BAGS WHICH WAX NOT OLD       Rev. HUGO LJ. ODHNER       1965


Vol. LXXXV

January 1965
No. 1

NEW CHURCH LIFE

Bags Which Wax Not Old     
A Sermon on Luke 12: 33     Hugo Lj. Odhner          1
Emanuel Swedenborg          Hugo Lj. Odhner          6
He Who Fights and Runs Away
     British Assembly Address     Donald L. Rose     14
In Our Contemporaries     20
Freedom in Marriage     Lorentz R. Soneson     21
Our New Church Vocabulary               26
The Coming Crisis in New Church Education     Kurt H. Asplundh          27
Swedenborg's Third Rule of Life     Sydney B. Childs          31
Natural Good          Kurt P. Nemitz     34
Review
     Love and Marriage on Earth and in Heaven     37
Editorial Department
      Not in His Own Name     38
     Anxiety     39
     Self-Deception     39
     The Church and Remarriage     40
Communication
Population, Prudence and Providence     Charis P. Cole          42
Church News     43
Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths     47
     Annual Council Meetings - January 25-31-Program          48

Vol. LXXXV
February 1965
No. 2

NEW CHURCH LIFE

Loving the Neighbor
A Sermon on Matthew 22: 37-40, Mark 12 29-31     Louis B. King     49
Emanuel Swedenborg          Hugo Lj. Odhner     55
What Must I Do?     Erik Sandstrom     62
Our New Church Vocabulary          66
A Constructive Critique of the New Theology     George de Moubray     67
William Schlatter and the New Church     Richard R. Gladish     74
Dedication of the Addition to the Immanuel Church School in Glenview     Kurt P. Nemitz      82
Miss Gladys Blackman:
An Appreciation     Raymond E. Lee     83
Review
      Hymnal for Schools and Families     86
Editorial Department
     O Death, Where is Thy Sting?     88
     The Purpose of These Meetings     89
     Salt of the Earth     89
     The Church and Remarriage     90
Church News          93
Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths     96

Vol. LXXXV
March 1965
No 3.

NEW CHURCH LIFE

Holy Fear     
A Sermon on Exodus 20: 20     Elmo C. Acton          97
The Revision of the Liturgy     George de Charms     101
Our New Church Vocabulary     105
A Constructive Critique of the Newest Theology     George de Moubray     106
William Schlatter and the New Church     Richard R. Gladish     115
The Uplifting Sphere of Spiritual Temptation     Dandridge Pendleton     122
The Prophecy of Jonah          Morley D. Rich          127
Editorial Department
     The Parable of Spring     133
     If the Foundations Perish     134
     In Praise of Theology     134
     Subject - Reading in the Writings     135
Church News     137
Announcements
     24th General Assembly-June 15-19, 1966     142
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths     143

Vol. LXXXV
April 1965
No. 4.

NEW CHURCH LIFE

The Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee
     A Sermon on Matthew 21: 10, 11     W. Cairns Henderson     145
The Triumphant Rejoicing of Easter     
A Talk to Children     Geoffrey H. Howard     150
The Revision of the Liturgy     George de Charms     153
The State of the Moral Virtues in the Church     Frederick L Schnarr     159
Can the Holy Supper Be of Use if It is not Fully Understood?     Kurt H. Asplundh     167
In Memoriam
     The Reverend Joao de Mendonca Lima     Jose Lopes de Figueiredo     170
ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS
     Council of the Clergy Sessions     Erik Sandstrom          172
     Joint Council Session     Robert S. Junge     176
     Annual Reports - Secretary of the General Church     Robert S. Junge     181
     Secretary of the Council of the Clergy     Erik Sandstrom          186
     Corporation of the General Church     Stephen Pitcairn     191
     Treasurer of the General Church     Leonard E. Gyllenhaal     193
     Editor at New Church Life     W. Cairns Henderson     198
     Liturgy Committee     George de Charms     199
     Operating Policy Committee     Robert S. Junge     199
     Orphanage Committee     Randolph W. Childs     200
     Publications Committee     Robert S. Junge     199
     Religion Lessons Committee     Norbert H. Rogers     201
     Sound Recording Committee     W. Cairns Henderson     203
     Visual Education Committee     William R. Cooper     203
     Film Committee     Harold C. Cranch     204
Editorial Department
     Shall Never Thirst Again     205
     The Church and the Cross     206
     Mores and Morality     206
     Who Speaks for God?     207
Church News     208
Announcements
      Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths          211
     Academy of the New Church: Calendar, 1965-1966     212

Vol. LXXXV
May 1965
No. 5

NEW CHURCH LIFE

The Fall of Dagon     
A Sermon on I Samuel 5: 4     Robert H. P. Cole     213
The Revision of the Liturgy     George de Charms     218
Our New Church Vocabulary          222
The State of the Moral Virtues in the Church     Frederick L Schnarr     223
Responsibility
The Relation of Parents to Children     Lorentz R. Soneson     232
In Our Contemporaries     239
The Church to the Gentiles     Alfred Acton     240
Review
The Shining East     Lyris Hyatt     246
Editorial Department
     And Not As the Scribes     248
     The Swedenborg Scientific Association     249
     A Reading Church     249
     The Church and Birth Control     250
Communication
     The Church and Remarriage     Gerald P. Nelson     252
Church News     254
Announcements
     Annual Corporation Meetings - June 16, 1965     258
     Annual Joint Meeting of Corporation and Faculty - May 21. 1965     258
     Swedenborg Scientific Association Annual Meeting - May 12. 1965     258
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths          258
     Academy of the New Church: Calendar, 1965-1966          260

Vol. LXXXV
June 1965
No. 6

NEW CHURCH LIFE

The Morning Cometh
A Sermon on Isaiah 21: 11, 12.     Morley D. Rich     261
The Lord's Second Coming
A Talk to Children     W. Cairns Henderson     265
Swedenborg's Affections     Donald L. Rose     268
Our New Church Vocabulary          275
The State of the Moral Virtues in the Church          Frederick L. Schnarr     276
The Necessity of Evangelization     Kurt P. Nemitz     285
The Son of God - The Son of Man     S. Pelle Rosenquist     289
Review
     Education and You     Lorentz Soneson     292
Editorial Department
A Rational Revelation          294
     Ends and Beginnings          295
     Responsibility and the Priestly Use     295
     Wanted: A New Iconoclasm          296
     The Church and Birth Control     297
Announcements
     Annual Corporation Meetings-June 16, 1965          299
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths          299

Vol. LXXXV
July 1965
No. 7

NEW CHURCH LIFE

Numbering the People
A Sermon on Exodus 30: 11, 12     Ormond Odhner
Where Is Thy God?     Willard D. Pendleton
Teaching and Leading to the Good of Life
Some General Principles     Erik Sandstrom
Freedom: Doctrine, Problems and Application
1. What Freedom Is     W. Cairns Henderson
Episcopal Visit to South Africa          Daniel W. Heinrichs
The Reverend Joao de Mendonca Lima
An Appreciation          George de Charms
Randolph W. Childs, Esq.
Extracts from a Resurrection Address     Elmo C. Acton
Editorial Department
     Person in the Lord                                        
     The Yoke and the Burden                                   
     The Spiritual Virtues: 1. Love of Religion     
     The Church and Alcohol                                   
Church News
Announcements
     Ordinations, Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths
     50th British Assembly-July 16-15, 1965-Program

Vol. LXXXV
August 1965
No. 8

NEW CHURCH LIFE

Trust
A Sermon on Psalm 37: 3     Alfred Acton
The Function of the Priesthood in Leading to the Good of Life     Frederick L. Schnarr
Commencement Address     David R. Simons
In Our Contemporaries                         
Freedom: Doctrine, Problems and Applications     
2. The Constituents of Freedom     W. Cairns Henderson
Ordinations
Declarations of Faith and Purpose     Daniel Webster Goodenough
                                             Willard Lewis Davenport Heinrichs
Our New Church Vocabulary
Editorial Department
     The Faces of Hate
     The Milieu of Regeneration
     The Church and Alcohol
     The Spiritual Virtues: 2. Charity
Church News
Announcements
     Midwest District Assembly - October 1-3, 1965 - Notice
     Eastern Canada District Assembly - October 9-11, 1965 - Notice
     Ordinations, Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths

Vol. LXXXV
September 1965
No. 9

NEW CHURCH LIFE

A Resolution     397
A Father's Love
     A Sermon on Matthew 7: 9-11     Norbert H. Rogers     398
Reflection
     Address at South African Assembly     Daniel W. Heinrichs     403
Financial Responsibility in the Church     Willard R. Mansfield     414
Our New Church Vocabulary     418          
Freedom: Doctrine, Problems and Applications
     3. The Problems of Freedom     W. Cairns Henderson     419
Editorial Department
     Religion, Church and State     426
     Objectives in Education     427                         
     The Spiritual Virtues: 3. Truth     427                              
Church News     429
Announcements
     Midwest District Assembly - October 1-3, 1965 - Notice     431
     Eastern Canada District Assembly - October 9-11, 1965 - Notice 432
     Charter Day - October 15, 16, 1965     431
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths     431

Vol. LXXXV
October 1965
No. 10
NEW CHURCH LIFE

Prayer for the Lord's Harvest
     A Sermon on Matthew 9: 38     Donald L. Rose     433
Assemblies: The Pulse of the Church
     Presidential Address at British Assembly     Erik Sandstrom          438
Freedom: Doctrine, Problems and Applications
     4. Applications of the Doctrine     W. Cairns Henderson     448
Towards a Philosophy of Missionary Work     Robert S. Junge     455
Educational Council
     Report of Meetings     Carl R. Gunther     467
Fiftieth British Assembly
     Report of Proceedings     Frank S. Rose          470
Review
     A Great Revelation     475
Editorial Department
     Rebels Without a Cause     476                                   
     The Receptacle of Use     477                    
     The Spiritual Virtues: 4. Faith     477                         
Communication
     Person in the Lord     Frank S. Rose     478
Church News      480
Announcements
     Midwest District Assembly - October 1-3, 1965 - Notice     487     
     Eastern Canada District Assembly - October 9-11, 1965 - Notice     487
               Charter Day - October 15, 16, 1965 - Notice and Program     487
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths     487                         

Vol. LXXXV
November 1965
No 11.

NEW CHURCH LIFE

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
A Sermon on Micah 6: 6-8          Martin Pryke     489
Thanksgiving
A Talk to Children     Daniel Goodenough     494
The Messianic Prophecy and its Fulfillment     Willard D. Pendleton     497
Summer School in England     Donald L. Rose     504
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Swedenborg          Robert W. Gladish     506
Appearances     Geoffrey P. Dawson     513
Seventh Pacific Northwest District Assembly
Report of Proceedings     Sandra Penner     520
An Interlude in the "Viking Tour"     Beryl C. Briscoe     522
Editorial Department
Thanksgiving As a Call to Action     526
Forgiveness and Remission     527
The Church and Conjugial Simulations     527
The Spiritual Virtues: 5. Conscience     528
Local Schools Directory     530
Church News     531
Announcements
Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths     535

Vol. LXXXV
December 1965
No. 12

The Virgin Birth          A Sermon on Luke 1: 35     Louis B. King     537
This Shall Be a Sign Unto You     A Talk to Children     Lorentz R. Soneson     542
Our New Church Vocabulary     544                              
The Messianic Prophecy and Its Fulfillment     Willard D. Pendleton     545
Appearances     Geoffrey P. Dawson     552
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Swedenborg          Robert W. Gladish     559
Editorial Department
Joy to the World          571                                        
The Church and Conjugial Simulations          572
The Spiritual Virtues: 6. Innocence     573          
Directory of the General Church     574
Church News     581          
Announcements
Ordinations, Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths     583
Annual Council Meetings: January 23-29, 1966     584     

Vol. LXXXV
January 1965
No. 1

NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in heaven which faileth not." (Luke 12: 33)

     There is, with many, a fear of the future, a fear of growing old, a nostalgic longing for the past. To such, time appears as an enemy, a ravager of beauty and of power, a stern and fickle despot who takes back whatever it once bestowed of gain or of honor. But those who so think forget that a man's life does not consist in the abundance which time can offer: the things of the body and the world, of pride and possession, such as the nations of earth seek after. "The world passeth away and the lust thereof"; its best favors are only transient means by which our Heavenly Father can convey His eternal benefits.     In stressing this inner truth, the Lord seemed at times to lead the disciples to despise the things of the world and to renounce all worldly prudence. "Sell that ye have," and "give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven." "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, nor for the body, what ye shall put on." "Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor bag, nor bread, nor money." "Take no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." To one temporizing disciple He said: "Let the dead bury their dead"; and to another He said: "No man who has put his hand to the plow, and looks back, is fit for the kingdom of God." We may indeed look back into the past to learn the ways of the Divine Providence, to see its leading and recognize the failure of our own foresight and strength, and realize how often the unexpected has come to pass! But we may not look back with regret upon our temporal losses or grieve over the passing of old states of proprial life. We must not - like the wife of Lot - look back to the pleasures of evil from which we have been fleeing; for such a turning back would pervert our affection of truth into an affection of falsity and harden our spirit into a statue of salt.
     Rather must we "sell all we have" - realize the utter unimportance of our own talents and ambitions, opinions and desires. Let one who trusts in human merits do so, but let us regard our God-given abilities only as means which we should hold available for the needs of the Lord's work, wherever indicated. The marvel is that man was created with the faculties of liberty and rationality in order that he may not be a captive to the past. He is free to shake off the shackles of his own past: free to repent of his evils, to overcome weaknesses, to learn truth, to progress into greater usefulness and happiness.

     It is said of the angels that they steadfastly face the spiritual sun in its eternal rising. They live in the present and in the midst of its responsibilities, yet they look to the Lord for future illustration and do not seek to bind the future by schemes and fixed ideas of their own. They do not seek to detain the past, as men so often seek to do, forcibly or artificially. It is not that they are averse to seeing the past or that their memory of things worth remembering is not far more excellent than man's. But they see in the past, most distinctly, what was from the Lord and what, alas, was from themselves. As to the future, they have a wise perception and a keen rational anticipation of the results of present states. Yet they seek no knowledge of future events beyond a better understanding of the will of the Lord and of the laws and cycles to which human life is subject. Their faith is that the future is the Lord's alone, and that He can in His good pleasure, and out of His infinite resources, rule human states and turn evil and error and human impotence into occasions for bringing about a greater good.
     When we thus face the future, we stand face to face with the Lord. The future confronts us - empty of events, yet filled with infinite possibilities. In awe, human thought reels before it as before an abyss; for here is time as yet unborn, as yet neither "time" nor "state." The future is not yet time. It is not finited, not appropriated by man's experience. It is eternity itself coming to meet us, ready to offer its infinite gifts.
     How, then, can we receive it? How can we hold its gifts? How can the life of God be received into the moments of our present without being turned into the illusive, blind life of cupidity and spiritual callousness and worldly anxiety? It is this question which the Lord answers in the words of the text. "Provide yourselves bags that wax not old." For the miracle of finite human life is this, that the ever-changing moments of the present are not utterly dissipated, as is the case with the beasts of the field.

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What man receives with delight and confirms by free approval is carried along to form him into a vessel of eternal life: a vessel which grows in perfection as far as man, in his present, looks to the Lord and sees the future as of the Lord's making, but which becomes more imperfect and waxes old and brittle and corrupt in proportion as man harks back with self-pity to past sufferings and grievances, or with self-conceit to past achievements.
     There are bags which cannot receive the gifts of eternal life, bags holding things dear to our hearts which yet were better left behind. Tools and treasures of the proprium which are of no spiritual use! Such things are meant where the Lord said: "Take nothing for your journey . . . neither staves nor bag, neither bread nor money": staves such as principles which prove false when we rely on them; bags, full of holes, which can hold only the grosser joys of life; bread which leaves our spirit faint and floundering at the crossways of life; money of knowledge that has no value in the future life. Every age and year of one's life brings such questionable truck into our minds - delights and fears and knowledges which perform their temporary uses and then become obstacles to progress.

     But there are bags which wax not old: bags made on the loom of eternity, made of a texture of spiritual truths in the pattern of the Lord's design, yet adapted to every man's needs and colored according to his diverse states of perception. Such bags grow with man's new needs and uses to all eternity. They are living, because they are organic parts of man's character and spirit. In reality, the Lord is their weaver; but by Divine injunction men must "provide" or "make" for themselves these bags or receptacles, according to their moments of free choice and according to their conscious resistance to evils as sins against the Lord. And in them it is that the Lord bestows a "treasure in heaven which faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth."
     The Writings reveal that after death the permanence of man's individuality and character depends on the fact that all the ideas of the external memory formed on earth were disposed into an order and interior connection corresponding to his ruling love, as the unchanging testimony of all the use to which he has put the free moments of his rational mind, and as the nether limit which determines his future possibilities. Even the highest angels could not live unless their externals of memory and life were retained; and the comparison is made with a musical instrument which needs a sounding board to give its sound tone quality and diffusion. *

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"All the states which man has acquired in the life of the body are retained in the other life, and are filled." With those who are elevated to heaven, their good states are filled with good; whereas the evil states of the wicked are filled with evil.* All states "return" in the other life, and as they return successively they are mercifully "tempered" by the Lord. Even with the evil there are "remains" implanted by the Lord while they did not resist, and these "remains" also return to limit and temper their evils.**
     * SD 4482f.     
     ** AC 6368. Cf. SD min. 4645f.
     *** AC 561; SD 4164.

     But it is not the states of the corporeal or external memory that return; for the external memory with its corporeal affections goes to sleep after death and does not grow or change. Many things in it grow old and as it were die, and in the mercy of the Lord are buried with the dead past.
     The "bags which wax not old" are states of the interior memory which were never reached by material ideas of time or space nor by the compulsions of earth. It is this interior memory which - although not sensibly felt by man while on earth - is opened and filled in the other life. In it, with the well disposed man, are formed all states of charity and spiritual insight which he on earth had appropriated as a spontaneous part of his inner conscience, but which he had felt only in natural forms as rational decisions, acknowledgments and judgments. In the after life these treasures of heaven appear to him in their spiritual forms, filling his life sensibly with a wealth of wisdom and delight, a richness of blessedness and peace, an understanding of the essential meaning of life.
     But to receive these blessings of the future life man must have wrought for himself the vessels of a faith in which the Lord can infuse charity. Without these "bags which wax not old" the influx of life would flow through, undetermined, and man would become the heir only of sensual blessings which are continually threatened by moth and rust and by envious thieves.
     There need be no fear of time if we but seek wisdom from the Lord, who says, "Behold, I make all things new." All our times are in the Lord's keeping. Nations are commoved, kings and captains clamor and depart, people labor or dance, find their short-lived joys, and pass on. Yet through all of this, every year brings new spiritual harvests and new discoveries of eternal worth, and each soul weaves his vessel of immortal life. Even at the worst, the Lord tempers the sorry present with the mercies of the past, and binds the evil of today with chains forged in yester-years. To all He offers hope in which all truth lies concealed, and faith wherein all power is locked up.
     Wise men, like the angels, seek to live in the present. This does not mean to ape the passing fashions of the day, or to be blind to consequences or heedless of the laws which God has revealed and experience has confirmed.

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But it does mean to see the future as the Lord's! to see in it the features of His Human Form Divine calling man to an ever closer conjunction!
     This vision contains all wisdom, which is the fount of eternal youth. Though it was vaguely glimpsed by prophets and sages since a hoary antiquity, it is ever new; and when we view the future naked of confusing events, we see only the kingdom of God, the outlines of the New Jerusalem, city of heavenly uses. Before this holy vision time departs, the impotent prudence of man gives way, the barriers of material things vanish. It is the only future which the eyes of faith can see, the only treasure which faileth not. Amen.

LESSONS: Psalm 102: 1-3, 24-28. Luke 12: 13-34. AC 4063: 2-3, 5.
MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 458, 498, 500, 561.
PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 103, 123.
LORD'S LEADING 1965

LORD'S LEADING              1965

     "The laws of our religion are that one God must be worshiped; that adulteries, thefts, murders, false witness must be shunned; thus fraud, unlawful gains, hatreds, revenge, lies, blasphemies, and many other things that are mentioned not alone in the Decalogue but everywhere else in the Word, and are called sins against God and also abominations. When one shuns these because they are opposed to the Word, and thus opposed to God, and because they are from hell, then he lives according to the laws of his religion, and as far as he lives according to his religion he is led by the Lord; and as far as he is led by the Lord his works are good; for he is then led to do goods and to speak truths for the sake of goods and truths and not for the sake of self and the world; uses are his enjoyments, and truths his delights. Moreover, he is daily taught by the Lord what he must do and what he must say, also what he must preach or what he must write; for when evils are removed he is continually under the Lord's guidance and is enlightened. Yet he is not led and taught immediately by any dictate, or by any perceptible inspiration, but by influx into his spiritual delight, from which he has perception according to the truths of which his understanding consists. When he acts from this influx, he appears to be acting from himself, and yet he acknowledges in heart that it is from the Lord. All angels are in such a state, and all children in heaven are being led by that way to heaven." (Apocalypse Explained 825: 3)



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EMANUEL SWEDENBORG 1965

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG       Rev. HUGO Lj. ODHNER       1965

     The Relation of His Personal Development to His Work as a Revelator

     Admittedly, a close relationship exists in our minds between Swedenborg as a man and the work which the Lord in His second advent performed through his mind and pen. Former revelations were given through many individuals, as is true of Moses and a succession of prophets, and of the four evangelists. Besides this, the sacred writers of biblical times received the Spirit of God by an external way which asked more of mere passivity and less of deep co-operation from these ancient scribes.
     The second advent of the Lord was effected by means of one man - a man who was selected for this unique work because of peculiar faculties and talents; a man who was prepared by the Lord from childhood, he unknowing; a man who from free choice was willing to sacrifice not only his worldly ambitions but also his love of natural research, to become the anonymous amanuensis of the Lord.
     Upon the character and credibility of this man depends more than we can well estimate - perhaps even our faith itself. Certainly, the very character of the New Church - in its human history - has varied according to the concept held of Swedenborg's relation to the Writings, which (as we acknowledge, with him) were written by the Lord through him.
     The very first attacks upon the New Church were aimed at Swedenborg's character, or rather, at his health and sanity; for as far as we know, his character or good faith have never been seriously questioned by any student of his life. Unable to impugn the veracity of the man, his enemies naturally attempted to dismiss his claim with the impatient judgment that he was self-deluded, possessed or insane. This cry - as was inevitable - has been raised in every age and every tongue. Even of the Lord, His enemies had said, "He hath a devil"; and the less Swedenborg was known, the easier it was to class him among well-meaning lunatics-at-large.

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     The materialist, convinced that there is no spiritual world, is perforce compelled to invent some sort of special category within abnormal psychology which will include all such as have testified of a world beyond - as did the Hebrew prophets, the evangelists, and many others; so that he may account for the origin of their experiences by supposing that they suffered from something resembling hallucinations. The New Church man must at times be amazed at the lengths to which some men will go to dismiss the whole spiritual experience of mankind as a mere phantasy. Its great men, who have lived closer to the borders of the unseen world which is the source of life and inspiration, they would consign, if not to the insane asylum, yet to the limbo of paranoiacs and self-deluded maniacs. All artistic geniuses, all spiritual leaders, are thus put outside of the only "normal" type; and the deadly "average-man," with an earthbound mind domesticated to the grooves of a sophisticated civilization, becomes the norm of perfection. The dry little thinking machine, emancipated beyond passion or perception, becomes the official leader of our progress.

     The danger of this is indeed dire enough to make the leaders of science somewhat cautious lest their enthusiastic followers prove too much and give to certain mental diseases so wide a definition that almost any human being might be suspected of them, and suspicion itself fabricate enough symptoms to support its claim. At the same time, we New Church men must get used to the fact that the only language in which unbelieving medical men can, by their own rules, catalogue the visions and peculiar states of Swedenborg, is the language of "abnormal psychology" that they have learned from the psychopathic wards and psychiatric clinics; and it naturally abounds in unpleasant terms such as "hallucination," "persecutory delusion, " "expansive obsessions" or megalomania, "dissociation" of perception or of personality, "hypersthenia," etc. When Swedenborg records how he perceived spirits insinuating contrary thoughts and emotions into him, how could it be otherwise than that an appearance of "double personality" would ensue! When spirits caused the sensation of pains or pleasures in various parts of his body, the apparent results would be symptoms like those of hypersthenia or exaggerated or imagined sensations. When Swedenborg sees and describes the efforts of evil spirits to harm him and others, and later speaks of his unique mission and Divine appointment, it is too easy for one who wants to discredit his visions to talk learnedly of a persecutional mania or of expansive delusions.
     To my knowledge, no psychologist, after any study of the case, has publicly dared to call Swedenborg "demented," or even classed him with assurance under any mental disease. A man who, at eighty-three, could publish a monumental work on abstract theology, who advanced no "crazy" notions, evinced no bewilderment and no sensational changes in his speech or manner of living, and showed no apathy or dullness, hardly fits into the medical picture.

8


A Swedish physician, Dr. Kleen, in 1920, indeed completed a book of nearly a thousand pages with the object of proving him a "comparatively mild" paranoiac - by going over the threads of his life-story with an unfriendly fine-tooth comb! but the evident animus behind the research discredited this old doctor; and others who are psychiatrists have contented themselves with regarding our Seer as a unique problem - his "symptoms" being so contradictory as to defy analysis. So they merely question the credibility of his intercourse with spirits and his descriptions of the other world, without denying the integrity of his reason as such.

     The New Church man's whole faith is tied up with the acknowledgment that Swedenborg's mind was not only sane, but was specifically equipped for a unique task. He had to be so sane, so calmly philosophical, that he could sustain with equanimity the expressed scorn or indifference of his fellow men; and at the same time suffer the perceptible influx of all manner of spirits, without permitting any of the peculiar results of their operations into his mind, his affections and his very body, to disturb his own character, his own free choice and will, or his own mental attitude and purpose. Swedenborg gave severe warnings against any attempt of men to communicate with spirits. He knew the terrors in store, knew the delusive power of corporeal spirits, knew that only an exceptionally strong mental constitution, under the immediate protection of the Lord, could stand the strain of such a life without entering upon the road to insanity.
     Although medicine, after nearly two centuries, has not yet officially invented a disease which might dispose of Swedenborg's case, still there have been many loose charges. In 1766, Immanuel Kant scoffed at Swedenborg as a "dreamer," yet smilingly hesitated wholly to discredit either his metaphysics or all the evidence about his supernatural relations. And in 1781 and 1783, John Wesley, the patriarch of Methodism, attacked the New Church in his Arminian Magazine, stating that Brockmer once Swedenborg's landlord in London, told the Rev. Mr. Mathesius (a Swedish Lutheran clergyman) that Swedenborg had suffered a fit of insanity and had called himself the Messiah. * The claim was thoroughly investigated and found very self-contradictory and a web of fallacious hearsay. Mr. Brockmer himself utterly repudiated having believed or circulated any story of insanity: but, strangely enough, he maintained that Swedenborg had on one occasion called himself "the Messiah."
     * Docu. 270.
     It would be very easy, though pointless here, to trace possible causes for Mr. Brockmer's misapprehension of Swedenborg's claim.

9


But the issue involved has been the subject of a continual contention in the church. The recognition of the Writings as the very means of the Lord's second advent in Divine truth has been met with the charge that we "deify" Swedenborg. Yet the very opposite is true: only when we see the Writings to be the Word of the Lord's own mouth can we see the man Swedenborg in his proper proportion and in the right human perspective; while as far as New Church men deny that the Writings are the Lord's work, they elevate Swedenborg the man into the position which the Lord alone should occupy, as the source of the light in which the Lord's own Holy Scripture is to be seen and interpreted.
     Where the Writings are not acknowledged as the work of the Lord, there has been no protection against such ideas as infested the New Church during the middle of the last century in connection with what was called the "celestial heresy." This originated in Boston, and involved that Swedenborg received truth from the Lord in exact proportion to his regeneration, which, it was allowed, was proceeding throughout his life. The Writings were viewed as the intellectual result of Swedenborg's progressive regeneration. The last published of these works, such as the True Christian Religion, would thus carry an authority proportionately greater than that of, say, Heaven and Hell or the Arcana. But, it was argued, since every man can receive only that truth through the Writings which agrees with his state of regenerate good, it did not really matter what authority the various books of the Writings lacked; the perception of each man from the good that was in him was really his own authority and criterion for truth.
     This specious fallacy, which confuses Divine revelation with the enlightenment of the regenerate mind and sweeps away the authority of truth to the understanding, is not quite defunct even now. And even the claim that is sometimes made for Swedenborg that he was a "celestial" man, an angel of the third heaven, is one which is not easily demonstrated from the Writings (although there are some indications which point that way, and however much we all would like it to be true!)

     I shall attempt, in the following remarks, to point out the urgent need that the one chosen to be the revelator of the Heavenly Doctrine had to be a normal human being - with all that this implies. And this implies also that he was a developing man, capable from the first of great progress and growth, both natural and spiritual; a man who faced many obstacles, even in himself; who was not beyond failure and despair; who made many new beginnings, as is the need of every man to do; and who, as far as all signs can indicate, was truly walking on the road of reformation and regeneration.

10


But although this latter progress did not cease, or was not stopped, by his call to become an explorer of the heavens (and this by degrees and through a constantly growing spiritual experience), yet the authority of the Writings rests not one whit on Swedenborg's state, nor is it proportionate to the breadth or length of his increasing experiences in the spiritual world.
     Emanuel Swedberg was born with the splendid physical heredity of his Dalecarlian ancestors - and was very seldom ill, even temporarily. The Dalecarlians were known as a very industrious, honest and strong people; farmers, woodsmen and miners, eking out their living under frontier conditions among the forests and mountains of "Dalom." Intolerant of shams, lovers of liberty, they bravely took up the sword again and again to free Sweden from oppressions.
     Swedenborg was thus well endowed physically for a task of scientific, and later, spiritual, pioneering. Many have marveled at his indefatigable labors - such as writing an average of eight closely written folio sheets a day on abstract and technical subject matter, and this while seeing his work through the press, proof-reading it himself, as well as keeping up personal diaries at the same time. His genius was, of course, largely hereditary - a happy combination of strains provided by a watchful Providence. His tremendous brain power was seen as a native gift from his father, the valiant old Bishop. (But none of the other children showed any real brilliance. The family strain seems to have exhausted itself in producing Emanuel Swedenborg!)
     His unique characteristic of being able to suspend his breathing while thinking or praying, and this from childhood, was, of course, also a providentially required equipment for his later mission. His good-natured acceptance of others, and his open-minded personality, his disarming sincerity and simple humor, as well as his love of children, his gentle courtesy toward women, and his uncompromising disdain for falsity, were, naturally, virtues more individual to himself; yet they had a basis both in heredity and in environment.

     Let us recognize, however, that Emanuel lived for at least fifty-five years before he had any realization of the work for which he had secretly been prepared, and for which he was finally destined! And not until he was nearly forty-six did he manifest any notable desire to be any sort of lay champion for the faith of the church in the immortality of the soul!
     He was early given very wide opportunities to acquaint himself with the great world of book-learning. His brother-in-law, guardian, and literary guide was Eric Benzelius, the virtual founder of the Upsala University Library, who had wide literary connections throughout Europe. In his home Swedenborg lived in the formative years - fourteen to twenty-one.

11


And the age in which he lived was still thinking in terms of the classical authors and the humanists, even though the march of science and of natural research had already started apace. Swedenborg found himself at the causeway between the ancient and the modern, and could weigh the values of both and form his mind without losing balance.
     In a manner, I think we New Church men can see that the very need of a Swedenborg raised a Swedenborg. The Lord ever provides that every situation shall contain the means for the solution of its own problems. His personality was one which no other age could have produced! His use, as revelator, was one which, humanly speaking, no other person could have performed: I believe that there could have been no Swedenborg, no man who by his rational mind (formed by natural truth and by a balanced philosophy of life) could have received a revelation of the doctrines of the New Church, except in that century.

     But heredity and circumstances do not make the man. Swedenborg was indeed led by Providence, but his response to the call by the Lord was his own free choice - foreseen but not compelled. The changes within his life - as far as men can discern - visibly testify to his free will, and to the development and gradual ripening of his spiritual motives.
     At first we glimpse him as a somewhat precocious school-boy, shyly proud of his verses, and scribbling his name in some ancient tome which he as yet cannot understand. Then we see him as an eager youth - bent on seeking his fortune, and openly relieved at having escaped the priestly career into which his very pious father is thought by some to have tried to lead him. He is a good, clear-eyed, wholesome youth as he sets out on his first foreign journey. But there is a bit of prank and mischief in him at this his first breath of liberty, as well as a bubbling enthusiasm for all the things that he is going to learn and accomplish. His ambition rides high; the embarrassment of a small purse is not allowed to quench his hopes of bringing back the most advanced things in learning and of lifting Sweden onto a new crest of technological progress. He is teeming with inventions - and shows impatience with the conservatism and the scholastic mud in which some members of the Upsala faculty still were sticking. He is contemptuous of stupidity, and quite frankly plans for his career; and in the manner of his time he paves the way to obtain the favor of the powers that be, by writing laudatory poems: well timed and, he thought, prudently directed.
     When he comes back to Sweden, he is not one to underestimate himself; he has a keen realization of being able to make important contributions to his country's scientific and mechanical progress. He is not immodest, but he and his father do all that can be done to further his career.

12


He is disgruntled at non-recognition, and at times writes somewhat bitterly. Emanuel is very human in his reactions. When finally he is taken up into favor by the king, he is filled with elation - as well as smitten for a while with that infectious loyalty which Charles XII, by sparing praise and simple personal charm, invariably produced in those who came within his magic circle.
     Yes. The Swedenborg of 1715 and thereabouts sought patronage quite frankly. And at that time nothing could be accomplished without court recognition and on royal bounty, which in Sweden was sadly slender. An episcopal family was - according to precedence - a legitimate petitioner for a title of nobility, which, however, could not be obtained through false modesty.
     Emanuel worked with Christopher Polhem on public works, but although he gave all that he had in him, the country was bankrupt and the work lagged, salaries unpaid. War absorbed all the energies of the kingdom, and young Emanuel was nearly dragged into the fatal campaign in Norway in 1718.

     The winter of 1718 finds him in his lowest moral ebb: hurt to the core because of the fickleness of kings, disgusted with the deceit of courtiers, disillusioned as to any chance of personal advancement or of the furthering of Sweden's scientific future. He seems to have felt no grief when the news slowly came trickling into Sweden of the king's death. To add to all this, his engagement to Polhem's daughter had been broken off. It was a somewhat embittered man who returned to Stockholm. For reasons unknown, he would have nothing to do thereafter with Polhem, who still wanted to treat him as a son.
     His thirtieth year thus found him with the promise of an empty title, and with a lonely, unsalaried job as junior Assessor in the Department of Mining where his appointment was resented. Never did his restless mind cease working on scientific, mechanical, geological, and mineralogical projects - on which he published treatises at his own expense. He was a born researcher. But besides this, the years had, I think, taught him not to rest on his native ability. He started now from the bottom, with the business of earning a living and of protecting his family interests, which were concerned with mining and iron works. He worked and studied and wrote, and his heart was healed, his enthusiasm revived. In 1726 we find him paying his court to the daughter of Bishop Steuchius * As in the former case, the lady preferred a dashing chamberlain to the learned and somewhat sedate Assessor! But meanwhile, Swedenborg - in his spare time, for he was now working regularly in the Department of Mines - produced one learned treatise after the other, mostly on chemistry and on the various metals.

13


He tried to see things from their beginnings. Also, he started with practical ultimates. Always, he was making new starts. He worked out three cosmological theories, one after the other, always with revisions, always from a new start each time: and finally, in 1734, he was able to publish his monumental work the Mineral Kingdom - the most comprehensive work on mining copper and iron in that whole century. The first part of that work is what we know as the Principia. It traces the origin of matter from its first constituents, points of force, which he there calls "mathematical points" or "first natural points." And even today, when the idea of tight little atoms has broken down, physicists can go no further in the analysis of matter than to imagine points of energy and lines of force as the reality that makes natural substance.
     * Kleen's Swedenborg, Vol. I, p. 378.

     It was at the very height of his deserved fame in this field of mineralogy that Swedenborg suddenly dropped the subject, never to return to it. As late as 1743, he always intended to add new volumes to the three already published of his Mineral Kingdom. * But in Germany, while publishing the Principia (1734), he was profoundly disturbed by the growth of unbelief in the learned world. Why was there such unbelief? Because there was no proof of the survival of the soul, and no understanding of the necessity that the universe had to have a Creator! He therefore hastily wrote and published that magnificent forerunner, Prodromus of a Philosophical Argument Concerning the Infinite and the Final Cause of Creation; and Concerning the Mechanism of the Operation of the Soul and the Body (1734). His idea was to follow this up with a treatise on the soul. His Principia had already shown that the inmost, finest, most elastic and active substances of nature could not be destroyed by death or disaster. Now he shows that the soul is not a merely metaphysical entity, but operates on the body from its own natural seat within the cortex of the brain and the inmost fibers of the body, and that this physical basis of character is immortal.
     * Docu. I, p. 459.
     He had now obtained an entirely new goal for his research, a new and higher motive for work! - a new field, a new enthusiasm! To find the nature of the soul, to prove it, and thus sustain the perishing faith of mankind! Hoc opus, hic labor!

     (To be Concluded)



14


HE WHO FIGHTS AND RUNS AWAY 1965

HE WHO FIGHTS AND RUNS AWAY       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       1965

     Delivered at the third session of the 49th British Assembly, London, July 18, 1964

     If truly Christian religion could be summed up in one short phrase, that phrase would be "shunning evils as sins." All New Church men are aware of the prominence of this phrase in the Writings. We find it used in those particularly affecting passages in which the reader is addressed directly. "Do thou, therefore, my friend, go to the Lord, and shun evils as sins. . . ." * "But, my friend, the first thing of charity is to shun evils." ** "But, my friend, shun evil and do good, and believe in the Lord from all your heart and in all your soul, and the Lord will love you, and will give you a love of doing and faith to believe." *** Or, in the case of the man who doubts that he can have faith: "Let me tell him how he may have it: Shun evils as sins, and come to the Lord, and you will have as much of it as you desire." ****
     * AR 914.
     ** TCR 535.
     *** TCR 484.
     **** F 12.
     In the baptismal service there are but two doctrinal questions. The first is about belief in the Lord, and the second is: "Do you acknowledge that evils are to be shunned as sins against Him?" No more need be asked, for the Writings say in so many words that "to shun evils as sins is the Christian religion itself." Fugere mala sicut peccata est ipsa religio Christiana.*
     * DP 239, 265, 278: 2.
     The English word which we most commonly use is "shun." The Latin word is fugio, which means to flee or run away. The word is most vividly used in number 510 of the True Christian Religion wherein man is enjoined to flee evils as one would flee an infernal horde with torches in hand trying to catch him and throw him on a burning pyre. The true Christian is a fugitive from evil, who is reformed by a spiritual fuga, a "flight" or a "running away." *
     * See AE 864c.     
     The word fugio does not mean to disperse or chase away or banish. It simply means to run away. There is another Latin word which can mean to put to flight (fugo) and is so used a few times in the Writings. But fugio means to run away. In the Potts Concordance it is found under "F" for "flee" rather than under "S" for "shun."


15



     Putting aside for a moment the question of translation, what an important thing is this "fugere mala sicut peccata"! For the Writings say:
"If you do good to the fullest extent - for example, building temples, decorating them and filling them with offerings, sustaining hospitals and asylums, giving alms every day, succouring widows and orphans, observing diligently the holy things of worship, and even thinking and talking and preaching about them as if from the heart, and yet do not shun evils as sins against God, none of these goods are good." * "A man who knows all goods and all truths, as many as can be known, but does not shun evils, knows nothing." ** This is put most emphatically in the Doctrine of Life wherein it is shown that even if a man knows and is wise in every particular of religion, "still he is not wise unless he shuns evils as sins." ***
     * DP 326: 8.
     *** AE 1180.
     *** Life 27.

     Besides "shun" the Writings use a number of other words - abstain, refrain, resist, be averse to, banish, dismiss, abhor, desist from, etc. But of all these, other than our summary phrase "flee as sins," the most emphasized word by far is "combat" - "to battle," "to fight." The true Christian, therefore, is not merely a fugitive from evil. The Christian church is rightly called a militant or fighting church (ecclesia pugnans), and this from fighting against evils. * The Christian must battle and flee - fight and run away. Thus it is said in the True Christian Religion that "man ought to flee evils as sins and to fight against them." ** Or, to quote one of the headings in the Doctrine of Life, "A man ought to flee evils as sins and fight against them as of himself." ***
     * Life 98; AE 734: 14.
     ** No. 330e.
     *** No. 101.
     I thought when I began this study that it might result in a tactical plan, a study of strategy against evils as to when to fight and when to flee, when to resist or make a stand. But this is not what I found. Rather than a choice between fighting and fleeing the Writings show what is meant by fleeing. They show that fighting is a vital part of it. As we shall see, no one can possibly flee evils without combatting them. Only he who fights can run away.
     What is this shunning, this running away? In asking this question we are reminded of the time when some angels together with Swedenborg asked some learned men what conscience is. The men answered that conscience is secum scire (a knowing within one's self) thus conscire (a being conscious) of what one has thought and done. To this the angels said: "We do not ask about the etymology of the word conscience, but about conscience." * I do not think that pronouncements merely on the basis of etymology will bring light on the subject of fleeing evils. Our interest is not really in words but in actualities.

16


I do not even have a recommendation as to what English word to use in translating this famous phrase. Whether we use "flee" or "shun" does not seem very important. The meaning is our main interest.
     * TCR 665: 2.

     (I will say on the matter of wording that I am satisfied that the word "avoid" would be incorrect. This word has been advocated in the past, but among arguments against it is the following passage: "All who do good from religion, avoid (evitare) actual evils, but they very rarely reflect upon the interiors pertaining to the will, for they believe that they are not in evil because they are in good, and even that the good covers the evil. But, my friend, the first thing of charity is to shun evils.") *
     * TCR 535.
     As to the meaning of shunning evils, it seems that we have two basic ideas. The first is the idea of getting away from something - putting distance between it and ourselves. Along with this simple idea we must realize that fugio is not a calm and casual word. It does not mean a nonchalant withdrawal. It is a fleeing occasioned by fear. It is something done from horror. Moreover, spiritually understood, a fleeing from anything signifies "horror." *
     * See AC 6950
     Horror is what fleeing is all about. To attain a state of horror is the purpose of shunning, and it is first undertaken from a kind of horror. We first flee evil from a theoretical horror. It is a horror in the understanding. To succeed in fleeing is to arrive at a state of horror in the will and to feel an aversion for evil.
     After all, what is it spiritually to put distance between something and yourself but to come into a different affection? The idea of motion in the word "to flee" really indicates a change of state. It is as if we were attracted to a sweet but deadly drug or to fragrant but poisonous flowers. Our aim is to come into another state in which we find these things undelightful. *
     * See Char. 2.
     The actual changing of the state of a man's heart is done by the Lord. Only the Lord can give us the heart to be averse to evil, and no one would undertake to flee evil in the truly Christian sense without belief in the Lord, without belief that He will do as He promises. But the man, on his part, must take definite steps in the fleeing of evils.
     Obviously we cannot literally run away from our evils. No matter how far we travel, we take them with us. Obviously the specific means to spiritual fleeing are not the same as the means to natural fleeing. Natural fleeing could simply be a matter of using one's legs; or it could be more complicated, various means of locomotion being employed. Suppose that a man devized a way to flee from East Berlin. The achievement of his goal might require a sequence of various actions on his part. These are his means of going about it, and while he is engaged in any one of these various actions, he is in the act of fleeing.

17



     To have a clear idea of fleeing from evils we must see the definite means by which it is done. Before we have such a clear idea does it not seem that self-examination and fleeing evils are two opposite things? For, we might say, "How can one seek something out - go looking for it, and run away from it at the same time?" But seeking out evils is part of running away from them, indeed it is the first step. And "shunning evils as sins" becomes more than a phrase to us, as we appreciate the necessary means. Self-examination is an essential means, because no one can shun that of which he is ignorant. *
     * DP 278a.

     Another essential means of fleeing evils is fighting against them. Rather than choosing whether to fight or to run, man fights as a means of fleeing. "No one can shun evils as sins so as to be inwardly averse to them except by means of combats against them." * Because evils are delightful to man he cannot shun them "except with a struggle, and therefore a battling". **
     * Life 92. See also LJ Post 342-344; D. Love xvii: 5; Life 66.
     ** Life 93, See TCR 68: 2.
     Man does not examine himself accidentally or unconsciously, nor does he fight against evils accidentally or unconsciously. The means to the shunning of evil are definite. No one need wonder whether he or she is shunning evils or not. We are fully aware when we are doing these things. This is of particular interest, because we can deceive ourselves about other things. We can think we do good unselfishly, when yet we do it selfishly. We can think we worship devoutly, when yet we do not. We can think that we believe something to be true and yet not really believe it. "A man may well believe that he has faith and yet not have it." *
     * Life 44.
     But man can know whether he shuns evils as sins, and from knowing this he can conclude whether or not he acts selfishly or unselfishly, whether he worships devoutly, whether he has faith. Thus we have the striking passage at the end of Divine Love and Wisdom: "When [man] is performing uses he does not know whether he is doing them for the sake of uses or for the sake of self. But let him know that he is performing uses for the sake of uses in the measure in which he flees from evils; for as far as he flees from evils, he performs uses not for himself, but from the Lord . . . . All this has been said to show that although man does not sensibly perceive whether the uses which he performs are for the sake of self, that is, whether the uses are spiritual or merely natural, still he can know it by this, whether or not he considers evils to be sins. If he regards them as sins, and for that reason abstains from doing them, the uses which he does are spiritual.

18


And when one who does this flees from sins from a feeling of aversion, he then begins to have a sensible perception of the love of uses for the sake of uses, and this from spiritual enjoyment in them." *
     *DLW 426.

     Actual Repentance

     The fleeing of evils in accomplished by repentance." * The means of fleeing are summed up in the steps of "actual repentance." ** "Repentance" in the Writings is not a vague word; it refers to specific things to be done. "The question therefore is, How ought man to repent? And the reply is, Actually; that is to say, he must examine himself, recognize and acknowledge his sins, pray to the Lord, and begin a new life." ***
     * Char. 200e.
     ** See Lord 17: 3; Char. 208e.
     *** TCR 530.
     What is called "easier repentance" in the Writings also contains the essential means of fleeing from evils. Easier repentance does not require a man to consider what he would do if he had the chance, nor to examine what he believes to be allowable. It only requires action on his part when he is actually on the verge of doing wrong. He is then to take deliberate note that he is intending something evil and to determine not to do it for the reason that it is a sin against the Lord." * Even this easier repentance requires a fight and also self-examination. It is in connection with this kind of repentance that it is said: "How can anyone flee away from evils and banish them without some self-inspection?" **
     * See TCR 535; HH 533.
     ** TCR 535
     For some strange reason even easy repentance is difficult! The Writings note that a man finds easy repentance strangely difficult, and that even though all men of sound reason will assent to the idea of it, still "few will act accordingly." *
     * TCR 535.
     What subtle forces hinder even easier repentance? There is a kind of mystery here. It is a wonder that even pious people are deterred from this essential of religion. "I have often wondered," we read, "that although the whole Christian world acknowledges that evils must be shunned as sins . . . yet scarcely one in a thousand knows this." * Paradoxically, it is known by almost everyone that shunning evils as sins is the Christian religion itself, and yet it is not known.' **
     * DP 153.
     ** DP 265, 258.
     What are some of the reasons for this, reasons which apply also to those in the New Church? One of the reasons disclosed in the Writings is that a so-called Reformed Christian is associated with spirits who introduce certain things into the ideas of his thought "and lead him away from the very first step toward self-inspection and self-examination." *

19



     * TCR 561e.
     The thoughts introduced by spirits are largely variations on the theme that man is unable to fight evils or to flee from them. And one of the most stirring announcements of the Writings is that man is free, that he can fight, that he can flee. "But many, I know, think in their heart that no one can shun these things. . . . But let such know that any one who thinks in his heart that there is a God, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, that the Word is from Him, and is therefore holy, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that there is a life after death, is able to shun these evils." * "The Lord is continually flowing into [man's] will with power that he may be able to shun evils, and into his understanding with power that he may be able to think that there is a God." **
     * AE 936: 2.
     ** DP 329.
     The truth is simple and powerful. We are free in our minds to think about the Lord or not. "Therefore, my friend, you may if you choose, by merely observing your own thought, reject and detest that absurd and hurtful heresy, which at this day has induced a lethargy upon Christendom..." * The promise is sure that man can shun evil by the power of the Lord "if he begs for that power." ** The Lord will never deny this power to the man who asks for it. "Does not a man say within himself, 'I won't do this. I will give up doing this. Indeed, when it recurs, I will fight against it and overcome it'?" The man who believes in God says within himself, "Through God I will conquer it." This man supplicates and prevails. "This is not denied to any one, but is granted to all." *** When a man shuns evils as sins, he shuns them because they are against the Lord, "and then he prays to the Lord for help and for power to resist them, which power besought, is never denied." ****
     * TCR 497.
     ** Life 58e, 31e.
     *** Char 203.
     **** Char. 204.

     The shunning of evils is possible to men in all walks of life. We read of the farmer, the sailor, the servant, the business man, the workman, and in each case it is first said: "If he looks to the Lord and shuns evils as sins." * A man is shunning evils on the occasions when he fights against them, but he is also shunning them at other times. When he is reading the Word or listening to a sermon and consciously relating the teaching to evils in himself and saying to himself, "This evil is a sin," he is then participating in the Christian religion itself." ** This is true when he is deliberately thinking about repentance." *** It is especially true when he takes note of his thoughts, for this is in the privacy of his own mind and is not influenced by considerations of reputation or gain.

20


When he sees in his thoughts revenge, adultery, theft and false witness, and determines himself against them because they are contrary to the Word, then he is shunning evils as sins. ****
     * Char. 160 ff, etc.
     ** See TCR 525.
     *** Char. 179.
     **** See TCR 532.
     The urgent invitation of the Writings is not simply a plea for more effort in the suppressing of evils. Many people do strenuously suppress evils in themselves and yet remain natural. * The invitation of the Writings is to go to the Lord Himself and to shun evils as sins against Him. "Therefore kind reader, look into yourself, and find out one or another evil that is in you, and from religion dismiss it. If you dismiss it from any other purpose or end, you do so only that they may not appear before the world." **
     * See Life 108.
     ** TCR 5663e.
     In so far as a man shuns evils in this way he also does good from the Lord. In proportion as he shuns evils as sins his worship is genuine, and he loves truths and has faith. * "Do thou therefore my friend, go to the Lord, and shun evils as sins." **
     * Life 18-52
     ** AR 914.
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1965

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1965

     In a sermon on what has religion got to do with politics, published in the NEW-CHURCH MESSENGER, the Rev. Ernest 0. Martin asks to what extent the church should involve itself in political, economic and social matters. Teachings which state that the province of religion is all of life, and that man must live in the world and engage in its affairs in order to receive spiritual life, are cited to show that life cannot be compartmentalized. The conclusion is that our commission is "to witness of the Lord in home, community and nation; at school, work and leisure in social affairs, economic programs and political activities; in every sphere of life, to the very core of our being." The thesis itself is one that would probably be accepted by most New Church men, but the basic question is left unanswered: is this the responsibility of the church as such or of its members as individuals?
     In another sermon, preached at the opening of the New Church College session and published in the NEW-CHURCH HERALD, the Rev. Dennis Duckworth spoke of training for the ministry in terms of the functions represented by Gabriel, Michael and Raphael. These were seen to involve skill and perceptiveness in declaring the Word, understanding the spiritual truths of the Word rationally, and confirmation and healing as the three aspects of truth, for the teaching of which men are prepared.


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FREEDOM IN MARRIAGE 1965

FREEDOM IN MARRIAGE       Rev. LORENTZ R. SONESON       1965

     A striking statement in the Arcana Coelestia opens the way for a whole new approach to our concept of marriage. It is that delights of conjugial love can be obtained in countless numbers, "and this with the greatest freedom, for all freedom is from love; and thus the greatest freedom is from conjugial love, and is heavenly freedom itself." *
     * AC 2744.
     We know that love is the life of man; and whatever man wills is determined by the love from which it springs. If the love in man inflows from heaven into a new will given to him from the Lord, then the delights received from that love are heavenly and blessed. Because this love in man is orderly, according to the laws of Providence, there is no limit to man's opportunity for receiving these delights. That which a man wills, that which he longs for from a good love, will be received without reservation or limitation. A good man who desires to serve the neighbor without reward is free to do so. There are no bonds or limits on the desires of a good love.
     We can see that freedom, all freedom, is from love. Slavery, then, is when the will cannot be satisfied. The appetites of an evil love can never be fulfilled. Love of dominion does not stop with supremacy over the neighbor, but desires to be supreme over the Lord Himself. Love of the world demands all possessions, not just a few. Infernal freedom is the product of an evil love, and is not real freedom at all, but slavery, for it can never satisfy its desires. This is what is meant by the words of the Lord when He said: "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin."
     * John 6: 3.
     The Arcana passage referred to points out that since all freedom is from love, and since conjugial love is the supreme love of heaven, it follows that the greatest freedom is from conjugial love, yea, "is heavenly freedom itself."
     The more we reflect on this, the more we perceive the truth in it. Of course, freedom, true freedom, should be fundamental to the precious gift of conjugial love. The heavenly delights received by one man and one woman, who are both looking to the Lord for guidance, are the result of genuine freedom. "The life of freedom," by the Writings' definition, "consists solely in being led by the Lord." *
     * AC 892.


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     At the same time, however, there are certain questions that may enter our minds regarding these two concepts - freedom and marriage. As we view the teachings from the doctrines, we see the ideal - the state of those in heaven. We long for this state, but we realize that it can be acquired only through a long and arduous life of reformation and regeneration. The goal, conjugial love, indeed appears as if beyond our sight, far into the future. We examine our progress to date, and, except for fleeting moments, we may seriously question whether we have moved very far toward the idealistic goal of love truly conjugial.

     This in no sense implies that marriage does not offer its joys. Quite the opposite. The Lord, through His laws, is quicker to offer man true happiness for unselfish acts than is our neighbor. The cycle of temptation, followed by an inner peace and tranquility, repeats itself in our lives as often as we are successful in subjugating self for the neighbor. The reference here is to the appearance of growth in our marriage. In retrospect it is more likely to seem a path over hills and through valleys, rather than one ascending unwaveringly toward heaven.
     We know that conjugial love can be bestowed on those only who have reformed their life to the point where a new will is implanted in the understanding. This new will, we know, is the only vessel capable of receiving that precious love from God out of heaven. What we are likely to see, when we examine our own lives, and our life so far with our married partner, is something short of a regenerate life and the delights of conjugial love.
     We are familiar with the state of man and the world at the time the Writings were revealed. Over and over again the doctrines described how evil, how selfish and worldly, man has become. Few are regenerating, we are told, in the Christian world. It does not surprise us, then, to read that "what conjugial love is, and whence its origin, few at this day know, for the reason that few are in it." *
     * AC 2727.
     Our reaction is quite apt to be defeatist, or pessimistic. If only a few know what conjugial love is, and scarcely that it is, what chance is there that any of us will ever acquire it? Even devoted married partners acknowledge marital histories containing struggles, conflicts, frustrations and unhappiness. The dreams of glorious marital bliss from the nuptial day forward are soon shattered. Uncontrollable circumstances often force men and women to falter many times in marriage. Blemishes in marital relations create doubts of achieving the joys described in the Writings. The gift of conjugial love to eternity seems an elusive hope.

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     And yet, surprisingly enough, the very struggles experienced, the feelings of frustration and despair, could be signs of progress made toward the goal of a life eternal with a conjugial partner. When we contemplate the pathway leading toward true freedom, which is heavenly freedom, we see that it is the same pathway leading to conjugial love! We recognize that the road that leads to heaven will have its valleys and detours. There is no easy road to regeneration. The unavoidable truth is that natural desires must be suppressed. We experience this as the denial of freedom. But only by suppressing natural inclinations can we prevent the native will from dominating our lives.

     Shunning evil desires as sins against the Lord is never easy. The fact that we recognize them as evil is an intellectual conclusion, derived from study of the Word. But to deny or refuse to satisfy the longing of those evil desires appears to destroy our freedom. We are, to all appearances, slaves to our enlightened understanding. We are free, to be sure, to exert our reason upon our will. But it still appears to us to be a sacrifice of genuine freedom. Our will is not free to express itself, so we sense unhappiness. The truth that real freedom, heavenly freedom, cannot inflow until evil inclinations are overcome is small comfort at such moments. Unhappiness is magnified when the sight of why we are denying ourselves is temporarily removed from our understanding. Then we seem utterly alone.
     Yet, we are told, this is only an appearance. The Lord has revealed that, in His Divine mercy, we are not alone in periods of temptation. Indeed, the Lord is closer to us then than at any other time. Furthermore, we are in a greater state of freedom.
     We read: "When a man compels himself against evil and falsity, there is more freedom than in any state out of temptation, although the man cannot apprehend it at the time, it being an interior freedom. This freedom is from the Lord, who insinuates it into the man's conscience, and by it causes the man to conquer the evil as from proprium." "In temptations, freedom becomes stronger according to the assaults made by evils and falsities, and is strengthened by the Lord, in order that a heavenly proprium may be conferred upon him." *
     * AC 1947.
     Power to resist inclinations of the evil will does not come from self but from the Lord alone. But this power can enter man only through his endeavor to resist. The freedom to resist evils is the Lord's dwelling place with man. As man exercises it, the Lord enters and empowers man. This is how man is in greater freedom when in temptation than when he is not.
     In general there are three kinds of freedom: Natural, rational and spiritual.

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Concerning the first, or natural freedom, we are instructed that "man has freedom of reason by his being midway between heaven and the world, and his ability to think from heaven or the world." * This is a gift from the Lord to all men, both good and evil, as long as they dwell in the world.
     * DP 142.
     But this is not the genuine freedom we referred to before that is enjoyed by the regenerate man. This is a kind of freedom that everyone has by inheritance. From this freedom man loves nothing but himself and the world, for his first life is nothing else. * If we confirm these evil inclinations, by reasonings, we are doing evil in freedom according to our reasonings. "It is from the Lord's Divine Providence that man is able to do this." **
     * DP 73.
     ** Ibid.
     Every man also enjoys a rational freedom, which is from an evil love as well - the love of reputation, honor and gain. "The enjoyment of this love lies in appearing externally as a moral man, and is a more internal natural freedom. This freedom, too, by the Lord's Divine Providence remains with everyone." *
     * Ibid.
     Spiritual freedom, however, is enjoyed by those only who think evils to be sins and consequently shun them. "At first such a freedom does not seem to be freedom, and yet it is. This freedom increases as natural freedom decreases, and becomes subservient, and it conjoins itself with rational freedom and purifies it." *
     * Ibid.

     This is the freedom associated with the sphere of conjugial love, referred to in the Arcana. It is the free expression and fulfillment of one's love that makes heaven what it is. But man can acquire it only by means of the Word - doctrine seen and applied. The Lord now visible to man in His Word is the Son that abideth ever; the truth that frees man from servitude to sin. Thus it can be seen what freedom is spoken of in these words: "If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
     This doctrine can be seen most clearly when it is applied to the teachings regarding marriage. The husband and wife relationship is generally without pretense. Because of its closeness, each partner sees the other's true character for what it is. The guard is down in marriage, and we see ourselves in a truer perspective, through our partner's eyes. We are more prone to be as we really are with our partner than with others.
     This provides the opportunity to examine one's true nature, and once having seen the natural will, to shun its desires. Because the wife or husband is the closest neighbor, here is where true repentance and reformation should begin! Here is where we begin to see the good in the neighbor and to love it. Here is where doctrine can be applied to life, in married life.

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     Those who exercise the opportunity to apply doctrine in their marriage relations consequently undergo the severest temptations there. Doubts and disillusionment become associated with their marriage, because these are a part of temptation. This explains why memories of married life include some unpleasant associations.
     At the same time, we need to keep in mind that here is the arena of human relations where we can best enjoy the blessings of human freedom. Here is the proving ground that illustrates how spiritual freedom increases as natural freedom decreases and becomes subservient. The more we concentrate on exerting control over love of self and the world as it appears in our marriage, the more we will reap the delights of conjugial love and the ineffable delights of spiritual freedom. The more we exert our energies to serve and cultivate the uses of our wife or husband, the more free we are to see and serve the uses outside of the home.

     The sphere of a marriage that is struggling for spiritual freedom reflects itself in the family. The enlightenment for wise parenthood comes to those only who are seeking to remove falsities and evils from their marriage. Parents who hope to prepare their children for heaven can first help them by preparing themselves for heaven. Those who love the church and desire to see it grow can achieve it best by building their marriage in the teachings of the church.
     One comforting teaching about freedom in marriage can be illustrated in a principle of mathematics: the odds appear overwhelmingly against the same side of a coin coming up consecutively on repeated tossing. But all other things being equal, there is an equal chance that it will do so every time. Similarly, the goal of conjugial love may appear remote while we undergo our earthly struggle against hereditary evils. Yet, the Lord holds us in perfect freedom to choose between good and evil along every step of our life's journey. Even when we falter, our equilibrium is immediately restored for a new opportunity. Each dawning day is a new beginning.
     Every human heart desires freedom. But let us set our goal on spiritual freedom, and nothing less. Those who are married can seek it in their marriage. Those who are not will find ample opportunity to seek this heavenly freedom through service to the neighbor in their use, thereby preparing them for their conjugial partner in the life to come. And though the struggle for freedom may bring momentary discomfort from suppressed natural desire, we need only remember that the Lord is ever near. Let us remember, too, that this struggle is not without its continual delights and blessings.

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For we read: "The advancement of the delights [from conjugial love is] into blessedness and happiness continually more and more, even to what [is] beyond number or description; and the more interior, the more innumerable and ineffable, even to the very celestial happiness of the inmost heaven, or of the heaven of innocence; and this with the greatest freedom, for all freedom is from love; and thus the greatest freedom is from conjugial love, and is heavenly freedom itself." *
     * AC 2744.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Moral. This is a term which has far wider and deeper extension in the Writings than in common usage, in which it is frequently restricted to sexual behavior. As used by them, it is inclusive of the entire life of man with the neighbor in societies. Thus moral truths relate to the things of every man's life in regard to companionship and social relations - to what is sincere and right, and to virtues of every kind. Moral good, which is human good itself, is the rational good according to which man lives with other men as a brother and companion. Moral life is to act well, sincerely and justly in all things; and moral wisdom consists in the practice of all the virtues which look to life and enter into it. (See AE 182; HH 468; Char. 57; CL 164.)

     Mutual Love. Here we have a term which is used in various ways. It refers to the love of the neighbor more than oneself which is characteristic of the celestial kingdom. Elsewhere it is taken for charity, or spiritual love; and in other places it is contrasted with friendship in the teaching that mutual love regards the good in man, and being directed to good is given to him who is in good, whereas friendship regards the man for the sake of self. (See AC 2057; AR 353; AC 3875.) A related term is the good of mutual love: the good characteristic of the external of the celestial kingdom, the celestial-natural heaven. This is said to be the affection of good for its own sake and the external good of innocence. (See AC 9741, 9912.)

     Natural. This particular term refers to the ultimate in every series. Thus it is descriptive of the first or lowest heaven, of the sense of the Word in the letter, and of the ultimate degree of the human mind and of this and other worlds in which creation subsists and terminates. The life of the lowest degree of the mind, which is from the world, is called natural, and the man who lives only on the plane of that life is called a natural man. (See HH 31; AC 3293.)



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COMING CRISIS IN NEW CHURCH EDUCATION 1965

COMING CRISIS IN NEW CHURCH EDUCATION       Rev. KURT H. ASPLUNDH       1965

     A portion of an address on the Pittsburgh New Church School.

     Some may say that it all began in May of 1885, at a meeting of the General Church of Pennsylvania held in Pittsburgh. At that meeting Bishop William H. Benade made an eloquent plea for action in starting New Church schools. He said, in part:

     "Like other citizens of the country, New Churchmen have availed themselves of the means provided by the State for daily instruction of their children in natural and temporal sciences and knowledges, but they have made no provision for their instruction in spiritual and eternal knowledges. They have failed to give them day by day the true food of the mind and spirit, even whilst they have asked it of the Lord for themselves, and at the same time have exposed them to dangers of mental and moral contamination and of entire misdirection of all the aims of life in the sphere of materialistic science and education in a corrupt age.
     "The duty of the church to establish schools of its own for the instruction of children in the heavenly doctrines and in all knowledges and science in the light of those doctrines ought at length to receive some living and practical recognition that may lead to its assuming, in time, that paramount position in its regard to which it is entitled. Societies of the church will do well to consider whether it be not a matter of primary importance to have in view the withdrawal of their children from the perverting spheres of the world and the Old Church, and their thorough imbution with the living truths of the New Church." *
     * New Church Life, 1885, p. 124

     The Pittsburgh school was begun the following fall. But Bishop Benade's plea was not a beginning; it was only a signal in the minds of the people of the New Church in Pittsburgh that they must now act. As the Bishop later remarked, at festivities on the occasion of the completion of the first school building, in January 1888, one of the characteristics of the Pittsburgh Society was a "certain slowness in taking in new ideas, but when these ideas were once taken in, an immediate desire to carry them out, and a seeking about for means to do so." *
     * Ibid., 1888, p. 30.
     No, the ideal of New Church education was not a new thing in the minds of Pittsburgh people. Several years previous to this time, a group of young men in Pittsburgh, under the leadership of Mr. Benade, who was pastor at that time, had forwarded the movement that resulted in the formation of the Academy of the New Church.

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But the establishment of a school, even back in 1885, was no easy matter. It required dedication, sacrifice, and a clear vision of the use. We find all of these requirements met in the person of the Rev. Andrew Czerny, a New Church minister little known to our generation of the church, who, by his efforts over the period from 1885 to 1896 made New Church education a reality in Pittsburgh. He worked at times almost singlehandedly in the school; giving to it out of his own meager means; promoting the ideal whenever possible.
     At the decennial of the Pittsburgh school in 1895 he revealed, at a celebration, the deep convictions that led him to believe in the incomparable value of a New Church education. He asked that question which is still asked today, and which will have to be answered anew for every coming generation in the church: "In what does the distinctiveness of the New Church consist?" He answered:

     "It consists in this, that its end and aim is the instruction and training of both the natural and the spiritual minds. It regards the formation and training of both minds in such a way that they may complement each other, as is its true function. For unless the two minds are thus trained, men cannot be truly, i.e., spiritually, rational. The knowledges and affections in the natural mind must be of a quality to correspond with the principles of truth in the spiritual mind, thus capable of being arranged into a rational form. When the knowledges and principles of truth are thus arranged into a rational form in the mind, the light of heaven is received without obstructions, like the clear light of the sun into precious stones, which receive the sun's light according to the order and arrangement of their particles; while, on the other hand, the light of heaven is rendered obscure, or is wholly suffocated, when there are none but natural knowledges in the mind, which, without light from above, cannot be arranged into the heavenly form. Hence the formation and training of the mind according to the principles of education revealed to us must gradually impart to the pupil the faculty of thinking from truths. He must also unconsciously, as it were, acquire the faculty of discriminating between what is true and what is false, in other words, the faculty of individual judgment, imperfect at first, to be sure, but which is nevertheless the beginning of what in the end may develop into true rationality. And since true freedom consists in thinking from truth, the pupil is gradually initiated into this freedom.
     "This result, more than anything else, distinguishes New Church education from every other; for there is nothing which so limits and retards the development of true rationality as the pressure of human authority in rational and scientific matters. This pressure prevails in all educational institutions outside of the Church, for there is no institution of this kind which does not hold up some human authority or another as its oracle to whose opinion all must submit. No such authority is acknowledged in the Schools of the Academy. The pupil is first of all instructed in the knowledges of good and truth revealed to us, and then gradually initiated into the habit of judging all other knowledges in the light of these. Thus he learns to acknowledge the Divine Truth as the only authority, and to subject everything presented to his mind to that.

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     "Such we understand to be the aim of true education; and such is the view we have held of the use from the beginning of the school. This idea of the heavenly origin of the use, of its exalted character and dignity, we have ever had before our minds. Indeed this idea has been our chief support in the trials and difficulties which we had to meet. It has been our polar star, which pointed out to us the way, when it seemed obscure and uncertain. And, lastly, it has filled us with the conviction that to the use are due all our efforts, all our strength and abilities." *
     * Ibid. 1895, pp. 188f.

     Has not this aim of "true education" been the "polar star" for all who have worked for the maintenance and advancement of New Church education over this period of eighty years since the school was begun in Pittsburgh? Has not this been the exalted goal that was worth all the striving?
     But is our vision of the spiritual use of education as clear now? Is our conviction of the need for this education buttressed with the principles of the Heavenly Doctrine as firmly as it was in the mind of Mr. Czerny, or in the minds of the parents who sent their children off to school to that three-story house in Pittsburgh where classes were first held in 1885? I believe that our schools everywhere face a crisis far more serious than the lack of a building in which to hold classes, or the lack of $600.00 to pay the teacher - the annual salary in the early days. One reason our schools have survived is that the students we have graduated have not been seriously deprived of the things that other educational systems could offer. We have had our cake, and have been able to eat it, too; for, as far as purely natural standards go, our students have ranked with the best of students from other schools. Can this continue to be so?
     One of the strong impressions I had, in reading the history of our little church school and comparing the old days with the present ones, was that education has become a more serious, earnest and complex business than ever before. Notice the very fact that no new schools have been started in the church in more than sixty years. It is harder to start schools now, and harder to maintain them. Why? The children who attend have not changed essentially. They had to be educated then as now. The facts included in the curriculum have not changed, although there are a lot of them nowadays. What, then, has changed that makes it harder to start schools today and harder to keep them going? The answer is, attitudes.
     There is a new attitude toward the importance of education. Education has become, for some, a religion. Men now find the principles by which to live in college, not in church. The educated man is a kind of demi-god, worshiped and adored by the less well educated. The wonders of scientific progress are today's miracles; more highly regarded than any recorded in the New Testament.

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     But why do we find this new attitude toward education? It is because of a fundamental fallacy that grows daily, unchecked by the old Christianity but judged and condemned by the new. Behind all the adulation of education today is the essential attitude that man is his own master; that man can accomplish anything he wants, as long as he is properly trained. This attitude leads to fear among parents - fear that if they fail to provide their children with the kind of mental and social training offered in the so-called "best" schools, they will have failed to give them the means to improve themselves and to become better and happier than we are.
     Our educational system seeks to produce young men and women who look to the truth of doctrine and to the Lord for their guidance and improvement, and not to themselves or their own degree of intelligence. That is the real purpose of education - to form the mind of the child in such a way that it may receive the light of truth from heaven without obstruction, like a precious stone which perfectly mirrors the light of the sun. When the mind is thus formed, it is given the ability to think from truths; to discriminate between what is true and what is false, which is true rationality; and to act in true freedom.
The question that faces the church is how fully we will support an educational system which promotes the development of minds spiritually rational, and which imparts to those minds, or seeks to impart, a heavenly form. Such things are regarded as of no value in the rest of the educational world. The aims there, as has been said, are entirely distinct from our own; and as these worldly and fallacious aims, which tend only to bar the light of heaven from the mind, become more and more pronounced and are ultimated in educational practices utterly foreign to our own ends, we will be faced with a crisis more severe than any we face at this time. It will be then, as never before, that we will have to look to the real use of education and hold it before us as our "polar star."
LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 1965

LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE              1965

     "1. Man has no other sensation, perception or knowledge than that life is in himself in such a way that he thinks and wills, and consequently speaks and acts, from himself; but nevertheless he should acknowledge and believe that the truths which he thinks and speaks, and the goods which he wills and does, are from God, and thus as it were from himself" (Apocalypse Explained 1136).



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SWEDENBORG'S THIRD RULE OF LIFE 1965

SWEDENBORG'S THIRD RULE OF LIFE       SYDNEY B. CHILDS       1965

     "To observe propriety of behavior and to keep the conscience clear." The word, propriety, is essentially the same as, proprium, meaning, one's own. A broader connotation is found in the words: appropriate, circumspect, decent, seemly and correct.
     From a spiritual viewpoint, rational and moral wisdom of life are the goals to be sought. Without this, propriety is a hollow and hypocritical mask. Remember Jesus' condemnation of the rulers of the synagogue: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are full within of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." *
     * Matthew 23: 27.     
Yet a life of propriety is essential for success and happiness in our world; also man's regeneration can be ultimated in and his celestial and spiritual states be safeguarded by such a life. Man can be initiated into true propriety of life from early infancy, and if he remains in it through childhood, youth, manhood and old age, it will after death be perfected to eternity.
     All that is said in the Writings about religion leading to the good of life is conveyed in the idea of genuine propriety. Swedenborg wisely combined the rule of propriety with the words, "and to keep the conscience clear." Conscience is the offspring of reformation and regeneration. It is of a spiritual and celestial quality. The test of conscience is met when a man does not yield to a temptation involving one of the Ten Commandments. This is especially the case where an offense against "honor" is, seemingly, unlikely to be detected. A man who makes no pretense of having a conscience will simply go ahead and commit an evil act regardless of what havoc in the lives of others may result. Examples range from wanton vandalism to heinous crimes which, while never detected, perhaps, by society, can drag the soul down to hell.
There are countless warnings in the Heavenly Doctrine of the deadly sins involved in the absence of conscience. The following quotation indicates the signs of a true conscience. "Hence it is that those who have conscience are held by the Lord in thinking well of the neighbor, and are withheld from thinking evilly; wherefore conscience is never possible except with those who love the neighbor as themselves, and think well about the truths of faith." *
     * AC 1919: 2.


