or of the other gods of power, money, and so on. As men come into this love of God, indeed, they worship love itself and wisdom itself expressed in the one Divine and unifying person-the Lord Jesus Christ, the source and embodiment of mercy and truth; and when this idea is enthroned as the central one in man's inmost love and spirit, then indeed begins that wondrous process which is called regeneration. For all of man's basic attitudes are slowly changed thereby. All of his conscious affections and ideas are reformed, re-organized with an entirely different emphasis and order; and even the patterns of his speech and actions may be changed as well as their spirit and intent.
     * Psalm 144:15
     ** Luke 10:27
     It is because this is the only way in which man can find eternal life and everlasting happiness that the Lord gave to humanity this first great commandment: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God."

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And it is because this love alone gives man that life which is everlasting that the Lord works constantly with him to make it enduring. For although every person is given a capacity for that love, the love itself is at first fitful and wavering, so fragile that it is easily discouraged and quickly quenched by trial and test, by temptation and doubt.

     What is Love? But what is love? Ordinarily people picture it only in certain actions, as affectionate gestures and kindnesses, and in such feelings and emotions of the heart as sentiment and sympathy. Yet even in the literal sense of the Word we are given a different, a better and a more mature idea of what love really is. For the Lord Himself said: "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me . . . and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him."* He who loves truly does not seek to impose his own will on the loved one by force; rather does he desire to do what the other wishes. Because he loves the other, he desires to draw closer, to be united with him. This is true of all loves which are genuine. It is true of married partners. It is true of man's love of the church, upon which, if he truly loves it, he does not seek to impose his own will by force or insistence; and it is eminently true of that love of God which is really good, for from it a man seeks to learn the Lord's will, not his own, and to do that will as far as in him lies.
     * John 14:2
     Yet, as has been said, this love is not at first a real part of man's life. It is therefore inconstant, wavering and fitful, like the light of a candle blown by breezes. Sometimes it flares suddenly and brightly; again, it is almost extinguished. It is not yet at the calm center of man's spirit, but wanders about the turbulent and erratic circumference of his lower mind and proprium, blown by the gusts of unregenerate emotions and fallacious ideas.
     Through life in the world, this love slowly becomes the central, the inmost and ruling power in man's life only by his constant and unremitting effort to do the Lord's will patiently; by self-restraint in the face of temptation; by many recoveries and renewals of resolution after inevitable perplexities and failures in finding and doing the will of God. For any good love which is permanent comes not by magic or by immediate mercy. It does not merely flow in from heaven to man as a free unearned gift. It must be nourished and enlarged, laboriously earned and hardly won by man's efforts, by oft-times painful self-discipline, by many surrenders of self-love, by the gradual abandoning of excessive self-indulgences, by repeated refusals to go against the commandments on any level; in short, by frequent and diligent shunning of evils as sins, sometimes even in spite of past errors and failures in understanding and practice.

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     Yet the reward is sure and the final joy great; for by these means the Lord draws man's love of Him into the central position, where, by means of the wisdom thus acquired, it fits man for that way of life which is heavenly. That love, working through wisdom, re-forms, re-groups and cleanses all his lower attitudes and beliefs, all his conscious affections and thoughts, all his habits and his speech.
     Then man, from being dust and clay, becomes a living image and likeness of his Creator: truly human, and loving the Lord as his God with all his heart or will, with the whole of his inmost soul or spirit, with everything of his strength or conscious resolution, and with every bit of his mind or understanding. Being now close to his Creator, he is also conjoined with the source of all lasting happiness and joy. He can see his neighbor in an entirely different light, and can love him with understanding, with reasoned discrimination, as himself-as one who is basically the same in nature and heredity as himself. He is filled with the juices of life and trust. Every kindly feeling and generous impulse is enhanced in him, though now guided and controlled by good prudence and judgment. His first, childish disposition to believe in, trust and love others now becomes permanent and receives increase from the maturity of wisdom, making him inwardly merciful, warm and productive, living in a garden of forgiveness and warming love. This is the goal and this the state to which the Lord would lead every human being. So we can see anew His love and mercy in the giving of the first great commandment.

     2. Who is My Neighbor?

     As we have seen, a man's idea and love of God determine the inmost form and quality of his spirit. They also furnish the ruling quality of all his conscious thoughts and affections, and even design the pattern of his life in the world, for they form and organize these to agree with and satisfy their nature. That is why the second of the Two Great Commandments is like unto the first. Not only does it depend upon the first, but both together make a one; and man's love of God and idea of Him, as with all things exterior to them, also determine the quality and degree of man's love of the neighbor as himself.
     Let us again, and more extensively, consider first the nature of true, enduring spiritual love. The most ideal picture of it is to be found in the descriptions of the Lord's love which are given in the Writings of the Lord's New Church. If we combine in one composite the various definitions and descriptions of the Divine love, together with the revelation of how the Lord has operated from that infinite love toward the human race in all the different ages of man, we shall attain to a concept of what love itself really is that almost passes belief.

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Love itself has continued through the ages in an infinity of efforts and a continuity of endeavor despite all the evil choices of men. It has not been cooled or dismayed by ingratitude. It has not lessened its influx because of non-reciprocation. Its outpourings of blessings have never ceased on account of man's denials, coldness, indifference or neglect. The works of its creation have continued uninterruptedly and magnificently, regardless of the destruction wrought by man. In every age, and with each generation and individual, the Lord has poured out the treasures of His truth without stint for the benefit of men despite non-reception and doubt; for He "sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" alike.*
     * Matthew 5:45

     The outflow of this love is almost unimaginable to man. We can gain only a shadowy idea of what it is in all its immensity, mercy, power and forgiveness. Yet even so, from that idea we can grasp to some extent the qualities and forms of love to the Lord and toward the neighbor that are possible to men. Such love must have constancy and endurance, obedience to truth, self-restraint, an instructed lovingkindness, holy fear, justice, wisdom in its forgiveness and prudence in its charity. It must not be dismayed by ingratitude or by not being returned. It cannot desire merit or become incensed and cooled by non-recognition and non-reception on the part of others. It must have a passion for the Lord's will, a holy fear of offending Him or the neighbor, and a great desire, guided by prudence, for the neighbor's good on all levels. It must be guided, tempered and directed by its accompanying wisdom. Finally, if it is to become strong and permanent, the vital and everlasting core of man's being, it must be brought into many acts of outward and even strenuous endeavor; into repeated and ever-elevating restraints of self which are the shunning of evils as sins-the first of charity; and into countless efforts in that performance of function and use which is called the life of charity itself.
     From this may be gained a higher and indefinitely superior understanding of what it really means to "love thy neighbor as thyself." The truths which the Lord teaches in His second coming as to what true love is and as to who the neighbor is, these truths are new and foreign to all people in the present state of the human race. They are new and strange to them, although they are as old as time itself and were known to the most ancients, simply because the human race is now so external. They sound foreign only because men are now so external that their only idea of love and charity is that they are unguided and uncontrolled emotions which take form and expression in external benevolence, kindness and benefactions.

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     Compare this with the exalted, Divine description of love, and contrast it with the exquisitely exact description of just who the neighbor is on all levels-those toward whom we are to exercise love as if they were our own selves. Then set it beside the precise definition of what true charity is in its outward forms and expressions-the shunning of evils as sins, and the sincere, just and faithful performance of one's use. Do this, and you will be humiliated by the grossness and blindness of the human race, of which you are a member; and you will be thrilled and exalted by the truths of Divine love and wisdom now revealed from the Lord's love for humanity.

     Who Is the Neighbor? Who, then, is the neighbor who is to be loved! The answer to this shows us another reason why the Lord said that the second of these commandments is like unto the first. For the neighbor in the first place and in the highest degree is the Lord Himself; and this means not only the Divine love and wisdom but also the personification of these: He who came in His own person to teach men, who walked and taught in Canaan, who performed miracles, who by His combats conquered the hells and so redeemed mankind, who restored to men the opportunity and the means of salvation-if they would avail themselves of them. He it is who is the neighbor to man above all others-the Divine Samaritan who binds up men's wounds and restores them to life. Therefore he who loves the Lord also loves the neighbor in the highest sense.
     In the next highest degree, the neighbor is the good and truth which flow from the Lord-the goods of heavenly affections and aspirations and the truths expressed in His Word and received by men; and he who loves the Lord will also love the things which come from Him, The same may be said of the Lord's kingdom and church, and even the external forms of the church, which is the Lord's kingdom on earth, which are the next degrees of the neighbor. For he who loves the end or purpose of these, which is the salvation of men, will also love them as the means; and he will understand the necessity for love and loyalty even to the external forms of the church, for he will see in them the means and the hope for the establishment of the Lord's spiritual kingdom and church within himself and all other men. Such are the spiritual degrees of the neighbor, and the natural degrees flow from and reflect them-one's country, family and partner in marriage.
     This precise naming and description of the degrees of the neighbor may seem strange and even dogmatic to men until they begin to see how immensely it enlarges their concepts and widens their horizons. Indeed the Lord's inmost purpose in revealing this is that man's capacity for love may be slowly turned outward to infinity, whereas at first it is turned inward upon himself-that tiny, insignificant vessel of life which man calls his self.

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For upon that turning depends all his growth, and upon it depends any and every change which may take place in his spirit, his basic attitudes and even the pattern of his life. Upon this, likewise, depends his very salvation and his fitness for the life of heaven. A man is either enriched and enlarged by a growing love to the Lord and toward the neighbor, or, like the miser in the parable, by storing up treasure only for himself and not being "rich toward God," he draws upon himself, narrows his vision to a pinpoint, and creates a hard, protective shell in the darkness of which he lives the most constricted and least vital life that is possible.
     In truth, a man's love of God and the neighbor determines the quality, spirit and manner of his whole life, internal and external-his thoughts and words, motives and actions; and it must take some outward form. It must have exercise and practice if it is to survive and become substantial and enduring. It must assume or go forth in some outward forms of charity.

     What is that outward expression which is charity, the manifestation of love? Here again the Lord reveals new truths. Here again it may impress us how external and gross by comparison are the usual ideas of men on what charity is-that it consists in the doing of external good and in benefactions and kindnesses to others; for this, we are taught, is the very last and lowest degree of charity.
     The first thing of charity, in time, is the shunning of evils as sins against God. This is of love to the Lord as the neighbor in the highest degree. He who loves the neighbor, and therefore desires to do good to him, must begin by not willing or doing harm to him. So with the Lord. He who truly loves the Lord will desire to express that love first by not doing harm to Him by disobeying His laws. Of course, no man can harm God; but it is good that he should fear to go against His will, that he should will to manifest his love by not committing offences against Him which are evils contrary to His commandments. So also with the neighbor in the lower degrees. When man loves these, he begins to establish that love only by refraining from those things which would harm them or spoil their influence on others, namely, evils and falsities; and this includes not only outward evils of life which can be seen by others, and can affect or harm them directly, but also private evils which cannot be seen, and which may appear to be harmful only to oneself. However, very little reflection is needed to show that all evils, internal or external, public or private, adversely affect the neighbor in various degrees, either directly or indirectly.

502



     This shunning of evils, this desire not to harm the neighbor in any degree, comes first simply because until man does this, his heart and will, his inmost spirit, are not pure. They are still filled with self-love, and the external goods which he does are therefore not really good in themselves, being done solely from self-interest. Only as far as he shuns evils as sins, as he wishes not to do harm to the neighbor-to the Lord, His kingdom and church, and so on-does his external charity become genuine and filled with the quality of spiritual good.

     But the essence of charity, the highest and most important form of all love to the Lord and toward the neighbor, is the sincere, just and faithful performance of the duties of one's employment and use. Here again we have an entirely new concept of what charity is essentially. Reflection on two fields, however, will serve to show us how this is true. We have only to reflect upon the natural and spiritual interdependence of human society and of all human beings-to examine some particulars of that interdependence; and we have only to see how every man is prepared for spiritual use and influence by his faithful performance of even the most external and repetitive duties of his occupation to see its truth. Again, we may reflect that this is the main field in which he meets temptation and must fight to shun evils.
     These two-the first of charity and charity itself, are emphasized in the Writings in order to restore men's vision of truth and to lead them to better loves. Yet they are not so brought forth to destroy, or even diminish, the last and lowest forms of charity, which are benefactions and generosities toward others, toward the church, our country and our immediate neighbors. However, it is made plain that men err in placing salvation in these alone, in being so blind as to think that these are the only and the most important expressions of love and charity. Certainly he who has so enlarged his heart as to have shunned evils and conscientiously performed the duties of his occupation will also be stirred to outward generosity and benefactions as well. But he will perceive that these are not the primary means of salvation, and that in themselves they are the lowest and least important of the outward expressions of his love to the Lord and the neighbor. They are only, as it were, part, and a small part, of the general outflow and effort of his internal love and wisdom.
     By these ways and means the Lord strengthens, enlarges and makes constant man's inner love to Him and toward the neighbor. From being wavering and fitful, that love must become constant and continuous. From being weak and easily turned aside, it must become strong and unswerving. From being as fleeting as lightning, it must become as steady as a glowing fire.

503



     This transformation, which is the final goal, this development of love to the Lord and toward the neighbor, is not effected in days or months, but only in years and years of man's natural life; not by rare and occasional moments of inspiration and momentary impulses, but by countless and repeated actions and reactions, self-restraint, long seeking of the will of God, and many quiet reflections and meditations which seek to understand His will as expressed in His Word. It takes place in a man without his being aware of it, as a seed that springeth up, he knoweth not how.
     Then, one day, perhaps, to his silent astonishment, he realizes that he really does desire the good of the neighbor as much as his own, and that he finds real delight and happiness in obeying that other commandment of the Lord which is related to the Two Great Commandments: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets."*
     * Matthew 7:12 CHURCH IN THE NETHERLANDS 1964

CHURCH IN THE NETHERLANDS       HERMAN G. ENGELTJES       1964

      (This address was delivered at The Hague, April 11, 1959, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Swedenborg Genootschap. It is published now in memory of Mr. Engeltjes, whose death occurred in August (See pp. 524-525). EDITOR.)

     If, in 1904, it had not appeared that a certain gentleman named "De Kwaaisteniet" ("Not the Worst") was the worst after all, I would, perhaps, speaking in human terms, never have become a member of the New Church; for the above-named gentleman applied together with me for a position as draughtsman at the Barger Technical Bureau in The Hague. He became number one on the list of applicants. On further investigation, however, it seemed that one thing or another was wrong with him, so that number two on the list, myself, came up for consideration. In common language one would say it was meant to be that way; we of the New Church would connect it with Providence.
     During my stay in that office the principles to which Mr. Barger adhered could scarcely escape me. The practical and the ideal sides of life were somewhat joined together in that office.
     It was not that I was greatly discontented with the orthodox doctrines of the Christian Church to which I adhered, but rather that I had a longing for more interior spiritual truths, about which little or nothing was said in that church. Since the books of Swedenborg lay close at hand, I cast a glance into them from time to time. Then the enthusiasm of Mr. Barger himself led me to investigate them more closely.

504



     More personal contact soon ensued, and I began to visit the meetings which were being held at the home of the Barger family in Voorburg. Mr. Barger had been authorized by the General Church of the New Jerusalem at Bryn Athyn in America to hold services, at which he might also administer the Holy Supper. In addition to this, lectures were held on weekday evenings.
     It was there, after a very short time, that I met Mr. Deltenre. This gentleman was a lawyer in Antwerp and he came from a strict Roman Catholic family. As such, it happened that he was visiting some clergyman or other in whose bookcases he enjoyed snooping around. Miracle of miracles, he discovered among all those books a little work of Swedenborg's! "You can have that," the clergyman said emphatically, "for me it has not the least value."
     For Mr. Deltenre, however, it quickly became of great value, the more so because he discovered Mr. Barger's address in it. This discovery resulted in a meeting of the two gentlemen; and it was, presumably, through Mr. Barger's mediation that Mr. Deltenre went to Bryn Athyn to study for the ministry. Both he and his wife had been baptized into the New Church in the home of the Barger family by the Rev. G. C. Ottley.

     I believe that Mr. Ottley was present also at the founding of the Swedenborg Genootschap. That occasion did not make such an overpowering impression upon me-Mr. Barger found it desirable to nominate me as treasurer; but Mr. Barger and Mr. Deltenre considered that society as the preparation for the founding of a church. Moreover, under the auspices of this society it was possible to hold missionary lectures.
     Mr. Barger had already given lectures in Voorburg before my time. However, I do not believe that the Voorburgers were very receptive of Swedenborgian doctrine. By chance, I heard from a Voorburg lady who had attended a lecture the following story. "To illustrate his point, Mr. Barger had brought along a glove. First he held the empty glove up to the audience, and afterwards put his hand into it and began to move it"-this to show that man is a receptacle into which life and motion come only by the influx of the Divine love and wisdom. The Voorburg lady had found it a rather weird demonstration.
     After Mr. Deltenre had returned from America and established himself as a minister of the New Church in Brussels, he held lectures several times in The Hague at Ruyterstraat 67. At these meetings there was, thanks to a quite expensive campaign of advertisements and posters, a considerably large attendance. It is, however, always difficult to say what the concrete results of such efforts are.

505



     However that may be, a circle of interested people had formed around Mr. Barger, such as Mr. Pernis of Nijmegen, the Francis family, Miss Helderman, the Bulthuis, Engeltjes and Geluk families-all of whom later became members of the New Church-and others. Finally, when Mr. Pfeiffer also became interested in the church, Mr. Barger felt that he saw in him the suitable man to be sent over to Bryn Athyn, and upon his return to proceed to the establishment of a society of the General Church of the New Jerusalem in the Netherlands. As you know, that is what happened, although Mr. Barger did not live to witness that memorable event.
     In ending, let me add the following. It was certainly due to the existence of the Swedenborg Genootschap that Mr. Pfeiffer, when he came back from America to found a society of the New Church in the Hague, met with a circle of members and friends which formed a basis for the difficult work he had taken upon himself. I found it, therefore, an excellent thought on the part of the board not to allow this fifty years' jubilee to pass unnoticed.

     [EDITORIAL NOTE: We are indebted to the Rev. J. Durban Odhner for translating this interesting historical document and making it available for publication.]
THANKSGIVING FOR THE WORD 1964

THANKSGIVING FOR THE WORD              1964

     "Without the Word no one can have spiritual intelligence, which consists in having a Knowledge of God, of heaven and hell, and of the life after death; and can know, absolutely nothing of the Lord, of faith in and love to Him, and thus nothing of redemption, through which nevertheless there is salvation. The Lord also says to his disciples: 'Without Me ye cannot do anything' (John 15:5); and John said: 'A man cannot take anything except it 6e given him from heaven' (John 3:27)" (Sacred Scripture 114).
HEBREW RECORD 1964

HEBREW RECORD              1964

     A Hebrew record, An Introduction to the Hebrew Language, is now on sale at the Academy Book Room. Price $1.00, or $1.50 with the accompanying book by Jennie M. Gaskill.
     Order now for Christmas gifts.

506


REASON AND RATIONALITY 1964

REASON AND RATIONALITY       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1964

     (The fifth in a series of six doctrinal classes.)

     5. REASON IN THE WRITINGS

     We have considered the historical development of reason, the meaning given to it in various philosophies, and the place assigned to it by Swedenborg in his preparatory works. We now take up the consideration of reason as presented in the Writings.
     The words we are now considering are: ratio, rationis and ratiocinatio, ratiocinationis. These two words, in many places, are apparently used interchangeably, and the translators have not observed any clear distinction between them. The meaning must be gathered from the context.
"Ratiocination" conveys to most of us, I think, the idea of a facetious and specious argument-mere logic, usually used to support a fallacy or falsity. But it is not always so used in the Writings. The verb, to reason, in the Writings is always ratiocinatari. Reor, reri, as far as I can find, is never used. Ratiocinatari, to ratiocinate, means to reason in support of something, whether a truth or a falsity-to confirm by reasoning. Thus, on the one hand, it is said in Arcana Coelestia, of the curse upon Adam: "The quality of the rational is then described, in that it consented, and thus cursed itself, and became infernal, so that reason no longer remained, but ratiocination";* and on the other hand it is said that the spiritual, in contradistinction to the celestial, confirm the truth by reasons-ratiocinatio.**
     * AC 238               
     ** AC 2708
     The word ratio, reason, is used in two distinct senses. It is used in the same sense as ratiocination, to confirm truth or falsity by arguments; and also in the classical sense, as an order and arrangement of the mind which enables it to see and recognize truth. "Man has reason and freedom, or rationality and liberty; and these two faculties are in man from the Lord."* "Every man, unless born foolish or excessively stupid, is able to attain to reason itself."*
     * DP 73               
     ** DP 98
     Rationality and liberty, or reason and freedom-faculties proper to man's innate life-were not completely destroyed by the fall; if they had been, there would have been no man.

