Chapter VII: Preface (6)

“I believe that there is one, and but one, living and true GOD;
that the word of GOD, contained in the Scriptures of the Old and
New Testament, is the only perfect rule of faith and practice;
that, agreeably to those Scriptures, GOD is a Spirit, infinite,
eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness,
justice, goodness, and truth; that in the Godhead are three
Persons, the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY GHOST; and that those
THREE are ONE GOD, the same in substance, equal in power and
glory; that God created man, after his own image, in knowledge,
righteousness, and holiness; that the glory of GOD is man’s chief
end, and the enjoyment of GOD his supreme happiness; that this
enjoyment is derived solely from conformity of heart to the moral
character and will of GOD; that ADAM, the federal head and
representative of the human race, was placed in a state of
probation, and that, in consequence of his disobedience, all his
descendants were constituted sinners; that, by nature, every man
is personally depraved, destitute of holiness, unlike and opposed
to GOD; and that, previously to the renewing agency of the DIVINE
SPIRIT, all his moral actions are adverse to the character and
glory of GOD; that, being morally incapable of recovering the
image of his CREATOR, which was lost in ADAM, every man is justly
exposed to eternal damnation; so that, except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of GOD; that GOD, of his mere good
pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, and
that he entered into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of
this state of sin and misery by a REDEEMER; that the only REDEEMER
of the elect is the eternal SON of GOD, who, for this purpose,
became man, and continues to be GOD and man, in two distinct
natures, and one person, forever; that CHRIST, as our Redeemer,
executeth the office of a Prophet, Priest, and King; that,
agreeably to the covenant of redemption, the SON of GOD, and he
alone, by his sufferings and death, has made atonement for the
sins of all men; that repentance, faith, and holiness, are the
personal requisites in the gospel scheme of salvation; that the
righteousness of CHRIST is the only ground of a sinner’s
justification; that this righteousness is received through faith;
and that this faith is the gift of GOD; so that our salvation is
wholly of grace; that no means whatever can change the heart of a
sinner, and make it holy; that regeneration and sanctification are
effects of the creating and renewing agency of the HOLY SPIRIT,
and that supreme love to GOD constitutes the essential difference
between saints and sinners; that, by convincing us of our sin and
misery, enlightening our minds, working faith in us, and renewing
our wills, the HOLY SPIRIT makes us partakers of the benefits of
redemption; and that the ordinary means by which these benefits
are communicated to us, are the word, sacraments, and prayer; that
repentance unto life, faith to feed upon CHRIST, love to GOD, and
new obedience, are the appropriate qualifications for the Lord’s
supper; and that a Christian church ought to admit no person to
its holy communion, before he exhibit credible evidence of his
godly sincerity; that perseverance in holiness is the only method
of making our calling and election sure, and that the final
perseverance of saints, though it is the effect of the special
operation of GOD on their hearts, necessarily implies their own
watchful diligence; that they who are effectually called, do, in
this life, partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification,
and the several benefits which do either accompany or flow from
them; that the souls of believers are, at their death, made
perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; that
their bodies, being still united to CHRIST, will, at the
resurrection, be raised up to glory, and that the saints will be
made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of GOD, to all
eternity: but that the wicked will awake to shame and everlasting
contempt, and, with devils, be plunged into the lake that burneth
with fire and brimstone forever and ever. I moreover believe that
GOD, according to the counsel of his own will, and for his own
glory, hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, and that all
beings, actions, and events, both in the natural and moral world,
are under his providential direction; that GOD’S decrees perfectly
consist with human liberty, GOD’S universal agency with the agency
of man, and man’s dependence with his accountability; that man has
understanding and corporeal strength to do all that GOD requires
of him; so that nothing but the sinner’s aversion to holiness
prevents his salvation; that it is the prerogative of GOD to bring
good out of evil, and that he will cause the wrath and rage of
wicked men and devils to praise him; and that all the evil which
has existed, and will forever exist, in the moral system, will
eventually be made to promote a most important purpose, under the
wise and perfect administration of that ALMIGHTY BEING, who will
cause all things to work for his own glory, and thus fulfil all
his pleasure.”

Declaration.

“And, furthermore, I do solemnly promise that I will open and
explain the Scriptures to my pupils with integrity and
faithfulness; that I will maintain and inculcate the Christian
faith, as expressed in the creed, by me now repeated, together
with all the other doctrines and duties of our holy religion, so
far as may appertain to my office, according to the best light GOD
shall give me, and in opposition, not only to Atheists and
Infidels, but to Jews, Papists, Mahometans, Arians, Pelagians,
Antinomians, Arminians, Socinians, Sabellians, Unitarians, and
Universalists, and to all heresies and errors, ancient and modern,
which may be opposed to the gospel of CHRIST, or hazardous to the
souls of men; that, by my instruction, counsel, and example, I
will endeavor to promote true piety and godliness; that I will
consult the good of this INSTITUTION, and the peace of the
churches of our Lord Jesus Christ on all occasions; and that I
will religiously conform to the constitution and laws of this
SEMINARY, and to the statutes of this foundation.”