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     The influx of the hells against conscience is delineated in this passage. "In like manner they assault the affections of truth, which make conscience; as soon as they perceive anything of conscience whatever, they form to themselves an affection from the false and infirm things with man, and through this darken the light of truth. . . . There are few things, and those only the most general ones, which can come to man s conscience, which they delight in destroying more than anything else." * Those who seek salvation must strive to keep the conscience clear by endeavoring to shun from the heart any and all evils against the Lord and against the neighbor.
     * AC 1820: 4.
     True propriety of behavior is attained only when our behavior is inspired by the wisdom which is taught through Divinely revealed truths in the Sacred Scripture and in the Writings. Conjugial Love is devoted throughout to truths consecrated to the springs of civil, moral, spiritual and celestial dictates. We read:

     "Since wisdom is of life and thence of reason, as was said above, the question arises, What is wisdom of life? In brief summary it is this: to shun evils because they are hurtful to the soul, hurtful to the state, and hurtful to the body; and to do good deeds because they are of advantage to the soul, to the state, and to the body. This is the wisdom which is meant by the wisdom wherewith conjugial love allies itself. For it allies itself therewith by this, that it shuns the evil of adultery as a bane to the soul, to the state, and to the body; and as his wisdom springs from spiritual things which are of the church, it follows that conjugial love is according to the state of the church, because it is according to the state of wisdom with man. It is also meant by this, that - has been stated many times before - in so far as a man becomes spiritual he is in love truly conjugal; for man is made spiritual by means of the spiritual things of the church." *
     * CL 130: 4.

     The Writings and the Scriptures indicate that with those who are not in the Christian faith there can be dictates of conscience, even where, through ignorance, the false persuasions of the religion available to them may prevail.
     Those who are in the New Church should reflect that the Lord alone is perfect. While we may endeavor to improve our lives, we are aware that we are finite and receptacles of life from God, the only perfect Man. The best way to attain our goal is through everlasting trust in God and the will to follow His precepts as revealed in His Word.
     This is a lifelong journey, with many a step backward. Yet if we keep on seeking the truth and its application to our lives the Lord will provide, at times, some indications of progress on our part.

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The hells, meanwhile, will continue to induce a sense of utter failure and despair; but the Creator, our Lord and God, will ever be ready to sustain us in temptation. Intervals of peace and joy will follow in the course of a good man's life. Thus will a spiritual equilibrium be maintained. Hope for the future is a well-spring from on high.
     An inspiring and familiar teaching is presented in Arcana Coelestia:

     "I have conversed with certain spirits concerning the Word, saying that it has been necessary that of the Lord's Divine Providence some revelation should come into existence, for a revelation or Word is the general recipient vessel of spiritual and celestial things, thus conjoining heaven and earth; and that without it they would have been disjoined, and the human race would have perished. And besides, it is necessary that there should be heavenly truths somewhere, by which man may be instructed, because he was born for heavenly things and, after the life of the body, ought to come among those who are heavenly; for the truths of faith are the laws of order in the kingdom in which he is to live forever." *
     * AC 1775.

     Emanuel Swedenborg's third rule of life may well have been inspired by his reflections on certain words in the Lord's sermon on the mount: "And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying . . . . Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." *
     * Matthew 5: 1, 2,14-16.
SWEDENBORG SOCIETY 1965

SWEDENBORG SOCIETY              1965

     The Council of the Swedenborg Society wish to inform the members of the Society that following the sudden death of the Honorary Treasurer, Mr. R. V. Stebbing-Allen, Mr. Dan Chapman has been appointed Honorary Treasurer.
     The Council are most grateful to Mr. Chapman for undertaking the office for a short period until a new appointment can be made. It is the second time that Mr. Chapman has in similar circumstances come back from a well-earned retirement to an office which he had previously held for seventeen years, and members of the Society, as well as the Council, are deeply appreciative of his action.
     FREDA G. GRIFFITH,
Joint Honorary Secretary



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NATURAL GOOD 1965

NATURAL GOOD       Rev. KURT P. NEMITZ       1965

     The Heavenly Doctrine distinguishes natural good, the good that is born with man, into four categories, namely, natural good from the love of good, natural good from the love of truth, natural good from the love of evil, and natural good from the love of falsity.* In the light of this teaching it may be wondered how it can be said that everyone's heredity is evil. If an inclination to a love of what is good and true can be transmitted hereditarily, why it is that there is not any good in the heredity of present day man? The answer is given clearly in the Arcana: "Every man is born of his parents into the evils of the love of self and the world. Every evil which by habit has contracted a kind of nature is derived into the offspring, thus successively from parents, from grandparents, and from great-grandparents, in a long series backwards. From this the derivation of evil has at last become so great that all of man's own life is nothing else than evil." ** Consequently it is said in another place that "at the present day most people who in the Christian world are in natural good are born into these so-called goods of evil and falsity, because their parents have by actual life contracted the delight of evil and falsity, and thus have implanted it in their children, and thereby in their descendants." ***
     * AC 3469: 3.
     ** AC 8550.
     *** AC 3469e.
     But there is reason for hope, because the passage first referred to concludes with the promise that the hereditary line of evil can be broken by the Lord if men live a life of faith and charity. A more perfect world will arise! There will come a time when the children born into the world will have an hereditary inclination to good instead of to evil. There will be a new golden age. This does not mean that the children of that age will not have to be regenerated by the Lord. Their heredity will indeed be good, but still it will be merely natural; and natural good received from parents at birth is not saving. In order to enter heaven man must receive spiritual good, the only source of which is the Lord, and reception of that good is what is called regeneration.
     Let us see, by examining its character, why this natural good is not in itself saving. Natural good is, as we have seen, inborn; for this reason it is no different essentially than the natural affections that animals have, which are called instincts.

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The Writings even say that "the natural good born with man is a mere animal affair."* Reflection on the quality and efficacy of the "instinctive good that is with animals" will reveal a great deal about the instinctive good that is with man. An example of natural good is benefiting a friend, no matter what his quality, provided that he is a friend.
     * AC 3408.
     One of the chief weaknesses and failings of natural good is its lack of ability and inclination to be discriminating. Thus we see that children - and often adults, too - are often very undiscriminating in their choice of friends: very much like animals, it might be noted. Those who are in natural good, even natural good from the love of good and truth, are often drawn, by their own consent, into evil. "They are as easily carried away by falsity as by truth, provided the falsity appears in the form of truth, and they can be as easily led by evil as by good, provided the evil is presented as good. They are like feathers in the wind." *
     * AC 7761.
     We are told in the Writings, as something said from heaven, that in the world today there is no spiritual good, but only natural good with some. * While it is hoped that there has been some change in the last two hundred years, we do not need to look very far for confirmation. Many people do seem to be in the childish state of natural good; and we may well understand why it is that large masses of people are giving themselves zealously and devotedly to movements and policies which in the end must be inimical even to their very natural life. It might be noted also that at this day there is virtually no interest in religious doctrine. It is often heard that "it doesn't matter what a person believes as long as he is a good man." The obvious implication is that faith has no effect upon life and that man can be good without the aid of doctrine!
     * LJ 38.

     The lot after death of those who enjoy an hereditary natural good is described in the Writings. These are they who feel delight in doing well to others, but who have not been imbued with the principles of doing good either from the Word, the doctrine of their church or their religiosity. When they come into the other life, they wonder why they are not received into heaven. "We have lived well," they protest; but still they are not taken into heaven. They are told that a good life from what is natural or hereditary is not a good life, but that a good life is from those things which belong to the doctrine of good and truth and the consequent life; for by means of these men have principles impressed on them that concern what is true and good, and they receive a conscience, which is the plane into which heaven flows.

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In order that they may know this to be the case they are sent into various societies, and they then suffer themselves to be led astray into evils of every kind by mere reasonings and the derivative persuasions that evils are goods and goods evils, and in this way they are persuaded in every direction, and are carried away like chaff before the wind; for they are devoid of principles, and also of a plane into which the angels may operate and withdraw them from evils. *
     * AC 6208.
     Spiritual good, which is done from conscience, is the only good that endures. Because it is directed unchangingly by spiritual truth it is wise and constant. This good in the ultimates of life is what is called the good of the natural to distinguish it from natural good; and the first sign that the Lord is beginning to establish the church in man is that man begins to resist what is wrong and to do what is right from conscience, for this opens the way.

     From what has been said of merely natural good it may seem that it is of no use whatever. Certainly it is not of use in itself and it should not be pursued as an end in itself. Yet it does perform an important use, for the Lord permits a thing to exist only if its existence fulfills or facilitates some use.
     Natural good, into which man is born, serves as a means for his regeneration. It introduces a man into truths and goods. Before regeneration, man is affected with truth from natural good, not for the sake of the ends of life but for the sake of other ends, such as that he may become learned, and this from a certain affection of emulation, of childish envy or of glory. This is inverted order. But after regeneration it is different; for then not only is man affected by truth for the sake of the ends of life, which is spiritual good, but the former affections separate themselves until it appears as if they were dissipated; for then the good which is of the will is within, and the truth which is of the understanding is without, yet in such a manner that truth acts as one with good, because from good. This order is genuine, and the previous order tends to its formation, inasmuch as the will, which is then without, admits many things that are serviceable to regeneration; admitting many things that would otherwise be rejected, which yet serve as means and also for forming ideas about good and truth and for other uses. * This is the end for which the Lord permits natural good; it is a means for introducing man into genuine truth, through which the Lord can lead him into the life of spiritual good.
     * AC 3563: 4, 5.



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REVIEW 1965

REVIEW              1965

LOVE AND MARRIAGE ON EARTH AND IN HEAVEN. Extracts from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. The Swedenborg Society, London, 1964. Paper, pp. 31.

     This attractive pamphlet is a revision of one first published in 1932, and it has been issued in the belief that the "necessity for instruction and guidance on all aspects of the subject of this booklet remains at least as pressing as when the first edition appeared." A few additions and modifications have been made to the original compilation, which was by the Rev. H. Gordon Drummond. Thus the sections on "Betrothal" and "Adultery" are new; and we are told that the latter has been introduced because "the subject is now so freely and openly discussed in the world with what seems so little understanding or acknowledgment of the spiritual standards that should guide human behaviour."
     No fewer than thirty topics are at least touched upon in the extracts chosen, and the compilers have drawn on the Arcana, Heaven and Hell, the Apocalypse Explained and the Spiritual Diary as well as Conjugial Love. While we would question the treatment of betrothal and engagement as synonymous terms, we have nothing but praise for the selections made. To undertake any compilation is to invite criticism for the omission of favorite passages, but we feel that this particular one has been made discriminatingly and well. Extracts can never tell the whole story, or even as much of it as one might wish; but the extracts here gathered together do give the gist of the teaching and present an overview that may well whet the appetite for more.
     If the pamphlet has a fault from the General Church point of view, it is to be found in the Foreword to the First Edition, which is reprinted. The commendation of Swedenborg to the reader as "a man of celestial genius and 'seraphic mould'; uniquely qualified by the purity of his life and the exaltation of his spirit to speak of heavenly things, and to give the kind of guidance that is required," leaves much to be desired, and also leaves uncertain the nature of his claim to be the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is noted. However, the pamphlet should be of considerable service to those who seek to be taught what true marriage means, but who are, perhaps, not yet ready to go to the Writings directly - the readers for whom, among others, it is evidently intended.



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NOT IN HIS OWN NAME 1965

NOT IN HIS OWN NAME       Editor       1965


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 testimonies to the Jews the Lord said: "I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." This Divine commentary is still relevant. If Emanuel Swedenborg had come in his own name, as a spiritual explorer who had won his way to the unseen world by his own endeavors and brought back its secrets, he might have been received by many; but because he came as the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ he is received by few. There are indeed those who recognize him as a mystic or as a profound and original thinker; and there are some who are willing to accept the Writings as expressing his own theological insights; but there are comparatively few who will receive them as an authoritative Divine revelation.
     However, the parallel goes deeper. The name of the Father is the Lord as to the Divine Human. It was in and as the Divine Human that the Lord made His second advent. The Writings are therefore a revelation of the Divine Human, and it is upon the doctrine of the Divine Human which is contained in them that the authority of the Writings rests. Those who see and acknowledge the Divine Human in the Writings receive them as an authoritative Divine revelation, and find in Swedenborg's testimony confirmation of their credibility. They receive him as one who came, not in his own name, but in the Lord's, and it is they who pay him the truest honor. For in honoring his memory they pay the honor due to a use and give the honor to the Lord from whom the use is; honoring the man for his self-effacing fidelity to the use.

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ANXIETY 1965

ANXIETY       Editor       1965

     Medical and lay writers alike testify to the high incidence of anxiety in our culture and to the seriousness of its eroding effects. The prevalence of this condition is frequently attributed to the hostility of our environment; yet it may be wondered whether modern man really has more things to be anxious about, or whether it is that he has fewer inner resources with which to dispel his anxieties. Although some of them have increased in magnitude and assumed more sophisticated forms, the dangers which confront modern man are basically the same dangers which beset his forebears; but when faith and trust in Divine Providence are uncertain or lacking, anxiety is very likely to take their place.
     If man were indeed the hapless sport of blind forces in a meaningless world, he would have much cause for anxiety. This, as we know, is not the case; and when he is not under its influence the New Church man recognizes readily just how unprofitable anxiety is. Because the future is known to the Lord alone and He never reveals it to man in advance of the event, it is usually the unexpected that happens. The evil imagined seldom, if ever, turns out just the way we had thought that it would; good comes when it is least anticipated; and many possible evils that are awaited with dread never happen at all!
     Yet simply to tell a person who is obsessed with anxiety that he should shun it as a sin against God may not be very helpful. Anxiety is not dispelled by concentrating on holding it in abeyance or on not being anxious, but by compelling the mind away from anxiety altogether and turning it to some use, no matter how ultimate or simple. Anxiety comes from fear of and worry about what may happen; and every simple task we perform that has significance only in relation to the future is a tacit affirmation of faith that there will be a tomorrow, that life will continue, that we can look forward with assurance to stability. It is in His gift of the inclination and power to do this that the Lord answers our prayers for help and for deliverance from all our anxious fears.
SELF-DECEPTION 1965

SELF-DECEPTION       Editor       1965

     At the beginning of a new year men's minds often turn to amendment of life. Every student of the Writings knows that the first prerequisite to true amendment is self-examination, and that to be effective it must go beyond man's words and deeds - beyond the external of thought which is shown in them. The reason is that if man appraises himself only by what he says and does he may be much deceived; and how self-deception can take place, and how easily it may do so, the Writings explain very clearly.

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     In itself, the external of man's thought is of exactly the same character as its internal, but this does not always appear to be the case. When the ruling love is evil, it places below itself a love of means - a love of means to its ends of self and the world; and from the cunning of the ruling love this vicar, as it is called, takes heed that nothing from the lusts of that love appears. This it does by causing the man to speak and act in accordance with the civil requirements of the state, the moral requirements of reason, and the spiritual requirements of the church; and we are told that some do this so ingeniously and so habitually that they even deceive themselves.
     So a man may not safely assume that he is sincere, just, and truly religious simply because he speaks and acts as if he were! If his ruling love is evil, his words and deeds have been dictated by that love of means. Within them, therefore, is the love of self and the world and the cunning of that love, which is to obtain reputation for the sake of honor and gain by pretending in externals to those qualities which win reputation in the world. Thus, whatever the appearance, the character of the internal thought is within the external, making it the same.
     Self-deception is one of the greatest obstacles to spiritual progress, and it can be countered only by self-honesty. A man may be self-deceived for a time, but he need not deceive himself knowingly; and if he will examine the intentions of his will in the light of the Word to see how far, when thinking of them, he intends certain evils, the vicar of self-love can be circumvented. He can be given to see what the character of his internal thought is and to realize that it is stamped upon the external also, whatever the appearance may be, and can be led to shun as sin against the Lord whatever of evil is found therein.
CHURCH AND REMARRIAGE 1965

CHURCH AND REMARRIAGE       Editor       1965

     Last year certain hard sayings were discussed in these columns. It is now proposed to consider from time to time some other matters which are of concern to thinking New Church men and women, either because there seems to be a disparity between doctrine and practice or because they raise perplexing questions. This series is undertaken in the belief that these subjects can and should be discussed openly. However, the editor would not have it thought that the views to be advanced are meant to be taken as authoritative and final. Although they represent his understanding of the Writings, they may not always be in accord with the understanding reached by others.

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In that case, correspondence will be welcomed; and the editor will not be concerned to defend his views, but will be content to leave readers to draw their own conclusions, answering only if he feels that some misunderstanding needs to be removed. Also, readers are invited, as the series develops, to submit topics which they would like to see included.
     Repeated marriages furnish a case in point, both because they are not uncommon in the church and because they seem to present both of the elements mentioned which give rise to concern. Since common practice in the world has given a certain ambiguity to the term, repeated marriages, it should be made clear at the outset that neither remarriage after divorce or a succession of marriages is at issue here. Our concern is solely with second marriages: marriages entered into after the death of the wife or husband - which is closer to the Latin title of the chapter in which the relevant teaching occurs.

     That teaching is to be found in Conjugial Love, nos. 317-325, and these numbers should be read or re-read carefully and in full, and then reflected upon rationally, if there is to be sound thinking on the subject. The gist of the teaching is that whether marriage is entered into again after the death of husband or wife depends on the preceding conjugial love and also upon the state of marriage in which the couple had lived. If they had not been in truly conjugial love, there is no obstacle to the surviving partner's marrying again. On the other hand, it is said that they who had lived together in love truly conjugial are unwilling to marry again, except for reasons separate from conjugial love. These ideas are developed fully in the text.
     Before any of the questions that arise are discussed, attention should be drawn to the statement in Conjugial Love no. 295 that "the things which are written in this book have for their end that the reader may see truths from his own rational, and thereby give his consent, for thus his spirit is convinced"; for this is indicative of the approach that should be made. Due heed should be given also to the reason stated in no. 317 for the subject of second marriages being considered: namely, that those who reason in the shade about them, because they make inquiries which add scruples on scruples, may see some light. Taken together these two things seem to suggest that we should try to see the truth rationally, and not permit mere scruples to obscure our vision.
     Perhaps the first thing that should be noted as emerging clearly from the doctrine is that second marriages are not in themselves inconsistent with the teaching of the Writings. The questions which arise are other than this, and when this has been recognized the way is clear for consideration of them.

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The most frequently asked questions are these. Does a second marriage imply a convictions or at least a strong feeling, that the first husband or wife was not the conjugial partner and therefore involve, if the term be not to harsh, a rejection of the former partner? How can a man who believes he is in conjugial love with his deceased wife propose marriage to another, knowing that for him it will be what may be called a marriage of convenience? How can a woman accept such a proposal, or enter into what for her would be a marriage of convenience? An attempt will be made to answer these questions next month, by which time it is hoped that those who are interested in following the discussion will have studied and thought about the teaching given.
POPULATION, PRUDENCE AND PROVIDENCE 1965

POPULATION, PRUDENCE AND PROVIDENCE       CHARIS P. COLE       1965

Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE:

     You have an editorial titled "Population, Prudence and Providence" in the November issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE. It would be useful to have a compilation of passages from the Writings on this subject.
     Most of the human arguments I have heard will not hold water. The age the inhabitants of Jupiter die has little bearing on earth. If we all died at thirty, who would take care of the children? One could easily leave up to ten children and the youngest of these would be orphaned again and again as their foster parents died off. As to raising more food, this is at best a stopgap measure when we are discussing the population doubling in fewer and fewer years.
     Providence is over all, but in most fields we are asked to use our human reason. Whether we are in this matter or not I do not know.

CHARIS P. COLE
Glenview, Illinois

     [Editorial note: Our correspondent has taken too literally part of the editorial in question. It was not intended to suggest that we should all die at the age of thirty! What happens on Jupiter was cited as one example of the operation of Providence, and as a reminder that Providence is a vital factor in the population problem which has been ignored in the published discussions. The problem is to be faced rationally and in the light of the Writings, at least in our thinking, and it is hoped to take up later some of the things involved in that.]

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Church News 1965

Church News       Various       1965

     DURBAN, NATAL

     Young People's Summer School. Three cars carrying eleven young people from all parts of Natal arrived at the home of the Ball family in the afternoon of January 12, and we were immediately shown our sleeping quarters. On Monday we commenced our three daily classes, which were preceded by worship at 8:45 a.m., and ended at noon, with breaks between classes. These classes were held every morning, and each day after lunch we visited such places as Cinerama, Iscor, Brixton Tower Union Buildings, the Mint, Voortrekker Monument, etc. After dinner on Saturday night papers on the classes were read, and a variety concert was held in which the young people took part. On Sunday, at 3:30 p.m., a service was held which was attended by forty-five people. The atmosphere and feeling among the young people who attended this school were wonderful, and we hope that these schools will become an annual function.
     Swedenborg's Birthday Banquet. Approximately forty-five people turned out for this function. Mr. Acton explained how scientists of this century have expressed their amazement at how much Swedenborg had anticipated in the fields of physics, cosmology, mineralogy and anatomy. Swedenborg's whole life was integrated by a search for interior things. His search was an attempt to discover and explain the presence of the soul in the body and God's presence with man. After his spiritual eyes were opened, he spent three and a half years in preparation for his mission, during which time he wrote fifteen volumes. In 1748 he commenced the Theological Writings, consisting of thirty volumes. This revelation of the Second Advent was a rational one; and a rational revelation means not only a reasonable idea of doctrine, he said, but one which relates it in every way to life, science, thought and philosophy.
     Braai and Swimming Party. On a hot summer's evening there is nothing better than to eat out of doors and have a cooling swim, and that is just what we did on Saturday evening, February 29. The social committee provided a delicious supper of braaied steak or sausages and fried eggs with salad, followed by coffee. The older folk relaxed in comfort and chatted on the porch, while those who were younger and more energetic splashed merrily in the pool until after 11:00 p.m.
     Informal Hop. On the evening before the dance several of our teenagers joined forces at the hall to put up decorations. Since the hall had its "face lift" this has become a much more rewarding task. The evening went with a swing from the start, due to the excellent work of our caller. In no time at all he had us "Swingin' our partners and away we go, round and round with a docey-doh!"
Between dances, the jive and rock 'n roll generation watched with amazement the exponents of such dances as the Twist, Shake and Penguin. Cool punch was served, and by ten o'clock everyone was ready for the coffee and delicious donuts. Other drinks found thirsty buyers throughout the evening.
     Haygarth-Schuurman Wedding. On a glowing autumn day, Renee Schuurman became Mrs. Peter Haygarth. She wore an exquisite classical gown of rich embroidered white brocade. During the wedding service the Rev. Wynne Acton addressed the couple, pointing out how it is in unselfish giving in the everyday things of life as one looks to the Lord, the one source of life, that a marriage grows. Thus it is that united love brings states of conjugial blessedness and peace.

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     Silver Wedding Anniversary. On Friday, May 29, about seventy members of the Society gathered at the hall to join with Wynne and Rachel Acton in celebrating their silver wedding anniversary, and to show the great affection and esteem in which they are held. It was a very happy evening with a noticeably happy sphere. The social committee opened the evening with a glass of wine, and followed it up with a supper of stew or curry and rice with sambals, ice cream with chocolate sauce and coffee. Later in the evening an amusing speech was made expressing appreciation and thanks to both Mr. and Mrs. Acton for their work in the Society for the past ten years. At the same time a speech was made expressing to Mrs. Roena Merlin the joy of the members of the Society in having had the opportunity to meet her, and saying how she had endeared herself to us all. Toasts were drunk to all three, and two beautiful cakes were then presented to them. These were followed by gifts from the Society: a Basuto blanket, black with turquoise elephants, and a knee rug, for Mrs. Merlin; and two entree dishes, suitably inscribed, for Mr. and Mrs. Acton. Mr. Acton then reminisced about the happy twenty-five years he and Rachel had spent together in London and Toronto and here in Durban.
     New Church Day Celebrations. A pleasant and happy sphere was the keynote of the evening when ninety members of the Durban Society celebrated New Church Day together at the banquet on the Nineteenth of June. Mr. Derek Lumsden, as toastmaster, had arranged a very interesting and full program. In proposing a toast to the New Church, Mr. Acton directed our thoughts to the benefits derived from the church, which is a common bond and the most important thing in our lives. Toasts were honored also to friends across the sea, our two ministers, and the Bishop. The two papers of the evening were given by Mr. John Elphick and Mr. Deryck van Rij. In an address entitled "Bricks and Mortar of Progress" Mr. Elphick pointed out that "material progress need not be, and should not be, the determinant of spiritual progress," but rather that progress in the material and scientific fields is dependent on spiritual progress. This was evidenced by the development of printing since the Last Judgment, and of architecture, music, education, and communication aids such as the tape-recorder in relation to the growth of the church. Mr. van Rij spoke on "The Life and Soul of the Church" and showed us very clearly that there is no such thing as an internal without an external, that it is a life according to doctrine which makes the church and not faith alone. He said that "doctrine is a living and growing thing, and true doctrine is something basic in our lives and that which forms the internal of our lives"; adding that "doctrine apart from life is nothing."
     Twenty-three children and twelve adults attended the children's New Church Day banquet which was held in the hall on Saturday, June 20. A delicious supper of chicken and vegetables was served, and we ate by candlelight. Two papers were read, one on "The Spiritual World" and the other on "Children in Heaven." Miss Vanessa van Rij was the guest speaker, and she spoke charmingly to the children about schools overseas. There was a lot of audience participation and the children loved it. The banquet was a truly delightful affair.
     Memorial Service for the Rev. A. Wynne Acton. Our beloved pastor and friend, Wynne Acton, has been called by the Lord into the spiritual world. Throughout the thirty-two years of his ministry he devoted himself to the establishment of the Lord's kingdom on earth. Wynne was born and raised in Bryn Athyn, the episcopal seat of the General Church. He received all of his education in New Church schools, graduating from the Theological School of the Academy in 1932. He was ordained into the second degree of the priesthood in March, 1934, and continued in his capacity as assistant until 1938, when he became the pastor of Michael Church, London. After serving in London for fourteen years, a period which included the war years, he accepted a call to the pastorate of the Toronto Society and took up duties in the Olivet Church.

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He remained there for seven years and then came to South Africa, where he remained with the Durban Society until he passed into the spiritual world.
     When the Lord removes a man to the spiritual world, there are four considerations which determine the time of his transition. The first consideration is his use as a man to men in the world. The second is his use as a man in the world to spirits and angels; for every man has spirits and angels associated with him, and their lives are enriched through that association. Thirdly, the Lord looks to and provides for the man's own eternal use - the use for which he was created - in the Gorand Man: this because his use to men in the world is finished; his use to associate spirits and angels is done; his preparation for eternal life has been completed; and he is now ready to enter into the fullest possible performance of the use for which he was created.
     These considerations enter into the departure from this world of every man; and only the Lord, in His infinite love and wisdom, knows when all these circumstances coincide. Therefore the Lord says: "I have made the earth, and created man upon it. . . . I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways." Although we will sorely miss our friend's earthly presence among us, yet we may rejoice with him as he awakens to the wonders of the spiritual world for which he had been preparing throughout his life in this world.
     SERENE de CHAZAL


     THE CHURCH AT LARGE

     General Conference. Statistics published in the 1964 Year Book show a membership of 3772. There are 55 societies and 8 study circles served by 24 ministers and one ordained leader, many of the ministers holding joint pastorates of two or more societies. In addition there are 2 recognized missionaries and 14 recognized lay preachers.
     The course offered by the New Church College has been recognized by the University of London for the purposes of its external degree of Bachelor of Divinity.

     Burma. The report of the Overseas Missions Committee to the Conference states that the work has been going well in Moulmein and Thayagone despite some misfortunes. Mr. Po Toke remains in charge.

     India. It is reported also that Mr. Chetty has had a good year with the Swedenborg Book Depot at Katpadi. He has sold 164 books in Tamil and English supplied by the Swedenborg Society as well as 120 collateral works by his late father. A lending library of 250 books is open all week, and some 2000 pamphlets, both in Tamil and English, have been distributed. A Swedenborg Society has been started and there are 150 interested persons. Nine meetings have been held. The lack of Tamil editions is a great handicap, and Mr. Chetty has been authorized by the Swedenborg Society in England to reprint Divine Love and Wisdom and to translate Intercourse of the Soul and the Body.

     South Africa. The Rev. John 0. Booth, superintendent of the Conference Mission, reports that progress in integrating the Ethiopian Catholic Church in Zion has been very marked. A new appeal was received from a body in the Pietermaritzburg area of Natal. Several visits were made to them after the leading minister had taken the correspondence course and had instructed his ministers and leaders, and this small group has now been amalgamated with the Mission. Thirteen students for the ministry have been in attendance at the Mooki Memorial College, and a successful refresher course for ministers was held in May. The course included training in sermon preparation, pastoral theology, and the presentation of New Church doctrine to members and new converts.

     West Africa. The Conference Mission in Nigeria is at present without a superintendent and it is not proposed to appoint another European minister to that post.

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At the moment the Rev. S. K. Asawo is formally recognized as correspondent in Nigeria. There are 5 societies in the Western Region and 43 in the Eastern Region. The Western Region reports 4 primary schools, 2 secondary modern schools, and one grammar school. The actual position of the 15 primary schools in the Eastern Region, now technically transferred to the local authorities, is not clear. However, these schools do not now belong to the Mission, and it is the view of the former superintendent that when the school situation is cleared up the Mission will begin to advance in that region.
MY EARLY YOUTH 1965

MY EARLY YOUTH       EMAN. SWEDENBORG       1965

     From a Letter of Swedenborg to Dr. Beyer

     I will now give you an account of my first youth: From my fourth to my tenth year I was constantly engaged in thought upon God, salvation, and the spiritual affections (passiones spirituales) of men; and several times I revealed things at which my father and mother wondered: saying that angels must be speaking through me. From my sixth to my twelfth year I used to delight in conversing with clergymen about faith, saying that the life of faith is love, and that the love which imparts life is love to the neighbor; also that God gives faith to everyone, but that those only receive it who practice that love.
     I knew of no other faith at that time, than that God is the Creator and Preserver of nature, that He imparts understanding and a good disposition to men, and several other things that follow thence. I knew nothing at that time of the learned faith which teaches that God the Father imputes the righteousness of His Son to whomsoever, and at such times, as He chooses, even to those who have not repented and have not reformed their lives. And had I heard of such a faith, it would have been then, as it is now, above my comprehension.
     I remain, with all affection and friendship,

     Your most obedient servant and friend,
          EMAN. SWEDENBORG
     STOCKHOLM, November 14, 1769

To the Reverend and Most Learned Doctor and Lector
GABRIEL AND. BEYER, Gottenburg


47


ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS 1965

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS              1965




     Announcements





JANUARY 25-31, 1965

Monday, January 25
3:00 p.m. Meeting of Headmasters
4:00 p.m. Meeting of Pastors
8:00 p.m. Meeting of Consistory

Tuesday, January 26
10:00 a.m., and 3:30 p.m. Council of the Clergy

Wednesday, January 27
10:00 a.m., and 3:30 p.m. Council of the Clergy

Thursday, January 28
10:00 a.m. Council of the Clergy
3:00 p.m. Committee Meetings

Friday, January 29
10:00 a.m.     Council of the Clergy
3:00 p.m.     Board of Directors of the Corporation of the General Church
7:00 p.m.     Society Supper
7:45 p.m.     Address by the Rev. Donald L. Rose

Saturday, January 30
10:00 a.m. Joint Council of the General Church
3:00 p.m. Corporation of the Academy of the New Church

Sunday, January 31
11:00 a.m. Divine Worship
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1965

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH              1965

     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 1965

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN              1965

     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 H. Rose, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

49


LOVING THE NEIGHBOUR 1965

LOVING THE NEIGHBOUR       Rev. LOUIS B. KING       1965


Vol. LXXXV
February 1965
No. 2

NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22: 37-40, Mark 12: 29-31)

     When good is loved, the Lord is loved; for it is the Lord from whom good is, who is in good, and who is good itself.* Love to the Lord from the Lord is the origin of all good in heaven and on earth. In heaven, the Lord is loved for the good that is from Him, while the neighbor is loved for the good and truth which he has from the Lord through the Word. Love to the neighbor is synonymous with charity and has within it love to the Lord. There is no love to the Lord except in love to the neighbor, and there is no love to the neighbor except from love to the Lord. All things of the Word, all things of doctrine, and all things of life are contained in love to the Lord and to the neighbor. "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." The negative commandments in the second table of the Decalogue, which begin, "Thou shalt not," when taken together constitute the affirmative and second great law of life, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Concerning this we are taught that there are two essentials of charity or love toward the neighbor. First, and most important, is looking to the Lord and shunning evils as sins against Him. The second essential of charity is to do goods because they are uses. In confirmation of these two essentials the Lord first commanded the sons of Israel: "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." **
     * HD 90.
     ** Leviticus 19: 18.

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     In our rational revelation the Lord has given a distinctively new concept of the neighbor who is to be loved. Every man individually is the neighbor according to the quality of his good. Yet the degree of the neighbor ascends as men are multiplied; for it is man's use that makes him our neighbor, and when uses are multiplied the Lord is more nearly approached. Society, therefore, is more the neighbor than the individual, and one's country is still more the neighbor. Above one's country, the church is the neighbor; and higher than the church is the Lord's kingdom. In the supreme degree, the Lord is our neighbor. If we would love the good which is the Lord, we will desire and work for the things that the Lord Himself wills and loves. The Divine will is revealed in the Writings as an infinite desire that all men find eternal happiness in a heaven of human uses. If we love the Lord we, too, will desire the eternal happiness of our fellow men; and in accord with our ability we will co-operate with the Divine will by doing everything in our power to protect and further the uses of others. Vitally significant is the fact that even this highest and most abstract form of love to the neighbor must find ultimate expression in the human relationships of everyday life. Thus, we are taught, there is no other medium of love to the Lord than charity, for the Lord is in charity; nevertheless, charity, or love to the neighbor, is extinguished by the lusts of self-love, and when charity is extinguished, love to the Lord perishes. Man is born that he may come into love to the Lord by means of love to the neighbor, and thus be conjoined with the Lord and live forever. But man can enter into love to the neighbor, and thence into love to the Lord, only by first removing self-love and the love of the world, for then he comes into all intelligence and wisdom.

     The Lord's kingdom, which is the neighbor in a lesser degree, must also be loved for its good or use. We are instructed in the Writings that the greatest service performed to men by spirits and angels, who compose the Lord's kingdom, is the protection and constant renewal of man's freedom of choice by means of influx afforded and effected through them. Loving the good in this neighbor will lead us also to love and work for the preservation of man's spiritual freedom. This we are able to do because the Lord's kingdom in the heavens makes one with the church on earth. It behooves us, then, as New Church men to consider as our first obligation the sincere and humble development of the doctrine in our own understanding and will, that the church specific may form an increasing foundation for the kingdom of the heavens, so that influx from the New Christian Heaven may ever preserve the spiritual freedom of all the good on earth.
     The good or use of our country is to be measured not only by the principles for which it stands but also by its efforts to insure individual liberty.

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Love of our country will in turn be measured by the degree to which we use our capabilities for the preservation and the fulfillment of its principles.
     Society is also the neighbor, and it is to be loved for its efforts to maintain distinctive institutions protective and expressive of the Heavenly Doctrine. Here again our love for the neighbor will be qualified by the part we take in providing the means for these uses.

     In all of these higher forms of charity the same rule applies. Use, and not person, is to be loved.* Because these ascending degrees of the neighbor are composed of individual men and angels, all expressions of charity will be confined to the human relationships of daily life. Doctrine teaches that charity itself is to act from justice and fidelity in the office, business and work in which anyone is, and with whomsoever he has contact. No man, however, can do this from himself, but only from the Lord; nor can a man do this from the Lord until evils are removed. Hence the first of charity is to shun evils because they are sins, and the second is to do goods because they are uses; for unless evils are first removed, they will remain hidden within every good thing that man attempts to do. He will then be like unto whited sepulchres, "which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." ** In Divine Providence we read: "To love the neighbor as oneself consists solely in not acting insincerely or unjustly toward him, not holding him in hatred or burning with revenge against him, not reviling or defaming him, not committing adultery with his wife, and not doing other like things against him." *** Good works, or uses, are all the things a man does after he has turned away from evils because they are sins against God. "Loving the neighbor, then, is doing what is right in every work and our duty in every office." **** It consists in all the goods which a man does to others from an affection of good***** and not from any desire for recompense.******
     * AC 4837, 2718, 6706; HD 86, 103.
     ** Matthew 23: 26, 27.
     *** No. 94.
     **** HD 100.
     ***** Char. 202; AC 10787.
     ****** C 3419: 3.

     Occupation provides the greatest single opportunity for the expression of man's use. Yet our concept of use is to be broader than this. Use is love clothing itself in words and deeds and thus affecting others. Consequently wherever man's love leads him to do good to the neighbor, there he is performing his use; and it is this good or love clothing itself in external form that makes him our neighbor, and for which he is to be loved.

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     Although it is desirable, it is not always possible, nor is it essential, that we appreciate the personality of each member of society; it is necessary only that we desire to find good in others, and this by forcing ourselves to refer to the neighbor in terms of his admirable qualities. For is there any conceivable use in dwelling upon the evils of another? Has this practice anything in common with love to the Lord or love towards the neighbor? When He was in the world, the Lord washed the feet of His disciples. This ancient custom was an act of humility which represented the desire to cleanse the neighbor of external evils. But the Lord tells us that He alone can purify the neighbor. Man can but desire that it be done, and the greatest means of expressing this desire is refusing to reflect upon the evils of our fellow men. Thus saith the Lord: "If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet." * For "inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." ** Instinctively the proprium in us would seek out, condemn and publicize the faults in others, and this from some spurious sense of duty. To straighten others out is seldom our duty; it is more often our secret pleasure.
     * John 13: 14.
     ** Matthew 25: 40.
     Love is an active, creative force. It must express itself or die. There is no such thing as passive or inactive love of the neighbor. True love for the neighbor, such as all New Church men are capable of, must begin with an earnest determination to see the good in others. From that determination will spring a conscientious effort to form those habits so powerfully expressive of true charity - generosity, thoughtfulness, dependability, integrity, patience, gentleness, forgiveness and mercy. Happiness comes from such things if they sincerely express a true love of use. In their exercise we may, perhaps, come to see in the neighbor whose actions we have censored harshly, a man fighting desperately against the loves of self and the world: a man who has received nothing but our impatient and unmerciful judgment, when the thing he needed most was our sympathetic understanding. Little reflection is needed to disclose how often our selfish desires prevent us from seeing or appreciating the good in our, fellow men; yet by so doing we are often depriving ourselves of much of the warmth and happiness of true friendship.
     Man, when first created, was imbued with an inherent love of the neighbor, and this that he might instinctively desire to do good." * But in his freedom he rejected that love, and thereby made it imperative that the Lord endow him with the ambition of doing great things in order that his self-love might be turned to the benefit of his neighbor.** Contrary to the appearance, then, man is not born for himself alone, but that he may be of service to others.

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Yet how can the neighbor know that we love him and wish to aid him in his use, how can he feel our sympathy and good will, if there is no ultimate expression of these things?
     * DP 275, 276
     ** SD 2796
     That we may come to see and love the good in others is one of the greatest uses of society life. Opportunity is given to observe our fellow men in their daily uses. We are permitted to see in some measure how each man receives life from the Lord, and how he uses it in each situation that arises. Human use can be defined as the manner in which a man receives and disposes the Divine love and wisdom in his life; and it is a love for the expression of man's reception of the Lord that alone will lead us to desire the friendship of every good man in society, regardless of personal peculiarities.
     The Lord alone is to be loved, for He alone is good. We are therefore commanded to love the good in our neighbor, for in so doing we are actually loving the Lord as He is received by man. But to avoid Deism, we must acknowledge the trine of essentials in the neighbor. First there is good itself, which is of the Lord. Distinct from this good, but intimately adjoined to it, is man's receptivity, which is proper to him, and which we are to admire in the degree that it is qualified by the good received. Lastly, there is his person, which is to be liked for its expression of immanent good. We are to love good, admire receptivity, and like person. Yet because power resides in ultimates, all these affections are felt as a love for the person. It is rightly so, for the Lord does not will that we love abstractly, but humanly.
      Evaluation of our neighbor's good is a dangerous and difficult task. It requires the utmost humility and trust in the Lord's wisdom; for there is only one criterion, one true measure of good - the plain teachings in the Word of the Writings. In the degree that self-intelligence attempts to evaluate another's good, in that degree all good becomes obscured; and let us remember that we can judge others only on the basis of outward appearances, that evils in ourselves prevent us from appreciating, and even from seeing, the good in our fellow men. Most important, however, is the encouraging truth that where there is love, the Lord always gives wisdom. Where there is a sincere love and effort to find good in the neighbor, perception of his good will be given.
      In the historical meeting of Jacob and Esau we are given a true picture of love to the neighbor. Esau, who is charity, forgives Jacob, who is faith; for charity sees within true faith a desire to live the truth which it loves.
      Thus stood Jacob upon the heights of Mahanaim, surveying the vastness of the wealth acquired during his years of wandering; Jacob the exile who had robbed a brother in distress and deceived a father in his blindness.

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Head of a large family, and possessed of unsurpassed energy and calculating persistence mingled with a high degree of diplomacy, he was yet constrained to follow the Lord's commands. It was the Lord who commanded him to leave Haran and return to Canaan. Thus he stood alone on the banks of Jabbok, looking southward to the distant mountains of Seir, where the brother he had wronged awaited him.
     Yet how sincere and generous was the conduct of Esau, so gentle to his aged father, and so forgiving of his brother! Esau bespeaks a spirit of charity which not only looks to the good in others but also buries all resentment and forgives all external evils. "And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. . . . And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept." *
     * Genesis 33: 1, 3-4.

     If it is our goal to love our neighbor as ourselves in this life, and more than self in the world to come, we will fulfill our responsibilities to him. We will minimize his evils and accord him the sympathy and patience we have with ourselves. We will delight in his success, sorrow in his grief, and judge his mistakes mercifully; and wherever there is an opportunity to aid his usefulness, whether it be by supplying a physical or a spiritual need, we will not be guilty of the sin of omission, but will recognize the obligation of love and use our influence, our love and our wisdom to promote his use in every way. Just as surely as we seek to promote his use, so also will we jealously guard the means which God has given him for its performance. His possessions, his reputation and his happiness we will guard as our own. Criticism of him will not be delightful to our ears, but as painful as if it were directed against ourselves. In all our human relationships we will ever strive to give up the life of self-love, that the Lord may give us a new life - the life of love to the neighbor.
     "And God created man in His own image," and said unto him: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you. . . . Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." * Amen.
     * Genesis 1: 27. John 13: 34, 15: 13, 14.

LESSONS: Leviticus 19: 1-18. Matthew 22: 23-46.
MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 457, 474, 487.
PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 43, 98.

55


EMANUEL SWEDENBORG 1965

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG       Rev. HUGO LJ. ODHNER       1965

     The Relation of His Personal Development to His Work as a Revelator

     (Continued from the January Issue.)

     Swedenborg soon finds that the soul can never be understood or studied except in connection with its temple, the human body. He studies the brain. No, the brain is not enough! He makes a new start, by studying elementary anatomy, to see the soul actually at work, in the blood and the organs. He goes to Holland, then the center of anatomical studies; spends months in Paris, studying the brain - living, as Dr. Alfred Acton has pointed out, very near the School of Dissection. He goes to Italy, and there he begins to write his Economy of the Animal Kingdom, a series of which he publishes two volumes in Holland in 1740-1741.
     But still the soul eludes him. Its essence, its form, what are they? He thinks he may have proceeded too fast. So he again starts all over again, from a new, more scrutinizing study of all that is known about anatomy. He writes, drafts, rewrites, a number of manuscript volumes, on all phases of his topic. Finally, he begins to prepare the final work, the Animal Kingdom - "The Soul's Kingdom" - for the press. And in 1744 and 1745 he published three parts, covering only the subjects of the chest, the abdomen, the skin and some of the senses. In his manuscripts and treatises, however, we find the essence of the psychology to which he was steering but which was never published. But just as he never returned to complete his Mineral Kingdom, so he never returns to finish his Animal Kingdom.
     The reason is that he finds that he has to start again, and make a new beginning! While he is laboriously trying to surmount or pry through the gateway to a knowledge of the soul as it exists in the body, the portals of the actual kingdom of the soul slip gradually ajar of themselves. And he is prostrated, utterly humbled, conscious of the temerity of his former attempts and of his personal unworthiness of a grace which he realizes is now being bestowed on him.
     In his Journal of Dreams, the fifty-six year's old Swedenborg privately jots down a picture of the crisis which now came in his spiritual life. Some would have it that here we see a mental, medical drama enacted, the while Swedenborg fights for psychic unity.

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And indeed, Swedenborg was himself aware of the dangers that intercourse with spirits might have to his reason. He resisted it, until he was clearly called by the Lord. At Delft, on the 7th of April, 1744, while he was planning to sail for England, he had a vision of the Lord, who strangely asked him whether he had "a certificate of health." * Swedenborg was perplexed. Yet he must soon have realized that this had no reference to the English quarantine (which had detained him in 1710), but to the spiritual health which was necessary for a passport into the kingdom of the after-life.
     * JD 54.

     In the year 1744, Swedenborg's entries in his private journal read like a cry from the depths. He is immersed in temptations - doubts his salvation, glories in an abandon of thankfulness. He stands at the crossroads. He is being tested. He gives up all - casts himself on the mercy of the Lord. He is confused and astounded when he actually sees and feels the presence of spirits and angels. Pitifully he beseeches the Lord for guidance. And once again, when terrible evils invaded his thoughts, the Lord was presented vividly before his internal eyes and gave him comfort. * But while the Lord seemed to have bidden him to prepare himself for some new undertaking, he still did not know what this was to be. His dreams seemed to be symbolic references to his physiological labors. Should he perhaps go home - or go on with his writings? He scrutinizes all his motives - finding pride and merit and self-satisfaction, despondency, lack of faith; and he sees no health in himself.
     * JD 168.

     But he gathers courage from the faith that the Holy Spirit had led him through the many vicissitudes of life. He perceives indeed that pleasure, wealth, fame and position, which he had pursued, were vanity. *
     * JD 165.
     Still he goes on with his physiological works because he knew that he had had as an end to promote the glory of God, and that his talent had been given him with this purpose in view. (And now he notes that no sooner has he come to this brave resolution, than he hears a hen cackling, as takes place at once after she has laid an egg!) * To him, everything seems like an indication of Divine leading. His dreams and their strange medleys become significant, symbols in every detail, he feels. He sees premonitory signs, is governed by confirmatory lights, is comforted by visions and by angelic voices. And gradually the terrors of the period of temptation pass away.
     * No. 165e
     But it is as if he had gone through death into a kind of resurrection. A personal love and trust of the Lord has developed. A calm of mind has been born, despite recurring conflicts.

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He visions, or dreams in living fashion of, a palace of surpassing beauty and brightness; and, he notes: "I was told that it had been resolved in the society that I was to become a member, as it were an immortal - which no one had ever been before, unless he had died and lived [again] . . . ." *
     * JD 243.
     Later he saw in a vision beautiful loaves of bread presented to him on a plate. "This," he notes, "was a premonition that the Lord Himself will instruct me, since I have now first come into such a state that I know nothing, and that all preconceived opinions have been taken away from me; which is the beginning of learning, viz., that one must first become as a child, and then be wet-nursed into knowledge, as is now taking place with me." *
     * JD 266.

     Swedenborg was a religious man throughout his life. Yet up to this time, by the standard of his family, he could hardly have been called very pious. He did go to church frequently, however, in this transition period, at least. His religious awakening in 1744 made him long for the companionship of faith. He thought for a time that he had found this, in the Moravian Church in London. He thought certain of his dreams to signify that he was "becoming acquainted with the children of God." But other dreams made him feel that he was not yet worthy and would not be accepted. He therefore never joined; and later it is well known that the state of that congregation decayed - at least for a period - into rather scandalous emotionalism, which is well consonant with what the Writings say about certain Moravians of that day. * and **
     * JD 202, 206, 264, 215
     ** An image of the primitive Christian Church has been preserved among the Moravians (SD 3488, 3492). They captivate minds skilfully by their fraternal concourse and bland speeches. They have interior, secret falsities and consider all outside of their own congregation as infernal. See Concordance, s.v. Moravian.

     If anything can testify to Swedenborg's regenerate humility and innocence of heart, the Journal of Dreams does so. His real loves were tested and purified. His life also soon took an entirely different turn. After publishing a part of the Worship and Love of God, in 1745, he gave up this work and all his physiological labors, stopping, as it were, in the middle of a sentence; and began, after his final call by the Lord, in the middle of April, 1745, to devote all his energies to the study of the Word.
     For the first time it was now clear to him that a special mission awaited him. The spiritual world was opened to him constantly from now on. Yet his introduction, for years to come, was to be a gradual one. * "I was elevated," he writes, "into the light of heaven interiorly by degrees, and in proportion as I was elevated, my understanding was enlightened until I finally [could] perceive what I had not before perceived. . . ." **
     * SD 2951.
     ** HH 130.

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     Already in 1744 he had had a fleeting vision of the kingdom of innocence." * In 1747 he records: "There was a change of state with me, into the heavenly kingdom, in an image." ** But there is no evidence that this meant an opening of the celestial heaven, but only an introduction into the company of angels. Later in the same year he visited in an interior heaven. *** But in the Arcana, vol. II (published in 1750), he states: "Those things which I have seen in the world of spirits I have seen in clear light, but those in the heaven of angelic spirits I have seen more obscurely, and still more obscurely those in the heaven of angels, for the sight of my spirit has rarely been opened to me so far; but it has been given me to know what they are saying, by a certain perception, the nature of which cannot be described, and frequently through intermediate spirits; the things there have sometimes appeared in the shade of the light of heaven, which is not like the shade of the light of the world, for it is light growing thin and faint from its incomprehensibility equally as discerned by the understanding and by the sight." ****
     * JD 220.
     ** Ind. Bible, Aug. 7,1747, Esaias, p. 1.
     *** SD 299, 301. Compare AC 2133.
     **** N. 1972.
     Later in the Arcana he records: "It has been granted me for several years to speak almost constantly with spirits and angels; and with [good] spirits, or with angels of the first heaven, in their own speech; also at times with angels of the second heaven in their speech; but the speech of the angels of the third heaven has only appeared to me as a radiation of light, in which there was perception from the flame of good within it." *
     * AC 3346

     The same testimony is given in respect to the source of spiritual light. Swedenborg was early told that the celestial angels saw the Lord as a sun. But "it was not granted" him to see the sun, but, for the sake of confirmation, only the moon, which is the appearance of the Lord to the spiritual angels. * Later he was given a vision of the sun; ** and in 1758 he records: "I have sometimes also been permitted to see . . . that the Lord actually appears in heaven as a sun." *** In 1763, however, he is able to record that for several years he had seen the Lord constantly before his face, to whatever quarter he turned: "He now appears constantly before my eyes as a sun in which He is, in the same way that He appears to the angels, and has enlightened me." ****
     * AC 1531.
     ** SD 4639, written after 1752. Compare AC 7173; SD 4894; HH 159, 118.
     *** HH 118.
     **** DLW 131; DP 135.
     There can hardly be any question that Swedenborg, even throughout the period in which the Writings were written, was being elevated more and more interiorly into the light of heaven. And by this he received, as an individual, a greater enlightenment.

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It is utterly untenable to hold that an unregenerate man could have sustained the light of heaven so long, could have walked the soil of heaven so calmly, or could have enjoyed the tender friendship with angels which he so spontaneously accepted.
     Swedenborg never boasts about being regenerated! Yet the revelations of the Second Coming could not have been perceived and presented in rational form except by a regenerating man. An external view of the representatives of the other life could have been visioned and described by an external man, as they were by the prophets. But the arcana of heaven, the laws of the heavenly kingdom, could not have been perceived except in the spirit and from the point of view of heaven. This is very clear from the repeated teachings of the Writings.
     Therefore Swedenborg's rational mind had to be sympathetically introduced into the heavens, and this gradually. We may follow his progress somewhat when we examine the earlier volumes. His knowledge about heaven did not come to him as an individual all of a sudden. At first, in the early Diary, we frequently notice his wonder and astonishment at the things he experiences. He interprets and records his first experiences in terms which he later discards and even criticizes: as e.g., when he speaks of certain "hells" as being redeemed - when he really refers to spirits in a place of vastation. He also admits ignorance, and frequently we find phrases like, "I do not as yet know." * His surprising experiences are not immediately assimilated: not until he reflects more carefully about their meaning, and, with the accuracy and conservatism of a trained researcher, observes the laws which govern phenomena in the spiritual realm.
     * SD 355, 2917, 3472, etc.

     The early Diary is therefore full of observations which aroused problems in Swedenborg's mind, and we are able to trace the solution of certain of these problems quite plainly in these records. A good many of these problems were born of the fact that the world of spirits, and even the first heaven, were in a state of confusion and turmoil before the Last Judgment in 1757. Deceptive and corporeal spirits filled the air with phantasies. No one but a scientist and philosopher could have been led to see the order within all this chaos. Yet with the light of the Word as a guide and the sphere of the heavens as an encompassing protection, Swedenborg was given the perception to see the laws, the truth, within all his strange experiences. For he had been prepared for such a search.
     The Last Judgment in 1757 changed the aspect of the spiritual world. The new heaven was organized, the normal order was re-established in the world of spirits. The doctrine of discrete degrees became clearly reflected in the spiritual world, and the Seer could now give, in terms of his own experience, many teachings as, e.g., about the three spiritual atmospheres or about the heavens and hells, such as he could before have given only in the form of hints, or suggestively.

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Indeed, we may take it as a general rule that each book and chapter of the Heavenly Doctrine was given by the Lord only after He had led Swedenborg into a new series of rational experiences.

     Now when we say that Swedenborg's information about the spiritual realm was a matter of gradual growth, gradual accumulation and assimilation of evidence, we do not at all mean or imply that he became more and more inspired, or that his Divine inspiration could at all be measured by the amount of information that existed for its expression in Swedenborg's mind. John the Baptist testified: "He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure." * What Moses or Isaiah or Matthew knew or did not know did not lessen or increase the Divine inspiration of their sacred writings. But the Divine Spirit used their knowledge, or accommodated itself to their state and memory. So also in the case of Swedenborg. The Lord inspired him to record his experiences, his states, his deductions; and this gives to the church a Divine record. What is said in the early Diary, therefore, is Divine revelation about what Swedenborg experienced - a Divine authentic picture of the state of the world of spirits and its inhabitants at the time, about the confusion and disorders there, about the manner in which Swedenborg came to see the inward order of the spiritual world.
     * John 3: 34.
     The Divine authority of the early Diary of Swedenborg is therefore not impaired by the fact that his information was not complete from the outset. But it does at times necessitate that we use some caution in interpreting the meaning of what Swedenborg there jots down. By itself considered, some passage in the Diary, setting down a partial observation, might be quite misleading, and perhaps in appearance be contradictory of some general doctrine later clearly and fully elucidated. But we have no need to fear that this paradox is more than apparent. If we so think, it is usually because we do not recognize the point of view from which Swedenborg made the observation; and if we view the earlier elliptical or partial statement from the doctrine later clearly laid down, the paradox will disappear. The doctrine of the New Jerusalem must be viewed as a whole.
     I think we may see a sign of Providence in the fact that the finding of the manuscripts of the Journal of Dreams and the publication of the Spiritual Diary and the recovery of the copy of the Brief Exposition with the inscription "Hic Liber est Adventus Domini" were delayed and reserved from the church until the general doctrine had become familiar, and a proper point-of-view had been formed among New Church men.

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For the Lord leads from generals to particulars.
     I cannot close without pointing out that unless Swedenborg had been progressively introduced into the world of spirits and into the heavens; unless he had had many purely experimental experiences, and these described the mental states and even physical symptoms resulting from the operation of various groups of spirits; we would have missed much instruction about the states of the human mind, and of that group of spirits "which are with man" - spirits with whom Swedenborg first associates - and about any other heaven than that in which Swedenborg was among his own; and this would be only a one-sided picture.
     And I would invite you to entertain the fancy that in following the story of how Swedenborg, as a person, rose to a state of spiritual perception and to the peace of wisdom, first, through the utter despair of temptation and through the dream-like realization of spiritual truths amid confusing shadows; how he was given the Divine doctrine through the disclosure of the spiritual sense of the Word; how he saw the opening of the realities of his spiritual destiny, became intimately the witness of the great clarifying judgment, and was introduced into interior vistas: so also the regenerating man of the New Church - even though he does not have an open intercourse with spirits, and does not enjoy a Divine inspiration - must in a manner walk somewhat the same road, to an eventual heavenly home. In this thought, we feel a warm kinship with the man Swedenborg, who, like us, had only a finite grasp of the Divine truth, which the Lord inspired him to write in such a way that infinite truth is therein reflected and contained.
     What Swedenborg's heavenly home was like, we cannot tell. Nowhere does he hint at having found a conjugial partner while he yet lived in both worlds. It seems as if he must have known his own heavenly society, yet when angels or spirits accompanied him "home," it usually refers to his return to his natural state. Intermediate spirits and angels were needed in most of his excursions into the higher heavens. Yet, on at least one occasion, when he and some angel companions addressed some spirits, he writes: "We said, We are angels . . . ." * He tells also of how angels kissed him because of some instruction he had given them. ** But while the Sun of heaven was constant in his sight, as with the celestials, yet we are told that he was denied permission to enter a certain palace because it was open only to those who were of the third heaven.*** He had difficulty in confirming the differences between the celestial and the spiritual heavens at first hand, for this, he wrote, was possible only to one who was "altogether an angel of the middle heaven." ****
     * TCR 160.
     ** On Mir.
     *** CL 270.
     **** De Verbo, iii. 3.

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     Uncertainty, we believe, may be wholesome in regard to his final lot. In heaven, persons are loved spiritually, and thought of impersonally. And so it is with Swedenborg. Even though his life might stir us to a tender love for one who so suffered, endured, and conquered, yet his personality retreats into the mists of tomorrow - when we reflect upon the infinite uses which the Lord performed by the giving of the eternal doctrine of heaven, not primarily to him, but through him to all mankind.
WHAT MUST I DO? 1965

WHAT MUST I DO?       Rev. ERIK SANDSTROM       1965

     Occasionally the Writings address themselves immediately to the reader. "Cease therefore from asking within thyself," he is advised, " 'What are the good works that I am to do, or what good thing am I to do, that I may receive eternal life?' Only abstain from evils as sins, and look to the Lord, and the Lord will teach and lead." * Other instances of this are the following. "If anyone thinks within himself, or says to another, 'Who can have that internal acknowledgment of truth, which is faith? I cannot'; then I will tell him how he may: Shun evils as sins, and go to the Lord, and thou wilt have as much as thou desirest." ** "If people say, 'How can I will and do?' it will be answered: 'Fight against the evils that are from hell, and thou wilt both will and do, not from thyself but from the Lord, for once evils are removed, the Lord does all things.' ***
     * AE 979e.
     ** F 12.
     *** Wis. xi; F 5:3.
     It is at once noticeable that in all the cases quoted the ruling theme is the same: the removal of evils because they are sins, and then the leading of the Lord. Consequent upon these two things - the removal of evil and the acceptance of the Lord's leading - certain promises will be fulfilled: the Lord will teach and lead; as much faith as a man desires will be given to him; and willing and doing will follow without effort, for they will be from the Lord and not from self.
     This is a simple and at the same time an astounding doctrine. In this world there is so much toil and so much worry. To do what is right seems difficult, and only wrongdoing and slips come with ease. So common is this that it has become a universal habit to excuse oneself and to explain away one's lapses. Further, the anxieties that fill the heart are not only for the morrow in this life but also for the day that shall follow upon death. Have I done enough good to merit heaven? Will my faith be accounted sufficiently strong?

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Questions of this nature, asked in the secret places of the heart, are interspersed with dejected declarations made in confidential conversations: "I do not seem to be making any progress. The more time goes on, the less I seem to know."
     Of course there may be innocence within anxiety over one's spiritual progress and salvation. Yet the worry is essentially misdirected, the questions wrongly conceived. Anxiety partakes of the proprium. Confidence and peace come from trust.
     In this the Lord points to the lilies. "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." He points also to the fowls of the air. "They sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them."
     * Matthew 6: 26-29.
     Not that it is wrong to prepare and plan, or to work hard. But there is such a thing as planning without anxiety and working without tension. Anxiety and tension are from the proprium; trust and ease are from heaven. Moreover, planning without anxiety is the more likely to be balanced and rational; work without tension to be quicker and more efficient.
     Work in heaven is never felt as a strain. Angels perform their functions with eagerness and with a longing that is new each morning. Yet they are in their rest while they work, even as is the lily of the field. Neither do they think much of the morrow. They know, of course, that days will follow the day that is; but they know also that the laws of Providence build the future out of the present. Therefore their attention is on the now, on the need and the task immediately before them. There is peace in this certainty of theirs that the future evolves out of the now according to the eternal laws of life. Each now is a state, and each state - if innocent and wise - is in the current of a peaceful Divine leading. Therein are the angels like the fowls of the air; for the fowls, too, attend to the moment, or prepare with joy and ease.

     The laws which apply within the kingdom of nature are, in fact, derived from the laws of the Lord's kingdom. There is perfect correspondence between them.
     Only the proprium of man intercepts influx. Only the preponderance of evil prevents the easy but efficient flow of life among men. There need be no essential difference between earth and heaven. Do we not pray, "As in heaven, so upon the earth"? The existence of time on earth will qualify thought for the morrow, but it will not change the essence of that thought. Yet so remote from our proprium is this attitude of mind that it seems almost impossible for us to allow for a thought concerning the future that is void of anxiety.

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     All of this relates to the universal misconception that the first of charity is to do good. It is to this misconception that all tension and anxiety are to be traced. For if charity begins from the doing of good, then hard effort and labor are unavoidable, as such an approach implies the doing of good from a love of evil. Such, in fact, is the good that belongs to the state of a fallen church. Innocence is attached to this bent of the mind in childhood, likewise in states preparatory to regeneration. All states in which remains are preserved look away from that erroneous approach, and there is a moving of "the Spirit of God upon the faces of the waters." Yet the evil as yet undiscovered and as yet unconquered makes for the reluctance and the strain felt whenever the faithful observance of Divine order is contemplated.
     Another way of saying all this is that man sees himself in all his doings. He knows instinctively how small he is, and how uncertain is his vision of the future. Not that he is willing to own that it is so. But he reveals his tacit knowledge in his nervous fatigue and in his anxiety. The curse of this age is not physical tiredness but mental weariness.

     New Church men and women, too, feel the burden of this curse. If they have never done repentance the yoke is the more heavy. But even if they have, the yoke does not feel light - not as yet; for the effort of repentance, too, is sensed in the beginning as an effort from self. Anxious questions recur. "How far have I progressed?" "How much real good is there in the good that I do?"
     Only in the later stages of regeneration do these questions disappear. Only then is it seen that they were wrongly put, that the questions ought to have been: What evil is there within me? What concepts in my life are in disagreement with revealed doctrine? For when evil and falsity are removed from the mind, then mental friction is removed; and with it, strain and anxiety cease. That is the meaning of the Lord's words: "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light"; * and also of the words spoken through the prophet of old: "Come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." **
     * Matthew 11:30.
     ** Isaiah 55: 1.
     John the Baptist was asked the anxious questions we recognize in ourselves. The publicans came, and said: "Master, what shall we do?" and the soldiers likewise asked: "And what shall we do?" These are the questions pertaining to the state of repentance, and it is deeply significant that John's replies were in terms of what they were not to do: "Exact no more than what is appointed you." "Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages." But lest any man should think that true Christian life is only negative, he taught also: "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." *

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The end in view is ever the doing of good, but only one that is good internally as well as externally; and this is what cannot be until evil has been removed.
     * Luke 3: 11-14.
     The Lord Himself advanced this lesson further when the same question was addressed to Him. "Good Master," said a man, coming to Him, "what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Then the first of His replies taught what is meant by looking to the Lord. "Why callest thou Me good?" He asked in return, "there is none good but one: God." By this He showed first that the origin of all genuine good is solely in Him who is good itself; and then that if good were to be done from the Lord Jesus Christ, thus from the visible God with whom there is co-operation, then He must be seen to be that God. Then the Lord went on to quote from the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother"; adding the summary of the second table: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." * This represents the continuation of the first of charity - "and shun evils as sins."
     ** Matthew 19: 16-19

     Apparently the young man who had come to the Lord with his questions had done some repentance, for he said: "All these things have I kept from my youth up." Yet this was not enough. He must not see himself in the good that he did. He must pass beyond the early stages of repentance. He must cease not only from doing evil but also from loving himself! Hence the Lord's additional words: "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have a treasure in heaven: and come, and follow Me!" * This is to say: Remove the attitude of being prepossessed with self, of measuring your own state, of asking how much goodness there is in you. Sell these things! They pertain to the love of one's own. Instead give to the poor; that is, let the humble states have their say: those that are blessed because they sense that they are "poor in spirit"; those that say, "Be merciful unto me, a sinner." ** That is coming and following the Lord.
     * Matthew 19: 20, 21.
     ** Luke 18: 13.
     Hence it is that the removal of evil from the love of the heart opens up the flow of the only riches there are in life - those that give joy and blessedness. The promises of the Writings are not in vain, for those promises are dictated by the very love of salvation that puts on the garment of rational truth in the revelation of the Second Coming. All that is necessary is to receive the Lord's love of salvation, consequently the flow of the Divine life and of the Divine Providence.

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The proprium stands in the way. Its words must be contradicted, its clamorous voice put to silence.
     Then the fulfillment of the promise will be as certain as is the flow itself of the Divine life and light: that the Lord shall teach and lead; that a man shall have as much faith as ever he may desire; that his willing and doing shall be from a mind which has internal rest from its labors because they come, not from self, but from the Prince of Peace Himself.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Neighbor. The general and distinctive meaning given to this term in the Writings is quite well known. The universal idea is that good from the Lord is the neighbor, and as the subject of that good is man, man is the neighbor in the degree in which he receives it. The Lord, His kingdom, the church, one's country, the human race, society, the individual, and self are the descending degrees of the neighbor; and when a choice must be made, the higher degree is always to be preferred. The good derive the degrees of the neighbor in this order; the evil, from self. The concept of the neighbor found in the Writings calls for the exercise of wise discrimination. (See AC 9783; F 20; HH 390; HD 88.)

     Order. Order itself is the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord, for it is this that makes order on every plane. Order is defined as the nature of the disposition, determination and activity of the parts, substances or entities which constitute the form of a thing, from whence is its state. Thus when the substances of the mind are so disposed, determined, and activated as to receive life from the Lord, the mind is in the order of its life. When this is not the case, we say that the mind is in inverted order. So is it also with other created things as to the order of their life. (See AC 8700; TCR 52.)
LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 1965

LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE              1965

     "2. Man should act in whatever he does from freedom according to reason, but should nevertheless acknowledge and believe that the very freedom which he has is from God; the same is the case with reason, regarded in itself - which is called rationality" (AE 1136).

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CONSTRUCTIVE CRITIQUE OF THE NEWEST THEOLOGY 1965

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITIQUE OF THE NEWEST THEOLOGY       GEORGE DE MOUBRAY       1965

     An address recorded on tape for the New Church Club, London.

     I have been re-reading the Bishop of Woolwich's Honest to God, * and have become impressed with the tremendous challenge it offers to the modern world - a challenge which, I believe, can be met successfully only by the New Church. The importance of the challenge is due to a number of factors. Dr. Robinson is summarizing, and perhaps developing, the views of theologians who have already made a deep impression on the learned in the Christian world. I would mention especially Tillich, Bultmann and Bonhoeffer.
     * The Right Rev. John Arthur Thomas Robinson, Honest to God, Westminster Press, 1963
     From some points of view all these men can be said to be riding on the rising tide of secularism. By secularism in this context is meant not so much the fact that is only too patent, that religion is being abandoned in favor of worldly interests, as that the most fundamental categories of traditional theology - of God, of the supernatural, and of religion itself - are going into the melting pot; and, these men think, should do so. * The reason for putting them into the melting pot is that they believe that atheism, materialism and humanism have made good their destructive criticism of the traditional theological conceptions.
     * See page 7. All page references are to the original paperback edition of Honest to God.
     At this point two terms used throughout the book should be explained. The traditional view of God, which regards Him as separate from, and in some way above, mankind and the created universe, is labeled supranaturalist. The opposite view, which recognizes nothing above nature, is labeled naturalist. Now although supranaturalism is rejected, so is naturalism. This is because naturalism in none of its forms can, or will, recognize depths in our being, the most important of which is love. * A third world-view is therefore required, which must, however, adapt itself to the destructive side of naturalism. This is the chief justification for my suggestion that these theologians are riding on the rising tide of secularism.
     * Page 54.
     The basic idea in this new theology is that there is a depth and ground of all being, which is immanent in all being and not separate from it, and that it is of the nature of love.

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This exaltation of love in metaphysics, Christology and moral theory is a most valuable conception, and it weighs very heavily on the credit side. It may attract many men to the new theology.
     On the other hand, as we shall show, the new theology is a humanistic pantheism with strong affinities to Hindu pantheism. As it places love inside each one of us - in depth, it is true - instead of in God from whom we receive it if we endeavor to reciprocate His love, it is diametrically opposed to the fundamentals of New Church doctrine. Indeed the spread of this world-view would constitute for us a major disaster. It is therefore most important that we should recognize its character and be prepared to meet it. We shall now develop these points a little further, starting with the negative and destructive side.
     The Rejection of Supranaturalism. The idea of the God who is to be rejected is put by Robinson in various ways, thus: "a heavenly and completely perfect person who resides above the world and mankind" * "an external, personal, supernatural, spiritual being"; ** "a personal being, wholly other to man, dwelling in majesty"; *** "a supreme Person, a self-existent subject of infinite goodness and power, who enters into a relationship with us comparable with that of one human personality with another." **** Of this idea Tillich is reported to have said: "The protest of atheism against such a highest person is correct." ***** "The naturalist critique of supranaturalism is valid. It has torn down an idol and Christianity must not be found clinging to it." ******
     * Page 39.
     ** Page 40.
     *** Page 40.
     **** Page 48.
     ***** Page 41.
     ****** Page 54
     With Rudolf Bultmann's principle of "de-mythologizing" we of the New Church must have great sympathy, for it is in essence a search for a spiritual sense to the New Testament; and as we are taught in the Writings that in certain cases, in the unraveling of the spiritual sense, the literal sense perishes altogether, * so does it also with Bultmann: with the difference that with him it perishes completely in almost every instance. So, in answer to a challenge from Karl Barth, Bultmann said: "I would heartily agree: I am trying to substitute anthropology for theology, for I am interpreting theological affirmation as assertions about human life." ** So he holds that the entire conception of a supernatural order which invades and penetrates this one must be abandoned, *** and that the mythological language of the New Testament writers which speaks of pre-existence, incarnation, ascent and descent, miraculous intervention cosmic catastrophe, and so on, makes sense only on the basis of a now completely antiquated world-view; **** that this cosmology is now, indeed, simply that of a pre-scientific age. *****
     * See AC 1143, 1405, 1540: 2, 1874, 1875.
     ** Page 50.
     *** Page 24
     **** Page 24.
     ***** Page 34.

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     Bonhoeffer's rejection of supranaturalism takes another form. Man has learned to cope with all questions of importance without recourse to God as a working hypothesis; moreover, man can learn to get on without a God to whom to give himself * without any desire for personal salvation and without any sense of sin. So Bonhoeffer urges that we should boldly discard the "religious premise." ** We turn now to the development of the new theology.
     * Pages 36, 23.
     ** Page 38.

     The Development of the New Theology. The new theology would seem to have developed out of obscure gropings in the metaphysics of a theory of discrete degrees or - to use an expressive term coined a good many years ago by Archbishop Temple - of the stratification of reality. The discussion has turned on whether the stratification should be looked upon in terms of transcendence or in terms of immanence.
     In speaking of an infinite and inexhaustible depth of all being - to which he gave the name, God * Tillich had felt his way to a theory of immanence in place of that implied throughout the Bible of transcendence. Not that, for Tillich, the points of view are mutually exclusive. For him, immanence seems to be the dominant category and transcendence subsidiary.
     * Page 22.
     Now immanence and transcendence are discussed very shortly in the Writings, especially in Divine Love and Wisdom nos. 205-2O8. * Swedenborg there speaks of transcendence as the successive order of discrete degrees, and of immanence as the simultaneous order of such degrees, in which order the higher degrees are within the lower.
     * See also AC 6451: 2; SS 38.
     Although I have not explored the point deeply, my reading of the Writings is that while there is immanence or simultaneous order within the Godhead, with its three discrete degrees of the Divine itself, the Divine Human and the Divine Proceeding, and immanence again among the many degrees of the created universe, there is a gap between the Infinite and the finite, so that God is separate from His creation. This would not contradict the fact of a continuous series of degrees in successive order, or in transcendence, extending from matter, as the ultimate of the series, up to God Himself. But there must be separateness between the self-existent and indivisible Godhead and the universe, which has neither of these qualities.

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     I imagine that Tillich had a dim perception of some of these ideas. But he felt it necessary to get rid of the separateness from ourselves of the ultimate depth and ground of all being. So he made it immanent within ourselves. As immanence is the dominant category, the transcendent ground of all being is never so transcendent as to be separate from the being in which it is transcendent. Indeed it is included in it. The relation between them was never that between creator and created. Nor can the relation between the ground of all being and man be that between one human personality and another. This is pantheism: pantheism, of a type which has strong affinities with that of the ancient Hindu schools of philosophy.
     According to the new theology, although the ground of our being is ever within us, we can be estranged from it. That is the sickness from which the world suffers today. But that is also the view of Hindu philosophy, according to which there was, originally, undifferentiated universal consciousness. Human beings, having become estranged from it, now lead individual lives. All life is suffering. So our aim is reintegration into the universal consciousness. But let me quote Tillich.
     "The state of our whole life is estrangement from others and ourselves, because we are now estranged from the ground of our being, because we are estranged from the origin and aim of our life. And we do not know where we have come from, or where we are going. We are separated from the mystery, the depth, and the greatness of our existence. . . . We feel that something radical, total, and unconditioned is demanded of us; but we rebel against it, try to escape its urgency. . . . We cannot escape, however. If that something is the ground of our being, we are bound to it for all eternity. . . . We always remain in the power of that from which we are estranged." *
     * Page 79.

     It is in relation to this point of view that for Tillich and Robinson the man Jesus is the bearer of the final revelation. We quote Tillich again.

     "He who is the bearer of the final revelation must surrender his finitude . . . . But, in order to be able to surrender himself completely, he must possess himself completely. And only he can possess - and therefore surrender - himself completely who is united with the ground of his being and meaning without separation and disruption. In the picture of Jesus as the Christ we have the picture of a man who possesses these qualities, a man who, therefore, can he called the medium of final revelation." *
     * Pages 73, 74.