507


But by them man could no longer be instructed in spiritual truth from within through perceptions enjoyed when he sensed the world of nature or when he spoke with angels, as was the state with the most ancients. After the fall, sufficient order was preserved in man's conscious mind that from reason he could see and acknowledge those general spiritual truths which were necessary to his salvation, so that when he heard them from the new Word then given he could acknowledge them as true. Concerning the particulars of these general truths, however, he had to be instructed from the written Word through the senses. From the remnant of the order of life remaining with man after the fall he can also discern what is just and fair in civil life and honorable and decorous in moral life. Without such reason being preserved with man he would be an animal, yea, worse than an animal. If man denies such reason, and thereby shuts out all the influx of light from heaven, he becomes foolish after death, however learned he may have been on earth.

     Man's mind has from birth the faculty of reason, or of seeing truth, but he is not born with the use of reason; this he must acquire through instruction from the Word and reception of the influx of the light of heaven. We read: "Man is born without any use of reason, and can be initiated into it solely through influx from the heavens."* However, even if he is not instructed, he still enjoys the faculty of reason. This is attested to by the following: "I have been permitted to see peoples who had been born in remote islands who were rational in respect to civil matters but had known nothing whatever about God. In the spiritual world such appear like apes and their life is very similar to that of apes. But having been born men, and consequently being endowed with a faculty to receive spiritual life, they are instructed by angels and are made spiritually alive by means of knowledges about God as a Man."**
     * AC 5993
     ** SS 116
     This reason in man is also called "common perception" and, on a lower plane, "common sense." From these the human mind has a perception of the general truths of religion as soon as it hears them: such as, that there is a God and that He is one; that there is eternal life; that he who does well goes to heaven and he who does evil goes to hell, and many others.*
     * See AC 3957
     But by reason alone man cannot progress much further than the bare acknowledgment of these truths. He cannot enter into their particulars by thought from such reason. Concerning these he must be instructed from revelation. A man, from reason used in this sense, can acknowledge God, eternal life, and so on, when he first hears of them; but he cannot afterwards, from thought within himself, enter into the particulars of these general truths.

508


These must be revealed to him through the reading and study of the Word.
     In entering into the particulars of truth, reason in its second meaning-to confirm-is to be put to use. In this sense ratio and ratiocinari, reason and reasoning, seem to have about the same meaning, and that meaning is similar to logic in its widest sense. The uses of such reason, or reasoning, are:

     1) To protect against being led into believing what is foolish and false.
     2) To establish truth in the mind so that it may be firmly set, and have wide extension in the natural and spiritual worlds.
     3) To protect and defend the truth against calumniators and those who reason merely from sensual things.
     4) To confirm the truth of revelation, and those truths that are the common heritage of man by influx through the soul.

     Concerning the first use-to protect against being led into believing what is foolish and false. When a truth is presented to man, he is not to accept it from authority, but is to examine it in the light of reason before he accepts it. He is to ask himself: "Does it logically follow from what I see to be true from reason itself?" If he fails to do this he can be easily led into all kinds of foolish beliefs. One of the great falsities of the former church was the teaching that the understanding must be kept in obedience to faith; by which was meant that a man must believe a thing from blind faith, even if it did not agree with reason. In this way a man can be led to believe in the most dire falsities as truths. Take, as an example, the belief in God. From reason itself it is seen that God is one. Now someone tells you that that one God is three persons. This you must examine in the light of reason, by logical argument; and by this you see that it is not in agreement with the truth seen in the light of reason itself, and therefore must be rejected.
     The reason we are speaking of is not to be used in establishing first principles; these must be seen in the light of reason itself, and it is therefore said that a man must examine and see whether a thing is true before he confirms it. But when he has seen the truth of a first principle, then that which follows, its particulars, can be enlightened by reason; and unless man does so, he will be led off into all kinds of foolish and insane beliefs.
     A second use of reason is to establish truth in the mind so that it may be firmly set and have wide extension in the natural and spiritual worlds. To follow a line of reasoning in regard to truth requires concentration and thought, and by these truth with man shines in clearer light and, as the Writings say, has greater extension in societies in the other world.

509


To accept a truth, even a genuine truth, and not to confirm it with oneself by reason, is often a sign of laziness and of indifference to all truth. It is allowable for a man to confirm the truth by all the means available, and it is useful to do so; for "he that heareth the Word . . . and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart."*
     * Matthew 13:19
     "The confirmation of the idea itself by many things causes not only that it sticks in the memory, so that it can be called forth into the thought, but also that faith can be insinuated into it."* "In proportion as truths are . . . confirmed, they become rooted in and shine."** Whenever a truth is presented to spirits in the other world, the opposite is also suggested. "In this way it is given them to think about it, and to consider whether it be so, and to collect reasons, and thus to bring that truth into their minds rationally. By this there is effected an extension in the spiritual sight in respect to that truth, even to its opposites."***
     * AC 2831
     ** Inv. 51               
     *** AC 1298:2

     From this follows the third use of confirmation, that the truth may be protected and defended against calumniators and those who reason merely from sensual things. Reasonings from the sensual man against the truths of faith are never wanting, and it is the duty of the man of the church to defend himself by genuine reasonings. It is also the duty of the church to build up a body of reasoned literature in defense and support of its spiritual doctrines.
     The hells are continually insinuating scandals against truth, and unless man confirms it with himself by reason he is defenseless against their attacks. For reasonings are two-edged swords; they can be used to defend and also to wound the truth. Genuine reason is to penetrate spurious reasoning and to discover from what false principle it has built its structure. The ability to reason is a noble quality of the mind. It is the ultimate of the rational mind, in which the human begins, and it should be cultivated. For man is not born with the use of reason nor with the ability to reason. He is born with the faculty of reason, but in order that he may use it he must acquire knowledges and train himself in reason. The ability to see truth is common to all men, but the ability to reason and bring truth into clear light is acquired through education and training.
     But reason, in the sense of the ability to reason, is the servant and it is not to become the master. It is a servant and support to the true rational with which every man is endowed from birth-the rational mind, which is the result of influx from the Lord into man's soul, enabling him to see and acknowledge the first genuine principles of truth.

510



     The truth order is that man's thought should begin from the Lord. From the Lord is wisdom, from wisdom is intelligence, from intelligence is reason, and by means of reason the cognitions of the memory are vivified.*
     * AC 121
     Genuine reasoning concerning spiritual things springs from the influx of heaven into the spiritual man, and thence through the rational into the cognitions and scientifics which are in the natural man and by means of which the spiritual man confirms himself. If man's reasoning does not begin from the Lord, from genuine first principles of truth, it causes him to stumble and fall and to go off into every insane heresy that supports his selfish and evil loves.
     In the Spiritual Diary we are told: "Ratiocinators are the arms and hands of evil spirits; as soon as ever such spirits perceive their propensity in this direction, they captivate them by their own dialectic arts, and by insinuating delight lead them whithersoever they will, although they deal only in what is most false and deceitful."*
     * SD 4364 OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1964

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1964

     Media. Reference is often made in the Writings to media, or means. This term is always applied to an intermediate which derives something from each of the entities between which it stands, and which has the effect that as man draws near to the one, the other becomes subordinate to it. A good example is the rational, which stands between the spiritual and the natural minds. It receives from both of these, and as man draws near to the spiritual or the natural the other becomes subordinate to it. (See AC 3913.)     
                         
     Meditation. As used in the Writings, this is not a synonym for reflection but a term with a distinct meaning. Meditation is a state of the interior thought of the understanding, which is the ruling love thinking, into which man comes when he is alone or in his own home and thus in freedom. It is that mental activity in which the understanding contemplates, intends and plans the ends of the ruling love, and ponders and seeks means to their attainment; and it is characterized by the fact that in it man wills and thinks what he really loves. Meditation should be cultivated as a means of becoming acquainted with the internal man and of discovering those evils which will remain hidden even from ourselves if we are never alone. (See DLW 404; DP 61, 296.)

511


ORDER AND THE INDIVIDUAL 1964

ORDER AND THE INDIVIDUAL       E. BRUCE GLENN       1964

     (Address at the Opening Exercises of the Academy schools, Bryn Athyn, Pa., September 12, 1964.)

     On such occasions as this, in schools and colleges throughout the land, two themes are frequently sounded by the speaker-themes which, taken together, must sound rather dismal to the ears of students entering a new year of their education. On the one hand, they are presented a sorry picture of the world for which they are preparing, of its many plights and problems; and on the other hand, they are earnestly assured that their elders rely on them, the coming generation, to straighten things out and make the world a better place to live in. Implied in the coupling of these two themes is the idea that education will help toward this hopeful future-an idea too easily offered without very clear directions as to how it may be true.
     These themes are not new in addresses to the young. But today a third note may be heard-not in the speaker's voice, perhaps, but as a pervasive, mechanical hum in the background for which no one is responsible and which therefore cannot be stopped, no matter how irritatingly monotonous it may be. This is the note of fatalism-a feeling of impotence about the world's plights and problems, that mocks at the theme of promised improvement. This note is perhaps louder and more insistent in our time than ever before in the course of civilization. Whether one is talking of the tide of communism, race relations, the population explosion, economic imbalances, the fearsome thrust of automation, or the threat of nuclear warfare: whatever the specific problem, the atmosphere is essentially the same. It gives a picture of forces so huge and complex that they require giant computers to comprehend them, forces so huge and complex that they defy human efforts to control them. The plight of our time is frequently felt simply as one of magnitude-of numbers so large that they become meaningless to the individual with his background of individual experience. Indeed, the individual is himself threatened with the fate of becoming a series of ever-growing numbers by which he may be identified, phoned, written to, paid and billed. It is small wonder if this same individual, looking upon the forces arrayed with immense impersonality against him, shrugs his shoulders and ask in frustration or apathy, "What can I do about it?"

512



     What indeed? Or, to bring us back to our opening themes, what do the nine months ahead of you offer as weapons against a fatalistic acceptance of things as they are, a fatalistic attitude regarding the possibility of human control over things? What, especially and distinctively, can you gain from a year's education in these Academy schools to silence the deadly hum and prepare you for purposeful action?
     Any attempt to answer these questions fully is beyond the scope of a speaker at opening exercises. Otherwise you might listen carefully for the next few minutes and relax for the ensuing nine months. However, it may be of some use here to remind ourselves of some tenets of our faith-things we believe from the Heavenly Doctrine-that are vital foundation stones to the structure of the Academy's work, which is your work in these next months.

     The first and highest of these tenets is this: that although the problems of human society may appear huge and uncontrollable, they are within the guiding sphere of a Human Force infinitely greater-the providential care of the Lord. The reading from the Heavenly Doctrine this afternoon was from a section of True Christian Religion entitled "The Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence of God."* That passage gave a vision of Divine order governing the entire created universe "down to every grain of dust." The laws of this order are never impersonal or indifferent to the needs of society and the individual; they are the mighty provisions of a loving Father, working within the realm of nature and within each man's mind to bring to men an ever-increasing perfection and happiness.
     * TCR 54, 55
     This vision of the Lord's providence governing everything of our lives is too easily lost sight of in the stress of every day's affairs and troubles. We need to recall it, not only for our personal assurance and comfort, but also as we hear the hourly newscast or read the morning's headlines.
     Yet such a vision does not erase the headlines or silence the newscaster's voice of crisis. The Divine order is not imposed upon men to the destruction of their freedom. The last part of the reading from True Christian Religion spoke of the laws of order among human organizations, as in nations and the church; and the concluding note of the passage warned that if these laws-specifically the "ceremonies" or external forms of order-are not obeyed, the uses of society will lie "unsheltered and exposed to many kinds of violence." Violence-a terrifying word when used to describe a hurricane; how much more fearful when it becomes a mode of human action!

513


And this is the recurrent pattern of disorder today: violence, rioting, and frenzy of mob response to a situation. Whether among the negroes of North Philadelphia, students in Saigon, anti-American Turks in Ankara, or adolescent hoodlums on the beaches of New Hampshire and Oregon, these destructive outbursts against civil law and moral order display with frightful clarity an underlying departure from spiritual order, a contempt for or ignoring of Divine law among the people.
     The pattern of violent disorder is, of course, not a new thing; it is as old as the fall of man from order. It stood screaming for mock justice at the Lord's trial before Pilate. It was vividly described for what it is, against a background of cosmic order, by the greatest imagination of the
Renaissance-here is Shakespeare's picture:

"The heavens themselves, the planets, and this centre
Observe degree, priority, and place,
Insisture, course, proportion, season, form,
Office and custom, in all line of order;
And therefore is the glorious planet Sol
In noble eminence enthron'd and sphere'd
Amidst the other; whose medicinable eye
Corrects the ill aspects of planets evil,
And posts, like the commandment of a king,
Sans check, to good and bad . . .
     O, when degree is shaked,
Which is the ladder to all high designs,
Then enterprise is sick! How could communities,
Degrees in schools, and brotherhoods in cities,
Peaceful commerce from dividable shores,
The primogenity and due of birth,
Prerogative of age, crowns, sceptres, laurels,
But by degree, stand in authentic place)
Take but degree away, untune that string,
And, hark, what discord follows! each, thing meets
In mere oppugnancy: the bounded waters
Should lift their bosoms higher than the shores,
And make a sop of all this solid globe;
Strength should be lord of imbecility,
And the rude son should strike his father dead;
Force should be right; or rather, right and wrong,
Between whose endless jar justice resides,
Should lose their names, and so should justice too.
Then everything includes itself in power,
Power unto will, will into appetite;
And appetite, an universal wolf,
So doubly seconded with will and power,
Must make perforce an universal prey,
And last eat up himself."

514




     The words are more than three hundred and fifty years old, yet they seem a prophecy of 1964. The real plight of our day is not the massing of great impersonal forces against the individual; it is the loss, within so many individuals, of a sense of order by which selfishness may be checked and turned to charity.
     This is the dismaying prospect of your lifetime. Yet a second tenet of faith in this school of the New Church may be added to trust in the Lord's providence, to challenge that prospect. If Divine order does not impose on man's freedom, it makes that freedom real by providing a choice at all times-a choice between serving oneself and working with and for others. It is in this balance between opposing forces that human freedom resides. Selfishness and its consequent disorder are not permanent or inevitable; human beings are capable of change, of improvement. Otherwise you would not be here today, for you could not be educated; you might be trained to obey commands or respond to stimuli, but without the free ability to turn from self to use, you could not be really educated. Selfishness can be fought; and it must be, for the sake of the Divine end of human happiness, and for the sake of the means to that end, which is order.

     Note-order is the means; it is not the end in itself. The individual does not exist for the sake of order; order exists for the sake of the individual and his growth. You have come to this Academy from many different places, bringing many different viewpoints and interests. It might appear that you have come in order that you might be shaped into a common image-called, let us say, a New Church man-by means of a single mold, called Academy education. This is not so. Education within the framework of true order does not suppress individuality; it nurtures and develops it. When you are expected to show courtesy and co-operation for the sake of everyone's enjoyment at this evening's reception dance given by the President, and at other social functions during the year; when your coaches insist on definite training rules for participation in sports; when you are given patterns of action in your extracurricular groups and activities; above all, when your instructors demand scholastic performance that shows care in its attainment-all these patterns of order will not restrain or stunt your individuality; they will develop it. For only as the individual learns to control and direct his life within a framework of order does he truly become himself; and only then does he truly become human, ready to take his place in the life of a society.
     The pattern of Academy life is not that of Divine order; it is derived and put in practice by men. If the picture I have sketched for you seems ideal, it is because your teachers have faith in an ideal of Divine authorship, and in its attainability to some measure.

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How great or how slight that measure of attainment will be this year depends on the strength of our faith-yours and ours together-and our intelligent determination to see that faith put to practice. It is a faith in the Lord's providential ordering of our lives and works, and in our ability as individuals to place ourselves within the sphere of that ordering.
MEETINGS OF THE GENERAL CHURCH EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL 1964

MEETINGS OF THE GENERAL CHURCH EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL              1964

     AUGUST 21-28, 1964

     The 1964 meetings of the Educational Council of the General Church of the New Jerusalem were opened with a brief worship service in the beautiful chapel in Benade Hall. Following the service, the Rev. David R. Simons, chairman of the arrangements committee, welcomed the teachers and guests of the Council and asked them to adjourn immediately to the college lecture room, where the first of a series of classes on the "Values and Objectives of New Church Education" was to be presented by the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton.
     Ninety people gathered in a room none too large for such a group and listened with keen interest while the Bishop redefined with great clarity the fundamental philosophy and goals of New Church education. "The real issue of New Church education," he said, "is not the elimination of the love of self, but the subordination of this love for the sake of use." If one word could characterize the Bishop's lectures that word would have to be "use." Order itself, he pointed out, is determined by use. The implications for the teaching profession presented by this idea are legion.
     Each class in the Bishop's series was followed by one on Swedenborg's pre-theological work, the Rational Psychology, presented most ably by the Rev. Erik Sandstrom. The study of this part of Swedenborg's life and work is quite difficult for many laymen, but making clear obscure and confusing ideas we have come to expect as almost routine from a scholar of the stature of Mr. Sandstrom. Much is to be gained in our work of preparing the minds of children and young people to receive the truths of the Second Coming by analyzing the preparation Swedenborg himself was led through for his work as a revelator. Mr. Sandstrom's outstanding lectures brought even closer to reality truly distinctive New Church curricula.

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     A brief survey of the history and practice of teaching Hebrew in New Church schools was presented by Dean Elmo Acton in response to a request from last year's Council meetings. Mr. Acton presented the need as he saw it for continued instruction in Hebrew in our schools. Not only is the study of it vital in the priesthood for a more accurate translation of the Word but he also pointed out that unless the laity knows and demonstrates real affection for the use of Hebrew in our worship services, the teachers and ministers who must work with and use the language will gradually lose the desire to refer to it. The Council and the entire church are indeed indebted to the inspiring leadership of men such as Mr. Acton for bringing new life to an area of study that is vital to the spiritual welfare of the church.
     In addition to the three instructive courses the Council also heard reports and held deliberations on various topics in nine other sessions. A "Docket" session led the parade with a full discussion of the responsibility our schools must assume in assisting the home in establishing and practicing the moral life. Other topics such as methods of curriculum development, evaluation of new methods of reading and mathematics instruction, the college curriculum, and a report by the committee on the teaching of art were brought before the Council and thoroughly discussed.

     It is worthy of note that three New Church men working and/or studying professionally in the field of education in non-New Church school systems addressed the Council this year. This was another "first" for the Council and a most beneficial one. While space does not Permit even a cursory presentation of their talks, we are indeed indebted to Mr. Kenneth Holmes, Mr. Vance Birchman and Mr. Ted Klein for bringing the benefit of their experience and study before us. Though our profession calls us to various fields of endeavor, the common bond of love for the church and her uses has led these men to share with us their knowledge and experience, thereby strengthening the cause of New Church education.
     The final session of the Council was devoted to business matters such as suggestions for future classes, next year's meetings, committee reports and the like. The meeting adjourned after full discussion, and upon request of Dean C. S. Cole the Council reassembled on the steps in front of Benade Hall, where he took several photographs of it.
     After an excellent banquet at the Civic and Social Clubhouse the 1964 session of the General Church Educational Council was officially adjourned, and the newly inspired members returned to their preparations for the work of the new school year.
     CARL R. GUNTHER,
          Secretary

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TENTH PEACE RIVER DISTRICT ASSEMBLY REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS 1964

TENTH PEACE RIVER DISTRICT ASSEMBLY REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS       ROY FRANSON       1964

     The Tenth Peace River District Assembly, held in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, August 1-2, 1964, was a most inspiring event. Bishop Pendleton, who was visiting Dawson Creek for the first time, presided.
     The Bishop was met at the Fort St. John airport on Friday evening, July 31, where he was invited to meet with the people there at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Shaeffer. After a few remarks concerning the fishing and hunting possibilities in "the Peace"-inspired by the well-supplied gun rack on the wall-the group of eleven people was soon engaged in a lively doctrinal discussion. The Bishop found himself answering questions of a most diverse nature. What if we do not find any people on the moon? Why is it that the simple native of Africa seems to embrace the doctrine more readily than learned white people-is it a difference of genius? At what age should we send our children to the Academy schools? Would it be better, in our situation, to pool the money we now spend in sending our teenagers to Bryn Athyn in an effort to provide a school for our more than thirty children of grade school age? The discussion which grew out of these and many other questions made for a most enjoyable evening. But the hour grew late, the Bishop had traveled a long way, and he still had fifty miles to go by car before he could get some well deserved rest in his hotel at Dawson Creek.