The foregoing creed is considered a summary of what is commonly called the ASSEMBLY’S CATECHISM.

The _Westminster Assembly_ met in London, in the reign of Charles I, A. D. 1643. It was a synod of learned divines, assembled by order of parliament, for the purpose of settling the government, liturgy, and doctrine, of the church of England.

NEW HAVEN ORTHODOX CREED.

Considerable anxiety existed, a few years since, in regard to the Orthodoxy of the Rev. Dr. TAYLOR, professor of divinity at Yale College, at New Haven, in the state of Connecticut. The following letter from Dr. TAYLOR to the Rev. Dr. HAWES, of Hartford, contains a full exposition of the religious views of that distinguished theologian:—

YALE COLLEGE, _Feb. 1, 1832._

“Dear Brother:

“I thank you for yours of the 23d ult., in which you express your
approbation of my preaching during the protracted meetings at
Hartford. This expression of fraternal confidence is grateful to
me, not because I ever supposed that we differed in our views of
the great doctrines of the gospel, but because, for some reason or
other, an impression has been made, to some extent, _that I am
unsound in the faith_. This impression, I feel bound to say, in my
own view, is wholly groundless and unauthorized. You think,
however, that ‘I owe it to myself, to the institution with which I
am connected, and to the Christian community, to make a frank and
full statement of my views of some of the leading doctrines of the
gospel, and that this cannot fail to relieve the minds of many,
who are now suspicious of my Orthodoxy.’

“Here I must be permitted to say, that the repeated and full
statements of my opinions, which I have already made to the
public, would seem to be sufficient to prevent or remove such
suspicions. The course you propose, however, may furnish
information to some who would desire it before they form an
opinion, as well as the means of correcting the misrepresentations
of others. I therefore readily comply with your request, and
submit to your disposal the following statement of my belief on
some of the leading doctrines of the gospel. I believe,—

“1. That there are three persons in one God,—the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost.

“2. That the eternal purposes of God extend to all actual events,
sin not excepted; or that God foreordains whatsoever comes to
pass, and so executes these purposes, as to leave the free moral
agency of man unimpaired.

“3. That all mankind, in consequence of the fall of Adam, are born
destitute of holiness, and are by nature totally depraved; in
other words, that all men, from the commencement of moral agency,
do, without the interposition of divine grace, sin, and only sin,
in all their moral conduct.

“4. That an atonement for sin has been made for all mankind by the
Lord Jesus Christ; that this atonement was necessary to magnify
the law, and to vindicate and unfold the justice of God in the
pardon of sin; and that the sinner who believes in the Lord Jesus
Christ is freely justified on the ground of his atoning sacrifice,
and on that ground alone.

“5. That the change in regeneration is a _moral_ change,
consisting in a new, holy disposition, or governing purpose of the
heart, as a permanent principle of action; in which change, the
sinner transfers the _supreme_ affection of his heart from all
inferior objects to the living God, chooses him as the portion of
his soul, and his service and glory as his supreme good, and thus,
in respect to moral character, becomes a _new man_.

“6. That this moral change is never produced in the human heart by
_moral suasion_, i. e., by the mere influence of truth and
motives, as the Pelagians affirm, but is produced by the influence
of the Holy Spirit, operating on the mind through the truth, and
in perfect consistency with the nature of moral action, and laws
of moral agency.

“7. That all men (in the words of the article of your church) may
accept of the offers of salvation freely made to them in the
gospel, but that no one will do this, except he be drawn by the
Father.

“8. That the necessity of the influence of the Holy Spirit in
regeneration results solely from the voluntary perverseness of the
sinner’s heart, or disinclination to serve God, which, while it
leaves him a complete moral agent, and without excuse for
neglecting his duty, suspends his actual salvation on the
sovereign will of God.

“9. That the renewing grace of God is _special_, in distinction
from that which is common, and is resisted by the sinful mind,
inasmuch as it is that which is designed to secure, and does
infallibly secure, the conversion of the sinner.

“10. That all who are renewed by the Holy Spirit are elected or
chosen of God from eternity, that they should be holy, not on
account of foreseen faith, or good works, but according to the
good pleasure of his will.

“11. That all who are renewed by the Holy Spirit, will, through
his continual influence, persevere in holiness to the end, and
obtain eternal life.

“Such is my faith in respect to some of the lending doctrines of
the gospel. These doctrines I preach; these I teach in the
theological department of this Seminary; these I have repeatedly
published to the world. With what truth or justice any regard me
as a ‘teacher of theology, introducing heresy into our churches,’
the candid can judge.

“But it may be asked, whether, after all, there are not some
points on which I differ from my brethren generally, or, at least,
from some of them. I answer,—It would be strange if any two man
should be found to agree exactly in all the minute matters of
religious opinion. With respect, however, to what is properly
considered the Orthodox or Calvinistic SYSTEM of doctrines, as
including the great FACTS of Christianity, and as opposed to, and
distinguished from, the Unitarian, Pelagian, and Arminian
_systems_, I suppose there is between the Orthodox ministry and
myself an entire agreement. In respect to comparatively minor
points, and philosophical theories, and modes of defending the
Calvinistic system of doctrines, there has always been, as you are
aware, a diversity of opinion, with freedom of discussion, among
the Calvinists in this country, especially in New England, but
which has never impaired their fellowship or mutual confidence. To
these topics of difference, greater or less importance has been
attached by different individuals. In respect to some of these,
(and, in respect to them, I suppose myself to agree with a large
majority of our Calvinistic clergy,) I will now briefly but
frankly state what I do _not_, and what I do, believe.