     We note that in this statement Jesus is said to have united Himself with the ground of His being without separation and disruption. How much is implied in these words? He is said, a little further on, to have made the ultimate surrender of self, in love to the uttermost, so that He was so completely united to the ground of His being that He could say: "I and the Father are one. . . . The Father is in Me, and I am in the Father." *
     * Page 74.

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     As, for Tillich, God is "the infinite and inexhaustible depth and ground of all being," I take it that the ground of all being is undifferentiated, as universal consciousness is for the Hindus. If that is so, it would seem that Jesus became merged in this universal ground of being. This would indeed fit in with the new kenotic theory which Robinson develops: that Jesus emptied Himself, not of His Divinity, but of His finitude. *
     * Ibid.

     It is beside the immediate point that with surprisingly little variation this could be developed into the New Church doctrine of the glorification of the Lord. The point is that Jesus is looked upon as having been a man, and in no way supernatural. Therefore, it would seem, what happened to Him could happen to any other man. Any man could therefore become infinite and completely united with, and merged into, the universal ground of all being. If he were to become merged into a private ground of all being, the system would be a polytheism. This can hardly be what Tillich and Robinson mean. It would follow, therefore, that the ultimate goal for human beings is complete loss of individuality in fusion into the undifferentiated depth and ground of all being.
     Except that for Hindu philosophy the depth and ground of all being is of the nature of consciousness, and for Tillich and Robinson it is love, these two forms of pantheism seem to be identical. Tillich and Robinson are therefore faced with the same problems that assailed Hindu philosophy, and which it was unable to solve: Whence the universe? Whence the countless millions of human personalities? If they arose by differentiation of the originally undifferentiated ground of all being, how and why did the differentiation take place? Indeed why is there a universe and why are there human personalities?
     It will be found that, in the course of meeting the objections which the new theology levels at supranaturalism, we shall also be meeting the objections which naturalism levels at supranaturalism; for, the new theology having accepted naturalism's destructive criticism, my criticisms of the latter will in general be valid against the former.
     Robinson invites our attention to the fact that "our being has depths which naturalism, whether evolutionary, mechanistic, dialectical or humanistic, cannot or will not recognise." * In opposition to this refusal to recognize essentials, the new school of thought rightly places a tremendous emphasis on love; and it is, in that respect, in line with the New Church. Not only does naturalism fail to recognize the problem of the origin of human personality - as, indeed, the new theology does also - but it fails to recognize the problem of change. It has been charged against traditional Christianity that its cosmology is that of a pre-scientific age.

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I hope to show that the cosmologies of both naturalism and the new theology bear the imprint of the pre-atomic age.

     The New Church Cosmology. In all ultimate questions the New Church bases its beliefs on revelation. We accept the Writings as the ultimate authority on the interpretation of the Scriptures. We accept them also as the ultimate authority on doctrines which cannot be drawn from the Scriptures. A case in point is the doctrine of discrete degrees. This doctrine is implied in many doctrines derived from the internal sense of Scripture; but there are no passages of Scripture, by the unraveling of the internal sense of which, we would arrive at the constituent doctrines of the doctrine of discrete degrees.
     An appeal to revelation would, however, carry no weight outside of the New Church. It is a matter of experience that it is only in the rarest instances that a doctrine enunciated by Swedenborg makes so powerful an impact on a man as to be immediately accepted by him as truth, indeed as revealed truth. The impact of the idea of the Divine Human on the Rev. John Clowes and of the doctrine of the Trinity on the Rev. Jack Hardstedt is a striking example.
     The corollary is that the average thinker has to be approached in his own field or, often, from the findings of science, and led on from there. This type of approach may also be of great value to the New Church man. This is stated very shortly in the Invitation to the New Church, no. 51, thus: "It is allowable to confirm the truths of the church by reason, or the understanding, as much as one pleases, and also by various things in nature; and in proportion as things are so confirmed, they become inrooted and shine." * That is how I propose to start.
     * For a much fuller development of this teaching see the whole of AC 6047.

     Is the Matter of the Universe Self-Existing? If matter was created, it must have qualities inconsistent with its having existed forever. What are these qualities? My thoughts played round this problem for many years, failing to find an answer, until Mr. (now Professor) Fred Hoyle's book, The Nature of the Universe, was published in 1950. He supplied the answer.
     In evaluating Hoyle's ideas a not unimportant fact is that his attitude to the great problems we are discussing is completely neutral. He is a mathematician and an astronomer; and the picture he paints of himself is one of complete agnosticism which rejects the views of both out-and-out materialism and of religion.

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     The most outstanding fact the significance of which he brings to our notice is that all the heavier chemical elements have been built from the lightest - hydrogen. In our sun at present hydrogen is being built up into the next heavier element, helium, and this fusion is the source of the sun's energy. This discovery was made in 1939. Something like 90% of the mass of the universe consists of hydrogen. Therefore the universe is young.
     Even without subscribing to the Hoyle-Gold theory of the continuous creation of matter in astronomical space, it is clear that there has been creation. Hoyle writes:

     "Perhaps you may think that the whole question of the creation of the universe could be avoided in some way. But this is not so. To avoid the issue of creation it would be necessary for all the material of the universe to be infinitely old, and this it cannot be. For if this were so, there would be no hydrogen left in the universe. Hydrogen is being steadily converted into helium and other elements throughout the universe and this conversion is a one-way process. . . . So we see that the universe being what it is, the creation issue simply cannot be dodged." *
     * The Nature of the Universe, pp. 105, 106.

     To my intense surprise, after having said this, he does not proceed to what would seem to be the obvious corollary - that if there is creation, there must be a creator. He leaves the problem posed by the fact of creation completely in the air; though he seems to imply that no final theory of the universe can be acceptable which does not include a solution of this problem.
     He raises another point which is of particular interest in view of Tillich's and Robinson's claim that there are depths in human nature which naturalism does not recognize. If one takes the universe for granted, he agrees that it can be imagined that life would arise on a planet like this one. Then, the materialist argument goes on, only the biological processes of mutation and natural selection are needed to produce living creatures as we know them. But, Hoyle counters, such creatures would be no more than ingenious machines. It is definitely incumbent on materialists to explain how consciousness has evolved in the human machine, and indeed, how individual consciousnesses have arisen in the evolution of living creatures.
     I could not consider Hoyle without taking note of his insistence that the materialist hypothesis does not, and by implication cannot, explain the origin of consciousness. We now turn back to a lower-level problem.

     (To be continued)

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WILLIAM SCHLATTER AND THE NEW CHURCH 1965

WILLIAM SCHLATTER AND THE NEW CHURCH       RICHARD R. GLADISH       1965

     With the acquisition by the Academy Library last summer of the letters of William Schlatter (1783-1827) in microfilm, we are brought closer to a great lay promoter and missionary of the New Church, and afforded a more intimate view of the problems and progress of the New Church in the early years of the nineteenth century. The William Schlatter letters, often hastily written late at night after the business of the day was done, or sometimes in an all-Sunday campaign upon a backlog of accumulated correspondence, virtually innocent of punctuation or capitalization, afford a close-up view of the New Church as it took shape in the New World. As an American businessman, a persuasive missionary for the New Church and champion of the Divine authority of the Writings, their author deserves both the attention and emulation of New Church men today.
     William Schlatter, grandson of Michael (Old Parson) Schlatter, Swiss immigrant (who is said to have used one or more of Swedenborg's scientific works to teach his boys Latin, and who received the doctrines of the New Church in 1790), was born December 29, 1783, son of Gerhard and Mary Schlatter. He began his business career in 1804 as an importer and wholesale dry goods merchant in Philadelphia at the age of 20. His customers were largely in Pittsburgh and other cities on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, but his trade ranged around the world. He was one of the managers of the Philadelphia Saving Fund Society, and was associated with other companies, being at one time president of the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Transportation Company.
     In that time of high infant mortality, he and his wife had lost both their first-born son and twin daughters; and in 1813, after the loss of the twins, he became acquainted with the Writings and, finding consolation, he joined the New Church, becoming vice-president of the society in Philadelphia. In 1816, out of his own funds, he built the first New Church temple in the New World at the corner of 12th and George (now Sansom) Streets, a picture of which is preserved in C. Th. Odhner's Annals, p. 256. By 1819 he had published at his own expense more than seven thousand books and tracts and sermons on the New Church, including many copies of Swedenborg's smaller doctrinal works. *

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These publications he distributed in his packing cases through his regular business to customers all over the country, and even to India and to the Emperor of Hayti. He died at Chestnut Hill, January 10, 1827. **
     * Wm. Schlatter to Rev. Thomas Newport, October 11, 1819.
     ** From biographical sketch based on facts supplied by Charles Lyon Chandler, great-grandson. We are indebted to Alfred D. Chandler of Wilmington for permission to make a microfilm copy of the typescript of the Schlatter letters, dated from 1814 to 1825, and to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, where we first saw the letters on microfilm.
     From the 444 typescript pages of the Schlatter letters, there emerges a fascinating personality - a gentle, highly intelligent, absolutely un-self-conscious missionary for the New Church. * Not only do his bales and boxes carry the Writings, but virtually every letter he writes, ** business or otherwise, pleads for acceptance of the Writings, carries news of New Church affairs or discusses doctrine. In 1819, hard times having hit his business, he writes that he is presently unable to add to the New Church literature he has put into circulation, but he looks forward to the time when "I shall again enjoy that felicity of full desire to make every man I [meet] or have intercourse with a New Church man."
     * William Schlatter's absolute lack of self-consciousness in introducing the Writings to all he met or corresponded with reminds the writer of no one so much as Mr. Otho W. Heilman of Bryn Athyn, Pa. Both must be admitted to be highly successful missionaries.
     ** William Schlatter to Rev. Thomas Newport, October 11, 1819.

     Sower for the New Church

     Schlatter saw his function as that of a sower for an anticipated future harvest of the New Church. "I have taken great pleasure in spreading the Writings of our enlightened seer, Emanuel Swedenborg," he writes. * "I have been peculiarly situated in the way of my worldly business to aid me in my . . . intentions. My trade is connected with almost every part of the great Western country and this circumstance has given me an opportunity of distributing those invaluable writings in almost every county of Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and many other states, even to St. Louis, Natchez, and New Orleans. . . . The seed may not grow rapidly at first; some must take root and no doubt will, in the Lord's good time.
     * William Schlatter to Mr. Robert Campbell, March 2, 1818
     Although he admitted in a rare somber mood, "it does appear that mankind love darkness better than light," yet he could not help hoping for something like a wholesale conversion of the uncommitted people of the New World. "When we consider," he wrote, "[that] no departed spirit is allowed to remain in the spiritual world more than 30 years and that the world of spirits has been twice cleaned of all the evil and false spirits since the Last Judgment, it may appear manifest that truth can flow into man at the present day with much more ease than when it was obstructed and perverted by the false Philosophers who departed since 1757. . . .

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One thing I am fully convinced of: that truth must and will prevail eventually and the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be acknowledged by all. . . ." * Quite possibly, Schlatter thought, the new people of the Western country were being prepared for the New Church. From much trading, travel, and correspondence with and among them, he discerned them to be "moral men, determined not to be priest-ridden or have doctrinal or religious sentiments forced upon them. . . . They are men of too much principle and independence ever to avow any thing they do not comprehend." ** With even greater optimism he wrote to an unnamed correspondent about the same time: "The New Church in the next half-century in all probability will be the universal Church." In support of this idea, he noted the lack of any particular governmental religion in the new land; that a majority of the people, particularly in the West, had no doctrines at all. Many of them were "good moral men who say that they would willingly believe and go to Church if they could find a rational religion without so many absurd contradictions as they have been accustomed to hear preached by the clergy of the old church." In a poetic fancy, Schlatter saw the doctrine of the New Church taking root and branching out like the sturdy oak, and the old church declining as fast as the peach tree. Still, so blind were men, that if the Lord Himself should come, He would "no doubt be called an imposter." But there was hope in the Western country, he felt, because most of the people there "are in a gentile state and not governed by superstition." **
     * Ibid.
     ** Schlatter to Isaac Hawkins, June 22, 1817.
     *** To Rev. David Powell, March 4, 1817.

     A Variety of Approaches

     In his unabating efforts to convert every worthy man with whom he came in contact, Schlatter used a variety of approaches. If he was direct at times, he was also graceful, and his appeal had an element of humility within it. An example of what modern merchandising would probably dub "the soft sell" is given in his letter to Spencer Cund, Esq., June 30, 1818: ". . . do not suppose for a moment that I cannot hail you by the endearing title of brother in the Lord . . . because you do not accord fully in every sentiment with me. Far be it from our doctrines or from me to do so, but I am delighted to meet such liberal sentiments of Christianity as you have expressed in your letter and will take an early opportunity of forwarding you some of our books and writing you again. . .

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     In another letter, supposedly a business letter, although it contains more religious reference than commercial, Schlatter is not sure whether his correspondent has become a member of the New Church or not. Therefore he takes care of both possibilities. * ". . . If the former is your state, I congratulate you indeed and hail you as a brother in the Lord's New Church. If the latter is so, I congratulate you, for you will find no difficulty in embracing the truth of doctrine whenever you read the system laid down by Emanuel Swedenborg, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who in these latter days of darkness and doubt (in what should be the Christian world) has again manifested Himself by revealing to those who seek him in spirit and truth . . . the hidden mysteries of the Holy Word . . . and by the science of correspondences . . . made straight the crooked things that appear in the letter of Scripture. . . . And now my friend, if you have not already perused those valuable books, I beg you not to loose [sic] a moment in procuring them and reading them with attention and prayer that the Lord may flow into your mind and enlighten it to receive the heavenly truth. You will excuse my freedom in so strongly recommending to you what I so highly esteem myself, but in your letter you invite me to write freely on this subject and I cannot avoid doing it and I hope and trust it will be taken as kindly as it is meant.
     * To William Harrison, March 22, 1818.
     "On the subject of business, I only have to say my apportment of goods is as extensive as ever and it will afford me a pleasure long to deal with yourself or son to whom please remember me. William Schlatter."

     To another correspondent, already reading the Writings, Schlatter writes: "Oh, my friend, when your doubts are all removed and you are fully convinced of the truth of the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, what joy you will have then; you will indeed be happy from what I can judge of your enquiring mind, and you will not care for anything so much as the spreading of the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem." And Schlatter backed his words with hospitality, adding: "If only you could spend three days with us, I am sure you would be well-pleased and greatly informed on many points. Do endeavor to come up next month.
     What you cannot now comprehend you will very soon. We are gaining ground here fast, and the Lord will in his good time spread the truth far and wide and those who can [will] receive it, for Kings and Princes have desired it but not found it." *
     * To John Burt, March 12, 1818.
     Sometimes Schlatter's approach was a brief remark to be passed along to a friend, as in this letter of 1817 to Mrs. Ann Collett: "I am rejoiced to hear my friend Mark is married. . . . I wish them every comfort and blessing and please tell Mark the best way to come at that desirable point is to read E. Swedenborg's works with attention and to prevail on his good lady to do the same.

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     A "Sales" Campaign

     Sometimes this salesman lays out a campaign as quickly and naturally as breathing, as this letter reveals: "Your friend Mr. Frazier called at my store with two letters. . . . I entered into conversation with him on the subject of our blessed doctrines. He listened with attention and promised to call this morning for some books, which promise he has performed, and we had a further conversation in which I found him a worthy man as far as I could judge and of a sound enduring mind and I think a fit subject to receive the doctrines of the New Jerusalem. . . . I wish you in about a month after his return to have a conversation with him on the subject." *
     * To "My Dear Friends," March 10, 1818.
     Widespread were Schlatter's efforts for the church, certainly. But they were not all hit-or-miss. He sent some literature to the Emperor of Hayti, from whom he received a polite note of thanks, and in 1818 he wrote to William Boynton at Washington: "I hope you have had a conversation with the President of the United States. [James Monroe of Virginia]. I am glad you presented him with the _________. " Whether the missing word is the title of a book of the Writings we do not know. Schlatter continued: "I wish you had some more books. If I could, I would send you some at Fredericktown; they would do good there. I wish you could have given some to Commodore Decatur." * On one occasion Schlatter spent five months in Washington, D. C., and the biographical sketch accompanying the microfilm states: "On these visits to Washington Schlatter saw a great deal of Andrew Jackson, not yet President of the United States, but a great statesman. Jackson gave him a doll for his daughter Eliza." ". . . Joseph Bonaparte during his residence on Ninth Street, Philadelphia, became very intimate with Mr. Schlatter and frequently dined at his home." Another reference in New Church history mentions Jackson's approval of the Writings.
     * To Wm. Boynton, March 22, 1818.
     Schlatter carried on an active correspondence with many New Church men and women both in America and abroad. In letters to Judge John Young of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and to the Rev. John Clowes of Manchester, England, he describes his communication with John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed). Schlatter has supplied Chapman with books to distribute, and he asks Clowes for more. He also tells of Chapman's offer of land in exchange for books, this land being offered for "the use of a New Church School and the support of a New Church minister." * The land was not taken up, but it appears to have been prime farming land in north-central Ohio.

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     * To Clowes, April 16, 1821.

     The Lord's Merchant

     Schlatter, who fancied that he could interpret dreams according to correspondences, explained in a letter to Nathan Sellers the significance of a dream about himself. The dreamer in this case was Mr. Johnson Taylor, living in Ireland. "As you mention dreams in your letter," Schlatter wrote (Sept. 18, 1817), "I will relate one Mr. Taylor had of me. The books sent to Ireland were a present to him, and when his brother (James Taylor), who was the bearer of them, was about half-way over the ocean, the brother to whom the books were sent dreamed or had a vision, for it was more like that than dream. He saw a person that when he described him to his brother on his arrival he was confident was me driving a mule, the most beautiful animal he ever saw, and the hair or covering was like a fleece of silk. The mule was laden with caskets of diamonds and precious stones, and my coat laced with gold, also my hat.
     "Now, the whole of this dream is full of correspondences. The mule signifies rational truth and the [she] mule the affection of rational truth. Arcana 2781. Also a king rode on a she-mule and the sons on he-mules by reason that kings and their sons represented the truths of the Church. Arcana Coelestia, 2681, 1672, 1728, 2009, and dictionary of correspondence for Judge. Gold and precious stones signify Divine Spiritual Good and Divine Spiritual Truth, both drawn from the Word. Now, as I have been so deeply interested in spreading the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Church, I cannot help thinking it might be an appearance of my spiritual man. If so what a blessing to be the Lord's merchant to distribute Divine Truth derived from the Word and true light [to] men who desire it. Yes, all the kings and Presidents may enjoy their dignities for me if I can only be the Lord's merchant."
     In William Schlatter's private creed, Swedenborg's Writings were Divine revelation, and those who were not of the New Church were to be invited in all gentleness to enter the sphere of the church. The Writings were fully authoritative, but those who had not received them were not to be blamed in any way. Points of similarity and agreement were to be sought and emphasized rather than points of difference. Externals were not so important as basic feelings. In common with most of the New Church men of that day, he felt that ministers should have week-day non-ministerial jobs, preferably teaching, and he was shocked at Thomas Worcester's proposal to have the minister supported by tithes from the congregation while he spent his full time on religious matters and visiting members of the congregation. Schlatter rejoiced when the Rev. Mr. Boyle, a preacher to the Free-Will Baptist society of Frankford, Pennsylvania, reported that 120 of his congregation fully accepted the truths of the New Church, but that they wished to retain their corporate name and practice baptism by immersion.

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Boyle, he reported, preached to some 1000 persons in eight different congregations in the Philadelphia-New Jersey area. To Schlatter, an ideal way for the church to grow was for ministers of the old church to come over to the New Church and bring their congregations with them. He rejoiced when the Rev. Manning B. Roche, a beloved Philadelphia Episcopalian minister, brought some 220 of his congregation into the New Church. Schlatter believed in re-baptism, and proudly reported when his wife, who was born a Quaker, was re-baptized.

     Opportunities in America, c. 1820

     William Schlatter also noted some facts about America, its geography, its spirit, and its commerce. In a letter to an Englishman, George Swanwick, who had written to him about some friends who were considering emigrating to the new land, he stated: "I certainly advise your friends to come to this country by all means without delay and settle in Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Kentucky. The two former are (legal) free states, and the latter allows slavery. You wish to know if the produce of the Western States beyond the Allegheny mountains is ever transported over them. In answer I can inform you it is continually done, and at the low rate of freight 2 cents per bbl., or less than _____ . This distance of land carriage is 300 miles, the road is turnpiked and very good; the mail stage accommodating from 8 to 10 passengers goes the route in five days. . . . It was almost impossible to pass them (the mountains) twenty years ago. The turnpike was only completed in 1820. Steamboats come up to Pittsburgh from New Orleans and go from Pittsburgh to Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and the Mississippi states." *
     * To George H. Stanwick, Est., Nov. 27, 1821.
     Swanwick's English friends would never regret coming to the new land "if they are men of enterprise and industry, but if they expect to find our streets flowing with silver and gold without labor, they will be mistaken. Many, I fear," Schlatter continued, "have thought it was all sufficient to get into the United States to be forever provided for." Then, having written a full two paragraphs with no mention of religion, he launches into what must be termed a "hard sell" presentation of the doctrines to a man whom he had never met, and who had no knowledge of the New Church. "Should you not come in person," writes Schlatter, "I may never have an opportunity of recommending to you in person what I wish you to have a knowledge of. It is the doctrines of the New Jerusalem Church made known to the world by Emanuel Swedenborg. I am well aware you will think this a strange request for one who is a stranger to you except by correspondence, but as all our intercourse has been of a disinterested nature, I hope you will view this in the same light, and I humbly trust you will be fully compensated for your trouble in reading Emanuel Swedenborg's True Christian Religion or Universal Theology, two volumes.

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They are new, but there are some societies in London. . . . The Rev. Manoa(h) Sibley is a minister of one of the churches. . . . You can no doubt procure the book at the book store if you are not acquainted with any readers of those writings. I have been industriously engaged in spreading what I fully believe the truth for eight years and to all with whom I have intercourse, and feel an affection for. I cannot refrain from offering the Pearl of Great Price. May it be your happy lot to find it, and I make no doubt you will be willing 'to sell all and trade upon it.' I have had a presentiment that you have some knowledge of those doctrines, ever since I read your first letter and this will test it: In your next please inform me am I right or not."

     A Warm Personal Interest

     Swanwick might have felt the adjuration to read the Writings to be abrupt, but he could not have finished the letter without feeling the warmth of personal interest his correspondent had evinced in him, and how could he have failed to obtain True Christian Religion and look within it? At any rate, another letter to Swanwick was dispatched about a year and a half later expressing pleasure at the reception given to Schlatter's remarks on religion, and continuing with subtle approval of Swanwick's character and praise for the Writings. Schlatter had but obeyed the command of the Lord, "Freely ye have received, freely give"; and "We therefore look upon a system which exalts the holy Scriptures and makes them indeed the Word of God and proves that they contain within the letter a spiritual and celestial sense, which when properly understood . . . does away with all doubts and difficulties. *
     * To Swanwick, April 18, 1823.

     During the period spanned by the Schlatter letters, 1814-1825, the New Church in America consisted of scattered individuals from many national and religious backgrounds among whom regulation and organization were gradually if not reluctantly taking place. Generally speaking, Americans had a taste for freedom and a suspicion of conformity, and American New Church men were no different. Transportation and communication were difficult: if it took a week at best to get to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia, not many people would be able to journey to an annual convention. The mails were so uncertain and costly that even a postmaster was expected to depend upon friends to carry letters and packages to their destination.
     Only a few attended the organization meeting of the General Convention of the New Jerusalem Church in America, in May of 1817, in the new temple erected by William Schlatter.

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This edifice was based on a description of a temple in heaven in True Christian Religion, No. 508. Schlatter named these visitors in a letter to the Rev. Adam Hurdus of Cincinnati (May 28, 1817): The Rev. Mr. Hargrove from Baltimore and other brethren and some ladies; Mr. Reilly, Mr. Chesterman, Mr. Palmer and a gentleman from New York. Mr. William Cadder and lady from Brownsville, Mr. Richard A. Goe and Mr. David Powell. . . . Judge Young of Greensburgh, and Mr. Barclay of Bedford. However, those attending the first Convention had had "A delightful heavenly time, and had the pleasure of ordaining two ministers, Mr. Richard H. Goe near Wheeling, and Mr. David Powell of Steubenville." *
     * Wm. Schlatter to Josiah M. Espy, May 28, 1817.

     (To be Concluded)
DEDICATION OF THE ADDITION TO THE IMMANUEL CHURCH SCHOOL IN GLENVIEW 1965

DEDICATION OF THE ADDITION TO THE IMMANUEL CHURCH SCHOOL IN GLENVIEW       Rev. KURT P. NEMITZ       1965

     The familiar spiritual law, that influx is according to the form of the receiving vessel, has its natural applications, too. A case in point is the New Church school: if the classrooms are not sufficiently large or many, the increasing influx of students cannot be received. That was our predicament in Glenview; we did not have enough room. Last year, eight grades - one hundred and nine children - had to be packed into four classrooms. Therefore we started plans for an addition last spring.
     The new construction was to provide three more classrooms. To do this, an addition to Pendleton Hall was designed. It consists of two classrooms, a library, and a stage for the main hall. The removal of the library from the existing school building released space there for a fourth-grade classroom. Thus the addition provides three classrooms, although it contains only two itself.
     The classrooms and library will perfect the uses of the school; the new stage will be of direct benefit to the entire society. The Glenview Society has grown to the point at which the church cannot seat the entire congregation at one time for festival services. A bigger church has been made available by the new stage in Pendleton Hall. For large services, such as at Christmas, the stage is converted into a beautiful chancel, and the service is held in Pendleton Hall, which can seat more than five hundred.

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This was done for the dedication service, which was held on Sunday, December 13, 1964.

     Banquet. The dedication ceremonies began on Saturday evening with a banquet. After the delicious roast beef dinner - which was spiced by the spontaneously skyrocketing corks of the sparkling burgundy bottles on every table - two addresses were given. The Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton spoke on "Education and the Moral Man." In responding to this thoughtful address, the toastmaster, the Rev. Louis King, expressed especial gratitude to the teachers for their work in the educational use. He then introduced a substitute speaker, Mr. Kenneth Holmes, who read the speech that Mr. Raymond Lee had prepared but was unable to deliver because of laryngitis. Mr. Lee's paper was an appreciation of Miss Gladys Blackman and her half-century of teaching in the Immanuel Church School. At the conclusion of this light but sincerely affectionate eulogy, Mr. King presented Miss Gladys with a scrapbook chronicling her years with the school which had been prepared by the Women's Guild and Theta Alpha. He then showed the society the brass plaque which bears the name of the new building. It reads: THE GLADYS BLACKMAN ADDITION. Teacher and Principal, 1913-1964.

     Dedication. The Gladys Blackman Addition was dedicated next morning during a service held in Pendleton Hall. After a talk to the children on the significance of a dedication, Bishop Pendleton and the Rev. Louis King went from the chancel stage with the children to the new classrooms. Each room was dedicated by the Bishop placing a copy of the open Word on the teacher's desk and saying a sentence of dedication, to which the pupils responded with a recitation from the Word. These ceremonies were transmitted by loudspeakers to the adults, who had remained seated in the main hall. When the dedication had been completed, the Bishop and the pastor returned, and the service continued.
     Next day the eighth and ninth grades, with excitement and delight, carried their desks into the new classrooms. They and the Immanuel Church School have moved into a new era.
MISS GLADYS BLACKMAN: AN APPRECIATION 1965

MISS GLADYS BLACKMAN: AN APPRECIATION       RAYMOND E. LEE       1965

     I am not quite sure just what Mr. King had in mind when he asked me to speak after the Bishop's paper.

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Perhaps he had something like "from the sublime to the ridiculous" in mind! Or perhaps he recalled the teaching that man cannot long remain in a state of illustration, but must descend into ultimates. But these few words are not supposed to be a descent: perhaps more of an illustration of what we have heard on a personal plane.
     We will soon dedicate a physical expansion of the teaching use - all expansion that will serve to deepen and enhance the use of New Church education. But we must not forget the old definition of a school as a log with a teacher at one end and a pupil at the other. Our educational log has been much enhanced by our new additions. But they are only material things; and unless we can continue to find teachers for one end and pupils for the other, we had better use our logs for firewood instead of classrooms.
     One of the main reasons why the Immanuel Church School has survived for the past half-century is Miss Gladys Blackman. Pastors and parents, teachers and children, janitors and Boards of Finance came and went. But when school opened each fall, Miss Gladys was "present." (Why boys answer "here" and girls "present," I know not, but that's the way Miss Gladys taught us!)
     Recently I was permitted to peer into that mystic volume known as "The Record of the School," which is a most absorbing collection of teachers' reports, statistics, course outlines, etc., dating from shortly after the Flood. I am not allowed to reveal most of the interesting things, like the numerous pithy and accurate character sketches of many people in this room. It is sobering to see how many of the children mentioned a generation ago display the same basic characteristics today. You can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool Miss Gladys!

     This record, in addition to scholastic proceedings, highlights many of the petty problems that bedevil the teaching profession and reflects the socio-economic problems of the changing times. ICS children seem to go in for childhood diseases with wholehearted enthusiasm, which plays hob with teaching schedules. The number of underweight children recorded during the `30s reflects a time when we worried about getting calories instead of about getting rid of them. The high incidence of caries would have pleased any dentist, although I notice that most of us grew up to be good, sound "knife-and-fork" New Church men. And for several years Dr. Gladish was concerned because half the school seemed to be going blind; until, as he remarked at the end of a report:
"Perhaps the poor light in the eye-testing room has something to do with this."
     The temperamental ICS heating plant was always a problem - I remember when it blew up with a bang right in the middle of Wednesday service.

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But Miss Gladys was not alarmed, so no one panicked. It must have gotten fixed, for later on that year we learn that the kindergarten, which had been held in one of the classrooms, had returned to the Men's Room. (They are still there.)
     But these are merely physical things - knots in the log. In spite of them, and many other hindrances, over three hundred pupils were taught, dragged, prodded, pulled, but most of all, led and inspired, to graduation - led and inspired by a wise and gracious lady.
     Eulogies are hard to write and harder to deliver. I have no intention of turning these few remarks into a paean of praise to Miss Gladys. Twenty years ago I might have; but, as she often reminded her pupils, "You are getting older, and its time you are getting sensible."
     So let us get sensible. After all, Miss Gladys has only taught three generations, and there must be at least half a dozen other teachers in the country who could say the same. She has never succumbed to the temptation to squander school funds on plush furniture or unnecessary fixings. Even during her years as principal, she has been spared the fiscal agonies that attend those in the higher income brackets. And certainly she cannot complain that her work has been dull, due to her having nothing but quiet, neat and obedient pupils.
     All she has actually done for the past fifty years has been to perform quietly and efficiently one of our highest uses. She has only done her best to steer some three hundred unruly lumps of sensual, corporeal sub-humans along the path of literacy and toward eventual New Churchmanship. And perhaps the only credit she is due is that our school has grown, and will continue to do so.
     Now, after a lifetime of labor in this often thorny and weed infested vineyard, Miss Gladys is retiring. The use which she so well and faithfully performed will continue. It is perhaps a little saddening, as we prepare to use our new facilities, to realize that she will not be able to enjoy these improved tools of her vocation. So, before we move forward in continuing and expanding the educational program to which she devoted her working years, we should all - parents, teachers, pupils and friends - pause for a moment to say (as properly educated people are taught to say in order to express gratitude and appreciation): "Thank you, Miss Gladys. Thank you very, very much."

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REVIEW 1965

REVIEW              1965

HYMNAL FOR SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES. General Church of the New Jerusalem, Bryn Athyn, Pa., 1964. Cloth, no paging. Price, $3.00.

     Long awaited by the church, this handsome production will be welcomed by ministers, parents, organists, music teachers, and not least by the children themselves. Children respond to something which they can feel is expressly for them - as witness the delight and pride many of them have shown in possessing a copy of the children's edition of the Word. If a whole generation of children has grown up in the church without a Hymnal it could call its own, that situation has now been most happily remedied by a book that should come to be treasured.
     The Hymnal is intended for use in family worship, school worship, and children's or family services, and is not intended to replace First Songs for Little Children, which the music editor feels is better for very small children at home and in school. This purpose has determined the arrangement of the matter of the book, which in general follows a familiar pattern. A selection of sentences of Scripture is followed by forms of worship for children's services, school opening and family worship. Then we find, in turn, forms of prayers at meals; the Commandments; responsive and unisonal readings from the Word; creeds, and a selection of prayers. Here the three languages of the Word are represented. The section on the Commandments contains the Hebrew text itself of the Decalogue, and then that text with transliteration and literal translation; the Lord's Prayer occurs in Greek, with transliteration; and the Latin text of Doctrine of Faith no. 34 is used as one of the creeds. The hymns, of which there are 102, are grouped according to subject-matter in thirteen sections, and there are no special sections for festival hymns. They are followed by short selections, scriptural short selections, scriptural, Hebrew and Greek anthems, and special music.
     Those whose memories go back to the old Hymnal will doubtless greet with pleasure the return of some of its well-loved hymns. While many musical selections have been carried over from the present Liturgy - some without change, others in which small changes have been made - there is also a considerable amount of new material. Although the count may be subject to correction, this reviewer noticed, in reading the Author and Composer Index of the 171 selections listed, that in forty-one instances the words were written, adapted or translated by New Church writers, and that in fifty instances the music was composed, adapted or arranged by New Church musicians.

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     This is a book that it is a pleasure to handle. The plain red cover with gold-stamped title is inviting to the eye, and the type faces and sizes have been well chosen for reading by children. The use of a larger page size has made it possible for the music to be printed in large type and for the text to be inserted between the lines of music - a great aid to children who are being taught to read the music as well as the words. The arrangement of the Hebrew anthems will be appreciated by adults who attend services in which they are used but have no knowledge of that language. The Hebrew text precedes the music, which can thus be set to read from left to right, and what is set between the music lines is a transliteration and translation of the text. If there is one criticism that might be made of the appearance of the musical selections, it would be that the type size and impression are not entirely uniform. However, this may have been unavoidable.

     Preparation of the Hymnal was under the direction of the Right Rev. George de Charms, with Warren F. David as editor and his wife, the former Hildegarde Odhner, as music editor. The more their work is examined, the more evident does it become that no pains have been spared to make the book as useful as possible and that much thought and care have gone into its production. While this is clear throughout in the selection and arrangement of the material, it comes out especially, perhaps, in the notes which are furnished at the end. These cannot be too strongly recommended to ministers and leaders, parents and teachers, music teachers and directors for careful initial study and frequent reference. Here we find brief but clear and informative notes on forms of worship, postures used in worship, the equipment needed, and services of worship, selecting music and readings and singing with children. The various elements in the service are then considered, and this is followed by notes on the languages of Divine revelation, including pronunciation of Hebrew and Greek. All of this may be of particular value to isolated parents who wish to arrange home services. Equally valuable are the notes on playing, teaching and singing the music. Those who are concerned with this will appreciate the Voice Arrangement Index and the Footnotes in which the music is graded, making it possible for songs to be selected in order of increasing difficulty. This book should serve its use well for many years, and we feel that those involved in its production were well advised not to hurry the work at the cost of quality.

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O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING? 1965

O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING?       Editor       1965


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.
     Some of our contemporaries so shrink from the thought of death that they wince at the word itself, and a number of euphemisms have been invented in an endeavor to soften if not avoid the reality. This attitude is not confined to the Christian world, where it is at least somewhat understandable. New Church men have been known to speak and write of friends as having been taken into the spiritual world, called by the Lord, even, invited to come up higher. Are we, too, then, rather reluctant to speak of death? If so, why? - since, as used in the Writings, it expresses so much that is beautiful and reassuring in their teaching.
     According to the Writings, death is the transition from one world to the other; the passage from a dim life to a clear one, from shade to light. It is therefore the continuation and perfection of life, the continuation of the life of the spirit - that stage in the progression from earth to heaven which is human life. In a word, death is resuscitation into life through the laying down of the earthly body. What other single word embraces all these ideas?
     We do not think of those who have died as dead; the very meaning of the word itself forbids it, as does our faith. But need we feel uncomfortable about using the word; and if we are, is it because we are influenced more than we realize by an older connotation? This is not a matter of great moment, perhaps; but it is something that may be thought about, without the time involved being wasted, when more urgent things are not pressing for attention. Our attitude to words, as evocative of ideas, can sometimes be more revealing than we think.

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PURPOSE OF THESE MEETINGS 1965

PURPOSE OF THESE MEETINGS       Editor       1965

     The annual meetings of the Council of the Clergy have again been held. The purpose of these meetings can be stated briefly. They are called to provide opportunity for as many of the clergy as can attend to consider in the light of the illustration of their use matters of theological, liturgical, episcopal and pastoral concern and interest; to advance in the understanding of doctrine, and to test their views, through the presentation and discussion of prepared studies; to seek counsel from their colleagues on doctrinal or practical questions; and to hear reports from committees of the Council. However, what can be gained from these meetings is not so easily expressed; for intangible as well as obvious benefits can be received from their sphere in the form of a renewal both of vision and of dedication to the priestly use.
     If these meetings are to be really successful, the use they are intended to serve must have the support of the entire church. Yet this does not mean that the church must know everything that goes on in them. The meetings of the Council are, in fact, private, though not secret. However, this need cause no concern. The Council of the Clergy is not administrative except in its intramural affairs and in certain instances together with the Bishop and the Board of Directors. The Writings do not deprecate councils as such; and in the spirit of shunning that for which they are condemned, the Council of the Clergy does not seek doctrinal agreements which will be promulgated as official positions or views binding on the conscience and thought of the church, but deeper understanding of the Writings, which are held to be the only authority.
SALT OF THE EARTH 1965

SALT OF THE EARTH       Editor       1965

     There must be few among us who are not well aware that it is not knowledge and understanding of the Writings that makes a New Church man, but the life that is lived. An interest in the Writings that is merely intellectual is of no avail, no matter how keen, profound and sustained it may be. Yet there is no entrance into the life of the church except through the Writings. It is vain to suppose that if we just look to the Lord and think kind thoughts we will be led, instinctively or intuitively, to see what is good and to do it! The spiritual truth of the Word alone can lead to spiritual good; and the more that truth is known and understood, the more of good, the more interior good, there can be.

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     So the New Church man is always faced with the responsibility of balancing doctrine and life, the search for truth and the application of it; knowing that for him to favor either will be to the spiritual detriment of both, and that he cannot do full justice to one without doing it also to the other. This poses a perennial problem; but the solution is to be found in the Lord's injunction to His disciples to "have salt" in themselves, and in His declaration to them that they are the "salt of the earth" - a solution that lies in the correspondences involved.
     By the salt of the earth is meant the truth of the church which longs for good, or the longing of truth for good which is the affection of truth; to have salt in oneself is to have that longing; and we are counselled to have it because it is that longing which is conjunctive of good and truth. Those who have that longing never try to live without truth, or seek truth apart from application to life. The truth they know and understand so affects them that they seek the good to which it leads, and that good sends them back to the Lord in the Word again and again in search of further truths that will lead them into more and more interior goods. How, then, can this longing be received? It cannot be acquired directly, nor can it be obtained by man for himself. It is a free gift from the Lord, and it is given to those who look to Him and compel themselves against evils because He so commands in the Word. As man does this, he receives from the Lord that longing which will conjoin truth and good in his affection, thought and life.
CHURCH AND REMARRIAGE 1965

CHURCH AND REMARRIAGE       Editor       1965

     It will be useful to recall that we are here discussing only second marriages entered into after the death of the first husband or wife. As has been noted, such marriages are not in themselves forbidden by the Writings. The questions which arise are other than this, and the one most frequently asked, perhaps, is: does a second marriage imply a conviction, or at least a strong feeling, that the first husband or wife was not the conjugial partner, and therefore involve the rejection of the former partner?
     In raising the question at all it may seem that we are treading on delicate ground, because it borders on the most intimate lives of others where any entrance may be an intrusion. However, there is no question on which the light of Divine truth may not, and should not, be shed; and we shall see the more clearly in that light as no thought of persons enters our own minds. It seems to us that the answer is, not necessarily so; and that the employment of such words as "rejection" and "repudiation" may well introduce a false quantity into the discussion. To reject or repudiate is to spurn something that is offered; and if, to state an extreme case, the marriage was one in which internal dissimilitudes had appeared - dissimilitudes which were not the fault of either - there would eventually be a voluntary, mutual separation.

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     However, on the basis of certain teachings that are given, we think it to be entirely possible that a man simply may not know what the state of conjugial love was in his marriage. There are, we are told, marriages in which conjugial love does not appear, and yet is, and marriages in which it appears to be, and yet is not; wherefore no inferences may be drawn concerning anyone, from the appearances of marriage, whether he is in conjugial love or not. With certain modifications, this evidently may apply also to one's own marriage; for we are further taught that a man may not, in this world, realize anything in relation to the conjugial in himself, either because it is too deeply hidden or because it is bound up with the progress of his life - with his entrance spiritually into the interior things of the church.
     This is not to say that husbands and wives can never hope and believe that they are conjugial partners! Much that is precious in our lives rests on the firm faith that they can. It is only to suggest that there may be instances of genuine uncertainty: instances in which there is a sincere desire for a conjugial union, and in which there is neither belief nor disbelief that its beginning was in the first marriage.

     How a man who believes he is in conjugial love with his deceased wife can propose marriage to another, how a woman can accept such a proposal, or enter into a second marriage if she believes her first one to be a conjugial union, are other questions: questions which, perhaps, can be answered by those only who have faced them, and which they should not be expected to answer except to themselves and to each other. Yet it may be asked whether we do full justice to all such marriages by naming them "marriages of convenience"? That there are legitimate reasons, apart from conjugial love, for such marriages is an undoubted teaching of the Writings; and if we try to view them rationally, and not react in a way that is only emotional, may we not see it as possible that through looking to the Lord and entering together into the responsibilities of such a marriage, a man and woman may be strengthened in or prepared for conjugial love? To be able to see this, we may have to divest ourselves of certain scruples and then hold our minds in the thought of uses.
     One thing, however, seems perfectly clear. The church may not, and should not, entertain or foster a climate of opinion which takes for granted that widows and widowers will marry again, and thus come to expect and accept second marriages as the normal practice; perhaps even to regard those who do not follow it as depriving themselves unnecessarily from conscientious scruples.

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Its arguments for and against repeated marriages must not merely echo those of the world, but should be drawn only from the Writings; and all arguments including the words "entitled to" should be re-examined very carefully for possible flaws. To fail in any of these things would be to break faith with the Heavenly Doctrine.
     It seems clear also - and we do not doubt that this has been done - that second marriages should not be entered into lightly but only after much soul-searching. But while we should draw our principles from the Writings, and then live up to them, we should not fail to remember that it is not the function of the church to judge. Its mission is to teach and lead, and through the right exercise of that mission those who are contemplating a second marriage may be helped to a just decision. If and when judgment is called for - and in the disordered conditions which exist on earth it may be - it should be the judgment of revealed Divine truth, tempered by that mercy which is the very heart of the Word.

     The church teaches only the ideal, and hopes that there may be an affection of the truth taught that will lead to it. Therefore it has no other teaching concerning repeated marriages than that which is given in the Writings. It could scarcely do so and still be the church! Nor are ideals really held if they are only abstractions which do not attempt to ultimate in life. Believing that the Lord provides a conjugial union for everyone who earnestly desires it, the church hopes that every marriage entered into will become such a union, and holds that every effort toward it should be made; and those whose deep feelings about their marriage are such that they have no desire to enter into another, and who are not pressed by reasons apart from conjugial love to do so, are indeed to be regarded as highly favored.
     Theirs is a state that should not be encroached upon by well intentioned but misguided ideas and feelings which are grounded in considerations so much more external than the state itself. But this is not as yet an ideal world. There can be exceptions which are not necessarily the fault of either partner - marriages in which internal dissimilitudes appear or in which there is uncertainty; and while the church teaches the ideal, not the exceptions, it must be prepared to meet the exceptions when called upon to do so, in the best light it has from the Writings and in the spirit of genuine charity. In so doing, it can and should be guided only by a desire for the preservation of the conjugial. Not that the church can ever make decisions for its members; they must make their own. But if it has this desire, it may hope that it, and they, will be led by the Lord to decisions that will guard and preserve the precious jewel of human life.

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Church News 1965

Church News       Various       1965

     NEW YORK, N. Y.

     In the New York Circle we saw, during 1964, the change over from one visiting pastor to another, with our much-loved Rev. Ormond Odhner leaving us in June and the Rev. Lorentz Soneson coming to us in October. We were sorry to say farewell to Mr. Odhner, for he brought to us a depth of understanding and love of the church in his sermons and doctrinal classes. Also, his children's talks will long be remembered by the eight Cowley children in our midst. We now have two Synnestvedt children, Susan and John (born in December, 1964), whose parents are Peter and Jane Synnestvedt.
     In announcing the Christmas service and party, Mr. Soneson wrote: "As citizens of the spiritual world, we should continually remind ourselves during this coming season of the true nature of this miracle of miracles. The event of the Lord's birth is unparalleled. Our very lives, even today, are preserved by the Lord's redeeming action on the occasion of His birth and life in this world. As we stand in awe, we should feel not only gratitude but humility. And by means of this humility, as a lowly manger, the Lord can be born within us as through the miracle of regeneration. To this should our thoughts be directed for this coming festive occasion.
     At our Christmas party, held in my home, Don and Joan York of Huntingdon, Long Island, visited us with their three children, and the Burwells from Connecticut brought their two. It is a joy to the old New York standbys to have these children join them. These standbys are: Miss Cornelia Stroh, Ann and Anton Sellner, Mrs. Francie Goodman, Mr. Robert Schoenberger, Mr. Paul Hartley, Miss Marilyn Stroh and myself. Others who came to the party were Mrs. Greta Toutain, Dr. and Mrs. James de Maine and other friends, making a total of 22 adults and 13 children.
     In January of 1964 we lost a friend of the Circle, my husband, Joseph Krause. His resurrection service was held in the 35th Street church and was conducted by Mr. Odhner. Among the large group that attended were New Church men, Catholics, Jews and many Protestants led by a delegation from the YWCA where I work. Later, many people and friends of other faiths told me how much that service meant to them. I could not help thinking of the Lord showing them the open door to the spiritual life, and I quote from the address:
     "But it is easy to open the doors of our hearts to permit the entrance of the Lord our God. It is easy to live the life that leads to heaven. No heroic acts are required, no hermit-like withdrawal from the world, nor any sorrowful renunciation of the body and all its pleasures. Indeed, quite the opposite: a life of usefulness among our fellow men, coupled with the acknowledgment of God and the shunning of evils as sins against His will." In conclusion, Mr. Odhner spoke of Joseph Krause, his love of philosophy, "his firm conviction that there is a God and that there is a life after death - the life he now has entered. Did we not read of him in that passage from the Writings of the New Church: 'Everyone who beholds the universe, and still more who considers the order of the universe, acknowledges some supreme being or entity'? And Joseph Krause did behold the universe and observe its order. Everywhere his paintings and his poetry reflect his study of the stars and his observation of the order, the celestial music, that the stars disclose."

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     Since last fall our members have been pleased with the weekly pastoral letter sent out by the Rev. Lorentz Soneson. He is asking us to study the Old Testament and the New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine, and is basing his doctrinal classes on both. In one of these letters he said: "We know from the Writings that the genuine way of expressing love to the neighbor is by performing our uses faithfully, sincerely and justly. But, in addition, the human heart needs encouragement and reaffirmation from one another, especially the isolated."
     In December the New York Circle received an invitation to worship together with the New York (Convention) Society, and Mr. Soneson delivered the Christmas sermon. The combined congregation numbered more than ninety. On this note we close our report for a year which brought change, earthly sorrow, and new beginnings which are exemplified by the little children of our Circle and by the "new spirit" we are all searching for in ourselves.
     LOUISA KINTNER KRAUSE


     THE CHURCH AT LARGE

     General Convention. The Journal of the General Convention shows that in 1964 that body had 4,831 members, 379 of whom were isolated, and 65 societies. There were 64 ministers, 50 of whom were reported through Associations, 1 lay minister, 2 authorized candidates, and 15 licensed lay leaders. No information is given in the statistical table concerning the holding of doctrinal meetings or other activities within societies, though some information of this kind is given elsewhere.
     The Lakewood (Cleveland, Ohio) Society, which sold its historic church, has purchased an attractive chapel in the southern suburbs of Cleveland at a location regarded as excellent for accessibility and missionary activities. The society, which reports an average attendance of 25 at services and classes under lay leadership, is seeking a minister, and has strong hopes for a vital new beginning.
     The Urbana, Ohio, Society, under the leadership of the Rev. Franklin H. Blackmer, has moved from monthly services to services and classes every week. The study group consists mainly of Urbana students.

     Austria. The Rev. Horand K. Gutfeldt, pastor in Vienna, is reported now finding new opportunities in Salzburg, and is planning another summer camp in Carinthia this year. He advises that a young man in his society wishes to study at the Convention Theological School.

     British Guiana. The Rev. Walter Fraser, minister of the Convention Mission in British Guiana, is about to retire and no successor has been trained. The Board of Missions has decided that any future work there will be done by local lay leaders under the direction of Mr. Fraser.

     Egypt. Although a suitable place for services has not yet been found, the Rev. Khalil Rizq continues to work enthusiastically in Port Said. His group is reported determined to succeed in establishing the New Church in the Moslem world.

     Germany (West). It was learned recently that the Rev. Erich L. G. Reissner of Berlin died last July. Mr. Reissner, who had been in poor health for the last two years, was ordained into the New Church ministry in 1915 and had been established with the Berlin Society for over forty-four years. His refusal to compromise led to his imprisonment during the Nazi regime; but he brought the Berlin Society back to a flourishing state in the post-war years, although its activities were sharply curtailed by the division of the city.
     The Rev. Werner Schmidt, based in Freiberg, travels over West and South Germany, visiting scattered members in the Ruhr District and elsewhere.

     Japan. The Rev. Vonezo Doi, official representative of Convention in Tokyo, is being assisted by the Rev. Messrs, Shiro Torita and Yoshii Yanase, who are working on the translation of the Writings into Japanese.

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Nine of the Theological Works are now available in that language. After forty years of service, Mr. Doi is approaching retirement age and a possible successor is now in correspondence with the Theological School.

     Korea. Two ministers are presently working in Korea: the Rev. Chungsun Lee in Seoul and the Rev. En Bo Chung in Kwang-ju. The Convention's Board of Missions has had to inform several aspirants that it is unable to expand the work of the church in their country at present.

     Scandinavia. Work in the Convention-affiliated groups in Scandinavia has been seriously affected by the protracted ill-health of the Rev. Jack Hardstedt, pastor in Stockholm. Mr. Hardstedt has been unable to visit Copenhagen for some time, but goes to Gothenburg fairly regularly. It is hoped that a young man in the Stockholm Society can be trained as his eventual successor.

     Switzerland. In addition to serving the French-speaking groups in Geneva and Lausanne, the Rev. Alfred G. Regamey carries on a wide correspondence with New Church people in France. As General Pastor in Europe, he has oversight of the Convention's entire mission field in Europe and Port Said.
     In German-speaking Switzerland, the Rev. Friedmann Horn, in addition to his pastorate in Zurich, visits groups in Herisau and Basel as well as the Italian group in Trieste. He also operates a successful printing shop in Zurich, the Swedenborg Verlag, which is re-publishing the Writings - long out of print in German.

     [The above items were gleaned from the Convention Journal and the NEW CHURCH MESSENGER, to which acknowledgments are duly made. Editor.]
EPISCOPAL VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA 1965

EPISCOPAL VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA              1965

     The Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, Bishop of the General Church, will leave Bryn Athyn on February 10 for an episcopal visit to South Africa, returning approximately on April 1. Mrs. Pendleton will accompany the Bishop on this journey, which will include visits to the Durban Society and the South African Mission.
SUPERIORITY OF MEDIATE REVELATION 1965

SUPERIORITY OF MEDIATE REVELATION              1965

     "It is believed that man might be more enlightened and become more wise if he should have immediate revelation through speech with spirits and with angels, but the reverse is the case. Enlightenment by means of the Word is effected by an interior way, while enlightenment by immediate revelation is effected by an exterior way" (Verbo 29).

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HOLY FEAR 1965

HOLY FEAR       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1965




     Announcements







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Vol. LXXXV
March 1965
No 3.

NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not." (Exodus 20: 20)

     The fearful and miraculous signs which accompanied the giving of the Ten Commandments were for the purpose of impressing upon the people the fact that they were God's commandments. They were to be obeyed, not as an ethical code for the protection of an earthly society, but as Divine laws preparing for life in an eternal kingdom.
     Fear plays a very important part in man's regeneration. In the Word the term is used in two distinctly different ways. On the one hand, we are commanded to "fear the Lord thy God"; and on the other, we are told to "fear not." How are these two teachings harmonized?
     Fear is the sensitive of love. It is the emotion by which love protects itself. Therefore its quality is known from the quality of the love which inspires it. Fear is associated with a good as well as with an evil love. If a man loves himself above all, he fears everything that attacks and threatens the delights of his self-love. So, again, if a man loves the Lord and the neighbor, he fears all things which attack and threaten that love. It follows, therefore, that the nature of the fear is determined not only by the love but also by the quality and intensity of the love. However, in every instance, fear is the means by which the love defends and protects itself.
     Fear is called a "common bond to the good and to the evil." In an unregenerate state, it protects man and preserves him in a state of equilibrium. It withholds him from rushing headlong into an external life of evil and disorder. It compels his external thought and will to follow along orderly channels, and frees his internal to make a choice between good and evil. Rather than resenting such fear, and regarding it as a sign of weakness, man should be thankful that he has been given this bond to restrain his concupiscences and help him to hold his external life in order.

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In an unregenerate state, who could be withheld from destroying himself without the common bond of fear for the loss of the delights of life?
     Fear of the loss of corporeal delights protects man from physical harm and compels him to cultivate orderly habits. Fear for the loss of the delights of natural life protects him from moral evils and encourages him to cultivate decorum and the moral virtues. Fear for the loss of spiritual delights, the life of heaven, protects him from imagining and intending evil and helps him determine to live according to the commandments of the Decalogue. Fear, indeed, is a common bond for all men.
     In all these instances it is to be noted that fear is the external of an interior love and is the means by which love protects itself and provides for its delights. Man's internal life, the life of the internal man, cannot be compelled. Fear cannot affect it. Fear only restrains the external, and its use is to preserve order therein that the internal may be free to choose between good and evil.
     The fear is in the external, but it is not from the external. It is inspired by the love in the internal man. The fear of the loss of the delights of the love in the internal man can inspire intrepidity in the external; as in the case of the love of one's country, which can inspire a willingness to sacrifice one's life that it may be preserved. In general, the "fear of the loss of a superior love [often] inspires fearlessness in an inferior love."

     To feel fear and shame within oneself when one has transgressed, even though others know nothing of one's transgression, is sublime, for it indicates a love of what is honorable, or of what is good and true. On the other hand, he is a vile and low man who has no fear for what is honorable, for truth, for things sacred and Divine, but only for his own life. To be brazen in facing one's evils, to feel no shame or sorrow when they are brought to light, and to defend and excuse them openly - these are the signs of a man without conscience, or of one who has confirmed himself in a life of evil.
     With such, fear of the loss of the delights of life must be induced from without by punishments and external restraints. That is the life of those who are in hell, for there are no other means by which order can be preserved among them. There are no bonds of the fear of the loss of the delights of good loves which can cause them to restrain themselves.
     In the spiritual sense, "fear" represents worship, and the Writings speak of a threefold representation. With the non-regenerate it represents "worship from fear"; with the spiritual it represents "worship from the good of faith"; and with the celestial it represents "worship from the good of love."

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This threefold representation indicates a progression through which the regenerating man passes. Beginning with worship from fear, he progresses to worship from love.
     Fear represents worship because in all genuine worship, whether external or internal, there must be fear in the sense of awe and reverence. As the Writings say: "Fear with the good is called reverential or holy fear, and is the result of our wonder at, and longing for, what is Divine, and also of our love. Love that is devoid of reverence or holy fear is, as it were, devoid of savor, or is like food unseasoned with salt, and consequently insipid; but love that is attended with fear is like food that is seasoned but does not taste of the salt." *
     * AC 3618

     Worship from fear! This is the worship of the non-regenerate, or the as yet unregenerate. In every case it is the presence of evil and falsity that gives occasion to fear. Every man, from good loves implanted during infancy and childhood, has a desire to attain the life of heaven, to love the Lord and the neighbor, and to be accepted by friends and companions. When evil arises there is fear for the loss of the delights of these loves, and by that fear in the external man one is driven to worship the Lord. Worship in this sense involves a life according to the commandments as well as formal worship. "All worship," the Writings say, "must needs begin with holy fear, within which is the thought that God will reward the good and punish the evil. The simple and little children must believe this, because they do not yet apprehend what permission is . . . and when they begin by not daring, through fear, to do what is evil, there is gradually insinuated love together with good, and then they begin to know and perceive that nothing but good is from God, and that evil is from themselves, and at last that all evil is from hell." * Thus man is in the beginning led to worship the Lord from holy fear.
     * AC 6071: 5.
     But let it be clearly understood that this fear is in the external man and arises from the evils there present. Innocence and the good of remains are in the internal, and they inspire the fear in the external. From them it receives the name "holy fear."
     This is the quality of the fear that is commanded in the letter of the Word; especially the letter of the Old Testament, which is accommodated to the states of children and the simple. "Blessed is everyone that feareth the Lord, that walketh in His ways." It is the fear of a good love, but that love has not yet been appropriated to man as his own by a life of shunning evils as sins against God.
     As man shuns evils as sins against God, this good love begins to be appropriated to him, and his worship changes from the worship of fear to worship from the good of faith.

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He comes into a love of truth and into the life of truth. He fears to transgress against the truth, and when he does so he feels the loss of the delights of his life. In the external man, this fear is usually conjoined with the fear of the loss of reputation, honor and gain. This fear is not necessarily an evil one. The love of truth, or worship from the good of faith, is conjoined with a love of what is upright in civil life, honorable and just in moral life, and good and true in spiritual life; and in the external these cannot be separated from the fear of the loss of reputation, honor and gain. This is an evil fear only when it is inspired solely by an evil and selfish love.
     Worship from the good of faith in the internal man inspires a holy fear in the external man. This is a fear that is clean, that is said to be a treasure and the beginning of wisdom.
     As man shuns evils as sins from the love of truth, the Lord gradually implants in him a love of the good of truth, and he comes into the worship of the Lord from the good of faith. This love is eminently sensitive to all things in the external that would harm or destroy it. The fear of these is holy in the highest degree. It is not a fear of hell and damnation, but rather a fear of doing or saying, or even thinking, anything against the Lord, or against the neighbor, or against the good and truth of faith.
     In the letter of the Word this is sometimes described as the absence of fear, for in it there is no fear for self, but only for the Lord and the neighbor. Those who are in this state are said to be without fear.
     These states of worship with man are established successively during the course of his regeneration; but it should be realized that all things or states which are acquired successively are present simultaneously at any one time. For this reason a man, especially in times of combat and temptation, cannot recognize clearly by what love or fear he is motivated. Nor need he be disturbed by this. Even though he is in worship from the good of faith, he may, in his external, be conscious only of the fear of the loss of reputation, honor and gain.
     He needs to be let down continually into states of grave doubt concerning the ends from which he acts until he knows and acknowledges that of himself he is nothing, and that all good and truth, all safety, peace and joy are from the Lord alone. He needs this experience until he can say from the heart: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." Amen.

LESSONS: Exodus 20. Matthew 10: 16-39. Divine Providence 145, 146.
MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 446, 434, 498.
PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 38, 80.



101


REVISION OF THE LITURGY 1965

REVISION OF THE LITURGY       Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS       1965

     The fifth revised edition of the General Church Liturgy and Hymnal is now nearing completion, and it is important for the members of the church to be advised as to the significant changes to be expected, together with the reasons for them. Ritual should never become static. In order to be living, it must be flexible and responsive to the changing states of the church. The New Church must develop its own forms of worship, forms expressive of the truth revealed by the Lord in His second advent and imbued with the spirit of the Heavenly Doctrine. Such development is necessarily a gradual process, and with us it is only just beginning. Ritual cannot be invented de novo. It must grow out of the past, and take new form by slow degrees, as the Lord gives illustration and enlightenment from His Word. Because of this, our present Liturgy is by no means perfect, and we must look forward to changes whereby it may be constantly improved.
     Nevertheless, in this process growing pains cannot be avoided. We all tend to become attached to forms with which we are familiar, and we can relinquish them only with a sense of loss. For this reason changes should not be too abrupt lest they seriously disturb the sphere of our worship. The reason for them should be clearly understood that we may accept them with rational conviction, even though our affections are bound up with accustomed forms that they are intended to replace. This is the law of spiritual progress, because only by our elevating our understanding into a higher light can our natural affections be purified and brought into harmony with true charity and love to the Lord.
     In view of the fact that the existing plates of the Liturgy were too worn to be used again, the committee was authorized to undertake a more thorough revision than was attempted in 1939. * This has made it possible to improve the general format by increasing somewhat the size of the page. However, the new edition will contain approximately the same number of pages as at present, and the weight and quality of the paper now in use will be matched as nearly as possible.
     * The Liturgy Committee, appointed by the Bishop of the General Church in 1952, consisted of: the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, chairman, the Rev. Hugo U. Odhner and the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson. Bishop Pendleton withdrew from the committee after his selection as Bishop of the General Church in 1962, and the Right Rev. George de Charms accepted appointment as chairman.

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     All the ministers of the church have been asked to give us the benefit of their experience in the use of the Liturgy, and to suggest changes which they think would be useful. We have received from all the societies of the church a report as to what music is being used, and what is not; also what changes are deemed desirable. All of these suggestions have been carefully weighed by the committee, and taken into consideration, with a view to adapting the Liturgy as fully as possible to the present needs of the entire church. After all this has been done, however, we realize that no more than a single step has been taken in the direction of improving our forms of worship, and that much remains to be done in the future. We would call attention, however, to the more significant changes which have been adopted, first in the ritual, and later in connection with the music.

     The number of Scripture sentences used at the opening of the service has been increased, and those that are addressed to the Lord have been separated from those that are addressed to the congregation. In addressing the Lord the priest represents the church, and turns toward the sanctuary; but in addressing the congregation he represents the Lord and speaks facing the people.
     In the Bryn Athyn Cathedral an alleluia is sung to cover the descent of the priest from the altar. Because this is not needed in other societies, it was omitted from the rubric. This, however, has caused some confusion for those not familiar with our service, and to overcome this, although the music will not be included, the new edition will provide in the rubric for the insertion of an alleluia at this point.
     The unisonal prayers in the third and fourth offices have not proved as satisfactory as could be desired, and therefore they have been revised in the light of past experience.
     It has been thought advisable that we should become accustomed to more than one general confession of our faith, and to this end the usual creed has been replaced in the second office by a statement taken directly from the Writings. Other statements may be introduced in the future, but we thought it prudent to make only one such change at this time.
     According to our present custom, the priest recites a short form of the Ten Commandments while the congregation is kneeling. There is, however, a distinct value in the people not only listening passively to the Commandments but actually repeating them. For this reason, in place of the present form, it is provided in section four of the second office that the Commandments, in a somewhat longer form, shall be recited by the priest and the people together, the people standing. A suitable response has been inserted to be sung immediately following.

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In section four of the third office the priest recites the Two Great Commandments, while in the fourth office the New Commandment is substituted, in both cases while the congregation is kneeling, as at present.
     In the present edition of the Liturgy, the music of the prayer on the knees was omitted from the fifth and sixth offices. This has been found to be somewhat confusing, and the omission has been corrected in the new edition.
     In the Baptismal Service, the first question to be asked of the candidate, or of the parents, has been revised to read: "Do you for yourselves and for this child acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as He is now revealed in His Second Advent, to be the one God of heaven and earth?" This is the faith into which the baptism of the New Church introduces, the faith that distinguishes New Church baptism from that of the former Christian Church. For the benefit of those who are baptized in adult age, a statement is inserted at the end of the office indicating the steps whereby one who has been baptized may become a member of the organized body of the General Church.
     The revision of the Holy Supper Service will be somewhat more extensive. Some have felt that the music of this office tends to be too sad. It has therefore been revised better to express the affection of the words while still retaining the quality that has become deeply associated with the administration of the sacrament. Section two of the office, on pages 67 and 68, has not been found very satisfactory. Instead of the present responsives and unisonal readings, the creed has been inserted immediately following the chant on page 67. The Amen on page 68 will be retained.
     The words of institution in the present edition are shortened and paraphrased, but in the new Liturgy they will be quoted in full as found in Matthew, Mark and Luke, with the idea that the officiating priest may select any one of these quotations.
     In the service as it is used at present, there is the appearance as if the priest blesses the bread and the wine, although it was not so intended. Such a blessing is not according to Scripture, and it is recognized that it is inappropriate to speak of blessing inanimate objects. In the Gospels it is merely said that the Lord "gave thanks" before breaking the bread, and before offering the wine to His disciples. The ritual adopted for the new Liturgy provides that the officiating priest, before breaking the bread, shall elevate it and say:

"The bread of God is He that cometh down from heaven
and giveth life unto the world." (John 6: 33)


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And after he has broken the bread, he shall say:

"He hath given meat unto them that fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant." (Psalm 111: 5)

Elevating the wine, the priest shall say:

"The blood of the new covenant, which is shed for the
remission of sins." (Matt. 26: 28)

And after pouring the wine, he shall say:

"Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins
in His own blood, to Him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen." (Rev. 1: 5, 6)

     In the Confirmation Service a few excerpts from the Sacred Scripture and from the Heavenly Doctrine have been added. The same is true of the Betrothal Service. Also at the end of the Betrothal Service a charge has been introduced.
     In the Marriage Service the ring ceremony has been somewhat simplified. According to the new rubric, the ring that is given by the bridegroom to the bride shall first be given to the officiating priest, who elevates it and pronounces a suitable sentence of consecration. It is then given back to the bridegroom who places it on the fourth finger of the bride's left hand. While he is doing so, the same words are repeated by the bridegroom and the bride as provided in the present Liturgy on page 87. When a second ring is given by the bride to the bridegroom, this also is first passed to the officiating priest, who may elevate it in silence or pronounce a sentence of consecration before returning it to the bride, who then places it on the fourth finger of the bridegroom's left hand. Of course the purpose of the entire ring ceremony is to emphasize the truth that conjugial love, which the ring represents, is a gift from the Lord. In the new edition of the Liturgy the rubric will also provide that the priest, if he so desires, may introduce a charge immediately following the blessing on the newly married couple.
     In connection with the Ordination Service, the ritual to be used for each degree of the priesthood is completed in order. The reading of the service is thus made less confusing for those in the congregation who may wish to follow it.
     The Psalter and the Gospel have been reprinted without change. The Commandments have been given a separate heading, and the passages quoted under the Law have been revised and numbered for easy reference. Confessions of Faith have been given a separate heading, and the title, General Doctrine, has been changed to Summaries of General Doctrine.

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In this section references to the Writings are given for all passages quoted, in order that the reader may find the quotation in its proper context. The Prayers have been somewhat revised, and several new ones have been added; but a much more thorough revision of this section is needed than we were able to give at the present time. A careful study with this in view is recommended to the next committee.
     In future articles we propose to explain what the committee has attempted to accomplish in connection with the revision of the music, but this is a separate subject.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Perception. Perception is said to be a certain internal sensation which is communicated by the Lord alone as a means of knowing whether anything is good and true. It is defined also as an internal dictate, with full confirmation by influx from the Lord, as to the intrinsic quality of good and truth, evil and falsity. Thus the perception of the church, like that of the angels, consists in seeing from the Lord what is good and true, not so much in regard to civil society as to love and faith toward the Lord. Note that perception is not given as a mode of internal or immediate revelation; it is not granted apart from the Word. The Writings speak also of "common perception," so called because it is universal in the spiritual world, though not given on earth, whereby the quality of newcomers is discerned instantly from the sphere they carry about with them, no speech or action being needed. (See AC 104, 1822, 5937, 7680; AE 307.)

     Passive. This term is applied in the Writings to things which are dead, that is, things which cannot act of themselves but can be activated by the influx of life from the Lord. Passives are therefore both recipients and reagents. Both of these ideas are necessary, and the relation of passives to actives is indicated in the teaching that the eyes and the ears are passive while the ether and the air are active. Thus "passive" does not mean inert; that which is inert is called the merely passive and is said to dissipate influx. By derivation the word means, to suffer. It is also connected with the word, patient; and reflection on what that involves can throw further light on the meaning of this term. (See DLW 178; TCR 110, 607; AE 616.)



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CONSTRUCTIVE CRITIQUE OF THE NEWEST THEOLOGY 1965

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITIQUE OF THE NEWEST THEOLOGY       GEORGE DE MOUBRAY       1965

     Continued from the February issue.

     What Is the Origin of Change? Aristotle was the first man to realize the importance of this problem. Re-thinking his argument, I would formulate it thus. At the origin of things there must be something the existence of which is not dependent on anything prior to itself. So at the origin of the endless chain of change there must be something which stands outside the perpetual flux of cause and change, namely, the First Cause, the Unmoved Mover. Having this unique quality, it must be on a higher stratum of reality, indeed on the supreme stratum of reality.
     Now Aristotle realized that anything literally acting as a cause must itself suffer change. Expressing this with the help of a most modern conception, that of energy, we would say that anything that acts thereby loses energy. That loss of energy is a change. That is the inwardness of Aristotle's conception, that the First Cause can only be a lure - an ideal - towards which other things move.
     However, this conception makes us realize that Aristotle did not really solve the problem; for the things which, as it were of their own volition, move towards the First Cause are expending energy in so doing. From whence does that energy come?
     The solution to the whole problem would seem to reside in this historically very new concept of energy. The First Cause must be Infinite Energy, the source of all the energy in the universe on all its strata of reality. Moreover, by the term, Infinite Energy, we must understand something which is not merely inexhaustible in a quasi-mathematical sense. The First Cause must be Being Itself, and as such contain within it not merely the energy required on lower levels; it must be the source of all patterns of change, the source of the development by which one pattern evolves from another as evolution of life as a whole, and of life in each individual, advances. Having thus all change within itself, it can change itself in its adaptations to the life it is guiding in its development.
     Before proceeding further, let us review the problem of creation in the light of these findings. We start, with two fundamental and incontrovertible postulates: first, Parmenides' postulate, that nothing can come out of nothing; second, that implied in Aristotle's metaphysics, that at the origin of things there must be something the existence of which is not dependent on anything prior to itself.

107


The things we have noted as coming into existence have been matter and change. Furthermore, the origin of change must have been, and must now be, Infinite Energy.
     Not only has change been operative in the substance of the universe, but the forthcoming into existence of the substance of the universe was itself the first change. We therefore seem to be driven to the conclusion that the Infinite Energy which was the source of change was also the source of the substance of the universe. So the Infinite Energy was the creator of the created universe - at this stage of the argument not necessarily a personal creator. But does not the ability to initiate change imply a power of decision? Is not the power of decision necessarily a quality of personality? Let us now turn our attention to the coming into being of personality in the universe.

     Mind and Its Working. We have seen that Professor Hoyle maintained that it is incumbent on the materialists to explain how consciousness has evolved in the human machine, which is the only thing to which their theory of evolution could lead. I propose to attack the problem from another direction.
     It is a definite datum of physiology that mental processes are linked with electro-chemical processes in the brain. The materialist argues that the material brain cells and the electro-chemical processes in them account for the whole of mental phenomena. It is evident that they do not. The flow of causation in matter is deterministic; that is to say, the present and the future are fully determined by the past. There is no escape from that conclusion without conceding that the flow of physical causation can be modified by causes acting from a higher stratum of reality, namely, from mind or spirit; and it is obvious that they are so modified.
     Consider the phenomena of thought and feeling. There is always an element of the present being determined by the past. But that element can be overruled by a purposive decision in the present, the name of which is freedom. After forming an opinion, we can reconsider the matter and change our opinion radically. We can, to a considerable extent, control passing emotions. We can go a long way in compelling ourselves against our natural inclinations and appetites.
     Perhaps more striking for those not given to introspection is the control of mind over movements of the body. Mechanistic causation, taking the form of a pattern of flow and interchange of energy, can produce a certain movement of the body. But the mind, according to its skill, can, by mental acts of purposive causation, alter the direction and pattern of flow of physical energy, and so alter the pattern of bodily movement.

108




     It is clear from these considerations that processes in the mind are on a stratum of reality higher than matter, subject to different laws, forces and forms of energy. Therefore it follows that life is lived on a spiritual stratum of reality as well as on a physical stratum; and it follows further that the creator must create, and have created, on the spiritual level as well as on the physical. We can now, and indeed must now, speak of Him as a person distinct from ourselves, and call Him God.
     There is no room for this God in the depth of our own being, where Tillich and Robinson would place God. Their scheme allows no room for a personal God, distinct from ourselves, who is the Creator of the universe. As refusal to believe in a creator - a fortiori, in a personal God who is Creator - is cardinal both for humanism in all its forms and for the new theology, they all fall together.
     We defined the Creator earlier as Infinite Energy. What is Infinite Energy on the spiritual level? As time is running out, I shall content myself with quoting Henri Bergson in his great work, Les Deux Sources de la Morale et de la Religion. I translate from the French. "Beings have been called into existence who were destined to love and to be loved. For creative energy must be defined as love. Distinct from God, who is that energy itself, they could only come into being in a universe, and that is why the universe has come into being." *
     *Page 273, 48th Edition.

     Christology. In conclusion, I shall endeavor to sketch shortly the positions relative to Jesus Christ of the Tillich-Robinson theology and the New Church theology. The biblical and traditional theology which Dr. Robinson repudiates he describes thus:
     "In the fulness of time [God] 'visits' [those whom He has made] in the person of His Son, who must one day 'come again' to gather the faithful to Himself." *
     * Robinson, Honest to God, p. 14.
     "The incarnation means that God the Son came down to earth, and was born, lived and died within the world as a man. From 'out there' there graciously entered into the human scene one who was not 'of it' and yet who lived genuinely and completely within it. As the God-man, he united in his person the super-natural and the natural; and the problem of Christology so stated is how Jesus can be fully God and fully man, and yet genuinely one person." *
     * Ibid., p. 64.
     "In fact, popular supranaturalistic Christology has always been dominantly docetic. That is to say, Christ only appeared to be a man or looked like a man; 'underneath' he was God." *
     * Ibid., p. 65.