     Session. The Assembly began with a short business meeting in the Dawson Creek church building at 3:00 p.m., on Saturday, August 1. New officers were elected for a period of two years, and it was unanimously decided that the 11th Peace River District Assembly should be held in 1966, at a date to be determined later.
     The business having been concluded, the Bishop gave an extemporaneous talk on "The Uses of the General Church." For more than half an hour he led us to the various societies, circles and groups of the General Church throughout the world. He spoke of the increasing difficulty of ministering with a limited number of priests to the relatively few, ever moving, far scattered isolated members of the church. The General Church has always endeavored to serve every member by regular pastoral visits, even if in some cases these visits have of necessity been few and far between.

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Yet although the Bishop let us know that the problems were great, not only on the North American continent but also in Europe, Africa and elsewhere, there was a predominantly optimistic and encouraging tone in the address.
     Great progress has been made. The membership of the General Church is steadily increasing; the vision of Bishop Benade, less than a hundred years ago, of a distinct New Church school is now a reality beyond expectation; and in this connection the Bishop carefully pointed out that although the Academy is a distinct organization, it is intimately related to the General Church. Without the devoted work of an overburdened but dedicated staff of Academy teachers the church would not be where it is today. The Lord has mercifully and often miraculously provided enlightened leadership and dedicated members to bring us to our present state, which shows a record of an increasing number of established societies, and an ever growing number of circles and groups struggling for recognition, that makes ever greater demands on our limited number of priests. There can be no doubt but that the Lord will continue to provide for the "crown of all the churches," if we but continue to be guided by our best understanding of the Writings-priests and laymen alike. This was the essence of the Bishop's address, and the point was not missed; for as one of the young men said as we drove to the Windsor Hotel for a social cup of coffee: "Yes, the growth of the church is a challenge, not only to the Bishop and the ministers of the church, but to its every member.

     Social Gathering. The gathering at the Windsor Hotel provided the opportunity to get acquainted with the unusually large number of guests, who added so much to the enthusiasm which pervaded this Assembly. Our most far away guest, with the exception of the Bishop himself, was Miss Antonia Pribilsky of Walla Walla, Washington. We also had the pleasure of having amongst us: from Seattle, Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Junge and their two daughters, Kit and Jo, Mrs. Bertil Larsson and son Robert, from Vancouver, Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Penner, Miss Sandra de Chazal, Mr. Douglas Crompton, Mr. Tim Fairburn and Mr. Donald Fedorak; from Oyen, Alberta, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Evens with their daughter and son, Marie and Dean, Mr. William A. Evens, Miss Mabel Evens and Mr. Theodor Evens; from the Gorande Prairie area, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lemky, Mr. John Lemky and Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Mackey. In addition, a few local friends who are not (as yet) members of the church also attended. They were: Mr. and Mrs. George Johnston, Mrs. W. A. Mastre, and Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Cosens. Mrs. Cosens has been our faithful organist for many years. Together with the local members, the Assembly was attended by 70 adults and 60 children and young people-the greatest number of New Church people ever assembled in Dawson Creek.

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     Banquet. At seven o'clock on Saturday evening 81 persons gathered round the festive tables in the very pleasant banquet room of the Windsor Hotel. Mr. Eugene Wilkinson, our most able toastmaster, formally welcomed the Bishop and the other guests from far and near. When messages of greeting were read, Mr. Wilkinson pointed out that although there was no message from the Rev. Karl R. Alden, he was nevertheless very much present in our thoughts and affections throughout the entire Assembly. Mr. Alden's name, so dear to all in the Canadian and Pacific Northwest, was inevitably brought up from time to time; for as we all know, and gratefully acknowledge, if he had not for ten years converted his summer vacations into strenuous trips through western Canada and the northwestern United States, there would have been no General Church organization in this part of the world today.
     The episcopal address was the only formal speech at the banquet. Entitled, "Where Is Thy God?" it was in itself a proof that the Lord continues to provide us with leadership to which we can look with confidence and assurance. The Bishop's beautiful presentation of the New Church concept of God as Divine Man was both inspiring and enlightening. In clear and vivid language he demonstrated from the Writings how an infinitely wise God has led the human race, from its infancy to its present state of rationality, to behold Him as Divine Man; and how, through the Word in its threefold form, the Lord continues to hold every man in this most important idea of Him as the individual progresses and thus writes the history of his own advance from infancy to rationality. In the infancy and childhood of the race, as in that of the individual, we cannot expect an abstract and still less a spiritual idea of God as Divine Man; but as the race and the individual mature and reach rationality, God can reveal Himself as to His Human Essence, which is His Divine mind. Thus the Bishop said: "The essence of a thing is its spirit, or man is a man because he is endowed with a human mind." It is from this spiritual understanding and acknowledgment of God as Divine Man that we, as His created images, may be enlightened in the truths of heaven, and thereby be inspired to enter upon that life of genuine love and worship of the Lord that is expressed in service and use. In explaining what use really is, the Bishop said that man can do a use either from self or from the Lord. "The difference between these two motivations is that in the one, man's affections and thoughts are centered in self; in the other, his essential concern is for the use that self is intended to serve."

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     In commenting on the Bishop's address Mr. Franson expressed what everyone present surely felt, that the Bishop had traveled to the Canadian northwest only to bring us to the spiritual southeast. "For as to our spirits we have been carried into the clear light of the sun of heaven, and have also been warmed by its heat; and where that light is seen, and that heat felt, there is the southeast according to the geography of heaven."
     The banquet program also included a question period. Prepared questions were read by the toastmaster, and these led to other questions from the floor. As the Bishop answered the many and varied questions, it was encouraging to see that the heads of some of the non-members were nodding involuntarily!

     Sunday. On Sunday morning the Bishop first conducted a separate children's service at 10:00 a.m. The more than forty children present listened with great interest to the familiar but always delightful story of Joseph. The adult service, which commenced at 11:00 a.m., included the administration of the sacrament of Baptism as well as the Holy Supper. Two young people from Vancouver, Miss Sandra de Chazal and Mr. Douglas Crompton, were baptized, and the Holy Supper was administered to 68 communicants. The subject of the Bishop's sermon was "Prophecy and the New Church" (Revelation 19:10). In it he unfolded from Scripture how the Lord had prepared for the New Church from most ancient times, and how that church is now protected among the few until it reaches the many.
     After the service we gathered in the church basement, where the local women had prepared a luncheon. Mr. Peter Friesen rose to thank the Bishop for his much appreciated visit. The concluding words of the Bishop's response will linger in our minds: "Let us dedicate ourselves to the work of the church, what else is there to dedicate ourselves to?"
     So ended a most happy and successful event. Not even the rain, which unmercifully kept pouring down over the whole weekend, could wash away the happy smiles. It was merely referred to as the "liquid sunshine."
     ROY FRANSON

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CONSTANT THANKSGIVING 1964

CONSTANT THANKSGIVING       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.
Editor                    Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.
     TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     The sincerity of thanks given for gifts received may be gauged by the appreciation shown afterwards, and this in turn may be measured by the use to which they are put. A gift that is never used, or is misused, is scarcely one that is appreciated, and we may wonder what meaning there was in any words of thanks spoken, no matter how fervently.
     It is a teaching of the Writings that the uses of created things ascend by degrees from ultimates to man, and through man to God the Creator from whom they are. Where this return is made there is true thanksgiving to the Lord because His gifts in creation are appreciated; but it is made only as men learn the spiritual and natural uses for which the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms were created, and use them for the purposes the Lord intended in their creation. If men are content to remain in the natural uses of things, or if they misuse them for their own selfish purposes, their thanksgiving to the Lord, no matter how extravagant, cannot be sincere.
     This thought can be extended to other things. For instance, do we show appreciation of the gift of freedom by attempting to use to wisely, or are we content merely to rejoice that we have it? Or what is there to be said about our use, non-use or abuse of reason as a faculty? Do we study the Writings as the means to the good of life, or are we just glad to have them on our bookshelves? If we are trying to use the Lord's gifts for His purposes, then we do appreciate them; and our thanksgiving is constant and from the heart, and not merely an annual observance without real meaning or sincerity.

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POPULATION, PRUDENCE AND PROVIDENCE 1964

POPULATION, PRUDENCE AND PROVIDENCE       Editor       1964

     For some time now we have been warned that if the population increases as projected, there will be in the foreseeable future more people in the world than the earth can support. Those who make this prediction can see only one solution of the problem it poses. Steps must be taken to limit the population by controlling the birthrate, both that the human race may escape catastrophe and that those who are allowed to be born may not live in the poverty now experienced by far too large a percentage of the world's population.
     The more this proposal is examined, the more obvious does its origin become-and the more frightening its implications! Quite apart from the fact that the reasoning is highly suspect, it is evidently felt to be beyond discussion that the matter is entirely in the hands of men. However, the Writings make two statements, short, but profound and far-reaching, which inject another element into the case. The first of these is that the age to which the inhabitants of Jupiter live is for the most part thirty years, and that it is of the Lord's providence that they die so comparatively young, lest their numbers should increase beyond what that earth is capable of supporting; the second, which follows from this, is that their population is as great as that earth can feed.
     Those who ascribe all things to nature and are convinced that human prudence alone can solve man's problems do not, of course, acknowledge the Divine Providence. Here is a timely reminder of an all-important factor which they leave out entirely-the unseen government in this, as in all situations, of the Divine love and wisdom. There is a serious problem; but may we not think that Providence will work toward a solution rather through the efforts of those dedicated people who see in it a challenge to increase the yield of the earth's resources and to seek new ones? At any rate, we may be confident that Providence is over this, and that it will not fail to furnish the means of solving the problem.
CHURCH AND THE ISSUES 1964

CHURCH AND THE ISSUES       Editor       1964

     It should not be necessary to say that the organized New Church does not live in a vacuum. New Church men and women are, or should be, as concerned as anyone else about the issues that are dominant in the world in which they live. They should have an informed concern about foreign relations, about the Communist threat, and about any more subtle threat from within to move the free world closer to totalitarianism. The political philosophy that prevails should concern them greatly.

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Corruption and inefficiency in government at any level and unethical practices in the private sector are of concern to them; and they should be concerned also about civil rights, race relations, mob violence, poverty, crime, education, and the breakdown of sexual and other forms of morality.
     When the Lord prayed for His disciples, not that they should be taken out of the world, but that they should be kept from the evil, He did not desire for them either isolation or insulation. The New Church man is indeed to shun evils in his personal life, to be in the world but not of it; but he is to be in the world! Whatever their quality, but according to that quality, the community, society in general, our country and the human rate are the neighbor who is to be loved; and the doctrine of charity lays upon New Church men and women a responsibility to recognize disorders wherever they exist, and to join with others in seeking their amendment by lawful means.

     Yet it has been the conviction of the General Church that it is not the function of the church as an ecclesiastical body to organize crusades for economic security, civil rights, social justice and moral reform, or to identify itself officially with such movements. It is not the function of the church to issue directives on foreign policy or to align itself with one political philosophy or another. The function of the organized church is to provide for the presence of the Divine, to teach the truth of the Word and thereby lead to the Lord and to the good of life, and through the sacraments and preaching to serve as a means for reception of the Holy Spirit and thus of regeneration. That is the use of the church; and to the extent that the church, which means the clergy and laity, is faithful to that use, it will send into the world regenerating men and women, instructed and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, to take their stand against the evils of society as individuals.
     That is the simple but basic distinction. If it would keep its life and therefore its use, the church may not do what its members must do if they are to attain to life. The church does not exist only for the regeneration of its own members, but that its members may go into the world as regenerating men and women to perform uses to society; and as society is presently constituted many of these will be uses of amendment. But if the church were to neglect its distinctive use by moving in an organized way into the use of its members, it would be withholding from them the means it should be giving to enter into those uses as New Church men and women of informed zeal. The church is indeed concerned with current issues, but its function in relation to them is to prepare men and women to meet them with love and intelligence.

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Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     THE HAGUE, HOLLAND

     Obituary. Mr. Herman G. Engeltjes passed into the spiritual world on August 8, 1964. He was appointed authorized leader of the Circle at The Hague on November 4, 1949, and served in that capacity until recently. The following extracts are from memorial addresses delivered by the Rev. Frank S. Rose and the Rev. J. Durban Odhner.

     [Photo of MR. HERMAN G. ENGELTJES]

     "In His second coming it has pleased the Lord to open the eyes of Emanuel Swedenborg so that he could have a direct experience of the spiritual world. Through this revelation we have confirmation that man does live after death, and we can understand why this must be so. The principal reason is that man can think about God, can love Him, and so can be conjoined with Him. Since God is eternal, those who are conjoined with Him live forever.
     "We can see an example of this in the life of such a man as Herman Engeltjes. He was a humble man, loyal and responsible. He was a faithful member of the church. He served as leader of the small group in The Hague with little hope that his work would bear fruit. As far as we can judge, he was a good man, and we shall long remember his charity and his fine qualities. Where does man get such qualities? It is impossible for him to get them from himself, since man of himself is nothing but evil. A wise man acknowledges that all that is good in his character is from the Lord. Since the charity, wisdom and personal warmth of this man are from the Lord, and are indestructible, we know that he still lives, and that he is useful to those now around him as he was useful to us on earth. Today it is our privilege to ask the blessing of the Lord on our departed friend, and also to extend our deep sympathy and affection to his wife and close relatives." (Rev. Frank S. Rose)
     "With the passing of our faithful and beloved friend, Herman Gerard Engeltjes, an epoch comes to an end in the church work to which his heart was devoted. A small number of people whom he served spiritually has gathered today, together with members of his family and other friends, to take leave of him who has now completed this earthly life. But these few are characteristic of the great use for the Lord's kingdom on earth that this man has been carrying on for so many years.
     "In the history of the New Church in the Netherlands the name, Engeltjes, stands upon the first page, together with the names Barger, Deltenre, Pernis, Francis, Helderman, Bulthuis and Geluk. Herman first came into contact with the New Church through his appointment by Mr. Barger as a draughtsman in his Technical Bureau at The Hague. (See pp. 53. 504.) When, years later, a controversy arose within the society, Herman Engeltjes, firm in his conviction that the doctrinal differences that had appeared should not be permitted to split the church, stood by the mother church through sad years of conflict. Doubtless it grieved him deeply to see the larger part of the society separate itself from the General Church in 1937.

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     "After that he continued the work of the New Church in simplicity of spirit, aided by visiting ministers. Without any pretension of being anything else than an instrument of the Lord, and because of the lack of any other whom priestly training would have rendered more suitable for the task, he kept hold of the helm of the General Church of the New Jerusalem in the Netherlands.
     "The last years of his life were, for several reasons, happy ones: first because he lived to see a new growth of the society and thus to feel, to a certain extent, the use of his faithful and patient work. His wife All, who has been in the background a powerful support to him in his work for the church through many difficult years, and who has cared for him with great love, will miss Herman very much indeed in the days to come; but the spirit of her husband will be with her, to inspire her with comfort, trust, strength and faith." (Rev. J. Durban Odhner)

     SOUTH OHIO CIRCLE

     At the South Ohio Circle's picnic and annual meeting, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Fries in Glendale, the Rev. David Holm presented a gratifying picture of the Circle's growth and activity. Ninety-eight people were actively served and visited during the past year. Response to the ministerial work has also been gratifying in terms of attendance and contributions. The first non-New Church pupil in the Circle to come into the church was baptized, and the first General Church service in the Indianapolis area was held last winter, in Franklin, Indiana. Mr. Holm preached, and the service was attended by the James Wood family of Lapel, Indiana, and the David Gladish family of Franklin. Several members of the Convention plan to visit our next service in Indianapolis.
     We shall miss most earnestly our very good friends, Mr. and Mrs. John Frazier, who have moved away. Their tremendous affection for the church, and, more personally, for its people, has been one of the cornerstones of this Circle for many years.
     Thanks to modern communications, we "isolated" are beginning to find ourselves not so isolated at that. NEW CHURCH LIFE, the reprints of weekly sermons and doctrinal classes, and the many other missives which we receive keep us in touch. Our ministers visit us regularly with services and instruction, and we make the odd Sunday an occasion for a drive to the nearest New Church community. Moreover, readers of the Writings who do not even know about the organized New Church keep turning up in public libraries and other places. All in all, we are beginning to be, not the isolated, but the consolidated: or perhaps the integrated-or, as a compromise, the peripheral at least.
     DAVID GLADISH

     GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA

     Our pastor, just returned from vacation, is prodding your tardy reporter. Our silence may indicate that the Glendale Society is busy growing and is "Buzzing" with activity.
     A number of events has taken place since Glendale was last heard from. Back awhile, in June 1963, a special weekend was held for the young people. The Rev. Douglas Taylor brought a group over from Tucson and all seemed to weather the long desert drive very well. The activities included a banquet, a seminar on preparation for marriage, and a barbeque to which the Society as a whole was invited.
     Family camp, August 1963, was held at the Ripley ranch near Sacramento. There were religion lessons in the morning, crafts and swimming in the afternoon, as well as various field trips. Suppers were followed by worship and a campfire program. Sleeping under the stars was a joy-no rain, no mosquitos!
     At Christmas time, Vee and Nick Nickel invited the Society to their new home for a supper and home dedication. This provided a wonderful opportunity for us all to get together during the holidays; some traveled more than fifty miles to attend.
     In May one of our members, Harry Cole, was called to the spiritual world. Harry had designed our church building and helped greatly in the actual construction.

