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The True Christian Religion
Containing the Universal Theology of The New Church Foretold by the Lord in Daniel 7; 13, 14; and in Revelation 21; 1, 2 By Emanuel Swedenborg |
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CONTENTS
FAITH OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW CHURCH
The Divine Being, Which is Jehovah (n. 18)
The Infinity of God, or His immensity and eternity (n. 27)
The Divine Essence, which is Divine Love and Divine Wisdom (n. 36)
The omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence of God (n. 49)
The creation of the universe (n. 75)
The Holy Spirit and the Divine Operation (n. 134-138)
The Divine Trinity (n. 159-163)
Chapter 4
The Sacred Scripture or Word of the Lord (n . 189) I. The sacred scripture or the Word is Divine truth itself (n. 189-192). II. In the Word there is a spiritual sense hitherto unknown (n. 193).
III. The sense of the letter of the Word is the basis, the containant, and the support of its spiritual and celestial senses (n. 210-213). IV. In the sense of the letter of the Word divine truth is in its fullness, its holiness, and its power (n. 214-216).
V. The doctrine of the church should be drawn from the sense of the letter of the Word and confirmed thereby (n. 225,229, 230).
VI. By means of this sense of the letter of the Word there is conjunction with the Lord and affiliation with the angels (n. 234-239). VII. The Word is in all the heavens. And angelic wisdom is from it (n. 240-242). VIII. The church is from the Word, and with people it is such as their understanding of the Word is (n. 243-247). IX. In every particular of the Word there is a marriage of the Lord and the church, and. In consequence a marriage of good and truth (n. 248-253). X. Heresies may be drawn from the sense of the letter of the Word, but to confirm them is hurtful (n. 254-260).
XI. The Lord when in the world fulfilled all things of the Word, and thereby became the Word, that is, divine truth, even in things last (n. 261-263). XII. Before the Word that is now in the world, there was a Word that was lost (n. 264-266). XIII. Through the Word there is light also to those who are outside of the church and do not possess the Word (n. 267-272). XIV. 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 (n. 273-276). Chapter 5 The catechism or Decalogue explained in its external and its internal sense I. In the Israelitish church the Decalogue was holiness itself. the holiness of the ark which contained the law (n. 283-286). II. In the sense of the letter the Decalogue contains the general precepts of faith and life; but in the spiritual and celestial senses it contains all precepts universally (n. 287-290). III. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT: "There shall be [with thee] no other god in my presence" (n. 291-296). IV. THE SECOND COMMANDMENT: "Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold a person guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (n. 297-300). V. THE THIRD COMMANDMENT: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah thy God" (n. 301-304) VI. THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT: "Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may be well with Thee upon the earth. (n. 303-308). VII. THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT: "Thou shalt not kill" (n. 309-312). VIII. THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (n. 313-316). IX. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT: "Thou shalt not steal" (n. 317-320). X. THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (n. 321-324). XI. THE NINTH. AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's" (n. 325-328). XII. The Ten Commandments of the Decalogue contain all things that belong to love to God, and all things that belong to love toward the neighbor" (n. 329-331). Chapter 6 Preface: Faith is first in time, but charity is first in end (n. 336). I. Saving faith is faith in the Lord God the Saviour Jesus Christ (n. 337-339)
II. The sum of faith is, that a person who lives well and believes rightly is saved by the Lord (n. 340-342).
III. People acquire faith by going to the Lord, learning truths from the Word, and living according to them (n. 343-348).
IV. An abundance of truths cohering as if in a bundle, exalts and perfects faith (n. 349-354).
V. Faith without charity is not faith, and charity without faith is not charity, and neither has life except from the Lord (n. 355-361)
VI. The Lord, charity, and faith make one, like life, will, and understanding in a person; and, if they are divided, each perishes like a pearl reduced to powder (n. 362-367).