“I do _not_ believe that the posterity of Adam are, in the proper
sense of the language, guilty of his sin; or that the ill desert
of that sin is truly theirs; or that they are punished for that
sin. But I do believe that, by the wise and holy constitution of
God, all mankind, in consequence of Adam’s sin, become sinners by
their own act.

“I do _not_ believe that the nature of the human mind, which God
creates, is itself sinful; or that God punishes men for the nature
which he creates; or that sin pertains to any thing in the mind
which precedes all conscious mental exercise or action, and which
is neither a matter of consciousness nor of knowledge. But I do
believe that sin, universally, is no other than selfishness, or a
_preference_ of one’s self to all others,—of some inferior good to
God; that this free, voluntary preference is a permanent principle
of action in all the unconverted; and that this is sin, and all
that in the Scriptures is meant by sin. I also believe that such
is the _nature_ of the human mind, that it becomes the occasion of
universal sin in men in all the appropriate circumstances of their
existence, and that, therefore, they are truly and properly said
to be sinners _by nature_.

“I do _not_ believe that sin can be proved to be the necessary
means of the greatest good, and that, as such, God prefers it, on
the whole, to holiness in its stead; or that a God of sincerity
and truth punishes his creatures for doing that which he, on the
whole, prefers they should do, and which, as the means of good, is
the best thing they can do. But I do believe that holiness, as the
means of good, may be better than sin; that it may be true that
God, all things considered, prefers holiness to sin in all
instances in which the latter takes place, and, therefore,
sincerely desires that all men should come to repentance, though,
for wise and good reasons, he _permits_, or does not prevent, the
existence of sin. I do _not_ believe that it can be proved that an
omnipotent God would be _unable_ to secure more good by means of
the perfect and universal obedience of his creatures, if they
would render it, than by means of their sin. But I do believe that
it may involve a dishonorable limitation of his power to suppose
that he could not do it.(3)

“I do _not_ believe that the grace of God can be truly said to be
_irresistible_, in the primary, proper import of this term. But I
do believe that, in all cases, it _may be_ resisted by man as a
free moral agent, and that, when it becomes effectual to
conversion, as it infallibly does in the case of all the elect, it
is _unresisted_.

“I do _not_ believe that the grace of God is necessary, as
Arminians and some others maintain, to render man an accountable
agent, and responsible for rejecting the offers of eternal life.
But I do believe that man would be such an agent, and thus
responsible, were no such grace afforded, and that otherwise
‘grace would be no more grace.’

“I do _not_ believe that it is necessary that the sinner, in using
the means of regeneration, should commit sin in order to become
holy. But I do believe that, as a moral agent, he is qualified so
to use these means, i. e., the truth of God when present to his
mind, as to become holy at once; that he is authorized to believe
that, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, this _may be_ done;
and that, except in so doing, he cannot be truly and properly said
to _use_ the means of regeneration.

“I do _not_ believe that we are authorized to assure the sinner,
as Arminians do, and some others also, that the Holy Spirit is
always ready to convert him. But I do believe that we are
authorized to assure any sinner that it _may be true_ that the
Holy Spirit is now ready to convert him; ‘that God PERADVENTURE
will now give him repentance;’ and that thus, in view of the
possible intervention of divine influence, we remove what would
otherwise be a ground of fatal discouragement to the sinner, when
we exhort him to immediate repentance.

“I have dwelt the more on some of these particulars, because much
pains has been taken, by some individuals, to make the impression
that I have departed from the true faith respecting the influences
of the Holy Spirit, even denying his influences altogether. So far
is this from the fact, that, as you well know, no one attaches
higher importance to this doctrine than I do, preaches it more
decisively, or appreciates more highly its practical relations and
bearings. In my own view, the power of the gospel on the mind of
the sinner very much consists in the two great facts of his
complete moral agency as the basis of his obligation, of his
guilt, and of his duty;—and of his dependence on the sovereign
grace of God, resulting from his voluntary perverseness in sin.
Without the latter, we could, in my opinion, neither show the
Christian what thanks he owes his Deliverer from sin, nor awaken
the sinner to flee from the wrath to come. This doctrine seems to
be indispensable to destroy the presumptuous reliance of the
sinner on future repentance, as it shows him how fearfully he
provokes an offended God to withhold the grace on which all
depends. At the same time, one thing is indubitably certain, viz.,
that God never revealed the doctrine of the sinner’s dependence on
his Spirit, to present the sinner from doing his duty at once. God
does not call sinners to instant compliance with the terms of
life, and then assure them that such compliance is utterly out of
the question, and to be wholly despaired of. The opposite
impression, however, is not uncommon; and it is an error not less
fatal to immediate repentance, than the fond hope of repenting
hereafter. Both are to be destroyed; and he who does not preach
the gospel in that manner which tends to destroy both, preaches it
but imperfectly.