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His warmth and friendship will be sorely missed.
     The toastmaster for the New Church Day banquet this year was Robert Zecher, who was ably assisted by a group of speakers-Rosemary Campbell, Nick Nickel and Ray David. As our pastor's departure for a summer in Bryn Athyn was rapidly approaching, the program included some light remarks by way of warning the Bryn Athyn Society about the coming onslaught of Cranches.
     A family picnic was held to welcome Walter and Janelle Cranch. However, because of their temperamental car, we carried on without them. Walter, acting in a lay capacity, helped with the services over the summer while his father was away.
     We have thirteen baptisms to report-eight children and five adults. There are forty-seven adult members in the Society. The average attendance at services is sixty-four, as compared with thirty-six in 1956, and at lay services, fifty. Evening services were not held last year except on Good Friday; however, we hope to hold them again this year. Two classes a month were held at the church, and one a month on the West Side. The West Side classes were held in the homes and good discussion followed. Young people's classes were held every other week with seven attending.
     Theta Alpha held regular monthly meetings which included some impromptu autobiographies by the members. The chapter also held a bazaar and sponsored some parties for the children. The membership is so spread out that this takes quite a bit of organization. The Sons held four dinner meetings and put on a steak dinner for the benefit of the scholarship fund. Many thanks to John Potts for donating and barbequeing the steaks.
     Many new items can be seen at the church, including new carpeting for the chancel, kneeling benches, and some fresh paint in the Sunday school rooms. Families have been taking turns with thorough once-a-month cleaning and in addition a work day was held in July.
     Eleven issues of the Buzz were printed. These included the monthly calendar of events and a sermon and were sent to New Church people throughout California.
     Some of our visitors were Mr. Richard Gladish, the Rev. Norman Reuter, and, more recently, the Rev. Robert Cole. We have also enjoyed the visits of various grandparents, including the Harris Campbells and Mrs. Gladys David of Bryn Athyn. From time to time we see some of our friends from the San Francisco area and the Joel Trimbles have been down several times from China Lake.
     Plans for the coming season got under way at the recent Council meeting. We have thirty-one adult members carrying on thirty-five major uses. The Sunday school is one of the leading uses and involves nearly everyone in one way or another. Plans are to have Friday classes every other week, the subject to be the book of Revelation, and Sunday school teachers' meetings on the other Friday nights. There will also be one West Side class per month. We all welcome the
Cranches home and look forward with great enthusiasm to the year ahead.
     SONJA S. ZECHER

     THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH

     Enrollment for 1964-1965

Theological School      4
College                79
Girls School          101
Boys School           91
                     275

     LOCAL SCHOOLS

     Enrollment for 1964-1965

Bryn Athyn                400
Colchester           16
Glenview                136
Kitchener                32
Pittsburgh           35
Toronto                39
                     658*
          (*No report from Durban)
     Total enrollment in Academy and General Church Schools 933

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FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY 1964

FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY       Rev. WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1964




     Announcements





     
NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXXXIV DECEMBER, 1964          No. 12
     "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." (Isaiah 9:6)

     From the time of the fall it was known that some day the Lord would be born upon earth, and that at His coming He would redeem the human race. But when He was to come, where He was to be born, and what manner of man He was to be was not revealed. It was not until the days of the later kings of Judah that the voice of prophecy became both definite and insistent. It was Micah who identified the place where the Lord was to be born, and it was Isaiah who foretold the miraculous manner of His birth. Of even greater significance, however, was Isaiah's description of the qualities that the Messiah was to possess; for His name was to be called "Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."* How this was to be understood, no man knew; yet one thing was sure: this Man was to be as no other, and from all portents it seemed as if the day of His coming was at hand.
     * Isaiah 9:6
     It was a bewildered and disillusioned people who, several generations later, were taken away captive into Babylon. The word of the prophets had not been realized, and Israel's hope of a free and independent kingdom had ended in crushing defeat and foreign servitude. It is true that in the days of the post-exilic prophets the hope was revived; but the prophecy of this period lacked the sense of immediacy that had characterized the pre-exilic period, and while hope remained it seemed remote. Then suddenly the voice of the Lord was stilled. For almost four hundred years all that was known of the Lord and His coming was what was preserved in the scripts that had been written "by them of old time." What was once common knowledge, therefore, was gradually forgotten, and in the days of Herod the king few were familiar with those signs by which the Lord was to be known when He was born among men.

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     Now "it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. . . . And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem . . . . to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."*
     * Luke 2:1-7
     This was the child of whom the prophets had spoken, the child whose coming was so long delayed. In the silence of the spiritual night which enveloped all humanity, Israel's high function had at last been realized. A virgin daughter of the people had conceived and brought forth a son, whose name was to be "Immanuel," that is to say, "God with us." Yet in all Israel only a few knew of His coming; and of the many who heard the words which He spake, only a handful of disciples perceived that in Him the voice of prophecy had at last been fulfilled. The reason for this was that in the fulfillment of prophecy the reality rarely conforms to men's preconceived idea of the event. Israel had looked for a king, but this Man came from among the lowly. It was foretold that He was to be a lawgiver; but the Scribes and Pharisees accused Him of perverting the law. Of the Messiah's kingdom, it had been said that it would know no end, but when questioned He answered, saying, "My kingdom [is] not from hence."* Yet in their rejection of Him, the ancient prophecy was fulfilled, for as Isaiah had said: "Who hath believed our report?. . . He is despised and rejected of men."**
     * John 18:36
     ** Isaiah 53:1, 3

     In this later day, when it is permitted to enter with understanding into the spiritual sense of the letter, the scriptural account of the Lord's birth opens the way to an interior perception of the prophetic function of the Word; for while it is true that the New Testament is, in effect, a fulfillment of the Old Testament, what men fail to perceive is that the New Testament is in itself a renewal of prophecy and that in its internal sense it speaks entirely of things which were yet to come. As the Lord said to His disciples: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth."*
     * John 16:12, 13
     It was this, and similar teaching, which for a time led many to believe that some day the Lord would come again. But how many believe it at this day?

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While many subscribe to the social teachings of Jesus, few credit the reliability of the prophetical statements of the New Testament. Yet the reason for this is that men have assumed that the teaching is that the Lord would come again as to person, but this is not what is said. What is said is that He would come as the Spirit of truth. Hence the explanation of the Writings that "the second coming of the Lord is not a coming in person, but in the Word, which is from Him, and is Himself."*
     * TCR 776
     It is, then, as the Spirit of truth, or as the spiritual sense of the Word, that the Lord has been born among men at this day. Yet, as the prophet Isaiah said: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed!"* In this, the second advent does not differ from the first. In both instances the Lord did not come when expected; neither did He come as expected. We have no difficulty, therefore, in understanding why it is that few at this day perceive that in the Writings the Scriptures are fulfilled; for even as the Lord did not conform to Israel's concept of the Messiah, neither do the Writings concur with men's preconceived idea of truth. Men say that truth is the sum of human experience, and that what may be regarded as true is at all times relative to experience. But the Writings insist that truth is a form of good, and that as God alone is good, to see God is to see truth. To enable men to do this is the function of all Divine revelation; but as the Word in its letter cannot be understood apart from the spiritual sense, the Lord has come again as the Spirit of truth.
     * Isaiah 53:1

     What, then, is the claim of the Writings concerning themselves! Is it not that in them the prophetic Word is fulfilled? Like the shepherds, therefore, who watched over their flocks on the night that the Lord was born on earth, "let us now go even unto Bethlehem," that is, to the spiritual sense of the Word, "and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us."* "And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."**
     * Luke 2:15
     ** Luke 2:12
     By swaddling clothes are signified primary truths or truths of innocence;* that is, those general or primary truths of revelation which are acknowledged by all in whom there is something of innocence. These truths are: that there is a God; that the Lord came into the world to save the human race; that there is a heaven; and that the life of religion is to do good."** It is these truths which in first states attest to the Divinity of the Writings, and serve as a sign that the newborn doctrine, while born of woman, is conceived of God; for by a woman is signified the affection of truth, and it is through, or by means of, this affection that the Divine doctrine is born in the hearts of men.

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Thus it is that in the prophecy concerning the New Church the book of Revelation speaks of a great wonder seen in heaven-of a woman clothed with the sun, who gave birth to the Man Child who was to rule all nations.*** He it was of whom Isaiah had prophesied, saying, "Unto us a child is born," for the Christ Child and the Man Child are one. Yet while they are one, there is a difference, the difference being that the child who was born in the days of Herod the king is the Lord as He is seen and known in the sense of the letter, whereas the child who was born of the woman in the wilderness is the Lord as He may now be seen and known in the spiritual sense of the Word. Hence the Man Child is said to signify the nascent (newborn) doctrine of the Divine Human, who is the Spirit of truth who was to come.
     * AE 706:12
     ** AC 8773
     *** Revelation 12:1-5
     Now it is a notable fact that the historical account of the Lord's birth on earth concurs with the prophetical account of the birth of the Divine doctrine in that in each instance there was no place to be found for Him among men. Because there was no room for Him in the inn, the infant Lord was placed in a manger. By a manger is signified the doctrine of truth from the letter of the Word which, although it testifies to the Lord's Divinity, has no place in the minds and affairs of men. But if men have rejected the doctrine of genuine truth as contained in the letter, what of the Divine doctrine as plainly revealed in the spiritual sense of the Word? Surely, it would seem that if the Writings are what they profess to be, men would acknowledge them. Yet, as foretold, the Man Child is born in a wilderness; that is, in a state in which there is no interior perception of the Divine doctrine. Thus it is that at this day the knowledge of the Divine doctrine must be preserved by a few while preparation is being made for its reception by many.

     On this high and holy day, therefore, when our thoughts and affections are stirred by the remembrance of the Lord's birth among men, we share the joy of those few to whom these things were revealed. Like Mary, like Joseph, like the shepherds, there is much that we do not understand; but of one thing we are certain: this child, the nascent doctrine of the Divine Human, is as no other. In all history there is nothing comparable to the Writings; and while men may not credit their testimony concerning themselves, they cannot account for them, neither can they explain them away. Like the Divine Child who astonished the doctors in the temple by His understanding and answers, the Writings speak with an authority and a clarity that testify to their Divine origin; and while few at this day are concerned with the unique claim that the Writings make to be the truth, yet the fact remains that "never man spake like this."*
     * John 7:46

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     It is, then, as the Spirit of truth, or the Spirit of prophecy, that the Lord has come again into the world; for as we read in the book of Revelation: "The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy."* And was it not He who testified, saying, "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you"?**
     * Revelation 19:10
     ** John 14:16, 17
     Who is it, then, that the world cannot receive because it seeth Him not? Is it not the doctrine of the Divine Human which is now plainly revealed in the spiritual sense of the Word? Is it not He of whom the prophet spake, saying, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given"! For by a child is signified He who is innocence and love itself, and by a son is signified the truth of His Word. This truth is that there is one God, in one person, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the doctrine of the Divine Human, and it is in the light of this doctrine that the Word in its letter is to be understood. But the perception of the Lord in His Divine Human is dependent upon a faith in the integrity of the Word. By this we do not mean a blind faith in the letter, nor a general acknowledgment that the Scriptures are somehow inspired, but a faith that within the letter there is to be found an authoritative statement of truth. In this also, the second coming does not differ from the first, for in this day, as at that, the Lord is received by those who have not forgotten the words of prophecy and are capable of perceiving that in the doctrine of the Divine Human all prophecy from the beginning is at this day fulfilled.

     Yet the inevitable question arises: If this be true, why is it that the Writings are not acknowledged by many? The implication is that the test of their truth is their acceptance by men. But this is not so; for as the Writings insist: "It is the Divine which bears witness concerning the Divine, and not man from himself."* What is meant here is that it is the spiritual sense which bears witness to the Divinity and holiness of the Word in its letter, and when the letter is understood, it supports and bears witness to the spiritual sense.
     * AE 635:2. See also AE 538:4
     So it is that when we reflect upon the scriptural account of the Lord's birth we think of Him as He is revealed in the spiritual sense of the Word.

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For whereas when He lived in the world He was seen and known through the instrumentality of a human derived from the mother, in the Writings He is revealed in His own Divine Human. There is a world of difference between these two concepts of the Lord, as may be evident from the fact that in the New Testament our thought is directed to Him as a person; and while it is true that God is a person, and that apart from the thought of Him as a person we can form no idea of Him, yet the Writings insist that we are not to think of the Lord from His person but from His essence, and from this of His person.*
     * AR 611
     If, as stated, this seems arcane, it is not; for by essence is meant the essential man, or the real man. Hence we are taught in the Writings that the real man is not the person, but the affection and thought which underlie the person; for love is the life of man, and such as the love is, such is the man. What, then, shall we say of Him who came into the world as man! To all appearances He was as other men; but as it is said in John: "In Him was life: and the life was the light of men."* In Him therefore was love; that is, Divine love, and it was in this that He differed from all men, for whereas man is but a vessel receptive of life and love from the Lord, the Lord is love itself; and because He is love itself He is the source of all good and all truth with the angels of heaven and with men upon earth. But as God, or good, cannot be presented to the sight of the understanding except in the form of truth, the Lord gave the Word. For this cause came He into the world and made the Human, which He took to Himself, Divine. This Human is the Word made flesh, the Spirit of truth; that is, the Lord as He now is revealed in the living sense of the Word.
     * John 1:4
     This is the Man Child who was born in the wilderness, and it is this child, or newborn doctrine of the Divine Human, who testifies to the integrity of the scriptural account of the Lord's birth on earth. For, as promised, a virgin did conceive and bear a son, whose name was Immanuel, that is to say, God with us. And what is more, the day has come when men at last may enter with understanding into the reason that His name is also to be called "Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."* Amen.
     * Isaiah 9:6

     LESSONS: Luke 1:26-38. Revelation 12:1-12. AE 706:12.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 515, 516, 536, 524, 535.
     PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos 50, 56.

535


SIGN OF THE LORD'S BIRTH 1964

SIGN OF THE LORD'S BIRTH       Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS       1964

     A Christmas Talk to Children

     "This shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12)

     It was in the hill country of Judea, near the little town of Bethlehem; and the shepherds were watching over their flocks by night, guarding them against wild beasts or evil men who might come to steal or kill. Suddenly they saw a strange and beautiful light shining through the darkness; and even as they fell down upon the ground in fear, wondering what this light might mean, behold, an angel stood before them in shining garments, who said: "Fear not. . . . For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly they saw a great company of angels, and heard them singing a song of great joy because the Lord was born: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
     As the song died away, the light gradually faded; the angels disappeared; and the shepherds found themselves once more in the darkness of the Judean night. But they were filled with a great longing to find the Lord, and so they said: "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem; and see this great thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." They went quickly, and as they drew near to the village-where nearly everyone was asleep, because it was so late in the night-they saw a light shining in a stable. Looking in, they saw Joseph and Mary; and there, lying in a manger-even as the angel had said-was the infant Lord.
     When the Lord was born He looked just like other little babies, and the shepherds would not have known that it was the Lord unless the angel had given them a sign. This sign was not given to everyone. The reason was that there were many evil men in the world who, if they had known that the Lord had been born, would have sought to do Him harm-even as Herod did. Because of this, only those who loved Him-the shepherds and the Wise Men-could be given a sign by which they might recognize Him. The sign given to the shepherds was that He would be found "wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger"; and the sign given to the Wise Men was that a new and wonderful star appeared in the east, going before them until it "came and stood over where the young child was.

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     Things that are precious must be protected. We wrap them up. We put them into a strong box, or we put them in a room and lock the door. We do not tell anyone but our friends where these precious things are kept. Only those who have a key can open the door, and find them. Nothing could be more precious than the infant Savior who was born that first Christmas. He was to save all mankind from the power of hell, to bring to men peace and joy, and everlasting happiness in heaven; and because there were many who loved what was evil, and who hated the Lord, therefore He came in secret. He was born in the midst of the night, when those who might do Him harm were asleep. He came in the form of a little child, just like other children, so that no one could tell who He was. It was as if He had been locked away in a safe place of which no one knew; and only the shepherds and the Wise Men were given the key in order that they might find Him. The key was the sign of which the angel spoke, namely, the fact that He would be found in a stable, lying in a manger, and also the star that led the way to Him.

     This happened long ago. But do you know that it happens also now! The Lord is with us always. He sees and knows everything we do. He watches over us, protects us, and gives us all that we need to preserve our lives and make us happy. Yet we do not see Him unless we are given the sign by which we may know Him. This sign is not given to us unless we love Him, lest we should do Him harm. Not that we can really injure the Lord; this no one can do. But if we try to injure Him we really injure ourselves; closing our hearts against Him, so that He cannot give us the joy and blessedness of heaven.
     If we would find the Lord we must be like the shepherds who watched over their flocks by night. We must love what is good and true. Especially we must love the Lord's Word and all else that is holy, watching over these things lest evil thoughts and evil delights come and snatch them away from us, like wild beasts in the night. This we must do because we love the Lord and want Him to lead us and teach us. The Lord knows what is in our hearts; and if He sees there the desire to protect what is holy, then He knows that we will not be like the wicked king Herod who sought to do Him harm, but rather like the shepherds to whom He could give the key-the sign by which they might find Him.
     While you are little children you do not really see the Lord. You only learn about Him.

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You learn the stories of the Word in which He tells you what He is like, so that you can come to love Him-so that you can come to want to see Him. And if you protect those holy things, even as the shepherds watched over their flocks by night, then when you are grown up, when your minds are prepared to see and understand heavenly things, the Lord can send His angels to give you the sign of His coming: "Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
     The Lord comes to us in a very simple way. Because He is a great King, the Creator of the world, the Ruler of heaven and earth, we are apt to look for Him to appear with power and glory-clothed in purple and gold and jewels, as one living in a gorgeous palace. But He comes as a little child, in a lowly stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. He comes in the simple things that we learn when we are little children in the stories in the Word. The Lord is present in the Word. At first we do not see Him there. We see only the stories and know that they tell about Him. But if we love those stories, and long to see the Lord, then when we are grown up those stories will be to us like a simple manger in which the Lord is seen. Nowhere else can He ever be found.
     That is why we should cherish these stories as holy, and should cherish them in our minds and in our hearts as most precious possessions. And it is because the celebration of Christmas helps us to do this-making us feel the wonder and the beauty of them-that the observance of Christmas Day is so important. Keep this in your minds, not only on that day, but all through the year, so that you may be among those to receive the sign that was given to the shepherds and by which they found the Lord. Amen.

     LESSON: Luke 2: 1-20.
     MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 534, 535, 513.
     PRAYER: Liturgy, no. C9.
LAID IN A MANGER 1964

LAID IN A MANGER              1964

     "If it had pleased the Lord He might have been born in a most splendid palace, and have been laid in a bed adorned with precious stones; but He would thus have been with such as were in no doctrine of truth, and there would have been no heavenly representation. He is also said to have been 'wrapped in swaddling clothes' because 'swaddling clothes' represent first truths, which are truths of innocence, and which are truths of Divine love; for 'nakedness' in reference to a babe signifies deprivation of truths. All this makes clear why it was said by the angel, 'This shall be a sign unto you.'" (AE 706:12)

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REASON AND RATIONALITY 1964

REASON AND RATIONALITY       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1964

     (The last in a series of six doctrinal classes.)

     6. RATIONALITY AND THE RATIONAL MAN

     We have considered the historical development of reason; the meaning given to it in various philosophies; and the place assigned to it by Swedenborg in his preparatory works. Now we will consider the teachings of the Writings on reason and ratiocination, their use and abuse. Thus we conclude this series with a consideration of rationality and the faculty of rationality, given, in the Writings, as the origin of all degrees of reason and reasonings (ratiocination) in man.
     Rationality and liberty are properties of man's soul. Their origin is the Divine love itself, the essence of which is to love others outside itself, to desire to be one with them, and to make them blessed from itself.* From the faculty of liberty man has the sensation of self-life, of living from himself, and therefore the blessedness of being himself-of having proprium. From rationality man can see truth, and, from seeing it, can love and do it; and in loving and doing it he can be conjoined with God, who alone is truth. These faculties in man are the Lord's with him and they constantly remain the Lord's. Therefore the Lord is conjoined with man in them; and in man's sensation of them as his own, and his use of them, man is conjoined to the Lord.
      * TCR 43
     The faculty of liberty, as the sensation of self-life, is common to all animal creation; it is an image and expression of the Lord's outgoing love: but the faculty of rationality, as the ability to see and acknowledge truth, and to love it in return by doing it and being affected by it, is peculiar to man. Therefore the human is said to begin in the rational.*
     * AC 2106, 2194, 2625:4, 2767, 2219
     These two faculties are one in the Lord, and they are also one in man's soul, for they are the Lord's there; but in man's conscious reception of these faculties he can divide them, and in so doing destroy the use of them with himself. From the faculty of liberty man has freedom of choice in regard to what he will love, desire and seek, and from rationality or reason he can judge between truth and the appearances of truth, between truth and falsity. An animal, because it has not these faculties, is said to have what is analogous to liberty and rationality.

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An analogue is the image or likeness, but not the actuality, of a quality. By the actuality of the faculties of liberty and rationality man is distinguished from animals.