VII. The Lord is charity and faith in people, and a person is charity and faith in the Lord (n. 368-372).
VIII. Charity and faith are together in good works (n. 373-377).
IX. There is a true faith, a spurious faith, and a hypocritical faith (n. 378-381).
X. With the evil there is no faith (n. 382-384).
Chapter 7 Charity or love to the neighbor, and good works (n. 392) I. There are three universal loves - the love of heaven, the love of the world, and the love of self (n. 394-396).
II. These three loves, when rightly subordinated, perfect a person; but when not rightly subordinated they pervert and invert him or her (n. 403-405). III. Every person individually is the neighbor who is to be loved, but according to the quality of his or her good (n. 406-411). IV. The collective human being, that is, a community smaller or greater, and the composite person formed of communities, that is, one's country, is the neighbor that is to be loved (n. 412-414). V. The church is the neighbor that is to be loved in a still higher degree, and the Lord's kingdom in the highest degree (n. 415, 416). VI. To love the neighbor, viewed in itself, is not to love the person, but the good that is in the person (n. 417-419). VII. Charity and good works are two distinct things, like willing well and doing well (n. 420,421). VIII. Charity itself is acting justly and faithfully in the office, business, and employment in which a person is engaged, and with those with whom he or she has any dealings (n. 422-424). IX. The benefactions of charity are giving to the poor and relieving the needy, but with prudence (n. 425-428). X. There are duties of charity, some public, some domestic, and some private (n. 429-432). XI. The diversions of charity are dinners, suppers, and social gatherings (n. 433, 434). XII. The first thing of charity is to put away evils, and the second is to do good works that are of use to the neighbor (n. 435-438). XIII. In the exercise of charity a person does not place merit in works so long as he or she believes that all good is from the Lord (n. 439-442). XIV. When a moral life is also spiritual it is charity (n. 443-445). XV. A friendship of love, contracted with a person without regard to their spiritual quality is detrimental after death (ii. 446-449). XVI. There is spurious charity, hypocritical charity, and dead charity (n.
450- XVII. The friendship of love among the evil is intestine hatred of each other (n. 454, 455). XVIII. The conjunction of love to God and love towards the neighbor (n. 458-458) Chapter 8 I. The precepts and dogmas of the present church respecting freedom of choice (n. 463-465). II. The placing of two trees in the garden of Eden, one of life, and the other of the knowledge of good and evil signifies that freedom of choice in things spiritual has been given to a person (n. 466-469). III. A person is not life, but a receptacle op life from God (n. 470-474). IV. So long as a person lives in the world he or she is kept midway between heaven and hell, and is there in spiritual equilibrium, which is freedom of choice (n. 475-478). V. It is clearly manifest from that permission of evil in which everyone's internal person is that person has freedom of choice in spiritual things (n. 479-482). VI. Without freedom of choice in spiritual things the Word would be of no use, and consequently the church would be nothing (n. 483, 484). VII. Without freedom of choice in spiritual things there would be nothing in a person whereby he could in turn conjoin himself with the Lord, consequently there would be no imputation, but mere predestination, which is detestable (n. 485).
VIII. If there were no freedom of choice in spiritual things God would be the cause of evil, and thus there would be no imputation of charity or faith (n. 489-492). IX, Everything spiritual of the church that enters a person in freedom, and is received with freedom, remains; but not the reverse (n. 493-496) X. A person's will and understanding are in this freedom of choice; nevertheless in both worlds, the spiritual and the natural, the doing of evil is restrained by laws, because otherwise society in both worlds would perish (n. 497-499). XI. If a person had not freedom of choice in spiritual things all the inhabitants of the world might in one day be led to believe in the Lord; but this cannot be done, because that which is not received by a person from freedom of choice does not remain (n. 500-502).
Chapter 9 I. Repentance is the first thing of the church in a person (n. 510, 511). II. The contrition which at the present day is said to precede faith, and to be followed by the consolation of the Gospel, is not repentance (n. 512-515). III. The mere lip-confession that one is a sinner is not repentance (n. 516-519). IV. A person is born [with an inclination] to evils of every kind; and unless he or she, to some extent, removes their evils by repentance, they remain in them; and he who remains in evils cannot be saved (n. 520-524).