     In the picture which I shall now draw I shall, to economize time, omit all the "whys" and "wherefores." The dominating fact in New Church theology is that the Infinite, which is the Divine, which again is God, is Being itself. The Divine must therefore be indivisible. This indivisibility of the Divine is the cardinal doctrine which governs the whole system of thought.

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     There cannot, therefore, be two Divines, for each of them would be Being itself. The statement that there are two Divine persons would imply the separateness of two beings, both of whom were Being itself. They would, then, be not merely identical, but the source of each other; or, more logically still, each would be the other - the most manifest absurdity. The existence of discrete degrees or strata of reality within the one Divine is, on the other hand, quite possible, for that does not imply separateness. But, mounting the series of strata of reality, there must be separateness between the finite and the Infinite. The finite, not being Being itself, must be derived from the Infinite, and must be separate from it. The universe must be separate from the Divine.
     It follows that the Tillich-Robinson pantheism - according to which the universe, and the human beings in it, have the infinite within themselves as part of themselves - is impossible. On this score also the new theology must be rejected.
     But so also must the old supernaturalism, with its picture of two or three Divine persons of equal eminence and of the same essence. As we have seen, there cannot have been two Divines. There cannot, therefore, have been a Son of God, born from eternity, who entered into relationship with men by kenosis, emptying Himself of His Divinity and later re-assuming it. Being in itself cannot cease to be Being in itself; nor, having relinquished it, can it re-assume it later.

     But how, then, can we reconcile the two pictures which to the new theology seem irreconcilable: on the one hand, the child born in Bethlehem, with every appearance of finite humanity as that of any other child; on the other, the man Jesus who, at the end of His ministry, more than once openly claimed Divinity? * For He said: "I and the Father are one" - "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father"; "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me"; and after His resurrection He was consistently declared by the apostles to be the Son of God, and as such was said by John, at the end of his first Epistle, to be the "true Son of God."
     * See John, chapters 10, 14.
     During His life on earth were there not two persons, as is claimed in the old supranaturalism? * And if there were, how can the New Church reconcile this with its assertion that the Divine is indivisible? The answer, in the shortest possible form, is that during the life of Jesus Christ on earth there were indeed two persons in Him, but that they were not both Divine.

110


One was finite, the other infinite. The finite person was successively made Divine, and so united with, and merged into, the Divine person, who had throughout His life on earth dwelt inmostly within Him as His inmost soul.
     * See "Note on Two Persons Prior to the Glorification" at the end of this article.
     The doctrine of two persons or consciousnesses is, however, not universally accepted in the membership of the New Church. I shall therefore quote two short passages in support of this thesis before elaborating the above statement. "Now, since after the union of the Human with the Divine in Himself, which was like that of the soul and the body with man, they were no longer two but one person . . . therefore the Lord as to both is Jehovah and God." * ". . . our doctrine that the Divine assumed the Human, that is, united it to itself, as the soul is united to its body, until they were not two but one person." **
     * Lord 34: 4.
     ** Lord 35: 2.

     I shall now somewhat elaborate the doctrine of the New Church, omitting, however, two sides thereof: the reasons for the Infinite God in one person entering into finite relationship with men by assuming a finite humanity; and how the overcoming of evils in the heredity innate in that humanity enabled the humanity to be made Infinite.
     The teaching is that the Infinite God assumed a finite humanity in the manner described in Luke 1: 35: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee." The Holy Spirit, that is, the Spirit of God, the Divine efflux, operated on an ovum in Mary's womb. Of the son born in consequence it is said "The Son, born of God by the Virgin Mary in time, is the only Son of God and the only-begotten to suppose otherwise is a monstrous error." *
     * TCR 26.
     Jesus Christ was thus in the highest degree unique. It is clear that the humanity that was His as Mary's child was finite; that He had to learn to walk and talk as any other child: and we are taught that this human nature had a heredity similar to that of other children, one bearing the same tendencies to evil. However, as the Son of God, the inmost strata of His soul were Divine, while the outer or lower strata were finite. Whereas men, in the process of begetting, can give something, or some offshoot, of their soul, the indivisibility of the Divine had its tremendous effect in the birth of Jesus Christ: He had the whole of the Divine as His inmost. In Him alone has there ever been the bridging of the gap between the Infinite and the finite, between the Divine and the Human.
     The gap, while it lasted, meant that there were two separate persons in Him - one infinite, the other finite. As a child, there must have been two distinct consciousnesses in Jesus Christ. His inmost was the God of the universe: Being itself, Divine love and Divine wisdom, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.

111


In the starkest contrast, His finite consciousness was much like that of any child. As in any child, successive strata of His mind and spirit had, in the terminology of the Writings, to be "opened," that is, brought into activity, instead of continuing to function more in the manner of mere inert layers of crystal, transmitting influences from the Divine and from heaven. *
     * Compare DLW 245.
     As this process continued, without any fundamental change in His external or lower consciousness, the opening of successively higher strata of mind and spirit deeply affected the functioning of His consciousness in the natural humanity. * In alternating pulses of exinanition and glorification, He progressively became in His external consciousness transparent to the Divine within Him. Hence deep intuitions, visions into the spiritual world, foreknowledge, and the power by which He effected miracles. It should be noted that He was in His natural consciousness when He effected miracles, though drawing on the power of the Divine within Him.
     * Compare DLW 256.
     I have used the word "pulses" to indicate that there was not only reciprocal effort toward conjunction between the two consciousnesses but also reciprocating effort. In the periods of temptation, the finite was striving toward the Divine; in the following periods of serenity the Divine was drawing the finite toward itself. This reciprocation carried on to the end. So it was that on the cross came the climax of the two movements - the moment of utter despair at failure to draw humanity to the Divine. Yet this moment was that of final victory.
     This was the real kenosis - the emptying of Himself of His finitude, of the whole of the corrupt human heredity assumed with the humanity from Mary. That heredity was altogether extirpated together with His finitude. He thus ceased to be the Son of Mary. The humanity was metamorphosed through the Divine power from within as that power was progressively received in the finite humanity. The finite humanity became infinite, became the Divinum Humanum.
     But the Divine is indivisible. There cannot be two Divines. The finite humanity glorified must necessarily, as it became Divine, merge into the Divine itself, thus becoming a lower stratum of the one Divinity. The corrupt, assumed humanity having become Divine - even though, in the process, all corruption had been cast out - could enter intimately into corrupt human hearts, and help from within, as it could not before.

     Conclusion. The Tillich-Robinson pantheism must be rejected for several reasons, all of which stem from the pantheism itself. In so far as the system is pantheistic, it cannot make a distinction between Being in itself, not dependent on anything prior to itself, on the one hand, and on the other, that which is dependent on something prior to itself: involved in the endless flux of cause and change, derived, therefore, from Being in itself, which, as we have shown, must be the creator of the universe, indeed a personal Creator.

112


Furthermore, in so far as human personalities are imagined to have the ground of all Being within themselves, they are thereby deified - a wholly inadmissible conception.
     The old supranaturalism must also be rejected. Being in itself must be indivisible; for, as we have shown, if two Beings in itself were imagined, from whom all other being was derived, they would overlap to the point that each would be the, other. There cannot therefore be the two or three Divine persons of traditional Christian theology.
     The New Church cosmology and Christology, though accepting the historical statements of the Gospels in their entirety, avoid all these difficulties. The one infinite God in one person, in order to help devastatingly corrupt humanity, assumed a finite humanity through the Virgin Mary. This most human and finite humanity had, adapting the language of Tillich and Robinson, in its ultimate depth within it the one God, the Creator. Because of this ultimate depth within it, it could, and did, become Divine; and because of the indivisibility of the Divine it could not do other than become fused with the indwelling Divine into one Divine person who is Jesus Christ glorified - the visible God in whom is the invisible God as the soul is in the body. These doctrinal positions follow inexorably from two principles developed in the first chapter of the work True Christian Religion: that the Divine is being in itself, and that it is therefore indivisible.

     NOTE ON TWO PERSONS PRIOR TO THE GLORIFICATION

     We must bear in mind that the subject under discussion is, in its depths, beyond the capacity of the human mind to grasp. Furthermore, terrestrial language suffers from perhaps even greater limitation in its capacity to express the transcendent truths which are involved. So we should not be surprised if, in the Scriptures, in the Writings, and in our own attempts to formulate truths, it not infrequently happens that statements which appear to be the opposite of each other are both true.
     Thus, while it is true to say that, during the life of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth, there were two persons in Him, it is also true to say that He was one person. Let us consider Him first as one person. Each individual man walking about the surface of this earth has a soul and a body, or an internal and an external. They constitute one person. So it was also with the Lord. His internal, or inmost or soul, was Jehovah or the Divine itself;* but that Divine soul and the natural human which communed with His disciples were in the relation of the unique sort which unites soul and body in every man into a person.
     * AC 1999: 5, 6716: 6; HH 86: 2.

113



     But He had two centers of consciousness, distinct from each other in a manner and degree quite impossible with men. This is particularly obvious when we consider Him as He was in tender infancy, not yet able even to walk or speak. To illustrate this the following may be quoted:

     "It is known that the Lord was born as are other men, and that when a child He learned to speak like other children, and that He then grew in knowledge and also in intelligence and wisdom. From this it is evident that His Human was not Divine from birth, but that He made it Divine by His own power. That He did this by His own power was because He was conceived of Jehovah, and hence the inmost of His life was Jehovah Himself." *
     * AC 6716: 1, 2.

     My interpretation of the latter part of this quotation is that His external was able to draw upon the omnipotence which was immanent within Him. The quotation itself throws into relief two contrasting facts: that He was one person, in that He could draw upon omnipotence from within Himself; - and that He was two persons, one of whom was the God of the universe - Being itself, Divine love and Divine wisdom, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent - while the other, limited in time and space, was at first unable to speak, was in total ignorance, and was not Divine.
     The pathological state of human multiple personality will be left out of this discussion. In that state the different personalities are presumably on the same stratum, or strata, of reality. The argument is that apart from this, man cannot have two personalities, while the Lord must necessarily have had two personalities - two centers of consciousness - and it turns, first of all, on the state of that internal which, as we have seen, is sometimes called the inmost, or the soul. In man there cannot be consciousness in the inmost, while in the Lord the inmost was Jehovah Himself, with therefore infinite consciousness.
     The Arcana has already been quoted to the effect that the Lord's inmost, that is, the inmost of Jesus Christ, was Jehovah Himself. * This was said also in an earlier number, ** in the words: "But the Lord's internal was Jehovah Himself, because He was conceived from Jehovah, who cannot be divided." The earlier part of this number is concerned with the state of this internal in man.
     * AC 6716.
     ** AC 1999: 5.

     "This internal is the very first form from which a man becomes and is man, and by means of it the Lord is united to man. The very heaven that is nearest to the Lord is composed of these human internals, but this is above even the inmost angelic heaven, and therefore these internals belong to the Lord Himself. . . . These internals of men have no life in themselves, but are forms recipient of the Lord's life." *

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     * AC 1999: 3, 4.

     As these internals are above the highest angelic heaven it seems obvious that they have no consciousness. There is confirmation of this in the parallel passage in Heaven and Hell: "But what is arranged and provided by the Lord in this inmost does not inflow so as to be apprehended (non influit manifeste) in the perception of any angel, because it is above his thought and transcends his wisdom." *
     * No 39e.
     It has appeared to me, and I now want to show, not only that there were two personalities, two consciousnesses, in Jesus Christ incarnate, but that that which was His as He walked about the earth and communed with His disciples and others was wholly in the natural, in the finite natural. They were therefore infinitely far apart.
     I base myself on Divine Love and Wisdom no. 256. The matter is not without difficulty. But in view of the frequent references to the similarity between the regeneration of man and the glorification of the Lord, we can presume that in so far as that number refers to regeneration, it refers also, mutatis mutandis, to the glorification of the Lord. I interpret this passage to imply that man's consciousness remains throughout regeneration in his natural degree. What it says is that as the natural develops it does so by continuity, and not by being raised to a higher discrete degree; and that it is then progressively enlightened by the higher discrete degrees, presumably as they also develop. We read:

     "The higher from within acts upon the exterior natural and illuminates it. The illumination is effected indeed from within by the light of the higher degree; but this light is received by the natural degree which envelopes and surrounds it by continuity, therefore more lucidly and purely according to the height of the ascent; that is, the natural degree is enlightened from within by virtue of the light of the higher degrees, discretely, but in itself continuously." *
     * DLW 256.

     From this it would follow that consciousness remains with man in the natural, and that it did so also in the Lord. If this interpretation is correct, the dichotomy into two persons would seem most evident: the consciousness of one being Divine, the consciousness of the other in the natural degree of the Human. In states of glorification, as they developed successively, the Divine would progressively have shone through, so that the Human would have become a mirror of the Divine; in states of humiliation, the illumination from within would have been cut off.

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WILLIAM SCHLATTER AND THE NEW CHURCH 1965

WILLIAM SCHLATTER AND THE NEW CHURCH       RICHARD R. GLADISH       1965

     In the Schlatter letters we find a listening post for the church of that day - its enthusiasms and triumphs, its problems, and its ebb and flow.
     Shortly after the first Convention of 1817, Philadelphia had about fifty-     five male and female members and readers, and about the same number of children. With the commencement of regular preaching in the Temple by the Rev. Maskell M. Carl, Schlatter reported that large numbers sometimes had to be turned away. He observed that perhaps he should have made the church larger - it seated three hundred - but he felt that it was better for people to be turned away than for a few to rattle around in too big an edifice. Thanks to Schlatter's books and boxes, his travels and letters, as well as the activities of John Chapman (Appleseed) and such missionaries as Judge Young and David Powell, many readers were scattered through Ohio, and in the early twenties a society took shape in Cincinnati. Baltimore had its church, and there was a small one in Abington, Virginia, where the New Church had been known for some years. Then there was Boston, whence young Thomas Worcester appeared in 1821 to plague with heresy the American New Church in general, and William Schlatter in particular.
      Worcester had run across the Writings at Harvard when, in company with his brother Samuel and some other young men, he had uncovered a set of the Arcana in an old lumber-room at the College and commenced reading. By 1821 Boston had been somewhat organized as a society under the licentiate leadership of Thomas Worcester, who appeared at the Convention held that year in Philadelphia requesting ordination.

     The "Conjugial Heresy"

     The so-called "Conjugial Heresy," which was a "burning question" in the New Church for twenty years, * . . . consisted in the theory that "there is a peculiar conjugial relationship between the pastor and his society, corresponding to the relationship of the Lord and the church in general, or as between the truth of good and the good of truth. The minister . . . receives truth only in the degree of his own progress in regeneration and must preach only such truth as he himself has lived. . . .From this argument `close communion' followed as an inevitable corallary, together with a certain indissoluble relation between a pastor and each member of his flock." **

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     * Annals, 278f.
     ** Ibid.
     In a paper published about 25 years later, * Worcester pointed out the origin of his theory in passages from the Writings (AC 1432, 718, 747; CL 84, 85; AC 54) which stress the universality of the marriage relationship. He admits that he pressed the comparisons of pastor and society to husband and wife too far - "to an extent . . . not only . . . useless but very injurious in this world." **
     * "A view of the Pastoral Relation." New Jerusalem Magazine, Boston, Jan.1846, XIX, 172-183.
     ** Ibid. 178.
     Although Worcester in 1846 writes with a candid objectivity, the records indicate that neither Worcester nor his foes were especially calm or conciliatory in the twenties. It was accepted that the "Boston Idea" branded as adultery the act of a minister in preaching to any congregation but his own. It is clear from the Schlatter letters that the older heads of the American church, and even revered English patriarchs such as Robert Hindmarsh and John Clowes, regarded the Worcester notion as a dangerous heresy. It seemed particularly pernicious to William Schlatter, and much of his correspondence in the later years is taken up with it.
     Schlatter felt that the Thomas Worcester ideas were diametrically opposed to any sensible concept of spreading the New Church, and especially Schlatter's own. Worcester would have little to do with those outside the church. The Boston Society would keep to itself; no outside minister would preach to them, and they would not allow their minister to preach anywhere but in Boston, and to them. Moreover, when Boston sent delegates to the Convention, they appeared to Schlatter and his associates as conceited, cold, arrogant, and interested in only one thing - that Tom Worcester should be ordained. This Schlatter and the other church leaders were determined to prevent - as long as the Bostonians maintained the conjugial heresy.
     In a letter of March 3, l822, * Schlatter reports: "Clowes and Hindmarsh [have] written [about] this deplorable heresy . . . in the Boston society. The latter has written most powerfully and condemns it fully, and if any argument can convince those young men of their error, his letter will, but I fear they will treat it with the same contempt as they do many others."
     * To Wm. B. Van Northwick.
     The same Schlatter letter continues: "We must do something at the next convention. It will not do to allow such conduct to pass under the name and sanction of the New Church. They will injure the cause greatly, and I regret it very much."

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     A few weeks later, Schlatter wrote Judge John Young (March 25, 1822): "We have had some late communication from Mr. & Mrs. Prescott by which it appears that those young men, Samuel and Thomas Worcester, and others are assuming very high and extraordinary ground in addition to the vile heresy they have adopted.

     Schlatter Attacks the Heresy

     "They have expelled Mrs. Prescott from their society because she opposed their new theory and wished to put them right. They state their reasons that Mr. Prescott had circulated a slanderous report against their female leader, Mrs. Minott, for we are informed she was the prime mover in the new theory, particularly in perceptions. It is indeed grievous to have to write on such a disagreeable subject, but our cause is becoming greatly injured by their conduct. It has made a great talk in Boston and I fear will soon reach our city. . . . They demanded of Mrs. Prescott that she humble herself before their society and make such acknowledgement as they dictated, but she declined humbling herself before his holiness, Mr. Worcester, and the rest. Dr. Mann has lately come out and informed them that he had searched the Writings for himself and finds nothing in them to justify their notions. We have had a long letter from Mr. Hindmarsh in which he condemns the heresy and gives most striking scripture authorities to prove their error, as well as quotations from Emanuel Swedenborg, but I fear all will not do. These young men appear resolved to persist in their error, to say the least of it. Mr. Lammot has taken great pains to examine the subject and has written them frequently. . . . They even go so far as to state . . . that they read Swedenborg for information and not for authority, and assert there are many contradictions in his writings. Now this is a sufficient proof that they do not fully believe in his divine revelation or commission. For my part, I believe he was as much inspired to write what he did as were Moses or the Apostles. Whoever informed us of the Lord's divine humanity, the internal sense of the Word and Conjugial Love, and heaven and hell but Swedenborg? Could any man but one who was divinely commissioned . . . write as he has done without contradicting himself? (for I deny that there are any contradictions in his writings notwithstanding Mr. Worcester says there are many. He was asked to point them out, but he has not done it). . . . Mrs. Prescott has been grossly insulted by them. They have asserted that she is living in adultery "because her husband is not a member of the New Church." Is not this too bad? . . . They are endeavoring to spread their poison in the New York society."

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     The common sign of heresy - bold assertions supported by subjective perceptions - appeared in debate between Thomas Worcester and two followers and those representing the more traditional interpretation of the Writings. Worcester, a Mr. Williams, and a Miss Carey (probably Miss Margaret Cary, an early receiver in Boston) came to the Lammots in Philadelphia three days before the Convention of 1822. * "The very first day after dinner," Schlatter wrote Weeks, "they began the Boston subject and wanted to explain their views and very soon convinced us that they could not support them by any authority. It was all by assertion and their perceptions, which we were not disposed to admit, and they soon gave us to understand that it was owing to our low state. When hard run in argument Mr. W. wanted to resort to what we understood is one of their plans in Boston, which is to turn what is said into ridicule and laughter. This Mr. Lammot resented and gave them to understand that he was not accustomed to such rude treatment and begged them not to repeat it. It had the effect at the time, but next day they broke out in their rude way on the Reverend and venerable Mr. Hargrove by saying he knew nothing about the doctrines or words to that effect, and that the New Church doctrines had been received in error for 50 years. Mr. Hargrove told them in plain English that they wanted to set up a church of their own and Mr. W. was to be the little Pope. You may be sure they must have been rude to have excited the old gentleman to this but he loved them, which was the reason he spoke so plain."
     * Schlatter to Rev. Holland Weeks, June 15, 1822.

     Worcester "Waives Practice"

     However, when the Convention took place, Thomas Worcester was re-baptized, took communion with the rest, and also preached for them. When asked about this, Worcester stated that their (conjugial) principle was correct, but they were waiving the practice for the sake of accommodation. Schlatter stated: "Neither they nor Mr. Doughty [New York preacher who supported Thomas Worcester] appeared as if they attended the convention to promote the general welfare of the New Church, but only to clear up Mr. Worcester's character and get him ordained." There was no support for the ordination other than from Mr. Doughty, so it was not given. * At the Convention of 1823, in Baltimore, Schlatter again opposed the ordination of Thomas Worcester, and Worcester, forewarned that the opposition was too powerful, did not request it.

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Schlatter wrote of his reactions soon after the 1823 Convention to the Rev. Holland Weeks: "I have just returned from the convention held at Baltimore and have been infested (so) awfully with the poison sphere of Thomas Worcester and his deluded followers that I am scarcely clear of it yet and can think of nothing but their false notions and how to put them down or cause a complete separation from them, for if they are New Church men, I am sure I am not . . . they opposed every thing we desired to recommend for the general spread of the New Church." **
     * Ibid.
     ** Schlatter to Weeks, June 11, 1823.
     Toward the end of this collection, William Schlatter fired one more round upon the Boston position, and while doing so he took occasion to pronounce a ringing avowal of the authority of the Writings. Addressing the Rev. Samuel Woodworth of New York, Schlatter wrote, "From Mr. Lammot I learn that Mr. Samuel Worcester has written a book enough to open the eyes of all who desire to be informed of what the conjugiales do believe.
     I would rather have but forty good members who fully admitted Emanuel Swedenborg's mission and the truth of his doctrines as coming from our Lord Himself than 40,000 who are half and half and supposed anyone might arrive at the same ultimatum by regeneration and learning." *
     * Schlatter to Woodworth, May 25, 1824.

     A Sister's Apostasy

     By 1825, the ebullient Schlatter became somewhat discouraged by several circumstances which he interpreted to be unfavorable to the New Church, including a scheme to establish a New Church colony in some wilderness retreat after the plan of Robert Owen. The keenest personal wound was dealt Schlatter by his sister's apostasy. His sister, Mrs. C. M. Thayer, had been a Methodist before she became a New Church woman. She had been associated with the New York Society, and during the onslaught of the Boston or conjugial heresy she had been treated scornfully by several members of that society. Schlatter learned in January 1825 that Mrs. Thayer is reported in Methodist circles to have renounced the New Church and humbly sought re-admittance to the Methodist fold. On January 16, 1825, at Philadelphia, he writes her in part as follows: "Can it be possible that Mrs. Thayer has come out openly to say she is sorry for having departed from the Methodist Church and made acknowledgements for her error" and that "on points of doctrine she pledges herself to be silent?" I am all astonishment and will hope it is all imposition. Promise to be silent in defence of the Heavenly doctrines of the Lord's only New Church? A sister who had the great blessing of knowing her Lord and master as one Lord and his blessed Word revealed and opened by the master key, the science of correspondence? . . . Can she go back to an old church without a foundation, whose doctrines are [such] a mass of contradiction that its own members . . . cannot defend it on rational principles?

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Had you simply gone to Methodist church as a stranger to hear their preaching as often as you pleased and communed [took communion] with them, I should not have made any objection, knowing that there is [sic] no New Church societies where you are now situated. But to admit you were in error, express sorrow for having left the Methodist and promise to be silent on doctrine is more than I ever expected from Mrs. Thayer. John Burtt . . . recanted and flew the course, but he had never read an hundredth part as much of E.S.'s writings as you have; he never had come out as fully as you did writing and hearing testimony that they were true - and we know that you did not calculate on worldly gain or honor when you joined the New Church; though I consider being a member of that small and despised church far greater than the dignities attached to the office of President or King. You know that to perceive spiritual truths is of more value than gold, yes fine gold. To give up the pearls and rubies and all the precious stones and gold of the New Jerusalem for the drops [dregs?] of the old church is too much, or even the deprived pleasure of spreading these truths and promoting the Lord's church on earth, is paying too dear, no matter what is offered in return - I mean to one who has ever enjoyed that high privilege that you have, and with good effect to my knowledge. Do hasten to reply and ease my mind. I can hardly suppose the writer of the extracts would have taken such a liberty with your name without some foundation. The Methodists, I am told, are exulting at the triumph (as they call it in New York) of truth over error.
     I remain,
          WM. SCHLATTER.

     In the last letter of the collection, written less than two years before Schlatter's death at age 44, he is still battling for what he conceives to be the best interests of the church, although something of a proprietary interest seems to peep through his rugged individualism at times. The Rev. Manning B. Roche, the bright and shining convert from the Episcopal Church, had begun to organize a New Church colony along the lines of the Brook Farm or the Yellow Springs or New Harmony colonies begun under the influence of Robert Owen. The final letter is addressed to the Rev. John Hargrove of Baltimore, and the date is February 1,1825.

     "I Will Hustle With the World"

     "You ask me about the community, or commonwealth as it is called. The members of the New Church who frequent the Temple knew nothing about such a wild plan until it was talked of for some weeks, and many persons from the southward [Southwark] society and Frankford society had consented to embark in it. . . .

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I see nothing but danger and difficulty in such an undertaking with such materials. It should be fully remembered that New Church men are not fully regenerated. Neither are they mules. Mr. Owings [Owens], whose plan they go on, had manufacturers and every chance with them. . . . But we Americans are not prepared to herd together like the poor manufacturers [factory workers] in England and Scotland. I for one will take my chance to hustle with the world to get a living, and think I can perform more uses in that situation than by secluding myself. The plan is just as preposterous as the Boston notion for the New Churchmen to fall into. We must mix with the world. How else can the Lord regenerate us? We must come into states of trial and temptation. These people say they retire for simple food and raiment and rest. I say there is no resting here; this is not our resting place. It is our place of probation, and we cannot flee from it. Am I right in this or not?
     "I remain yours,
          WILLIAM SCHLATTER."

     As to the campaign to prevent Worcester's ordination, a final word: William Schlatter in effect had said to Thomas Worcester: "You will be ordained by Convention as long as you hold to your Boston notion only over my dead body!" Schlatter died January 10, 1827. At the annual Convention June 9, 1827, it was unanimously resolved: "That this Convention do recommend that Mr. Thomas Worcester be ordained a priest and teaching minister in the Lord's New Church of the New Jerusalem." *
*Journal of Ninth Convention, June 9, 1827, p. 4.
LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 1965

LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE              1965

     "3. To think and speak truth, and to will and do good, from freedom according to reason, are not from man himself, but from God; and to think and speak falsity, and to will and do evil, from freedom, are not from man himself, but from hell, yet in such a way that falsity and evil are from thence; but freedom itself, regarded in itself, and the very faculty of thinking, willing, speaking and doing, regarded in themselves, are from God" (Apocalypse Explained 1136).

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UPLIFTING SPHERE OF SPIRITUAL TEMPTATION 1965

UPLIFTING SPHERE OF SPIRITUAL TEMPTATION       Rev. DANDRIDGE PENDLETON       1965

     The subject of spiritual temptation is depicted in many places throughout the Old Testament, but nowhere more beautifully than in the one hundred and twenty-sixth Psalm, especially in its closing verse:

     "He that goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

     In Arcana Coelestia 4274 we read: "When that is assaulted which [a man] believes to be true, the life of his understanding is assaulted, and when that which he has impressed upon himself as being good is assaulted, the life of his will is assaulted; so that when a man is undergoing temptation, his life is at stake."
     His life is at stake! We do not often think of it in this way, even when we are caught up in the midst of spiritual stress. The reason that we do not so think of it is twofold: first, because we do not normally regard our thoughts and affections as constituting our very life; and second, because never, even in our deepest spiritual crises, are we aware of the depth or magnitude of the issues that are involved. We may know of these issues as a matter of doctrine; but we do not sense them as to their actual impact at the time. * Our unawareness in such states is not designed to make our lot more difficult than it need be; rather does it serve for our protection; for so powerful are the spiritual forces and counter-forces which work for and against us in times of spiritual temptation, that if we were to observe them in their naked activity upon and within ourselves we would be stunned, literally beyond any response whatsoever. Our freedom would cease to operate; indeed, it would cease to exist.
     * See AC 751, 5036, 10685.
     When the Writings speak of man's life being "at stake" when he is undergoing temptation, it is not his physical life but the life of his spirit, that is referred to - the life of his "eternal salvation." * And the unrealized depths of conflict brought about by the collision of spiritual forces within the man cause him to enter into deep and often prolonged periods of spiritual and mental confusion, which in turn are productive of doubt and, in extreme cases, despair, relative to his faith in the existence of God, in the reality of heaven, and in the possibility of his own salvation. **

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"All spiritual temptation," we are told, "is [thus] attended with some species, or kind, of doubt and despair as to the Lord's presence, His mercy, and His power to save." *** We read of vastations and desolations, of "pain" and "indignation," and of "other interior painful emotions" in accord with the state of evil that is active in the man at the time. **** We are told further that spiritual temptations are the most grievous when they are conjoined with sufferings inflicted on the body, and still more so if these last long and become worse, and the Divine mercy is implored and still there is no deliverance. ***** This last teaching may be of special interest, accustomed as we are to assuming generally that little, if anything, of permanent spiritual value is obtained when in a state of extreme bodily illness or stress; when yet we read in the Arcana ****** that spiritual temptations sometimes come forth in connection with natural temptations; and that with a good, that is, a regenerating, man, states of disease, misfortune, or imminent death are states of temptation, in which he conquers. *******
     * AC 5036.
     ** See AC 1787, 1820, 1917, 2334, 5044, 6144, 8165, 8567; HD 196.
     *** AC 2334.
     **** AC 1917.
     ***** HD 196.
     ******* No. 8164.
     ******** No. 8392.

     All of this serves as background to the primary message of the Psalm, which is intended to reveal the uplifting effect - the heavenward "thrust" - of spiritual temptation. Yet what has been emphasized so far might appear to lead to an opposite conclusion. Doubt, despair, vastation, desolation, pain and indignation, and "other interior painful emotions": these are terms descriptive of the temptation process which are repeated many times over, and in many different volumes of the Writings. Why do the Writings place such predominant stress on the "negative" aspects of the subject? The answer to this is quite simple: they do not. While certain numbers and series of numbers do emphasize the dark side of temptation, there is an equal wealth of passages - if not a greater one - which describes the light of a new spiritual day which results from temptation and is its sole end and purpose: passages which promise hope, consolation, strength, enlightenment, and a renewal and deepening of interior freedom. If we would come to a true perspective in this matter, we must not only be cognizant of those teachings which refer to the doubt and desolation and despair of temptation; we must also press through and by means of and beyond those teachings to their proper end, which is to see the glory of spiritual temptation, its power and magnificence relating to the human condition, its Divinely guided and guarded force as the only means of uplifting and transforming man back into the original order and harmony of life.

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Spiritual temptation in itself is not a process of evil; it is a process of good. It is not an activity of the hells; it is an activity of the Lord through the heavens, against which the hells react. * It is, in brief, the surest evidence of the Lord's presence and operation with man, in and through conscience, building and sustaining that conscience and thereby making possible his salvation.
     * AC 4299.
     This is the form under which the Writings have been constructed, when seen in their wholeness; and it is also the manner in which all previous revelation has been given, when interiorly examined. Thus, when we return back through the millennia to the Old Testament, we find emphasis laid, not upon tears and grief - although these are evident as a necessary permission - but upon the joy, the festivity, of the harvest: "He that goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." " * The term, precious, means to us something very dear and therefore treasured, something to be tenderly cradled and protected both in our past memories and our present aspirations. Yet this term, as it is used in the King James version of the Bible, is not translation, but paraphrase. The Hebrew reads, not "precious seed," but "the trail of seed," or (according to the closest Latin equivalent) "the cast of seed." A literal rendering of the verse thus reads: "He that goeth forth weeping, bearing the trail [or cast] of seed, shall come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." This difference has considerable bearing upon the literal scene presented by the verse and also upon its internal sense.
     * Psalm 126: 6.

     There is another item that should be considered, having to do with the verse itself. To us, weeping has to do with human emotions in a direct and personal way; if a man weeps, it is due to a specific experience which he is undergoing, either personally or vicariously. In ancient times, however, much of life was lived and expressed ritualistically, in prescribed gestures and sounds not having as their object the expression of specific personal emotions but rather a general expression of faith, or belief. Anthropologists have discovered, in virtually every primitive and ancient culture, evidence of a large and integral part played in the lives of those people by ritualistic wailing, or "keening." This ritual-keening, which is a combination of singing and weeping, was - and with primitive peoples of today continues to be - a common means of calling upon the Divine in a variety of human moods and circumstances and under a variety of external conditions.

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     If we were to interpret the verse in terms of our modern outlook, we would derive a picture that is misleading; for we would envision a man walking with his head bowed in grief, his eyes dimmed with tears, holding something near and dear to his heart - something fragile and vulnerable - which he is anxious to protect from harm. If, however, we form our thought according to the ancient ritual, coupled with original terminology, the man whom we are envisioning undergoes a wonderful transformation: his body straightens, his face lifts upward, his eyes clear, his steps quicken, his sinews flow in the graceful, swaying rhythm of the sower as he strides along the furrows of new-ploughed earth; and his voice rises heavenward in the ancient ritual-keen, or song, of his race from time immemorial - a petition to his God to bless the work of his hands. Here is a different picture indeed, yet one which is fitting both to the literal context and to the subject of the internal sense; for it is a picture which exhibits the attitude that should be ours in meeting life's temptations: an attitude not of despair and indecision, but one of hope, of determination, of response to challenge - yes, and of confidence, not in our own powers but in the omnipotence of the Lord to achieve His ends.

     Such a man, whether viewed naturally, according to the literal sense, or spiritually, as relates to the subject of temptation, is aware that disappointments are inevitable: yet he does not dwell on them and in so doing destroy his sense of balance; he is knowledgeable, instructed, skilled in his trade and graceful in its performance. He possesses a marvellous blend of talents and emotions in bending to his task - a combining of many forces in his response to his Creator. He has worked diligently toward this blending of qualifications, both in body and in mind; for the harvest, and therefore the very sustaining of his own life, depend upon it. And here we have come "full circle"; for the verse merges into that teaching of the Writings quoted at the beginning: that "when a man is undergoing temptation, his life is at stake." * And even this statement of interior truth alters its form in our mind's eye, as a result of our examination of the literal sense; for there are two ways of envisioning human life being at stake: one posture is defensive in nature, the other is offensive, or aggressive: one conjures up the scene of a man in the last stages of exhaustion, beset by foes before whom his downfall is imminent; while the other presents a picture of that same man, strong, practised, skilled, forward moving, secure in his beliefs and in the rightness of his cause. Here, under this latter posture, is no dominant sphere of gloom or despair, no yielding before the forces of opposition, no passive waiting for God to act. Here rather is a search, a quest, a seeking after fertile ground: virgin ground, as yet unsown.

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Here is the wilderness - not desert land, as we commonly think of it, but deeply fertile, awaiting only the eyes to discern its readiness and the heart and the hands to bring it to fruition. This is the wilderness of Old Testament note - the wilderness of spiritual temptation - a state of life not to be feared as a place of horrors but regarded as a land ready for use, available to the support of our spiritual life and the up-building of our spiritual communion with the Lord.
     * AC 4274.

     Spiritual temptation, as a process, is not a thing to be feared: it should not strike us with terror; rather should we welcome it - though not arrogantly, nor artificially seek after it - as the only means, since the fall, whereby a true distinction between spiritual and natural things can be seen; * the loves of self, contempt, self-glory, hatred and revenge be softened; ** a perception of and longing for the life of heaven be imparted; *** conscience be given and strengthened; **** and conjunction with the Lord be established and confirmed. ***** In a word, spiritual temptation should be thought of as the means of opening the way to the greatest possible fulfillment of human life, revealing otherwise unseen possibilities of self-awareness, self-restraint, through the truth of the Word. It is the only human experience through which genuine humility and true peace can be given. Its process is essentially an uplifting of our souls from the concerns of mere sensualism. This uplifting of man from his sensual life was represented by the brazen serpent in the wilderness, which, when held up by Moses and looked upon by all who had been poisoned by the visitation of fiery serpents, healed their death wounds. It was this uplifting, from Himself as the source, to which the Lord referred when He said to His disciples: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." ****** "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." *******
     * AC 8, 730.
     ** AC 3318.
     *** AC 6144.
     **** AC 1692.
     ***** AC 1737.
     ****** John 3: 14.
     ******* John 12: 32.

     Through temptation, and only through temptation - which constitutes the birth struggle of spiritual life - man receives the use of his spiritual senses; for he is thereby enabled interiorly to see truth, to hear its voice, to perceive its quality, to savor its delights, and to taste its re-creative blessings in his own life. He is as the man who was born blind, and was healed by the Lord; and when his report was discredited by the Pharisees, he replied: "One thing I know: that whereas I was blind, now I see." *
     * John 9: 25.

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PROPHECY OF JONAH 1965

PROPHECY OF JONAH       Rev. MORLEY D. RICH       1965

     The little book of Jonah, consisting only of four short chapters, is a perfect picture and summary of an historic pattern - the way in which a church comes to an end and a new church is begun in its place. It is, therefore, a description both of the state of the Jewish Church towards its end and of a new church to succeed it; and it is also a prophecy of the final New Church to come three thousand years later and a description of how each man comes, or may come, out of old states into new ones.
     It begins by telling us how the Lord commanded Jonah, the son of an Israelitish prophet, to go to the city of Nineveh, to teach the people there, and to warn them concerning the "wrath to come" if they should not turn from their wickedness. But Jonah was fearful, and he was also unwilling to teach the powerful secrets of Judaism to the gentiles. His fear and reluctance were both typical of the Jewish Church and nation in relation to the other peoples of the earth.
     Now Jonah knew, of course, what usually happened to prophets who proclaimed unpleasant truths to people. In those days a prophet was one who, having been given insight into the state of his people, as compared with the highest ideals of their religion or belief, was bound by honor, duty and inspiration to declare his vision plainly. If he carried out his use, therefore, he was bound to be unpopular, disliked if not hated, and as often as not was stoned to death by the people.
     Invariably this was especially the case with a church at its end; and such was it, therefore, with the Jewish Church at the time of Jonah. Consequently he was fully aware of what might happen to him if he should take to Nineveh only the negative denunciation of and warning against the wickedness of its people. In addition, we are told that the use which the Israelites were supposed to perform was that of going out and teaching the gentiles the two principal things of their religion: that the God of the universe was to be called Jehovah, and that sacrifices were to be made to Him. These two things, it may be noticed, are, directly and representatively, the essentials of salvation with all people, for they are closely related to the acknowledgment of God and to the sacrificial giving up of evils as sins against Him.
     But the Jews, and Jonah also, therefore, were unwilling to do this, and, indeed, refused to do it.

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They believed literally that they were the only chosen people; that they alone would be saved; and that after a period of consolidation in Canaan they would be given power over all the nations of the earth. They therefore sensed that there was power in the name Jehovah and in the offering of sacrifice - power and salvation. Therefore they had no desire to give the elements of power and salvation to the gentiles; and Jonah likewise was entirely unwilling to disclose these secrets of Jewish power to such unworthy and wicked people as he had heard the inhabitants of Nineveh were.
     So Jonah "fled from the face of the Lord." He went to Joppa, a Mediterranean port to the north of Israel, and there took passage in a ship bound for Tarshish, an ancient city on the southern tip of what is now Spain. It is significant that he fled westward, for this represents the way of a man when he turns from the Lord - the sun of heaven which is constant in the east. It represents also the way in which a declining church turns from the Lord and refuses to teach the Word to men; and, subjectively, it pictures the way in which any person may refuse to change his life in accordance with new truths with which he has met.
     But as the ship sailed across the long width of the Mediterranean, "the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken." The mariners were terrified, and threw overboard everything they could to lighten the ship. But Jonah, down in the hold, remained fast asleep.

     The history of the human race from the most ancient times down to the end of the representative Jewish Church shows a long and continuous decline in knowledge about spiritual things. The storm which the Lord sent upon the vessel bearing Jonah represents the final stages of that loss. For by this time, the Jewish Church, not having even the bare rudiments of the knowledge of correspondences, now began to lose even the knowledges of external religion and worship which it had been given in commandments from the Lord. Refusing to teach abroad the name of Jehovah and the practice of sacrifice, the Jews came to a time when they did not even dare to pronounce the name and had forgotten much of the prescribed ritual of sacrifice. Still, the Writings tell us, they did not care, but "lived unconcernedly." *
     * PP. Jonah 1: 4-6.
     This is what is involved in Jonah's remaining fast asleep in the midst of the tempest - that tempest which is significant of the judgment that comes upon such a church. This also is typical of man when he is unconcerned about his spiritual life; when he is content to live on the surface of life; when he is asleep as to his spirit, and is uncaring and unconcerned with finding new understanding of his Lord and more interior ways in which he may turn from the evils of his old proprium.

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For, in time, even the spiritual knowledges which he had let begin to slip away from him through neglect and disuse. "From him that hath not shall be taken even that which he hath."
     But the shipmaster woke Jonah up, saying to him: "Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not"; and, sensing that the evil of someone on board might be responsible for the storm, the crew cast lots to find out who it might be. The lot fell to Jonah. These, it might be mentioned, were gentiles, with much of superstition ingrained in them. But it should also be noted that this superstition had its basis in ancient truths; for in it were remains of a basic though gentile and primitive belief and trust in Divine Providence. They believed that God must have sent the storm to destroy someone who had committed evil; and they likewise believed that the same God would direct the casting of lots so that the offender would be discovered. Inwardly, however, this means, we are told, that the gentiles perceived that the state of the church was perverted among them, because of the loss of knowledge by the Jews, and that the latter were unwilling to impart knowledges to others outside of themselves. *
     * PP. Jonah 1: 7-9

     Exactly what, and how much, this statement involves is difficult to determine; but we can see that at the very least it must include those gentile nations in the vicinity of Canaan who knew the Jews and were acquainted with something of their history and religion. Individually it may be said to refer to man's state when, although he has good and right affections from gentile remains implanted within him by the Lord, and although he longs to know the truth, he yet sees that he is quite ignorant; that he either does not understand or misunderstands the truths which he has from his childhood; and, further, that his childhood spirit of belief and love cannot and will not lead him into a genuine understanding and knowledge of truth: that it cannot, in other words, save him from the storms of temptation.
     So these gentile sailors asked Jonah who he was, what he had done, and who had sent the storm; and Jonah at last told them about Jehovah. They, from their common perception, recognized the truth and were terrified by it. They asked Jonah what they should do, and he told them to throw him into the sea. Like all gentiles, however, they had natural charity and a basic gentleness. They were innocent, wishing no harm to anyone; and, in addition, they felt that this was a holy man of God, a prophet with a high use among men. So they were reluctant to face the inevitable, and they even began rowing the ship in an effort to reach the shore.

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"But they could not." "Wherefore they cried unto the Lord and said, We beseech Thee, O Lord, we beseech Thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for Thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased Thee."
     Then they threw Jonah into the sea, and immediately the sea became calm. What is pictured here is, in brief, the rejection of the Jewish Church and all its falsities by the gentiles, and their salvation by virtue thereof. This was what took place with the coming of the Lord and His victories over the hells.

     What is represented here individually, however, in the whole story, is the contrast, the differences, in man between his Jewish state and spirit and his gentile state and spirit. There is a Jew and a gentile within each person, and each has its use and function in connection with his regeneration. Each, likewise, has its own sets of virtues, limitations and evils. Without the Jew, no church or religion can have its beginning with man; without the gentile, the nascent church within him will not have the leavening qualities of humility, affection, mercy and gentleness, and so will not long survive. Yet, in the final result, both Jew and gentile must be sublimated, be subordinated to the rational charity and loving faith of the spirit of the New Jerusalem.
     In order to see something of what is involved in this, let us consider the various characteristics and functions of the Jewish spirit and of the gentile spirit. We must recall, in order to begin, that while it lived, the Jewish Church was indeed the representative of the Lord's church on earth. It was not really a church, we are told, but a representative of a church - an instrument which the Lord fashioned in order to tide the human race over, as it were, until the time of His coming. Its people were extremely literal-minded, materialistic, of a sensuous nature, and exclusive as far as surrounding peoples were concerned. Yet even these characteristics could be used by the Lord in the functions that were necessary. Their very nature fitted them for a strict observance of the precise laws of worship and behavior which Jehovah enjoined on them: which were the only measure or degree of truth and good possible to the human race at that time, and which, by their correspondence with spiritual law and life, would maintain a sufficient connection between heaven and earth to preserve the human race for a time.
     This is comparable to the state of man just before he enters into the beginning of regeneration and true rationality. There is a strict adherence to literal truth and precept; and, indeed, this must continue throughout life if a man is to advance into interior things. But accompanying this there is the error of supposing that the externals of word and deed are religion and charity and faith themselves.

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There is even a certain unwillingness to see and accept interior truths which would broaden the horizon as to what the real essence of good and evil are - much beyond the mere words and deeds of the body. The love of self leads to external judgment of others which, though often accurate, is nonetheless overly harsh and condemnatory, and which is without the humility that comes through the struggles and failures of life as well as its victories and successes. There is even a subconscious feeling of being the "chosen people," of having been selected as superior beings to form the church just by virtue of having been offered the real truths of the Word; and accompanying this is a strange reluctance, which the man himself can scarcely comprehend, to extend that precious truth to others.

     Now the good use and functions of this spirit need to be preserved, and even to be developed. Even a literal-minded belief in and adherence to the truth exercises a protective function with the individual, saving him from external disorders of life which could and might destroy and dissipate any basis for his later comprehension and life according to the things of regeneration. Without this basis, man can have no real feeling of what is right and wrong in externals; and he cannot make those judgments which, even though they are external, aid in strengthening his will as to his own life in externals.
     So it can be seen that this Jewish state serves an interim period in man's life, preserving in him enough of the externals of religion and faith that he may be sufficiently in external order as to receive, accept and live by the later, spiritual-rational truths that may come to him. If this were all that a man had, however, it would not be sufficient for his salvation and eternal life. So the Jewish spirit is accompanied by one of gentilism. This spirit has been engendered in man by the Lord through childhood. It consists in an incipient love to the Lord which is humbly willing to learn of His truth, which brings to man feelings of mercy and external charity, and which partakes of an affirmative though uninstructed spirit towards the workings of Providence. Because it is uninstructed and unguided at first, it often leads man into errors of judgment and decision, even into external evils which he does not recognize to be evil. Yet without that spirit man, before regeneration, would be nothing but a narrow, cruel, self-righteous Pharisee, absolutely unwilling to listen to spiritual truth and coldly convinced of his own absolute righteousness in all external things.
     Yet - as with the gentiles, and as with Jonah - both of these spirits must be corrected and saved; and for this to take place, both must come to the verge of disaster and death.

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The gentle but ignorant gentile must be made firm and rational by instruction in the truth; and the literalistic but material Jew must be humbled and tempered by the gentler and more perceptive spirit of charity, and must have his eyes opened to the unlimited expanses of spiritual-rational truth and good.
     So the perilous storms of temptation occur. A man comes into a state of fear lest he lose all his gentile love and feelings of charity and mercy; all his former willingness to seek the truth wherever it may be found seems to be in danger of perishing, together with his first, fragile trust in Providence. He sees how faulty and exclusive and narrow have been his first Jewish faith and literal obedience, and even his Jewish comprehension of external truth seems now to be faulty, erroneous and even untrue.
     Yet his gentile spirit is attached to these first, literal truths. It is reluctant to throw them overboard, apparently to perish. But it must appear to be so. Indeed the Jewish spirit is of such an obdurate and rigid nature that it must not only be threatened with death by drowning but must even enter the very jaws of death, and be subjected to trituration and softened by the digestive juices as it were in the belly of a great fish, this before it can be raised again into life.
     Thus was Jonah raised from the dead, reborn as it were; and so likewise only the best of a man's Jewish spirit is regenerated or reborn: his desire to live externally according to order, according to the Lord's commandments, but now refined and purified of its unwillingness and reluctance where spiritual things are concerned, of its harshness in judgment and of its self righteousness. By such temptations and judgments the spirit of gentilism and of Judaism in man are saved as to their better parts and virtues. Instructed through adversity and peril, man's better feelings and affections come, as did the crew of the ship, to "fear the Lord exceedingly," to give up errors and falsities, and to resolve to follow Him in all things; and his Jewish love of literal truth declares: "I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord." *
     * Jonah 2: 9.
STILL CAUSE FOR WONDER? 1965

STILL CAUSE FOR WONDER?              1965

     "The angels wondered that there is so great a multitude in the Christian world who are entirely ignorant of the truth that religion is a matter of life, imagining that religion consists in thinking something or other, and that by so thinking they absolve themselves from every obligation of life" (LJ post. 151).

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PARABLE OF SPRING 1965

PARABLE OF SPRING       Editor       1965


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 burgeoning of spring, with its promise and hope of renewal, is a parable retold every year. Yet for many it is no more than the unfolding of a pagan mystery, and by others the parable is misunderstood. For in the blossoming of spring there are some who see only nature renewing herself, or else the unleashing of a power implanted in nature at first creation. Yet the reality is that nature is dead and can neither originate animal and plant life or produce them by any inherent power.
     Nature is the ultimate of Divine order. It was created only to clothe the spiritual and present it correspondentially in ultimates. Therefore it does not exist from itself, but by influx from the Lord through the spiritual world. All things in nature perpetually come forth from things prior to themselves, and without influx nothing would ever come forth in nature or subsist. Thus the things which exist in nature are simply effects and nature itself is only instrumental in their production. Life and nature produce effects in ultimates when life within activates nature; and as life is love, nature is founded on love - on the Divine love which is life itself.
     Thus the parable of spring tells of the Lord's perpetually creative love; but to read it aright we must regard nature from uses in their series and order, as the Writings make it possible for us to do. Yet in a deeper sense spring speaks to us of the renewal of spiritual life and of perpetual beginnings thereof; of the establishment of the church; of regeneration; and of man's entrance into heaven where, despite alternations of state, ever new beginnings make a perpetual spring.

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IF THE FOUNDATIONS PERISH 1965

IF THE FOUNDATIONS PERISH       Editor       1965

     We have long been accustomed to believe that the New Church is to be an internal church. This does not mean, of course, that there are to be no externals, but that in it there will not be any external separated from what is internal. Yet we may easily drift toward a wrong conclusion. Much emphasis is placed upon internals in the Writings, and externals alone are deprecated; we react against the values of those who equate religion with following certain practices and abstaining from others, and feel that preoccupation with mere externals smacks of Pharisaism; and we have learned that many who did the same external things on earth are judged differently after death. Because of this, we may all too easily tolerate external disorders in ourselves and in others more than we should; telling ourselves that it is the internal that counts and assuming comfortably that the internal is, of course, in order!
     This, however, would be bad theology and poor religion. The fact is that externals do matter, and nothing could be further from the truth than to say that they are relatively unimportant. Whether we realize it or not, externals make one with internals - so much so that no disposition can be made by the Lord in internals except in accordance with the disposition that is made in externals through man. The teaching is that the internal cannot be purified from the lusts of evil as long as the evils in the external man are not put away; wherefore man should, as if of himself, put away those evils as sins, since in this way, and in no other, is the Lord able to remove evils in the internal man and at the same time in the external. Although the external man is thus regenerated through the internal, regeneration begins in the external man; and it is the external that is man's concern, indeed his only concern.
     Order is essential for influx, and the ultimate of order is in externals. Therefore we cannot afford, either philosophically or tacitly by practice, to raise an artificial barrier between internals and externals. Rather is it incumbent on us to consider seriously what are the proper ultimates of order in the church and in society, in the home and in social life, in school and in business; these are the foundations.
IN PRAISE OF THEOLOGY 1965

IN PRAISE OF THEOLOGY              1965

     Whenever teaching is given about the Divine essence, the trinity in God, the Divine attributes, or the Divine Human, there are laymen who are apt to say: "All of this is very beautiful and very interesting; but what we really need is something that we can apply." The obvious implication needs to be refuted, for it is entirely without validity; and it probably stems from failure to appreciate that there is more than one kind of application, and that all are equally necessary.

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     It is known that man is created to be received into heaven. Yet it is obvious that before he can enter into heaven, heaven must be opened to him, and we are taught that the first and primary thing that opens heaven to man is thought concerning the one true God. This is said to be thought concerning the Lord that He is the Creator, Redeemer and Enlightener; that He is infinite and eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient; that He is Divine Man in whom is the Divine Trinity; and that He is the God of the universe.
     However, the Writings emphasize that this thought must be determinate, which means that it must consist in distinct ideas. The thought alone that God exists, and that the Lord is that God, indeed opens heaven to man, but only slightly; but in proportion as his thought become truer, more just and more complete, the opening of heaven and his entrance into it become more complete. An indeterminate idea of God is no idea at all. Indeed a man who merely knows that God is, but knows nothing of His nature, is said to be like one who is aware that the Word exists but is ignorant of its contents. The understanding of every subject is according to ideas; and it is knowledges, without which there cannot be any idea of thought, that make general and obscure ideas distinct and clear.
     Theological ideas do have application in life, then, if not to life as we usually think of it. Without them there can be no opening of heaven. It is true that deep and systematic study is for trained theologians. But others can benefit from their studies, and we are assured that every man has from the Lord the faculty of thinking about God and of understanding the things that pertain to God. This faculty will vary; but it should be developed, not neglected from a mistaken idea that theology is abstract and entirely without application.
SUBJECT-READING IN THE WRITINGS 1965

SUBJECT-READING IN THE WRITINGS       Editor       1965

     Most members of the church probably do their regular reading of the Writings by books, frequently a few pages at a time, and many try to follow the chronological order in which the books were written. While there can be great value in doing this faithfully, it is not necessary that the Writings be read only in this way. In the Arcana Coelestia doctrinal articles are inserted between the chapters expounding Genesis and Exodus. A little study of the table of contents at the beginning of each volume will show that many of these inserts are in series - perception, correspondences and representatives, the Gorand Man, intercourse of the soul and the body to mention only a few - and the group of articles on a particular topic may be read consecutively with interest and profit.

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The same may be done with the doctrinal treatments subjoined to nos. 932-1228 in the Apocalypse Explained.
     Subject-reading courses of various lengths may be set up and followed. Thus the student who reads in turn the section on love toward the neighbor or charity in the New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine, the chapter on charity in True Christian Religion, and the posthumous work, Doctrine of Charity, will be richly rewarded by gaining a comprehensive view of the doctrine on the subject. The doctrine given in the Writings concerning faith could be studied in the same way; and much could be gained by reading in turn the expositions of the Decalogue to be found in Arcana Coelestia, Apocalypse Explained and True Christian Religion. To these might be added the Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem.

     More ambitious programs can also be planned and carried out. Thus the student who wishes to study out the spiritual philosophical doctrines given in the Writings will find a rich store in reading thoughtfully Divine Love, Divine Wisdom, Divine Love and Wisdom, Divine Providence and Intercourse of the Soul and the Body. Other suggestions could be offered, and any member of the clergy would undoubtedly be glad to assist with advice. What is desirable is that we cultivate an imaginative approach, and vary or, better still, supplement our regular and consecutive reading with other useful and interesting forms that may build systematically our knowledge and understanding of certain doctrines and thus broaden the base on which we stand.
     It might be suggested also that there can be great value in reading a section, a chapter or a part of a book, even one of the smaller works in its entirety, at one sitting; reading fairly quickly for the general teaching or sweep of thought, with no attempt to take in and retain all the details. In this type of reading illustrations, confirmations and proof passages can be passed over swiftly, since we are reading for subject matter and not detail. There is definitely a place for the type of reading that is most frequently done - the careful, reverential, concentrated reading of a few pages at a time; alertness in recognizing truths and slowness in a leisurely pondering on them. But much can be gained by developing other methods as well. The Writings are infinite Divine truth which can never be exhausted, and they deserve a variety of approach on the part of the church. The water of truth can be drawn in more than one kind of vessel.

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Church News 1965

Church News       Various       1965

     MONTREAL, QUEBEC

It is some time since a report of the activities of the Montreal Circle has appeared in these columns. Rather settled in our ways, our doings lack the newsworthy interest of a growing young-family group.
     Our meetings continue to center around the attendance of a small group of families whose sons and daughters are now grown up and out in the world. We also enjoy the fellowship of a few isolated members of Convention and casual visitors with an affection for the Writings. We value particularly the regular attendance and interest of Mr. Eric Wethey of Convention and our good friends Mr. and Mrs. David Odhner and their son Carl, who regularly make the ninety-mile trip from their home in Burlington, Vermont.
     With our varied backgrounds and interests, we continue to plan for and look to the regular ministrations of our pastor, the Rev. Martin Pryke, who visits us five times a year, usually in September, November, January, March and May, arriving by plane from Toronto on Saturday afternoon. Then follows a busy schedule which provides for a church service, two adult and two young people's doctrinal classes in the homes of members. These meetings are usually followed by a sandwich lunch and other good things, provided by the ladies of our Circle.
In alternate months we gather together to listen to tape-recorded sermons and doctrinal subjects. These are provided through the valued library facilities of the General Church Sound Recording Committee.
     DESMOND H. McMASTER

     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA

     It was a real pleasure to welcome Mr. Graham Horner and his sister Margaret to Hurstville in September. They traveled from another state, Victoria, to stay for two weeks with Mr. and Mrs. Norman Heldon. While they were here they attended two services, a young people's barbecue and discussion, and a concert and games evening at the church. To this last they contributed items, and Graham also read a humorous poem written by their father, Mr. Chris Horner.
Our pastor, the Rev. Douglas Taylor, has advertised the church and the Society's book room over radio station 2GB. Several requests for books have been received. The book room is a useful addition at the church. New copies of the Writings are on sale, several collateral works are available, and there are also some free pamphlets on display.
     There was a fairly encouraging response to a special visitors' day on Sunday, October 11. Six visitors attended and went away with some of the free pamphlets.
     The Hurstville Chapter of the Sons invited the other members of the Society and several young people to their banquet on Saturday, October 10. Following their usual custom, chapter members took an aspect of New Church education as their theme. Four addresses on scientific topics were given, the inspiration for them being the Rev. David Simons' book Unity in the Universe. The Sons feel confident that they furthered the cause. When the Hurstville Sons give a banquet they do all the work, including cooking, serving and washing up.
An ambassadress from the Hurstville Society, Mrs. Irma Salisbury, sailed for England on November 17.

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She carried quite a lot of slide pictures of Australia, and, of course, many good wishes to our friends in the United Kingdom. We said farewell to Irma at an evening at the church when appropriate games with a travel flavor were played with much hilarity.
     On the Sunday preceding Christmas Mr. Taylor gave a sermon on the names of the Lord mentioned in the prophecy in Isaiah 9: 6, showing their internal meaning. This prepared the way for a reverent and joyful observance of Christmas. Tableaux were presented one evening - four scenes, each introduced by a reading from the Word and accompanied by music - and there was carol singing afterwards. Tableaux inspire a feeling of wonder, especially in small children. Singers went out one evening also to sing carols outside several homes.
     The church was nearly full on Christmas morning, and we listened to the reading of selected passages from the Scriptures and the Writings. The Christmas story is one that will never be fully told for us, for each time we hear it we can gain a fuller understanding of the wonderful truths within it.
     An important message with which to begin the New Year was in the text of Mr. Taylor's sermon on the last Sunday in December: "So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."
     NORMAN HELDON

     WASHINGTON, D. C.

     December 14, 1964, was marked by an historic event in the life of the Washington Society. On that day, the sale of the building which had been our church home for more than five years was accomplished, allowing us to proceed with the construction of a new building on the property owned by the Society in Mitchellville, Maryland.
     The sale of the church, the acquisition of the land, and the selection of plans for our new building were the results of almost two years' work on the part of the Board of Trustees and individual members of the Society. The purchase of ten acres of land adjacent to the home of the pastor was the first step. The second step was to decide on a building which would meet our needs both for the present and for the projected and hoped-for development of the Society. It was agreed that we would need a structure that would serve not only as a house of worship but also as a place for other activities as well: including facilities for a grade school, Friday suppers, and general society functions. We decided that the basic design offered by the Butler Building Corporation best suited our requirements for an all-purpose building. Those who are familiar with Pendleton Hall in Glenview are acquainted with the work of this company. We subsequently contracted with Rink Builders, Inc., to adapt the basic Butler design to our specifications, and after many meetings and considerable revisions a final plan was approved.
     Unfortunately it was financially necessary to delay construction of the building until the sale of our old church was a fact. Finally, however, the prospective buyers were successful in making arrangements to purchase the church at a price satisfactory to the Board, and work has now begun to clear the land preparatory to the erecting of our building. We are hopeful that it will be completed to the point where we can move in sometime during the coming summer.
     When it became evident that we could and would change the location of the church, thought was given to the purchase of additional land contiguous to the church property for the development of a New Church community. This led to the formation of Acton Park, Inc., a corporation named in memory of the late and beloved Bishop Acton which is devoting its efforts to establishing such a community. To date no land has been purchased, but the indications are hopeful and a number of couples now in the Society have expressed interest in locating in the community in the event that it becomes a reality.
     The church project has required a considerable amount of work and patience on the part of the Society. The alternating promises and delays of the prospective buyers forced us to schedule our events on a week-to-week basis for nearly six months, which was hardly conducive to normal society life.

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Now, with the sale of the building, we are temporarily without our own place for church and doctrinal classes. We are presently holding services in a rented youth services hall; and while it does meet our minimum standards as a place of worship, it has severely limited our Sunday and nursery school activities and has required us to discontinue Friday suppers for a time. Thanks to the kindness and co-operation of a number of society members, we are carrying on doctrinal classes in various private homes equipped to accommodate us.
     While extremely important, the church building has by no means been the only aspect of society life to occupy our time and thoughts during the past eighteen months. Regular doctrinal classes have been held, in which Mr. Schnarr has introduced and concluded at least two series: "The State of the Moral Virtues in the Church" and "Of Dreams, Visions and Sleep." At present we are studying Heaven and Hell. In addition, Mr. Schnarr recently initiated a series of bi-monthly adult introductory classes designed to review the basic doctrines of the church. Also, on a number of occasions we have had the benefit of the knowledge and ability of several visiting ministers, including the Rev. Messrs. Cairns Henderson, Morley Rich, Erik Sandstrom and David Simons, and Candidates Alfred Acton, Peter Buss, Robert Cole and Willard Heinrichs. Mr. Sandstrom and Mr. Simons each chose New Church education as the subject of their classes, Mr. Sandstrom emphasizing the importance of the home in educating the will and Mr. Simons discussing the role of the school in educating the understanding. Mr. Rich gave a doctrinal class on the use of conjugial remains and preached a sermon on the place of repentance in preparing for the Holy Supper. The candidates capably took over the regular doctrinal classes and church services during Mr. Schnarr's southern trips. Each man in his own way further increased our understanding of the Lord's Word and its application, and we are grateful to all of them for the time and effort they expended in so doing.
     In addition to our usual society activities we were delighted to play host to three visiting delegations during the past year. The International Executive Committee of the Sons of the Academy held its winter meeting in Washington on the weekend of February 8, 1964. The influx of guests afforded us an opportunity for several social as well as business functions, not the least of which was a banquet at which the Rev. Robert Junge enlightened us on "The Essential Masculine." On March 15, 1964, the seniors from the Boys School made their annual trip to the nation's capital, and they were followed by their female counterparts from the Girls School on April 26.     On both occasions we invited the students to a Society banquet, followed by a fascinating talk by Mr. Edwin Alford on the work of the Postal Inspection Service in investigating the many and varied violations of postal regulations.
     Our membership has continued to grow, even though we have lost several long-time and faithful friends. In the summer of 1963, Mrs. Robert Hilldale moved to Connecticut to live with her daughter. In the fall of that same year we lost Mr. and Mrs. James Boatman to the Glenview Society, and only recently we have learned that Mr. and Mrs. Charles Runion and their children are leaving us to take up residence in North Carolina. Mrs. Gerald F. Nelson (Edith Childs) was called to the spiritual world on June 30, 1963, after a long illness. Edith was a long-time and much-loved member of the Society, and our sorrow at her passing has been tempered by the knowledge that she has brought joy to the heavens with those same qualities which inspired our love and respect on this earth. More recently we shared the sadness of our pastor and his wife, the Rev. and Mrs. Frederick L. Schnarr, over the passing of their twin sons, James and Frederick, who died shortly after birth on October 1, 1964. The Rev. Robert Junge conducted a moving and comforting resurrection service in which he reminded us that these infants, like all other children who die in infancy, have been taken into heaven and are under the Lord's special care.

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     The arrival of newcomers is always a source of pleasure, and thus we have welcomed the arrival in the Society of Mr. and Mrs. George Miller and their two children, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Schoenberger and daughter Karen, Mr. and Mrs. Quentin Hyatt, and Mr. Barry Simons. In addition, ten children were born in the Washington Society in 1964, bringing to fifty-one the total number of children under fourteen years of age. This increase in child population is especially encouraging and gives rise to the hope that someday we may be in a position to establish an elementary school through which to provide our children with a New Church education.
     Although our activities will be curtailed for a time until the completion of the new building, we are encouraged by the signs of continued growth and progress within the Society, and we look forward eagerly to the time when we can resume and expand our normal schedule.
     GAEL PENDLETON COFFIN

     PITTSBURGH, PA.

     The start of the new year finds our pastor, the Rev. Kurt Asplundh, and the Pittsburgh Society hard at work. We have a few important things to report; and the first, of historical interest, is that our school is now in its eightieth year of offering New Church education! That record stands, with the Lord's blessing, and because of the dedication of both the priesthood and the laity.
     We had a happy summer. Church service - or family service as it is called, for it includes the children - was well attended with an average congregation of 111 each Sunday. A special talk is given to the children, and before the sermon the little ones leave for summer Sunday school. Mrs. A. H. Lindsay, Carol Lindsay and Mrs. Kurt Asplundh helped with this work. It was a real pleasure to have Candidate Dan Goodenough, his wife Ruth and their daughter here for five weeks. They seemed to enjoy it, too!
     Over the summer months and into September our school building and auditorium were thoroughly renovated. New sound-proof ceilings, together with new electrical wiring and new lighting fixtures, were installed, plus new floor covering. The net result cuts down the sound and the heating bill, while at the same time the rooms are much brighter. The walls were painted by our men. We are grateful for the work done, and we wish to thank all the people responsible for the work accomplished.
     During the first week in September, our pastor's wife, Martha Asplundh, gave a big and successful shower for two of our girls, Normandie Lee and Elsa Schoenberger, who were bound for school in Bryn Athyn. It was a happy time, with entertainment and songs. This event is sponsored by Theta Alpha, and all the women of the Society are invited to participate. The Sons gave a banquet, and later a picnic at Lindsay's farm for the boys who were leaving for an education in the Academy. Gifts were given to Richard Stroemple, John Lindsay, Michael Glenn and Mark Schoenberger. This all helps to start them on their way toward becoming New Church men, but the most gratifying result is when they return and join the church. We are happy to report that Larkin Smith and Duncan Smith has each made his confession of faith since our last report.
     At our first Women's Guild meeting our pastor gave us a beautiful address on the story of Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet, and heard His Word, and Martha, who "was cumbered about much serving." He told us that we have to enter into the love of the use of both Mary and Martha, and not just the work, before it becomes a joy and a thing of spiritual value.
     During the weekend of October 2-4, we had the wonderful pleasure of an episcopal visit from the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, our Bishop, our former pastor and our true friend. We were especially delighted that Mrs. Pendleton, the Rev. Erik Sandstrom and Mrs. Sandstrom, and many other guests were able to come and enjoy it with us. All of our church friends from Cleveland were invited. On Friday evening we were delighted to hear a talk by the Rev. Erik Sandstrom, visiting pastor of the Cleveland Circle, who spoke on the "as of self." His talk was very clear, and it made us realize how close the Lord is to us and yet leaves us in perfect freedom. Refreshments followed; it was a very friendly time.

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     On Saturday morning we were all invited to visit the school, where a special program had been prepared. Our pastor gave us a talk, "The Coming Crisis in New Church Education" (See NEW CHURCH LIFE, January 1965, pp. 27-30). He had prepared a long and excellent chart which showed the history of the eighty years of our New Church school. Then we went into each of the schoolrooms, and each of the four teachers in turn gave a fifteen minute resume of the work being done. That was hard to do in such a short time, but we got an idea of the well organized work and of the fine training our children are getting. Where else in Pittsburgh do you find "the Lord Jehovah" in Hebrew on the board in the first grade room? It is our religion, combined with first-rate teaching, that makes our schools necessary for the growth of the church. Coffee was served afterwards by Mrs. van Zyverden in her apartment upstairs.
     The grand banquet was held on Saturday evening. One hundred and fifteen guests were served a delicious meal by our own women. We were all inspired by the Bishop's address on "Where Is Thy God." After delivering it, the Bishop surprised us by asking if we could entertain the General Assembly in 1966. A delightful social gathering at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Lee Horigan, Jr., followed the banquet. At a later meeting the Society took action on the Bishop's inquiry. We were honored to think that the Bishop thought we could handle the Assembly. The pastor appointed a committee to look into the feasibility of our doing so and it found a college campus that would be suitable. A favorable report was given to the Society, which extended an invitation, to be accepted or not as was deemed best.
     Our Thanksgiving service proved to be one of the largest and most inspiring that we have ever had. Although we may have trouble keeping up our membership, folks do come from near and far for the special services; and being centrally located we have many guests over the year, which adds greatly to our activities. A social held on the Friday after Thanksgiving was an evening of games and fun. The social committee this year includes Barry Smith, Leslie Asplundh, Doris Bellinger and Leander Smith.
     The Christmas sing was held in the recently decorated auditorium. The members and friends of the Society were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Daric Acton and Mr. and Mrs. Gareth Acton, but the group has now grown too large for the sing to be held in most of the homes. On Christmas Eve the tableaux were done with true art and reverence. Robert Glenn was the designer of the scenes. After the religious service the pastor called each child by name, and nearly one hundred came forward to receive their gifts. Mrs. Larry Mitzen and Leslie Asplundh made or selected the gifts.
     On New Year's Eve we all gathered together for a big dinner party, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Barry Smith, assisted by the Smith family, put on the dinner. We sat at candlelit tables, and it was fun to see the high school students entering into things. Two boys, Daric Ebert and Al Lindsay, did some special singing, and we all joined in singing popular songs. The words were thrown on a screen and the music came from a hi-fi set.
     Theta Alpha gave the children their annual Swedenborg's birthday banquet. There were plays and speeches and this year the banquet was followed by a glorious skating party in the park.
     News in brief form follows. We had two visiting ministers last fall and one in January. The Rev. Lorentz Soneson addressed the Sons on Saturday, September 19, and preached on Sunday; the Rev. Robert Junge gave an address after Friday supper on November 13; and the Rev. Kurt Nemitz gave the class on January 22 and then preached on Sunday. The 80th birthday of Percy Brown was celebrated with a cake and songs, plus the gift of an azalea plant. Older people around here rate, for there are so few of them! We are sad to report the death of the infant child of Mr. and Mrs. Dan Conn; also the departure from Pittsburgh of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Mitzen and their three children, who have moved near to the church group in Cincinnati. It is our loss but Cincinnati's gain. Theta Alpha women write to twenty-five seventh grade New Church children who are receiving the General Church Religion Lessons.

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We have a fine school library, with Mrs. Robert Blair in charge. The rummage sale brought in a little less money this year. We enjoyed the work, but we need a better location.
We are sorry to lose members, but we will welcome any new ones who come. Remember that our pastor gives most inspiring sermons and doctrinal classes!
There are only three places in the United States with a New Church school, and we have one of the best!
     Our pastor reports the following statistics. Adult membership, 100; children and young people, 97; Baptisms, 7 infants and 1 adult; Confessions of Faith, 2; Marriages, 2; school enrollment, 35.
     LUCILLE S. BLAIR

     GENERAL ASSEMBLY

     At the invitation of the North Ohio Circle, which was accepted by the Joint Council, the Twenty-fourth General Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held at Oberlin College (approximately 30 miles southwest of Cleveland) from Wednesday, June 15, to Sunday, June 19, 1966, inclusive. The program and other information will be mailed and/or published later.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop
VALUES IN THE SPIRITUAL SOCIETY 1965

VALUES IN THE SPIRITUAL SOCIETY              1965

     "In the world the evil as well as the good, those who perform no uses, as well as those who perform evil uses, are sometimes remunerated and enriched equally with those who perform good uses. It is different in the spiritual world, where uses are laid bare, and the nature of their origin is revealed, and the place they occupy in the spiritual man, which is the Lord in the heavens. There everyone is rewarded according to the excellence of use, and at the same time according to the affection of use. No idle person is tolerated there, no lazy vagrant, no indolent boaster of the studies and labors of others; but everyone must be industrious, active, attentive and diligent in his office and business, and must place honor and reward not in the first but in the second or third place. It is according to these that the necessary, useful and delightful things of life flow in with them." (Divine Love xii)

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GENERAL CHURCH 1965

GENERAL CHURCH              1965




     Announcements




     On February 1, 1965, Mr. Norbert Bruce Rogers, a second-year student in the Academy of the New Church Theological School, was authorized as a candidate for the priesthood.
PROPHET OF NAZARETH OF GALILEE 1965

PROPHET OF NAZARETH OF GALILEE       Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1965



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Vol. LXXXV
April 1965
No. 4.

NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." (Matthew 21: 10, 11)

     In these sacred words a question and answer exchanged two thousand years ago have been eternally preserved, and this because of their perpetual significance and application. "Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee"! This name and title were given to the Lord in Jerusalem when He had entered the city in triumph: escorted by His disciples, preceded and followed by attendant multitudes, riding upon an ass and her colt over garments and palm branches spread in His royal way. They were given, apparently spontaneously, but under Divine inspiration, by those multitudes when the city, moved at His coming, inquired: "Who is this?"
     The Lord's triumphal progress had been in fulfillment of an ancient prophecy: "Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." * Evidently the import had not been lost on the multitudes, for they hailed Him, saying: "Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." Yet when the city inquired who this was, they were inspired to name Him, not as king, but as prophet - "the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."
     * Zechariah 9: 9.
     An ancient prediction had named the Messiah a prophet like unto Moses. * Certain of the Lord's miracles had led to His being acknowledged as a great prophet, indeed as that prophet who was to come; ** and it was as a prophet mighty in word and deed that certain disciples spoke of Him after His death. ***

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Yet there was another side. The Lord's enemies had asserted scornfully that "out of Galilee ariseth no prophet."**** The Lord Himself, when rejected at Nazareth, had said that "a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country and in his own house; ***** and with reference to this very journey to Jerusalem He had declared: "It cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem." ******
     * Deuteronomy 18: 15.
     ** Luke 7: 16, John 6: 14.
     *** Luke 24: 19.
     **** John 7: 52.
     ***** Matthew 13: 57.
     ****** Luke 13: 33.
     It was with reference to Him as He then was that the multitude was led to name Jesus "the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee"; and although they knew it not, with reference also to His purpose in coming among them at that time. In this moment of triumph, nothing could have been further from the disciples' minds than that ominous saying of the Lord's; nor could it have been dreamed that in a few days the homage of the multitude would be succeeded by the screams of a mob demanding His crucifixion. Yet in entering Jerusalem when and as He did, the Lord initiated the events that led to His passion, and it was as the prophet that He suffered the cross - the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

     Those who were moved by the Lord's deeds and words called Him a prophet because they believed that He taught the truth. In a sense abstracted from person, "prophet" signifies in the Word the truth taught. Therefore the Lord is called a prophet in the Word where truth is treated of; and as the Lord is the Word, the Divine truth itself, He is the prophet. It was as such that He was willing to be tempted, even to the passion of the cross. By symbolic acts which they were commanded to perform, the prophets had represented the state of their church as to doctrine from the Word and as to life according to that doctrine, thus the status of the Word in the church; and the Lord's passion in its every detail, now unfolded in the Writings, was a representation of how the Jewish Church had profaned the Word. With the same arrogance that prompted the Pharisees to rule, "out of Galilee ariseth no prophet," the Jewish Church had denied that in the Sacred Scripture there was authoritative Divine truth adequate for the complete regulating of human conduct, and in its efforts to supply the alleged deficiencies it made the Law of none effect, thus falsifying and profaning the Word. It was this that was represented by the Lord's passion, and in this sense it was that a prophet could not perish out of Jerusalem; for it is those only who have the Word, those within the church, represented by Jerusalem, who can profane it and thus cause it to perish among them.
     So is it also at the present day. There are many in Christendom whose curiosity and wonder can be aroused by the Lord as He appears in the Word; and there are many also who revere Him as a great teacher, but in so doing deny that the Word is an authoritative Divine revelation.

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Once again it is held that "out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." Galilee signifies the natural degree of the mind and therefore the natural sense of the Word, the Word in the letter; and what is denied is that the Word is Divinely inspired and therefore contains Divine truth which is law and has authority. Nor does this rejection of Scripture as the inspired Word of God come from outside the church. It is taught to and by the clergy. God reveals Himself in history, they say, and especially in the evolutionary process, and a special Divine revelation is entirely unnecessary. Again it is in His own country, and in His own house, that the Lord as the Word is without honor; and again it was only in Jerusalem, only in the church, that a prophet could perish.

     Thus it was that those who identified the Lord on His entry into Jerusalem did so unwittingly in terms which looked to His passion. Yet there is another and deeper aspect to their inspired declaration, for there is a second reason that the Lord was willing to be tempted, even to the passion of the cross, namely, that He might be acknowledged in heaven as the Savior of both worlds. That happens when it is perceived, believed and confessed that His Human is Divine; and this perceptive acknowledgment is involved also in the name and title given to Him: "Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."
     As used in the Word, names relate to the essence and quality of the person or thing named. The peculiar title was given to the Lord as then seen, and it refers to the Human in which He then was; and as it occurs nowhere else in the Word, and was given to the Lord this one time only, it relates to a state of the Human that existed at that time only and neither before or thereafter. Truly unique in itself, it is descriptive, when understood spiritually, of a unique state in the process of the Lord's glorification: a state which made it possible for the Lord to suffer the passion of the cross as the means of becoming in fullness the Redeemer and Savior of mankind, and therefore a state in which He was triumphant even in His approach to the passion.
     What the multitude was saying of Him who had entered Jerusalem in triumph was that His name was Jesus; that He, Jesus, had become the prophet; and that Jesus the prophet dwelt in Nazareth of Galilee. By Jesus is meant the Divine love, the Divine good; the prophet means the Divine wisdom, the Divine truth; the name, Nazareth, means "preserved"; and Galilee signifies, as has been said, the natural degree of the mind.

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So what is represented is that in the natural degree the Lord had become the Divine truth, and that this truth in Him was the form of the Divine love - the form in which it stood forth, was manifested, and acted: that the natural had been glorified or made Divine by the indwelling in it of the Divine truth which was the form of the Divine love; but that the ultimates of the natural were still to be made Divine, wherefore the Divine in the natural was as it were preserved - reserved in the interior planes of the natural until, after the death on the cross, it might descend into ultimates and make even the body Divine.
     This was indeed the unique state of the Lord at that time, for He was far advanced in glorification when He entered Jerusalem in triumph. The process of glorification involved the complete subjection in the Lord of the rational and natural minds to the Divine, and that this had been accomplished was the significance of His entering the city riding upon an ass and a colt the foal of an ass. It was also the reason that in so doing He entered the city as one about to become a king, and that the multitude so hailed Him in His progress; for the Lord, whose kingdom is not of this world, rose from the dead as King - King of the everlasting kingdom of truth.
     The Lord had now become the Divine good and truth in ultimates. His external man was no longer merely human, but had become the Divine love in a human form. As to essentials, the glorification had already been completed. Yet the Lord was still inbound in the human from the mother. The last vestiges of the maternal heredity were still present, destined to be expelled finally as extrinsic to the Divine, but retained to furnish an ultimate plane for the last temptation, the passion of the cross. He was now Divine in the Human as from birth He had been the Divine itself as to His soul, with just enough of imperfect manhood remaining to make possible the final temptation; and it was in this that His state was unique - a state that could be expressed only in the unique title: "Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."

     It is to this vision of the Lord that our thought is directed, and that our affection is invited to go forth, by the name given to Him by the attendant multitude; and in the contemplation of this vision, with all its implications for redemption and salvation, the idea of His passion, save as a means, falls away, even as the Crucifixion yields to the Resurrection and the Ascension. For it is the King of glory who is here named, the Lord of life soon to triumph over death because of who and what He was; even as in a more distant triumph which foreshadowed His entry into Jerusalem - the bringing of the ark of the Lord into Jerusalem by David and its being placed in the tabernacle.
     According to an ancient tradition, when the people drew near to the city on that occasion, those who bore the ark shouted: "Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in."

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And when those within the city demanded: "Who is this King of glory?" the answer was given back: "The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle; the Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory." * So was it then; and when, centuries later, the Lord Himself, whom the ark represented, came into Jerusalem, "all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."
     * Psalm 24: 7-10.     
     Both question and answer were Divinely inspired. That which moved the city was the immediate and manifest presence of the Lord, and this in representation of that holy fear which filled those spirits and men who were formed and organized into the Christian heaven and church when the truth concerning the Lord's Divinity was received by them. Yet the answer was given of the Lord as then seen, of the Divine Human as yet inbound in the human from Mary. Although it was adequate for salvation, the perception of the Divine Human given to the Christian Church was necessarily limited, and the name expressing it could not be the final word of Scripture on the matter.
     So it is that the Lord who was borne representatively into Jerusalem by David, and Himself entered the city in triumph on the first Palm Sunday, appears again in a later scripture and under another name: not now in the flesh, but in a prophetic vision; not riding upon an ass and her colt, but riding upon a white horse. As so seen He is called "Faithful and True," and His name, "The Word of God." * The fulfillment of that prophecy was the revelation of the spiritual sense of the Word which is the Second Coming; and in the Heavenly Doctrine we may see, love and adore the Divine Human, risen above the heavens into unqualified union with the Father indeed, yet ever present to the eyes of love and faith as the God whom alone we worship. Amen.
     * Revelation 19: 11-13.

LESSONS: II Samuel 6: 9-19. Matthew 21: 1-17. AR 820.
MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 547, 546, 544. Psalmody, page 107.
PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 12, 91.
LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 1965

LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE              1965

     "4. The understanding and will of man ought not to be in the least compelled by another, since all compulsion by another takes away freedom, but man ought to compel himself; for to compel oneself is to act from freedom" (Apocalypse Explained 1136).

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TRIUMPHANT REJOICING OF EASTER 1965

TRIUMPHANT REJOICING OF EASTER       Rev. GEOFFREY H. HOWARD       1965

     A Talk to Children

     We cannot really think of the joy of Easter without also thinking of the terrible things that the Lord suffered two days earlier when He was crucified. When we read those powerful stories of the Lord's betrayal, His trial and crucifixion, we cannot help but be moved with grief and sadness. We read of how the merciful Lord, who from His love healed the sick and restored life to the dead, was most cruelly treated by men. The Lord whom we try to love and respect was betrayed by one of His own disciples, and was taken by the multitude to the high priest before whom He was tried. He was then taken before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, for a second trial, after which He was mocked, brutally treated, and a crown of thorns was placed upon His head.
     When we read and hear of these terrible things that were done to the Lord, we feel within ourselves grief and deep sorrow. It is right that we should feel this way, for we are taught by the Lord that we should love Him above all else, and when someone we love is mistreated we always feel sad. But the Lord gives life to all men, and He came on earth to teach men how to use that gift of life, so that eventually He might lead them to become angels of heaven.
     We know that the Lord really wants every man and woman to come into heaven because He has told us this so many times in His Word. We all know this so well because we are taught this by our parents and teachers. But let us try to put ourselves in the place of the disciples who were with the Lord around the time of His trial and crucifixion. Perhaps we might not have then understood His important teachings quite so easily. The disciples had been following the Lord for about three years before He was crucified. They had listened to His teachings, which He gave to them on so many occasions. They listened and learned much from Him. But the Lord, when He taught, was telling them of many wonderful things which they were slowly beginning to understand. He would tell them parables so that they could understand something about the kingdom of heaven, and He would teach them what they had to do in order to come into that kingdom.

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He had taught them that they should first learn to love Him, that is, to learn about Him from His Word, and to try to follow His commandments. Also He taught them that they were to love the neighbor as much as they loved themselves. They were to follow His example, and always try to do what was good to one another, and to fight against evil as if it were a terrible enemy.
     The disciples had lovingly followed the Lord during the last three years of His life. They had learned much from Him, and had come to look to Him as their Lord, the true King of heaven and earth. They had come to believe in Him as their God and Lord, and they felt this especially when He was with them. But when the Lord was crucified their faith and trust were most severely tested. They saw Him betrayed by Judas, who was numbered as a disciple with them. They then saw Him taken by the angry multitude to the high priest's house, where He was accused of being the Son of God, and this charge the Lord could not deny because it was the truth. Then they saw Him taken before Pilate to be tried by him, but Pilate found no fault in Him that was worthy of death. But in mockery of Him, a crown of thorns was placed upon His head, instead of a golden, jeweled crown that a king would normally wear, and a purple robe was draped about Him. Then they saw their Master led away to Calvary to be crucified, to suffer the cruelest act that men could inflict upon a prisoner. The disciples saw all of these terrible things happen to the Lord whom they had come to love dearly, and in whom they had placed their faith and trust. They had previously seen Him perform many miracles, yet they saw Him make no effort to save Himself. And indeed, some of the rulers who hated Him so, cried out: "He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He be Christ, the chosen of God."

     The disciples and all those who loved the Lord must have secretly wished that the Lord would perform some final miracle which would openly show forth His power over evil men. The Lord's failure to do so left His followers not knowing what to think or believe. Could they believe in one who had so meekly suffered at the hands of evil men, and in one who was no longer with them? Doubt, sorrow and confusion filled their minds.
     But the Lord did not allow those who loved Him to remain doubtful for too long. The Lord performed a very great miracle for some of those who loved Him. He opened the sight of their spirit so that they were able to see in the spiritual world, and there they saw the risen Lord as He then appeared in the heavens. This happened on several occasions, and it is because of these wonderful miracles that the sorrow associated with the Lord's death is turned into gladness and rejoicing. Those who were shown the risen Lord in heaven were filled with happiness, and slowly they began to see the meaning of some of the things that He had previously told them, such as, that He was to suffer, "and to rise from the dead the third day." This indeed had now come true.

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     Slowly, as the Lord further taught His disciples, they realized that although He was no longer present with them in a physical body of flesh and bones, He would be with them continually as to His spirit. Not only was this true for the disciples at that particular time, but it is also true for all men since that time who, like the disciples, love His teachings and try to live by them. The Lord has left us His Word, and the Word may be likened to the body of the Lord. We can learn from it all of those things that the Lord spake unto His disciples when He was with them in a physical body. When we approach the Word we are really approaching the Lord, and when we are in a humble and reverent spirit we are inviting the Lord to be present with us as to His Spirit. It is this presence of the Lord which leads us in the conduct of our daily lives. It is this presence that brings all happiness and peace among men. At Easter time we turn to the Lord once again with thankful hearts for having spoken all of the truths contained in His Word; for it is by means of them that we can discover how the Lord can be with each one of us, to lead us into the way of peace and into His kingdom of heaven. Amen.

LESSON: Luke 24: 36-49.
MUSIC: Liturgy, pages 548, 552, 554.
PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. C4, C15.
HUMILIATION AND GLORIFICATION 1965

HUMILIATION AND GLORIFICATION              1965

     "As the Lord had from the beginning a human from the mother, and put this off successively, therefore while He was in the world He had two states, which are called the state of humiliation, or exinanition, and the state of glorification, or of union with the Divine which is called the Father. He was in the state of humiliation as far as and when He was in the human from the mother; and He was in the state of glorification as far as and when He was in the Human from the Father. In the state of humiliation He prayed to the Father as to a being distinct from 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 the Father and He 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, still less could it suffer the cross" (Lord 35: 3).

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REVISION OF THE LITURGY 1965

REVISION OF THE LITURGY       Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS       1965

     (Continued from the March issue.)

     In New Church worship we should "sing a new song." By this we do not mean that the music must of necessity be new, but that there must be a new vision of Divine truth, and from this a new affection of joy, in every song we sing. We are taught that "to sing a song signifies confession from joy of heart, because joy of heart, when it is in fulness, expresses itself in song. This it does because when the heart, and in consequence the thought also, is full of joy, it pours itself forth in singing, the joy of the heart itself through the sound of the singing, and the joy of the thought therefrom through the song." * Of course, the quality of the joy is determined by what it is that is acknowledged and confessed. When a new vision of the Lord is given, as is done now in the Heavenly Doctrine, everything of worship is made new. Because the Lord is revealed therein as to His glorified Divine Human, and makes known His immanent presence in the whole of His creation in a way never before possible, those who see Him have cause for great rejoicing. Such a vision brings with it inmost trust in His overruling providence, and renewed hope for the redemption of the human race. Because He has laid open the internal sense of the Word in both the Old and the New Testaments, it is said in the book of Revelation that the angels "sang a new song" when the seals of the book were opened. **
     * AE 326.
     ** Chapter 5: 9.
     It is called "the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb" * because it expresses the joy of heart felt by both angels and men in the new understanding of the Word of both Testaments. That it is a song in acknowledgment and confession of the Lord in His second coming is evident from the words that were sung: "Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, 0 Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest." **
     * Rev. 15: 3.
     ** Rev. 15: 3, 4.
     The whole purpose of singing in New Church worship is to express our joy in this acknowledgment, and to give praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for the blessings of His Divine redemption. In this the whole congregation should take an active part; and there should be a constant endeavor to make our songs as perfect an expression as possible of the love and the faith which distinguish the church with us and make it new.

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     Concerning the reasons why singing in worship is important the Writings give direct instruction. "Harmonious sound and its varieties" we read, "correspond to states of joy and gladness in the spiritual world; and states of joy and gladness there arise from the affections, which in that world are affections of good and truth." * Even the speech of the angels is like a song. "It has a cadence as if in rhythm. [The angels] have no thought about the words or ideas, for into these their sentiments flow spontaneously. No words or ideas flow in which multiply the sense, or draw it away to something else, or to which anything artificial adheres, or that seems to them elegant from self, or from self-love, for such things would at once cause disturbance. They do not inhere in any word. They think from the sense. The words flow spontaneously from the sense itself. They come to a close in unities, for the most part simple; but when in those which are compound, they turn by an accent to the next. These things are the result of their thinking and speaking in society; hence the form of speech has cadence in accordance with the connection and unanimity of the society. Such was once the form of songs [on earth]; and such is that of the Psalms of David." ** This emphasizes the importance of congregational singing, and indicates that the words should be so familiar that they may be sung fluently and with meaning.
     * AC 8336.
     ** AC 1648.
     The effect upon those in the other world when men on earth sing with some understanding of the internal sense of the Word is spoken of as follows: "They who knew that all prophetic utterances [in the Word] involved things heavenly and Divine, and that these were represented in them, knew that the subject treated of [in the Psalms] is the damnation of the unfaithful and the salvation of the faithful by the Lord, when He would come into the world. And then those who knew this, and meditated on it, and were affected thereby, had internal gladness; but others only external. The angels also who were with men were at the same time in the glorification of the Lord; consequently they who sang, and they who heard the songs, had heavenly gladness from the holy and blessed influx which flowed in from heaven. Such an effect had the songs of the church among the ancients, and such an effect also they would have at this day; for the spiritual angels are especially affected by songs which are about the Lord, His kingdom and church." *
     * AC 8261.
     We are warned, however, that we may easily fall into the love of what is not harmonious, and must constantly strive to cultivate a taste for that which is in accord with the harmonies of heaven: "A harmony contrary to true harmony is acquired by habit, for there are those who take pleasure in discords, as is evident from a multitude of proofs.

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Hence whatever results from acquired harmony is [felt as] a pleasure, and soothes, and from force of habit one loves to return to it." * That is why changes made in songs to which we have become accustomed in worship cause a sense of disturbance and dislike. Yet many of the songs we sing are in need of improvement; and some of them do not truly express the distinctive vision of the Lord that is characteristic of the New Church. Our purpose in revising the songs in the Liturgy, is to build, step by step, a love and affection for the "new song," the song which expresses the new acknowledgment and confession of the Lord which is now opened for us in the Writings, that from this we may worship with joy of heart.
     * SD 1963.
     Such a revision cannot fail to bring with it a sense of loss to all who have become deeply attached to existing forms of expression; this cannot be avoided if any progress whatever is to be made in the perfecting of our church music. For this reason changes should be made gradually, and in such a way as not seriously to disturb the sphere of our worship. But let us remember that changes which are not pleasing to us at first may be found quite acceptable after we have become accustomed to them; and let us remember also that the children and young people, who have not yet acquired deep attachments to existing forms, will grow up loving the new forms, and in this way our church music will be improved and perfected with each succeeding generation.

     Because the letter of the Word is the most powerful means of inviting the influx of heavenly affections, we would seek to emphasize the use of chants and anthems. The chant is the simplest and the most ancient form of singing. It is the form most readily adapted to the singing of words from the Sacred Scripture. However, we all have a tendency to sing chants in a way that is stereotyped and unnatural. In order to achieve a fixed time, we tend to hurry the recitative, and then to beat out the rest of the line mechanically. This frequently destroys the meaning of the words, and at the same time interferes with the expressive flow of the music. In the new revision of the Liturgy, therefore, we are trying to encourage simplicity and naturalness by eliminating unnecessary marks over the words. We suggest that, in practice, the words should be read in unison, and that then they should be sung in the same rhythm as they are spoken. The words are of first importance, and the music is intended to enhance the affection and the meaning within them, for it is this meaning that fills the heart with joy and inspires one to sing.

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     Antiphons also are designed to afford expression to the affection of spiritual truth seen in the letter of the Word. But they introduce another element, and one which is to be found only in the Writings, namely, the doctrine of genuine truth to be discovered by a comparison of passages on the same subject. In the antiphons, passages from various parts of the Word are gathered to illustrate and emphasize the fundamental doctrines of the New Church. This form of church music is so new that many find it difficult. Also the form itself has yet to be perfected. Yet we believe that it can be very powerful, and we are trying to make it simpler and more expressive of the affection in the Word. Some of those that have not proved successful in the past will be eliminated, and others will be revised. It is important that the mood of the music should change with that of the words, as in the case of the Te Dominum, which stands as an example of how this can be done successfully. Also, every effort is being made to bring into harmony the recitation by the minister and the response by the congregation.
     There is need for more anthems in which the letter of the Word is adapted to music other than that of chanting. We have encouraged every one of musical ability to contribute new anthems. For this purpose the music of great composers has been used with some necessary adaptation; but it is not easy to find compositions that are appropriate. The ability of our members to compose appropriate music is strictly limited, and we must wait for providence to raise up New Church composers of note. Nevertheless, a few new anthems have been produced which I feel sure will prove to be greatly enjoyed.

     Perhaps the writing and composing of hymns is the most difficult task of all. As to what constitutes a hymn, Augustine, one of the early Christian Church fathers, wrote as follows: "Do you know what a hymn is: It is singing to the praise of God. If you praise God and do not sing, you utter no hymn. If you sing and praise not God, you utter no hymn. * If you praise anything which does not pertain to the praise of God, though in singing you praise, you utter no hymn." The Hymn Society of America has given this definition of a good hymn: "A Christian hymn is a lyric poem, reverently and devotionally conceived, which is designed to be sung and which expresses the worshiper's attitude toward God, or God's purposes in human life. It should be simple and metrical in form, genuinely emotional, poetic and literary in style, spiritual in quality, and in its ideas so direct and so immediately apparent as to unify a congregation while singing it." **
     * Papers of the Hymn Society VI, The Hymn Society of America, New York, 1937, p. 3.
     ** A Survey of Christian Hymnody. By William Jensen Reynolds, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., New York, 1963.

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     How to avoid the elements that spoil a good hymn is thus expressed in the same work: "The hymn tune and the text should fit together appropriately. Misplaced stress upon unimportant syllables results in awkwardness which should be studiously avoided. The hymn and tune should be of the same mood and spirit, complementing each other and reinforcing the total strength of union of tune and text." * As stated by D. M. Williams, in an address at St. Bartholomew's Church in New York, on October 19, 1941: "A hymn is not good because of the merit of its verse, or for the excellence of its tune, but for the felicitous union of both words and tune." ** To this we would add that it is not only the tune that is important, but also the harmonization, which can do a great deal to modify the mood or affection of the music. With this ideal we entirely agree, but to achieve the excellence it suggests calls for agonizing effort, especially on the part of those who are not professional or accomplished poets and musicians. Nevertheless, we are convinced that the endeavor to develop New Church hymns and other songs for worship greatly stimulates in those who make it a better understanding of our church music and a deeper affection for it; nor can it fail to contribute something of lasting value to the development of New Church worship.
     * Page 134.
     ** Ibid.
     A considerable number of our members have worked hard to produce new hymns for our Liturgy. A few have undertaken to compose both the music and the words, while others have set words to the music of well-known composers. The Committee has received these suggestions eagerly, and has tried to modify and adjust them by mutual study, experiment and common consent, in order to bring them within the definition of good hymns to which we have referred above. From among those submitted we have selected as many for inclusion in the Liturgy as could be prepared in time for publication and included within the limits of space available. Others may well be considered for a future edition. As far as possible, those which have been adopted have been tried out and approved by our societies. Where marked difference of opinion has become apparent, the Committee has had to assume the responsibility for the final decision as to which shall be included in the revised Liturgy. In addition to new hymns, minor revisions have been made in hymns already in use, in order to remove awkward spots and to bring the words and music into more perfect harmony.
     We would point out, however, that in the judgment of music, as in many other judgments, first impressions are not reliable. We have a natural tendency to dislike something that is different, or unfamiliar, or strange to our ear. Our first attempt to sing a new piece of music is often halting and ineffective.

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We spell out the words without grasping their full meaning; and we hammer out the music, paying close attention to each note, and to strict time, in which case the flow and beauty of the tune are completely lost. I have wished that we might have a trained choir, willing to learn the new music under competent leadership, and then to record it on tape or on records, so that our people might hear it sung as it should be sung. Nothing would be more helpful in giving a song a real test as to its value. Lacking this, I suggest the advisability of refraining from too precipitate judgment. Let us take time to become familiar with both the words and the music, so that we may sing with expression. We often find that a piece of music which does not at first strike us as pleasing gives quite a different impression when it is well known and well sung.
     Finally, let us remember that all the music of the Liturgy is not adapted to use by everyone in the church. Some more difficult pieces are designed to be sung by a choir rather than by the congregation. Some songs are intended to meet the need of small circles and groups; while others are for use by larger societies with trained leadership and a number of good voices to take the lead. Some are selected for their special use in various countries, in order that, as far as possible, the Liturgy may meet national differences of taste and background. It is designed to be the Liturgy of the General Church everywhere. Above all, let us learn the songs which are appropriate to our particular society, and express by means of them the joy of heart that gives voice to the "new song" foretold in the Apocalypse.

     (To be concluded)
GLORIFICATION AND MAN'S NEED 1965

GLORIFICATION AND MAN'S NEED              1965

     "By taking away sins is meant the same as by redeeming man and saving him. For the Lord came into the world that man might be saved. Without His coming, no man could have been reformed and regenerated, nor, consequently, saved; but this became possible after the Lord had taken all power away from the Devil, that is, from hell, and had glorified His Human, that is, united it to the Divine of His Father. If these things had not been done, no man would have been capable of receiving any Divine truth that would remain with him, and still less any Divine good; for the Devil, who before had superior power, would have plucked them out of his heart. From these considerations it is manifest that the Lord did not take away sins by the passion of the cross, but that He takes them away, that is, removes them, with those who believe in Him by living according to His commandments, as the Lord also teaches" (Lord 17).

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STATE OF THE MORAL VIRTUES IN THE CHURCH 1965

STATE OF THE MORAL VIRTUES IN THE CHURCH       Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR       1965

     (The first in a series of doctrinal classes.)

     The Need and Use of Self-Examination

     The Writings instruct us that the man of the church is to examine himself periodically, so that he may see, acknowledge the presence and repent of those evils toward which he inclines with delight. If such self-examination is not undertaken, the Writings warn, repentance cannot possibly take place, for without it man does not make himself guilty of sin; and until he does this, there is no true acknowledgment of the Lord, thus no true means of turning from the things of hell to the things of heaven. *
     * TCR 530, 525.
     As self-examination is useful and necessary to the spiritual life of the individual man of the church, so, we believe, it is necessary and useful to the life and health of the church as a whole. It is true that the self-examination of the individual and of the church as a whole cannot be the same. No one can examine the states of the individual but the man himself; his examination of self is his intimate relationship with the Lord, as he either acknowledges or denies the Lord. The individual alone is aware, from his self-examination, what his interior state is and what is his intention therein. In the examination of the states of the church as a whole there is no certainty as to the dominant interior states and intentions. What we see of the general states of the church is only an indication, which may or may not be accurate. What we have to examine is the evidence of civil and moral conduct as these are expressed in the activities and uses of society in general and in the functions of the church in particular.
     Because the over-all states of the church have an effect upon every individual in it, it should be the concern of everyone to examine the states of the church; to support and encourage those states which seem to promote and advance the Divine purposes of the church; and to discourage and defend against those states which would seem to destroy the Divine purposes of the church. The greater one's responsibilities in the uses of the church are, the more aware of its over-all life and states should he be. That this is so should be obvious.

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     Parents, who have the responsibility of feeding, nourishing and protecting the minds of their children, must certainly regard the general states of the church which affect their children; and more particularly must they examine the general states of the age groups in which their children are at any one time. With a teacher this responsibility becomes even more varied and extended. Especially ought this to be true of teachers in New Church schools, where the teacher is not merely an instructor in scientific and civil knowledge but also in moral knowledges, and, what is even more important, in the endeavor to lead to the good of life thereby. Finally a priest - whether teacher, pastor or bishop - because of the responsibilities of his priestly office, which extend into all the uses and activities of the church, must be fully cognizant of the states of the church if he is to provide adequate instruction in civil, moral and spiritual knowledges, and lead his flock thereby to the good of life.

     We believe that while everyone should examine, reflect upon and discuss the states of the church, the public presentation of those states, and the accompanying instruction, are the work primarily of the priestly office. The Writings nowhere state this in so many words, but it would seem to be a right and rational conclusion from a number of teachings concerning the uses of the priesthood. We would note some of these teachings here, because we believe it is most important to the life and order of the church that the examination of the states of the church be under the office of the priesthood.
     You will recall that the Writings give as the two primary uses of the priesthood public instruction in the truths and doctrines of the Word and the endeavor to lead thereby to the good of life. * In regard to the use of instruction we find this familiar teaching: "Good can be insinuated into another by anyone in his country, but not truth, except by those who are teaching ministers; if others do this, heresies arise, and the church is disturbed and rent asunder." ** In yet another passage we read: "He who believes differently from the priest, and does not make disturbances, must be left in peace. But he who makes disturbances must be separated; for this also is of the order for the sake of which is the priesthood." *** Examination of the states of the church cannot be made without accompanying instruction from the Writings. First there is instruction in the truths which tell us what we are to look for in self-examination; then there is instruction in the truths which teach how self-examination should be conducted - its order and direction; and finally there is the instruction which must form the leading part in teaching us how to correct or change those things which we find from our self-examination to be in disorder.

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Because of the public instruction from the Word which is involved in the examination of the states of the church, it would seem obvious that this work should begin with and be guided by the priesthood.
     * TCR 422: 2; Char. 160, 174; AC 10794, 10798.
     ** AC 6822.
     *** AC 10798.
     That this is so is confirmed by yet another teaching relating to the second main use of the priesthood, that of leading to the good of life. In this respect the ministerial use is likened to the work of a shepherd. Now a shepherd not only leads, he also watches over and strives to protect the sheep; and so it is part of the priestly use of leading to the good of life to warn of the presence of falsities and evils and to caution against disorderly attitudes and practices. * This function of the priesthood is sometimes represented in the Word by a "watchman." Indeed it is said that by a "watchman" is meant in the internal sense "one who observes the states of the church and its changes." **
     * AC 10792-10793, 8211: 5, 10134: 11.
     ** AC 10134: 11.

     The State of the Church

     We have introduced this series of classes with these remarks about self-examination because the subject we would consider, the state of the moral virtues in the church, is one which could degenerate into useless and even harmful investigation and discussion if it were not considered in a proper order. The state of morality within the church, particularly with our young people and young adults, is a difficult subject to bring into proper focus, because morality is essentially an individual and a personal matter. As a rule, it is not our place to judge concerning the state of another person's morality. Yet those who are placed in positions of responsibility for the general uses of society, of the country, and of the church must, for the sake of order and the welfare and protection of all, observe, endeavor to correct, and sometimes judge the morality of others.
     Those who hold positions of civic responsibility - the judge, the politician, the police chief, the business executive - observe and judge the morality of those who are under their jurisdiction. However, they are not primarily in the thought or endeavor of instruction concerning the things of moral life or of correction. The teacher and the minister, together with the parents in the home, have the primary responsibility of observing, instructing, and endeavoring to correct the morality of the young and immature. Sometimes judgment is necessary, but here judgment is not the primary concern. As far as the over-all adult states of the church are concerned, the minister, particularly the pastor, has the responsibility of observing, instructing, and endeavoring to correct, the moral life of the church. In this judgment is very seldom necessary, and in this our church has received a great blessing and happiness.

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     How well have we been doing our work? What of the new morality the Writings have revealed do we find in the general states of the church? What attitude and conviction concerning the moral virtues as revealed by the Lord in His second coming do we find in our adults, our young people and our teenagers?
     We believe that there exists in the church a false and unhealthy attitude concerning the place and importance of the moral virtues. We believe that a large portion of our adult membership does not think of many of the moral virtues from conscience, nor from the religious conviction of a new revelation. Among a large percentage of the younger generation - our young adults and young people, both married and single - we believe that we see an even worse situation: a situation that demands our close attention, our vigilance, and a strong new effort to correct.
     These are, perhaps, strong statements; and in making them we are fully aware that there are many of all ages in the church who strive to live the moral virtues from a conviction and conscience formed by the truths of the Writings; but we cannot believe or say that such is the general state. Certainly it is not the general impression of this pastor that it is. There does seem to be some difference in the attitude to and the practice of the moral virtues in different areas of the church. Some societies and groups will seem to abuse one or more of the moral virtues more than other societies and groups. Whatever the reason for this, it seems clearly apparent that no society or group has cause for undue rejoicing or satisfaction on this subject. This is a most serious subject, and one which is all too easily ignored and pushed aside in the routine activity of our modern society: a society that gives little time to the study of knowledges of spiritual things, and even less time to meditation and reflection upon the meaning and implications of such knowledges. Moral abuses and disorders do not vanish by wishful thinking. The problems relating to them cannot be simply swept under the carpet in the hope that, being out of sight, they will also be out of mind, and will disappear or be cured with the passage of time. Dirt placed under the carpet remains there until someone removes it. We do not believe that we will begin to find a cure for the attitudes and practices in regard to the moral virtues that exist among us until the seriousness of the situation is acknowledged by all mature adults in the church, and particularly by our teachers and ministers, and a mutual, constant effort is made by all of us to find a new way of approaching the problem in order to bring about a change. It is to that end that the material in this series of classes is primarily directed.

     The subject is extremely complex, as anyone who has given it some thought must be aware; and, of course, it is not new. Parents, teachers and ministers have spent many hours over it in past years.

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Yet it remains before us, with the situation seemingly worse than ever. We must continue to work at it, even though this means going over some of the same ground again and again. We must check our own household: parents, teachers and ministers must check the nature and content of their formal instructions to whatever age group is concerned, and all of us must examine the informal but very important leadership of our personal acts and habits.

     No one expects the members of the New Church to be a society of angels. The purpose of life on this earth is preparation for angelic life; and because of the inherited nature of our fallen race, and the external and perverted nature of much of our environment it must be true that each regenerating man's life will be a battlefield, a battlefield of temptation. It is equally true of the New Church man as of others that he will fall many times. He will sin, he will enter into many immoralities, and will in his life on earth abuse the order of heaven time and time again. Fortunately, much of the evil thus done we never see in others, for it remains in the secret imagination of the mind. It is when evil passes from the imagination into act that we are particularly affected by the states of others; and when this happens, we see one or a number of the moral virtues overthrown. We see the disorder in seeing the open abuse of the moral virtues: drunkenness in place of sobriety, dishonesty in place of honesty, discourtesy in place of courtesy, or immodesty in place of modesty. The violation of certain moral virtues openly affects society more than the violation of others. We all know this, and when we look at the list of the moral virtues given in the Writings we are made profoundly aware that we depart from some of them over and over again.
     In any community or gathering of New Church men our immoralities will at times break forth and affect others. Our acts will sometimes bring sorrow, confusion and trouble to others. But we expect this, and we accept it as part of the process of regeneration; and we expect more of it from the young people than we do from mature adults.
     What we are concerned with here, however, is not the fact itself that certain moral virtues are abused or broken down, but our attitude in that process. It is in this that our concern is centered.
     Before we examine various areas relating to the state of morality in our church, we would refresh our minds with certain teachings concerning the nature and use of the moral virtues. This is done so that our thinking on the subject may be guided and directed by the teachings of Divine truth and not merely by natural reasoning from our experiences and colored by emotion, which are not to be trusted. We find that the Writings mention at least five major uses which the moral virtues are to provide.

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We would consider these in this series of classes under the following headings:

     1) The moral virtues as ultimates of spiritual loves
     2) The moral virtues as means of preparing for the inception of spiritual virtues
     3) The moral virtues as means of making just and wise judgments
     4) The moral virtues as means of preserving external order
     5) The moral virtues as means of self-examination

The Moral Virtues as Ultimates of Spiritual Loves

     In His second coming the Lord has revealed truths which are to establish new forms of love and wisdom with man on earth. New concepts, new standards, new values and new attitudes in every phase of life are requirements which the truths of the Second Coming demand. And it is important for us to remember that the Lord cannot reveal new truths to a world long steeped in a host of falsities and evils without these new truths being in conflict with countless false concepts, attitudes and practices in every aspect of life.
     It is a truth that those who receive the truths of the New Church in their lives, and not merely in the intellect, will be different from those who do not; different not only in their beliefs and ideals but also in the qualities of the virtues they develop as those in which their uses, actions and habits are formed and expressed. Now there are some of us who are inclined to question this teaching, not from any wrong intent but rather from misplaced modesty, from the indication of personal experience, or from a wrong understanding of what is being taught. So let us be careful that we understand this teaching correctly. Truths that are learned, acknowledged, and then translated into the good of life are the means whereby the Lord establishes the loves of heaven with man, and they form in him what the Writings describe as the internal man. As soon as the formation of internal, heavenly loves begins, these loves seek orderly, suitable and corresponding forms in the things of man's natural life: in what is moral, in what is civil, and, indeed, even in the most external knowledges and pleasures the world can afford. *
     * AC 913, 1900,835: 2, 9572, 9705; AR 17, 510: 2; TCR 455a, 592; AE 150; Char. 183.
     It is a general teaching of the Writings that all love, whether it be good or evil, seeks to find form, expression and activity in and through the ultimate things of external life, of natural life. Love is ever seeking such natural things because through them it finds the means to its delights, pleasure and use; and it is of Divine order that love should so operate, for it is only by its doing so that the Lord can provide the communication and association of loves necessary for the formation and preservation of angelic and human society.

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That internal love is in its fullness and its use when it enters into and conjoins itself with its orderly external forms is one of the meanings of the teaching that "in ultimates there is all power." *
     * AE 726: 5; AC 9836: 2; CL 44: 8.

     Now, then, what are the primary external forms in which internal heavenly loves find their plane of use and delight? They are given in the Writings as the moral virtues and we would include here a partial list of the moral virtues that are enumerated in the Writings, both to refresh the memory as to their nature and scope and because we wish to refer to the list later. Temperance, sobriety, integrity, benevolence, friendship, modesty, sincerity, obligingness, civility, diligence, industry, alertness, alacrity (a cheerful readiness), munificence (lavish generosity), earnestness, prudence, courage, justice, equity, uprightness, chastity, and even good manners - these are some of the virtues of morality mentioned in the Writings. *
     * CL 164, 22, 331; Wis. 5: 1.
     The knowledge of these moral virtues is by no means new; they are externals which both good and evil men have known and used from the beginning. What has not been known, especially since the fall of the Ancient Church, is that these moral virtues are not just niceties of social behavior or rules for prosperity in business; they are actually Divinely provided forms in which the spiritual loves of the internal man are to find suitable expression and a field of use. This fact entirely changes their character, their importance, and the nature of the effort we should make to enter into them.
     For various reasons, all of which we would regard as unregenerate, we are inclined to regard the moral virtues as somewhat unimportant, as mere external forms, and thus not to make it a matter of conscience when we ignore or abuse those forms. Supported, and sometimes pressured by, the attitudes which prevail in our environment, we catch ourselves tending to think of the moral virtues as the property of society. Such thinking is confirmed by the fact that these virtues seem to change from age to age. Certain virtues will be emphasized at one time, while at another those same virtues will be considered old-fashioned and out of date. The circumstances of the times seem to set the stage for how the moral virtues will be practised; which virtues are fashionable and thus acceptable, and which are not. It is easy to remember, for example, the change in the attitude of the male to the female which occurred during the last world war. With women entering factories, doing men's jobs, and wearing masculine clothing, much of the male virtues of consideration for and courtesy toward females almost disappeared; and in that restless period of war the virtue of chastity, already falling as a star from heaven, sank into the mire of everyday natural, sensual and earth-life.

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     We have wandered so far away from a correct idea of the moral virtues, their proper place, their use and their importance, that at times we even find ourselves being repelled by them. We see, for example, the apparent form of a certain moral virtue in someone whose character we neither admire nor respect, and, associating that virtue with him, we tend to turn away from it ourselves. We may even make light of the virtue, make it seem unimportant, or even deny altogether that it is a virtue.
     If we are to be led and guided by what the Writings teach, then no matter what our attitude to the moral virtues is or has been, and no matter how we have used or abused them in our lives, we must begin by acknowledging this truth: the moral virtues are presented to us by the Lord as the orderly ultimates of life, as the primary receptacles for all spiritual, heavenly loves. They are not the property of society. They do not change from age to age, no matter what may be the contrary appearance arising from man's treatment of them. Those who would be of the New Church are instructed to live the laws of moral life as Divine laws. We read concerning this in Divine Providence:
     "The ability to understand truth is from the Divine wisdom, and the ability to do good is from the Divine love. This ability is the image of God, which remains in every sane man and is not eradicated. From this comes his ability to become a civil and moral man; and the civil and moral man can also become spiritual, for the civil and moral is a receptacle of the spiritual. He is called a civil man who knows the laws of the kingdom wherein he is a citizen and lives according to them; and he is called a moral man who makes these laws his morals and virtues and from reason lives them. It shall now be told how a civil and moral life is a receptacle of spiritual life. Live these laws, not only as civil and moral laws, but also as Divine laws, and you will be a spiritual man. . . . As every man was born that he might become a civil and moral natural man, so, too, he was born that he might become a civil and moral spiritual man; and this is done simply by his acknowledging God and not doing evil because it is against God, but doing good because it is accordant with God, whereby a life enters into his civil and moral activities and they live; otherwise there is no life in them and therefore they are not living. This is why the natural man, however civilly and morally he may act, is called dead; but the spiritual man is called living." *
     * DP 322: 1-3. Cf. HH 319; AR 450.

     It is our business, from study and instruction, to examine the importance of the moral virtues as ultimates of the life of heaven, as ultimates of all our spiritual loves; to understand their various functions; and then, if necessary, to reconsider and change our attitude to them. In our next class we will pursue further our consideration of the other functions and uses of the moral virtues, and will then return to an examination of the state of those virtues in the church.

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CAN THE HOLY SUPPER BE OF USE IF IT IS NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD? 1965

CAN THE HOLY SUPPER BE OF USE IF IT IS NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD?       Rev. KURT H. ASPLUNDH       1965

     Several times in the year the sacrament of the Holy Supper is administered in the church. This sacrament is "the most holy thing of worship" * in the church, and without it the church would most certainly fail to achieve its purpose. It is therefore the responsibility of each and every one in the church to consider with seriousness the need to partake of the Communion.
     *HD 210
     One reason for neglecting to participate in the sacrament is the lack of an understanding of its meaning, and the consequent hesitation to enter into it blindly. It may be thought to be of no benefit to one who does not understand its significance or effect. At the very least, however, this sacrament can serve as a reminder of the Lord's love for the whole human race, and can thus turn our minds to the Lord with a certain gratitude and trust.
     We are taught that if anyone "is so simple as to be unable to think from his understanding of anything except what he sees with the eye," he ought, "when he takes the bread and wine and hears them called the Lord's flesh and blood, to think within himself of the Holy Supper as the holiest thing of worship, and to call to mind Christ's passion and His love for man's salvation." * Did not the Lord bid His disciples observe the sacrament with the words: "This do in remembrance of Me"? **
     * TCR 709.
     ** Luke 22: 19.
     After all, the efficacy of the sacrament does not depend upon the degree of the intellectual grasp of the doctrine concerning it, but is according to the affection with which it is approached. When man is in a holy state, and receives the bread of the Holy Supper, "he then thinks not of bread but of the Lord and His mercy, and of what is of love to Him and of charity toward the neighbor, because he thinks of repentance and amendment of life; but this," we are told, "with variety according to the holiness in which he is, not only as to the thought but also as to his affection." *
     * AC 10208: 3.
     Recall that the sons of Israel who had been bitten by the fiery flying serpents could be saved by doing no more than elevating their sight to the brazen serpent which the Lord commanded Moses to set up in their sight.

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The Lord could allay the effects of that fatal venom because of the affections of repentance and renewed obedience to the Lord which stirred their hearts at the sight of the serpent on the staff. So the Lord is able to bring us aid against our evils when similar affections of repentance and obedience are present in our minds when we partake of the Communion.

     The sacrament of the Lord's supper has long been regarded as a mystery; but with the establishment of the New Church it is now permitted to enter into the mysteries of faith. Thus we are told that the effect of this sacrament is "a mystery, but still such that it can be understood." * "The truth is that the man who looks to the Lord and performs repentance is conjoined with the Lord by means of that most holy sacrament, and is introduced into heaven. . . . The bread and wine do not produce this effect, for there is nothing holy in them, but material bread and heavenly bread correspond mutually to each other, and so do material wine and heavenly wine; and heavenly bread is the holy of love, and heavenly wine is the holy of faith, both from the Lord, and both the Lord. Thence there is a conjunction of the Lord with man, not with the bread and wine, but with the love and faith of the man who has done the work of repentance; and conjunction with the Lord is also introduction into heaven." **
     * AR 224.
     ** Ibid.
     The "mystery" of the Holy Supper is the mystery of conjoining into a oneness, as internal and external, of two things which essentially are distinct on different planes of life, the spiritual and the natural. Heaven is conjoined to man, we are told, "when man is in ultimates, that is, in such things as are in the world in regard to his natural man, while he is in such things as are in heaven in regard to his spiritual man; in no other way is conjunction possible. This is why baptism was instituted, also the Holy Supper." * That is, a man when in such things as are in the world - in the case of the sacrament, in the sensation of bread and wine at the lips and tongue, and in the hearing of the words "flesh" and "blood" - who at the same time is aware of heavenly things, such as the Lord's love and mercy and the truths of faith: this is the man in whom the Lord brings about a conjunction with heaven and with Himself.
     * AE 475:21.
     The effect of the Holy Supper is that "human minds are by that Supper conjoined with heavenly minds when from internal affection they are thinking that the bread and wine signify the Lord's love and the reciprocality of man, and are thus in holiness from interior thought and feeling." * Or, in other words, "the Holy Supper is an external of the church that contains within itself an internal, and by means of this internal it conjoins the man who is in love and charity with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord." **

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     * AC 2177.
     ** AC 4211.
     The Lord said to His disciples: "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you." * It is His will to renew and confirm His covenant with men, offering freely the blessings of His love and the gifts of His wisdom. He bars no man from this covenant who, from a sincere desire for repentance and amendment of life, seeks to approach the Lord directly and partake of His benefits. And it is the depth of this sincerity, based on the preparation that he makes for the sacrament, not the depth of his doctrinal understanding, that brings about its efficacy. Even those who know nothing about the Lord, and have no idea of the Divine except from the images which they see with their eyes and the idols which they can touch with their hands, can enjoy a conjunction of the Lord with them if the good of charity and obedience are within their gross ideas. Yet for this church the Lord has opened the possibility of conjunctions more full and perfect, "for conjunction of the Lord with man is according to the state of his thought and the derivative affection."
     * Luke 22: 15.
     So we are taught that "they who are in the most holy idea concerning the Lord, and at the same time in the knowledges and affections of good and truth - as those can be who are within the church - are conjoined with the Lord in respect to His Divine rational; whereas they who are not in such holiness, nor in such interior idea and affection, and yet are in the good of charity, are conjoined with the Lord in respect to His Divine natural. They who have a holiness of a still grosser kind are conjoined with the Lord in respect to His Divine sensuous; and this conjunction is what is represented by the brazen serpent, in that those who looked at it recovered from the bite of the serpents (Numbers 21: 9). In this conjunction are those among the Gentiles who worship idols, and yet live in charity according to their religion." *
     * AC 4211.
     It is clear, then, that all who are sincere in their approach to the Lord's Supper will benefit from its administration. No one need fear to partake because he does not fully comprehend the nature of the effect of the sacrament. Let him merely know that if he comes to the Lord with a humble and penitent heart for sins committed, the Lord, by means of this sacrament, will give him, as in no other way, new strength to shun and overcome those sins.
     A man may be conscious of no emotional uplifting at the time of the sacrament; unaware of any release from spiritual pressures or burdens. Yet there may have been given a new reservoir of spiritual strength that will not be tapped until a later time of need.

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It is always difficult to measure spiritual qualities such as are received as benefits from the Holy Supper when it is worthily approached. However, we can be certain of one thing. We can be certain of the promise of the Lord's invitation: "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." *
     * Matthew 11: 28-30.
In Memoriam THE REVEREND JOAO DE MENDONCA LIMA 1965

In Memoriam THE REVEREND JOAO DE MENDONCA LIMA              1965

     The Rev. Joao de Mendonca Lima, pastor of the Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Society of the General Church, died on February 16, 1965. Mr. Lima was not well known in the church outside of his own country; but his work was much appreciated by those who knew of it, and in publishing the following memorial notice - prepared by the secretary of the Society, Mr. Jose Lopes de Figueiredo - we would associate the General Church with the gratitude expressed in it and with the affectionate mention of his wife, Mrs. Roza de Mendonca Lima.
     "Our beloved Pastor Joao de Mendonca Lima, who was in poor health since November 1964, did not recover from his illness and passed into the spiritual world on Tuesday, February 16. Although we are sure that our Lord in His omniscience knows why He called him, we feel that it was a great loss to our Society.
     "Born on April 12, 1887, he accepted the faith of the New Church on March 18, 1906; was ordained into the first and second degrees of the priesthood on August 5, 1928; and was then appointed minister of the Rio de Janeiro Society. In 1950, when the Rev. Henry Leonardos entered into the spiritual world, he took charge of the church as our pastor.
     "He worked with energy and enthusiasm during his priesthood and performed his duties with great zeal and devotion to the Lord. He wrote and translated hundreds of sermons and translated also into Portuguese the following of Swedenborg's theological works: New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine, Conjugial Love, True Christian Religion and Divine Love and Wisdom.
     "He was a faithful servant of the Lord who did his best to promote the knowledge of the Heavenly Doctrine.

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All of us, members of the Rio de Janeiro Society, give thanks to the Lord for the privilege of having known and loved him.
     "His wife, Mrs. Roza de Mendonca Lima, who had been a helpful support to him during his priesthood, and who cared for him with great love during his illness, certainly will miss her husband in the days to come. But she knows that the Rev. Joao de Mendonca Lima has entered into the kingdom of uses, which is the ultimate destiny of man; and we, the members of the Society, know that his spirit will inspire all of us with a more intense trust in the Lord."
EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL 1965

EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL       DAVID R. SIMONS       1965

     The 1965 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 20, to Friday noon, August 27, inclusive.
     Members of the General Church who are teaching, whether in society schools or not, are invited to attend the following series of classes: "Anatomy" (10 classes), by Dean Charles S. Cole; "The Most Ancient and Ancient Churches" (6 classes), by the Rev. Ormond Odhner; "Inquiry into Aesthetics" (6 classes), by Professor E. Bruce Glenn. Please notify the Rev. David R. Simons if you plan to attend and need accommodations.
     DAVID R. SIMONS,
          Program Chairman
BRITISH ACADEMY SUMMER SCHOOL 1965

BRITISH ACADEMY SUMMER SCHOOL       FRANK S. ROSE       1965

     The Seventh British Academy Summer School will be held August 14-28, 1965, at Slepe Hall, St. Ives, Huntingdonshire, England. The school, which will accommodate sixty people in pleasant dormitories, is 62 miles north of London, 12 miles from Cambridge, and 60 miles from Colchester.
     The Rev. Donald Rose and the Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz, assistant to the pastor in Glenview, will be on the teaching staff, and we hope to have other teachers, either full-time or for occasional visits.
     The charge will be L7 ($19.60) for the two weeks, or L4 for those who come for one week only. The school is open to anyone fourteen years old and over, and we have already had inquiries from six different countries.
     FRANK S. ROSE,
          Headmaster

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ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS 1965

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS       ERIK SANDSTROM       1965

     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 26-29, 1965, the Bishop of the General Church, the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, presiding.
     Following the practice of preceding years the Bishop held meetings with pastors and headmasters on Monday, January 25, and also a meeting of his Consistory, all members, local and distant, being present. Also, on the same day, the General Church Publication Committee, under the chairmanship of the Rev. R. S. Junge, took the opportunity of having a meeting in which distant members joined with those residing in Bryn Athyn. One afternoon in the week was allotted to a meeting of the Rev. Harold C. Cranch's Committee on Church Extension. The Council held six regular sessions. On Saturday morning, January 30, 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 six members of the ministerial degree, in all thirty: namely, the Right Rev. George de Charms, the Rev. Messrs. Elmo C. Acton, Kurt H. Asplundh, Harold C. Cranch, Roy Franson, Victor J. Gladish, W. Cairns Henderson, B. David Holm, Geoffrey H. Howard, Robert S. Junge, Louis B. King, Hugo Lj. Odhner, Ormond Odhner, Dandridge Pendleton, Martin Pryke, Norman H. Reuter, Morley D. Rich, Norbert H. Rogers, Donald L. Rose, Erik Sandstrom (secretary), Frederick L. Schnarr, David R. Simons, Kenneth O. Stroh, Alfred Acton II, Peter M. Buss, Robert H. P. Cole, Raymond G. Cranch, Kurt P. Nemitz and Lorentz R. Soneson. Candidates Daniel W. Goodenough and Willard L. D. Heinrichs were present by invitation.
     The Minutes of the 1964 meetings were approved as published in NEW CHURCH LIFE, pp. 166-169.
     The series of meetings was opened with an impressive service in the Cathedral Chapel, conducted by the Bishop and with the Rev. Kenneth 0. Stroh at the organ. The individual sessions were opened with a briefer form of worship in the Council Chamber.

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     In introducing the first session Bishop Pendleton read his Report for 1964 as Bishop of the General Church, President of the Academy of the New Church, and Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church. He referred to the passing of the Rev. Alfred Wynne Acton to the spiritual world, and arranged for a memorial resolution to be presented at the meeting of the Joint Council. Several subjects were on the Docket, and a number of papers had been circulated in advance. The matter of the 1966 General Assembly was specially mentioned, and the Bishop suggested that the Council discuss this subject on Friday and present it for decision to the Joint Council on Saturday.
     Messages of greeting were received from several absent members. The secretary was instructed to acknowledge these, and also to send a letter of appreciation to the ladies who provided refreshments during all morning recesses. As usual arrangements were made for letters to be written to absent members.

     The Program Committee presented two addresses, both on the general doctrine of the priesthood and based on the following teaching: "Priests ought to teach men the way to heaven, and also to lead them" (HD 315). The Rev. Erik Sandstrom approached the subject from the aspect of leading principles, and the Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr from that of practical applications. The two papers supplemented each other well, and a useful discussion followed them.
     Two other major papers, both circulated in advance, were also considered. Prior to the discussion of these, the authors summarized their contents. One paper was by the Rev. Dandridge Pendleton and dealt with "Some Questions Concerning New Church Educational Theory and Application"; and the other study, by the Rev. Robert S. Junge, took up the problem of "Nationality and Race (Leading to the Question of Inter-Racial Marriage)."
     In addition there were briefer addresses as follows: 1) "Ought We for any Reason to Refer to the General Church of the New Jerusalem as 'Swedenborgian'?" (Rev. E. Sandstrom); 2) " 'Eat not so Much' - Problems Relating to Swedenborg's Call" and 3) "Can we Pool our Findings and Notes, so as to Expand the Swedenborg Concordance?" (both by Rev. Donald L. Rose); 4) "A Discussion of the State of the Moral Virtues in the General Church" (Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr); 5) "What is the Legitimate Use of Another Man's Work by a Priest?"; 6) "Is the Good of the Higher Degree or is the Truth of the Higher Degree in the 'Heavenly Marriage' (cf. AC 3952 and 3314)"; 7) "To what Degree can Hereditary Tendencies to Evil be Restrained from Passing to Future Generations?" (5-7, Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh). In addition, the Rev. Harold C. Cranch distributed mimeographed copies of several sections of a projected full manual of missionary work, assembled together in book form and under the title "Evangelization and the New Church."

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     A number of Reports had been circulated in advance through the office of the Secretary of the General Church. As Chairman of the Liturgy Committee, Bishop De Charms reported that the following were in page proof: Sentences, Offices, Sacraments and Rites, Psalter, Commandments, Law, Gospel, General Confessions of Faith, General Doctrine, Prayers, Doxologies, and Hebrew Anthems; also that the Anthems and the Festival Hymns were in galley-proof, and that the General Hymns were nearly ready for the printer. The Antiphons and Chants were still in the process of revision. He hoped it might be possible to complete publication by next June, and stated that in the meantime he planned a series of short articles for the NEW CHURCH LIFE by way of introducing the Revised Liturgy.
     The Editor of New Church Life, the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, reported that the contents of the journal in 1964 came from 40 contributors - 25 ministerial and 12 lay, the latter including three ladies. He hoped for a greater variety of literary contributors, and observed that the journal should reflect the lay thought of the church as well as that of the clergy.

     As Secretary of the General Church the Rev. Robert S. Junge showed that the total membership of the General Church at the end of 1964 stood at 3088. Ninety-one new members had been received during the year; five had resigned; eleven had been dropped from the roll; and there had been sixty-two deaths.
     The Rev. Robert S. Junge also reported as Chairman of the Publications Committee. The mimeographed book, Discipline, by the Rev. Martin Pryke had been reprinted, and a revised Handbook of the General Church was almost ready to go out for bids. The Committee had authorized the printing of a missionary pamphlet by the Rev. Harold C. Cranch on the subject of the internal sense of the Word. Efforts had been initiated to keep the Reader's Guide up to date, and to solicit new missionary pamphlets from the clergy. Mr. Junge also noted that the General Church Book Center had been moved from Glenview to Bryn Athyn, and expressed deep appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lee for their work in the past and to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Fitzpatrick, Sr., for taking on the work at the new location. The Committee and the Book Center were studying an idea to begin a New Church Reader's Club.
     The Rev. Harold C. Cranch, for the Church Extension Committee, reported that 15 pastors and ministers had attended the Committee meeting on the previous day.

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One copy of the missionary manual had been sent to each Epsilon Society and to each library in the church. Of the Sunday School manual 200 copies had been distributed, and another 100 would be published. A Sunday School Sub-Committee, consisting of the Rev. Messrs. Harold C. Cranch, Norbert H. Rogers (Director, Religion Lessons) and Robert S. Junge (Secretary of the General Church), had been set up with a view to adapting the Religion Lessons for Sunday School purposes.
     The report by the Rev. Norbert H. Rogers, Director of the Religion Lessons Committee, stated that at present 196 families receive lessons, and that these families include 446 children. In addition 58 children make use of the lesson material under the direct supervision of two visiting pastors; and further material is sent in bulk to England and South Africa where it is used in locally organized and administered programs. The journal NEW CHURCH EDUCATION has 527 paying subscribers at present.
     The major feature of the last session (prior to the joint session) was the discussion of the 1966 General Assembly. Since decision lay in the hands of the Joint Council this discussion was preliminary and exploratory. June Nineteenth falls on a Sunday in 1966. It became evident that the Council favored commencing the Assembly on the evening of the preceding Wednesday and closing after a service of worship on Sunday. Two invitations were introduced, one on behalf of the Pittsburgh Society by the Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh, and the other by the Rev. Erik Sandstrom for the North Ohio Circle (Cleveland). The advantage of holding an Assembly under the auspices of a fully established local society was weighed against that of an Assembly forming a self-contained unit on one and the same campus. However, costs and available dates at the two sites were also in the balance. A fuller orientation was to be presented to the Joint Council by the two pastors.

     As usual, the official program was interspersed with several social functions which served to extract the atmosphere of friendship from that of business. The Rev. and Mrs. W. Cairns Henderson initiated the series with a dinner for the members of the Bishop's Consistory and their wives. On Tuesday there was a luncheon at which the clergy mixed with members of the General Faculty. Bishop Pendleton entertained the members of the Council and the two Candidates for dinner on Wednesday, while at the same time Mrs. George de Charms was hostess to the wives. 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 under the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Pitcairn, whose flower-laden, long eliptical table, seating about 50 guests, is engraved on the retina as a symbol of unity.

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After a community supper on Friday evening the Bryn Athyn Society was addressed by the Rev. Donald L. Rose on the subject of "Swedenborg's Affections," after which the Civic and Social Club held Open House. There were also numerous other luncheons and dinners of a more private nature. All the busy talk and joyous laughter must have testified to our gracious hosts and hostesses how much these occasions are valued, the more so since it is normally only once a year that the whole clergy has an opportunity to meet with colleagues and other friends.
     Respectfully submitted,
          ERIK SANDSTROM,
               Secretary, The Council of the Clergy
JOINT COUNCIL 1965

JOINT COUNCIL       ROBERT S. JUNGE       1965

     JANUARY 30, 1965

     1. The 71st regular joint 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 a.m. on January 30, 1965, in the Council Chamber of the Bryn Athyn Church, by a reading from the Gospel of John, portions of Chapter 15, and prayer in which all joined.
     2. Attendance:
Of the Clergy: Rt. Rev. W. D. Pendleton, presiding; Rt. Rev. G. de Charms; Rev. Messrs. A. Acton, E. C. Acton, K. H. Asplundh, P. M. Buss, R. H. P. Cole, H. C. Cranch, R. G. Cranch, R. Franson, V. J. Gladish, W. C. Henderson, B. D. Holm, G. H. Howard, R. S. Junge, L. B. King, K. P. Nemitz, H. Lj. Odhner, O. D. Odhner, D. Pendleton, N. H. Reuter, M. D. Rich, N. H. Rogers, D. L. Rose, E. Sandstrom, F. L. Schnarr, D. R. Simons, L. R. Soneson, K. O. Stroh; and by invitation, Candidates D. Goodenough, Jr. and W. Heinrichs. (31)

Of the Laity: K. C. Acton, Esq., R. H. Asplundh, G. C. Doering, Esq., L. E. Gyllenhaal, A. H. Hasen, K. Hyatt, J. F. Junge, E. B. Lee, A. H. Lindsay, Esq., H. K. Morley, P. C. Pendleton, Esq., R. Pitcairn, Esq., S. Pitcairn, O. I. Powell, R. Rose, G. M. Smith, D. H. Stebbing, R. Synnestvedt, R. E. Walter, G. H. Woodard. (20)

     3.     The Bishop directed attention to three policy statements circulated prior to the meetings. He then introduced the two proposed policies regarding financial support from the General Church for the further education of ministers and teachers. He pointed out that such policies must in the final analysis be determined by the Board of Directors, but that it was useful that this Joint Council give them consideration.
     This discussion was generally favorable.

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It was pointed out that the intention was not to limit the course work to merely academic courses, but the proposals would mean that any courses would be supported which would further the genuine professional development of the teachers or ministers.

     4.     The Bishop then introduced the third proposed policy. This proposed policy would indicate the conditions under which the General Church would consider financial aid to initiate or expand local society schools.
     Rev. N. H. Reuter expressed his general delight in the policy, but questioned mentioning the specific number of years required for a society to be self-supporting in order to receive funds.
     Rev. Louis King thought that the plan was excellent and hoped that it would pass. He assumed that it would apply to any local school such as Glenview, should they add a tenth grade in their new facilities in the future.
     Bishop Pendleton replied that his understanding was that if it was under the society it was a society school and therefore would qualify under the proposed policy.
     Rev. F. L. Schnarr observed that the policy did not cover support of schools which were in difficulty.
     Rev. W. C. Henderson expressed the feeling that stating the definite number of years would give the society a goal to work for.
     Rev. D. Holm felt that it might be more clearly stated that the society should demonstrate an overall stability.
     At the conclusion of the discussion, during which a number of others commented, the Bishop referred the matter to the April meeting of the Board of Directors.

     5. The Rev. Erik Sandstrom (who had been temporarily called from the meeting) then offered the following resolution in recognition of the Rev. A. Wynne Acton's call to the spiritual world, which was adopted with a rising vote and a tribute of silence:

     "Whereas the Lord in His Providence called our brother ALFRED WYNNE ACTON into the spiritual world on June 28, 1964, be it resolved that this Joint Council record the deep affection and the high esteem in which he was held throughout the Church on account of his pastoral leadership, scholarship, and personal qualities; and be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be sent to his wife.
     "The Reverend A. Wynne Acton was born in the year 1906 and raised in Bryn Athyn, and went through all its schools. After his graduation from the Theological School in 1932 and his subsequent ordination into the priesthood he was sent to London, England, to assist Bishop Tilson in the society and among the isolated in the country. In due course he became assistant pastor and finally pastor of the society. His pastorate included the war years; and especially at this time he and wife endeared themselves to the whole General Church membership in Britain and elsewhere, because of their leadership and courage.

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     "In 1946 Mr. Acton accepted a call to become pastor of the Toronto Society in Canada, and in 1954 he went to Durban, South Africa, to become pastor of the society there and superintendent of the mission. In these latter functions he continued until his death.
     "In addition to his pastoral duties he gave considerable time to scholarly work. Thus he became a member of the Advisory and Revision Board of the Swedenborg Society in London and in that capacity rendered several services, notably the new translation of the first volume of the Spiritual Diary.
     "His whole ministry took place outside his native country. However, here as elsewhere he was known as a man of doctrinal clarity and gentle patience coupled with firm leadership whenever leadership was called for."

     The Bishop spoke of his coming visit to South Africa and how much he had looked forward to being with Mr. and Mrs. Acton on his return visit. He also spoke of the love and devotion of the native ministers which had a quality all its own, and how they looked to him as a father. He mentioned that while Mr. Acton had never served in his own country the Lord had taken him to a much better country.

     6. Rev. D. R. Simons then offered the following resolution to be sent to Mr. and Mrs. Warren David:

     "The Council of the Clergy and the Board of Directors of the General Church wish to express their appreciation for the Hymnal which your diligent and careful work has produced. This addition to the uses of family and school worship will have a great influence on our children for many years to come, and we know you will be rewarded in untold ways for your love and skillful work."

     The resolution passed unanimously with additional comments and praise for the work.

     7. Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Treasurer, reported informally. He stated in general that 1964 was an unusually busy, successful and rewarding year. Both the amount of contributions and the number contributing are up substantially. He expressed particular appreciation for the personal interest of Mr. James F. Junge in the investment program; also his thanks to the many pastors and laymen whose cooperation helped make 1964 such a successful year. (A fuller report can be seen on p. 193.)

     8. Mr. P. C. Pendleton, Chairman of the Salary Committee, also reported informally regarding discussions held in the Board of Directors meetings. He stressed that the recommendations were not for immediate action but rather for consideration of the people back home. The committee wants advice and counsel. He noted proposals for a series of two increases to the teachers' salaries, also, a change regarding the differential of Canadian and American salary scales.

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Further, the committee recommended an increase in the base pay of the ministers. Changes also are suggested regarding the allowance for a parsonage. In addition, a change is proposed in the percentage of the minimum U. S. salary scale in England and Australia.
     He stressed the problems involved in setting these scales when you try to reconcile various standards of living, fluctuating currencies, etc. Considerable discussion followed concerning the details of these proposals which is not noted here since each society treasurer will be notified by letter as to how these proposed changes would affect his area.
     Rev. M. Pryke expressed appreciation for the way in which these proposals were being presented and the willingness to discuss and work out difficulties. He was sure that these things could be worked out one way or another.
     Bishop Pendleton expressed his appreciation to the Operating Policy Committee and to the Salary Committee.
     The meeting then recessed for tea.

     9. On reconvening, the minutes of the previous annual meeting were accepted as published in the April, 1964, issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE.

     10. The last hour of the meeting was devoted to the time and place of the next General Assembly. Rev. K. H. Asplundh presented an invitation from the Pittsburgh Society and described the very adequate facilities of Carnegie Tech., which the Pittsburgh Society proposed to use to house the Assembly.
     Rev. E. Sandstrom presented an invitation from the North Ohio Circle and described the very adequate facilities of Oberlin. College, which the Circle proposed to use to house the Assembly. Considerable discussion followed. It seemed to focus on three points.
     a.) The Assembly at Oberlin could begin on the 15th and end on the 19th. This would allow students to return home more promptly for summer jobs and also require only one week of time off from work to attend graduation and the Assembly. The Assembly in Pittsburgh could not begin until June 18th and so would carry over into the following week or else begin on June 22nd. It was felt that either later start might cut down attendance.
     b.) The cost at Oberlin in Ohio would be slightly over $8.00 a day and at Carnegie Tech. in Pittsburgh would be slightly over $11.00 a day. While this was not considered an essential consideration, it was felt it was a definite factor which might affect attendance.
     c.) The use to the society and circle and the use to the General Church as a whole was also discussed.

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Both locations are quite central to the major societies in the United States and in Canada. Some expressed strong feelings favoring the benefits to a society performing such a use, though there would, of course, be benefits to a circle. Others expressed the feeling that an experiment where to some degree all would be "guests" might be useful.
     At the close of the discussion the tenor of which became more and more apparent, the Rev. K. H. Asplundh wished the Cleveland Circle luck and a useful Assembly.
     Mr. P. C. Pendleton formally moved that we accept the invitation of the North Ohio Circle to have the Assembly at Oberlin College beginning Wednesday, June 15, 1966. The motion was seconded and carried.
     Bishop Pendleton expressed our deep appreciation of the work of the Canadian societies and to the Pittsburgh Society who had worked hard to explore the possibility of inviting the Assembly. He also expressed appreciation of Pittsburgh's understanding of the problems in the choice.
     Mr. A. Lindsay noted that whereas Pittsburgh would have loved to have had the Assembly, they would invite us again. He was curious to see how this experiment worked as there are many beautiful campuses in the country. To his mind it might perform a very valuable use to the church if this type of Assembly worked out. He saw no reason why it should not. Pittsburgh would love to have the Assembly, make no mistake, but this could open up a whole new phase to Assemblies in the Church.
     Bishop Pendleton noted the uses of having Assemblies in conjunction with societies, but also expressed interest in this experiment as being possibly the direction in which we will have to move. He felt that the whole Church would look forward to the coming Assembly in Oberlin.