     "There are two faculties from the Lord with man, through which man is distinguished from beasts. The one is that he can understand what is true, and what is good; this faculty is called rationality and is a faculty of his understanding. The other is that he can do truth and good; this faculty is called liberty, and is a faculty of the will. Man has these two faculties from the Lord, and they are from Him every moment; nor are they taken away, for if they were, man's human would perish."*
     * DLW 240

     Therefore the essential distinction between a beast and man is not from an external selective evolutionary process, nor by education and training, but from within, immediately from the Lord. From the faculty of rationality in the soul, man's mind has the quality of rationality and the ability to reason.
     The term, rationality, is a generic term which denotes the ability that exists in man alone by which he can compare, weigh and judge between two or more statements as to whether they are true or false, good or evil, fair or unfair, just or unjust, honorable or dishonorable, decorous or unbecoming. Rationality refers to the ability to make judgments of these kinds from the inmost things of spiritual life down to the comparatively trivial things of conduct.
     Man has the use of the faculty of rationality, which, in man's conscious mind, is called rationality or reason, because his mind is formed according to discrete degrees and each degree is held balanced between forces interior and exterior to it. Thus man has "the ability to reflect within himself upon those things that he perceives outside of himself by means of the bodily senses."* He also has the ability to think above about what he is thinking below. If the mind were one continuous degree, perfected merely by experience and learning from without, he could not make a judgment from thought within about what he is thinking below. But rationality, as used in the Writings, refers especially to man's ability to judge concerning what is good and true in spiritual life, honest and decorous in moral life, and just and fair in civil life.
     * DP 75:2
     We have seen that the philosophical idea of reason in man pre-supposed a reason higher than man-a universal reason prior to human reason from which human reason must derive power; something that transcends reason-a body of law and order, or a universal something, from which man's reason is derived. This is the higher reason that reason in man cannot penetrate, yet from which it derives its existence. Philosophy can acknowledge this ineffable reason, but cannot penetrate the quality of its origin. Its nature, in itself, is beyond the logic of finite reason and must ever remain a mystery to it.

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Hence the need for Divine revelation. The fact that human reason must stop at this point is the basic reasonableness for a belief in revelation and the acknowledgment of God. When me arrive by reason at this point, we must then place our faith in Divine revelation and seek the answers to our questions therein; for the finite cannot discover the Infinite, but the Infinite can reveal itself to the finite. This is the basis of our very rational belief in the Word. We rest our faith on the belief that "what the Lord teaches He gives man the ability to perceive rationally, and this in two ways: in one, man sees in himself that a thing is so, as soon as he hears it; in the other, he understands it by means of reasons.

     But it is only when man surrenders his human reason to those inmost truths which the Lord gives him to perceive rationally that he can receive them in thought and life. Such, we are told, is the case with all Divine truth: "If the [natural or first] rational be consulted respecting them, they cannot possibly be believed, for they surpass all its comprehension."* This is the body of truth that is referred to in True Christian Religion where it is said that there is an influx into the souls of men that there is a God and that He is one. Such is the source of man's faith in regard to all the essential general truths of religion, and they are therefore found to be common to all faiths: that God is one; that there is eternal life; that there is Divine revelation; that he who does well is saved; and many others.
     * AC 1936
     The particulars of this body of truth are what are revealed in the Writings, and revealed in a form that can be intellectually received, seen, understood, and confirmed by true reason. The height to which Swedenborg rose in his philosophical and preparatory studies, or, we could say, the boundary that held him from going further, is in its way a reasonable basis for belief in what was later revealed by the Lord through him. If we are amazed at the penetration into the interior things of the created universe and the human organic that we see in Swedenborg's philosophic and preparatory works, we should bow in utter humility before the arcana revealed by the Lord in the Writings. Not only do the Writings reveal that there is a reason which transcends human reason; they also define it, reveal its quality, show what it is and how man is endowed with its image and likeness.
     These things we have considered briefly earlier in this series, where it was shown that the soul of every man born into the world is endowed with the faculties of liberty and rationality. However, it should be added that these faculties in man are not ideal.

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The soul of man, which is endowed with them by the Lord, is not a breath of wind; it is substantial and concrete. It is an organic form composed of spiritual substances, given permanent order and existence by being fixed in the finest substances of nature. The soul is the highest or most interior organic form in man through which he receives the Divine life in the form of the Divine love and wisdom, which endow man with the indestructible faculties of rationality and liberty. This inmost vessel of human life by which every man, good or evil, is endowed with the faculties of rationality and liberty, is also that in and through which man receives eternal life. The Lord is therefore said to guard and protect these two faculties as the pupil or apple of His eye; for in and through them is accomplished His end in creation-that end which unites Him to man and through man to the whole of finite creation. For these faculties are continuously His with man, and since man is endowed with them as if they were his own, therefore man is immortal.

     The faculty of rationality in the soul may also be defined as the order and organization of the substances of which the soul is composed, so that the Divine life as the light and heat of the sun of heaven, inflowing into that order, may impart to the conscious degrees of man's life-when nothing of disorder or evil intervenes-the perception of what is good and true in spiritual life, honorable and decorous in moral life, and just and fair in civil life. But man is not necessarily rational on the lower planes of his life simply because of the possession of these faculties in his soul. If the lower degrees of the mind are possessed by evils and deformed by falsities, the soul cannot impart rational qualities to them. However, enough of order is always preserved in man on every plane that something of the rationality of the soul can be imparted to him; so that when a man is not actively in his evils, or thinking according to his false principles, he can enjoy a certain common perception, a common sense, a sane reason. From this, what is just and fair in civil life, and honorable and decorous in moral life, is preserved even with the evil. In fact, they can become very acute in discerning these qualities.
     Rationality in man's conscious mind does not arise by immediate influx from the soul. For its reception, man's mind has been created into three degrees which, for our purpose, may be called the internal, the rational and the external. The internal in this series is composed of pure goods and truths from the Lord, which are the heat and light of the sun of heaven. The external is formed to receive scientifics and cognitions from the world through the senses. The rational is the mind in which these two influxes meet, and in which man's character is formed.

542



     In many numbers in the Arcana Coelestia, and in other works of the Writings, the rational mind is said to be between the internal and the external. It is said that in that mind the two worlds meet; that it is poised, as it were, equally between the influxes from the two worlds; that while man's rational mind is being formed it corresponds to the world of spirits, with heaven above and hell below; and that in it the influxes from heaven and those from hell are in equal balance.* From this its position is called rational, from the idea of ratio, a balance. The faculty of rationality is from the soul, but the ability to use that faculty and make it one's own is from the situation of the rational mind midway between heaven and the world. From this it may be seen that the rational mind cannot come into the exercise of its innate faculty until the external man or mind is formed by education and learning; for the scientifics and cognitions of the external mind are the objects which the rational mind regards, and according to which it reasons. Scientifics and cognitions (knowledges) are called the tools with which the rational mind works.**
     * HH 340. AC 268, 978, 1702, 889, 2181, 2851
     ** DP 96

     When the natural or external man is formed, then light from the internal man-the light of the sun of heaven-inflows into the rational; and in its light the rational regards the knowledges in the external man and draws its conclusions. If the scientifics and cognitions of the external mind are fallacies and falsities, then the conclusions of the rational mind are irrational and false; but if they are in correspondence with the truth, then the man is rational and the conclusions are true, and to the rational mind is imparted the ability to reason naturally in confirmation of them. But essentially a man is a form of his loves; and while he can see truth and reason in favor of it when in states of his understanding apart from his love, yet his rationality is determined, as far as his self-life within himself is concerned, by whether his loves are good or evil. "It must be understood that the rational faculty that consists . . . of truths is not formed and opened by man's knowing truths, but by his living according to them; and living according to them means loving them from spiritual affection."*
     * HH 468
     Although the man who is ruled by evil loves can see and profess truth when it is spoken by others and also reason in favor of it, when he is in external states, yet when he is at home, in the sphere of his evil loves, he can no longer see the truth and he reasons against it. After death, even his ability to ratiocinate in support of falsity is taken away from him lest he seduce the innocent. On the other hand, the man who receives good loves from the Lord through the life of shunning evils as sins against God is rational, and he is in the way of seeing and acknowledging all truths.

543



     In the New Church the rational is again to be opened even to the celestial degree. For now is given a rational revelation, and it is called a rational revelation because in it Divine truths are revealed in a form that is fully receptive of the light of the spiritual sun. Given a mind formed by and educated in these truths, and given the life of shunning evils as sins against God, the mind of man can be elevated to the highest degree, and true rationality and genuine reason can again be restored.
     Rationality, such as it was in the Golden Age, can now be restored; but now on every plane of life, deeply implanted by external confirmatory reasons. Man now has the ability to see truth as truth and good as good in ever-increasing light and in more and more particulars of life.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1964

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1964

     Mercy. The universal definition of this term given in the Writings is that mercy is that into which love is turned when it looks upon those who are in need and grieves for their misery. Thus the Lord's mercy is His love toward the human race since the fall: the love behind His Providence and all its operations, and the salvation resulting from them. It is universal and equal, and it consists in withdrawing man from evil, leading him into good, and keeping him in good-if, and as, it is received by him. (See AC 5816.)

     Merit. Here we have a striking example of a term being used in the Writings with a meaning radically different from that which it has in common usage. Ordinarily, "merit" has a positive connotation. It stands for goodness and worth, and conduct which is deserving of honor and praise is described as meritorious. In the Writings, however, they are said to seek merit who suppose that they can do good from themselves, and would demand heaven as a reward which they have earned and to which they are therefore entitled, and their works are described as merit-seeking or meritorious. (See AR 86.)

     Mind. The mind (ntens) consists of the understanding and will, which two faculties constitute the life of man. They are distinct from each other, but so created as to form one; and when they do so, they are called the mind. This mind is what is called the internal man, and it is within the external man. Note that the mind is spiritual and that the brain is not the mind but its organ. It is indeed said that the mind consists of both spiritual and natural substances; but the latter, from which the limbus is drawn, are the substances of that organ, and affection and thought do not take place in them but in the spiritual substances, and this by changes and variations in their form and state. (See LJ 12; HD 28; TCR 156; DLW 257.)

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MEDIATION OF SPIRITS 1964

MEDIATION OF SPIRITS       Rev. HUGO LJ. ODHNER       1964

     The Lord, by the Divine power within Him, cast out devils from many who were obsessed. This obsession was common in ancient times-before the Lord's advent-in that corporeal and gross spirits took partial or complete possession of a man's body and senses, and acted through his members and spoke through his mouth. The Lord, at His coming in the flesh, redeemed mankind from that menace of external obsession, and reduced the turbulent spiritual world into order, so that such spirits could not thereafter inflict this harm upon men.*
      * HH 857
     The Lord's advent by birth upon this earth was urgently necessary, in order that He might restore men's spiritual freedom by normalizing the relationship of spirits and men. This could be done only by the Lord incarnate or by the Lord's living the course of human life, and by His meeting up with the spiritual dangers that threatened men. And since the first of these dangers came from certain gross and sensual spirits who desired to return to the life of the body* by taking possession of men without their consent, the Lord never neglected to drive out obsessing demons.
     * AC 2752
     Yet those who were thus released from the horrible incubus of bodily obsession were not thereby made secure as to spiritual life. What the Lord's miraculous cures accomplished was a restoral of sanity, reason, health and freedom. Therefore He warned them that the spirit of evil might return-in other forms which the laws of the spiritual world permit, and by man's own invitation: return to obsess, not the body, but the soul; return with seven other spirits more wicked than itself, to make man's latter state worse than the former, because confirmed by man's free volition.

     It must be observed-as is noted in the Writings-that in most ancient times the men of this earth were in something of an open intercourse with spirits-as are also the people on many other planets. This was orderly here on earth and free from danger only before evil became hereditary in our race. Yet throughout the days of the Ancient Church such intercourse of spirits with men was not uncommon, and men lived in a continual fear of the supernatural. From the Gospels, and from ancient history, we may easily infer that men at the time of the Lord ascribed many diseases to the presence of demons.

545


Evidently, in the view of the ancients, the two worlds were not distinct but merged into each other. Physical causes were confused with spiritual causes; and it was believed that all the occurrences of nature were but the sporadic manifestations of spiritual forces.
     In our own day and age, which is blithely unconcerned with any thought about the spiritual world, such beliefs are dismissed as primitive superstitions. The minds of the people of our century live in a world of dependable natural laws which we seek to chain to our purposes of good or of ill. The only "spirits" which men today seem to wish to reckon with are the spirits of other men, like themselves imprisoned in bodies of mortal clay, and like themselves limited in power by the confines of space and time and material resources. And even those who profess a belief in a spiritual world and an immortal life after death are in such ignorance of the nature of that eternal world that they hold their faith apart from their rational thinking, in the pious hope that after death all will become clear. A few indeed yearn for sensual proofs by which to bolster up a starving faith: and these seek to pry open the gates of the other world by force-attempting to restore the intercourse of men with the after-life, only to become the gullible prey of defrauding men or of mendacious spirits!

     The Writings reveal that open and conscious intercourse between spirits and men has ever been possible, since man is a spirit, although clothed with a material body. The latent faculties are therefore present for man's mind-which is even here equipped with spiritual senses-to commune with the spirits who have passed on. Yet this intercourse was forbidden when man became infected by heredity with evil loves, and thus would become a helpless victim to the persuasions and the leading of evil spirits if he openly encountered them. It was thus for the sake of man's freedom that this power to vision the spiritual world was gradually removed from him, as he immersed his mind in material things; although prophets specially prepared by the Lord were allowed fleeting glimpses into the secrets of the after-life.
     In the Lord's view, there is but one universe. The spiritual world and the natural world are created for one purpose, one final use: to furnish the means for forming and maintaining an eternal heaven from the human race. In man, when he is born on earth, these two worlds are both present. Yet his mind-which is his individual spiritual realm-is consciously opened only to the natural world, and it is of this only that he becomes aware through the senses of his body. The spiritual world surrounds him, and indeed affects him continually. He can feel its effects as some mental state or mood, as a gripping desire or as a flash of enlightenment; but "cannot tell whence it cometh nor whither it goeth."

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For his attention is focussed on the things of the physical world and the material body, and on the experiences that he receives through its senses. Whatever affects him from the spiritual world does not come to him as knowledge; but his conscious mind is limited to the field of his knowledge. Although he is a spirit as much as any in the other world, man therefore lives his life without interference from spirits-and in an apparent independence of his spiritual environment.
     But something similar must be true among spirits. After death, the spirit of man is "withdrawn from the world of nature, leaving behind him all its belongings," and enters a world "so separated from nature that there is no communication whatsoever" except by correspondences.* The departed spirit soon forgets his earthly environment and his earthly experiences. He becomes unable to see or perceive by his spiritual senses any man or object in the natural world, but only perceives and sees other spirits like himself, and the spiritual surroundings in which he and they are. Unless the spirit can be instructed to the contrary, he feels as if the world in which he now is is the only world; and might be indignant if told that he is in utter dependence upon the men who live on the earths of the natural world, even as they are in utter dependence upon spirits.**
     * DLW 90
     ** LJ 9

     Even the highest and most perfect angels need the sense of independence which is brought about by the separation of the two worlds as to sensation and consciousness. The spiritual world-with its many heavens and innumerable societies-is itself a complete world of causes and effects; not only as to appearance similar to the natural world but also containing as full a range of substances and degrees as the corresponding world of nature. And it presents a field of intertwining uses which is apparently complete in itself, and in which each angel takes a responsible part and has a social contribution to make. Angels and spirits thus live together and work together for mutual purposes; and only when they are given to reflect, do they come into any realization that their activities, what they do and say and think and love, go far beyond the immediate objective of their uses to each other and intimately affect the states of men on earth. Only when they think from doctrine are the angels attentive to the fact that the changing states of their own minds are founded, more or less intimately, upon the contents of the minds of men living in the natural world
     The sense of freedom would be destroyed with angels, as with men, if each world were not separately organized as a distinct field of use and enterprise. In the celestial infancy of the human race, before the natural uses-which we call "civilization"-had become developed and had come to absorb men's interest, the veil between the two worlds was often lifted without harm to men's freedom.

547


Later, this communion was allowed only to prophets and scribes set apart for specific missions by the Lord. But evil men and evil spirits sought to break down these Divine provisions which protect the freedom of others. It was for this reason that the Lord drove out obsessing spirits and permanently cleansed the world of spirits from them.
     Yet the Lord taught that "when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man. he walketh through dry places, seeking rest.* It is in the nature of evil spirits to seek a dwelling-place with men. In the case of bodily obsession, this was done by a conscious effort on the part of the spirits, and threatened a destruction of man's reason and freedom. But although this is no longer possible, after the redemption wrought by the Lord, spirits are still permitted to seek out, in the minds of men, whatever states and ideas correspond to their own lusts and desires. The spirits do not know that they are with man, or with what man they are. They do not see through his eyes, nor do they disturb his sense of free thought and free action. But continually they select from his mind whatever may be needed to feed their delights or conform to their own line of thought, or build up their cherished fantasies.
     * Luke 11:24

     The Lord referred to an unclean spirit as wandering about, homeless, walking through dry places, seeking rest. But the Writings-with a profusion of instances-show that not only evil spirits but good spirits, and even angels, have a similar need. One reason given for this intimate relationship of the two worlds is concerned with the freedom of angels and spirits. The spiritual freedom of man is chiefly one of choice between good and evil. The knowledge which man employs in making that choice is limited to his own experience. His thought can never transcend the knowledge stored in his memory. But the freedom for which spirits yearn is not so much the freedom to choose, for their choice is already made as to all essentials. Rather is it a freedom to follow out the choice or the delight of their life's love. And to grant this freedom to spirits, the Lord ordains that their own natural (or corporeal) memories shall become quiescent and still-closed and subconscious; and that their life and thought shall not be confined within the range of external knowledge which they happened to have procured on earth, but should utilize any knowledge which might correspond to their needs.

548



     It is therefore said that when man dies and becomes a spirit, "he no longer subsists on his own basis, but upon the common basis" which is furnished by the entire human race; and that the angelic mansions, while indeed in heaven, and to all appearance separate from those of men, "are
yet with man in his affections of good and truth."* And angels are thus with man in his interiors, in the sphere of his interior memory,** and thus in the realm where spiritual riches are unconsciously stored; while spirits of a lower order love to dwell in more material ideas, more superficial knowledges. And it is mediately through these lower spirits that angels also are present in the field of man's outward memory.
     * LJ 9
     ** SD 3104

     Spirits can have no active mental life except through this dependency on the human race on some earth. Deprived of that basis, a spirit "walketh through dry places, seeking rest." What it seeks is spiritual rest, which comes when love finds its satisfaction in a field of ideas which symbolize it and represent it, or, possibly, correspond to it. Every spirit is an affection. And when we examine the operations of our own imagination, we may easily recognize that affection seeks a home, an abode, in those spheres of thought and among those memories which confirm it and shelter it, protect it and nourish it. Where this is not found, our heart is restless, and seems to walk alone, in an empty wilderness barren of all delight.
     And it must be kept in mind that spirits live in a world where all things are spiritual. The lowest, most ultimate plane of that world is what we feel within us as a world of memories and mental images. This world of our natural minds is a part of the space-less, time-less spiritual world-a part created by the Lord not only for us but also for our spiritual kindred, as the ground of faith and the foundation of love upon which human life is built. It is not ours alone: it is not segregated by distances from other minds, nor isolated from the view of spirits. It lies open and accessible from the spiritual world, as far as Divine laws allow: a ready tool for the uses of all the heavens.
     There is an ever-changing succession of spirits who find momentary rest in our minds. A few remain and make their abode with us, until our states change. Various fields of knowledge in our memory become as it were the "homes" of different groups of spirits; and to provide a basis for good spirits and angels, the truths of the Divinely inspired Word are given to man-each general truth inviting the influx of some particular society of heaven.
     All life inflows from the Lord, both immediately and by means of the heavens and hells of the unseen world. Without this mediation man could not live, nor could the universe be ruled by the Lord and its innumerable souls led by Him-each by paths unknown-toward a common end.*

549


It is a hidden government, yet one of eternal laws; for man could not be free unless Divine laws held him in a merciful equilibrium-laws which precisely define and moderate the influx of the heavens and the hells. And unless spirits were allowed to search for abiding places in the minds of men, so that they may be said to be in man's "interiors,"** and "nowise remote from him,"*** man could feel no stir of affection and thus form no thoughts.
     * AE 726:2               
     ** AC 1399
     *** DLW 92
     Yet the influx of different spirits-which the Writings call "particular influx"-is one in which man himself has a determining part. He cannot indeed prevent the searching of his mind on the part of spirits who seek their rest, for they can enter into his mind even while he is asleep or utterly unconscious, and have no power to harm him. But he can for himself judge the effect of their continued presence. He can recognize within himself the motives they arouse, the delights which they insinuate. He can resist the loves they seek to introduce, resist evil while it is yet only in the intention; lest it overflow into purpose, act and speech, and thus commit him to the necessity of defending an evil which, after all, was not even his own!