“In the earlier revivals of this country, great prominence was
given, in the preaching, to the doctrine of dependence, in the
forms of regeneration, election, &c. This was what was to be
expected from the Calvinistic preachers of the time, in view of
the prevalence of Arminianism. In the more recent revivals,
however, a similar prominence seems to be given to moral agency,
in the forms of present obligation to duty, its present
practicability, &c. The preaching, thus distinguished in its more
prominent characteristics, has been undeniably owned and blessed
by the Spirit of God, although we are very apt to believe that
what is true of one kind of preaching at one time, must be true of
it at another. Now, I believe that both the doctrines of
dependence and moral accountability must be _admitted by the
public mind_, to secure upon that mind the full power of the
gospel. I also believe that greater or less _prominence_ should be
given to the one or the other of these doctrines, according to the
prevailing state of public opinion. When, at the earlier periods
alluded to, the doctrine of dependence was dwelt on chiefly, (I do
not suppose exclusively,) the public mind believed enough—I might
say too much—concerning the free moral agency of man, and had not
so well learned as since to pervert the doctrine of dependence to
justify the waiting attitude of a passive recipient. And, then,
both doctrines told with power on the mind and the conscience,
and, through God, were attended with great and happy results. But
the prominence given to the doctrine of dependence, in preaching,
was continued, until, if I mistake not, it so engrossed the public
attention, and so obscured or weakened the doctrine of
responsibility, that many fell into the opposite error of quietly
waiting for God’s interposition. Hence, when this prevailing error
is again corrected by a more prominent exhibition of man’s
responsibility, in the form of immediate obligation, &c., the
power of both doctrines is again combined on the public mind, and
we see the same or even greater results in revivals of religion.
Nor would it be strange if the latter kind of preaching should, in
its turn, prevail so exclusively and so long, that the practical
influence of the doctrine of dependence should be greatly
impaired, to be followed with another dearth of revivals and a
quiet reliance of sinful men on their own self-sufficiency. On
this subject, I have often, in view of the tendency of the human
mind to vacillate from one extreme to the other, expressed my
apprehensions. In some of my brethren, whom I love and respect, I
see what I esteem a _disproportioned_ estimate of the importance
of preaching dependence; in others, whom I equally respect, I see
what I regard as a _disproportioned_ estimate of the importance of
preaching moral responsibility. In regard to myself, I can say
that I have aimed, in this respect, rightly to divide the word of
truth, and that those discourses in which I have best succeeded in
bringing the two doctrines to bear, in their combined force, on
the mind, have been more blessed to the awakening and conversion
of sinners, than almost any others which I preach. When both
doctrines are wisely and truly presented, the sinner has no
resting-place. Ho cannot well avoid a sense of guilt while
proposing to remain in his sins, for he sees that he is a free
moral agent, under all the responsibilities of such an agent to
immediate duty. He cannot well presume on his resolution of future
repentance, for he sees that sovereign, injured grace may at once
abandon him to hopeless sin. He is thus shut up to the faith,—to
the immediate performance of his duty. In accordance with these
views, I aim, in my instructions to those who are preparing for
the ministry, to inculcate the importance of a consistent,
well-proportioned exhibition of the two great doctrines of the
sinner’s dependence and responsibility, that, in this respect,
they may hold the minds of their hearers under the full influence
of that gospel which is the power of God to salvation.

“I have thus stated, more minutely, perhaps, than you anticipated,
my views and opinions. I could wish that they might be
satisfactory to all our Orthodox brethren. I have no doubt that
they will be to very many, and to some who have been alarmed by
groundless rumors concerning my unsoundness in the faith. With
respect to what I have called _leading doctrines_, I regard these
as among the cardinal truths of the Christian system. They are
truths to which I attach the highest importance, and in which my
faith is more and more confirmed, the more I examine the word of
God. To _some_ of those of which I have spoken as _comparatively
minor points_, I attach a high importance in their practical
bearings and doctrinal connections. They are points, however, in
regard to which there is more or less diversity of opinion among
the Orthodox; and, as it is not my intention nor my practice to
denounce others as heretics, merely because they differ from me in
these matters, so I should be pleased with the reciprocation of
the like catholicism on their part.”

SWEDENBORGIANS, OR, THE NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.

Emanuel Swedenborg, the father of this sect, was the son of a bishop of West Gothnia, in the kingdom of Sweden, whose name was Swedberg, a man of considerable learning and celebrity in his time. The son was born at Stockholm, January 29, 1688, and died in London, 1772. He enjoyed early the advantages of a liberal education, and, being naturally endowed with uncommon talents for the acquirement of learning, his progress in the sciences was rapid and extensive, and he soon distinguished himself by several publications in the Latin language, which gave proof of equal genius and erudition. It may reasonably be supposed that, under the care of his pious and reverend father, our author’s religious instruction was not neglected. This, indeed, appears plain from the general tenor of his life and writings, which are marked with strong and lively characters of a mind deeply impressed with a sense of the divine Being, and of all the relative duties thence resulting. He was ennobled in the year 1719, by Queen Ulrica Eleonora, and named Swedenborg, from which time he took his seat with the nobles of the equestrian order, in the triennial assembly of the states.