V. Recognition of sin, and the discovery of some sin in oneself, is the beginning of repentance (n. 525-527) VI, Actual repentance is examining oneself, recognizing and acknowledging one's sins, praying to the Lord and beginning a new life (n. 528-531). VII. True repentance is examining not only the actions of one's life, but also the intentions of one's will (n. 532-534). VIII. Those also repent, who, although they do not examine themselves, yet refrain from evils because they are sins; and those who from religion do the works of charity exercise such repentance (n. 535-537). IX. Confession ought to be made before the Lord God the Saviour, followed by supplication for help and the power to resist evils (n. 538-560) X. Actual repentance is easy for those who have now and then practiced it, but is a difficult task for those who have not (n. 561-563) XI. A person who has never repented or has never looked into and searched himself, finally ceases to know what damning evil or saving good is (n. 564-566). Chapter 10 Reformation and Regeneration (n. 571) I. Unless a person is born again and, as it were, created anew, he or she cannot enter into the kingdom of God (n. 572-575). II. The new birth or creation is effected by the Lord alone through charity and faith as the two means, a person cooperating (n. 576-578) III. Since all have been redeemed, all may be regenerated, each according to their state (n. 579-582). IV. Regeneration is effected in a manner analogous to that in which a person is conceived, carried in the womb, born and educated (n. 583-586).
V. The first act in the new birth is called reformation, which pertains to the understanding; and the second is called regeneration, which pertains to the will and therefrom to the understanding (n. 587-590). VI. The internal person must first be reformed, and by means of it the external; and thus is a person regenerated (n. 591-595). VII. When this takes place a conflict arises between the internal and the external man, and then the one that conquers rules the other (n. 596-600). VIII. The regenerated person has a new will and a new understanding (n. 601-606). IX. A regenerate person is in communion with angels of heaven, and an unregenerate person with spirits of hell (n. 607-610). X. So far as a person is regenerated sins are removed, and this removal is the forgiveness of sins (n. 611-614). XI. Within freedom of choice in spiritual things regeneration is impossible (n. 615-617). XII. Regeneration is impossible without truths, by which faith is formed and with which charity conjoins itself (n. 618-620). Chapter 11 I. Imputation and the faith of the present church (which is held to be the sole ground of justification) make one (n. 626, 627). II. The imputation that belongs to the faith of the present day is a double imputation, an imputation of Christ's merit and an imputation of salvation thereby (n. 628-631). III. The faith imputative of the merit and righteousness of Christ the redeemer, first arose from the decrees of the Council of Nice respecting three divine persons from eternity, which faith has been accepted by the whole Christian world from that time to the present (n. 632-635). IV. The faith imputative of Christ's merit was unknown in the preceding Apostolic Church, and is nowhere taught in the Word (n. 636-639). V. The imputation of Christ's merit and righteousness is impossible (n. 640-642). VI. There is an imputation, but it is an imputation of good and evil (n. 643-646). VII. The faith and imputation of the New Church can by no means exist together with the faith and imputation of the former church, and if they are together, such a collision and conflict result that everything pertaining to the church in a person perishes (n. 647-649). VIII. The Lord imputes good to every person and hell imputes evil (n. 650-653). IX. Faith, with that to which it is conjoined, is what determines the verdict; if a true faith is conjoined to good, the verdict is for eternal life, but if faith is conjoined to evil the verdict is for eternal death (n. 654-657). X. Thought is not imputed to anyone, but will only (n. 658-660). Baptism I. Without a knowledge of the spiritual sense of the Word no one can know what the two sacraments, baptism and the Holy Supper, involve and effect (n. 667-669). II. The washing that is called baptism means spiritual washing, which is purification from evils, and thus regeneration (n. 670-673). III. Because circumcision of the foreskin represented circumcision of the heart, in the place of circumcision, baptism was instituted, in order that an internal church might succeed the external, which in each and all things prefigured the internal church (n. 674-676). IV. The first use of baptism is introduction into the Christian church, and at the same time insert ion among Christians in the spiritual world (n. 677-680). V. The second use of baptism is that the Christian may know and acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ the redeemer and Saviour, and follow him (n. 681-683). VI. The third use of baptism, which is the final use, is that the person may be regenerated (n. 684-687). VII. By the baptism of John a way was prepared, that Jehovah God might descend into the world and accomplish redemption (n. 688-691). Chapter 13 I. Without some knowledge of the correspondences of natural with spiritual things, it is impossible to know what the uses and benefits of the Holy Supper are (n. 698-701). II. With a knowledge of correspondences what is meant by Lord’s flesh and the bread mean the divine good of bread and wine have a like meaning; namely, that the Lord's flesh and blood can be known, also that His love, also all good of charity; and the Lord’s blood and the wine mean the Divine truth of His wisdom, also all truth of faith, and eating means appropriation (n. 702-710).