     And here lies the vast importance of the doctrine concerning the mediation by spirits. Only when we come to realize that the various impulses of our lives do not originate with ourselves, but inflow through heaven or through hell, and take their color and quality and motivation from these mediations, can we reject evil as something alien, or spurn to take credit for the good which may in mercy be insinuated from heaven.
     In the Providence of God, the inhabitants of both worlds, in doing their own work, and following the call of their own freely chosen loves, co-operate unknowingly and sometimes unwillingly in the Divine uses whereby each world is provided with that which it cannot itself supply. To the New Church, these Divine uses are now revealed, and innumerable arcana are laid bare concerning the operation of spirits upon man, and their dependence upon human minds; so that life may now be seen as an organic structure-a tree of life with its roots on earth and its fruit-bearing crown in the heavens, and its leaves those rational truths which are for the healing of the nations.

550


GOD AS MAN 1964

GOD AS MAN       Rev. ORMOND ODHNER       1964

     Frequently in the Old Testament it is said that God repented or changed His mind. Just before the Flood, it repented God that He had ever created man. When Israel turned against Him immediately after the Exodus, the Lord determined to destroy her, but at Moses' pleading He agreed not to do so. And when Saul disobeyed His commands, the Lord repented that He had made Saul king.
     But God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of a man that He should repent. Repentance can be predicated of those only who cannot foresee the future and therefore are capable of making mistakes and faulty judgments, or of those who are capable of evil. None of these things apply to the Lord. Being infinite and eternal, He is not bound by time; to Him, the past, the present and the future all are present. He cannot make mistakes, for, as it is said in Genesis, "God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good." He cannot make faulty judgments of men, for He sees into their inmost hearts and sees also their eternal future. He is not capable of evil, for He is infinitely good, and infinite good can have no part in evil.
     To emphasize these truths, it is twice said in the Word that God is not a man, when yet the whole of revelation from beginning to end teaches that that is just what God is: Man, a Divine Man. Did He not create us into His image and after His likeness! Was He not born on earth as Man? Did He not make His Human Divine? And does not His final revelation teach that in all the universe He alone is actually man, and that we become true men only to the extent that we receive what is human from Him?
     God repents; God cannot repent. God is Man; God is not a man. But to reconcile these apparently contradictory teachings is easy. The Lord God is not a merely mortal, finite man, as we are, and therefore He can never repent of anything He does. But to us mortals it seems as though He does. If we are in an active state of evil, the laws of His Providence work against us. If we repent, and come into an active state of good, the laws of His Providence work with us. But it is not He who has changed; it is we who have done so. It is as with a truly loving father: When his child is naughty, the father, from his love, rebukes and chastises him; when his child amends his ways, the father, from that same love, praises and rewards him.

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But it is the child who has changed: the father's love for him has remained the same. How much more is this so with the infinite, immutable, unchangeable Lord?
     And while the Lord is not a merely finite, mortal man as we are, He yet is Man in the supreme sense of that word, for He is everything that makes genuine humanity. And what is that? What does make a person truly human? Perhaps this is best answered by opposites. Why do we say that a person is inhuman, un-human? Summon up from your memories of history the most inhuman person you can think of. He had arms and legs, brains and heart and lungs, as we have. Technically he was a man. What, then, made him inhuman, un-human, not truly a man? The fact that, as far as we can tell, he acted from evil loves according to false ideas. His will was filled with evil; his understanding was filled with falsities.

     What, then, makes a man truly human! good loves in his will and true ideas in his understanding; or, to put it in the simple language of the Writings, good and truth. And from whom alone can a man receive good and truth? Who is the only Source of good and truth! Who, indeed, is infinite good itself and infinite truth itself, infinite love and infinite wisdom! the Lord God Jesus Christ. And that is why, in the whole universe, He alone is truly Man.
     Yet, when we think of the Lord as Man (as always we must) we tend to become anthropomorphic, creating Him into our image, rather than remembering that we are but finite images of Him. We tend to make Him finite, like ourselves. It is true that when we picture Him to ourselves, we must picture Him in human shape, with head, body, arms, eyes, heart, etc. No other shape is a proper representative of His Divine Humanity. But no physical stature, great or small, can rightly be predicated of Him. How tall is He? We cannot even ask the question. Tallness, littleness are things beneath Him. He has eyes, of course; but His eyes are His Divine omniscience. He has a heart-His infinite love for humanity's salvation. He has arms-His infinite power to do good. In Him humanity is infinite, unlimited; and between the infinite and the finite (such as we are in ourselves), there really is no ratio nor comparison.
     What makes us truly human is the love of good and the understanding of truth that we receive from Him in finite measure. What makes Him Human is that He is that good and truth, that love and wisdom themselves; and therefore He is infinitely, Divinely Human. He is Man indeed; the only Man; but not a mortal finite man, nor the mortal finite son of a man as we are.
     Actually, His Humanity is beyond our comprehension, for no finite mind can contain or comprehend the infinite.

552


Did not He Himself say: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts"!
     "His thoughts" Does He think? Not as we do-not at all. Our thoughts are mental reflections based on finite images. The Lord does not reflect upon what we would call His "decisions," nor is His "mind" cluttered with and tied down to finite images. Our thoughts are limited, finite concepts of wisdom or of folly; He is infinite wisdom itself. He is omniscient, knowing and aware of everything at once and as a one.
     We think, and our thoughts therefore change. His wisdom is immutable, not susceptible to change. His wisdom, indeed, is the Divine law of order-infinite love taking form in infinite, Divine law. And that is just exactly what makes Him the only Man there really is. Indeed, it can rightly be said that Divine law is the only truly human thing that exists in all the universe. Do not we become truly human to the exact extent that we receive Divine law into ourselves and live according to it?

     At times, as we attempt to grasp this concept, we may think it makes the Lord to be impersonal. If so, the idea should be pushed to the sides of our minds, while we wait for further enlightenment in it-we have eternity in which to learn more-and we should go back to the simple faith of our childhood that the Lord is man as we are, and as such is our loving, heavenly Father. For nothing is more important in religion than to believe that God is Man.
     But what is man! What makes a person truly human? What is a person?
     What could be more personal than the Divine laws of order, watching over us, protecting us, promoting our eternal welfare in every conceivable set of circumstances? What could be more intimately personal, for example, than that Divine law of order which provides that that which we do in our freedom according to our reason shall become an eternal part of our character? It is impersonal only in that it operates upon us no matter what we do and that we call never escape its operation; it is intimately personal in that it is this law which has made us the persons that we are.
     We have wanted to do something, and have known and understood what we were doing, and we have done it. That thing becomes a part of us, even as we wish it to. We have wanted to do something good, but have not understood how, and have done something wrong instead. That thing does not become a part of us. We have been forced to do something against our will which we understood to be wrong. That thing does not become a part of us. We have dreamed a hideous, evil dream. Our freedom and our understanding had no part in it.

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That thing does not become a part of us. Impersonally operating upon us, no matter what the circumstances, what could be more personal than that law of Divine order?
     What could be more intimately personal than that law of order that provides that what is the Lord's shall be received by man in such a way that man feels it to be his own? It is impersonal only in that it operates upon all men in exactly the same way, no matter who they are, no matter what they do. We gaze with wonder at a beautiful landscape; we drink in its beauties. We do? We do not. As it is taught in the Arcana Coelestia, the eye does not really see; it is but an organ of sense. It is the brain that sees through the eye. But the brain does not really see; it is but dead, physical substance. It is the soul that sees in the brain. But the soul does not really see, either. It has no life in itself. It is a created thing that receives life from the Lord. It is life that sees, and life is the Lord's. Thus it is finally said that it is the Lord alone who sees through man's eyes, yet we cannot but feel that sight except as being absolutely our own. And so it is with every other bodily sense. What could be more intimately personal than a law which provides for that?

     And the same law works still further. If we come to receive not only bodily life but also heavenly life from the Lord, then, though that is His in actuality, we feel it also to be our own. He alone revealed the truths of religion to man, and this to such an extent that it is said that He is the truth of His Word. But we read and study them, and when we come to understand them, we feel that understanding to be actually our own. Using the power that He gives us, and at His inspiration, we compel ourselves to obey those truths. Yet what could possibly seem to be more our own than self-compulsion? The very name says that it is ours. And if we progress in regeneration until at last the Lord is enabled to remove our evil loves of proprium and grant us good loves in their place, those good loves, although actually the Lord's own in us, seem to be more our own than anything else, and so are called the heavenly proprium.
     Or take again the Divine law of order that provides that every man shall die at that time of life when the eternal use of all concerned is best promoted by his bodily death. What could be more intimately personal than that, lovingly guiding each one of us to our highest possible eternal destiny, and bringing us through that vale of shadow and of tears to that eternal world of unending joy and light.
     Such are but a few of the Divine laws of order, those laws which are the Lord's infinite love taking form in infinite wisdom that it may proceed to accomplish infinite uses.

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Truly, they are human, the only truly human thing there is. They are what make God to be Man, actually in all the universe the only Man. We become true men only to the extent that we receive them into ourselves, by means of those faculties of freedom and rationality which He gives us to use as though they were our own, when yet they remain His in us to all eternity.
     As they are in themselves, those Divine laws of order are beyond our full comprehension, even as His Divine Human as it is in itself is beyond our full comprehension. They are high, high; we cannot attain unto them. Rut each of us, in our own limited ways, can glimpse them in their operations, can see them to be human and intimately personal, can see them, indeed, to be the very things that make God Man-not man as we are, puny and mortal and finite, but infinite and Divine Man, our loving, heavenly Father, our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ, our God.
TWO OPPOSING FREEDOMS 1964

TWO OPPOSING FREEDOMS       Rev. ERIK SANDSTROM       1964

     (Delivered at the Cathedral Service on Charter Day, October 23, 1964.)

     The word "freedom" is not used in the Charter of the Academy. Yet freedom is at the heart of it. For the Academy was instituted, eighty-eight years ago, "for the purpose of propagating the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, and establishing the New Church signified in the Apocalypse by the New Jerusalem."* This is the same as removing confusion, correcting falsity, exposing evil, and leading into the freedom of truth and love. "Jerusalem" is not a place, but a state. "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."** The Academy's mode of serving the New Jerusalem is "promoting Education in all its various forms, Educating Young Men for the Ministry, publishing Books, Pamphlets and other printed matter, and establishing a Library."*** In a word, the Academy's mode is to teach and spread the truth.
     * From the Charter
     ** Rev. 21:21
     *** The Charter
     Is not this a re-affirmation of the eternal words, proclaimed by our Lord on earth: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"!*
     * John 8:32
     Freedom is a coveted prize the world over. The hearts of all cry out for it. Yet how many know what it is, or how to find it?

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     Beautiful words, lofty concepts, linger even on the lips of the evil. That, in fact, is how evil gains power. For no one is able to muster a following by saying: "Come now, and let us do evil; let us go out and find satisfaction for ourselves, at the expense of whomsoever is in the position to supply our needs. Only let us be prudent, lest we be discovered and restrained." No, evil dreads exposure; evil always covers itself with a cloak. Beautiful words, lofty concepts, are more effective and much preferred. The cry is: "Give us freedom, give us our rights."
     By this the issue is confused. But that, precisely, is the purpose. For evil can never rule by means of the light. It works through confusion, or what is the same, through darkness.
     But the world is not only around us. It is within us, too. The accusing word goes out not only in terms of "you" and "they." It is just as true in the first person form.

     The fact is that every man has within him two opposing wills, and therefore two opposing freedoms. The one will is in his proprium. That is where his love of himself resides, together with his love of possessing all those things that will give him physical comfort and pleasure. These loves are not evil in themselves, but they become evil when they rise up and usurp the place of higher and nobler loves. They are evil when they rebel and murmur instead of quietly serving. They are evil when they have only claims and no acknowledgments, when they only take and do not give. Such are the loves that are each man's heredity; and such is the will that gives them direction.
     The other will is in conscience. In it there is the love of what is true, and there is the love of being guided by Him who alone is good. The truth tells that will how to orient itself in the Lord's creation, and so how to act properly. And that is what that will desires. It loves to make common cause with others, and to promote among all those things that lead to human happiness. It acknowledges rather than claims, and is capable of humility and thanksgiving. That will is not inborn with any man, but is implanted through remains after the birth of every man.
     The question is: Which of these two will sought to be free? They both aspire to freedom, of course, for any will longs to make up and to carry out its own designs. Thus any will has its own definition of freedom within itself. But, obviously, both wills cannot be free-not within the same man. There must be a choice.
     Here the word "discipline" presents itself. It is a disliked word, and in the world at large it is frequently despised, for no one wants to be disciplined with regard to the things he wills and intends.

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No one wants to have his will opposed. This is why, in the world at large, order and discipline are breaking down. The demand for freedom is the demand of the proprium. Not that this is known or recognized, for the world does not know that there are two wills with every man. But in the light of truth any man can see that it is not the will of conscience that dominates the world scene. Thinking, as it does, that the inborn nature of every man is good, the world firmly believes that by loosening the bonds of discipline the cause of freedom will be promoted. Nothing can be more dangerously false. For the will of the proprium must be disciplined, and ought not to be free. Only the will of conscience is able to hold the torch of freedom aloft with dignity.

     In childhood and youth external discipline has an obvious place. An individual cannot act freely from conscience unless he first has the truths that will give a full voice to his conscience. Therefore the truth with others must guide where the truth in self is lacking or inadequate. What happens is that, by the action of others, the proprium of the child or youth is restrained. That proprium is not in favor of the process, but neither is it expected that it should be. On the other hand, true discipline does not only restrain: it also brings out; for it brings out the powers of the conscience of the child or youth himself. It teaches his conscience by supplying truths of order, and so helps to give tongue and hands to conscience. Let us not forget that a conscience without knowledges of what belongs to an orderly life is a quiescent one.
     Clearly, in so far as this interior service is rendered to the child or youth, he is increasingly able to take on responsibilities of his own. A remarkable transition is gradually taking place: discipline imposed from without is replaced by self-discipline imposed from within. There is no reason why this should not take place, in some measure, even in childhood; and certainly it ought to be possible in a large measure in youth Cannot the child know many truths of order; and has he not a conscience that by virtue of its own nature loves those truths? And cannot the youth know them, and respond within himself in his own conscience? Therefore it is not a question as to whether or not they are able to exercise some self-discipline; it is a certainty that they can. However, whether they do it or not is another matter. The child, too, and still more the youth, has internal freedom, for that is what comes with truth. His freedom is far from fully developed, for side by side with the truths he sees there are many obscurities and fallacies; but the limitation of freedom is not the same as its exclusion.
     This poses obligations on the educator, both in the home and in the school; and equally it poses obligations on the one being educated.

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The educator must, in a very deep sense, strive to give help to self-help; and the child or youth must avail himself of his increasing internal faculties, thus exerting increasing self-discipline. The measure of self-discipline is the measure of maturity.
     All this is in the cause of freedom. The educator who insists on discipline, when discipline is necessary, is helping the child or youth to find freedom; for he restrains the evil of the proprium, which ought not to be free, and beckons to the good of conscience, which awaits its liberation.
     But self-discipline does more than this. It not only prepares for increasing freedom in the future: it introduces freedom itself, for it itself is freedom, or the beginning of it.
     Who cannot see that a person who exercises self-discipline does so from a will? And if he does it from a will, is not that will becoming free? Moreover, it is the truly human will he is setting free; for the proprial will is animal-like in its nature, and deserves to be called lust rather than will. It is the true man he is setting free-the true man that must be born within him. Only that man lives in the free and lofty air of truth. His vision is clear, his scope endless, his opportunities without number.

     It follows from all this that the external discipline that does not appeal to and lead to self-discipline is a failure. However, the appeal may be there, and the result still wanting, for lack of response. Failure may lie at the door of either party; success, if it comes, is the prize of both. It is then, in fact, the truth that sets free. That is why it is so necessary that the young of the church shall know the truth. Conscience is suppressed by proprium; but as the prophet cried: "Relieve the oppressed,"* so does the truth.
     * Isa. 1:17
     The hope of the church, and ultimately of the world, is in the truth that is heavenly in its essence. This is what spells out the magnitude of the uses of the Academy. Not that the Academy is alone in promulgating the truth, but it reaches many in growing generations. Should we not, then, in commemorating the day when the Academy was given its Charter, close our ranks and re-affirm our purpose, and resolve with one accord-teachers, parents, students and ex-students alike-to hold our banner high, with pride and with gratitude? For the Academy serves the New Jerusalem; and the New Jerusalem is the state, in which the Heavenly Doctrine liberates from the bondage of evil, and opens the blessings of a truly human life.

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BY ANOTHER WAY 1964

BY ANOTHER WAY       Editor       1964


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly by
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.
Editor               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager          Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.
     TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     It is recorded that the shepherds returned from the manger praising and glorifying God, and that when the wise men had worshiped the infant Lord and presented their gifts they returned to their own country by another way. As another Christmas draws near, we are again invited to approach the Lord and offer to Him the homage represented by that of simple shepherds and men in whom was the ancient wisdom of the east; to find Him in His Word; to see in Him there the guardian love of the human race and the wisdom of the Divine east; and adore Him as the Savior
     Yet neither the vision of the Lord in the Word nor the worship of Him as there seen can be long sustained. We cannot remain in an exalted state, but must return to our uses. As the shepherds went back to their flocks and the wise men to their own country, as Christmas passes and we resume our everyday lives, so must we descend from the exalted state of worship to our day by day uses. But if we have found and worshiped the Lord we will return by another way from that whence we came, for the vision will remain with us and our lives will be qualified by it.
     This is the real opportunity that is offered to us by the Advent season: the opportunity to go to the Word and be led to see its truth as our only Redeemer and Savior. We need not slight the festivities of the season to grasp that opportunity. Rather will they become more truly joyous as we take it. If we do take it, our return to our uses will be praise and glorification of the Lord in life, and our return will indeed be by another way; for our feet will have been set in the way of truth which becomes the way of peace.

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BETHLEHEM 1964

BETHLEHEM       Editor       1964

     For centuries Bethlehem has been immortalized in Christmas hymns and carols, and upon that little town have been poured the most tender affections of countless thousands whose eyes have never seen it. Yet, apart from the fulfillment of prophecy, few have perceived in the fact of the Lord's being born there any deeper significance than that Bethlehem was the city of David, the royal city, and therefore the proper birthplace of Christ the King.
     Why the Lord was born in Bethlehem is a mystery that was not revealed until the Heavenly Doctrine was given. It was chosen as the Lord's birthplace because of its spiritual signification. Bethlehem signifies the spiritual of the celestial in a new state, and also the Word as to its spiritual sense: and the Lord willed to be born in the royal city because He alone was born a spiritual celestial man; because He was born a King; and because He is the Word itself.
     Thus the Lord's being born in Bethlehem is significant of what He was at birth and of what He was to become by glorification-of the unique state which made it possible for Him to glorify His Human. All other infants are born natural with the ability to become spiritual or celestial by regeneration, and in ignorance of truth and prone to evil. In the Lord alone the natural had a longing for good and a desire for truth, because His soul was Divine. He alone was born a spiritual celestial man: this in order that He might make His Human Divine, become the Word made flesh, make Himself King of the kingdom of truth, and dispose all things in heaven and in hell into order.
     All of this is involved in Bethlehem being the Lord's birthplace. There is, however, something else. Bethlehem means "house of bread," and represents the state in which there is a hunger for good and a desire for truth. This is not naturally man's state; but he can be brought to it, and when he has been, then the Lord is born in the Bethlehem of his mind as the saving truth of the Word.
FUTURE 1964

FUTURE       Editor       1964

     As the year draws to a close, it is not unnatural for men to wonder what the future may bring. Yet the desire to know future things, as distinct from wondering about them, is most unwise, and it can only be frustrated. The knowledge of things to come belongs to the Lord alone. Even the angels do not know what is going to happen, and they are content that it should be so; their happiness depends on their not knowing in the least what is to come, for the Lord looks out for them every least moment.