Baron Swedenborg had many eccentricities; but perhaps the most remarkable circumstance respecting him was his asserting that, during the uninterrupted period of twenty-seven years, he enjoyed open intercourse with the world of departed spirits, and during that time was instructed in the internal sense of the sacred Scriptures, hitherto undiscovered.

_Articles of Faith, Of the New Church, signified by the New Jerusalem in the Revelation._

“1. That JEHOVAH GOD, the Creator and Preserver of heaven and earth, is Love Itself and Wisdom Itself, or Good Itself and Truth Itself: That he is One both in Essence and in Person, in whom, nevertheless, is the Divine Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which are the Essential Divinity, the Divine Humanity, and the Divine Proceeding, answering to the soul, the body, and the operative energy, in man: And that the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is that GOD.

“2. That JEHOVAH GOD himself descended from heaven, as Divine Truth, which is the Word, and took upon him Human Nature for the purpose of removing from man the powers of hell, and restoring to order all things in the spiritual world, and all things in the church: That he removed from man the powers of hell, by combats against and victories over them; in which consisted the great work of Redemption: That by the same acts, which were his temptations, the last of which was the passion of the cross, he united, in his Humanity, Divine Truth to Divine Good, or Divine Wisdom to Divine Love, and so returned into his Divinity in which he was from eternity, together with, and in, his Glorified Humanity; whence he forever keeps the infernal powers in subjection to himself: And that all who believe in him, with the understanding, from the heart, and live accordingly, will be saved.

“3. That the Sacred Scripture, or Word of GOD, is Divine Truth itself; containing a Spiritual Sense heretofore unknown, whence it is divinely inspired, and holy in every syllable; as well as a Literal Sense, which is the basis of its Spiritual Sense, and in which Divine Truth is in its fulness, its sanctity, and its power; thus that it is accommodated to the apprehension both of angels and men: That the spiritual and natural senses are united, by correspondences, like soul and body, every natural expression and image answering to, and including, a spiritual and divine idea: And thus that the Word is the medium of communication with heaven, and of conjunction with the Lord.

“4. That the government of the Lord’s Divine Love and Wisdom is the Divine Providence; which is universal, exercised according to certain fixed laws of Order, and extending to the minutest particulars of the life of all men, both of the good and of the evil: That in all its operations it has respect to what is infinite and eternal, and makes no account of things transitory, but as they are subservient to eternal ends; thus that it mainly consists, with man, in the connection of things temporal with things eternal; for that the continual aim of the Lord, by his Divine Providence, is to join man to himself and himself to man, that he may be able to give him the felicities of eternal life: And that the laws of permission are also laws of the Divine Providence; since evil cannot be prevented without destroying the nature of man as an accountable agent; and because, also, it cannot be removed unless it be known, and cannot be known unless it appear. Thus that no evil is permitted but to prevent a greater; and all is overruled, by the Lord’s Divine Providence, for the greatest possible good.

“5. That man is not life, but is only a recipient of life from the Lord, who, as he is Love Itself and Wisdom Itself, is also Life Itself; which life is communicated by influx to all in the spiritual world, whether belonging to heaven or to hell, and to all in the natural world; but is received differently by every one, according to his quality and consequent state of reception.

“6. That man, during his abode in the world, is, as to his spirit, in the midst between heaven and hell, acted upon by influences from both, and thus is kept in a state of spiritual equilibrium between good and evil; in consequence of which he enjoys free will, or freedom of choice, in spiritual things as well as in natural, and possesses the capacity of either turning himself to the Lord and his kingdom, or turning himself away from the Lord, and connecting himself with the kingdom of darkness: And that, unless man had such freedom of choice, the Word would be of no use, the church would be a mere name, man would possess nothing by virtue of which he could be conjoined to the Lord, and the cause of evil would be chargeable on GOD himself.

“7. That man at this day is born into evil of all kinds, or with tendencies towards it: That, therefore, in order to his entering the kingdom of heaven, he must be regenerated, or created anew; which great work is effected in a progressive manner, by the Lord alone, by charity and faith as mediums, during man’s coöperation: That, as all men are redeemed, all are capable of being regenerated, and, consequently saved, every one according to his state: And that the regenerate man is in communion with the angels of heaven, and the unregenerate with the spirits of hell: But that no one is condemned for hereditary evil, any further than as he makes it his own by actual life; whence all who die in infancy are saved, special means being provided by the Lord in the other life for that purpose.