III. When all this is understood any one can comprehend that the Holy Supper contains all things of the church and all things of heaven both in general and in particular (n. 711-715). IV. In the Holy Supper the Lord is wholly present with the whole of His redemption (n. 716-718). V. The Lord is present and opens heaven to those who come to the Holy Supper worthily; and is also present with those who come to it unworthily, but to them He does not open heaven; consequently, as baptism is introduction into the church, so is the Holy Supper introduction into heaven (n. 719-721). VI. Those come to the Holy Supper worthily who have faith in the Lord and charity toward the neighbor that is, who are regenerate (n. 722-724). VII. Those who come to the Holy Supper worthily are in the Lord and the Lord is in them; consequently conjunction with the Lord is effected by the Holy Supper (n. 725-727). VIII. To those who worthily come to the Holy Supper it is like a signature and seal that they are sons of God (n. 728-730). Chapter 14 The Consummation of the Age; the Coming of the Lord; and the New Heaven and New Church (n. 753) I. The Consummation of the Age is the last time of the church or its end (n. 753-756). II. The present is the last time of the Christian church, which was foretold and described by the Lord in the Gospels and in the Apocalypse (n. 757-759). III. This last time of the Christian church is the very night in which former churches have come to an end (n. 760-763). IV, This night is followed by a morning, which is the coming of the Lord (n. 764-767). V, The Lord's coming is not His coming to destroy the visible heaven and the habitable earth, and to create a new heaven and a new earth, as many, from not understanding the spiritual sense of the Word, have hitherto supposed (n. 768-771). VI. This coming of the Lord, which is His Second Coming, is taking place in order that the evil may be separated from the good, and that those who have believed and do believe in Him may be saved, and that from them a new angelic heaven and a new church on earth may be formed, and without this, no flesh could be saved (matt. xxiv. 22) (n. 772-775). VII. This Second Coming of the Lord is not a coming in person, but in the Word, which is from Him and is Himself (n. 776-778). VIII. This Second Coming of the Lord is effected by means of a man, to whom the Lord has manifested Himself in person, and whom He has filled with His spirit, that he may teach the doctrines of the new church from the Lord through the Word (n. 779-780). IX. This is what is meant in the Apocalypse by " the new heaven," and " the New Jerusalem descending therefrom" (n. 781-785). X. This New Church is the crown of all the churches that have hitherto existed on the earth (n. 786-791). The nature of the spiritual world (n. 792-795). Luther, Melancthon, and Calvin in the spiritual world (n. 796-799). The Dutch in the spiritual world (n. 800-805). The English in the spiritual world (n. 806-812). The Germans in the spiritual world (n. 813-816). The Papists in the spiritual world (n. 817-821). The Popish saints in the spiritual world (n. 822-827). The Mohammedans in the spiritual world (n. 828-834). The Africans in the spiritual world; also something in regard to the gentiles (n. 835-840).
The Jews in the spiritual world (n. 841-843). |
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