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     To those who rely entirely upon human prudence it might seem that a knowledge of the future would be invaluable. On the contrary, it would be extremely harmful. If man knew the future he would, almost inevitably, try to change it, and thus, wittingly or not, would try to interfere with the order of the Divine Providence. Man does not know what is best for himself and for others, but this seldom prevents him from thinking that he does, and if he had foreknowledge of events he would try to arrange them into what seemed to him with his view, fantasies and cupidities, a better order.
     We do not know the future, and this is of the Lord's mercy, for in the knowledge of things to come there would undoubtedly be much that would disturb us. The one thing we may know with reasonable certainty about any year is that in it there will be both joy and sorrow, achievement and failure, reward and loss. But we are not yet ready to appreciate what will be prized when it is given, or prepared to bear what will be endured when it comes; and if we did know what is to come, we would be deprived of all hope, all expectancy, all incentive.

     Certainly men should not be entirely without concern for the future. The Writings tell us that everyone must provide for himself and his family so as to have, now and in the future, the basic necessaries of life-food, clothing and shelter-and such other things as are properly needed in the kind of life he lives. Otherwise he cannot be in a state to exercise charity toward the neighbor. In doing this, it is entirely proper to try to form rational conclusions about the future which are based upon intelligent, searching analysis of the past; and in this age of technology these fundamental teachings extend into many fields and have many applications, some of them highly sophisticated. Unless business, industry and research were constantly engaged in long-range forecasting, planning and related processes, their usefulness to society would be sharply curtailed.
     Only we should not be solicitous about the future, and we should not feel that in prudence is our only help. We must indeed anticipate and provide for the future as intelligently as possible; yet we must at the same time realize that there is a point beyond which human foresight cannot go, and beyond which we can be carried securely only by trust in Providence. If we do this, we can go forward with quiet confidence; making our best effort, but always saying, as do the angels, the Lord's will be done.

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DIRECTORY 1964

DIRECTORY              1964

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

     Officials and Councils

Bishop: Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton
Bishop Emeritus: Right Rev. George de Charms
Secretary: Rev. Robert S. Junge

     CONSISTORY

     Bishop Willard D. Pendleton
Right Rev. George de Charms; Rev. Messrs. Elmo C. Acton; Harold C. Cranch; W. Cairns Henderson, Secretary; Robert S. Junge; Hugo Lj. Odhner; Martin Pryke, Norman H. Reuter; Erik Sandstrom.

     "The General Church of the New Jerusalem"

     (A corporation of Illinois)

     "General Church of the New Jerusalem"

     (A corporation of Pennsylvania)

     OFFICERS OF BOTH CORPORATIONS

Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, President
Right Rev. George de Charms, Vice President
Mr. Stephen Pitcairn, Secretary
Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Treasurer

     BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ILLINOIS CORPORATION AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA CORPORATION

     Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton; Right Rev. George de Charms; Kesniel C. Acton, Esq.; Mr. Carl Hj. Asplundh; Mr. Robert H. Asplundh; Mr. Geoffrey E. Blackman; Mr. Walter C. Childs; Mr. Gordon D. Cockerell; Edward H. Davis, Esq.; George C. Doering, Esq.; Mr. Alfred H. Hasen; Mr. Harvey J. Holmes; Mr. Kent Hyatt; Mr. James F. Junge; Alexander H. Lindsay, Esq.; Mr. Edward B. Lee, Jr.; Mr. H. Keith Morley; Philip C. Pendleton, Esq.; Mr. Garthowen Pitcairn; Raymond Pitcairn, Esq.; Mr. Stephen Pitcairn; Mr. Oliver I. Powell; Mr. F. G. Colley Pryke; Mr. Roy H. Rose; Mr. Gilbert M. Smith; Mr. David H. Stebbing; Mr. Ray Synnestvedt; Mr. Marvin J. Walker; Mr. Robert E. Walter; Mr. George H. Woodard.

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     Honorary Member: Mr. Sydney E. Lee

     The Clergy

     Bishops

     PENDLETON, WILLARD DANDRIDGE. Ordained June 18, 1933; 2nd Degree, September 12, 1934; 3rd Degree, June 19, 1946. Bishop of the General Church. Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church. President, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     DE CHARMS, GEORGE. Ordained June 28, 1914; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1916; 3rd Degree, March 11; 1928. Bishop Emeritus of the General Church. Vice President, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     Pastors

     ACTON, ELMO CARMAN. Ordained June 14, 1925; 2nd Degree, August 5, 1928. Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     ASPLUNDH, KURT HORIGAN. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1962. Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society. Address: 6901 Yorkshire Drive, Pittsburgh 8, Pa.
     BOYESEN, BJORN ADOLPH HILDEMAR. Ordained June 19, 1939; 2nd Degree, March 30, 1941. Pastor of the Stockholm Society. Visiting Pastor of the Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Jonkoping and Oslo Circles. Editor of NOVA ECCLESIA. Address: Aladdinsvagen 27, Bromma, Sweden.
     CHILDS, GEOFFREY STAFFORD. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1954. Pastor of the Carmel Church, Blair, Ontario. Address: R. R. 1, Blair, Ontario, Canada.
     CRANCH, HAROLD COVERT. Ordained June 19, 1941; 2nd Degree, October 25, 1942. Pastor of the Los Angeles Society. Visiting Pastor to San Francisco. Address: 346 Riverdale Drive, Glendale 4, Calif.
     FRANSON, ROY. Ordained June 19, 1953; 2nd Degree, January 29, 1956. Pastor of the groups at Dawson Creek, B. C., and Gorande Prairie, Alta., Canada. Visiting Pastor, Portland, Oregon, Spokane, Washington. Address: 1108 96th Avenue, Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada.
     GILL, ALAN. Ordained June 14, 1925; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1926. Address: 9 Ireton Road, Colchester, England.
     GLADISH, VICTOR JEREMIAH. Ordained June 17, 1928; 2nd Degree, August 5, 1928. Address: 3508 Linneman Street, Glenview, Illinois.
     HEINRICHS, DANIEL WINTHROP. Ordained June 19, 1957; 2nd Degree, April 6, 1958. Pastor of the Durban Society. Superintendent of the South African Mission. Address: 1 Mowbray Place, Musgrave Road, Durban, Natal, South Africa.
     HEINRICHS, HENRY. Ordained June 24, 1923; 2nd Degree, February 8, 1925. Part-time Assistant to the Pastor of the Kitchener Society. Address: R. R. 1, Blair, Ontario, Canada.
     HENDERSON, WILLIAM CAIRNS. Ordained June 10, 1934; 2nd Degree, April 14, 1935. Editor of NEW CRURCH LIFE. Supervising Pastor of the Advent Church, Philadelphia, Pa. Dean of the Theological School, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

563



     HOLM, BERNARD DAVID. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd Degree, January 27, 1951. Visiting Pastor in South Ohio and to the Erie Circle. Address: 521 E. Sharon Avenue, Glendale, Cincinnati 46, Ohio.
     HOWARD, GEOFFREY HORACE. Ordained June 19, 1961; 2nd Degree, June 2, 1963. Resident Pastor of the Tucson Circle. Visiting Pastor to Phoenix, Arizona, and San Diego, California. Address: 2536 N. Stuart Avenue, Tucson, Arizona.
     JUNGE, ROBERT SCHILL. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd Degree, August 11, 1957. Secretary of the General Church. Visiting Pastor to New England. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     KING, LOUIS BLAIR. Ordained June 19, 1951; 2nd Degree, April 19, 1953. Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois. Address: 73 Park Drive, Glenview, Illinois.
     LIMA, JOAO DE MENDONCA. Ordained 1st and 2nd Degrees, August 5, 1928. Pastor of the Rio de Janeiro Society. Address: Rua Visconde de Itaborai, 485, em Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
     ODHNER, HUGO LJUNGBERG. Ordained June 28, 1914; 2nd Degree, June 24, 1917. Special Teacher of Theology and Philosophy, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     ODHNER, ORMOND DE CHARMS. Ordained June 19, 1940; 2nd Degree, October 11, 1942. Instructor in Religion and History, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     PENDLETON, DANDRIDGE. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1954. Instructor in Religion, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     PRYKE, MARTIN. Ordained June 19, 1940; 2nd Degree, March 1, 1942. Pastor of the Olivet Church, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Visiting Pastor to the Montreal Circle. Address: 2 Lorraine Gardens, Islington, Ontario, Canada.
     REUTER, NORMAN HAROLD. Ordained June 17, 1928; 2nd Degree, June 15, 1930. Pastor of the Detroit Society. Address: 280 East Long Lake Road, Troy, Mich.
     RICH, MORLEY DYCKMAN. Ordained June 19, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 13, 1940. Visiting Pastor to the South-Eastern States. Address: 19820 N.E. 12th Court, Miami 62, Fla.
     ROGERS, NORBERT HENRY. Ordained June 19, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 13, 1940. Director, General Church Religion Lessons, Visiting Pastor to the New Jersey Circle. Special Instructor in Latin, Academy of the New Church. Address: 3375 Baldwin Road, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
     ROSE, DONALD LESLIE. Ordained June 16, 1957; 2nd Degree, June 23, 1963. Pastor of Michael Church, London, England. Address: 135 Mantilla Road, Tooting, London, S.W. 17, England.
     ROSE, FRANK SHIRLEY. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd Degree, August 2, 1953. Pastor of the Colchester Society. Visiting Pastor to the isolated in Great Britain and to the Circles at Paris and The Hague. Address: 185 Maldon Road, Colchester, England.
     SANDSTROM, ERIK. Ordained June 10, 1934; 2nd Degree, August 4, 1935. Secretary of the Council of the Clergy. Visiting Pastor to the Cleveland (North Ohio) Circle. Professor of Theology and Religion, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     SCHNARR, FREDERICK LAURIER. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd Degree, May 12, 1957. Pastor of the Washington, D. C., Society. Visiting Pastor in North and South Carolina. Address: 116 Enterprise Road, Rt. 556, Mitchellville, Md.
     SIMONS, DAVID RESTYN. Ordained June 19, 1948; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1950. Assistant Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church in charge of elementary education. Principal of the Bryn Athyn Elementary School. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.

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     STROH, KENNETH OLIVER. Ordained June 19, 1948; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1950. Di rector of Music, Bryn Athyn Church. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     TAYLOR, DOUGLAS MCLEOD. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1962. Pastor of the Hurstville Society. Address: 22 Dudley Street, Penshurst, New South Wales, Australia.
     WHITEHEAD, WILLIAM. Ordained June 19, 1922; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1926. Professor Emeritus of History, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     Ministers

     ACTON, ALFRED. Ordained June 19, 1964. Assistant to the Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois. Resident Minister of Sharon Church, Chicago. Instructor in the Immanuel Church School. Address: 5220 North Wayne Avenue, Chicago 40, Illinois.
     BOOLSEN, GUDMUND ULLRICH. Ordained June 19, 1961. Address: DCC, APO 25, New York, N. Y.
     BUSS, PETER MARTIN. Ordained June 19, 1964. Assistant to the Pastor of the Olivet Church, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Address: c/o the Rev. Martin Pryke, 2 Lorraine Gardens, Islington, Ontario, Canada.
     COLE, ROBERT HUDSON PENDLETON. Ordained June 16, 1963. Visiting Minister to Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah. Address: 6188 Eaten Street, Arvada, Colo.
     CRANCH, RAYMOND GREENLEAF. Ordained June 19, 1922. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     NEMITZ, KURT PAUL. Ordained June 16, 1963. Assistant to the Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois. Visiting Minister, Madison, St. Paul-Minneapolis Circles, St. Louis Group. Address: 2700 Park Lane, Glenview, Illinois.
     SONESON, LORENTZ RAY. Ordained June 16, 1963. Assistant to the Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church, Assistant to the Principal of the Bryn Athyn Elementary School. Visiting Minister to the New York Circle. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     Authorized Candidates

     FIGUEIREDO, JOSE LOPES DE. Authorized, August 15, 1951. Address: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
     GOODENOUGH, DANIEL WEBSTER. Authorized, February 12, 1964. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     HEINRICHS, WILLARD LEWIS DAVENPORT. Authorized, February 12, 1964. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     British Guiana Mission

     Pastor-in-Charge

     ALGERNON, HENRY. Ordained, 1st and 2nd Degrees, September 1, 1940. Pastor of the General Church Mission in Georgetown, British Guiana. Address: 288 Middle Street, Georgetown 4, Demerara, British Guiana, South America.

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     South African Mission

     Pastors

     BUTELEZI, STEPHEN EPHRAIM. Ordained September 11, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 3, 1948. Pastor of the Hambrook Society. Address: Hambrook Bantu School, P/B, 912, Ladysmith, Natal, South Africa.               
     LUTULI, MAFA M. Ordained October 3, 1948; 2nd Degree, April 13, 1958. Pastor of the Durban Society. Visiting Pastor to Mofolo. Address: Plot 1701 Cleremont, or P. O. Box 100, Clernaville, Natal, South Africa.
     MKIZE, SOLOMON B. Ordained August 21, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 3, 1948. Pastor of the Greylingstad Society and District. Address: P. O. Box 38, Greylingstad, Transvaal, South Africa.
     NZIMANDE, BENJAMIN ISHMAEL. Ordained August 21, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 3, 1948. Assistant to the superintendent. Pastor of the Enkumba Society, Deepdale and Bulwer Districts. Address: Enkumba Bantu School, P/B Bulwer, Natal, South Africa.
     SIBEXO, PAUL PEFENI. Ordained October 3, 1948; 2nd Degree, March 23, 1958. Pastor of the Alexandra Township Society. Visiting Pastor to Mofolo. Address: 161 11th Avenue, Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa.
     ZUNGU, AARON. Ordained August 21, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 3, 1948. Pastor of the Kent Manor Society. Address: Kent Manor, P/B 'Ntumeni, Zululand, South Africa.

     Ministers

     MAQELEPO, ARMSTRONG Ordained April 13, 1958. Minister of the Queenstown Quthing and Sterkstroom Societies. Address: Phahameng School, P. O. Box 33, Quthing, Basutoland.     
     MBEDZI, PAULUS. Ordained March 23, 1958. Assistant at Alexandra Township. Address: 131 3rd Avenue, Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa.

     Societies and Circles

     Societies

ADVENT SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA               Rev. W. Cairns Henderson (Supervisor)
BRYN ATHYN CHURCH                     Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton
CARMEL CHURCH OF KITCHENER, ONTARIO      Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs
COLCHESTER SOCIETY, ENGLAND               Rev. Frank S. Rose
DETROIT SOCIETY, MICHIGAN               Rev. Norman H. Reuter
DURBAN SOCIETY, NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA      Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs
HURSTVILLE SOCIETY, N. S. W., AUSTRALIA      Rev. Douglas Met. Taylor
IMMANUEL CHURCH OF GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS      Rev. Louis B. King
LOS ANGELES SOCIETY, CALIFORNIA           Rev. Harold C. Cranch
MICHAEL CHURCH, LONDON, ENGLAND           Rev. Donald L. Rose
OLIVET CHURCH, TORONTO, ONTARIO           Rev. Martin Pryke

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PITTSBURGH SOCIETY                         Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh
RIO DE JANEIRO SOCIETY, BRAZIL               Rev. Joao de M. Lima
SHARON CHURCH, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS           Rev. Alfred Acton (Resident)
STOCKHOLM SOCIETY, SWEDEN                    Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen
WASHINGTON SOCIETY, D. C.               Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr

     Circles
                                   Visiting Pastor or Minister
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK                     Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen
DENVER, COLORADO                         Rev. Robert H. P. Cole (Res.)
ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA                         Rev. B. David Holm
FORT WORTH, TEXAS                         Rev. Robert H. P. Cole
THE HAGUE, HOLLAND                     Rev. Frank S. Rose
JONKOPING, SWEDEN                         Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen
MADISON, WISCONSIN                         Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz
MIAMI, FLORIDA                         Rev. Morley D. Rich
MONTREAL, CANADA                         Rev. Martin Pryke
NEW YORK, N. Y.                         Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson
NORTH JERSEY                         Rev. Norbert H. Rogers
NORTH OHIO                               Rev. Erik Sandstrom
OSLO, NORWAY                         Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen
PARIS, FRANCE                          Rev. Frank S. Rose
ST. PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA           Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA                     Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA               Rev. Harold C. Cranch
SOUTH OHIO                          Rev. B. David Holm
TUCSON, ARIZONA                         Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard

     In order to avoid confusion, it seems well to observe, in the official records and the official journal of the General Church, the recognized distinctions between a "Society;" it "Circle," and a "Group."
     A "Group" consists of all interested receivers of the Heavenly Doctrine in any locality who meet together for worship and mutual instruction under the general supervision of pastors who visit them from time to time.
     A "Circle" consists of members of the General Church in any locality who are under the leadership of a regular visiting Pastor appointed by the Bishop, and who are organized by their Pastor to take responsibility for their local uses in the interim between his visits. A Group may become a Circle when, on the recommendation of the visiting Pastor, it is formally recognized as such by the Bishop.
     A "Society" or local "Church" consists of the members of the General Church in any locality who have been organized under the leadership of a resident Pastor to maintain the uses of regular worship, instruction and social life. A Circle may become a Society by application to the Bishop and formal recognition by him.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop

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     Committees of the General Church
                                                  Chairmen
British Finance Committee                    Rev. Frank S. Rose
General Church Publication Committee           Rev. Robert S. Junge
General Church Religion Lessons               Rev. Norbert H. Rogers
Committee on the Liturgy                    Rt. Rev. George de Charms
Operating Policy Committee                    Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton
Orphanage Committee                         Mr. R. W. Childs
Pension Committee                              Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal
Salary Committee                              Mr. Philip C. Pendleton          
Sound Recording Committee                    Rev. W. Cairns Henderson
Visual Education Committee                     Mr. William R. Cooper

     Address all Committees, Bryn Athyn, Pa. except the following:
Rev. Frank S. Rose, 185 Maldon Road, Colchester, England.

     ADDRESS UNKNOWN

     The General Church office has made every effort to locate the following persons whose addresses have been unknown for more than three years. If any readers have information that would enable contact with these people to be regained, please send it to the Rev. Robert S. Junge, Secretary of the General Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     1. Mr. William W. Barton
Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     2. Mr. Dale E. Beal
Clear Lake, Iowa
     3. Mr. Manuel Beck
Vancouver, B. C., Canada
     4. Mr. J. Septimus Braby
Durban, Natal, South Africa
     5. Mr. Georges F. Cosse
Clary, Nord, France

     6. Mrs. J. Frank Cox
Wheeling, W. Va.
     7. Mrs. Walter C. Crow
Chicago, Illinois
     8. Mr. Jos De San
Brussels, Belgium
     9. Mme. Henrietta De Schrijver
Brussels, Belgium
     10. Mrs. Boy H. Faulkner
Denver, Colorado
     11. Mr. John F. Finkeldey
Roslyn, Pa.
     12. Mr. Joseph Fuksa
Prague-Vinohrady, Czechoslovakia
     13. Mr. James Fuller
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
     14. Mr. Morgan W. Gardiner
O. F. S., South Africa
     15. Mrs. Laura E. Grant
Brooklyn, N. Y.
     16. Mrs. William V. Grove
New York, N. Y.
     17. Mrs. Myron E. Halley
Porter, Ohio
     18. Mrs. E. Malcom Harris
Park Rynie, Natal, South Africa
     19. Mr. Valter Hedenbratt
Gothenburg, Sweden
     20. Mr. Henry Hiebert
Elsona, B. C., Canada

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     21. Mrs. Jacob B. Hiebert
Vancouver, B. C., Canada
     22. Miss Helen M. Hoover
Philadelphia, Pa.
     23. Mr. Neil H. Johnson
Brentwood, Mo.
     24. Mr. Patrick L. Johnson
Snodland, England
     25. Pvt. R. S. Johnson
APO 39, New York, N. Y.
     26. Mr. William C. Johnson
New York, N. Y.
     27. Mr. Alfred Judd
Philadelphia, Pa.
     28. Mr. P. H. Kennedy
Columbia, S. C.
     29. Mr. James B. Kirk
     30. Mrs. Jean Kirkwood
Durban, Natal, South Africa
     31. Mr. Lars C. Knudsen
Kansas City, Kan.
     32. Mme. Joseph Krokaert-Deltenre
Brussels, Belgium
     33. Mrs. Helga C. M. Larsson
Boras, Sweden
     34. Mr. Earl R. Lester
Manitoba, Canada
     35. Mr. John B. Lewis
Mendham, N. J.
     36. Mr. Jules Martin
Lusanne, Switzerland
     37. Mrs. James Morris
Felixston, Zululand, South Africa
     38. Mr. Frank H. Moser
Cynwyd, Pa.
     39. Mrs. Robert E. Numbers
Mapleglen, Pa.
     40. Mr. William O'Brien
Los Angeles, Calif.
     41. Mr. Robert W. Peterson
Winthrop Harbor, Ill.
     42. Mrs. Agnes H. Rich
Minneapolis, Minn.
     43. Mrs. Adrienne Schmidt
Brussels, Belgium
     44. Mr. Warren H. Spooner
Philadelphia, Pa.
     45. Mr. Raymond H. Stone
Gwelo, Southern Rhodesia
     46. Mr. Ferrell N. Storey
Gulfport, Miss.
     47. Miss Ellen E. Taylor
Sterling, Mass.
     48. Mrs. Dallas Van Sickle
North Bend, Pa.
     49. Mr. John S. Webster
Columbus, Ohio
     50. Mr. Leroy E. Wilkins
Colton, Calif.
     51. Mr. Alan A. Wilson, Jr.
     52. Mr. John F. Yerkes
Quakertown, Pa.
SECRETARY'S LETTER 1964

SECRETARY'S LETTER              1964

     The secretary of the General Church, the Rev. Robert S. Junge, has mailed to all members the first of a series of occasional letters in which he hopes to discuss some of the church's uses and to answer questions about the General Church. Communication is essential to a growing church, and we welcome this effort to increase it. What is needed for success, however, is two-way communication; and we hope that the members of the church will help to make these letters really effective by reading, thinking about and discussing their contents with others, and then sending back their thoughts, suggestions and questions. Please do not assume that someone else will do this and that therefore you need not!