“8. That Repentance is the first beginning of the Church in man; and that it consists in a man’s examining himself, both in regard to his deeds and his intentions, in knowing and acknowledging his sins, confessing them before the Lord, supplicating him for aid, and beginning a new life: That, to this end, all evils, whether of affection, of thought, or of life, are to be abhorred and shunned as sins against GOD, and because they proceed from infernal spirits, who in the aggregate are called the Devil and Satan; and that good affections, good thoughts, and good actions, are to be cherished and performed, because they are of GOD and from GOD: That these things are to be done by man as of himself; nevertheless, under the acknowledgment and belief, that it is from the Lord, operating in him and by him: That so far as man shuns evils as sins, so far they are removed, remitted, or forgiven; so far also he does good, not from himself, but from the Lord; and in the same degree he loves truth, has faith, and is a spiritual man: And that the Decalogue teaches what evils are sins.

“9. That Charity, Faith, and Good Works, are unitedly necessary to man’s salvation; since charity, without faith, is not spiritual, but natural; and faith, without charity, is not living, but dead; and both charity and faith, without good works, are merely mental and perishable things, because without use or fixedness: And that nothing of faith, of charity, or of good works, is of man; but that all is of the Lord, and all the merit is his alone.

“10. That Baptism and the Holy Supper are sacraments of divine institution, and are to be permanently observed; Baptism being an external medium of introduction into the Church, and a sign representative of man’s purification and regeneration; and the Holy Supper being an external medium to those who receive it worthily, of introduction, as to spirit, into heaven, and of conjunction with the Lord; of which also it is a sign and seal.

“11. That, immediately after death, which is only a putting off of the material body, never to be resumed, man rises again in a spiritual or substantial body, in which he continues to live to eternity; in heaven, if his ruling affections, and hence his life, have been good; and in hell, if his ruling affections, and thence his life, have been evil.

“12. That Now is the time of the Second Advent of the Lord which is a Coming, not in Person, but in the power and glory of his Holy Word: That it is attended, like his first Coming, with the restoration to order of all things in the spiritual world, where the wonderful divine operation, commonly expected under the name of the Last Judgment, has in consequence been performed; and with the preparing of the way for a New Church on the earth,—the first Christian Church having spiritually come to its end or consummation, through evils of life and errors of doctrine, as foretold by the Lord in the Gospels: And that this New or Second Christian Church, which will be the Crown of all Churches, and will stand forever, is what was representatively seen by John, when he beheld the holy city, New Jerusalem, descending from GOD out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

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The leading theological works of Swedenborg are, the _Heavenly Arcana_, in twelve octavo volumes, giving an explanation of the books of Genesis and Exodus, being a key to what he calls the internal or spiritual sense of the sacred Scriptures. The next in importance is the _Apocalypse Explained_, in six octavo volumes, containing a full explanation of that book.

From his last work, _The True Christian Religion_, we make the following extracts, to show some of his peculiar views and style of writing:—

“Concerning the Spiritual World.

“The spiritual world has been treated of in a particular work concerning HEAVEN AND HELL, in which many things of that world are described; and, because every man, after death, comes into that world, the state of men there is also described. Who does not know, or may not know, that man lives after death? both because he is born a man, created an image of God, and because the Lord teaches it in his word. But what life he is to live, has been hitherto unknown. It has been believed that then he would be a soul, of which they entertained no other idea than as of ether, or air; thus that it is breath, or spirit, such as man breathes out of his mouth when he dies, in which, nevertheless, his vitality resides; but that it is without sight, such as is of the eye, without hearing, such as is of the ear, and without speech, such as is of the mouth; when yet, man, after death, is equally a man, and such a man, that he does not know but that he is still in the former world. He walks, runs, and sits, as in the former world; he lies down, sleeps, and wakes up, as in the former world; he eats and drinks, as in the former world; he enjoys conjugial delight, as in the former world; in a word, he is a man as to all and every particular; whence it is manifest, that death is not an extinction, but a continuation, of life, and that it is only a transition.

“That man is equally a man after death, although he does not then appear to the eyes of the material body, may be evident from the angels seen by Abraham, Hagar, Gideon, Daniel, and some of the prophets,—from the angels seen in the Lord’s sepulchre, and afterwards, many times, by John, concerning whom in the Revelation,—and especially from the Lord himself, who showed that he was a man by the touch and by eating, and yet he became invisible to their eyes. Who can be so delirious, as not to acknowledge that, although he was invisible, he was still equally a man? The reason why they saw him was, because then the eyes of their spirit were opened; and, when these are opened, the things which are in the spiritual world appear as clearly as those which are in the natural world. The difference between a man in the natural world and a man in the spiritual world is, that the latter is clothed with a substantial body, but the former with a material body, in which, inwardly, is his substantial body; and a substantial man sees a substantial man as clearly as a material man sees a material man; but a substantial man cannot see a material man, nor a material man a substantial man, on account of the difference between material and substantial, which is such as may be described, but not in a few words.

“From the things seen for so many years, I can relate the following: That there are lands in the spiritual world, as well as in the natural world, and that there are also plains, and valleys, and mountains, and hills, and likewise fountains and rivers; that there are paradises, gardens, groves, and woods; that there are cities, and in them palaces and houses; and also that there are writings and books; that there are employments and tradings; and that there are gold, silver, and precious stones; in a word, that there are all things whatsoever that are in the natural world; but those in heaven are immensely more perfect. But the difference is, that all things that are seen in the spiritual world are created in a moment by the Lord, as houses, paradises, food, and other things; and that they are created for correspondence with the interiors of the angels and spirits, which are their affections and thoughts thence; but that all things that are seen in the natural world exist and grow from seed.