     11. The meeting then discussed the rules of Oberlin College regarding the use of alcoholic beverages on the campus. It was pointed out that this would not interfere with our administration of the Holy Supper nor with the serving of wine at the banquet if it was desired. However, after considerable discussion the following motion of Mr. G. Doering was duly seconded and carried.
     "This body requests that the guests of the General Assembly comply with the requirement of Oberlin College that no alcoholic beverages be brought on the campus."
     It was moved to instruct the Secretary to thank the ladies for serving refreshments. The meeting adjourned at 12:30 P.M.
     Respectfully submitted,
          ROBERT S. JUNGE,
          Secretary

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ANNUAL REPORTS 1965

ANNUAL REPORTS       Various       1965

     SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH

     During the year 1964, ninety-two members were received into the General Church. Five resigned. Eleven were dropped from the roll. Sixty-two deaths were reported. On January 1, 1965, the roll contained 3088 names.
Membership, January 1, 1964                    3074
          (U.S.A. - 1970, Other Countries - 1104)
     New Members (cert. 5130 - 5222)               92
          (U.S.A. - 65, Others - 27)
     Deaths Reported                         62
          (U.S.A. - 42, Others - 20)
     Resignations                              5                         
          (U.S.A. - 4, Others - 1)
     Dropped from the roll                         11
          (U.S.A. - 7, Others - 4)
     Losses (U.S.A. - 53, Others - 25)               78

Net gain during 1964                         14

     Membership, January 1, 1965                    3088
(U.S.A. - 1982, Others - 1106)

NEW MEMBERS
January 1, 1964 to December 31, 1964

THE UNITED STATES

California:     Canoga Park
Mr. Donald Zuber

California:     Glendale
Mr. Jonathan Pearse Cranch

California:     Inglewood
Mr. Peter Klippensteen
Mrs. Peter (Eva Jennie Westland) Klippensteen

Florida:     Sarasota
Mrs. Carl T. (Alice Virginia Johnson) Knapp

Georgia:     Atlanta
Mr. Donald Duryea Woodworth

Illinois:     Glenview
Miss Alice Thankful Coffin
Miss Katherine Coffin
Mr. Charles Kenneth Cole, II
Mr. Kent Bradfield Fuller
Mr. Roy Herbert Fuller
Mrs. Roy Herbert (Gayle Katheryn Jeronimus) Fuller
Mr. Jean Paul Richter, III
Mrs. Jean Paul (Barbara Ann Baumann) Richter, III

     Michigan:     Pontiac
Miss Charlotte Blanche Osmun

     Michigan:     Troy
Mr. John Nelson Howard

New Jersey: Millburn
Miss Margaret Anne York

Ohio: Urbana
Miss Elizabeth Fifield Barnitz

     Oklahoma:     Strong City
Mrs. Lee (Helen Christine Roark) Lackey



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Pennsylvania:     Bryn Athyn District
Miss Janet Kristina Charles
Mrs. Aaron F. (Margrethe Nilsina Kofod) Charles
Mrs. Carita (Thora Ingeborg Carita Hedegaard) Christensen
Miss Freja Cronlund
Mr. Thomas Dudley Davis
Miss Kathleen de Maine
Mrs. Nora Price de Salinas
Miss Constance Field
Miss Emily R. Finkeldey
Mrs. Guy B. (Jacqueline Ann Rea) Frick, Jr.
Mr. Gerald Douglas Halterman
Miss Martha Duane Hyatt
Miss Dana Junge
Mrs. Glen Owen (Linda Allen) Klippenstein
Miss Erica Mary Lavine
Miss Lynn Diane Mattner
Mr. Paul Stephen Mergen
Mr. John Carroll Molloy, III
Miss Doris Odhner
Mr. David James Roscoe
Mr. Sigurd Pelle Rosenquist
Miss Jane Elizabeth Scalbom
Miss Andri Simons
Mr. Carey Neal Smith
Mr. Gaylor F. Smith
Mr. Willard Owen Smith, Jr.
Mrs. Willard Dean (Phyllis Lenore Stroemple) Thomas
Mr. Fred Gilbert Wallen
Mrs. Fred Gilbert (Ada Virginia King) Wallen
Miss Karen Sue Wille
Miss Linda Wille
Miss Wilma Patricia Williamson
Miss Merrilynn Wilson

Pennsylvania:     Erie
Mrs. Joseph Daniel (Carolyn Johnson) Yaple

     Pennsylvania: Freeport
Miss Carol Ann Lindsay
     
     Pennsylvania: Philadelphia
Mr. John Daniel Hellma
Mrs. John Daniel (Nancy Kay Lauffer) Heilman
Mr. Edward Lewis Rogers

     Pennsylvania:     Pittsburgh
Mr. William Fuller Blair
Mrs. William Fuller (Dorothea Williamson) Blair
Mrs. David A. (Judith Anne Nemitz) Griffiths
Mr. Duncan Gilbert Smith

     Pennsylvania:     State College
Mr. Roy Hall Rose
Mrs. Roy Hall (Judith Ann Larsson) Rose

     Wisconsin:     West Allis
Mr. Richard Harvey Bethge Mrs. Richard Harvey (Junita Marian Bray) Bethge

CANADA

British Columbia: Dawson Creek
Mr. Daniel Friesen
Mrs. Daniel (Margaret Carol Swanson) Friesen
Mr. Dave Friesen
Mrs. Dave (Pearl June Ramstead) Friesen

British Columbia: Fort St. John
Mr. Harry Friesen
Mrs. Harry (Isabelle Marie Louise Eagle) Friesen
Mr. Robert Aloys Schaeffer
Mrs. Robert Aloys (Mary Frances Straughan) Schaeffer

British Columbia: Vancouver
Mr. Ronald Douglas Crompton
Miss Sandra Jane de Chazal
Mr. Gerald Wayne Penner
Mrs. Gerald Wayne (Sandra Jean Musgreave) Penner

Ontario: Kitchener
Miss Carol Jane Schnarr

     Ontario:     Rexdale
Miss Elizabeth Anne Orr



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Ontario:     Scarborough
Miss Jennifer Scott

     Ontario:     Toronto
Mrs. Basil C. L. (Miriam Ann Melville) Orchard

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil:     Rio de Janeiro
Sra. Alberto Carlos de Mendonca (Leila Pareira da Fonseca) Lima

EUROPE

     Denmark:     Copenhagen
Mrs. Hans Sigurd (Elsa Karen Ruth Hedegaard) Jorgesen

The Netherlands: The Hague
Mr. Arie Weher
Mrs. Arie (Bernadine Antonia Geysel) Weber

Norway:     Oslo
Mr. Eyvind Holdal Boyesen
Mrs. Eyvind Holdal (Marcia Lynn Synnestvedt) Boyesen

     Sweden:     Jonkoping
Mrs. Sam Mauritz Rune (Maj Gunhild Eriksson) Fornander

     Sweden:     Nasby Park
Mr. Alf Erik Bryntesson

     Sweden:     Vallingby
Miss Karin Gunilla Loven

NEW ZEALAND

Auckland
Mrs. Cecil Reginald (Irene Blanche Curd) Andrew

SOUTH AFRICA

Durban
Miss Jeanne Alix Mayer

DEATHS

Reported during 1964

Acton, The Rev. Alfred Wynne, June 28, 1964, Durban, Natal. (57)
Alden, Miss Carrie Louise, January 18, 1964, Chicago, Ill. (53)
Alden, The Rev. Karl Richardson, January 3, 1964, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (72)
Anderson, Mr. Stanley Hewings, May 23, 1964, Weston, Ontario, Canada. (71)
Bellinger, Miss Lucinda, April 18, 1964, Kitchener, Ont., Canada. (91)
Bostock, Mr. Francis Gabriel, January 19, 1964, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (73)
Burt, Mrs. J. Arthur (Emma T. Ziegler), May 23, 1963, Beverly Hills, Calif. (94)
Caldwell, Mrs. Robert Beebe (Luelle Pendleton), September 17, 1964, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (90)
Childs, Mrs. Geoffrey S. (Olivia Waelchli), June 17, 1964, Meadowbrook, Abington Township, Pa. (75)
Cole, Mr. Harold Frederic, May 23, 1964, Canoga Park, Cal. (53)
Cowing, Mrs. Irene (Wagner), November 29, 1964, Cincinnati, Ohio. (82)
Dahlberg, Mr. Alfred Theodore, Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Davis, Mr. Frederick Grant, August 29, 1964, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (88)
Davis, Mr. Thomas Wier, May 19, 1964, Columbia, S. C. (61)
Doyer, Mrs. Louisa Eleonora (Ostdahl), Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Ebert, Mr. Charles H., April 11, 1964, Warrington, Pa. (84)
Engelties, Mr. Herman Gerard, August 8, 1964, The Hague, The Netherlands. (80)
Evans, Miss Pearl, Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Evans, Miss Ruby D., July 17, 1964, Erie, Pa. (74)
Gianoli, Mr. Louis, Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Glenn, Mrs. Ernest Bruce (Alice Margaret Henderson), October 9, 1964, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (46)

184



Grant, Mrs. William H. (Ella Janette Logan), Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Green, Mr. George, March 11, 1962, Thorofare, N. J. Delayed report.
Green, Mrs. George (Leah Klenk), May 1,1959, Thorofare, N. J. Delayed report.
Gustafson, Mr. Karl Hjalmar, Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Gyllenhaal, Mr. Alvin Gabriel, March 22, 1964, Libertyville, Ill. (80)
Heaton, Mr. George Bender, November 19, 1964, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (85)
Heilman, Marlin Webster, M.D., August 19, 1964, Abington, Pa. (81)
Herbeck, Mr. Charles Valentine, Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Herbeck, Mrs. Charles Valentine (Cicily (Fincke) Thairgen), Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Hicks, Mr. Darrel P., December 12, 1963, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (70)
Horigan, Mrs. Elmer Gerald (Hazel Rosalie Willke), January 14, 1964, Bethel Park, Pa. (61)
Hult, Mrs. G. (Gerda Klara Elisabeth Dahlback), Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Ingersoll, Mr. Frank William, Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Izzard, Mr. Herbert Percy, May 4,1964, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (78)
Kaley, Mrs. Rebekah Kirk, Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Kobberoe, Mrs. Hans P. (Henriette Marie Hansen), October 23, 1963, Spokane, Wash. (83)
Lange, Mrs. Franklin (Daisy Lavinia Steen), February 26, 1964, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. (86)
Lawson, Mrs. Earl (Sylvia Merrell), February 1, 1964, Wilmington, Del. (34)
Lewin, Miss Edith Margaret, July 29, 1964, Bath, Somerset, England. (55)
Martin, Mr. Jules, August 11, 1939, Lausanne, Switzerland. (89) Delayed report.
Matthiesen, Mrs. Anna Adolfina Naas, Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
McLellan, Mrs. John Aiken (Mary M. Doering), Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
McQueen, Mr. George Alexander, March 7, 1964, Chicago, Ill. (79)
Miller, Mrs. Edwin Marshall (Viola Jane Evens), March 15, 1964.
Moren, Mr. Hugo K., December 19, 1962, Karistad, Sweden. (81) Delayed report.
Peterson, Mr. Robert William, Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Pitcairn, Mrs. Harold Frederick (Clara Margaret Davis), May 24, 1964, Abington, Pa. (68)
Rose, Mr. Donald Frank, February 7, 1964, Meadowbrook, Abington Township, Pa. (74)
Searle, Mr. Alfred Harold, February 22, 1964, Bromley, Kent, England. (88)
Sherman, Miss Alice, Date and place unknown. Delayed report.
Smith, Mr. Earl Sontag, July 29, 1964, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (78)
Stevens, Mr. Jesse Victor, November 18, 1964, Evanston, Ill. (83)
Stroh, Mr. Emil Frederick, April 27, 1964, Ontario, Calif. (82)
Stroh, Mr. Nathaniel, July 2, 1964, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. (74)
Svahan, Mrs. Anders Emil (Hilda Josefina Orre), February 26, 1964, Jonkoping, Sweden. (75)
Sweet, Mrs. Bessie May Rodgers, March 24, 1949, Portland, Ore. (77) Delayed report.
Thorell, Mr. Anton, October 24, 1963, Torsas, Sweden. (97) Delayed report.
Urban, Mr. Clarence William, March 13, 1964, Lawrence Park, Pa. (76)

185



Walker, Mrs. William Wayne (Frederica Dorothy Howells), July 7, 1964, La Mesa, Calif. (64)
White, Mrs. Charles F. (Jennie Elda Yarnall), April 19, 1964, Huntingdon Valley, Pa. (58)
White, Mrs. John Alexander (Clarabel Edith Lorinda Bowman), July 13, 1964, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada. (81)
Wild, Mr. Norman, November 29, 1962, Rochdale, Lancs., England. (68) Delayed report.

RESIGNATIONS

Brown, Mr. William Edward, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Howard, Mr. James E., Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Howard, Mrs. James E. (Claire Lucille Plymale), Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Wilson, Mr. Robert Burns, London, England.
York, Mrs. Donald L. (Joanne Rough Cranch), Huntington, New York.

DROPPED FROM THE ROLL

Colley, Mr. John E., Atlanta, Georgia.
Gratia-Deltenre, Mrs. Andre (Marie Emanuel Deltenre), Liege, Belgium.
Kriegels, Mlle. Madeleine M. E., Brussels, Belgium.
Lidman, Mrs. William P. (Louise Forsberg), Chicago, Ill.
Melzer, Mr. Adam Wright, Glenview, Illinois.
Metz, Mrs. Fred (Martha Julia Fritz), Apopka, Florida.
Persinger, Mrs. Richard Lee (Carol Louise Smith), Mt. Rainier, Maryland.
Schuster, Mr. Frederick C., Elmwood Park, Illinois.
Schuster, Mrs. Frederick C. (Lucille Hattie Hermann), Elmwood Park, Illinois.
Stokes, Mr. Edward Hartley, Adelaide, Australia.
Warrell, Miss Sarah Annie, St. John, N. B., Canada.

NOTE:     While we had an unusually large number of new members, our net gain is relatively low, due to an unusual number of members dropped from the roll, and delayed reports on deaths. During the coming year we expect also a large number of removals from the roll, but hope that our list will then be fully up to date.

     SOUTH AFRICAN MISSION

     No substantial statistical changes are reported this year. There are many uncertainties about future development. The government policy of separate development is being implemented at an increasing speed. Mr. Acton reported early in the year, "Whatever we may think of this from an ideological point of view - and there are pros and cons - there seems little doubt that this will be the tendency in South Africa for many years to come, and we must adapt our church policies accordingly. . . . The important point is that we have a group of well informed ministers devoted to the church, and a large lay body which is loyal to its teachings, though with various degrees of understanding. Through changing circumstances we may lose some of our members - perhaps it is an outcome of their celestial nature that the average African is not as aggressive in pursuing his ideas as the European. But whatever the immediate consequences of the troubled times ahead of us, I have no doubt that what has been established will not be lost, and the Lord will build His church in Africa."
Respectfully submitted,
     ROBERT S. JUNGE,
          Secretary


186




     COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY

     January 1, 1964, to January 1, 1965

     MEMBERSHIP

     The total membership of the Council consists of forty priests, the same number as in the previous year. There were two deaths, and two inaugurations into the priesthood during the year. The membership includes two priests of the episcopal degree, thirty-one of the pastoral degree, and seven of the ministerial degree. Of the forty members nine are retired or in secular work, some of whom are engaged in part-time priestly work or give occasional assistance to the pastoral office.
     In addition to the Bishop, nine of the thirty-one active members reside in Bryn Athyn; and eleven are in the pastoral field elsewhere in the United States. There are four priests in Canada, two in England, and one each in Australia, Brazil, Scandinavia and South Africa. Six of the nine priests in Bryn Athyn are wholly or essentially employed 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 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, in addition to the Superintendent, six priests of the pastoral degree and two of the ministerial degree. A list of the Clergy of the General Church and its Missions appears in NEW CHURCH LIFE, December, 1964, pp. 562-564.

     STATISTICS

     The statistics below concerning the Sacraments and Rites of the church administered in 1964, are compiled from 36 reports received by February 15, 1965. This excludes figures from one district. Final figures for 1963 are adduced for the sake of comparison.
     
1964          1963

Baptisms (Children 150; Adults 32)               182          198     (-16)
Holy Supper:     Administrations                    166          159     (+ 7)
Communicants                    4931          4474     (+457)
Confessions of Faith                         37          31     (+6)
Betrothals                              20          35     (-15)
Marriages                              35          43     (-8)
Ordinations                              2          5     (-3)               
Dedications:     Churches                    0          1     (-1)
Homes                         7          11     (-4)
Other                         1          1     
Funerals or Memorial Services                    52          44     (+8)

     REPORTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY

     The Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton served as Bishop of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, President of the Academy of the New Church, and Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church.

     BISHOP OF THE GENERAL CHURCH

Ordination:     On June 19, 1964, he officiated at the inauguration of Candidates Alfred Acton II and Peter Martin Buss into the first degree of the priesthood.

187




     Pastoral Appointments and Changes.     As Bishop he made certain appointments and effected certain changes in the pastoral field, as officially recorded in NEW CHURCH LIFE.

     Episcopal Visits.     From the standpoint of episcopal visits the year 1964 was a busy and useful year. In February and March the Bishop went to Scandinavia and England. While in Scandinavia he visited our circles in Copenhagen and Jonkoping, and the Stockholm Society. While in England he visited our societies in Colchester and London. Later in the year he also made visits to our societies in Toronto, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Glenview.
     One of the most interesting features of most of these visits was the opportunity to meet with the Joint Council of each society, and to discuss with them their problems and plans for future development. In England he took the opportunity to meet with a special council consisting of representatives of the two societies, of the British Finance Committee and the British Academy. In Glenview he responded to the invitation to dedicate the new addition to the Immanuel Church School. As a result of these visits he acquired a far greater appreciation of the work of the General Church in the circles and societies mentioned above.

     Assemblies.     1964 was an off year for Assemblies. Except for the annual British Assembly, which was presided over by Bishop De Charms, the only one held was the Tenth Peace River District Assembly. This was the Bishop's first visit to Dawson Creek, and he was greatly impressed by the growth and development in this area.

     Other Activities.     During the year he also presided over the Annual Meetings of the Council of the Clergy, the weekly meetings of the Consistory, and the meetings of the Corporation and Board of Directors. He also attended and gave a series of educational lectures to the Educational Council of the General Church.
     As Chairman of the Operating Committee he can report that we have made progress in formulating and recommending to the Board of Directors and to the Joint Council certain policies which he believes will promote the further development of the uses of the General Church.

PASTOR OF THE BRYN ATHYN CHURCH

     As Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church his responsibility was shared with Dean Acton who so ably sustained the many uses assigned to his office. Whenever possible he availed himself of the opportunity to conduct Divine worship, to preach, and to give doctrinal lectures. He also continued to preside at society meetings and meetings of the Board of Trustees. As Pastor he also co-operated with the Rev. David R. Simons in the conduct of the educational affairs of the rapidly growing elementary school. In this connection he would express his appreciation of the supervisory responsibility which has been taken by the Rev. David R. Simons and the Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson. Together they have organized a school of some four hundred children on a firm basis.

PRESIDENT OF THE ACADEMY

     As President of the Academy he is able to report that the uses of the institution are being sustained and developed. Our primary effort at this time is to meet the need of a constantly increasing demand for New Church higher education. Due to the intimate and vital relationship of the Academy and the General Church, its progress is a matter of special interest to all the members of the General Church. As his official report he refers to the published statement of the President of the Academy in the September issue of the Academy Journal.

188




     The Right Rev. George de Charms served as Bishop Emeritus of the General Church; President Emeritus of the Academy; and an Emeritus Professor of Theology.

THE GENERAL CHURCH

     At the request of Bishop Pendleton he presided at the Forty-ninth British Assembly which was held in London, England, July 17-19. He delivered the presidential address, preached, and administered the Holy Supper.
     He continued during the year to serve as Chairman of the Committee on the Revision of the Liturgy.
     During his visit to England he preached and conducted services once in Taunton, Somerset, and on two Sundays in Colchester.
     Over the week-end of February 7-9 he visited Glenview, Illinois, gave an address in celebration of Swedenborg's birthday, and preached.
     He also conducted services and preached at the Church of the General Convention in Wilmington, Delaware, on February 23, and at the church in Miami, Florida, on Easter Sunday.

THE BRYN ATHYN CHURCH

     At the invitation of the Dean he preached three times in the Cathedral, and he conducted a series of doctrinal classes to three separate groups on week-day evenings.

THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH

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

     The Rev. Elmo C. Acton was engaged as Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church in charge of the uses of worship, doctrinal instruction and social life in the Bryn Athyn Society.

     The Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh continued as Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society and Principal of the Pittsburgh New Church School.

     The Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen served as Pastor of the Stockholm Society; Visiting Pastor of the Circles at Copenhagen, Jonkoping, and Oslo; and Editor of the NOVA ECCLESIA.

     The Rev. Geoffrey Childs continued as Pastor of the Carmel Church (the Kitchener Society, Canada) and as Principal of the Carmel Church School.

     The Rev. Roy Franson was engaged as Resident Pastor of the Dawson Creek Group, B. C., Canada; and as Visiting Pastor of the Groups in Fort St. John and Vancouver, B. C.; Oyen and Crooked Creek, Alta.; Spokane and Seattle, Wash.; and Portland, Oreg.

     The Rev. Alan Gill, although retired, preached nineteen times, gave one children's address, and taught four subjects in the Colchester Day School.

     The Rev. Victor J. Gladish, in secular work, assisted in maintaining services at Sharon Church, Chicago, from January through July. He conducted fifteen services, including three administrations of the Holy Supper, and preached. In November he conducted an additional Holy Supper service. He also twice conducted services and preached in Glenview.

189




     The Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs served from January to June as Assistant Pastor of the Durban Society and Assistant Superintendent of the South African Mission, and after June as Pastor and Superintendent.

     The Rev. Henry Heinrichs was engaged as a part time Assistant to the Pastor of the Carmel Church (the Kitchener Society, Canada). He conducted services twelve times, preaching at eleven, gave two doctrinal classes, and rendered other assistance. He also conducted some services and doctrinal classes in Detroit and the Muskoka region, and preached three times in Toronto.

     The Rev. W. Cairns Henderson served as Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE; Dean of the Theological School of the Academy; Supervising Pastor of the Advent Church, Philadelphia (since Sept. 1); and Chairman of the General Church Sound Recording Committee. He taught four courses in the Academy and preached on thirteen Sundays in Bryn Athyn, Philadelphia and other places.

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

     The Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard was engaged as Resident Pastor of the Tucson Circle and Visiting Pastor of the San Diego Circle and the Phoenix, Arizona, Group.

     The Rev. Robert S. Junge served as Secretary of the General Church and as Visiting Pastor of the New England groups. Until Sept. 1 he also filled the positions of pro tem Director of the Religion Lessons and Editor of NEW CHURCH EDUCATION. As Secretary he organized the moving of the General Church Book Center to Bryn Athyn, and sent out occasional informative letters to all members of the Church. He taught Fine Arts in the Academy College, and served as Secretary of the General Church Operating Policy Committee.

     The Rev. Louis B. King continued as Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois, and as Headmaster of the Immanuel Church School.

     The Rev. Joao de Mendonca Lima, who is assisted by Candidate Josh Lopes de Figueiredo, continued as Pastor of the Rio de Janeiro Society, Brazil.

     The Rev . Hugo Lj. Odhner, semi-retired, served as a Special Teacher in the Academy College and Theological School. He preached seven times in various places and gave two memorial addresses. He saw through the press his book, Creation, and completed the final text (dittoed) of his Notes on the Human Organic, besides being otherwise active in the literary field.

     The Rev. Ormond Odhner continued as an Instructor in Religion and Church History in the Academy Schools and until June as Visiting Pastor of the Circle in New York City. He preached three times in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral.

     The Rev. Dandridge Pendleton, an Instructor in Religion in the Academy Schools, preached four times in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral and twice in Philadelphia.

     The Rev. Martin Pryke was engaged as Pastor of the Olivet Church, Toronto, Principal of the Olivet Day School and Visiting Pastor of the Montreal Circle. He served as Chairman of the Eastern Canada Executive Committee.

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

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     The Rev. Morley D. Rich continued as Resident Pastor of the Miami Circle and Visiting Pastor to families in Florida, Georgia and Alabama, and to groups in east-central Florida, in Atlanta (Georgia), Birmingham (Alabama) and St. Petersburg (Florida).

     The Rev. Norbert H. Rogers was until Aug. 31 engaged as Pastor of the Advent Church, Philadelphia, and subsequently as Director of Religion Lessons and Editor of NEW CHURCH EDUCATION. He also served as Visiting Pastor of the North New Jersey Circle and as an Instructor in Latin in the Academy Boys' School. He delivered an address to the Council of the Clergy.

     The Rev. Donald L. Rose served as Pastor of Michael Church, London, England, and as Visiting Pastor to Bristol, Somerset, and Paris, France.

     The Rev. Frank S. Rose, Pastor of the Colchester Society, England, and Visiting Pastor to Holland and some of the isolated in England, also served as Chairman of the British Academy, Chairman of the British Finance Committee, Editor of the NEWS LETTER and Headmaster of the British Academy Summer School. He preached four times in London.

     The Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Secretary of the Council of the Clergy, was engaged as a Professor of Theology and Religion in the Academy Schools and as Visiting Pastor of the North Ohio (Cleveland) Circle. He preached three times and gave one memorial address in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral, gave four doctrinal classes to the Bryn Athyn Society and six lectures on Swedenborg's Rational Psychology to the General Church Education Council, also preached and gave classes in three other localities, and conducted two bi-weekly classes with adult groups in Bryn Athyn.

     The Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr continued as Pastor of the Washington Society and Visiting Pastor to North and South Carolina and southern Virginia.

     The Rev. David R. Simons was engaged as Assistant Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church in charge of elementary education.

     The Rev. Kenneth O. Stroh was engaged as Director of Music of the Bryn Athyn Church.

     The Rev. Douglas McL. Taylor served as Pastor of the Hurstville, Australia, Society and Visiting Pastor to the isolated in Australia and to the Group in Auckland, New Zealand.

     The Rev. Alfred Acton II was from June 19 engaged as Resident Assistant to the Pastor of Sharon Church, Chicago, and a teacher in the Immanuel Church School, Glenview.

     The Rev. Peter M. Buss served from August 1 as Assistant to the Pastor of the Toronto Society.

     The Rev. Robert H. P. Cole continued as Resident Minister of the Denver Circle and Visiting Minister to the Fort Worth Circle, the Oklahoma Group and the Topeka Group, also to the isolated in the Central-Western District. In addition he paid summer visits in the Northwest and in California.

     The Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz was engaged in Assistant to the Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois, and as Visiting Minister to the Madison, Wisconsin and St Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota, Circles and the St. Louis, Missouri, and Rockford, Illinois, Groups.

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     The Rev. Lorentz Ray Soneson served as Assistant to the Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church and Assistant to the Principal of the Bryn Athyn Elementary School, and since September as Visiting Minister to the New York City Circle.

Respectfully submitted,
ERIK SANDSTROM,
Secretary


GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
(A Pennsylvania Corporation)

and

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
(An Illinois Corporation)


REPORT OF THE SECRETARY
FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1964

MEMBERSHIP

     During the year 1964, the number of persons comprising the membership of both Corporations increased by 3 from 300 to 303 in accordance with the following tabulation:

Members of               Date of          Net          Date of
               12/31/63     Change          12/31/64
     
Illinois Corporation only     5                    5
Both Corporations          295          Add 3     298
Total Persons               300          Add 3     303

Total Members of
Illinois Corporation          300          Add 3     303
Pennsylvania Corporation     295          Add 3     298
     
The several Net Changes consisted of:

     12 New Members of both Corporations:

Alden, John H.
Blair, William F., Sr.
Cooper, George M.
Doering, Grant R.
Echols, Alonzo McDaniel, Jr.
Griffith, Royston Harling
Morey, Gordon C.
Nemitz, Bert P.
Posey, John A.
Smith, Gordon B.
Synnestvedt, Oliver Doron
Van Zyverden, G. Dirk


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9 Deaths of Members of both Corporations:

Acton, A. Wynne
Alden, Karl R.
Bostock, Frank G.
Davis, Fred G.
Ebert, Charles H.
Heilman, Marlin W.
McQueen, Alexander
Rose, Donald F.
Stroh, Nathaniel

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 1964 Annual Meeting ten Directors were elected for terms expiring in 1967.

1965 Acton, Kesniel C.
1967 Asplundh, Carl
1966 Asplundh, Robert H.
1965 Blackman, Geoffrey
1966 Childs, Walter C.
1965 Cockerell, Gordon D.
1965 Davis, Edward H.
1965 DeCharms, George
1967 Doering, George C.
1967 Hasen, Alfred H.
1967 Holmes, Harvey J.
1966 Hyatt, Kent
1965 Junge, James F.
1967 Lee, Edward B., Jr.
1967 Lindsay, Alexander H.
1966 Morley, H. Keith
1967 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.
1967 Stebbing, David H.
1966 Synnestvedt, Ray
1965 Walker, Marvin J.
1967 Walter, Robert E.
1967 Woodard, George H.

The Honorary Director is Sydney E. Lee.

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 12, 1964, were:

President     Pendleton, Willard D.
Vice President     de Charms, George     
Secretary     Pitcairn, Stephen
Treasurer     Gyllenhaal, Leonard E.

CORPORATION MEETINGS

     The 1964 Annual Corporation Meetings were held at Bryn Athyn, Pa., on June 12, these being the only Corporation Meetings held during the year. The President, Bishop Pendleton, presided, and the attendance numbered 47 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 Nomination of directors.


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BOARD MEETINGS

     The Board of Directors held four meetings during 1964, the President presiding at each of them. The average attendance of Directors was 19 with a maximum of 25 and a minimum of 15.
     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 1964.
     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 Board approved appropriating funds to the group in Holland for assistance in the rental of the building they use for worship and instruction. Funds were also appropriated for extension work in Eastern Canada and for the publication of Divine Love and Wisdom in the Portuguese language. The latter appropriation comes from a special fund set up for publishing the Writings in Portuguese. This work is now being carried on by the Rev. Joao de Mendonca Lima.
     In the meeting held in October copies of the General Church Operating and Fiscal Policy adopted May 18, 1964, were distributed to the Board Members. The President expressed the importance of having each Society, Circle and group thoroughly understand the new policies, and stated that he hoped that the new policies would be in effect by the end of 1965. An offer for the purchase of Kent Manor Farm by Mr. Fred Parker, the farm superintendent, was accepted. One acre of land will be reserved by the Corporation for the Mission's use.
     A request from Mauritius asking for a pastor was discussed, and action on the matter was postponed until a General Church minister could visit the island. The President reported that a group in Philadelphia had filed an application to form a nonprofit corporation to be known as "The Church of the New Jerusalem." Attorneys for the General Church are contesting this application.
     Several Societies have shown interest in holding the 1966 General Assembly. Further investigation of facilities is being made and the final decision on the location of the Assembly will be made by the Joint Council in February of 1965.
     Pensions for various teachers and widows were approved, and funds were appropriated for the traveling expenses of ministers coming to the 1965 Council Meetings.
     A request for the printing of 1,000 additional copies of the Psalmody was approved, and other routine matters were discussed and acted upon.
     Respectfully submitted,
          STEPHEN PITCAIRN,
               Secretary

     TREASURER OF THE GENERAL CHURCH

     REPORT FOR 1964

     1964 was an unusually busy, successful, and rewarding year. Financially it exceeded our expectations. For the second straight year contributions increased substantially, by nearly $9,000 in 1963 and $10,000 last year.

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     As was the case in the previous year, over one half of the increased support was from widely scattered pastoral areas throughout the church. The record total of $63,000 came from 870 donors and, not counting ten contributions of over $1,000, averages out to approximately $42.50 per donor.
     During 1964 investment return was also impressive. The Investment Committee was again most active, constantly shifting our portfolio with the changing market to improve income and protect capital. During the year we processed over 120 separate investment transactions, involving sales of approximately $434,300, purchases of over $590,000, and resulting in increased income of over $10,000.
     We are most grateful to The Pitcairn Company for making available to us its outstanding investment talent, and particularly to Mr. James F. Junge, whose personal interest has assured close attention to our program.
     It was a good year, too, for our capital funds. From members of the Pitcairn families we received gifts to Endowment in excess of $100,000.
     On the expense side 1964 was a year of only modest increases in the cost of operations. Higher travel costs and the operation of a General Church office largely accounted for the $10,000 gain in total expense.
     While we have enjoyed two successful financial years, no changes have been made in the Minimum Salary Plans since 1962. As a result, our attention has again been focused on this perennial problem. After a careful study of salary scales and living costs, the Salary Committee has recommended that the minimum schedules for both ministers and teachers be revised substantially upward in 1965.
     Of particular significance during the year was the adoption by the Board of Directors on May 18, 1964, of the new operating and fiscal policy statement, representing a fundamental change in our methods of operation. Later in the year we commenced introducing the new procedures to pastors and their financial representatives in most of the areas affected.
     To change established traditional methods, of course, is always a difficult task, particularly when it involves implementing, by correspondence, a plan that is the result of half a year's concentrated study. It was not surprising, therefore, that the first reaction was one of doubt and misunderstanding, and it soon became obvious that an orderly transition could not be hurried.
     On the part of the General Church itself, accounting problems make it necessary to complete the change within one fiscal year. This postponed any final action to 1965.

     On the whole, however, the reaction has been most favorable, and we have made encouraging progress. In many areas we are almost ready to start operations under the new procedures, and it is anticipated that by year end we shall be completely converted to those procedures.
     In conclusion, we would express our thanks to the many pastors and laymen whose cooperation and support helped make 1964 such a successful year.
     Respectfully submitted,
          L. E. GYLLENHAAL
               Treasurer

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OPERATING INCOME

. . . . Where it came from

                                   December 31
                              1964               1963
Contributions                              
Individual Gifts                    $     63,210          $     53,408
Special Endowment Income                26,656               26,656                    
South African Mission Gifts               1,458               1,722

          TOTAL               $     91,324          $     81,786                                   
Investment Income                    
From General Fund                    39,941               36,114                         
From Endowment Funds               42,794               34,474                    
New Church Life Sales                         5,010               5,271
Sundry Sources                         983               1,266

TOTAL                    $     180,032     $     159,001

. . . . What it was spent for

Administration
Episcopal Office                $     14,681          $     14,584                         
Secretary's Office                    12,875               5,467                         
Financial & Corporate Affairs               14,618               13,257                    
New Church Life                    13,774               14,389                         
Religion Lessons                     3,353               3,296                         
Committees & Councils               1,696               1,627                         
Office Rental                         3,000               -          
                    
          TOTAL               $     63,997          $     52,619

Pastoral Extension Work                    48,938               47,861
Support of Salary Plans                    21,842               22,994
South African Mission                         17,500               15,118
Other                                   348               3,473

     TOTAL EXPENSES               $     152,625     $     142,065

Special Appropriation for          
Liturgy Reserve               $     2,000          $     3,000     Moving Expense Reserve               5,000               5,000
Building Revolving Loan Fund     5,000          -
Balance to Net Worth                         15,407               8,946

TOTAL                    $     180,032     $     159,011




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COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

ASSETS
                                   December 31
                              1964               1963
GENERAL FUND
Cash                         $     7,009          $     15,088
Accounts Receivable                    21,742               9,283
Loans to Societies                    95,000               49,750
Investments
U. S. A. Bonds                    1,000               1,000
Group Holdings               408,415          408,415
Other Securities               26,296               24,496
Real Estate                         39,581               39,581
Inventories Publications                    1,901               2,171
Prepaid Expense                    5,804               3,788
Due from Other Funds                    5,067               5,137

TOTAL               $     611,815     $     558,709

LOAN FUNDS

Cash                         $     5,888          $     370                         
Investments - Group Fund               12,424               12,424

TOTAL                    18,312               12,794

ENDOWMENT & TRUST FUNDS

Cash                         $     69,563          $     121,109
     Investments                    
          U. S. A. Bonds                    69,563               60,525
          Group Holdings               1,545,007          1,428,816
          Other Securities               1,533,439          1,488,280
     Real Estate                         11,000               11,000
     Assets in South Africa                    53,214               53,214

TOTAL               $     3,393,692     $     3,162,944

TOTAL ASSETS          $     4,023,819     $     3,734,447



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ACCOUNTABILITY

GENERAL FUND

Accounts Payable               $     30,572          $     20,003
     Special Contributions for
Future Expenditures               42,103               31,571
Due to Other Funds                    17,000               -
Reserve for Liturgy                    8,874               9,788
Reserve for Moving Expense               25,453               23,314
Reserve for Publication                    691               312
Unappropriated Income Surplus          220,988          205,582
Net Worth Balance                    266,134          268,139

          TOTAL               $     611,815     $     558,709

LOAN FUNDS

Building Revolving Fund          $     18,312          $     12,794

          TOTAL               $     18,312     $          12,794

ENDOWMENT & TRUST FUNDS
     
General Endowment               $     332,367     $     319,717
Specific Endowments
Income Restricted               569,377          543.002
Income Unrestricted               506,383          417,304
Special Endowment                    1,834,342          1,737,727
Trust Funds                         151,223          145,194

     TOTAL                    $     3,393,692     $     3,162,944
     TOTAL FUNDS               $     4,023,819     $     3,734,447



198




     EDITOR OF "NEW CHURCH LIFE"

     To meet special needs, pages were added to the April and October issues. Recovery of these pages was spread over three issues. In order of space used, the total of 576 pages was made up as follows:
Pages

Articles                              283                         
     Sermons                         70
     Church News                         47
     Reports                         46
     Editorials                         45
     Announcements                    26
     Miscellaneous                         18
     Reviews                         12
     Communications                    11
Talks to Children                    8

576

     These figures show only slight changes in distribution. Excluding distribution NEW CHURCH LIFE in 1964 came from 40 contributors - 28 ministerial and 12 lay, the latter including three ladies. While the thanks of the Church are due to them, and also to our news correspondents, a larger number and greater variety of literary contributors would be welcome. The journal should reflect the lay thought of the Church as well as that of the clergy; each has something of its own to add to the whole.

CIRCULATION

     Figures as of December 31, 1964, supplied by the Secretary of the General Church show that paid subscriptions decreased by 2, and that there was a decrease of 3 gratis subscriptions. Total circulation is shown in the following tabulation:

                              1964          1963
Paid subscriptions
     By subscriber     770
     Gift          274               1044          1046

Free to our Clergy, Public Libraries, New Book Rooms, Exchanges, etc                                        165          168

1209          1214

     The Secretary of the General Church has supplied a breakdown of these figures not only by categories but also by areas. When these are compared with the membership figures also supplied, several interesting things at once emerge. The ratio of copies mailed to addresses outside the United States to copies received within this country (373 to 836) is very similar to that between members outside of and within the United States (1104 to 1970), approximately one-third in each instance. This might be taken as indicating a fairly even distribution of NEW CHURCH LIFE throughout the Church and that the magazine is indeed a churchwide publication.

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However, it is evident that circulation is not keeping pace with the modest but steady year by year increase in membership. Indeed it is falling slightly behind.
     Some of the answers may lie in the figures. Time has not allowed for a detailed analysis, nor would there be space to include such an analysis in this report but several significant things have already been seen, and it is recommended that a small committee be appointed to make such a study with a view to arriving at some ideas as to how circulation might be improved.
     Respectfully submitted,
          W. CAIRNS HENDERSON,
               Editor

     LITURGY COMMITTEE

     In reply to the request for a progress report concerning the publication of the revised Liturgy, I must admit that we have not quite succeeded in reaching the goal we had set for ourselves, namely, to have all the music in the hands of the printer by the first of the year.
     However, the following are all in page proof: Sentences, Offices, Sacraments and Rites, Psalter, Commandments, Law, Gospel, General Confessions of Faith, General Doctrine, Prayers, Doxologies and Hebrew Anthems.
     The Anthems and the Festival Hymns are in galley-proof, and we expect the General Hymns to be ready for the printer by January 15th.
     The Antiphons and Chants are still in process of revision, and the Committee shall concentrate on completing this work by February 1st.
     Under these circumstances it should be quite possible to complete publication by next June. While the last of the music is being printed we can prepare the Notes on Chanting and on the Rubric. As soon as the paging is determined the Indices can be prepared.
     I plan to write a series of short articles for NEW CHURCH LIFE beginning in February to explain the major changes to be expected in the Revised Liturgy, and to make due acknowledgment to the Liturgy Committee, the Sub-committees, and many individuals throughout the Church, without whose assistance the work could not have been completed.
     Respectfully submitted,
          GEORGE DE CHARMS,
                    Chairman


     GENERAL CHURCH OPERATING POLICY COMMITTEE

     The Operating Policy Committee met five times during the year. The first half of the year was devoted largely to incorporating the suggestions of the Joint Council and Board of Directors into the policy statement submitted at the meeting last year. This policy, after Board approval, is now being implemented. The committee has also discussed possible revised methods of reporting the statistical and financial picture of the church to the Joint Council and Board of Directors which will reflect the information which will be available to them under the new policy.
     The occasional letter from the Secretary's office to all members of the General Church was discussed, and an effort was made to arrive at a format which would encourage response. The contributions program also was considered.
     The second half of the year was devoted primarily to considering our policy regarding General Church help to societies in initiating local schools or adding grades to existing local schools.

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Also a policy for support of further education for ministers and teachers has been considered. These two proposed additions to General Church Operating Policy have been considered in the committee and by Consistory. They will be submitted for your discussion at this meeting.
     In addition, conversations in the committee have ranged over the financial posture of the General Church, the salary plan and many other subjects.
     Respectfully submitted,
          ROBERT S. JUNGE,
               Sect. General Church Operating Policy Committee

     ORPHANAGE COMMITTEE

     This committee consists of Messrs. Arthur Synnestvedt and Philip C. Pendleton, and myself as chairman.
     As no requests have been made to this Committee for the support of orphans, the Committee has been inactive and has no transactions to report.
     For information purposes I am including in this communication the following statement prepared by the Treasurer of the General Church which was incorporated in a letter from him to me dated November 16, 1964:

"Orphanage Fund

     "The purpose of this Fund is to extend aid for two kinds of orphanage cases. The first is that of an orphan whose family is affiliated with one of our Societies, but the Society itself is unable to provide the necessary and advisable aid to a sufficient extent. In such cases, it is desirable that the General Church, insofar as it is able, provide the balance of the aid and that all the aid be administered by the Society. The second is that of an orphan whose family is isolated and not affiliated with any of our Church Societies. In such cases it is desirable that the General Church, insofar as it is able, both provide and administer all the aid which is necessary and advisable."
     During the year 1963 the Orphanage Fund had no beneficiaries and received income of $3,591 from investments and $21 from contributions. As of the year end, therefore, the total Fund amounted to $56,521.
     It has been the practice of the Committee to receive application on behalf of widows who are in need of financial assistance for the support of their children.
     Respectfully submitted,
          RANDOLPH W. CHILDS,
               Chairman

     PUBLICATION COMMITTEE

     During the year the committee has:

     1.     Reprinted the mimeographed book, Discipline, by Rev. Martin Pryke.
     2.     Begun efforts to keep the Reader's Guide up to date and to solicit from the clergy new missionary pamphlets.
     3.     Revised The Handbook of the General Church; the manuscript is almost ready to go out for bids.
     4.     Recommended reprinting of 1000 copies of the Psalmody. This has since been approved by the Board and is in process.

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     5.     Authorized the printing of a missionary pamphlet by Rev. Harold Cranch on the subject of the internal sense of the Word. This should be out early in 1965.
     6.     In addition, much committee thought and effort has gone into moving the General Church Book Center to Bryn Athyn. We would express our appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lee for their effort in bringing this use forward and regret that health made the move necessary. We also are deeply grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Fitzpatrick, Sr., for their work and that of all their volunteers in beginning the Center in Bryn Athyn, right at the beginning of the Christmas rush. The first three months' gross sales totaled $3,004.18. Many wrinkles remain to be ironed out, but we feel that we are on the right track, and with your patience will see this use grow and develop nicely.
     7.     The Committee and the Book Center are very interested in and studying an idea to begin a New Church Reader's Club patterned after the secular Book Clubs. Such a club would enable our members to build their New Church libraries gradually yet spread the small monthly costs over a period of years. We would be very interested in reactions to this idea.
     8.     While not published under our auspices, we wish to call attention to the beautiful new Hymnal, which represents years of effort primarily by Mr. and Mrs. Warren David, under the chairmanship of Bishop De Charms.
     9.     The Committee's financial status is:

Balance in Fund 12/31/64          $     1,616.49
Balance in Publication Reserve          $     740.12

     Respectfully submitted,
          ROBERT S JUNGE,
               Chairman

     GENERAL CHURCH RELIGION LESSONS COMMITTEE

     This report is for the years 1963 and 1964.

     The first thing to be recorded is the sudden death in January, 1964, of the Director, the Reverend Karl R. Alden, who did much to develop and expand the uses of the Religion Lessons. His enthusiasm for the things of the church, his love of teaching, his active interest in persons of all ages, and his ability to communicate with them, had admirably suited him to serve as the "principal" of the largest New Church "school" in the world. The vacancy in the directorship left by his death was ably filled by the Reverend Robert S. Junge until my appointment last September.
     The primary responsibility of the Committee is to provide for the religious instruction of the children of isolated families who request this service. During the past two years the number of families represented on our rolls has ranged from 187 to 200, and now stands at 196. Most of them are in the United States, but nearly 20% live elsewhere, mainly in Canada, though our address file also includes France, Sweden, Jordan, Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. The representatives of these families enrolled in our program number from 446 to 501, 446 being the present number. The age span is from infancy to high school.
     Those enrolled in the high school level program, of which there are presently 18, are under the personal supervision of the Director. The programs for the rest are carried on under the charge of 14 counselors and their 69 assistants, all volunteers.

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A chairman and vice-chairman, elected by Theta Alpha, provide the Director with invaluable supervisory and administrative assistance.
     In addition to the children and young people enrolled with the Committee, about 30 make use of our lesson material under the supervision of the Reverend B. David Holm and, recently, a further 28 have begun doing so under the supervision of the Reverend Geoffrey H. Howard. Our lesson material is also sent in bulk to England and to South Africa where it is used in locally organized and administered programs. No figures from these countries are available. Finally, calls for our materials are increasingly made for use in local church schools and in Sunday School programs in the General Convention as well as in the General Church.
     In an effort to arrive at a reliable evaluation of our program a beginning has been made to exchange pertinent information with the religion teachers in the Academy Schools. This exchange needs to be considerably developed and a good deal more information needs to be accumulated before sound appraisal is possible; but preliminary indications are that those who do little more than receive the religion lessons and look at them are scarcely benefited by them; those who apply themselves to the lessons regularly and conscientiously, especially when they are encouraged by their parents, and/or visiting pastors, do acquire a fairly adequate religious background.
     The second activity of the Religion Lessons Committee is to edit and publish NEW CHURCH EDUCATION, for whose ten issues per year the subscription rate is $1.50. The current circulation consists of 527 paid subscribers.
     A certain amount of additional printing and publishing work is done by the office personnel. This helps to keep the machines busy, to pay for their upkeep, and to meet other office expenses. Most of the printing and publishing work is for Academy or church purposes, and care is taken that it does not interfere with the needs of either the Religion Lessons or NEW CHURCH EDUCATON.
     Last spring our offices and equipment were moved to the former James Junge residence at the corner of Buck Road and Waverly Lane. The new quarters are somewhat cramped, and it is hoped additional space will become available in the near future; however, being under the same roof as the General Church Secretary's office and the Book Center is of considerable mutual advantage, facilitating the coordination of uses, efforts and equipment.
     Typing and other office work, and the operation of machinery, are done by a staff of three part-time paid workers, and by the valuable help of volunteers, who, last year, contributed at least 1,000 hours. Also helping to keep operating expenses down is the fact that much of the routine maintenance and repair work is done by Mrs. Byron Gates, our office manager, and by Mr. Byron Gates, our honorary treasurer. For major maintenance and repairs professional help is called in as needed; and for the maintenance of our more sophisticated equipment we have service contracts at an annual cost of $300.00.
     Two multilith printing process machines are the latest and only additions to our equipment during the past two years. Both are used, and both were donated. We are very grateful to Mr. Ralph McClarren for a model 80, and to the Pitcairn Company for the larger model 1250. Both are welcome additions, as they greatly increase the scope and quality of our work; and to operate them proficiently Mrs. Gates is presently taking a course at the Dobbins School at her own expense.
     In conclusion, it is to be noted that since our primary business is to provide for the religious instruction of children and young people, it is natural that we should be called upon for material to be used in our growing Sunday Schools. Our lessons, however, are not designed for this use, nor have we other materials needed for Sunday School work.

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For this reason, and because of the many calls made on us by Sunday School teachers, it seems incumbent upon us to add providing for this use to our other activities.
     Respectfully submitted,
          NORBERT H. ROGERS
               Director

     SOUND RECORDING COMMITTEE

     A supplement to the new and revised edition of the Catalog issued in 1963 was prepared and distributed last summer. This supplement adds 171 new titles to the 1650 listed, which increases the total listing to 1821 titles.
     At the annual meeting, held on September 21, 1964, it was reported that 734 tapes had been circulated during the last twelve months. The comparable figures for the four-year period 1960-1963 were 1017, 846, 888 and 865, respectively. This seems to indicate that the peak has been passed. During the last four years the average annual circulation has been 833 tapes. This should probably be regarded as a leveling-off rather than a waning of interest, and there are several factors which make some fluctuation almost inevitable.
     Considerable thought has been given to the filing and archiving of tapes. A policy has now been worked out and is being implemented gradually. Perhaps it should be mentioned again that withdrawal of a tape from circulation does not mean loss of the material.
     As a report is to be submitted to the Board of Directors, it will be noted here only that as the committee ended its fifteenth year a continual improvement in working capital could be reported. The year has been uneventful, though steadily busy, and the chairman would once again express appreciation of the work done by committee members and the office secretary, and of the generous support which has made that work possible.
     Respectfully submitted,
          W. CAIRNS HENDERSON,
               Chairman

     VISUAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

     Herewith the report of the General Church Visual Education Committee for 1964, another very quiet year.

Cash on hand January 1, 1964                    $     265.06

RECEIPTS

Rental on slides, etc.          $     31.56
Donations                    7.00
                                        38.56

                                        $     303.62
EXPENDITURES

None
Balance on hand December 31, 1964               $     $303.62

     Respectfully submitted,
          WILLIAM R. COOPER,
               Director

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     FILM COMMITTEE

     PURPOSE: To prepare and provide motion pictures and filmstrips to meet the needs and further the uses of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and when this does not interfere with our primary purpose, to make suitable material available to other bodies of the New Church for the purpose of making known the new Revelation.

     USES:

1.     To establish a central library of films to serve the church and its schools.
2.     To prepare documentary films on the Academy, the Cathedral, and the various churches and districts and missions; on assemblies, and important special events, etc. to circulate among churches and members, to help to establish better communication and understanding of the distinctive nature of each group. These would be useful in every school and Sunday School.
3.     To prepare films on our doctrine for the following purposes:
a. General lectures to the public, and to service clubs and organizations.
b. Feature evenings in our own organizations. (Society, Sons, etc.)
c. Young people's weekends, summer schools, New Church camp programs, day and Sunday schools.
d. Help in indoctrinating new members who have limited background.
4.     The collection and preservation of motion pictures of historical interest, and their preparation for special presentations. (The dedication of the cathedral, early Assemblies, persons of historical importance, etc.)
5.     Preparation and suggestions for the effective use of the films now available, and how to incorporate films from other sources into church and school programs. (Many excellent films may be used without cost.)
6.     As far as our budget and time allow we will prepare filmstrips and/or motion pictures for specific needs of the Academy or the Church, or for the various committees of the church.
Members of the Committee: Rev. Harold Cranch, Chairman. Mr. Leon Rhodes, East-coast Chairman. Mrs. Lennart Alfelt, sec. Mr. Alfred Sandstrom, treas. Mr. Stanley Rose (direction and photography). Mr. Michael Pitcairn (photography). Mr. Bill Thomas (sound). Rev. Lorentz Soneson, Mrs. Leon Rhodes, Mr. Alan Grubb, Mr. Ken Hultgren (illustration and animation).
     Respectfully submitted,
          HAROLD C. CRANCH,
               Chairman
GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS 1965

GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS       STEPHEN PITCAIRN       1965

     The 1965 Annual Corporation Meetings of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in the Benade Hall Auditorium, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, June 16, 1965, at 8:00 p.m., DST. Notices will be mailed.

     STEPHEN PITCAIRN
     Secretary

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SHALL NEVER THIRST AGAIN 1965

SHALL NEVER THIRST AGAIN       Editor       1965


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.
     When the Lord said to the Samaritan woman, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst," He was referring to the truth of the Word. Evidently the Lord did not mean that one draught would forever quench the thirst of the intellect for truth, but that those who drink of it will never suffer lack of satisfaction. The desire of the regenerate man for truth is eternal, but his mind is never separated from the source of truth; for in it the Word is a "well of water springing up into everlasting life."
     However, there is yet another meaning. The Lord was not here comparing truth with water but spiritual truth with natural truth, and He was teaching that while the latter can assuage the mind's thirst for the time being, it cannot satisfy permanently. Natural truth can only postpone the craving; the mind will thirst again. A philosophy, an ideology, a moral or ethical theory, a false theology, may allay the mind's thirst for a time; but that thirst will recur, and only in the truth of the Word is there satisfaction for the questing mind.
     The opened Word in the New Church, which is founded upon belief in the Lord as now revealed in His Divine Human, is the source that never fails, and it is our hope that all who have sought truth and thought they had found it, only to thirst again, may find permanent satisfaction in the Heavenly Doctrine. To this end the Lord came into the world and glorified His Human, and rising with the Human fully glorified united it with the Divine; and to this end also the Divine Human has now been revealed that men may never thirst but draw freely from the Word.

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CHURCH AND THE CROSS 1965

CHURCH AND THE CROSS       Editor       1965

     One of Isaiah's prophecies is said in the Writings to mean that through the passion of the cross a new church, that is, the Christian Church, will be established. In view of the well-known teaching that the passion of the cross was not redemption this statement may seem surprising, even when we realize that the church did not come from the passion but through it as a means. However it may be understood when we consider that the Lord established the Christian Church by the operation of the Holy Spirit through the apostles; and that it was through the passion that the Holy Spirit, which "was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified," came forth as an influx of Divine truth to teach, enlighten, reform and regenerate men.
     Although redemption and the passion of the cross are two distinct things, still, we are told, they make one with respect to salvation. His passion was the Lord's final temptation, and by that last combat He attained full victory; fully subjugating the hells and fully glorifying His Human. It was, therefore, both the means and the act of glorification; and when it had been completed the Lord had taken to Himself the power to regenerate and save men. Thereafter, when He had risen and ascended, He sent the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, to establish a new church in the hearts and minds of men on earth.
     Thus while it is true that the angels do not think of the Lord's passion but of His resurrection, and that men are not to receive Him as He hung on the cross, the Lord's passion cannot be excluded from the thought of the church. It stands as an integral part of the glorification process and the means through which regeneration and salvation again came to men. The God we worship - the risen, ascended, glorified Lord - is our God, visible in His Divine Human, because He endured the passion and emerged from it triumphant.
MORES AND MORALITY 1965

MORES AND MORALITY       Editor       1965

     A series of articles on the state of the moral virtues in the church begins in this issue. Such a study is ever timely, if not always comforting. While it may be doubted whether one generation differs appreciably from another in its real attitude to the moral virtues, there are changes in what of that attitude appears; and the results, if not unique to that time and place, are among their characteristics and raise issues which are the issues to be met there and then.
     One of the issues that confronts us today is that of what may be called inverted morality.

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Not only are certain standards regarded as unreasonable and unrealistic on pragmatic grounds, but the ignoring of them becomes a higher morality, and the rule among thieves becomes for many the accepted honor code of the campus. What has become common is not merely to be accepted as the new norm; it is exalted as a new standard which offers a bold challenge to traditional thinking. Still other issues are raised by the abdication of parental authority and responsibility which has given birth to the word "permissiveness," and the social detachment which has added the term "non-involvement" to our current vocabulary as one of sinister significance.
     Nor are the aberrations of society which we label "the state of the Christian world" signs of moral disorder which we can view with clinical detachment. It is not only a gross oversimplification but also a dangerous fallacy to assume that evil influences all pour in upon us from the outside world, and that all we have to do is to deny them entrance. Although nothing unclean can enter the New Jerusalem, the gates of the city stand open day and night. In so far as we are unregenerate, the outside world is also the world inside; it is within us and within the church, too. To that extent the world's problems are our problems as well. We have from the Lord the means of solving those problems within the church, even if we can exert little influence outside of it; and in the measure that they exist it is time that we do something about them.
WHO SPEAKS FOR GOD? 1965

WHO SPEAKS FOR GOD?       Editor       1965

     Whether the Gospel needs to be radically recast to make it acceptable to modern man is now at issue in Protestantism. It is being held that many educated people reject Christianity because they cannot accept certain traditional beliefs, concepts, words, images and myths developed in past centuries when men lived, philosophically, in a different world, and that the only solution is to rethink and restate the unchanging Gospel in terms which are relevant to our day.
     There is, however, a growing tendency to move away from the idea of a personal God; to treat the Virgin Birth and the Lord's miracles as myths, since He was no more than a good man; and to present the Resurrection as a subjective experience of the disciples. This is not to reinterpret the Gospel but to substitute something else for it, and it can be done by those only who deny the Divine inspiration of the Word. Certainly the relevancy of the Gospel needs to be shown, and it has been in the Writings; but it is not likely that they, with their insistence upon the sole Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be of much interest to the proponents of the "new theology."

208


Church News 1965

Church News       Various       1965

     LONDON, ENGLAND

     It is with dismay that your reporter notes that the last report from London appeared over a year ago. However, let us make a virtue of necessity and seize the opportunity to survey events under our new pastor, the Rev. Donald Rose, new, that is, seventeen months ago.
     Over the years, 135 Mantilla Road has become a kind of alternative to Burton Road for doctrinal classes, semi-social gatherings, and just plain talking over our Society problems with the pastor, and the Roses have instinctively carried on this tradition with the same gracious hospitality and good humor as their predecessors. No matter what domestic crisis is afoot, or what catering burdens are laid upon them, this delightful young couple rise to the occasion with ease, and one is always made to feel very welcome. Naturally this has helped us to get to know them much more intimately than might otherwise have been the case.
     Already there is great appreciation of the Rev. Donald Rose's clear presentation of doctrine in his sermons, and those who teach in Sunday school classes are well satisfied to take advantage of the copies prepared for those who have had to miss out on a service. His doctrinal classes are frequently built up on a question and answer basis. As Mr. Fred Elphick once wrote in the News Letter: "Mr. Rose likes to show us the field of potatoes and then make us dig for them."
     One of the highlights of 1964 was a visit to Michael Church in March from Bishop and Mrs. Pendleton, who were on their way back to Bryn Athyn from Scandinavia. The Bishop preached the sermon at the morning service and then, after a provided luncheon, talked to us about General Church uses. He also delighted us with his story of one of the Rev. Frank Rose's children, who, in reply to her brother's apprehensive question as to what the Bishop looked like, replied reassuringly that he looked just like Ringo (of Beatle fame).
     There can be no doubt that the summer school is now a prominent fixture in the British General Church calendar. Each summer brings its difficulties in obtaining a suitable school for the purpose, and each year brings a special response and fresh impetus from students in this highly important use. To summarize from the report of one of the students to the News Letter: "Thirty-five young people representing ten different countries - Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, South Africa, Canada, the United States, France, England and Scotland - met at Harlow, Essex, on July 28th, to form the sixth and largest British Academy Summer School." Instruction was given by the Rev. Messrs. Frank and Donald Rose and their guest teacher, Prof. Edward F. Allen. From all who had the good fortune to attend praise was unanimous and unstinted.
     Perhaps because of the enthusiasm attaching to the summer school an experiment is to be tried this Whitsuntide (June 5-12) by the Society as a whole. Old and young alike, married couples with their families as well as single people, are being invited to join together to spend a week's vacation at Charmouth, a quaint little seaside village in Dorset. Accommodation will mostly be in caravans and each unit will cater for itself. We are hoping that people from Colchester and the Open Road, and from any other society, will join us in making it a week that we will all remember and wish to repeat in the future.
     The 49th British Assembly, held in London, added to the number of overseas visitors we have had the pleasure of meeting, and if we do not enumerate them all it is simply because the list would be too long.

209


One or two, however, cannot be overlooked, and of these Mr. Gunther especially comes to mind. He very kindly journeyed up from Colchester before flying back to the United States to give a talk at Mantilla Road, the talk being illustrated with some lovely slides on the art of glassmaking, especially glass for the cathedral. It was absorbingly interesting - the more so for those who have not yet seen the cathedral - and Mr. Gunther was warmly thanked.
     Another visitor it will be difficult to forget is young Ed Verschoor from Holland. He came across the Writings seemingly by chance, could find no one in Holland to enlarge upon them, and decided to spend his vacation in London in order to find out more about them. In due course he arrived at Michael Church, and from then on was introduced into the life of the society and into the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rag Law, where he stayed for part of his holiday. He responded to the Society's welcome with very marked affection and on his return to Holland sent a cordial and sincere letter of appreciation. Another New Church man? Let us hope so, for his sake as well as ours.
     Since our last report was printed the Society has sustained the loss of two of its oldest members: Mr. Alfred Cooper, aged 82, and Mr. Alfred Searle, aged 88. It has also received the blessing of four new babies: Angela Rose, Allison Elphick, Sharon Bruell, and another only a few days ago as this is written, the happy parents being Mr. and Mrs. Tom Sharp. The number of children under the age of twelve must now be getting close to fifty, and this fills us with gladness for the future.
     ISABEL ROBERTSON

     DETROIT, MICHIGAN

     At last we can report that the new addition to our church building is nearly completed. It is everything we had hoped that it would be. The addition includes a long, wide hallway which separates the old from the new, and one large room which will be divided into three smaller rooms. Under consideration now is whether to have folding doors or permanent walls separating these rooms. The addition is already proving its usefulness, particularly for the twenty children who make up the reading groups which meet during the sermon on Sunday. It had been necessary to transport these children to the manse by car every Sunday because there was not sufficient room for them at the church. However, most important is that now it is possible to center practically all of our activities in the new section rather than in the multi-purpose room which was also used for services of Divine worship. We hope that this will help to develop a sphere which is more proper to the use of worship.
     On the weekend of November 27, the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton was in Detroit for an episcopal visit. We were pleased that Mrs. Pendleton and daughter Joan were able to come with the Bishop. Our pastor, the Rev. Norman Reuter, had hoped that the addition would be completed by this time, so that we could have a dedication service while the Bishop was here. However, this was not possible. At an open house at the home of Walter and Beatrice Childs on Friday evening the Bishop spoke informally to some fifty people on the topic of government and communications in the General Church. On Saturday afternoon the Bishop and Mr. Reuter met with the Board of Directors and the Pastor's Council to discuss, mainly, the orderly means for making pastoral changes in the church when necessary.
     Bryce Genzlinger was toastmaster for the banquet on Saturday evening. To open the program, John Howard and assistant entertained with an amusing song about the Bishop and the members of the Society. Walter Childs then gave a talk in which he summarized the growth of the Detroit Society. The episcopal address was on the subject "What Man Is." The Bishop pointed out that before we can discuss educating man we must understand what man is. The address was followed by a few remarks from Mr. Reuter. On Sunday morning the Bishop preached on "Birthright and Blessing." The weekend inspired us with a new spirit of dedication to the uses of the church and appreciation of the Bishop's contribution to those uses.

210




     In June Mr. Reuter regretfully found it necessary to cancel the Sunday evening services which had been held once a month. To date there had been 87 such services. They were designed for three purposes: to meet the need all members have to review the fundamentals of doctrine; to meet the needs of strangers, inquirers and newcomers; and to meet the needs of young people. The services were discontinued because of constantly diminishing attendance and because of sentiments expressed in the Pastor's Council.
     Although there are ten young people from Detroit attending the Academy schools this year, enough remain to form a discussion group. The average attendance is about six, and the group meets with the pastor on Monday twice a month. Mr. Reuter used the paper, "Is Our Nation to Become a Godless State?" written by the Rev. Harry Barnitz, as a basis for several classes. The group is now reading and discussing parts of Conjugial Love, hoping to find there the answers to many practical questions which besiege the young people of today.
     Preparation for the Advent season began with two doctrinal classes in December. The subject of the class on December 4 was "The Lord's Incarnation," and on December 11 the subject was "The Revelation of the Coming of the Lord." A Christmas sing and social followed the second of these classes. Tableaux were presented at the church on Saturday evening, December 19, and 125 people, including several guests, were present to enjoy this very special occasion. Next evening there was a sing at the home of Leo and Freda Bradin. This was in place of the Christmas caroling done at the church homes by the young people in the past. Seventeen young people and ten adults brought with them a Christmas spirit which showed in the beautiful singing of the carols. Edith McCardell was asked to bring her trumpet, and she accompanied the singing of "Gloria Deo" and "Calm on the Listening Ear of Night." While the singers were resting their voices Freda Bradin and Marcia Mergen played two Christmas duets on the piano. The children's festival service was at 4:00 p.m., on Christmas Eve, and Mr. Reuter spoke on the subject "He Bowed the Heavens." At the adult service on Christmas Day Mr. Reuter preached on "The Firstborn of God." The Advent season came to a close with the Holy Supper service on Sunday evening, December 27.
     During the summer we were pleased to have services conducted by the Rev. Harold Cranch, Dr. Hugo Lj. Odhner and Candidate Willard Heinrichs. The Women's Guild continues to meet on the third Tuesday of each month. The ladies keep busy planning and preparing excellent meals for the monthly suppers, keeping the kitchen in A-1 condition, raising funds from two rummage sales a year, organizing the very successful "Fall Frolic" in November, and presenting a spring program. Besides running the Guild program the same women manage to transport 48 children to and from religion classes during the week, and they also help to organize the three groups of children who must be taught, read to and cared for during the sermon on Sunday.
     Two new young people have joined our group: Marcia Mergen from Madison, Wisconsin, and Jim Kuhn from Glenview, Illinois. Mr. Reuter announced to the Society the engagement of Miss Marcia Mergen to Mr. Robert Bradin on Sunday, December 13. Miss Mergen is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Mergen of Madison, Wisconsin; Mr. Bradin is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Bradin of Rochester, Michigan.
     FREDA BRADIN

211


FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING TRUST 1965

FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING TRUST              1965




     Announcements



     Applications for assistance from the above Fund to enable male Canadian students to attend "The Academy of the New Church," Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, U. S. A., for the school year 1965-1966 should be received by one of the undermentioned pastors before March 31, 1965.
     Before filing their applications, students should first obtain their acceptance by the Academy, which should be done immediately as dormitory space is limited.
     Any of the undermentioned pastors will be happy to give any further information or help that may be needed.

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

212


ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1965

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH              1965

SCHOOL CALENDAR: 1965-1966

Eighty-ninth School Year

1965

Sept.     8     Wed.     Faculty Meetings
     9     Thur.     Dormitories open
Secondary Schools Registration: local students
College Registration: local students
     10     Fri.     Secondary Schools Registration: dormitory students
               College Registration: dormitory students
     11     Sat.     8:00a.m. All student workers report to supervisors
               3:00p.m. Opening Exercises
               3:30p.m. Lawn party
               8:00p.m. President's Reception
     13     Mon.     Classes begin in Secondary Schools and College
Oct.     15      Fri.     Charter Day
     16     Sat.     Annual Meeting of Corporation
Nov.     24     Wed.     Thanksgiving Recess begins at 12:30 p.m.
     29     Mon.     Classes resume in all schools
Dec.     17      Fri.     Christmas Recess begins at 12:30 p.m.

1966

Jan.     3     Mon.     Classes resume in all schools
     24-28          Semester examinations
     31     Mon.     Second Semester begins.
Feb.     1     Tues.     Final date for application for admission to the 1966-67 school year.
Mar.     25     Fri.     Spring Recess begins at 12:30 p.m.
Apr.     4     Mon.     Classes resume in all schools
     8     Fri.     Good Friday
May     20     Fri.     Joint Meeting of Faculty and Corporation
May     30     Mon.     Memorial Day: Half-holiday
June     13     Mon.     8:30 p.m. President's Reception
     14     Tues.     10:00 a.m. Commencement Exercises
FALL OF DAGON 1965

FALL OF DAGON       Rev. ROBERT H. P. COLE       1965



213




Vol. LXXXV
May 1965
No. 5

NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him." (I Samuel 5: 4)
     The Philistines, victorious in their battle with the Israelites at Aphek in Ephraim, took the great prize of the war, the ark of the covenant, to the city of Ashdod, some twenty-five miles away. The ark had been fetched from Shiloh, Israel's shrine, to help win the war for Israel; now the Philistines took it to the chief of their five cities and placed it in the temple of Dagon, their principal deity. As if to see what would happen, they placed the ark right beside their idol. The first night, Dagon fell on his face to the floor; the second night, the image of the god not only fell over but was decapitated and had the palms of its hands cut off.
     Dagon represented a curious mixture of Semitic and Philistine idolatry. Originally designated the god of grain - and the Hebrew word for grain is similar in sound - this idol was half man and half fish in appearance. One evidence of the great power with which the Philistines invested Dagon was the fact that they did not differentiate between the grotesque wooden statue and the deity itself. To the Ashdodites, Dagon was actually a wooden god!
     It takes very little imagination to picture the consternation in Ashdod when it was discovered that the God of Israel could cause their own god to fall down before Him, and even behead Dagon, while the city slept. To add to this disaster, the bubonic plague struck and mice overran the capital of the pentapolis. The serens, rulers of the five cities, met and decided to move the ark from city to city, but this actually increased the spread of the disease and made matters far worse.
     Even without some knowledge of the internal sense of the Word, anyone might see certain moral and civil implications in the meaning of our text, but the spiritual one is the real meaning from which all others come.

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The ark, from the law that was in it, signified the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and the Lord has omnipotence from Divine good through Divine truth. That is why miracles were wrought by means of the ark. The waters of the Jordan were divided, so that the sons of Israel passed over on dry ground; the walls of Jericho were overthrown; Dagon, the god of Ashdod, fell down before it; the Ashdodites, the Ekronites and others were smitten with plagues on account of it; Uzzah died because he touched it; and Obed-edom, into whose house it was brought, was blessed. *
     * See AE 700: 19.
     The third miracle - that Dagon, the god of the Ashdodites, fell down before the ark - represents the fact that Dagon stood for their religion, which was wholly without intelligence and power because it was without spiritual good. The head stands for intelligence, and the palms of the hands for intelligence and power. These correspondences carry over to those in the spiritual world who are without spiritual good; and when Divine truth, which has the power to unmask everyone, flows in from heaven, those spirits appear headless and without the palms of the hands because they have no real intelligence or power.

     The Philistines themselves represented those who make no account of the good of love and charity, and thus no account of the good of life. Such men place everything of religion in knowledge and in knowing. They are like those at the present day who make faith alone, that is, faith separated from charity, the essential thing of religion. That is the real reason they were called the uncircumcised, for that designation refers to everyone who is destitute of spiritual love or good. If men are not spiritual, they are natural and sensual. They love only worldly things, and they either falsify or defile the truths they apprehend.
     These things illustrate why the Philistines so frequently fought with the sons of Israel, and why the Philistines conquered at some times and the Israelites at others. The Philistines won when Israel did not live according to the precepts and statutes, which were their bastions of truth that could be joined with their good of love and life. At the time to which our text refers, the sons of Israel had been conquered by the Philistines because they had departed from the worship of Jehovah and turned to the worship of other gods. *
     * AE 700: 20.
     The worship of Jehovah and its opposite, the worship of self, center in the ark. The two tables of stone containing the ten words were deposited in the ark, which was kept in the inmost of the tabernacle most of the time, and that is why the ark was called the ark of the covenant.

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The reason there was not one table was that by two there might be represented the conjunction of the Lord with the church by means of the Word, and through the church with the human race. Therefore they are called also the tables of the covenant, and the Words inscribed on them are called the words of the covenant and also the covenant. The ark itself, in which the tables were placed, was called the ark of the covenant because a covenant denotes conjunction. The tables were divided one from the other, but were joined together by attachment; and the writing on the original tables was continued from one table onto the other; not so that some of the commandments were on one table and the rest on the other, as many believe. By their being divided in two, and by their being joined together, is signified the Lord's conjunction with man. *
     * AC 9416: 2.

     When the ark of God was taken by the Philistines and the two sons of Eli were slain, there ran a man out of the army to Shiloh with his garments rent and dust upon his head. By this was represented mourning over lost Divine good and truth; for the ark represented the Lord's kingdom, the holy things of the church, and, in the supreme sense, the Lord Himself. In those days garments which had been rent stood for doctrine and truth which had been torn in pieces and also for humiliation. *
     * AC 4763: 2, 2576: 16.
     All the wars that Israel fought against the Philistines represented the combats of the spiritual man with the natural man, and thence also the combats of truth conjoined with good against truth separated from good, which in itself is not truth but falsity. Our beliefs separated from what we love, that is, from the Lord, are falsified by our over indulgence in the things of worldly reasoning, because then there is nothing spiritual or of charity in our thoughts that is capable of being genuinely enlightened. Dagon falls on his face before the ark.
     Yet we recall that the Philistines themselves were greatly afraid, and even reverential, before the ark. In the thick of battle they had a choice of surrendering in fear of it, or of calling upon their utmost natural resources, aided by the fear of enslavement by the Hebrews, to carry them forward to victory. It is notable that their choice was made not only on the basis of avoiding servitude; they knew how cruelly they had treated their Hebrew slaves, and they fully expected the same treatment if they should themselves be captured.
     It is also notable that many biblical scholars at this day, although holding the Word in some reverence as a book - while admitting the need for rearrangement of the letter in order to convey civil and moral lessons - refuse to budge at all when confronted with certain obvious indications that there is indeed an internal sense to the Word, and that this is why the Lord caused it to be written in a repetitious and what might be called rearranged way.

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One group of modern scholars points out that it seems as if the books of Samuel had an editor with a liking for large-scale activities who had gone through them systematically, heightening the effect of the narrative by exaggerating such figures as the number of casualties in the battle for the ark.
     The evidence of the Divinity of the Writings may be placed in hand-to-hand combat with these scholarly fallacies, for in them it is pointed out that casualties refer to the influx of Divine good from the Lord and to the great struggle between good and evil, truth and falsity, which ensues. Their numbers refer to the extent of the combat and of the victory or defeat. Repetition indicates that the Divine good and truth, or the celestial and spiritual senses, are both present in the apparently cumbersome stories of the letter. Dagon fell, not once, but twice.
     So great a power and so great a holiness existed in the Law because it was the complex of all things of religion; for it consisted of two tables, one of which contained all things that are on the part of God, and the other all things that are on the part of man. The commandments of this law are therefore called the "ten words," because ten signifies all. * The power of conjoining signified by the ark is used by the Lord in our behalf when we have done the things written on His table. He is constantly present and working, and wills to enter in; but we must open the door to the Lord in freedom, for He says: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock." ** In the second table, which is for man, it is not said that we must do this or that good, but that we must not do this or that evil. The reason is that we cannot do any good whatsoever from ourselves, but when we cease to do evil we then do good, not from ourselves but from the Lord. By the power of the Lord's Divine Human we are able to shun evils as of ourselves if we beseech the Lord for that power. ***
     * Life 56.
     ** Revelation 3: 20.
     *** Life 58.
     However, our tendency is to begin to worship as holy, and at last as deities, the images and emblems, the tenets and rituals of our religion and of the civil and moral life set up by our predecessors, rather than acknowledging that we have simply acquired the symbols of what our lives ought to be, and have yet to take steps to make them such. We might compare ourselves with those who have gathered together a vast array of impressive looking books, but have only a vague idea of what lies between their covers - of the myriads of useful ideas the volumes contain with which they could do good. Some men of this kind might spend their lives making such collections of literature, or of art, so as not to appear to others to be poor, uneducated or dependent, or simply in order to appear to be of great power, influence or intelligence.

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     The omnipotent Lord is always there, standing at the door of the mind as the ark stood near the veil of the tabernacle; and we may know that He is there with His Divine power to save, as the Levites knew that the ark was safely behind the curtain by the protruding of the carrying rods. A new revelation of Divine truth and the details concerning the Lord's great power have been transported into the world from the third heaven; have been carried down successively into the things of our lives, there to engage in hand-to-hand combat the ideas and deeds of selfish and worldly men who are out to enslave the world or to acquire all of its wealth if they are left entirely to their own idols and devices. Such men will find their deity fallen down, with its head and palms cut off; will find, indeed, that even their temple has no permanence.
     The man of the Lord's church, the true son of Israel, will build his life and convictions on the solid foundation of Divine truth from the Word. His thoughts and deeds, and even his conflicts, will be based on the carrying over of what is true into what is useful, charitable and of mercy. He will strive to ascend to meet the Lord in the highest heaven open to him by consistently developing his rational mind and taking firm spiritual steps, not by trying to remove the ark from its place.
     Whatever is gained or acquired by men for selfish and worldly reasons, or to deny the Divine omnipotence, serves as chastisement for others and also as a lesson to them - a lesson in how good and true values are lost when hidden evils are stirred up; but for those who carry out such acts by fraud and deceit a day of reckoning will come in which they will be unmasked. The sensual form, cast in the image of human thought and life, which they love above all else will appear before all as prostrate and as headless and handless, without intelligence and strength.
     We of the New Church are not to be frightened by this symbolic portrayal of the ultimate downfall of men whose lives are built on and stand for self love and its persuasions. We are, however, to be aware of the implications in the understanding of the story of the fall of Dagon, and to prepare ourselves to receive the saving grace and mercy of the Lord's Divine Human. We do this by heeding these familiar words of the Lord: "I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock." Amen

LESSONS: I Samuel 4:1-22, 5:1-4. Matthew 26: 6-30. AR 529.
Music: Liturgy, pages 428, 434, 437.
PRAYERS: Liturgy, nos. 20, 21.