569


Church News 1964

Church News       Various       1964

     NEW ENGLAND

     The annual banquet of the New England group was held at Guilford, Connecticut, on September 19. The setting at the Sachem Country House Inn was lovely, despite the fact that the room provided for us was the walkway from one section of the dining area to the other. After a half hour of greetings from Connecticut to Massachusetts and Rhode Island dinner was served. Entertainment was provided by Brian Simons as everyone entered a Dale Carnegie game of talking for 15 seconds about some aspect of the New England group. The toastmaster, Mr. Elmer E. Simons was most gracious in keeping the meeting interesting and moving along. The first speaker was Mr. Allan Soderberg, whose subject was the newness of our church from the scientist's view. He was followed by Mr. George Tyler, who spoke on the depth of this newness and on trying to present our beliefs to those who show interest.
     It is now a full year that the Rev. Robert S. Junge has been with our group. We are most happy about his enthusiasm in working with us. It has also been a full year since we said "goodbye" to our much loved former visiting pastor, the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson. Mr. Henderson came faithfully to our group in all kinds of weather, bringing to us the doctrines well explained as needed. We would like to extend our deeply felt thanks to these two ministers and wish them well in their new positions.
     On Sunday, September 20, church was held at Norseman's Hall in Foxon, Connecticut. Thanks to George Tyler's watchful eye, which discovered it, this small and centrally located church has been our meeting place since last April. With the almost full complement of our groups present we had in attendance 20 adults and 15 children. There could have been at least 11 more! Seventeen persons partook of the Holy Supper.
     DOLORES B. SODERBERG

     KITCHENER, ONTARIO

     When spring came to Caryndale, the Kitchener Society got busy with rakes, seeders, rollers and mowers to turn our farmers' fields into lawns. A large group of men, women and children worked through one long Saturday on the area in front of the church building. During the summer our efforts were rewarded by the growth of a green church lawn, and new homeowners saw green yards appear around their homes.
     School closing was a delightful occasion. At an early evening service, held in the church, the eighth graders received their graduation certificates. After the service, the school entertained the society in the church hall with a charming program of songs, marches, pantomime dances, numbers played by a rhythm band and on recorders, and a choral recital of Hiawatha.
     As the Rev. Geoffrey Childs was called suddenly to Bryn Athyn because of the passing away of his mother, he was not able to be present for our celebration of the church's birthday, but Candidate Willard Heinrichs and his father, the Rev. Henry Heinrichs, ably led the society in our marking of the day. A banquet was enjoyed by the adults. After a beautiful family service on Sunday morning, held in honor of the occasion, punch was served in the assembly hall so that we could all drink a toast together and sing to the church. The celebration was completed by all gathering, after the toasts and the social hour, to eat picnic lunches on the lawn behind the church.

570



     There were many happy occasions during the summer. We enjoyed havingCandidate Willard Heinrichs with us. As he grew up in our society, it gave us great pleasure to have him spend his candidate summer with us. His sermons, classes, and talks to the Women's Guild, the men's group and the young people were very much enjoyed. It was a pleasure to have a visit from Dr. Odhner and his wife, and the Rev. and Mrs. Alan Gill and daughter Berith were welcomed with warm affection. During the reception held for them at the manse Mr. Gill surprised and delighted us all by announcing the engagement of his daughter Vanny to Mr. Richard Fisher. We were all very happy that Vanny and her parents could be together at that time.
     During the summer Mr. Nathaniel Stroh passed into the spiritual world. During his life on earth he had delighted in church services and in performing uses for the society. For many, many years he was our music director. He played for services, led singing practice and organized groups to play instrumental music for weddings and special services. He delighted in conversing with his fellow New Church men at gatherings and responded with warmth and interest to banquet speeches and classes. We will miss him in our society, but we are glad that he will be able to perform in the spiritual world the uses he loved, no longer hampered by an ailing natural body.
     During the spring and summer, Mr. Roger Kuhl busily turned two of the rooms in his walkout basement into an apartment for our new teacher, Miss Laura Gladish, so that she could live in Caryndale. We were all happy to welcome "Miss Laura" and hope that she will be happy teaching in the Carmel Church school.
     School opened happily in September, and shortly afterwards the regular schedule of society classes and meetings began for the season. This year our busy pastor will be aided by visits from the Olivet Society's pastor, the Rev. Martin Pryke, and his assistant, the Rev. Peter Buss. Each will take an occasional Sunday morning service and will deliver a series of Friday doctrinal classes. We look forward to their visits.
     Two more families moved into new homes in Caryndale last fall, and excavating was started for two new houses which will be completed some time during the winter. We are happy to report that the community of Caryndale is steadily growing.
     RITA K. BRUECKMAN

     BRYN ATHYN, PA.

     In light-hearted moments, Bryn Athynites often joke about their busy life in the community. September to June seems to be one meeting or activity after another. It is becoming increasingly difficult to design a calendar to include everything. Some members, however, are taking a serious look at our activities to find ways to control or organize the community's growing complexity. Conscientious parents continually feel the "double-bind": attending addresses and classes on the importance of the home sphere and more parental guidance; meanwhile having a teen-age baby-sitter caring for the family. The more one participates in the countless good causes under way in this community, the more one is tempted to offer time and energy. In addition, the more one becomes engrossed in a specific use, the more valuable and thus indispensable he becomes.
     Time needs to be carefully budgeted, with individuals as well as with communities. Uses need to be evaluated by priority, but this is often very difficult. The society, country and church are certainly the greater neighbor, but they are meaningless without a solid family unit. In a sense, not only the school but the community and the country are but extensions of the family unit.
     Bryn Athynites recognize their community is a unique one in the church. Besides their responsibility to their local school and normal society functions, they are called on to meet additional responsibilities not so well known throughout the General Church. As parents of Academy students they offer countless hours chaperoning dances and other school activities.

571


But they also realize an obligation to the dorm students who need the sphere of New Church homes. As a society, Bryn Athyn has done an unusually fine service in opening its homes to students attending the Academy from other societies. No other society in the church has this added responsibility. A substantial proportion of the community makes up the Academy faculty, and their work involves many afternoon and evening activities with the students. As a result, limitations of time and energy preclude many in this group from wholehearted support of local society uses.
     Besides being a large, complex society and the home of the Academy schools, Bryn Athyn is also the seat of the Bishop. Many of the isolated as well as newcomers to the church do not appreciate the numerous uses carried on by the General Church in Bryn Athyn. Space does not permit a listing of them here, but the point is raised because all of these activities entail endless hours from volunteer laymen. Theta Alpha religion lessons and the Sound Recording Committee are but two that entail services from local residents in Bryn Athyn. In fact, exclusive of the Academy, there are over two hundred offices and active committee positions to be filled by Bryn Athyn residents every year.
     Another area that deserves recognition is entertaining. Bryn Athynites have earned an undisputed reputation as outstanding hosts to visiting New Church men. Every year they open their homes to an increasing number of guests attending school opening, Charter Day, the four festival weekends, ministers and teachers meetings, and Commencement weekend, planning and carrying out such entertaining involves many people. Hostessing for these regular events every year is not only a privilege and a delight, but it is a unique responsibility for the Bryn Athyn Society.
     All of these activities facing the less than eight hundred Bryn Athyn residents are being carefully reviewed with concern. The school is examining what activities could be reduced or eliminated without seriously injuring its uses. A questionnaire is being compiled to analyze the distribution of the workload among local members. Parents are reevaluating their weekly schedule of "nights out" to bring it into balance with their obligation to their home life.
     The result of this community's self examination cannot help but be of benefit to the whole church as well as to local members. Periodic re-evaluation of uses is a teaching of our church, and it applies to the individual as well as the community. Only in this way can tradition take its proper subservient role to a life of principle. As we grow, needs and states change, but if our love is to serve the neighbor intelligently, both individually and collectively, the Lord will show us the way.
     LORENTZ SONESON

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS

     A society goes from high gear into low as summer is reached, but just before the slowdown there comes a great spurt of excitement. So it was here. The Girls Club had a mothers and daughters banquet; the members of Theta Alpha held their annual banquet; Mrs. Smith and her gym class gave a recital in gymnastics; the Society had its annual meeting; Mrs. Harer and Mrs. Barry put their well trained pupils through a singing concert; the various piano teachers had year-end recitals; the school gave a concert; there was a farewell party for Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Smith; the Madison Circle planned a lovely picnic for our Society; and, as could be expected, there were teenage parties galore. The pinnacle of our activities was the celebration of New Church Day.
     The Nineteenth of June was celebrated with a family service at 11:00 a.m. Gifts to the children followed, and in the afternoon there was a picnic on the ball field. In the evening a service for the adults was held and the Holy Supper was administered.
     During the summer there were four beautiful weddings. Elizabeth Gladish became Mrs. Donald Lips in an afternoon ceremony; Anna Kitzelman and Mark Mergen were married during a candlelit service; Jane Scalbom and LeRoy Streicher were wed in an afternoon ceremony with many little children present in the audience and in attendance on the bridal procession; and the latest marriage ceremony was in the evening, with Suzanne Cranch becoming the bride of Bruce Fuller.

572



     The big project which is engrossing our Society at present is the enlarging of Pendleton Hall to provide for an addition to the school. The school closed early when the possibility of this addition became a certainty, so that work could commence immediately. It was hoped that the work would be completed in time for school opening in the fall. However, as happens so often, the work of construction went more slowly than had been anticipated; and although school started later than usual, on September 21, the building is far from ready, and the opening exercises had to be held in the old building.
     Our school has approximately 130 pupils and a teaching staff of sixteen. The space situation has been greatly improved by the use of the old library room, but the library itself is defunct.
     The various organizations of the society will start pursuing their aims for the coming season under new leadership. The Sons' president is Neil Caldwell; the Theta Alpha president is Gwen Tessing; the Building Committee head is Louis Cole, Jr.; the Social Club president is Roy Fuller; the Women's Club president is Marianne Gladish; the Girls Club president is Kervynne Brewer. The remaining two organizations, Pastor's Council and the Board of Finance, are headed by the pastor.
     For faithful service during the long hot summer a vote of thanks goes to the staff of the Park News for its constant reporting, which kept us knit together in mutual awareness of one another's joys and uses. A vote of thanks goes also to those unsung heroines, the organists, for their constant service; and yet another vote of thanks goes to a small group of ladies who faithfully plant, weed and water the courtyard. Of course, all those who give of their services without thought of reward have our gratitude, but the above are seldom mentioned.
     After seventeen years of quietly and efficiently managing the precarious finances of this society, Mr. Alan Fuller has slipped out of the office of treasurer, and, with the offer of a helping hand, has turned it over to Dick Brickman and Roger Murdock. For his long hours of gratuitous work, for the confidences he kept and the barrages of questions he answered so benignly, for the charity he exerted, we thank him very heartily. With appreciation, we now turn to Dick and Roger to handle this mammoth job.
     This year, for the first time, the pastor has some secretarial assistance with his school and administrative correspondence. Mrs. Bill Hugo (Loretta) is filling this position; and later, when the library is again put to use, she will pursue its functions, with Mrs. David Gladish, the former librarian, helping her to learn the ropes.
     Mr. Alfred Umberger turned over the work of recording secretary of the Society to Mr. Robert Brickman, who was also elected to the post of secretary of the General Council. Mr. Justin Synnestvedt and his wife and child have moved into the apartment at 32 Park Drive. Mr. Synnestvedt is the teacher of the upper grades. A new house is being built in the Park by Greta and Hunter Reynolds. This will make it far more convenient for their boys to attend school. There is a rumor that two more new homes are planned for the Park.
     With school opening and society functions starting we are commencing what we expect to be a happy and useful year.
     VERA KITZELMAN

     CHARTER DAY

     The alumni of the Academy, usually just the principal observers of the Charter Day proceedings, played an active role in this year's 48th Charter Day weekend. Much of the attention fell to the Sons of the Academy and the Theta Alpha, drawing into focus the uses the alumni may still perform for the Academy.
     The weekend got under way on the eve of Charter Day with an open house at the Academy. Close to 100 visitors heard a discussion of the religion curricula in the Academy schools, presented by the Rev. Ormond Odhner.

573



     Charter Day morning began with the procession to the cathedral, continuing the new custom of having the class banners carried by the college students, in the warm, sunny weather that favored the entire weekend.
     The Rev. Erik Sandstrom delivered the address in the service, pointing up the essential relation of truth to freedom. He emphasized that the Academy was founded upon the principle that "the truth shall make you free," stating that truth is the prerequisite to true freedom. Self-discipline, he pointed out, is a direct result of the application of truth to life, and is consequently the beginning of freedom.
     Following the traditional singing in front of Benade Hall after the service, 135 attended the Charter Day luncheon at Casa Conti. They and the rest of the students and alumni returned in the afternoon to be thrilled by a 26-8 victory over the Williamson Trade School on the football field. The scene shifted a few hours later from the happy outdoor mood to the festive atmosphere of the Asplundh Field House as hundreds danced and renewed acquaintances under the colorful setting of the Academy banners.
     Saturday morning was taken up with meetings, beginning with the Board of Directors of the General Church. The Sons executive meeting in the Academy was followed by a luncheon at the Civic and Social Club, attended by 112 Sons. The Theta Alpha held its 61st annual service and meeting in the Assembly Hall, which was topped off with a congenial luncheon. The service was conducted by the Rev. Lorentz Soneson. The Corporation of the Academy met in the Council Hall in the afternoon to conclude the day's meetings.
     The Charter Day banquet, Saturday evening, offered a change of pace for the 550 guests, as the program was turned over to the Sons rather than presented by the Academy. Bishop Pendleton introduced Marlyn Smith, international president of the Sons, as toastmaster for the excellent program. Mr. Smith pointed out that while the program usually gives a view of the Academy from within, this year the talks would present an evaluation of the uses and support of the Academy from without.
     This was ably accomplished through three speakers, one an alumni member of the Sons, another an alumni member of Theta Alpha and the third an "adopted alumnus"-one who had no schooling in the Academy but now works actively for it.
     Walter Childs of Detroit spoke first as an alumnae Sons member, emphasizing that the current work of the Sons is just a beginning of its envisioned role of service to the Academy, and that it must continue to grow and expand its uses as the Academy grows.
     Mrs. David Simons, representing the Theta Alpha, spoke on the topic of "The Role of the Woman and the Mother in the Academy," focusing her attention on the choices that a New Church woman must make. She spoke of the need for a proper balance of uses, stating that the choices must revolve around her obligations to her husband and family, as well as the society and the church, and be properly balanced so as to aid best the growth of the Lord's New Church.     
     George H. Woodard, speaking as the "adopted alumnus," talked on "The Layman's Contribution to the Academy." He suggested that the Sons and Theta Alpha, as well as other church organizations, offer more uses for people to contribute to the church than there are people themselves. He stated that the highest use of any such organization is to introduce the young people (Academy graduates and newcomers, into the uses of the Academy and the General Church. He said that the need now is for more of us to dedicate ourselves to these uses.
     Bishop Pendleton responded to the speeches with thanks for "a thoughtful evening." He said that his thoughts went back 88 years to the men who made a formal commitment to New Church education, expressed through the simple conviction that "New Church education is needed." He stated that these men saw this education as the key to the internal growth and development of the Church.
     In his inspiring remarks, he added that this growth and development may be measured and judged only though an intangible, "a sense of importance" which gives reassurance.

574


He said that it will continue only as we continue to believe in it and consider it important. The key question, he pointed out, is how important it will always be to us in relation to other things.
     He then spoke eloquently of the cause of the Academy, stating that children can always sense a dedication in their parents to a cause. The cause of the church is one to which few have been called, he pointed out, and we may strengthen it only through continually expanding the knowledge and life of the church. "This is the only mission of the Academy," he said.
     He inspired the attentive crowd with his statement that "we have a right to walk proudly in our use." He stated that such observances as Charter Day exist because they "enable us to rise above ourselves and see the challenge, measure ourselves," then return to our individual uses with a real sense of the importance of what it is that we, as New Church men, have been called upon to do.
     BRUCE HENDERSON
FOLLOWING THE LORD 1964

FOLLOWING THE LORD              1964

     "No one can follow the Lord from self, but only from the Lord Himself. For the Lord draws after Him the man who from freedom wills to follow but He can draw no one who does not will to follow, Him. For the Lord so operates in man that man may follow Him as if of himself; thus does the Lord flow into man's freedom, and this He does for the sake of the reception and implantation of truth and good in man and consequent reformation and regeneration.
     "Unless it appeared to man that he followed the Lord as if of himself, that is, acknowledged! His Divine and did His commandments as if of himself, there would be no appropriation and conjunction, and thus no reformation and regeneration. For everything that man receives in freedom, that is, as if of himself, whether it be what he thinks and speaks or what he wills and does as if of himself, that enters into the man and becomes as if it were his. And yet man ought to believe, as the matter really is, that he does these things not from himself but from the Lord; and this is why it is said that he must act not of himself but as if of himself.
     "Another reason for this is that man has no perception of the Lord's operation into his will and into his thought therefrom; for man knows nothing about his conjunction with angels. Consequently he supposes that whatever he wills and thinks he wills and thinks from himself, therefore he cannot know otherwise than that this is done by himself; and yet all good flows in, that which he thinks, that which he wills, and that which he consequently does. And as he knows this from the doctrine of the church, namely, that all good is from God, he ought to believe that he does not do good of himself." (AE 864)

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General Church of the New Jerusalem 1964

General Church of the New Jerusalem       ROBERT S. JUNGE       1964




     Announcements





     ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS

     The Annual Meetings of the Council of the Clergy and of the Board of Directors of the Corporations of the General Church have been scheduled to take place in the week of January 24-30, 1965, at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.
     ROBERT S. JUNGE,
          Secretary
Academy of the New Church 1964

Academy of the New Church              1964

     APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION

     Preliminary letters concerning applications for admission to any of the schools of the Academy of the New Church for the academic year 1965-1966 should reach the Director of Admissions before February 1, 1965. This deadline applies both to new applications and to applications for readmission of students already in attendance. Letters which arrive after this date will be processed after work is completed on those which arrived before the deadline.
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN 1964

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN              1964

     People coming to Bryn Athyn on any occasion who need assistance in finding accommodation will please communicate with the Hostess Committee. Please address letters to: The Hostess Committee, c/o Mrs. Roy M. Rose, Bryn Athyn, Pa.