“Since it is so, and I have daily spoken there with the nations and people of this world,—thus not only with those who are in Europe, but also with those who are in Asia and in Africa, thus with those who are of various religions,—I shall add, as a conclusion to this work, a short description of the state of some of them. It is to be observed, that the state of every nation and people in general, as well as of each individual in particular, in the spiritual world, is according to the acknowledgment of God, and the worship of him; and that all who in heart acknowledge a God, and, after this time, those who acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ to be God, the Redeemer and Savior, are in heaven; and that those who do not acknowledge him are under heaven, and are there instructed; and that those who receive are raised up into heaven, and that those who do not receive are cast down into hell.”

Swedenborg says, “The Dutch are easily distinguished from others in the spiritual world, because they appear in garments like those which they wore in the natural world; with the distinction, that those appear in finer ones, who have received faith and spiritual life. The reason why they are clothed in the like garments is, because they remain constantly in the principles of their religion; and all in the spiritual world are clothed according to them; wherefore, those there who are in divine truths, have white garments, and of fine linen.

“The cities in which the Dutch live are guarded in a singular manner: all the streets in them are covered with roofs, and there are gates in the streets, so that they may not be seen from the rocks and hills round about: this is done on account of their inherent prudence in concealing their designs, and not divulging their intentions; for such things, in the spiritual world, are drawn forth by inspection. When any one comes for the purpose of exploring their state, and is about to go out, he is led to the gates of the streets, which are shut, and thus is led back, and led to others, and this even to the highest degree of vexation, and then he is let out; this is done that he may not return. Wives, who affect dominion over their husbands, live at one side of the city, and do not meet their husbands, except when they are invited, which is done in a civil manner; and then they also lead them to houses, where consorts live without exercising dominion over each other, and show them how clean and elegant their houses are, and what enjoyment of life they have, and that they have these things from mutual and conjugal love. Those wives who attend to these things, and are affected by them, cease to exercise dominion, and live together with their husbands; and then they have a habitation assigned to them nearer to the middle, and are called angels: the reason is, because truly conjugal love is heavenly love, which is without dominion.

“With respect to the English nation, the best of them are in the centre of all Christians, because they have interior intellectual light. This does not appear to any one in the natural world, but it appears conspicuously in the spiritual world. This light they derive from the liberty of speaking and writing, and thereby of thinking. With others, who are not in such liberty, that light, not having any outlet, is obstructed. That light, indeed, is not active of itself, but it is made active by others, especially by men of reputation and authority. As soon as any thing is said by them, that light shines forth.

“For this reason, they have moderators appointed over them in the spiritual world; and priests are given to them, of high reputation and eminent talents, in whose opinions, from this their natural disposition, they acquiesce.

“There are two great cities, like London, into which most of the English come after death: it has been given me to see the former city, and also to walk over it. The middle of that city is where the merchants meet in London, which is called the Exchange: there the moderators dwell. Above that middle is the east, below it is the west, on the right side is the south, on the left side is the north. In the eastern quarter, those dwell who have preëminently led a life of charity: there are magnificent palaces. In the southern quarter the wise dwell, with whom there are many splendid things. In the northern quarter, those dwell who have preëminently loved the liberty of speaking and writing. In the western quarter, those dwell who boast of justification by faith atone. On the right there, in this quarter, is the entrance into this city, and also a way out of it: those who live ill are sent out there. The ministers who are in the west, and teach that faith alone, dare not enter the city through the great streets, but through narrow alleys; since no other inhabitants are tolerated in the city itself, than those who are in the faith of charity. I have heard them complaining of the preachers from the west, that they compose their sermons with such art and eloquence, and introduce into them the strange doctrine of justification by faith, that they do not know whether good ought to be done or not. They preach faith as intrinsic good, and separate this from the good of charity, which they call meritorious, and thus not acceptable to God. But, when those who dwell in the eastern and southern quarters of the city hear such sermons, they go out of the temples; and the preachers afterwards are deprived of the priestly office.”

“Concerning the Popish Saints in the Spiritual World.

“It is known that man has innate or hereditary evil from parents; but it is known to few in what that dwells, in its fulness: it dwells in the love of possessing the goods of all others, and in the love of ruling; for this latter love is such, that, as far as the reins are given to it, so far it bursts forth, until it burns with the desire of ruling over all, and, at length, wishes to be invoked and worshipped as a god. This love is the serpent, which deceived Eve and Adam; for it said to the woman, _God doth know, in the day that ye eat of the fruit of that tree, your eyes will be opened,_ AND THEN YE WILL BE AS GOD. (Gen. iii. 4, 5.) As far, therefore, as man, without restraint, rushes into this love, so far he averts himself from God, and turns to himself, and becomes a worshipper of himself; and then he can invoke God with a warm mouth from the love of self, but with a cold heart from contempt of God. And then, also, the divine things of the church may serve for means; but, because the end is dominion, the means are regarded no more than as they are subservient to it. Such a person, if he is exalted to the highest honors, is, in his own imagination, like Atlas bearing the terraqueous globe upon his shoulders, and like Phœbus, with his horses, carrying the sun around the world.