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REVISION OF THE LITURGY 1965

REVISION OF THE LITURGY       Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS       1965

     (Continued from the April Issue)

     A further word needs to be said especially concerning the use in worship of chants and antiphons. As we have pointed out in a previous article, this form of singing is best adapted to the use of words taken directly from the Sacred Scripture. Because the Word of the Lord contains infinite depths of Divine wisdom and love, it invites a more powerful influx from heaven than any human composition can possibly do. This is true now as never before, because the Lord has revealed the internal sense of the Word and has brought it within the range of man's rational understanding. Although at the present time we may have but a vague understanding of that sense, we know that it is there. We know that the spiritual growth of the church depends upon its people entering more and more deeply into the realization of that sense and of its application to life. We come into the house of the Lord seeking Divine instruction and guidance in the work of regeneration. For this reason, the singing of chants directly from the Word can express better than any other form of church music the spirit of the "new song" referred to in the Apocalypse, namely, the glad confession of the Lord in His glorified Divine Human which is to be the distinguishing characteristic of New Church worship.
     If chants are to perform this use effectively, it is essential that the words should be regarded as paramount and the music merely as a means of expressing their true sense with appropriate affection. The words, therefore, should be sung with the same rhythm, cadence, and accent as would be natural if we were reading them. The recitative should not be hurried; there should be no unnatural break between this and the rest of the line; nor should there be an artificial adherence to the beat of a metronome. It is most important that the sense should not be confused by placing an accent on the wrong syllable, as is so frequently done, for then the spirit of the song is lost and the words become meaningless. It is, we believe, because these mistakes are habitually made that so many people do not enjoy the singing of chants. Yet experience has shown that when the music is well adapted to express the meaning of the words, and when the words are familiar, chants can be deeply moving and may be sung with delight and appreciation.

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     We are seeking to revise the chants in our Liturgy so that they may more fully perform the use for which they are intended. The Committee has been at great pains to bring out the real meaning of the words by adapting the music to express their genuine affection. However, we are fully aware that the desired result will not be achieved without effort and training. It will not be easy for us to overcome the errors to which we have become accustomed in the past. We believe, however, that a concerted endeavor to improve our singing of chants in worship will be richly rewarded. We would urge, therefore, that every one pay attention to the meaning of the words by reading them first in unison, and then learning to sing them with the same natural rhythm and expression. Choirmasters and organists can do much to promote this kind of improvement in our singing.

     It may be of help to point out different kinds of chants, each of which requires a different adaptation of the music to the words. The simple Anglican chant is well illustrated by the Magnificat, on page 352 of the Liturgy. Here the affection, or the "color" of the harmonic chords, is more important than the air. When the tune dominates, the music may be compared to a line drawing; but when harmony is paramount, the music may more aptly be compared to a painting, in which the effect is produced by the combination of colors.
     There are chants, however, which may be called "interrupted hymns." Such are the chants number 26 on page 366, and number 40 on page 375. In these cases, after the recitative, the words conform to the music just as they do in a hymn or an anthem.
     Another form of chant is to be found on page 346 of the Liturgy. This is an un-barred melody to be sung in unison, with an accompaniment of simple chords to supply color and harmony. It is an adaptation of the Gregorian Chant, but it does not conform to the traditional rules governing that form of music. It cannot do so because of the difference in language. Gregorian chants were written to Latin words which have many syllables, and they are not suited to the monosyllabic Anglo-Saxon of the King James version of the Bible. If it is to be truly expressive, music must be written specially for English accent and cadence. In this kind of chanting time values are relative. They are governed by the sense of the words rather than the strict musical value of the notes. Also, the music flows round a central or fundamental tone, departing from it and returning to it in such a way as to stress the important words and bring out the intended meaning. This is a kind of chant with which we are not very familiar, and which, for that reason, we are at first disposed to find unpleasing; yet it has a charm of its own, and one that we may well learn to appreciate, because it is so well adapted to express the words of the Sacred Scripture.

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     Finally, there are "progressive chants" such as the one on page 374, which is a musical setting of the twenty-fourth Psalm. An outstanding example of the same kind of chant is the Te Dominum on page 380. We have regarded this as representing an ideal combination of music and words, and one toward which we should strive in the writing of all our antiphons. These also are progressive chants.
     It may be of interest to note here that the words of the Te Dominum were written by Jonathan W. Condy, a New Church man living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the early days of the nineteenth century. They were based on the traditional Te Deum, which dates back to the fourth century of the Christian era, and which has been sung in both Catholic and Protestant churches ever since. In a somewhat free translation from the original Latin, the Te Deum read in part as follows:

"We praise Thee, O God, we acknowledge Thee, O Lord, we worship Thee, Eternal Father of all the earth. To Thee all the angels, the heavens, and all the powers of the universe, the Cherubim, and the Seraphim, continually cry aloud, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts, heaven and earth are full of Thy majesty and of Thy glory."

     We would call attention to the fact that a new set of Notes for Chanting is being prepared as a help to organists and choirmasters. These will be found at the back of the Liturgy, as at present. Also the Index of Authors, the Index of Subjects, and the Index of First Lines are all being revised for easy reference.
     We wish to offer grateful acknowledgment to all those who have contributed so generously of their time, their talent and their skill to the work of revising the Liturgy. This work has now been in progress for thirteen years. The Committee was first appointed by the Bishop of the General Church in 1952, with the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton serving as chairman. For nine years the Committee met regularly, laying down the guidelines to be followed in the process of revision, presenting all major proposals to the Council of the Clergy for consideration, and actually revising a large part of the Liturgy aside from the music. In September 1961, after having become executive Bishop, Bishop Pendleton found it necessary to relinquish his responsibility as chairman, and he asked me to serve in his stead.
     Since that time the attention of the Committee has been focussed chiefly upon the revision of the music, and in general upon the task of carrying out principles already established.

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As chairman, my work has been confined largely to organizing the work of the Committee and directing its energies toward a completion of the project at the earliest time consistent with maintaining a reasonable standard of excellence. While a complete revision had been authorized, it was fully recognized that no more than a modest step could be taken at this time in the development of our ritual. This is a gradual process which must go on over successive generations as the needs of the church may require.
     The most difficult area of revision, of course, is the music. This was under the immediate direction of Miss Creda Glenn, who has devoted her entire time to the work. Music has been her life-study. She has a passionate love of it, and she has demonstrated outstanding ability in this field. Nevertheless, she has not relied upon her own limited experience, but has sought and received valuable expert advice from Dr. A. Constant Vauclain, the Head of the Department of Music at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Matthew Collucci, Musicologist at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and Prof. Donald Rappaport, of the American Preparatory Institute.
     The central committee on the music of the Liturgy, working in close collaboration with Miss Glenn, consisted of Mrs. Philip C. Pendleton, Mr. Mark Bostock, and the Rev. Erik Sandstrom, with the Rev. Kenneth 0. Stroh serving in a consulting capacity whenever other duties might permit.

     All the major societies of the General Church in the United States and Canada sent in reports as to what music in the Liturgy was being used, and what it was felt might be revised or deleted. A sub-committee in England under the chairmanship of the Rev. Alan Gill, and another in Durban, South Africa, under the leadership of the late Rev. A. Wynne Acton, have met regularly over a period of several years, sending periodic reports. All these recommendations and suggestions have been carefully considered by the central committee, and they are most deeply appreciated.
     Painstaking efforts to provide the music and the words of new songs have yielded results that we feel sure will be widely appreciated throughout the church. Among those to whom we are especially indebted for this work are the Rev. Martin Pryke and Mrs. Clara S. Sargeant of Toronto, Canada; Mr. F. D. Lumsden of Durban, South Africa; Miss Isabella Robertson and Miss Edith Elphick of London, England; Mrs. Douglas Taylor of Hurstville, Australia; and Miss Eleora Pendleton, Miss Lyris Hyatt, Mr. Kenneth Rose, Mr. R. W. Childs and Mr. Justin Synnestvedt, all of Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. Others from Bryn Athyn who have helped with the revision of songs already in use, and with the preparation of manuscript for the printer, include Prof. E. B. Glenn, Miss Rita Buell, Mrs. George Synnestvedt, Mrs. Addison Lyman, Mrs. C. R. Pendleton, Mrs. F. G. Bostock, Mrs. R. C. Smith, Mrs. Raymond Synnestvedt, Mrs. C. van Z. Odhner, Miss Beryl Briscoe, Miss Florence Roehner, Mr. F. J. Donovan, Jr., the Rev. E. C. Acton, and the Rev. W. C. Henderson.

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     On behalf of the General Church I would extend heartfelt thanks for all that these have done to make the revised Liturgy truly representative of the spirit and life of the entire church. The result of their labors should be off the press within the next few months.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Permission.      This is one of four related terms which make vital contributions to our theology and involve important distinctions. All the power of acting is from the Lord; but what is done by angels, spirits and men is nearer to or more remote from the Lord in the degree that they intend to conform with His will or purpose to act contrary to it. Thus there are four distinct qualities of action. What is done from love to the Lord and toward the neighbor is from will. All that is done from the same love, but qualified as yet by still active states of the proprium, is from good pleasure. That which is done by those who are interiorly evil, but from an end of natural good, is from leave. But what is done by the evil from a deliberate purpose of evil is done from permission. Note, however, that a permission always involves two things. The Lord permits only the evil which He can bend to an end of good that could not be achieved in any other way; and He neither wills nor concurs in the evil. This is peculiar to the Lord. He alone can permit and not will in the least degree, or even acquiesce in, the evil permitted. (See HD 272; DP 296.)

     Profanation. To profane is to deny the Lord, the Word and eternal life after they have once been interiorly acknowledged, or to believe in them and still live contrary to them. The essential condition of profanation is that it causes good and evil, truth and falsity, to become so inextricably intermingled in the interiors of the mind that they cannot be separated, with the result that the man can go neither to heaven nor to hell. The regenerating man has both good and evil, truth and falsity, in his mind; but they are separated, the good and truth being in the internal mind and the evil and falsity in the external. It is those only who know the truth who can profane it, and among them those only do so who first acknowledge and then deny. (See AC 10287, 9818.)

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STATE OF THE MORAL VIRTUES IN THE CHURCH 1965

STATE OF THE MORAL VIRTUES IN THE CHURCH       Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR       1965

     (The second in a series of doctrinal classes)

     In our first class we considered the use of self-examination in reference to the states of the church as a whole. We noted that it is both necessary for and useful to the spiritual welfare and growth of the church, but that it needs to be conducted in proper order and under the guidance of the priesthood. We made some general observations concerning the state of morality in the church, expressing the need for serious concern about this matter. Finally, we began to consider teachings concerning the five major uses of the moral virtues, believing that if we are to be guided by the Lord in reaching just and wise conclusions in the field of morality, we must have fresh in our minds the instruction given in the Writings about its virtues.
     We concluded last time by considering the first use of the moral virtues, that of serving as ultimates of spiritual loves. In this class we would look into the teachings given about their other uses.

     The Moral Virtues as Means of Preparing for Spiritual Virtues.

It is clear that the moral virtues have a necessary and indeed a primary role in the preparation of the young mind for regeneration. They are the soil in which the seeds of spiritual virtues are implanted. The spiritual virtues, it will be recalled, are such things as love of truth, the love of innocence, the love of religion, the love of charity, the love of conjugial love, and so on. Spiritual virtues, because they are spiritual loves, can be acquired only in adult life, when man is in the process of regeneration. * Now it is true that moral virtues, in order to be genuine, must come from a sincere love to the Lord and toward the neighbor, as must the spiritual virtues; but the point is that the forms of the moral virtues can and must exist with the young and as yet unregenerate before the spiritual virtues can possibly be acquired. That this is so is confirmed by various teachings concerning the use of what is civil and moral. We refer to just a few of these.
     * CL 164.
     First let us note the general teaching given concerning the opening and preparation of the mind in childhood and youth.

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We read as follows:
     "From his infancy even to childhood a man is merely sensuous, for he then receives only earthly, bodily and worldly things through the senses of the body, and from these things his ideas and thoughts are formed - the communication with the interior man not being as yet open, or open only so far that he can comprehend and retain these worldly things. The innocence which he then has is only external and not internal, for true innocence dwells in wisdom. By external innocence the Lord reduces into order what enters through the senses; and without an influx of innocence from the Lord in that first age there would never be any foundation upon which the intellectual or rational faculty which is proper to man could be built.
     "From childhood to early youth, communication is opened with the interior natural by learning what is becoming, what the civil laws require, and what is honorable, both by instruction from parents and teachers and by studies. From youth to early manhood, communication is opened between the natural and the rational by learning the truths and goods of civil and moral life, and especially the truths and goods of spiritual life, through the hearing and reading of the Word; but in so far as the youth then becomes imbued with goods by means of truths, that is, in so far as he does the truths which he learns, so far the rational is opened; whereas in so far as he does not do truths, so far the rational is not opened, and yet the knowledges still remain in the natural, namely, in its memory, and thus as it were on the threshold outside the house.
     "In so far, however, as he then in subsequent years disregards goods and truths, and denies and acts contrary to them, that is, instead of them believes falsities and does evils, so far the rational is closed, and also the interior natural. Nevertheless, of the Lord's Divine Providence, as much of communication still remains as to enable him to apprehend goods and truths with some degree of understanding, yet not to make them his own unless he performs serious repentance and for a long while afterwards struggles with falsities and evils. With those, however, who suffer themselves to be regenerated, the contrary comes to pass; for by degrees, or successively, the rational is opened to them, and to this the interior natural is made subordinate, and to this the exterior natural. This takes place especially in youth up to adult age, and progressively to the last year of their life, and afterwards in heaven to eternity." *
     * AC 5126. Cf. TCR 443.

     From this and similar passages we see that the Divine order is that preparation for regeneration is to take place throughout childhood and youth. It is to take place especially by the learning and doing of what is civil and moral, guided by the knowledge of what is spiritual. The moral virtues - which term, by the way, includes what is of civil concern - must be known and practiced if there is to be a base upon which the rational mind can be opened. Not only that, but their presence in the opening mind on that plane furnishes the material, the soil, in and from which the spiritual virtues find their form and expression and grow.

     Now the Writings emphasize that while the learning and doing of what is civil and moral is the orderly preparation in childhood and youth for regeneration, there must also be at the same time the learning and application of the knowledges of spiritual things.

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The whole use of entering into civil and moral life depends upon the reason for doing so, and it is the knowledge of the Lord and His kingdom revealed in the Word that provides the true reason. This is what makes it possible for parents and teachers, and even for children and young people themselves, to look to the uses and purposes of the Lord's kingdom, of His love and wisdom, in whatever they do. This is what is new in the life of the New Church, and what should make the use and quality of the moral virtues with us distinct and different from what they are in all other religions. Let us be sure that we understand this clearly; for unless we do, the moral virtues we take on serve not one bit toward preparing us for the life of heaven. Indeed they become the cloak and disguise behind which the love of self secretly promotes its evil and disorderly ambitions. Just as there is no real repentance, and no real shunning of evil as sin, unless there is a real acknowledgment of the Lord, so there is no saving quality in the moral virtues unless they are acquired from the acknowledgment of the Lord and His Divine purposes in them.

     Recall the teaching that before man can do genuine good he must desist from evil; must shun evil as sin against God. He must bring the external things of his life into somewhat of order before the Lord can begin to build any internal order. * Herein we see one of the first uses which a knowledge of the moral virtues serves the adolescent mind in preparing it for the life of regeneration. That mind sees a picture of external order which it is able to understand. A young mind is not able to grasp the subtle and more interior evils that strive to sway and bend it toward the things of hell; these are seen only gradually, as the mind matures in the knowledge and understanding of the truths of the Word. Certainly the young mind must be instructed in the spiritual truths of the Word, for, as we have already noted, these are the means by which it is able to know and honor the Lord, and to see His purpose in all things of life. Spiritual truths are the means by which the mind is able to look away from self in its intentions to the Lord and the neighbor.
     * LJ post. 342-247.
     But while it is so instructed in spiritual truths, the young mind cannot fully understand the spiritual meaning of the Ten Commandments. It does not really comprehend what it is to murder the Lord; it does not truly understand what it is to murder the neighbor spiritually. But it does know and understand what it is to murder in the natural sense; and likewise what it is in the natural sense to steal, lie, cheat, commit adultery, and take the Lord's name in vain. And these first truths of reformation are intimately related to the moral virtues; for here the young mind sees the forms of natural order in which the knowledge of right and wrong, of what is good and evil, must first be applied.

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It is in the field of moral virtues that the young mind begins to shun what is disorderly and wrong, and begins to do what is orderly and right. These virtues provide the first general ideals, the first orderly forms, of heavenly life. They prepare the mind to look to spiritual ideals, and finally, with the work of regeneration begun, to enter into spiritual virtues.
     Before we turn from our consideration of this use of the moral virtues, we would note one final teaching concerning the formation of the rational mind. At whatever time reformation and regeneration begin with a man, whether early in adult life or somewhat later, the opening of the rational mind will follow the same progressive steps. None of these steps can be missed. All reformation starts, for example, at the same place and with the use of the same general kinds of truth. Concerning this we read:

     "The genuine rational faculty consists of truths and not of falsities; whatever consist of falsities is not rational. There are three kinds of truth, civil, moral and spiritual. Civil truths relate to matters of judgment and of government in kingdoms, and in general to what is just and equitable in them. Moral truths pertain to the matters of everyone's life which have regard to companionships and social relations, in general to what is honest and right, and in particular to virtues of every kind. But spiritual truths relate to matters of heaven and the church, and in general to the good of love and the truth of faith.

     "In every man there are three degrees of life. The rational faculty is opened to the first degree by civil truths, to the second degree by moral truths, and to the third degree by spiritual truths. But it must be understood that the rational faculty which consists of these truths is not formed and opened by man's knowing them, but his living according to them; and living according to them means loving them from spiritual affection, and to love truths from spiritual affection is to love what is just and equitable because it is just and equitable, what is honest and right because it is honest and right, and what is good and true because it is good and true; while living according to them and loving them from bodily affection is loving them for the sake of self and for the sake of one's reputation, honor or gain.
     "Consequently, as far as man loves those truths from bodily affection he fails to become rational, for he loves not them but himself; and the truths are made to serve him as servants serve their lord; and when truths become servants they do not enter the man and open any degree of life in him, not even the first, but merely rest in the memory as knowledges under a material form, and there conjoin themselves with the love of self, which is a bodily love. All of this shows how man becomes rational, namely, that he becomes rational to the third degree by a spiritual love of the good and truth which pertain to heaven and the church; he becomes rational to the second degree by a love of what is honest and right; and to the first degree by a love of what is just and equitable." *
     * HH 458.

     From this, and from other passages on the same subject, it is clear that in the process of reformation and regeneration no plane of truth can be passed over.

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Civil, moral and spiritual truths must be used in their order. The life of the first prepares the way for the next, as does that of the civil for the moral; and unless this order is followed, the higher openings of the rational mind cannot take place. The question that now comes to mind is: how much of the life of each degree of truth is necessary for the opening and confirming of that degree to become part of man's character? The moral virtues, for example, are the life of moral truths. If one is to obey moral truths, one must enter into and perform the deeds and actions that relate to the moral virtues. Can one keep half, or three-quarters, of the moral virtues listed in the Writings from conscience, and abuse or disregard the other half or quarter? This is a most important question, and our answer will be indicative to a great extent of what our attitude is to the moral virtues. But we will return to this later in the series.

     The Moral Virtues as Means of Just and Wise Judgments

     We noted in our first class that the making of judgments is sometimes necessary when the state of the moral virtues in the church is examined. We noted also that the more responsibility one has for the uses of the church, the more will he be called upon to exercise certain judgments. How do the moral virtues serve as means of making judgments, and what are the limitations of such judgments?
     We live in an age in which judgments of any kind by one person upon another are extremely unpopular. This is particularly true of judgments relating to the moral virtues, and true to an absurdity of those relating to religious beliefs. "Who am I to say what is right and wrong?" "If so and so believes that, he may be right." "Everyone believes in doing good; let's not worry about the other man's religion and morality, but concentrate our attention on doing good." Such remarks as these are heard continually. A New Church man might add the well-known but often abused teaching of the Writings, that "the life of religion is to do good." * Certainly good is the life of all religion; but the good is to be defined by the truth of Divine revelation, and not by that which man from his own desires and experiences imagines to be good. Further, it is all too often forgotten or ignored that the first "good" which qualifies and determines all other goods is the good of shunning evils as sins against the Lord. ** If man does not shun evils as sins, the good works he apparently does are not really good, but are in one way or another the fruits of self-love and self-intelligence. This is a teaching that we should remember well, for it introduces us to the basic and necessary requirement for making judgments.
     * Life 1.
     ** DP 326, 83; AE 837.

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     The social and economic disorders of our environment, together with the decline of religious doctrine and instruction, have fostered an image of good which bears little resemblance to the idea of good which the Writings give us. To know what good is, one must know the nature and quality of the Lord, His purpose in all things of creation, and the laws and order by which He operates and is present with man. If these things are not known, there is no way for a man to make judgments that are both just and wise, for he does not know what is truly good from God. The result is a confused, indiscriminate, often blind charity that is neither just nor wise. It is this charity which parades as the "good" of our age.

     There need be no confusion on our part as to what judgments are orderly and useful, and what are disorderly and harmful or altogether impossible. We are taught in the Writings that it is impossible for one man to judge another's spiritual state. There is no way by which the interior nature of another man can be learned accurately; external deeds and actions are indications, but no more than that. Only the Lord knows the spiritual state and the eternal home of each man. Concerning this we read: "A general judgment like this is allowable: `If in internals you are such as you appear in externals you will be saved, or, you will be condemned.' But a particular judgment such as: `You are such in internals and therefore will be saved, or, will be condemned,' is not allowable." *
     * CL 523. Cf. 2284:3; SD 2459; Verbo 5.
     The case with man's civil and moral life, however, is entirely different. Here the Writings instruct us that judgment, just judgment, is to be made. "Who does not see that if one may not judge as to the moral life of those that dwell with him in the world society would perish? What would society be if there were no public judgments? Or if anyone might not form his judgment of another?" * "It is allowable for everyone to think about the moral and civil life of another, and also to judge about it." ** As we have noted elsewhere in this series, such judgment does not refer to indiscriminate and unnecessary appraisal of the moral life of another. The busybody and the gossip express the opposite of that just and wise judgment which is concerned with the welfare and protection of society. Use, and use alone, must determine the nature and extent of the judgments made upon man's civil and moral life.
     * CL 523. Cf. AE 629: 14.
     ** AE 629: 14.
     The making of judgments for the protection of a use is never a pleasant task, especially when it involves those who are close to us - our friends, relatives and children; yet it is a work of charity which is not to be overlooked or put aside just because we may feel a general aversion to it.

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Such aversion is not to be trusted; it can spring more easily from selfish motives than from a just concern for the welfare of the neighbor. Many, to avoid the necessity of making such judgments, abuse the injunction in the Word: "Judge not, that ye be not judged." *
     * Matthew 7: 1.
     As the Writings make clear, however, this does not refer to judgment on the civil and moral life of another. What it means is that we are not to think evilly about what is good and true: that is what is meant by the neighbor, the spiritual neighbor, we are not to condemn. *
     * AE 629: 14.
     How hard it is to make just and wise judgments on the moral life of those for whom we have some definite responsibility is made painfully evident in this passage from Conjugial Love:

     "To appearance, the love of infants with spiritual married partners is similar to the love of infants with natural married partners, but it is more internal and thence more tender, because that love exists from innocence, and from a nearer reception and thus more present perception of it in themselves; for the spiritual are spiritual in the degree that they partake of innocence. Moreover, fathers and mothers, after they have tasted the sweetness of innocence with their infants, love their children altogether otherwise than natural fathers and mothers. The spiritual love their children according to their spiritual intelligence and moral life; thus they love them according to their fear of God and actual piety, or piety of life, and at the same time according to their affection for and application to uses serviceable to society, that is, according to the virtues of good morals with them. From their love of these things, principally, they provide for and minister to their necessities. Wherefore, if they do not see such virtues in them, they alienate the mind from them, and do nothing for them except from duty.
     "With natural fathers and mothers the love of infants is indeed also from innocence, but this, received by them, is wrapped about with their own love, and hence they love infants from this and at the same time from that, kissing, embracing, carrying, taking them to their bosom, and fondling them beyond all measure, and look upon them as of one heart and one soul with themselves. And then, after their state of infancy, up to adolescence and beyond, when innocence no longer operates, they love them, not on account of any fear of God and actual piety, or piety of life, nor any rational and moral intelligence in them, and little, indeed scarcely at all, do they consider their internal affections and thence virtues and good morals, but only the things external for which they have regard. To these they adjoin, affix, and attach their love, and consequently close the eyes to their faults, excusing and favoring them. The reason is that the love of their progeny with them is also the love of themselves, and this love clings to the subject outwardly, but does not enter into it as it does not into themselves." *
     * CL 405.

     At the time when they are raising their children, most parents are in something of natural life, that is, in the thought and love, the inclination and desire, of what is external and sensual. Certainly all young couples are in much of that kind of life, for this changes only with regeneration.

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It is therefore extremely important that we should be aware of the tendencies which arise from the disorderly love of self and the world - tendencies which incline us to think and act unwisely in connection with the moral life of our children; and we will so think and act from inclination if we do not pay attention to the instruction contained in the revelation which the Lord has given us. That revelation makes the laws of moral life Divine laws, and the virtues attained by such a life it makes spiritual-moral virtues. It requires that we teach our children to use the forms of the moral virtues from conscience; and when they are not so used, we are to make a judgment, not merely overlook and excuse. We mention this here, and will return to it later in the series, because we believe that a somewhat careless attitude and practice on the part of parents in the matter of judging the moral life of their children is partly responsible for the over-all attitude we find in the church today concerning the place and importance of the moral virtues. Many of us think of these virtues in very narrow terms, and that is part of the trouble. In thinking of immorality we think of sexual disorders or some form of dishonesty; but how about laziness, discourtesy, immodesty, stinginess and bad manners? How often have we thought of these as moral disorders that need careful, conscientious attention and judging?

     When we are required to judge the moral and civil life of another, be he child or adult, let us remember that we are not condemning the person but the act. And we are condemning the act for two reasons: one, that society, the family, or the church, may be protected from the influences of open disorders; two, that in the act of judgment, through the use of instruction and help, the disorder may be changed or stopped, that in the pause the person may have the freedom of making a new beginning in order to promote his spiritual welfare. This latter is particularly true in reference to children and young people.
     The Writings leave no room for doubt as to the use of the knowledge of the moral virtues in evaluating and judging the character of another; and again this is particularly true in connection with young people, who are not yet prepared to observe the good of another in terms of spiritual virtues. In the making of wise and just judgments about responsibilities relating to the home and the school, in the forming of friendships, and in looking to the friendship of conjugial love, the moral virtues should play an important part. As a specific example, the Writings speak of the moral virtues in reference to courtship and marriage. Often a young man and woman entering into marriage have scarcely begun to reform or regenerate. At best, their internal loves have only begun to be formed.

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What do they look for in each other besides physical attractions, common interests and abilities? They are to look first for general agreement in the essentials of religious belief: the acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus Christ as the one God of heaven and earth, the willingness to shun evils as sins against Him, and the belief that marriages are eternal, at least, that the conjugial itself is eternal. But besides this, they are to look for the presence of the moral virtues in each other, and in so far as these can be seen, for the spiritual virtues. *
     * CL 163.
     If there is in the love a sincere honor and respect, which there must be if it is a true love, every effort will be made to enter into the moral virtues, especially those virtues in which the conjugial finds form and expression. For while it is true that the moral virtues can be entered into from evil and entirely selfish intent, and often are, and can then appear honorable and sincere, it is also true that where those virtues do not appear there can be little of honorable respect and love. Who can think of such a love in which there is nothing of modesty, courtesy, obligingness, chastity, and the like?
     We could find many more examples in the Writings of the use that the moral virtues are to play in the making of just and wise judgments. We can see that they are not always a reliable means of making such judgments, but they are a necessary part of the means of making them. This should be particularly true in the New Church, where we may know exactly what purpose the moral virtues are to serve in the Divine order of creation, and may see clearly what place they are to hold in our thoughts and actions in daily life.
     In our next class we will continue with our consideration of still further uses the moral virtues are to serve. These are the uses of serving as ultimates of external order and as means of performing self- examination.
LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 1965

LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE              1965

     "5. Man does not know from feeling and perception in himself how good and truth enter by influx from God, and how evil and falsity enter by influx from hell; nor does he see how the Divine Providence operates in favor of good against evil; for in such case man would not act from freedom according to reason as if from himself. It is sufficient for him to know and acknowledge these things from the Word and from the doctrine of the church" (Apocalypse Explained 1136).

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RESPONSIBILITY 1965

RESPONSIBILITY       Rev. LORENTZ R. SONESON       1965

     The Relation of Parents to Children

     (A doctrinal class based on the precept: "Thou shalt not steal,"

     Parents of families within the church are keenly aware of the teaching in the Writings, that "man is never born into any truth, not even into any natural truth, as that he should not steal, should not kill, should not commit adultery, and the like: still less is he born into any spiritual truth, as that there is a God, and that man has an internal which will live after death. Thus of himself man knows nothing that relates to eternal life. Man learns both these kinds of truth, otherwise he would be much worse than a brute animal; for from his hereditary nature he loves himself above all and desires to possess all things in the world. Hence, unless he were restrained from civil laws and by fears for the loss of honor, of gain, of reputation, and of life, he would steal, kill and commit adultery, without any perception of conscience." *
     * AC 3175.
     Natural storge leads parents to love and protect their children through the earliest years. When the celestial sphere of angels recedes from the child, hereditary evils begin to show themselves and it is necessary for parents to enforce discipline. The child learns what is permitted and not permitted under the civil laws of the home and community. Soon the growing child becomes aware of the next plane of life, the moral plane. He gradually senses what is meant by justice, fair play and equality. This dawning of a new level of life with the child is met with a corresponding level of instruction. Concepts of morality are presented by parents and teachers to meet the awakening state.
     The basic pattern of instruction given at the first level, the civil plane, appears in the sense of the letter of the Decalogue. External order in most civilized societies adheres at least to the second table of the Ten Commandments, the "thou shalt not" side of the law. The same is true on the next plane of instruction with the growing child. There is an obvious moral sense to the Ten Commandments that applies to basic instructional needs. Bad intentions are to be avoided as well as evil acts. Slander is seen to be destructive of a person's usefulness; adulterous thoughts break the seventh commandment, as the Lord taught while on this earth. Coveting is an attitude of the mind that should be avoided.

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     Conscientious parents throughout the world teach their children to be sincere, fair, dependable, courageous and faithful. They desire their offspring to be good in the eyes of the law and of the community. And these laws for achieving civil and moral good existed with man before the tables were written by the Lord for Moses.
     This the Writings teach, in the Doctrine of Life, where it introduces its treatment of the Decalogue:

     "What nation in the wide world is not aware that it is evil to steal, to commit adultery, to kill, and to bear false witness? If men were not aware of this, and if they did not by laws guard against the commission of these evils, it would be all over with them; for without such laws the community, the commonwealth, and the kingdom would perish. Who can imagine that the Israelitish nation was so much more senseless than other nations as not to know that these were evils? One might therefore wonder why these laws, known as they are the world over, were promulgated from Mt. Sinai by Jehovah Himself with so great a miracle." *
     * Life 53.

     The answer, of course, is well known to us. The Lord presented them to mankind in a miraculous way to show that this code of ethics is to be more than the product of human reason. They are to be obeyed because the Lord has commanded it. "He commands in order that it may be of religion, and that it is to be done for His sake, and for the sake of the man that he may be saved." *
     * Ibid.
     But, again, this the world knows full well. The obvious message appearing in the sense of the letter of both the Old and the New Testament is that the Commandments are to be obeyed because the Lord has so commanded. If there is anything in the Bible that Christians hold in respect and consider holy, it is the Decalogue. Biblical critics may have cast a shadow of doubt on much of the Scriptures, but the pronouncement from Mt. Sinai has remained sacred and relatively untouched.
     We may well ask, then: if the rules leading to civil and moral good are known throughout the world, if the Ten Commandments are seen universally to be the words of God and not just man, what, then, do we claim as the unique contribution of the New Church?
     Here we should consider our answer very carefully. It is not enough to shout to the world that the Lord has now made His second coming through the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg! Let the Writings themselves testify to that fact. What we are concerned with here is the question of the General Church, that body of men and women who, in the light of these Writings, are attempting to ultimate these teachings in their civil and moral lives. In other words, what are our responsibilities as members of the General Church, particularly as parents?

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     We can begin by asking: What does the unbiased observer see when he views one of our societies, such as our own? For one thing, he sees a somewhat distinctive worship service, though still closely patterned after the ritual of the Episcopal Church. Instead of the more usual Bible classes for adults, we have doctrinal classes. But what does the visitor see when he visits our classrooms for the young? We profess to have distinctive New Church education, but can the outsider see it in our subject matter? our textbooks? our students? our teachers? our buildings?
     The General Church supports the idea of community living. What can we show him that is distinctive New Church social life? Are our informal gatherings in homes so distinctive that it would be obvious to the unbiased observer? What do we provide for our young people for their relaxation that we can stand back and point to as something unquestionably distinctive?

     Before we invite our fictitious friend to look us over, we would do well to do the same ourselves first. This is not to say that many of us have not.
     We would like to point to marriages within the General Church as shining examples of our unique teachings. But can we? How often we have struggled to assemble a set of rules, a code of ethics for our young people's social life, reflecting something outstanding and different, worthy of the Writings from which they are derived. Experience has shown that any such attempt has found its counterpart already in existence in some nearby community. Our school curriculum, when viewed in print, certainly seems not dissimilar to that of the average religious private school in the area. And, except for the unique toast to the church, our adult social life resembles patterns set by educated people gathering in homes throughout the country.
     This alarms many. They cry: "We should be different! " "If we are not different, then why all the fuss over separating our youth's activities from the nice people nearby?" "Why do we carry the added expense of private school education?" "Why the need to make sacrifices in order to live in a New Church community?"
     If we judge by externals, the ultimate expressions of our unique church, our case is rather weak. In fact, some say we are failing in our responsibilities to the world. Our support to national charity organizations is probably below average; our position on integration appears behind the times; we are out of step with state government in the matter of local schools and taxes; and we are told by adjoining neighbors that the size of our welcome mat could be greatly enlarged.

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     Lest we base our claim to distinctiveness on the fact that we alone teach that evils are to be shunned as sins against the Lord, recall the teaching in the Writings: "It is a common principle of every religion that a man ought to examine himself, repent, and desist from sins, and that if he fails to do so he is in a state of damnation. Teaching the Decalogue is also a common thing throughout the whole Christian world, and by it little children are commonly initiated into the Christian religion, for it is in the hands of all young children. Their parents and teachers tell them that to commit these evils is to sin against God. . . ." *
     * Life 64.
     Before we disband our effort as a hopeless one, we should review what our realistic goals are. We know that our endeavors to establish what is distinctive in worship, education and social life must be from and toward true charity. The truths of our church are to no avail unless they are ultimated; and a truth ultimated is what we call charity. Faith and charity must be conjoined. But it is quite easy to lose the concept of what true charity is. A section on this subject in the True Christian Religion brings it clearly back to mind:

     "Every man is taught by his parents and teachers to live morally, that is, to act the part of a good citizen, to discharge the duties of an honorable life, and to bring them forth through the formalities of an honorable life, which are called proprieties; and as he advances in years he is taught to add to these what is rational, and thereby to perfect what is moral in his life. For in children, even to early youth, moral life is natural, and becomes afterwards more and more rational. Any one who reflects well upon it can see that a moral life is the same as a life of charity, and that this is to act rightly towards the neighbor, and so to regulate the life as to preserve it from contamination by evils." *
     * TCR 443.

     So here is a truth from which to begin. "Moral life, when it is also spiritual, is a life of charity, because the practices of a moral life and of charity are the same; for charity is willing rightly towards the neighbor, and consequently acting rightly towards him; and this is also moral life. The spiritual law is: `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.' (Matt 7: 22). This same law is the universal law of moral life." *
     * TCR 444.
     However, a moral man, without charity, is moral only in his external man. Unless genuine morality also inhabits the internal man, there is no charity in the man.
     * See TCR 443.

     "Viewing moral life in its essence, it can be seen that it is a life that is in accordance both with human laws and with Divine laws; therefore he who lives in accordance with these two laws as one law, is truly a moral man, and his life is charity. Any one, if he will, can understand from external moral life the nature of charity Only transfer external moral life, such as prevails in civil communities, over into the internal man, so that in its will and thought there may be a likeness and conformity to the acts in the external, and you will see charity in its true image." *
     * TCR 445.

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     Morality must of course begin in man's outermosts, and then progress through four specific stages of development: "The first is when he acts from others according to instructions; the second, when he acts from himself, under the guidance of the understanding; the third, when the will acts upon the understanding, and the understanding regulates the will; and the fourth, when he acts from confirmed principle and deliberate purpose." *
     * Ibid.
     Taking a closer look at this teaching we see that the first step is to instruct. This is education of the young by both parents and teachers. Teach what? For one thing, the Ten Commandments, as a code of rules to establish a life of civil and moral good. We continue our instruction in the whole of the Word, presenting both the literal sense and the doctrine of genuine truth that is drawn from the letter of the Word.
     We also teach knowledges about nature, and the skills to read and study further. These are the same knowledges that appear in any nearby private religious school, but they are organized and presented in a very special way. A visitor may not detect this, but this is what makes our education distinctive. Truth can be seen only in scientifics, in knowledges of nature, and in doctrine from the Word when they are so organized as to receive truth. Prerequisite, then, is a teacher who first sees these truths through individual study and a life according to them. (A tall order!) These qualifications apply not only to the teacher in the classroom but equally to the instructors in the home - the parents!
     The next phase of development, we read, was acting from oneself under the guidance of the understanding. This means acting in freedom according to an enlightened reason. Here our responsibility as parents and guardians is presented clearly and precisely: to prepare our children to meet this gift of freedom armed with the truths they will need to act wisely.
     We know that the first stages of freedom with our children are limited ones, guarded ones. We must control their environment with great caution, so that the pressures on them are not more than they can withstand. To achieve this, we band together with those striving for the same goals, limiting our children's contacts to families who desire the same kind of environment during these crucial years of the child's development. How can we best accomplish this? Through a community of people with a common objective.

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If we accept this teaching of preparing our children for the great responsibility of freedom, we often appear over zealous; but what appears to outsiders as exclusiveness is really the result of our zeal to limit our children's freedom to one in balance with the knowledges they have been taught. There is no freedom without order, and our community effort is dedicated to maintaining that order.
     The third and fourth states, namely, when the will acts upon the understanding, and the understanding regulates the will, and when man finally acts from confirmed principles; these are stages later in life. But they have direct bearing on our adult social life. The Writings tell us about diversions of charity. They are as "spectacles and plays, musicals, beauties of fields and gardens, and social intercourse in general." * But we are warned that these diversions vary according to the affections within them. If the affection of use remains interiorly within them, while it is resting, it is gradually renewed. "A longing for one's work breaks or ends them. For the Lord flows into them from heaven and renews; and He also gives an interior sense of pleasure in them, which they who are not in the affection of charity know nothing of." **
     * Char 193.
     ** Ibid.

     Could a visitor detect distinctiveness in our social life? The answer is, no, unless he was in genuine charity and thus perceived spiritual rejuvenation from a social life that was in accord with both civil and moral order. And here we come to the parting of the ways. The obvious fact is that much of the world is not in a state of genuine civil and moral good! Only the naive cannot see that the trend today is away from what the Writings tell us is real charity. This is the apparent difference. Herein is our distinctiveness. Because we strive to protect this order, we are labeled "exclusive"! As Bishop W. D. Pendleton put it some years ago in a speech on this subject: "Do not think that the principle of distinctiveness is an arbitrary standard imposed upon the Church by a group of spiritual isolationists. The fact that we are removed from the world is not of our doing. It is they, not we, who have departed from a faith in the Lord. We deny, then, all charges of isolationism and exclusiveness."*
     * New Church Life, 1940, p. 434.
     It should be evident then, from this review of our objectives that we seek only to be guided by the teachings of the Lord's Word; in our worship, in our education and in our social life. We are indeed privileged to receive this Word, now opened to its fullest by the Lord's second coming. And if we have been affected by these truths, we not only love them and cherish them, but it is natural for us to protect them and preserve them. It follows that if we see within these truths our responsibilities as parents, we will do everything we can to hand these truths on to our children.

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Nothing should distract us from preparing their minds in such a way that truth will inflow clearly and abundantly. As parents and teachers we should seek untiringly for the truths now available, and then lead our children to receive them.
     At the same time, we should protect their freedom, at work and at play, so that they taste the delights of a life according to order, knowing that this alone will prepare them to enjoy the heavenly delights flowing from spiritual good.
     If this is our goal, then we are obeying the Ten Commandments, for this is precisely what is meant by the commandment, "Thou shalt not steal"! "Stealing means depriving others of their truths of faith and goods of charity by means of falsities and evils." *
     * SS 67. See also: AC 4002, 5135, 5747: 2, 5758, 9020, 9150; HH 531; DP 146; TCR 318; AE 1167, etc
     To steal means to take anything away from the Lord and attribute it to self, and say that it is ours. * Are not our children only lent to us, and at all times still the Lord's? When we deprive our children of their opportunity to gain the truths they will so desperately need in adult life, we are taking away from the Lord's children. In this our greatest combats are with selfishness, laziness or indifference.
     * D. Wis. xi: 5.
     Parental responsibility is to teach and support schools of instruction that provide our children, (or better, the Lord's children) with all the truths necessary for their states. The challenge is to provide our young ones with an example in the home and in social life that reflects order, sincerity and honesty. These diametrically oppose stealing.
     The seventh commandment, "Thou shalt not steal," then, imposes certain responsibilities. Vital among these is that of creating a social life for the coming generation that protects their freedom. It behooves us to eliminate worldly influences that are disorderly, even when accused of being "over protective" or "exclusive."
     If we are successful in achieving this training and example for our young, let us not then "steal" credit for ourselves. For these goods and truths are the Lord's alone, and these are His children. *
     * AC 2609: 2.
     One final warning from the Word: "The evil of theft enters more deeply into a man than any other evil, because it is conjoined with cunning and deceit; and cunning and deceit insinuate themselves even into the spiritual mind of man in which are his thought and understanding." *
     * Life 81.
     Let us reflect long and hard on the teaching: "If you will, just examine all doctrinal things, and see what they are; do they not all pertain to charity, and consequently to the faith that is from charity? Take only the precepts of the Decalogue. The first of these is to worship the Lord God.

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He who has the life of love or of charity worships the Lord God, because this is his life. Another precept is to keep the Sabbath. He who is in the life of love, or in charity, keeps the Sabbath holy, for nothing is more sweet to him than to worship the Lord, and to glorify Him every day. . . . So, too, the precept, 'Thou shalt not steal'; for he who has the life of charity would rather give of his own to his neighbor, than to take anything away from him." *
     * AC 1798.
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1965

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1965

     In a sermon published by the NEW-CHURCH MESSENGER, the Rev. George F. Dole questions the negative emphasis of Lent: the pre-Lenten fling; the giving up of some specific pleasure which may, however, be returned to on the feast days, the Sundays in Lent; and the relaxation of all restrictions on Easter. If our focus in Lent is to be upon self-denial, he says, then surely we should choose something worth giving up; and just as surely we should not make Easter a day of return to an old evil. The joy we seek should not be that of a return to self-indulgence but the joy of deliverance from it. Rather should we seek an affirmative Lent, resolving to serve the Lord with gladness by seeking some useful thing to do. Then, when Easter comes, we shall discover a new love arising in us, nourished by the knowledge that we have been useful and have brought happiness to others.

     The Spring Number of the THETA ALPHA JOURNAL offers, in addition to the transactions of the 61st Annual Meeting, two articles of particular interest. "The Role of the Mother" by Alice Henderson Glenn is itself a living memorial to a New Church woman who was dedicated, in the home and in the uses of Theta Alpha, to the truths and ideals so eloquently expressed in it. In "Doctor Sigmund Freud, An Apology" Sally Headsten usefully corrects some popular misconceptions, notably the idea that Freud is opposed to rational guilt. What psychiatry is against, she points out, is irrational guilt; that "subterranean, crippling, unconscious, vise-like emotion that inhibits normal action and self-control." The biography of Professor Vinet is continued in a series of letters which further illumine an endearing character; and there is an informative editorial statement on the history and uses of Theta Alpha to round out an issue which is embellished by several perceptive poems.

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CHURCH TO THE GENTILES 1965

CHURCH TO THE GENTILES       Rev. ALFRED ACTON       1965

     Every church which has existed on this earth has experienced the same pattern of growth. Each has had its morning or period of infancy, its noonday or state of instruction, its evening or decline, and its night or fall. Also, the historical events in the growth of each church have somewhat paralleled those in the life of every other one. So it is that from a study of the Lord's life as it led to the establishment of the Christian Church we can learn something of how the New Church will grow. Indeed the travels of the Lord while He lived in this world illustrate beautifully how the New Church will come to its fullness - to the day when its gates shall be open to all nations.
     By studying the Lord's travels, and the people with whom He spoke, we can draw specific applications to the field of New Church evangelization - to the spread of the New Church to the "gentiles." In His lifetime the Lord spoke with gentiles of different backgrounds and from different lands. For example, when He left Canaan for Tyre and Sidon He spoke with a Greek woman. On another occasion a Roman centurion sought Him out, asking Him to heal a faithful servant; while on yet another occasion He addressed a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.
     Each of these incidents had particular reference to the spread of the New Church in its state of infancy - in the state depicted in the book of Revelation by the woman clothed with the sun who brought forth a man-child: has reference to the "wilderness" state of New Church extension. For the Lord's travels apply to the church in its infancy, since the life of the Lord marks but the infancy of the Christian Church, which did not come to its fullness until after His death. Hence the Lord's passing through Samaria has particular application to the growth of the New Church, the spread of the church to those outside of "Judea," its proper home. In the case of the Greek woman, we find that the Lord had entered into the borders of Tyre and Sidon - the only time He was to leave the holy land proper, where He had gone into a house and would "have no one know it: but He could not be hid." *
     * Mark 7: 24.
     By this act the Lord showed that the Divine truth, although it leads the lives of all men in secret, constantly preserving their freedom, and desires not to be known by those who are not yet ready to receive it lest there be profanation, still cannot be hid from those who are seeking it.

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So it was that a Greek woman, a Syrophoenecian by nation, heard the Lord and came to Him, asking Him to heal her daughter who was possessed with a devil. The Lord answered her: "Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs." The woman answered, and said unto Him: "Yea, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. And He said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter." *
     * Mark 7: 27-30.
     Why had the Lord at first spoken harshly to this woman, likening her to a dog? Why did He appear to relent when she answered Him so humbly? The Lord had also spoken harshly of the gentiles in His commands to His disciples prior to sending them forth to baptize. For He had said: "Go not into the way of the gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." *
     * Matthew 10; 5-6.
     Indeed it appears in the sense of the letter as though the Lord was intolerant of the gentiles, and this in conformity with the old belief of the Jews that they were the chosen people. Yet we can see from the parable of the good Samaritan and other like sayings that this was not the case. Did not the Lord teach us to turn the other cheek, to love one another. Why, then, is there this apparent condemnation of the gentiles?

     In the spiritual sense of the Word we see the apparent contradiction resolved. For there we learn that the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," to whom the Lord commanded His disciples to go, also represent gentiles; not, however, gentiles who from an evil love have confirmed their religiosities, but gentiles who were in good as to life as yet separate from genuine truth.
     Thus it was that when the Syrophoenecian woman responded to the Lord in humility, expressing her simple faith in Him, He was able to cure her daughter, who, in the spiritual sense, is the remains implanted in the good which serve as the means for their salvation. He was able spiritually to stimulate in her the affection of these innocent remains, and to lead her by means of these to new spiritual life. Yet until by her reply she had demonstrated her faith in Him she could not rise above the falsities of her religion; for all men are in freedom to accept or reject the Lord, and only after they have accepted Him can He save them. So He had said: "Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs."

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Such a faith was demonstrated by the centurion whose servant was healed. Indeed it was a faith of which the Lord said: "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel." *
     * Matthew 8: 10.
     Both of these incidents illustrate the teaching we find in the Writings concerning the gentiles in the other world. There Swedenborg says that he was "instructed in many ways that the gentiles who have lived a moral life, and have been obedient, and have lived in mutual charity, and have received some sort of conscience according to their religion, are accepted in the other life, and are there instructed by angels with anxious care in the goods and truths of faith. While receiving instruction," he adds, "they conduct themselves modestly, intelligently and wisely, for they have formed for themselves no principles contrary to the truths of faith that have to be dispersed, still less stumbling-blocks against the Lord, as have many Christians who have led a life of evil. Nay, they wish well to Christians; although on the other hand Christians despise them, and even do them violence as far as they can." *
     * AC 2590.

     We should observe here that the Greek woman and the Roman centurion had no animosity toward the Jews; indeed they virtually ignored the Jewish religion, except in those infrequent instances when it affected them personally. Unlike the Samaritans, who practised a corrupted form of the worship of Jehovah centered in Mt. Gerezim, and who had actively opposed the Jews when they were resettling their wasted land after Nebuchadnezzar's conquest, the Greeks and Romans were little interested in Jehovah or in the interpretation of His laws. Hence these gentiles represent a state quite different from that represented by the Samaritan woman. They represent the church universal - the church composed of all men in the world who lead a good life, regardless of their religion. All such men will attain a life of happiness in heaven. Yet their state is not the best possible for mankind; for the passage last quoted, although it shows that many gentiles are received in preference to Christians who have not led as good a life as they have, also states that "Christians who have acknowledged the truths of faith, and have at the same time led a life of good, are received in preference to gentiles." For those Christians who will come into the church specific make as it were the heart and lungs of the Gorand Man. They are, or will after death become, New Church men. Thus it behooves us to spread the Word of the Lord among all people; for, like the Lord in Phoenecia, it cannot be hid.

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     However, we should also remember that the great conversion of these Greek and Roman gentiles did not take place until after the Lord's death, and that He Himself went only once into the land of Tyre and Sidon. The first steps in the spread of the church were taken in Jerusalem, Galilee and Samaria, not outside of Canaan. Likewise, then, we must expect the spread of the New Church while it is in its infancy or wilderness state to be among those who had received the former church, to be among Christians.
     These gentiles are represented by the Samaritan woman - a woman familiar with the old faith who even practised it in a corrupted form. She represents the simple good within the corrupted former church - members of the church universal who, although they have the Word, have neither perverted nor accepted the doctrine of genuine truth in it. Thus she represents the gentiles within the sphere of the Christian Church: gentiles who might well be Christian in name, gentiles among whom the spread of the New Church must first take place.

     With this in mind, let us examine the manner in which the Lord introduced this woman into the truth that He indeed was the Messiah whom she awaited, noting how perfectly the conversation illustrates the means whereby we may present the truth of the Heavenly Doctrine to Christians. The first step was the Lord's request to the woman to draw water from Jacob's well, which represents a careful examination on the part of the evangel as to the state of truth with the gentile. Next came the announcement that He had living water, or, spiritually, genuine truth; which in turn stimulated a desire on the woman's part to drink of that water, a desire to learn from the new Word. At this point in the conversation, and note that it was not prior to this time, there was a revelation that the Lord had Divine power. For at this time Jesus saith unto her: "Go, call thy husband, and come hither." The woman answered: "I have no husband"; whereupon Jesus said unto her: "Thou hast well said, I have no husband: for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly." * Only after the gentile has expressed an interest in the spiritual truth of the new Word is the evangel able to give the first intimation of its Divine character.
     * John 4: 16-18.
After this revelation of His Divine omniscience, the woman began to question the Lord concerning the truths of the old faith. She wished Him to settle the old dispute as to where worship should be conducted. Was it Jerusalem, as the Jews said; or on Mt. Gerezim, as was her tradition?

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The Lord's reply involved a new interpretation of the old doctrine: "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." * Even so does the evangel, upon being questioned concerning the Trinity, or some other perverted doctrine of the old church, respond with the words of the Lord's new revelation of truth-offering new resolutions of the old Christian disputes.
     * John 4: 19-24
     On hearing this new revelation of truth, spoken with Divine authority, the woman began to perceive the true nature of the Lord. For she replied: "I know that Messiahs cometh, which is called Christ: when He is come, He will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He." * Such was the gradual instruction from the Lord which instilled in this woman of Samaria a real recognition of spiritual truth.
     * John 4: 25, 26.

     Yet it is said in the Scripture that the Lord must needs go through Samaria. It is not enough merely to instruct one in the truth. There must be a progression. The gentile must pass from the state of one prepared to receive spiritual truth to the establishment of the church within himself. That is the goal, and that is the spiritual Galilee to which the Lord was traveling. As we read in the Apocalypse Explained: the land of Galilee signifies "the establishment of the church with the gentiles who are in the good of life and who receive truths and are thus in the conjunction of good and truth, and in combat against evils and falsities." * So we see that the church is to be established first from a state of desolation, in which the gentile is filled with the evils and falsities of his religiosity; then by progression to a state of preparation for the reception of new Divine truth; and at length by the establishment itself of the church through temptation or combat in accordance with this new truth.
     * AE 447: 5.

     Note that this entire progression is with the church among the gentiles - that it is with the church prior to its establishment among the many. It is the state represented by the woman in the wilderness: the state of the church with the few, where conversion is primarily among the Samaritans, or gentiles within the Christian sphere, rather than among the Greeks and Romans, which took place when the church came into its fullness after the Lord's resurrection and ascension.
     Thus the spiritual signification of "wilderness" involves the whole process of this establishment; for the word, wilderness, has a threefold meaning which describes the entire scope of the early spread of the church. The first meaning is descriptive of man's state when there is no longer any truth with him because there is not any good.

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It is a state of hell: a state in which man - although he may be in ignorance, as is the case with the gentiles - rests in his natural, as yet unprepared to see the truths of the Lord's Word. It is a state in which the Word is hidden. This is the desert wilderness, the barren wasteland.
     But the third meaning of "wilderness" is the most important. It is, the state of temptation. This is the wilderness through which the sons of Israel wandered on their way to the promised land. This is the state in which the church will really be established in the hearts of men, for until there is temptation there is no spiritual life. Until man fights to rise above his evil inheritance and establish the church in his life, the church can never leave the wilderness. Just as the Lord went on from Galilee to Jerusalem, so must the church progress from its first establishment to its fullness; and as we know that the Lord never allows anyone to come into more of spiritual temptation than he can bear, we may conclude that the church will grow only in accordance with its spiritual ability to resist the temptations of growth, since unless the heart is strong the body will not survive. Yet prior to the spread of the church to all nations there must be a time when the seeds of spiritual truth will be sown: a time when the church is with the few in the wilderness; a time of evangelization and of slow, steady growth.
     * AE 730.
INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE! 1965

INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE!       LYRIS HYATT       1965

     "Put away space, and deny the possibility of a vacuum, and then think of Divine love and of Divine wisdom as being essence itself, space having been put away and vacuum denied. Then think according to space; and you will perceive that the Divine, in the greatest and in the least things of space, is the same; for in essence abstracted from space neither great nor small is possible, but only the same" (Divine Love and Wisdom, 81).

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REVIEW 1965

REVIEW              1965

THE SHINING EAST: A Story of Life After Death. By Cornelia Hinkley Hotson. Vantage Press, Inc., 120 West 31st Street, New York, 1964. Cloth, pp. 107. Price $2.00.

     In "How I Came to Write The Shining East," the twelve-page introduction to her new book, Mrs. Hotson says that she wants to make heaven seem "a desirable habitation," and that her story will be fulfilling its purpose if it "makes heaven seem worth trying for here and now." Although this worthy purpose is only partially accomplished in the present volume, the author does succeed in making it seem worth trying to escape hell.
     Although Mrs. Hotson wants "to make heaven seem agreeable, rather than to describe hell, which is already too well known, and often too well liked," many of the vivid scenes of the novel deal with lower regions and low characters. John Murphy, the central character, does approach a "very low, natural heaven," but he is unprepared and suffers accordingly. The clothing factory in High Hollow, where Gertrude Smith is temporarily trapped, is apparently in the world of spirits but seems hell itself.
     Murphy, who has been a big league first baseman, awakens in the other world in "Extonia" with little confidence in himself as a human being but boastful about his baseball prowess. Readers will be interested in following his experiences - and will hope to avoid some themselves - in the world of spirits. He meets a variety of newcomers, some completely unsavory, and others with faults but capable of learning truths and applying them. Among them is the nurse Gertrude, who is as self-deprecating as Murphy.
     The story is absorbing and strangely haunting. It successfully engages the reader, but at the same time it raises some questions. For instance, although it makes plain that to be good one must be useful, there is little attempt to develop the idea of the uniqueness of individual uses. It seems wrong to accept, either literally or symbolically, Murphy's implication that every ball player wants "to get to be a pitcher . . . of course." And if Minnie is salvable, as suggested, it is certainly ironic that "the one thing" she thinks she can do well is to "boss her male companions." Perhaps most surprising of all is the statement that the child Pedro "couldn't be up there" (in heaven) and that his mother in heaven was "troubled about him," he was "so young" to be entering the spiritual world.

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Though unintended surely, there is also the implication that the real choice between heaven and hell is sometimes made after death.
     Some of the dialogue rings true, but there are inconsistencies in form and tone that draw the reader's attention from ideas to mere words. To cite one example, characters will use the standard second person pronoun in one sentence, but "ye," "youse," "ya" or "yo' " in another. One devil says "W'at's there?" but "Wot's y'r terms?" We are not competent to criticize the argot of the earthly underworld.
     Admittedly, the big ball game is played in a lower region and is meant to show infernal violations of rules, but among other things we would like to know what position Murphy was playing so well, how he made three runs in the first five innings, and what the final score was.
     We recommend reading Mrs. Hotson's introduction as an "afterword." Much of it is interesting autobiography covering many years. About a fifth of it deals directly with The Shining East. Here are given the sources of ideas (primarily the long Memorable Relation at the beginning of Conjugial Love) and of characters. But the reader is led to anticipate meeting six appealing characters who never do appear in this novel. However, happily the reader does learn that the present volume is only Part One of a trilogy. We look forward to Murphy's further experiences in his progress toward heaven, and to becoming acquainted with the promised characters. Mrs. Hotson does have skill in creating convincing people and scenes, and is to be congratulated on working with patience and persistence in a useful field. We certainly join her in the hope that she will be able to present Parts Two and Three in the near future.
     LYRIS HYATT
SCANDINAVIAN SUMMER SCHOOL 1965

SCANDINAVIAN SUMMER SCHOOL              1965

     A Scandinavian Summer School for New Church young people between the ages of 17 and 30 will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, from Sunday, July 25, to Sunday, August 8, inclusive. Courses will be given by the Rev. Messrs. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen (headmaster), Erik Sandstrom, Frank S. Rose and Kurt P. Nemitz. The school is under the auspices of the Providentia Foundation, with lectures given at the manse, and the only charge on students will be their traveling expenses to and from Stockholm. The program will include excursions to places in and around Stockholm connected with Swedenborg's life. A cordial invitation is extended. For enrollment or further information write to: the Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen, Aladdinsvagen 27, Bromma, Sweden.

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EDITORIALS 1965

EDITORIALS       Editor       1965


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.
     AND NOT AS THE SCRIBES

     When the Gospels note that the people were astonished at the Lord's doctrine, "because He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes," their immediate meaning is clear. He did not comment on the sacred text by quoting rabbinical authorities, but uttered His own teaching - "I say unto you." At best, the scribe spoke of himself from the Law; at worst, from the traditions that had made the Law of none effect. The Lord spoke the Word from Himself because He was the Word incarnate, the Word made flesh.
     There is, however, a deeper meaning. The Greek word rendered, authority, is ex ousia; and ex, of course, means "out of," while ousia means "essence" or "inner reality." Thus the deeper meaning is that the Lord spoke "out of'' His own "essence." The supreme Divine did not teach men through the Lord; He taught of Himself from that of the Divine which by glorification He had made His own in the Human. Therefore even while He was a man on earth His words were, one and all, the Divine truth and the very Word of God.
     This idea is vital to our thinking not only about the Lord's teaching in the world but also about his subsequent teaching through the evangelists and later in the Heavenly Doctrine. What the Lord speaks He speaks from Himself, out of His own essence, from the Divine love and wisdom. Therefore His words have power to save, because in them are both the end and the means of salvation; and therefore, whether men will accept it or not, His Word, in all its forms, is Divine revelation and has the authority of Divine truth from the Divine love.

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     THE SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION

     The notice in this issue of the Swedenborg Scientific Association's annual meeting calls attention to a use which receives less support than it deserves and barely enough for its minimal needs. Some of the Association's problems may be discerned from two facts: while its title includes the word "Scientific," its quarterly journal is named the New Philosophy; and it is attempting to maintain that journal, and perform its other uses, in an age which is more interested in science than in philosophy.
     Yet there is great need for what it is trying to do. Although this is a scientific age, a great many philosophical judgments are being made, and of these many which have most influence on contemporary thinking are being made by scientists. The stated purposes of the Association do not mean that it is committed to perpetuating an eighteenth century system of science and philosophy and to evaluating modern systems in their light. Its real concern is with scientific and philosophical principles which, if true, are timeless, and with the development of New Church philosophy, which must be drawn from the Writings as well as from the philosophical works of Swedenborg.
     It is important that New Church philosophy should be developed, not merely that we may appear respectable in the eyes of the intellectual world, but that we may be able to meet rationally the philosophical problems that do exist. Not everyone can contribute to its development, though those who can should; but there are other forms of support that can be given. Not the least of these is interest in the endeavors of those who are trying to do it. Few things will encourage and stimulate them more than the knowledge that they are not working in a small, enclosed system, but are communicating with an interested church which will respond intelligently and inquiringly to their efforts.

     A READING CHURCH

     It has often been said, and soundly, that the New Church is to be a reading church. The Writings themselves teach that everyone's faith is according to his ideas. They add that the understanding of every subject is according to the idea: none if there is no idea of it, obscure if the idea is obscure, perverted if the idea is perverted, clear if it is clear; and they state that knowledges make a general and obscure idea distinct.

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Further, they advise that a man who has not acquired for himself some idea of spiritual things by his own investigation receives a very faint idea, if any, from descriptions; and they warn that a man receives from others only as much as he either has of his own or acquires for himself by looking into the matter in himself.
     These teachings point to two things. A laity whose only contact with the Word was through preaching and pastoral instruction could not hope to receive the same ideas as those who brought to them minds filled with ideas made clear and distinct by knowledges acquired through their own investigation of the Word. Yet it is evident that for such minds we need not just a reading church but a thinking church, and one schooled in reflection! Reading can become a mechanical routine which yields little or nothing in the way of ideas. Yet reading there must be: for everyone in the church forms some ideas about the things he hears preached and taught; and unless these ideas are from the Word, they will not make a true faith but will reflect something else.
     Now it is true that spiritual faith, which is an internal acknowledgment of truth, exists with those only who are in charity from the Lord, and that before a man is in charity the knowledges of truth and good which he has from the Word are not of faith. But they are a store out of which the faith of charity can be formed, and the nature of that faith depends upon their quantity as well as their quality. If they are few, a scanty and meager faith is formed; if they are many, the faith is rich and full in proportion to their abundance. All the power of truth is from good, but the power of good is exercised through truth; and the richer and fuller the faith is, the more effectively can the uses of charity be done. A reading and thinking church, then, may be one which can enter more fully into the life of charity - the life for the sake of which the church was established.

     THE CHURCH AND BIRTH CONTROL

     Involved in the subject and practice of birth-control are both of the elements that were mentioned as qualifying topics for inclusion in the series begun with a consideration of remarriage. The subject is one on which the church should speak, and in view of the discussions in the mass media it need not hesitate to do so publicly. However, it should be said firmly at the outset that on this issue the General Church has no official "position" which must be accepted without question, further thought or reason as a pronouncement, or that may be taken gratefully by married couples as absolving them from the responsibility of exercising freedom and rationality in making their own decision in the light that they have from the Writings.

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     It is not the function of the church, or of its priests in counseling, to tell married couples that they should or should not practice birth-control! The decision must be theirs, and it should, of course, be the decision of a conscience formed from the Writings. That is what we mean when we say that the Lord is to govern the church through the Writings and that the individual, in this instance husband and wife, is the church in particular. As a teaching and leading body the church tries to gather, collate, study and understand the teachings of the Writings, and then tries to present them as understood by it in such a way that they may lead to good and so to the Lord; and it takes no other stand than what is involved in doing this. However, it does have a responsibility to make those teachings known - especially where the laity may be in doubt as to what the teaching is, or even as to whether there is specific teaching; and without persuasion or usurpation of the power of decision, to clarify and discuss their meaning, so that those who are charged with the responsibility of decision may have the means of making it justly and wisely.

     In view of certain statements that have been made, it may come as a surprise to some that there are no direct teachings on birth- control in the Writings. Yet there are teachings which bear on the subject so clearly that their import can scarcely be misunderstood by the open mind. Before they are referred to, however, this should be said. The church, as was observed in connection with remarriage, teaches the ideal, and there can surely be no doubt that under ideal conditions on every plane of life, from the spiritual to the physical, the question of birth-control would not arise at all. Would not men and women then enter into marriage with no other affection and ideal than that of having as many children as the Lord in His providence gave them, and when He gave them? But we do not live under such conditions, and that we do not is part of our inheritance and therefore something for which we are not necessarily responsible as individuals. Consequently, allowance must be made for exceptions; and the teachings given become vitally important, both that those who feel called upon to make the decisions involved may have a basis in revealed truth for doing so, and that those couples whose cases appear honestly to them to be exceptions may not be burdened by a false sense of guilt.

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     Although there are other teachings which deserve careful consideration, the key teachings which bear on the subject would seem to be these four: that in marriage the end is the will and love of procreating offspring; that while conjugial love can exist where there are no offspring, it cannot exist apart from the love of procreating and the love of offspring; that the desire to enter into marriage without any desire for offspring is damnable; and that whatever destroys or prevents marriages, and thus destroys propagations, is diabolical, since marriage has a Divine end.
     If a doctrinal position should not be founded upon a single statement in the Writings, neither should a weighty decision be based solely on a few teachings brought together in a compressed form. The issue before us is not a simple one, and a great many teachings of the Writings must be searched out and pondered rationally in regard to it. Yet it is believed that the teachings referred to here do go to the heart of the matter; that they point out the essential things to be considered as searchingly and sincerely as possible by those concerned. Do they really regard the having and rearing of a family as the fullfillment of marriage? Do they, as far as they can tell, really have the love of offspring, or would they really prefer a childless marriage or a family whose size was determined entirely by themselves? At the same time, it should be realized that we can no more separate internals from externals here than in anything else of life. We may not assume that as long as we believe we have the love of offspring, what we do in externals has no significance! Yet there are potential hidden dangers in trying to answer these questions, attitudes and modes of reasoning that can blind judgment; and of these we shall attempt to speak next month.

     [NOTE: The following series of numbers may be consulted as containing teachings which bear on the subject. 1) CL 254, 385, 387. 2) CL 393.     3) CL 403, 393; SD 1202. 4) SD 1202-1203; CL 212. 5) De Con. 37; CL 172f; AE lOO5e; CL 198, 220, 321; SD 3555: 6, 6110: 63, 64; AE 992: 3; SD 1005: 2; LJ post. 341; De Con. 37. 6) DP 180: 8; SD 3697. Also AC 2732, 2746; SD 1663f.]
CHURCH AND REMARRIAGE 1965

CHURCH AND REMARRIAGE       GERALD F. NELSON       1965

Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE:

     The editorial on the church and remarriage [NEW CHURCH LIFE, January, February, 1965] questions whether or not remarriage, after the death of one partner, necessarily indicates "rejection or repudiation" of the first marriage.
     The teaching is clear where the marriage was not blessed by conjugial love. As the marriage was only natural and not spiritual, there was nothing to dissolve or "put asunder" after the natural bond of marriage was broken by the death of one partner.

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"With those who had not love truly conjugial, nothing stands in the way or hinders their contracting marriage again" (CL 320).
     The case, however, is very different with the marriage discussed in the editorial where the man believes that his marriage with his deceased wife had been blessed with conjugial love. This marriage is a spiritual marriage that is not dissolved or put asunder by the death of his wife. Their mutual love is just as strong, or stronger than before - stronger because she is completely in a spiritual state, and so is he to a greater extent than he was before, especially as to his interiors. Love is not lessened by temporary physical separation in this world; why should it be lessened in the case of one partner's decease, where the separation may be a little longer?
     "The two are still not separated after the death of the one, since the spirit of the one cohabits continually with the spirit of the one not yet deceased, and this even to the death of the other, when they meet again, and re-unite, and love each other more tenderly than before, because in the spiritual world" (CL 321). In this light we find the suggestion in the editorial incongruous, that "we may see it as possible that through looking to the Lord and entering into the responsibilities of such a marriage [a marriage to another woman while he believes he is in conjugial love with his wife] a man and woman may be strengthened in or prepared for conjugial love."
     A man cannot judge his own state of regeneration, nor the state of conjugial love present in his marriage. But all love is from the Lord, and as long as that love which he shared with his deceased wife is still present, the idea that it would be strengthened by marrying another would be most abhorrent.
     GERALD F. NELSON
          Linthicum Heights
               Maryland

     [EDITORIAL NOTE: Mr. Nelson's contribution to this discussion is welcome. The editorial did say also that "those whose deep feelings about their marriage are such that they have no desire to enter into another, and who are not pressed by reasons apart from conjugial love to do so, are indeed to be regarded as highly favored"; and that "theirs is a state that should not be encroached upon." Decisions must be made by individuals, and a full and free exchange of views can be of the greatest assistance.]

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Church News 1965

Church News       Various       1965

     AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

     The original New Church Society in New Zealand, known as the Auckland Society, was an independent body of the Conference type. It had no ordained minister until after the first world war. About 1915, Mr. Robert Strong was sent to the Convention Theological School for training, and he served as minister until 1952. During this time a member of the Society, Mr. Harry Hyatt, received from Bryn Athyn a number of books which were deposited in the bookroom. These included NEW CHURCH LIFE and Words for the New Church. When fresh blood and keen readers came into the Society about the beginning of the second world war, these books were eagerly read and compared with Conference and Convention literature; and in 1943, Mr. Hubert Hyatt, then business manager of the journal, was written to for current issues of NEW CHURCH LIFE in order that these might be compared with the volume for 1912. Keen interest in the General Church grew from that time.
     In 1955, at the request of the council, the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton paid the Society a highly stimulating visit. He baptized a number of people, several of whom applied for membership in the General Church. Some of these later resigned, leaving a nucleus of six.
     For a time following this visit it appeared that the Society had become fired with the influx of new life. New realms of understanding were opened by means of General Church recordings, played on a tape recorder generously contributed by Bishop Pendleton; sermons by General Church ministers were read from the pulpit by Mr. M. Fleming; and the small Sunday school, superintended by Mr. L. Bartle, received instruction from General Church Religion Lessons. However, it became evident that conflicting convictions regarding the different organizations of the New Church existed. Attitudes developed which led to a state of stress that culminated in the decision of the majority to seek closer affiliation with the General Conference in Great Britain.
     Desiring to perpetuate the light of General Church teachings in New Zealand, some members withdrew from the Auckland Society, and in 1957 three of them commenced holding services in Devonport at the homes of Mrs. F. Mills and Mrs. E. Watson. Some of these were taped services, at others sermons were read by Mr. Fleming. Mr. E. Smythe became a regular attender and was a generous supporter until his death in 1962. A general purpose fund was commenced. Mr. J. Braseil also attended and later joined the church. Mr. and Mrs. Bartle continued to take their children to the Sunday school, but held adult taped services in their home each Sunday afternoon. Mr. A Hobcroft was frequently brought from a nearby rest home and was a keen listener.
          Official recognition of the group was given in 1958. In July 1962, members met at the home of Mrs. D. Flood, and the first council meeting was convened with enthusiasm. It was voted unanimously that Mrs. Mills continue as secretary, which she nobly did until the following year, when Miss Tuckey was elected secretary to unburden her a little.
     Increasingly we turned to our corresponding minister, the Rev. Donald L. Rose of the Hurstville Society, to whom go our thanks for his gentle guidance into more orderly states. He had first visited us in 1957 as he traveled to Hurstville, and again later that year, when he lectured publicly to some fifty people. He came again in 1963, when he spent ten days, visiting Waiheke Island where the late Mrs. Rene Andrew lived.

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It was through her interest in spreading the Writings that Mrs. Flood came into the church.
     Between visits Mr. Rose maintained a prolific stream of letters, tapes, sermons and publications, bridging the 1200 miles of Tasman Sea between us. On several occasions we provided funds for him to advertize throughout New Zealand, and it was through his advertisement offering free copies of Heaven and Hell that Mr. Hobcroft became interested.
     In 1956 Mr. Lindthman Heldon came from Hurstville and conducted a service in the old church. Then, in 1960, the Rev. Douglas McL. Taylor and Dean Charles S. Cole paid a memorable visit. They left a substantial sum of money which we used to advertize Trobridge's Life and Works of Emanuel Swedenborg. Four requests for the book were received. It was a great pleasure to meet all of our visitors from distant centers. In 1963 our pioneer student in the Academy flew bravely off. We hope that others will be able to follow Evan Mills' lead.
     Since Mr. Taylor took up the pastorate of the Hurstville Society we have been the grateful recipients of two visits from him. He has traveled long distances as some of our members have left the city: Mr. Hobcroft for Hamilton, and the Bartle family for Te Kopuru, where they have gone farming. On his last visit Mr. Taylor went as far south as Oamaru to visit Mr. and Mrs. Beveridge, and called also at Nelson to stay with Mr. R. Marple.
     We offer our thanks to the General Church for making all these ministerial visits possible. They have left us with an added appreciation of the unifying power of the love of the truths of the New Church.
     Between pastoral visits, when we meet fortnightly at different homes, of particular delight are the taped services. They give enlightenment and a feeling of unity with ministers and people in many parts of the world. We hope that in the future many of them will come and visit us in person.
     RAY TUCKEY

     TORONTO, CANADA

     Our ministers are having a very busy time these days, due to the unfortunate ill health of the Rev. Geoffrey Childs. With the assistance of the Rev. Henry Heinrichs, the Rev. Martin Pryke and the Rev. Peter Buss are keeping both the Kitchener and Toronto societies going, which is quite a project!
     The Rev. Peter Buss had been a most welcome addition to the Toronto Society even before the Kitchener emergency, and he has made himself very popular. He is a thoughtful and indeed learned young man with a sense of humor and fun, and he has given us much good instruction in a pleasing manner: has preached sermons, given classes, taught in our school, and baptized our newest baby.
     May we take you on an extended visit to Toronto? You would first enter the church for Sunday morning service, where, greeted by organ music, you would feel the calm, restful sphere which pervades our lovely chapel. Then you would join in the congregational singing, listen to the reading of the Word, and later hear an inspiring sermon delivered by the Rev. Martin Pryke. Alternatively your attention would be held by the Rev. Peter Buss. Always there is a lesson to be borne in mind. The service closes with an organ postlude, which may be rendered by our chief organist, Mrs. Sydney Parker, or by Mr. Hadyn John, Mr. Frank Raymond, or Mrs. Desmond Holmes.
     Being a visitor, you would be included as a guest at one of the many Sunday dinners which our good cooks prepare in the homes. Then, in the evening, you might be invited to the high school young people's class.
     Monday is day school, and visitors are welcome. There are now 39 pupils, of whom 5 are in the kindergarten. The teachers, in addition to the two ministers are Miss Sylvia Parker and Miss Barbara Charles; with Mrs. Sydney Parker teaching kindergarten and Mrs. Donald Barber, Mrs. Martin Pryke and Mrs. Raymond Kuhl assisting in various subjects. If you are present on a "special" day you may act as chauffeur for a trip to inspect a Kitchener newspaper, to visit the Pioneer Village, or participate in the flag-raising ceremonies at the time of the inauguration of the new Canadian flag.