“Since man hereditarily is such, therefore all who, by papal bulls, have been made saints, in the spiritual world are removed from the eyes of others, and concealed, and all intercourse with their worshippers is taken away from them; the reason is, lest that most pernicious root of evil should be excited in them, and they should be brought into such fantastic deliriums as there are with demons. Into such deliriums those come, who, while they live in the world, zealously aspire to be made saints after death, that they may be invoked.

“Many of the Roman Catholic persuasion, especially the monks, when they come into the spiritual world, inquire for the saints, particularly the saint of their order; but they do not find them, at which they wonder; but afterwards they are instructed that they are mixed together, either with those who are in heaven, or with those who are in the earth below; and that, in either case, they know nothing of the worship and invocation of themselves, and that those who do know, and wish to be invoked, fall into deliriums, and talk foolishly. The worship of saints is such an abomination in heaven, that, if they only hear it, they are filled with horror; since, as far as worship is ascribed to any man, so far it is withheld from the Lord; for thus, he alone is not worshipped; and, if the Lord alone is not worshipped, a discrimination is made, which destroys communion, and the happiness of life flowing from it. That I might know what the Roman Catholic saints are, in order that I might make it known, as many as a hundred were brought forth from the earth below, who knew of their canonization. They ascended behind my back, and only a few before my face; and I spoke with one of them, who, they said, was Xavier. He, while he talked with me, was like a fool; yet he could tell, that, in his place, where he was shut up with others, he was not a fool, but that he becomes a fool as often as he thinks that he is a saint, and wishes to be invoked. A like murmur I heard from those who were behind my back. It is otherwise with the saints, so called, in heaven: these know nothing at all of what is done on earth; nor is it given them to speak with any of the Roman Catholic persuasion, who are in that superstition, lest any idea of that thing should enter into them.

“From this their state, every one may conclude that invocations of them are only mockeries; and, moreover, I can assert, that they do not hear their invocations on earth, any more than their images do at the sides of the streets, nor any more than the walls of the temple, nor any more than the birds that build their nests in towers. It is said by their servants on earth, that the saints reign in heaven, together with the Lord Jesus Christ; but this is a figment and a falsehood; for they no more reign with the Lord, than a hostler with a king, a porter with a grandee, or a footman with a primate; for John the Baptist said, concerning the Lord, _that he was not worthy to unloose the latchet of his shoe_, (Mark 1:7. John 1:27.) What, then, are those who are such?

“There appears, sometimes, to the people of Paris, who are in the spiritual world, in a society, a certain woman of a common stature, in shining raiment, and of a face, as it were, holy; and she says that she is GENEVIEVE; but, when any begin to adore her, then her face is immediately changed, and also her raiment, and she becomes like an ordinary woman, and reproves them for wishing to adore a woman, who, among her companions, is in no higher estimation than as a maid-servant, wondering that the men of the world should be captivated by such trifles.

“To the above, I shall add this, which is most worthy of attention. Once, MARY, THE MOTHER OF THE LORD, passed by, and was seen overhead in white raiment; and then, stopping a while, she said that she was the mother of the Lord, and that he was indeed born of her; but that he, being made God, put off all the human from her, and that, therefore, she now adores him as her God; and that she is unwilling that any one should acknowledge him for her son, since in him all is divine.”

FIGHTING QUAKERS.

The term _Fighting_ or _Wet_ Quaker is applied to those who retain the Quaker faith, but adopt the manners and costume, of other denominations. The celebrated Nathaniel Greene was one of this character, as were many of the people of Rhode Island, where religious liberty first erected its standard in America.

“When the British army had possession of Philadelphia, a committee of three of the leading men of the society of Friends had permission to go to the head-quarters of General Washington, relative to some matters of inconvenience of some of their brethren, within Washington’s command. The general listened to them with his usual courtesy and wisdom, but could not determine the business till the next day. In the mean time, he told them he would put them under the protection of an officer of their own society, and thereupon sent for General Nathaniel Greene; and when he arrived, in full uniform, he introduced ‘the Friends’ to each other. After a little silence, Friend James Pemberton turned slowly to General Greene, and said, ‘Dost thou profess to be one of our persuasion?’ ‘O, yes,’ said the general; ‘I was so educated.’ The committee looked at each other, and upon the general’s sword, when one of them said, ‘May I ask General Greene what part of our land thou wast born and brought up in?’ ‘O, yes, yes,’ replied Greene; ‘I’m from RHODE ISLAND.’ ‘Oho,’ rejoined more than one of them, ‘yes, yes, a RHODE ISLAND QUAKER! Yes, Friend Greene, we are satisfied with thy explanation, and will accept of thy kind offer.’ Greene betrayed a momentary flush of disconcertion, at which, it was said, Washington’s countenance half smiled at the _Rhode Island Quaker_!”

HARMONISTS.