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You could also assist at the children's Harvest Party, the Swedenborg's birthday party, or the gala event for the small, large or larger which is always held at Christmas.
     On Monday evening there may be a Theta Alpha meeting in the church hall, where the Rev. Peter Buss has been giving a series of talks on "How We Affect Our Children." Or there could be one of many showers, one of which was held recently in the home of Mrs. Richard Parker for Mrs. Peter Buss, and another at Mrs. Joseph Knight's home for Mrs. Gregory Baker. These always provide the recipient with a generous quantity of beautiful and useful gifts.
     Tuesday is a likely evening for committee meetings, from the Executive Committee to the lesser lights. On Wednesday you could attend the Ladies' Circle Meeting, where the Rev. Martin Pryke has been giving a series of classes on conjugial love. Because of the crowded schedule in recent weeks, one of these classes was given by the Rev. Peter Buss. If you happen to be of the masculine gender, the Forward-Sons treat themselves to a good supper and then discuss a paper presented by one of their members, closing the evening with Bridge. At Christmas time they have their annual turkey dinner and raise their melodious voices in carols. Thursday is open for Bridge tournament games, parties for visitors, Epsilon Society meetings, or even more committee meetings.
     On Friday night the Ladies' Circle provides a good dinner for the Society, which is followed by a singing practice conducted by Mrs. Joseph Pritchett, or, more recently, by Mrs. George Orchard. Then there is the doctrinal class, at which Mr. Pryke has given a very interesting series on the Holy Supper, and Mr. Buss a series on "Spheres" which was much enjoyed. At present we are learning about "Reflection" from Mr. Pryke. There is no lack of instruction while you are visiting; the point is to retain it, and act accordingly.
     Saturday can have social events, such as a square dance which was well attended and highly successful. A Christmas party for the whole family brings many people out and is therefore enjoyable. A good social needs a good attendance. There was also the New Year party, which included a late supper - or was it an early one? A Swedenborg's birthday banquet was to have been addressed by the Rev. Harold Cranch. Unfortunately he was unable to come, but the Rev. Peter Buss stepped capably into the breach.
     During your visit you would have had the opportunity to congratulate the parents of eight new babies. We will try to name them: William Edward McDonald, Erica Adele Wyncoll, June Gladys Starkey, Robert Brian Richardson, Beth Louise Anderson, Cameron James Da Silva Craigie, Heather Starkey, Alexander John Morley. A different reason for offering congratulations would have been the engagements of Miss Anne Pryke to Mr. Roger Schnarr and Miss Patricia Frazee to Mr. Douglas Raymond. Then there were three weddings, but not within our walls: the weddings of Elisabeth Sandstrom and Peter Buss, Margaret Henderson and Gregory Baker, and Barbara Todd and Lionel Jean-Marie.
     We would hope that you visited us at Christmas, when the tableaux were presented. Those given last Christmas were most entrancing, retelling in colorful, still-life the beloved story of the birth of the Lord. They have to be seen to be appreciated. The whole evening was inspirational, through the service in the chapel and the beautiful Messiah music on the organ to the last breathless drop of the curtain.
     We lost a well-loved member when Clarabel White passed into the spiritual world. While we know that she was ready to make the transition, we sincerely offer our sympathy to Mr. John White, who has our great affection.
     Every other Sunday you may collect a copy of the Society newspaper, widely renowned as Chatter-Box and edited by Mrs. Alec Craigie. In it there will be a thought-provoking paper by one of our esteemed members on any one of a variety of topics, descriptions of Society functions and personal news. It is the bibliography of this report.

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     We hope that you enjoyed your visit and that you will come again.
     VERA CRAIGIE

     GENERAL CHURCH

     Candidate N. Bruce Rogers will assist and gain experience of pastoral work this summer in the Kitchener and Pittsburgh societies, respectively.

     THE CHURCH AT LARGE

     General Convention. The theme for this year's annual session will be "Here am I: Send Me" - self-appraisal and dedication. The session will be held at Brockton, Massachusetts.
     The second Program Planning Conference was held in Philadelphia at the invitation of the General Council. Ten Convention boards, departments and committees participated.

     General Conference. The Derby Society will be host to the 1965 Conference. Meetings will commence on June 28.
     The Rev. C. V. A. Hasler, who returned from Australia to England recently, has been inducted into the joint pastorate of the Heywood and Middleton societies.
     With the death of the Rev. Joseph G. Dufty at the age of ninety-six, the Conference has lost its oldest minister. Mr. Dufty, who was ordained in 1894, will be remembered by some of our older members as the author of a pamphlet, The Word of the Lord and the Writings of Swedenborg, which was written as a critique of and reply to Testimony of the Writings of the New Church Concerning Themselves.

     Australia. The Rev. E. Bruce Williams has assumed the pastorate of the Melbourne Society and the Rev. Bernard S. Willmott has succeeded the Rev. John E. Teed as pastor of the Sydney Society. The Brisbane Society, of which Mr. Teed is now pastor, will celebrate its centenary this month. The Society was formed on May 25, 1865.

     MINISTERIAL CHANGES

     The Rev. Peter M. Buss has accepted appointment as Superintendent of the General Church Mission in South Africa and as Visiting Pastor to isolated members and groups of the General Church in that country. Mr. and Mrs. Buss will leave for South Africa in July.

     PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY

     The Seventh Pacific Northwest District Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held at North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, June 26 and 27, the Bishop of the General Church presiding.
     All members and friends of the General Church are cordially invited to attend.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
     Bishop


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GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS 1965

GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS       STEPHEN PITCAIRN       1965




     Announcements
     The 1965 Annual Corporation Meetings of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in the Benade Hall Auditorium, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, June 16, 1965, at 8:00 p.m., DST. Notices will be mailed.
     STEPHEN PITCAIRN
          Secretary
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1965

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH       E. BRUCE GLENN       1965

     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 21, 1965, at 7:45 p.m., in the Assembly Hall at Bryn Athyn, Pa. Following the President's report, there will be departmental presentations of the Academy's current work and thought in the fields of literature and music.
     All are cordially invited who are interested in the Academy's work.
          E. BRUCE GLENN,
               Secretary
SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION 1965

SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION       MORNA HYATT       1965

     The Sixty-eighth 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 12, 1965.
     There will be reports and election of president and members of the Board of Directors, after which the Rev. Dr. Hugo Lj. Odhner will deliver an address entitled "The Racial Man and the Human Form of Society."
     All interested persons are welcome.
          MORNA HYATT,
               Secretary
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1965

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH              1965

SCHOOL CALENDAR: 1965-1966

Eighty-ninth School Year
     
1965


Sept.     8     Wed.               Faculty Meetings
     9     Thur.               Dormitories open
Secondary Schools Registration: local students
College Registration: local students
     10     Fri.          Secondary Schools Registration: dormitory students
College Registration: dormitory students
     11     Sat.     8:00a.m.     All students workers report to supervisors
          3:00p.m.          Opening Exercises
          3:30p.m.          Lawn part
          8:00p.m.          President's Reception
     13     Mon.               Classes begin in Secondary Schools and College
Oct.     15     Fri.               Charter Day
     16     Sat.               Annual Meeting of Corporation
Nov.     24     Wed.               Thanksgiving Recess begins at 12:30 p.m.
     29     Mon.               Classes resume in all schools
Dec.     17     Fri.               Christmas Recess begins at 12:30 p.m.

1966
Jan.     3 Mon.               Classes resume in all schools
     24-28                    Semester examinations
     31     Mon.               Second Semester begins
Feb.     1     Tues.               Final date for applications for admissions to the 1966-1967 school year
Mar.     25     Fri.               Spring Recess begins at 12:30pm
Apr.     4     Mon.               Classes resume at all schools
     8     Fri.               Good Friday
May     20     Fri.               Joint Meeting of Faculty and Corporation
May     30     Mon.               Memorial Day: Half-Holiday
June     13     Mon.     8:30p.m.          President's Reception
     14     Tues.     10:00a.m.     Commencement Exercises
LORD GOD JESUS CHRIST REIGNS 1965

LORD GOD JESUS CHRIST REIGNS              1965



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Vol. LXXXV
June 1965
No. 6

NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "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 reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ever and ever. This took place on the nineteenth day of June, in the year 1770" (True Christian Religion, 791)
MORNING COMETH 1965

MORNING COMETH       Rev. MORLEY D. RICH       1965

     "Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come." (Isaiah 21: 11, 12)
     "True Christianity is now beginning to dawn." (True Christian Religion, 700)

     In the walled cities of the ancient east the times were usually so uncertain and filled with peril that watchmen continually patrolled the walls, especially at night, lest any one of a number of enemies should surprise and capture the city. The watches were, of course, evenly divided; and the last watch was that which included the end of the night and the first part of the morning.
     The keepers of this last watch were quite accustomed to being asked, before dawn, what the hour was and how soon daybreak might be expected. Full many a time would some anxious soul - a mother or father, or perhaps the commander of the garrison - awaken early; only to be disappointed to find the dark of night still about them, its hidden menace and invisible dangers pressing close about the walls:

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and, tossing about on his cot, vainly trying to sleep again, a man might be tormented increasingly by futile regrets for the past, by strange fancies concerning present dangers which would be enhanced by every unusual sound, and by the depression which comes with the attempt to foresee the doubtful and uncertain future. Rising at last in desperation, just for reassurance and the sound of another's voice, he would go out into the street, and call to the walls: "Watchman, what of the night?" Then what relief would spread over his mind if the watchman, standing strong and reassuring against the night sky, could answer from the top of the wall: "The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye would inquire of the news, inquire: ye are now free to come and go."

     It was this familiar aspect of life in the ancient world, then, which the Lord caused the prophet Isaiah to use in order to describe representatively a certain state and situation of the human race and of man individually. For in the words of the watchman there is expressed the night of each church at its end, and also the morning of a new church to follow; and there is expressed as well how the morning of a man's regenerating states follows the night of his obscurity and states of temptation.
     So it is that in the last watch before each new day or age there comes the darkest hour of the human race. The former church is in thick darkness as to all good and truth. Men become fearful of impending disaster, though they cannot conceive or imagine what it might be. With deep forebodings they search themselves to see wherein they are lacking, wherein they have failed, whether or not they will be found wanting in the balances of Divine justice. They are haunted by anxiety over possible errors in the past and by the present general evil state of the human race. The walls of their cities of civilization and culture, of established ideas and prejudices and morality, which once had seemed so strong and unassailable: these now appear thin and worn and shabby - as if a mere puff of the east wind would cause them to crumble.
     These are the sleepless ones who, sensitive to the great changes occurring or impending, look and long for the bright and morning star to appear which shall announce the coming of the Savior and of a new day, a new age, indeed a whole new church. But their eyes peer vainly into the gloom. The shadows in the street around them shift in sinister patterns, - and the howl of a dog assails their ears.
     They cannot tell how long it will be until the dawn. Not until the morning star appears above the horizon will they know that the blessed light of a new day is about to begin. Yet they cannot see the morning star when it appears because of the false and treacherous walls around them.

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Will the enemy attack in the hour before the dawn? Will they make their way through the defenses, and destroy them all? Will the hells, through the evil loves of men, attain their objective, which is to destroy the human race, before redemption and salvation shall come? By what unimaginable miracle can the human race be saved in its far gone condition?

     But the watchman of the last watch appears on the battlements, and with measured tread and burnished shield walks along the wall. There are still a few, a remnant, who watch for the coming of the Lord and His kingdom, who search the Scriptures for signs and portents of the hour of His advent. These are the watchmen of mankind. To them the few who are now awake call, "Watchman, what of the night?" The watchmen turn and search the horizon to the east; and, lo, there in the east appears the bright and morning star - the herald of the dawn of a new age and a new church! It will be a time, and times, and half a time before the full and eternal day, the last and final day of the New Church, unfolds upon the world; but the morning star which is the Lord has come, and the day will inevitably follow.
     So the watchmen announce with surety that "the morning cometh"; and he who would leave that outworn city to search for the food and water of eternal life, he who would inquire into the secrets of faith even before the day dawns, may now do so to his everlasting benefit and happiness. He can know that the fears and fantasies, the mortal dangers and torments of the night can be at an end for him and for all mankind. For the destructive powers of hell and evil are being curbed and restrained and imprisoned by the Lord's coming with His truth; and the new day of His church's establishment upon the earth is imminent - in His sight, if not in the limited sight of men.
     For him who can see that morning star in the Word, therefore; for him who, however obscurely and darkly before the dawn, is able to sense the presence of the Lord Himself in the freshening wind of truth, and to see Him shining through the pages of the Word; for him who is wakeful, and for him who watches from the ancient walls of truth: for him each dawn represents a new beginning of his life, and so does each new year and each new state of life. Above all, he can understand how fitting is the Lord's Holy Supper to contain, express, represent and initiate such new states of love to and faith in Him; and how that sacrament, now glorified and infinitely enriched by the Lord's second coming, is indeed the bearer and container of His Spirit of truth, the Comforter in these dark nights at the end of one age and before the new age comes into full day.

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     Even in the representative, as-of-self steps which he must take in preparation for that supper, as revealed and set forth in the Writings, both the wakeful and the watcher can see Him who comes with power and great glory; can experience the truly healing influence of His Spirit of truth, the Comforter; that Spirit who is able to calm his fears when a man examines himself to seek out his evils, sees them for what they are - not nearly as huge and all-powerful as his frightened imagination had pictured them, but capable of being banished to hell by but a little, effort on his part, together with the omnipotence of the Lord whom he approaches. He begins to perceive how, with each new day, with each new year and state, the Lord gives him a little more strength with which to change his life, to control and diminish his evil or mistaken habits, and to acquire and add to those habits which will fit him for salvation and for the life of heaven.
     Thus it is that this sacrament which the Lord Himself instituted and ordered is most lovingly offered by Him to all of the few who now seek Him where He may be found: to the watchers and the wakeful who, as a remnant, have seen His star in the east, in the Word of His rational wisdom; to those who, though sometimes living in fear and foreboding, yet look at other times toward His future new day with confidence and faith. Often they may ask with anxious longing and trembling hope: "Watchman, what of the night?" Often they may search diligently in the Word for where the Lord in His promised second coming may be found. And as often as they do so with affirmation and spiritual desire, just as often will they be reassured by the strong and clear answer: "The morning cometh if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, and come." Amen.

LESSONS:     Isaiah 21: 1-12. Revelation 22: 12-21. TCR 700.
MUSIC:      Liturgy, pages 436, 474, 479.
PRAYERS:      Liturgy, nos. 67, 93.
POTENTIAL CHURCH 1965

POTENTIAL CHURCH              1965

     "The seven churches [of the Apocalypse] describe all those in the Christian Church who have religion, and out of whom the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, can be formed; and this is formed by those who approach the Lord only, and at the same time repent of evil works. The rest, who, from the confirmed negation of the Divinity of His Human, do not approach the Lord alone, and who do not repent of evil works, are indeed in the church, but have nothing of the church in them" (Apocalypse Revealed 69).

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LORD'S SECOND COMING 1965

LORD'S SECOND COMING       Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1965

     A Talk to Children

     When the disciples walked with the Lord and heard His teaching daily they hoped that He would be with them always. The Lord, who knows everything, knew this. He knew what was in their minds; and He knew also that while He would never really leave them, He would be with them as He was then only for a short time. So He tried to prepare the twelve for what was to come, but they did not understand what He meant and they were afraid to ask Him to speak more plainly.
     Once, however, they did find the courage to ask the meaning of His strange sayings. They had been with Him all day in the temple at Jerusalem and were now on their way to Bethany, where they would spend the night; and as they rested for a while on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, the twelve came to Him, and asked: "When shall these things be; and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the age?"
     The Lord's answer was quite long. He told them all that must happen before He could come again. He said that there would be a time of war, and that there would be famines, plagues and earthquakes in many different places. He told them that the power of evil would become very great; that those who loved Him would be hated; and that some of them would be put in prison, while others would be killed or forced to flee for safety. After these troubles, He said, the sun would be darkened, the moon would not give her light, the stars would fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens would be shaken. Only then would they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. Then the Lord would send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they would gather together His elect, from one end of heaven to the other; and then the Lord would be with men again, and for ever.
     Now the disciples were simple men, and these words formed in their minds a very different picture from the one that would have been there if they had been able to understand better. They supposed that all of the things the Lord mentioned - the darkening of the sun and moon, and the other strange and dreadful events - would happen in this world.

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And they thought that then the Lord would come down through the sky and alight on the earth, that clouds would follow Him down, and that a great light would shine upon Him. They believed also that a great company of angels would go before Him blowing trumpets, and that they would bring together from all parts of the earth those who loved the Lord and were to be given a place in His kingdom.
     Not only did the disciples picture the Lord's second coming as taking place in this way, they supposed that it would take place very soon, and certainly while they were still living in this world. For one of the things the Lord said to them on that occasion was: "This generation shall not pass away before all these things are fulfilled," and they thought that He was speaking of their generation. In time, the apostles and their followers came to realize that in this at least they were mistaken; but their idea of how the Second Coming would take place was carried over into the Christian Church. Whenever there have been great wars, whenever plagues have spread over the earth, whenever there have been famines or earthquakes, or even eclipses of the sun, there have been men and women who have taken them as signs that the Lord was about to come and have looked up into the sky to see His descent to earth.
     Like the apostles, Christians supposed this because they did not know that the Lord was speaking about the spiritual world and about what would happen in it at the time of His coming. They did not know that the "generation" of which He spoke was the Christian Church, that by the clouds of heaven in which He would come the Lord meant the Word, and that the glory with which He would come is the internal sense of the Word.
     So they did not know that when the Lord returned He would come, not in the flesh, but in the Word; that He would come again into the world by revealing to men the true meaning of the Word and especially the truth about Himself, that He is the one God of heaven and earth. Nor did they know that seventeen hundred years must pass before the Lord thus fulfilled His promise.

     How do we know these things? We know them because the Lord raised up Emanuel Swedenborg and introduced him into the spiritual world where He saw happen all the things foretold by the Lord, and because we have been called to the church in which the things revealed through Swedenborg are known and believed. He saw the wars which evil spirits fought against the angels and the great judgment which they brought upon themselves. He saw the earthquakes, storms and plagues which destroyed the imaginary heavens which they had made for themselves. He saw the Lord in the midst of the spiritual sun separate the good from the evil, after which the evil cast themselves into hell and only the good remained to be taught and prepared for heaven.

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This was the great judgment that took place in the spiritual world in the year 1757; and as the Lord commanded him, Swedenborg wrote down all that he had seen, so that men might know both that the Lord had come again and how He had done so.
     But that was not all, for the Lord also revealed to Swedenborg the true, inner meaning of the Word, and then inspired him to write it down in such a way that what was written is from the Lord and not from him. This was the Lord's second coming, His coming in the Word; and it was His final coming, for in the Writings of the New Church the Lord is present with men forever, and He can be seen as what He is, the one and only God.

     Now one of the wonderful things about this is that all these happenings in the spiritual world that Swedenborg saw were seen by the disciples as well. They had, of course, been living in that world since they left this earth; and when they saw these things happening they understood at last what the Lord had really meant when He spoke to them on the Mount of Olives about His second coming. They understood, and were so filled with joy that they wanted to go out as apostles again, to carry to every part of the spiritual world the new gospel, as they had spread the gospel on earth, by telling spirits everywhere that the Lord had truly come again.
      So when the Lord's great work was over, when the judgment had taken place and Swedenborg had finished writing down all that the Lord had told him, the Lord called together His twelve disciples, as once before He had called them from their earthly homes; and on the nineteenth day of June in the year 1770 He sent them to preach throughout the whole spiritual world the gospel that "the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ever and ever."
      As you know, that was the beginning, the birthday, of the New Church - its beginning in the spiritual world, soon to be followed by its beginning on earth. That is why we set aside the Nineteenth of June as a special day, a day of thanksgiving to the Lord and of celebration that He has made His second coming, and that because of it all those who love Him may see Him in His Word and be saved. Amen.

LESSON:      Matthew 24: 3-14, 29-31.
MUSIC:      Liturgy, pages 452, 478, 476.
PRAYERS:      Liturgy, nos. C12, C16.

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SWEDENBORG'S AFFECTIONS 1965

SWEDENBORG'S AFFECTIONS       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       1965

     "The societies of heaven are not thoughts but affections, consequently to be led by means of these societies is to be led by means of affections, that is, to be led by means of affections is to be led by means of societies; and for this reason in what now follows the term affections will be used in place of societies." (AE 1175: 3)

     The title of this address is "Swedenborg's Affections" or "Swedenborg's Feelings," but our subject is not the man, Emanuel Swedenborg. Our subject is the books of the Writings, and the affections of Swedenborg only as they are related to those books.
     Taking a single book of the Writings, one might ask: "Why did Swedenborg write this one?" The general doctrine is that Swedenborg wrote by command, but a particular question like this might be answered in terms of Swedenborg's affections. Such an answer, if considered carefully, does not contradict the general doctrine. It infills our understanding of it. Take, for example, the book Earths in the Universe. On the basis of the opening paragraph one might say that Swedenborg was granted to learn of those from other earths for the simple reason that there was in him an ardent desire to know these things. "Quia desiderium mihi fuit. . . ." "Because I had a desire to know . . . ." Swedenborg was allowed to see and hear these things, and he was "permitted" to describe what he saw and heard.
     Why did Swedenborg have the experiences that are recorded in the many Memorable Relations? Why, for example, was Swedenborg conducted to the heaven of those from the golden age? It is said that he felt a desire to go there, and prayed to the Lord, whereupon an angel guide was sent to him. * A person might say that the things recorded in the Writings are simply the results of Swedenborg's inclinations. A person might even say that Swedenborg wrote certain things just because he "felt like it." The book Brief Exposition is a striking example. The first paragraph has Swedenborg coming to a determination to present the doctrine, and thinking it advisable to produce this work before the True Christian Religion. Yet, if we say that this book was written merely because of Swedenborg's feelings, we could hardly account for the fact that its publication brought about beautiful changes to the heavens.

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This, indeed, was the very book upon which Swedenborg wrote the famous inscription. It was written by command. **
     * CL 75.
     ** Ecclesiastical History.
     Obviously here we cannot regard the affections of Swedenborg in a superficial way. Especially must we bear in mind the emphatic and striking teaching that every affection contains vastly more than we observe. "There are myriads of myriads of particulars in every little affection." * An affection appears to man as only one thing and as relatively simple, and yet it contains within it innumerable things. ** There is, then, far more than meets the eye when we read in True Christian Religion: "On one occasion I had a strong desire to see . . . I was therefore conducted. . . ." *** Likewise, in Conjugial Love: "Once when meditating on conjugial love, my mind was seized with a desire to know. . . ." **** Similarly, in Apocalypse Revealed: "Because I was enkindled with the desire of hearing what they were saying. . . ." *****
     * AC 2367
     ** AC 3078, 545, 3189, 2543.
     *** TCR 185: 2.
     **** CL 75.
     ***** AR 961

     If we are studying affections or feelings, we must also consider the teaching concerning their source. And this is one of the most remarkable declarations of the Writings. No affection or feeling is possible apart from the presence of angels and spirits. * All affections come from societies in the other world, ** so much so that the terms "affection" and "society" are interchangeable. *** Thus, this paper on affections in the Writings also has to do with the participation of societies of angels in the giving of the Writings. The heavens did take part in the granting of a new revelation.
     * AC 2886, 4797, 4067 et alia.
     ** See HH 203.
     *** AE 1176: 3.
     Swedenborg's inspiration required the presence of angelic societies. On one occasion it was said to him: "Rest a while; angel companions will be given you from the society next above them. Through these light will be given you by the Lord, and you will see marvels." * Elsewhere we read: "Presently, at the Lord's command, three angels descended from heaven and were associated with me, in order that I might speak from interior perception. . . . Then from an inspiration that came upon me I spoke . . . ." ** Inspiration, we are taught, is insertion into angelic societies. ***
     * CL 231e.
     ** TCR 135: 3, 4.
     *** TCR 140.
     Did the angels know that they were participating in the granting of Divine truth to mankind? It would appear that they did. A most beautiful illustration of this is the case of the married pair from the highest heaven, the wife being so beautiful that Swedenborg was dazzled and could only say that he saw conjugial love.

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The husband and wife were fully aware that they were, as it were, on display so that Swedenborg could write down what he saw in books that would be published and preserved for mankind. The relation begins with a voice like a trumpet in which the highest angels say that they know that conjugial love is not known on earth as to its origin and essence, but yet that it is important that it be known. "It has therefore pleased the Lord to open the heavens to you . . . . By permission given us we will therefore send down to you a married pair that you may see them." And as that pair descended they said: "Receive . . . what you are about to hear rationally, and so explain it to the understanding." * It was after this experience that an angel said to Swedenborg, "Write" (Scribe)." **
     * CL 42.
     ** CL 43.
     One notices the feelings of the angels themselves, as, for example, when it is said that "a zeal from the love of truth came over them, and from this they spoke as follows. . . ." * Was not this zeal due to the presence of more interior societies? "No one, whoever he may be, whether man, spirit or angel, can will or think from himself but from others. Nor can these others will or think from themselves but all again from others, and so on; and thus each one from the First of life, which is the Lord." ** When a bird is seen in heaven, it is a representation of the presence of an angelic affection. *** What of those occasions, then, when Swedenborg is describing the deepest things concerning conjugial love and an indication is given by a dove? By its moaning or the stirring of its wings, the dove indicates if more is to be revealed. **** Did the dove not represent the affections of higher societies of angels who were concerned with the granting of the revelation?
     * CL 132: 6.
     ** AC 2886.
     *** See DLW 344; AE 1212.
     **** CL 155:4, 208: 4, 5.

     One of the functions of the Memorable Relations is to enable us to see how the Lord granted the new revelation. To illustrate this I would like to present excerpts from a series of ten consecutive numbers in Conjugial Love. Let these serve as an example of the employment of societies or affections in the granting of the revelation. In pondering them we may consider that remarkable heading in the Divine Providence: "By means of His Divine Providence the Lord collects the affections of the whole human race into one form, which is the human form." * We may consider that thoughts and affections are dependent on innumerable societies "disposed and set in order by the Lord." ** In the Memorable Relations it is sometimes almost as if we can see the gathering and disposing of affections taking place.
     * DP 201.
     ** AC 4067: 2.
     The ten consecutive numbers are nos. 261 to 270. Sometimes only parts of sentences will be quoted, and a great deal will be omitted, the purpose being to note the phrases pertinent to the theme.

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"Once, after meditating on heaven and hell, I began to desire a universal knowledge of the state of each. . . . While in this desire, I looked toward. . . ." [Swedenborg was met by angels who said]: "`If we look towards the east to the Lord we shall be enlightened and shall know.' . . . When they had said this, I wished them peace, and leaving them returned home. On reaching home, it was said to me from heaven, 'Examine those three universals both those above and those below, and afterwards we shall see them in your hand.'" (261)
"While meditating on this, it was said to me by the Lord through an angel, 'You shall now see the nature of that infernal love, and seeing, you will be confirmed. Then suddenly. . . ." (263)
"After witnessing these sad and frightful scenes, I looked around and saw two angels standing not far from me and talking together." "I respectfully asked, 'Why are you here below?' They replied, We have been sent here from, heaven by command of the Lord, to speak with you.' ... Saying this, the two angels departed, and at a distance they appeared to be carried like Elijah in a chariot of fire and taken up into their heaven." (266)
"Some time later I entered a grove and while walking there in meditation ... I saw at some distance from me two angels conversing together and every now and then looking at me. Therefore I went nearer to them, and as I was approaching, they spoke to me and said, 'We perceive within us that you are meditating on the subject of which we are speaking, or that we are speaking of the subject on which you are meditating; this comes from a reciprocal communication of affections.'" (267) (Note here that this communication has been brought about in a wonderful way, and note that the next quotation may be considered the key passage in this study.)
"After this, the two angels and also I myself were seized with the desire to see those and we perceived that this desire was inspired in us to the end that they might be made known." (268)
"While in deep thought concerning this, lo, I saw two swans . . . directing my attention to them I saw. . . . As I was looking at this, an angel stood by my side and said, 'Do you understand these sights?' I replied 'Partly.' He then said . . . . On hearing this, being kindled with a desire to see the palace I asked whether . . . it was granted to any one to enter in and view it." "After saying this he wished to recount still further particulars concerning conjugial love on the basis of its effigies in that palace, but he said: 'Enough for the present. Inquire first whether these things are above common understanding. If they are, why more? but if not more will be disclosed.'" (270) (Note that the angel is aware that the purpose of this whole conversation is that the things may be revealed.)

     What of the actual writing of these things? It seems that it is actually said only once that the things written in a Memorable Relation "were recalled to memory by an angel and so described." * And yet there are other times when we can easily envisage the angelic presence, as when Swedenborg's heart exulted, and he went home in joy to write what had been seen and heard. **
     * CL 73e.
     ** CL 81e.

     Swedenborg's Preparation

     Why did Swedenborg as a young man study the sciences? The answer is that he was so disposed, or, less elegantly, "because he felt like it."

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What other answer could be given? And yet, in later life he wrote in a letter: "I was introduced by the Lord first into the natural sciences, and thus prepared. . . ." * And once he wrote: "I could at last plainly see that the tenor of the Divine Providence has ruled the acts of my life from my very youth, and has so governed them that I might finally come to the present end . . . . " ** Swedenborg was led by means of his feelings or affections into the sciences, for the Lord leads man "by means of affections and not by means of thoughts." ***
     * Docu. II: 257.
     ** WE 2532.
     *** AE 1175: 3.

     This brings us to a problem. If Swedenborg was being led by the Lord before the Writings were given, then was not everything he wrote Divinely inspired? Could Swedenborg ever be mistaken? Of course he could! He was not the only man led by the Lord. Every child is led by the Lord into knowledges, and this because of the presence of certain societies. "The Lord leads everyone by means of his affections and thus bends him by a tacit providence." * We are led unconsciously; are we therefore infallible? No. Some of our affections come from evil spirits. And did Swedenborg have evil spirits with him? Yes. Could they bring him into errors? Yes.
     * AC 4364: 2.
     Note the following from Divine Providence. "I was told from heaven that, like others, I believed that I thought and that I willed from myself, yet in fact nothing was from myself, but if good it was from the Lord, and if evil it was from hell." * Would evil spirits be able to infuse falsities into Swedenborg's mind? We read of evil spirits "who entered into my affections, not wishing to enter my thoughts - these they avoided; and they varied my affections one after another for the purpose of bending them insensibly into their opposites, which are lusts of evil; and as they did not touch my thoughts they would have bent and inverted the affections without my knowledge if the Lord had not prevented it." **
     * DP 290.
     ** DP 310: 4.
     A man could be so influenced and never know it. "One spirit can infuse his thoughts and affections into another spirit, and the latter be unaware that it is not a part of his own thought and affection. . . . I have seen this a thousand times. . . . But as soon as they knew that another had introduced these thoughts and affections they were indignant and turned themselves away. . . ." * And what of Swedenborg when he was writing the Writings? The passage continues: "To this I will add my own daily experience. Evil spirits have often infused into my thoughts evils and falsities which appeared to be in me and from me, that is, as if I myself thought them; but as I knew them to be evils and falsities I tried to discover who had infused them, and they who did so were detected and driven away." **

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     * DP 312: 3.
     ** DP 313e.
     It was eventually granted to Swedenborg to perceive and feel the effect of spirits, "and thereafter as soon as any evil glided into my will or any falsity into my thought, I inquired into its source, and this was disclosed to me, and I was permitted to speak with those from whom it came, to reprove them, and to compel them to withdraw, and thus to take back their evil and their falsity and to keep them to themselves, and no longer infuse any such thing into my thought. This I have done a thousand times; and I have now continued in this state for several years, and continue in it still." * This was written in 1763. It is one of the indications of the difference in Swedenborg's state when he wrote the Writings from his state when he wrote books previous to this.
     * DP 290.

     Could Swedenborg make errors before he wrote the Writings? Yes, and in a way the influence of evil spirits in earlier writing prepared him for the unique state he enjoyed when writing the Writings. Take, for example, the monumental work the "Adversaria" or Word Explained. Notice two things about this work. 1) Swedenborg was tempted in the course of writing it. 2) The work goes virtually through the whole of the Word.
     To go through the whole Word in this case, was, as it were, to pass through all the societies of heaven. Part of the preparation in the years just before the Writings were written was to read the Word through several times. Each verse may be said to communicate with some society of heaven "and thus the whole Word with the universal heaven." * Swedenborg's temptations while writing the Word Explained were directly related to the very things he was treating of in the Word. But he resisted the spirits. "It was indeed left to me to resist, and to turn in another direction, away from their leading, but this was because the means were given me by the Messiah." ** To resist in this way brings about introduction into specific societies of angels, and establishes an association with these societies which endures. ***
     * See SS 113.
     ** WE 1149.
     *** See AC 6611.
     While Swedenborg was assaulted by evil spirits "badly written and erroneous things" could creep in. * Occasionally in the Word Explained "truths have been mixed with things not true." ** Some of the things were doubtful and in need of emendation. *** Sometimes Swedenborg wrote under the control of spirits, and this was no delight to him, because he did not know whether what he was writing was true. He once said that he could not write with affection.

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He could not write with the happy feeling of serving the Lord. **** He was terribly distressed sometimes during his months of labor on this work and at one point said: "Up to now the labor has been in vain." *****
     * SD 2372.
     ** WE 4477.
     *** WE 475, 1530.
     **** WE 4477.
     ***** WE 2755-2758.
     The labor was not in vain. He was brought into permanent associations with angelic societies, so that when he came to write the Arcana Coelestia and evil spirits injected falsities "then angels from the Lord kept me in the truths which had been implanted and thus withheld me from evils and falsities." * Swedenborg could descend into the hells in safety, ** and was immune to the falsities which spirits endeavored to introduce. "I have sometimes been surrounded by thousands to whom it was permitted to spit forth their venom, and infest me by all possible methods, yet without their being able to hurt a single hair of my head, so secure was I under the Lord's protection." ***
     * AC 5893.
     ** AC 699.
     *** AC 59: 2.
     Swedenborg had been repeatedly allowed to feel the difference when light was given, taken away, diminished and moderated as he wrote. * He actually came to a state of certain knowledge of the source of what came to him, so much so, he testifies, "that I could not be mistaken." ** He could confidently declare that only what had come from the Lord Himself had been written. *** In the event of any conversation, representation or vision, he was kept interiorly by the Lord in a state of reflection upon it. "Thus have I been instructed, consequently by no spirit, nor by any angel, but by the Lord alone, from whom is all truth." **** Even when he seemed to learn from spirits, it was still from the Lord, for the spirits were constrained to speak. *****
     * See AC 6608.
     ** AC 6600.
     *** AE 1183: 2.
     **** SD 1647,
     ***** SD 4034. See TCR 487; AR 962.

     It may appear that the things that take place in Memorable Relations are haphazard conversations and occurrence. The truth is that there was a leading in every step and every detail. "It was of the Divine auspices of the Lord that I came to these houses, and that they then deliberated concerning these things; and that it took place as it is described." Societies of angels could participate in bringing this to pass, because it is of the nature of angels to insinuate affections and to lead "not whither they will, but whither it pleases the Lord." * While spirits dared not to instruct Swedenborg, the angels did not wish to do so. ** They participated with delight when it was the will of the Lord, and to be commanded was virtually the same thing as to be allowed. ***
     * AR 484.
     ** AC 2890.
     *** While Swedenborg was permitted to describe what he saw, he also testifies: "I must from command, relate what has been seen" (BE 120).

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     When Swedenborg was asked why he wrote "servant of the Lord Jesus Christ" on True Christian Religion, he replied that he had received not only permission, but also an express command. * One may say that Swedenborg wrote because he wanted to, because it is true that he wanted nothing more. But he wrote "by command of the Lord." ** We are aware of his affections as we read the Writings, but we are aware of the source of those affections. He could write with affection, because he knew he wrote the truth. Once he declared with emphasis and with perfect conviction, "I know for certain that what I write is the living truth of God." ***
     * Docu. II: 483.
     ** Lord. Preface.     *** Docu. II: 404, 405.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Proprium.     Like conjugial, this term is best left untranslated. It has been rendered as "own" and "ownhood," "self" and "selfhood"; but it has no true equivalent in English, and these attempts to find one are not only clumsy but also inaccurate, since man has nothing of his own. Perhaps the simplest way to define it is to say that man's proprium is the life that seems to be his and no other's - the life that distinguishes him from every other man and makes him a unique individual. If this life inflows from hell, it makes an infernal proprium; if it comes from the Lord by influx through heaven, it makes a heavenly proprium. In each instance the life inflows, but the fact that it is sensated as if self-derived makes it a proprium. (See AC 3812; CL 194; SS 60; AR 558.)
     Providence.     The term, the Divine Providence, is inclusive of all that is done by the Lord, which is infinite and eternal. The Divine Providence is therefore the government of the Divine love and wisdom in the spiritual world and on earth, and it consists in the preservation of creation for the sake of uses to man and in every Divine work which has to do with human salvation. It is predicted of the provision of good, and is a leading to good and guarding from evil; but as good operates through truth, it is also the Divine wisdom. In proceeding, it is the Lord's influx, both through heaven and immediately from Himself, effecting the production of uses through the spheres of procreating and of protecting what is procreated. In reception, it is the Divine operation in the man who has removed the love of self. In general, Providence conserves what is in order and strives to restore to order that which is not. (See HD 267; AC 5195; AE 25.)

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STATE OF THE MORAL VIRTUES IN THE CHURCH 1965

STATE OF THE MORAL VIRTUES IN THE CHURCH       Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR       1965

     (The last in a series of doctrinal classes.)

     We have been reviewing the teachings given concerning the various uses of the moral virtues. We have done this in the belief that if a just and accurate appraisal is to be made of the general attitude to and practice of the moral virtues in the church, there must be a fresh and active knowledge of what the Writings teach about the uses of those virtues. In our first class we considered the use of the moral virtues as the ultimate forms in which the spiritual loves of the regenerating man find the means of their proper expression and use. In our last class we examined two further uses of those virtues. We saw how they serve, especially with the young, as preparatory means of laying the groundwork for the inception and growth of spiritual virtues; noting that these cannot be formed until man has first done the work of ordering and preparing the life of the moral virtues. Then we considered the use of the moral virtues in aiding man to make just and wise judgments; and we observed particularly the use of the moral virtues to young people and young adults in this respect. In this final class we would turn our attention to two further uses which the moral virtues are to serve: their use in preserving external order, and their use to men in their performing the work of self-examination.

     The Moral Virtues as Means of Preserving External Order

     For the Lord to implant and nourish the things of heaven in the hearts of men on earth, some semblance of order must be maintained in human society. Where external order fails, society becomes a prey to man's evil lusts and ambitions. The hells pour their venom into the wounds caused by chaos and confusion; and open evil, naked and unmasked, parades before society in all its brutality, disorder and destructiveness. Natural freedom cannot be preserved in any degree unless there is somewhat of external order in society. The Lord has provided the civil and moral virtues that they may furnish the means of there being somewhat of external order in society: this that there may be natural freedom, and in it the growth of heavenly freedom, the freedom that belongs to the regenerate life. For man to be introduced to the knowledge of spiritual things, and into the spiritual loves of heavenly life, he must have the exercise of certain natural freedoms.

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It is obvious that he must have certain civil freedoms if he is to acquire even a knowledge of Divine revelation. But he needs as well the freedom provided by moral order so that he can be protected against the open abuses and disorders of hell that well up within himself - to say nothing of influences from the society around him.

     So important are the forms of the moral virtues in preserving something of external order in a degenerate society that the Lord has foreseen and provided that they should be used by the good and the evil alike. The first unregenerate inclinations of self-love will seek satisfaction by hiding behind the skirts of morality. Concern for reputation, honor, gain and power, which begins with a selfish motive, will try to obtain its objectives through employment of the forms of morality. It is true that with those who do not curb the inclinations of the love of self by the acknowledgment of the Lord and acceptance of His instruction the use of moral forms to achieve selfish ends will continue only as long as it seems to bring success. With the confirmation of evil, and a gradual approach to the state of a devil in hell, there will arise a greater and greater impatience with the use of the forms of morality; and finally, either here or in the world of spirits, those forms are completely overthrown in man's haste to rush into full indulgence of his selfish lusts. But early in the process of man's formation, the forms of the moral virtues, even when they are used from an evil intent, provide the external order and freedom that are vitally necessary for his spiritual development.
     If we reflect upon the number of disorderly immoralities that dance through our imagination every day, we can easily see what a chaos, what an image of hell, life on earth would become if all of these imaginings were to pour forth in words and actions heard and seen by others. Think of the terrible burdens that would be placed upon little children if they saw the stamp of open evil on the faces and gestures of their parents! As it is, they see enough of this in the open abuses which form a part of their general environment. Without the forms of civil and moral order to cover over and hide the open sphere and manifestation of evil, society would perish.
     Now, while many would agree that this is so, the particular understanding of how and why it is so should cause the New Church man to regard the importance of civil and moral order with even greater concern and conscience. If we learn from the Writings, as we should, there is no reason to be confused about the use of the moral virtues as the ultimates of external order. We can see why the Lord both provides and permits that they be used by both the good and the evil.

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We can see the importance of entering into them, even though we have to do so from self-compulsion and in opposition to many strong natural sentiments that we may have at the time. When we support the moral virtues as externals of Divine order, we express our real concern for the happiness and welfare of the neighbor; and he is greatly mistaken who thinks that he is considerate of the neighbor, and concerned for his happiness and welfare, when he still feels free to abuse the order of the moral virtues.

     Before we begin to regenerate, the Lord as it were lends us the use of the moral virtues. He allows us to enter into them, indeed He commands us to enter into them, for the uses which they serve to us and to others. Since we cannot, when we are unregenerate, enter into the moral virtues from a heavenly love for the uses they serve, we must enter into them as a result of instruction and from self-compulsion. Recognizing that they are from the Lord, and intending to obey and follow the Lord's Word, we make every effort to put on that which we do not yet love. When we make such an effort we will undoubtedly feel at times that we are being deceitful and hypocritical-appearing virtuous in externals, and yet knowing full well that we do not yet love what is virtuous in internals. It is right that we should acknowledge this state when it occurs; but we should never let it be the reason for not putting on the external appearance of civil and moral order.
     We believe that there is some confusion of thought about this in the church, and that it may be due, perhaps, to a misunderstanding of certain teachings concerning hypocrisy found in the Writings. There are passages which might be taken as teaching that a man is a hypocrite if he acts differently in externals from what he is in internals. "Good works are evil works," we read, "unless those things are removed which are of the love of self and of the world; for when works are done before these have been removed, they indeed appear good outwardly but are inwardly evil; for they are done either for the sake of reputation, or for gain, or for the sake of one's honor, or for recompense, and are thus either self-meritorious or hypocritical; for that which is of the love of self and the world causes works to be such." * We read also: "He who does not will good and think good, but still does good, is in hypocrisy"; ** and, again: "If the internal man is evil, and the external man good, he is then a pretender and a hypocrite." ***
     * AC 3147: 7.
     ** SD 4768.
     *** Can. Red. iii: 7.
     Obviously man's will cannot be said to be good before regeneration. The state of the native will is certainly that of the love of self and the world.

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But this does not mean that a man is a hypocrite if he does the good of civil and moral life before regeneration, even though he knows full well that he does not yet love the moral virtues internally. If that were the case, the second universal law of the Divine providence concerning the mode of man's regeneration would make no sense whatsoever. This law states that "man should as if from himself put away evils as sins in the external man; and the Lord is able in this way, and in no other, to put away evils in the internal man, and simultaneously in the external." * The Writings make it clear beyond question that in man's efforts to order his external man, which is his prime work, the shunning of evil which he does must involve the use of what is of civil and moral law and the virtues thereof. **
     * DP 100
     ** See the entire explanation of the second law of the Divine Providence, DP 100-128.

     This we will see confirmed further in the teachings concerning the use of the moral virtues in self-examination, which will be considered shortly. But let us be clear as to what hypocrisy really is, so that we can think straight about the subject. The Writings tell us that a "man becomes a hypocrite when he thinks much about himself and places himself before others, for thereby he directs the thoughts of his mind and his affections to his body, immerses them in it, and unites them with its senses. He thus becomes a natural, sensual and corporeal man, and then his mind cannot be withdrawn from the flesh, to which it adheres, and be raised up to God, and cannot see anything of God in the light of heaven, that is, anything spiritual; and because he is a carnal man, the spiritual things that enter, that is, through his hearing into his understanding, seem to him only like something spectral, or like down floating in the air, or like flies about the head of a running and sweating horse, wherefore in heart he ridicules them." * They say also that "hypocrites are such as talk well and also do well, but have regard to themselves in everything. They talk as angels do about the Lord, heaven, love and heavenly life, and also act rightly, so that they may appear to be what they profess to be. But their thinking is different. They believe nothing, and they wish good to none but themselves. Their doing good is for the sake of self; for if for the sake of others it is only for the appearance, and thus still for the sake of self." **
     * TCR 381.
     ** HH 68.
     From these and many similar passages it is clear that hypocrisy not only involves a deliberate concentration upon self and the fulfillment of one's selfish ambitions but includes belief in nothing - not in God or in the truths of Divine revelation. It is not the native will, bursting with inclinations to the evils of self and the world, that makes man a hypocrite in the good moral and civil works that he does.

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If this were true, there could be nothing but hypocrisy with natural men. But it is the other part of man, his understanding, not his native will, that determines the nature and quality of his actions. Does the understanding consent to the inclinations and desires of the will, or does it, from the knowledge and acknowledgment of truth, overrule the will, shun evil, and do the works of civil and moral order because the Lord has so instructed? This latter is what the Writings mean by doing the truth for its own sake, that is, for the sake of the Lord.
     When we speak of intent, therefore, in reference to man's first, unregenerate life, it is the intent of his understanding to obey the truth and to do it that stands in direct opposition to the intent of his will to do evil and to ignore or abuse the truth. Fortunately for us, the Lord's mercy has provided that the intent of the understanding can, and should, overrule the intent of the will. It is not hypocritical, therefore, for a man to intend and do what is of moral and civil life from the understanding and acknowledgment of truth, even though he knows while he is doing it that he does not yet internally love these things. Such a love can be given only in time by the Lord through man's continued efforts to be guided by Him.

     We believe it is essential to the entire consideration of this subject that we see clearly how the forms of the moral virtues are to serve as the ultimates of external order with men. Evil must be contained by the framework of civil and moral order to assure the freedom of man's spiritual growth.
     This is something that involves intimately all of our daily activities. It concerns our business and social contacts with others; it concerns our uses together in society, in our country and in the church: and, strange as this may seem, its first and most important application is in the life of the home. All the states of our life are fed from the home and return to the home, just as all loves are fed by the conjugial and return to the conjugial as their center. In the home we find with our partner, our children, our relatives and guests, the neighbor whose life and welfare are to be our first concern. Here is where the more secret and intimate states of our lives will affect others most acutely, either for good or for evil. Here is where we first take up and practise the moral virtues as externals of order - courtesy, consideration, modesty, sincerity, honesty, good manners, and all the rest. In our homes, because we are removed from the general sphere of society, we relax and enjoy a freedom of activity and expression which is different from that which we have in society, and so it should be.
     But let us be very careful that we do not consider such freedom as in any sense an excuse for ignoring or abusing the forms of external order. That we all incline to do so is obvious.

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We tend to let off steam in the home, to show anger very quickly, to criticize easily, to feel sorry for ourselves, to feel put upon or abused, and so on. Some of us drink too much; some of us swear too much; some of us are lazy, if not physically then mentally; and so goes the stream of moral abuses which need not be reviewed in its totality, for we can all see these things for ourselves.
     Such abuses will not become non-existent with us, perhaps, until we enter into the life of heaven; and even with the natural angels there are signs of some mild abuses. But it is the attitude we take concerning them that makes the difference between a basic state of external order in which there are the thought and the effort of conscience and a state of disorder marked by careless and ignorant disregard for the happiness and welfare of the neighbor. When we abuse the framework of external order, the moral virtues, we destroy the freedom of others, showing no thought or regard for anyone but ourselves and the things of selfish love. There are countless ways of interfering with the freedom of others, whether in society or in the home. A sad or angry countenance introduced into a room filled with cheerful and happy states will have an immediate effect upon everyone present; and even though that effect may be temporary, it still takes away or modifies for a time the freedom of the cheerfulness and happiness of others. Or take the effect a slovenly and gluttonous eater has upon those around him; he takes away something of their delight in the meal. The abuse of every moral virtue will affect the life of someone else, burdening him with sadness, concern, fear, disgust, or something else. We cannot always control the externals of our lives that relate to the moral virtues; but we can always be in the thought and endeavor to control them, from the knowledge and acknowledgment that they are the proper forms of Divine order among men. *
     * See AC 3993, 3632, 911, 4302: TCR 56, 68, 70-73, 52, 502; AC 7297; DP 322; TCR 443-45; HH 531: AE 195, 918, 948; Char. 23: Wis. 9: 5.

     The Moral Virtues as Means of Self-Examination

     From what we have considered so far of the uses of the moral virtues, it will be evident that they are to play an important role in self-examination. We spoke at the beginning of those virtues as ultimates of heavenly loves, and it would have been noted there that the abuses of the moral virtues are the ultimates of the evil loves of hell. If we were to take various spiritual loves, such as the love of innocence, the love of use, or the love of conjugial love, and try to see whether certain spiritual-moral virtues seemed to fit or be associated with each of these loves, we would find that they did. We would find, for example, that with the love of conjugial love are associated chastity, friendship, courtesy, modesty, obligingness and good manners.

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In all other instances we would find virtues that were more closely associated with the love than were other virtues. As we have noted, the reverse is true of every major evil love. Every such love will seek its ultimate expression in the abuse or destruction of certain of the forms of the moral virtues. The love of adultery, for example, will seek to enter into what is unchaste, discourteous, immodest, ill-mannered.

     With children and young people - who are not able to examine themselves in any depth as to their evils and falsities, and who are not capable of seeing or feeling the real presence of such things - all that can guide in self-examination is how they have acted toward the externals of order, whether they have upheld or overthrown them. Such examination, procured and guided by parents and teachers, is not going to change their spiritual life at that age; this is impossible. But it does, besides preserving external order with them, prepare them for adult self-examination. It establishes a habit, and a very important habit; one which adults find it very hard to begin. It teaches children to reflect on their intentions and actions; and, what is just as important, not to be afraid to find and to acknowledge that they have done something wrong - something which they must try to shun in the future, something against which they need to ask the Lord's help.
     When we teach children the moral virtues as Divine forms of order, we give them some very tangible and explicit things to think about and act upon. When they learn to think of courtesy, diligence or good manners, not just as things that some parents insist upon while others do not, or as things to be done because "I, your father, or, your mother, say so," but because they are the Lord's forms of order for all of us to help us to become angels, then we have given our children a great treasure. We have given them a means for living in external order, whatever the environment or circumstances in which they may be.
     With an adult, the use of the moral virtues in self-examination is somewhat different. In adult self-examination we are to look at our intentions and at the delights of the imagination, and not so much at our deeds. Concerning self-examination we read in Doctrine of Charity: "If it is only as to the actions, it discovers little, and this is not enough. But if it is as to the thoughts and intentions, it discovers more; and if it searches out what the man regards or does not regard as sins, then it discovers all. For whatever a man within himself regards as allowable, that he does. To regard as allowable is of the will, is endeavor, and in spirit is done; and it will be done in the body when obstacles are removed." *
     * No. 5.

     To conduct self-examination properly man must have the essential knowledges of the Lord and His kingdom - the knowledges which make it possible for him to see beyond the evils of the body to the evils of the spirit.

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It is not enough, we are instructed, to examine bodily acts which we have or have not performed, such as murder, theft, adultery and the bearing of false witness. We are to examine as well the lust for possessions, the lust for power, and the many other lusts which spring from these two monsters. "The spirit is examined only by man's attending to his thoughts, and especially his purposes, for purposes are thoughts from the will. That is where evils are in their origin and in their root, that is, in their lusts and in their enjoyments; and unless these are seen and acknowledged the man is still in evils, although in externals he has not committed them." *
     * DP 152. Cf. AC 1909, 2982; HD 164; TCR 532.
     We are to make a detailed examination of the thoughts of our understanding, wherein we may see our purposes and intentions, only once or twice a year." * The Writings warn us against trying to undertake such examination too often; for if it is not done according to the Divine instructions it can turn into a morbid and useless concentration upon self. This does not mean, of course, that we are to pay no attention to our thoughts the rest of the time! We are to perform some self-examination every day. It does not take much time to recognize deliberate evils intended or performed, and it is of these that we are to repent daily. This includes, of course, our inclinations to abuse the forms of the moral virtues; for, as we have noted, all evil intentions and thoughts will incline us to abuse one or a number of the moral virtues. Much of the work of our regeneration will take place in the area of these virtues, and will center in the efforts we must make to retain these forms of order, from acknowledgment of the Lord's order therein.
     * CL 529.
     The moral virtues perform another use in reference to self-examination, and that is their use when we are in states of temptation. When we are in serious temptation, and the spiritually insane lusts and desires of hell are present with us, our minds become enmeshed in feelings of depression, discouragement, anxiety, despair and the like. More often than not, when such states are severe, we may have little idea of the various things that have led into such a period of temptation. Self-examination does not show us the cause. Indeed we cannot even properly conduct such examination when we are in temptation. Even the delights of the imagination, which usually give us a fairly accurate idea of the presence of an evil thought or love, are smothered and clouded over by the sphere of depression and the confusion of despair. So hidden is our state from our sight that we cannot put our finger on the source of our trouble, and in desperation we blame all kinds of natural and external circumstances which we have found aggravating or displeasing to us.

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     When we are in such miserable states we are to look to the Lord for help; we are to go about our daily work as best we can; and we are to seek more contact with others through social and recreational activities. But there is also something else that we are to do, something which confirms that we are really looking to the Lord for help. In such states we must work consciously and with great effort to uphold the external order of the moral virtues. While we are in temptation we cannot love the forms of the moral virtues. Indeed whatever major evil is causing our trouble by attacking the formation of a new heavenly love will undoubtedly appear as an added inclination to abuse certain virtues. But whether we love the moral virtues or not at such a time is not the point: the point is that they are tangible things which are present with us, and that they require our attention and effort. They are something from the Lord whereby, no matter how confused and disturbed our state, we can express obedience to Him; and we are told that if we do this, we make it possible for the Lord to limit and restrain the power of the hells with us, so that they do not drive us into ruinous and chaotic disorders which harm others, or at least retard the progression of our spiritual life.

     This has been a very brief and limited review of the uses of the moral virtues, and there may be other uses which should also be included. But it may be sufficient to give us the necessary instruction to serve as a basis for thought on the subject, so that we can examine the state of morality in the church with some judgment that is both just and somewhat wise; and to do so is the responsibility of all in the church.
LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 1965

LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE              1965

     "6. Man is not reformed by external but by internal means. By external means are meant miracles and visions, fears and punishments. By internal means are meant truths and goods from the Word, and from the doctrine of the church, and also looking to the Lord. For these means enter by an internal way, and remove the evils and falsities which reside within; but external means enter by an external way, and do not remove evils and falsities, but shut them in. But nevertheless he is further reformed by external means, provided he has been previously reformed by internal means; but a man who is not reformed is only withheld by external means - which are fears and punishments - from speaking and doing the evils and falsities which he thinks and wills" (Apocalypse Explained 1136).

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NECESSITY OF EVANGELIZATION 1965

NECESSITY OF EVANGELIZATION       Rev. KURT P. NEMITZ       1965

     It is striking to observe that the Lord's first act in the formal establishment of His New Church was that of sending men forth to proclaim the truth of His second advent, that is, to evangelize. This was done on the 19th of June, 1770, when Swedenborg had completed the True Christian Religion. "After this work was finished," Swedenborg wrote in a memorandum to the same, "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 reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ever and ever." *
     * TCR 791.
     Undoubtedly, what is good for heaven should be good for earth also. Whatever the Lord does is always and everywhere a model for His children. From His example alone the church should engage in evangelization, should go forth to tell the world that the Lord has made His promised second coming. Furthermore, He commands this, saying, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." *
     * Mark 16: 15.
     The matter of evangelization, however, does not with His New Church rest even here with the Lord's clear words. For the past, the Lord's direct commands were sufficient; but now in His church for this new age the Lord addresses the understanding of man also. A rational imperative is the mandate to action for the New Church. We are given to see why the work of evangelization is an essential use and good of the church; and it is the force of this perception that sends us forth to perform this use. The mere fact that the new revelation gives little direct instruction to the church about evangelization matters little. The structure of truth is such that certain principles inescapably imply others; and what is not directly stated, but merely rationally implied, may have as much validity and force as that which is printed. An excellent illustration of this is the truth that the Writings are the Word. This is never stated in so many words in them, but is patently true to one who reads the revelation of truth which is the Lord's second coming with an affection for truth.
     Sometimes practical reasons are put forth to encourage the church to enter more actively into evangelization. Among these is the fact that unless the church grows from without as well as from within, she will decline in relation to the total population of the nations and the world.

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This and other practical, natural considerations are important, but they should not be the sole or primary reason that the church makes greater efforts to extend itself. All things that a genuinely spiritual church does should have a spiritual cause in revealed truth. Let us therefore consider some of the teachings of the Heavenly Doctrine that bear upon evangelization.
     The Arcana Coelestia states: "The whole Word is the Evangel." * (At this point it might be well to point out that evangel and evangelization are words derived from the Greek euangellein meaning "to bring good news.") "The whole Word is the Evangel." Our thought is immediately directed to the Lord, for He is the Word. It might rightly be said, consequently, that the Lord is the Evangelizer. He is described as such in Isaiah: "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." ** His Word is the Evangel because, it is explained, "in its inmost sense it treats solely of the Lord," and "evangelization is annunciation about the Lord, His coming, and the things that are from Him which belong to salvation and eternal life." ***Thus it is the means whereby His ends are fulfilled.
     * 9925.
     ** 52: 7, 8.
     *** AC 9925: 2.

     The Lord works unceasingly to conjoin man to Himself. For in so far as this conjunction is accomplished, man experiences happiness, is in a state of heaven. The continual endeavor of the Divine love is to give of itself for the delight of others. This conjunction and consequent communication of delight are achieved when good, which is the Divine, is received by man. Good flows into a man when truth, its receptacle, is present with him. The source of truth is the Word. Thus we read that "the Word is a general recipient vessel for spiritual and celestial things, thus conjoining heaven and earth." *
     * AC 1775.
     In order that man may see Him, and then receive Him into his heart, the Lord reveals or shows Himself. It is absolutely necessary that a man see the Lord with his intellect, if he is to enter heaven. The state of conjunction that is heaven is effected only by man's return of love to his Creator. But a man cannot love that which he does not see intellectually, he cannot love something of which he has no idea. For this reason the Lord has revealed Himself anew whenever men's vision of Him has become obscure or distorted. At length He stepped before men's sight with a natural body.
     Then, as always, the Lord presented Himself for all men to see, because He desires to conjoin every man to Himself.

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And so the angel spoke unto the shepherds: "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." *
     * Luke 2: 10.
     From these things we may see that evangelization, or the communication of the truth of the Word, is one of the essential concerns of the Lord's Divine Providence. Indeed, He Himself came to earth that the light might be seen by all. The shepherds felt this; they "made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child." * Should not we, who know that the Lord has made His second coming, do as the shepherds?
     * Ibid. v. 17.
     Certainly the Lord wishes to be known and loved by more than this small group that composes His New Church today. That the New Church is to be spread is implied in the statement that "the second coming of the Lord will be effected by means of a man, who can not only receive the doctrines of this church with his understanding, but can also publish them by the press." * To "publish" is to make known to people, to announce.
     * TCR 779.
     We have seen that the life of the individual, that is, the quality of his life, is dependent upon the truth that he possesses. A man cannot live a good life unless he has the truth that teaches what is good. The life of society is also dependent upon the truth present within it. Because the Divine truth, the Word, is present in its purity in the church, the church is said in the Writings to be the "heart and lungs of society." * As life-giving blood is vivified and distributed to the body by these two organs, so is vitalizing truth disseminated into society as a whole by the church. This places a great responsibility upon the church to remain strong and healthy.
     * SS 105.
     To remain as strong and healthy as possible the church should not neglect any of its functions, but give each its due attention - not stressing any one to the detriment of others. Among the proper functions of the church, as the Lord showed by command and example, is evangelization. And where there is a healthy and spiritual love for the new truths there will be, it is obvious, a spontaneous desire to spread them to others. This is confirmed by the zeal of early states, when the gift of a new love for good and truth is fresh and active. Newcomers are often very eager to communicate the new truth they have found to others. The New Church men of the early years of the church were inspired with a commendable purpose to make the Lord's second coming known to all the world.
     And let there be no mistake, their efforts were not in vain. The early church grew at an admirable rate, and this was due in a large part to the zeal of those New Church men and women. The New Church today derives most of its present strength from a growth that took place in the last century.

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     In conclusion: although the health of the church organization should not be the main reason for evangelization, it would be short-sighted not to consider the benefit that results when the church engages in evangelization. Worthy of note is the Writings' explanation of these verses from the second chapter of Daniel: "Then was the secret revealed in a vision of the night; therefore Daniel blessed the God of the heavens; he said, Blessed be the name of God Himself for ever and ever, for wisdom and power are His." * Concerning this we are told: "Here it is evident that 'to bless the Lord' is to sing unto Him, to proclaim the good tidings of His salvation, to preach His wisdom and power, and thus to acknowledge the Lord from the heart. They who do this cannot but be blessed by the Lord, that is, be gifted with those things that belong to blessing, namely, with celestial, spiritual, natural, worldly and corporeal good; these, when they follow each other in this order, are the goods in which there is happiness." ** This is an other statement of the Divine law of reciprocation. It is a law basic to life. Has not the Lord said: "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again"? ***
     * vv. 19, 20.
     ** AC 1422: 2.
     *** Luke 6: 38.
NEW COMMUNION 1965

NEW COMMUNION              1965

     "For the first time Christianity itself is beginning to dawn, and a New Church, which is meant by the New Jerusalem in Revelation, is now being established by the Lord, in which God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are acknowledged as one, because they are in one person. It has therefore pleased the Lord to reveal the spiritual sense of the Word, in order that this church may enter into the use and benefit itself of the two sacraments, Baptism and the Holy Supper. This follows when men see with the eyes of their spirit, that is, with the understanding, the holiness concealed therein, and apply it to themselves by the means which the Lord has taught in His Word" (True Christian Religion 700).
     "If actual repentance is practised at stated times, especially when a man prepares himself for the communion of the Holy Supper, provided that he afterwards abstains from one or more sins which he then discovers in himself, it is sufficient to initiate him into the real practice of it.     When in this state, he is on the way to heaven; for then he begins from being natural to become spiritual" (True Christian Religion 530).

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SON OF GOD - THE SON OF MAN 1965

SON OF GOD - THE SON OF MAN       S. PELLE ROSENQUIST       1965

     The dominant character or true essence, and therefore the point of judgment, of any church is its concept of God. The one essential, from which all else flows, is the vision of God that a church acknowledges and strives to see; for only through the sight of God can God be in conjunction with man. Therefore the Lord maintains with men an always present necessary nucleus of those who see something of Him. It was to continue this among men that the Lord sent out the apostles in heaven on the nineteenth day of June in the year 1770.
     The Writings speak specifically several times of this sending forth. There is in these several statements an infinite variation as well as a definite similarity: a variation that stirs one's willingness to know of the deeper things contained therein, and a similarity that leaves no doubt as to the specific reason for this eternal apostolic assignment.
     In this brief article we shall note only the definite, general need for this command of God to "teach the Gospels anew." Simply stated, the need was this: the Christian Church had shattered its picture of God into the fragments of a separated trinity; therefore the vision of God among men had to be restored. We, then, on the Nineteenth of June should pay especial attention to the idea of God that should have been implanted, and should be growing, within us. We should take time to examine the vision of a vision of God that is with us. That is, we should examine the ideas we have of what, potentially, the Lord can become with us.
     It is most significant that the Lord, in speaking of Himself while on earth, so often used the phrases "the Son of God" and "the Son of Man." Let us dwell on this in what is to follow. For if we come to some idea of the difference between these two names which the Lord so often used, as well as of their unity, we will be able to infill our understanding of what it means to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. We will with a more powerful certainty and vision worship Him as the one God of heaven and earth.
     To lead directly and simply to this end, the heading which precedes no. 19 of Doctrine of the Lord is almost mandatory: "The Lord in respect to the Divine Human is called the Son of God; and in respect to the Word the Son of Man." The governing hope and ever-present purpose of the church is to see the Divine Human of the Lord, the Son of God.

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The only means for the achievement of that purpose is an increasing spiritual involvement in the things of the Word, the Son of Man.
     These are the basic elements, then, of the endeavor to become truly a member, truly a part, of the New Church. The church was given for this very reason, to restore the proper vision of God and to provide a means of seeing and acknowledging that vision.

     In respect to the first coming of the Lord, the Son of God was the good Divine: that of the Divine which was beyond temptation, that of the Lord which was the pure soul or essence of the Divine Human. The Son of Man was the Divine truth or the Word which was being perverted. It was this, the Lord as the Son of Man, that was tempted and crucified, and ultimately united with the Son of God. This unition of the victorious Divine truth with the Divine good in the Lord was the culminating act in the glorification. The purpose of the first coming had been fulfilled. The Divine Human, or potential vision of the Lord, that had existed from eternity became reality - and through conquest in all temptation had become one with the Father.
     Note here that the Lord prophesied His second coming in words such as these: "He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world." In the consummation of the age the Son of Man "shall send forth His angels." When the disciples said to Jesus, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the age?" the Lord foretold the successive states of the church down to its end; and of its end He said: "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven . . . . and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven."
     We see that it is the Son of Man who is to come again, the Word. For the Son of God, or the Divine Human, was always present, but was more and more lost to sight by the almost total rejection of Him. It is the truth of the Word that must again be made manifest to make a vision of the Divine Human possible, for only in the truth of the Word can the Lord be seen.
     It is clear, then, that the Second Coming involves the renewed presence of the Son of Man with us. It is the light, the only light, that can illumine the never ceasing presence of the Son of God with men - the Divine Human that awaits our recognition and acknowledgment. For us, therefore, the Son of Man comes first in time; for we must first approach the Word, and through its aid combat the hells of our individual lives; and as the Son of Man conquered in all temptation, so can we, vivified by the Word, be victorious.
     The Son of Man! This is our great initial concern. It is not only the first in time as our sole approach to the Lord, but it is also the very reason that we exist as a church; for it is the Second coming in the form of the Writings.

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     Let us on the nineteenth day of June, the very day that represents the coming of the Son of Man among us, renew our application to the study of the Word and inquire more fully into those wondrous appellations of the Lord - the "Son of God" and the "Son of Man." This is not a passing suggestion, but a call to heed the Lord's words in no. 32 of the Doctrine of the Lord: "He who knows what in the Lord is called the `Son of God' and what in Him is called the `Son of Man' is able to see many of the secret things of the Word."
     The Nineteenth of June - the one truly New Church day - should not be permitted to pass without making a significant impact on our lives. It should serve as a day of reflective impetus to concern ourselves more deeply with the things of the church, and therefrom truly to hear the apostles teaching again, according to the commandment of the Lord, that "the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns."
MINISTERIAL CHANGES 1965

MINISTERIAL CHANGES              1965

     The Rev. Morley D. Rich has accepted appointment, effective September 1, 1965, as visiting pastor of the Central Western District, resident in Denver, Colorado.
     The Rev. Roy Franson has accepted appointment, effective September 1, 1965, as visiting pastor to the Southeastern States, resident in Miami, Florida.
     The Rev. Robert Hudson Pendleton Cole has accepted appointment, effective September 1, 1965, as assistant to the pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois.
     The Rev. David Restyn Simons has accepted appointment as visiting pastor to New England, succeeding the Rev. Robert S. Junge.
     Candidate Daniel Webster Goodenough has been appointed, effective after his ordination in June, assistant to the pastor of the Olivet Church, Toronto, Canada.
     Candidate Willard Lewis Davenport Heinrichs has been appointed, effective after his ordination in June, visiting minister to the Pacific Northwest, resident in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada.

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REVIEW 1965

REVIEW       LORENTZ SONESON       1965

     EDUCATION AND YOU. Essays on British Education and Relevant New Church Principles. Compiled by the Social Service Committee of the General Conference of the New Church, 1964. Mimeographed, pp. 45.

     This collection of eight essays is, in the opinion of the reviewer, at once enlightening, refreshing and encouraging. The essayists, educators and a Conference clergyman, are faithful to the purposes presented in the introduction to the collection: "It does not present theories, expound complex teaching on the development of the mind, or propose a hopeful scheme for New Church education. It simply takes a look with New Church eyes at education in Britain nowadays." *
     * Page 1.
     Education and You is enlightening in that it presents a concise and apparently accurate review of the educational system in Britain today. Well documented descriptions of some twenty-five separate educational schools and systems currently in existence in England are given in the first and second essays. The carefully pruned paragraphs offer to casual as well as serious readers a handy digest of student and teacher training in their country.
     The essays are refreshing in many ways. Obviously written by people with an insight into universal educational problems, the booklet contains many educational gems. Thus we read: "In the writer's view, the fundamental requirement for a successful teacher cannot adequately be expressed in words, for it concerns his or her personality. In certain respects, it is true that a teacher can use various `methods' to teach a particular topic. But a person with a successful teaching personality will probably succeed in the art of communicating with his pupils whatever method he uses. A person without it will probably fail, unless his pupils possess high intelligence, in which case their natural desire for knowledge will compensate for the poor teaching. The `born teacher' really exists, both in and out of the profession. It is a latent quality which good training will foster, but it is very difficult to give it to those who do not possess anything of it." *
     * Page 10.
     Equally refreshing is the affirmative yet balanced analysis of the many trends prevalent in education today throughout the world. Affectional versus intellectual approaches, male versus female teachers, one-sex versus co-educational schools: all are presented without bias, but with emphasis upon the delicate balance necessary in effective education.

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     By far the most encouraging aspect of the essays is their frank analysis of the General Church ideal in education. It is described as "very far reaching." In addition, it is said: "It does not simply require true religious instruction and worship. It expects that teaching in every subject will be from a correct religious view-point." * The essayist then continues: "It is impossible here to give this ideal and the resulting policies the full consideration they deserve. But some explanation should be given of the probable reasons why the General Conference does not adopt them. Firstly, what would be appropriate education in a New Church community may not be so in a mixed community. Is a child in a New Church school getting the best preparation for living well in the world as it is today? Secondly, owing to the dispersion of New Church families, most pupils would either have to travel long distances or attend as boarders. Thirdly, a small school cannot provide the expert specialization and facilities necessary for passing public examinations and for entering universities and colleges. Fourthly, running good schools is very, very expensive." **
     * Page 28.
     ** Ibid.

     There is no quarrel here. Every General Church society, whether it has a school or not, has asked the very same questions. These are, very likely, the problems that have prevented the founding of a new elementary school in our societies during the last sixty years. But the essayists make it perfectly clear that they see the need of New Church schools. "With society crying out incessantly for better education and better educated people, it is important to remember the main purpose of education. It ought, of course, to fit in with the Lord's purpose in creation, a heaven of angels from the human race. Consequently, education should lead man to live a good life. Social usefulness is also important, but it is only secondary to the fundamental eternal aim . . . . 'Use' should be our criterion to determine the quantity and type of education for each individual." * "Is religious instruction in state schools a danger to New Church children, a benefit to them, or a matter of indifference?" is a timely and pertinent question.
     * Page 31.
     Most encouraging of all is the general approach to education in the light of the Writings, from which the authors draw amply and accurately. The reader is left with the definite impression that their key reference, the Writings, carries Divine authority.
     LORENTZ SONESON

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RATIONAL REVELATION 1965

RATIONAL REVELATION       Editor       1965


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.

TERM5 OF SUBSCRIPTION
$500 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     It has often been said that the Writings are a rational revelation and that the New Church is therefore to be a rational church. While this is true, and invests with unique significance the event we celebrate this month, its deeper meaning may not always be realized. Much more is involved than that the Writings present a reasonable theology, that they can be explained logically, that they can satisfy the keenest intellect, or even that they invite the use of reason instead of inhibiting it, as other systems must perforce do.
     According to the Writings themselves, true rationality consists in seeing and understanding what is true and good, and therefore what is false and evil, and in perceiving arcana of wisdom when they are found in or presented from the Word. So the real significance of the form of the Writings, and that for which they should be prized the most, is that they make it possible for men as never before to do just that: to see what is true and good, and therefore what is false and evil, on every plane of life - civil, economic, social, moral and spiritual; and to perceive the arcana stored up in the Word.
     If we reflect on this, we may see that the church becomes truly rational, not as it produces intellectual giants, but as, from affection of truth and good, it enters into the possibility set before it by the very form of the revelation on which it is founded. There is, of course, no infallible perception, and understanding is not given without the effort to understand; but to see what is true and good, and thus what is false and evil, this is the mark of a rational church.

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ENDS AND BEGINNINGS 1965

ENDS AND BEGINNINGS       Editor       1965

     "All effects, which are called last ends, become anew first ends in uninterrupted succession." This abstract, philosophical statement of the Writings may seem very remote from what will happen this month in the Academy and the schools of the General Church, yet it has a direct bearing. The successful completion of a segment of formal education is the happy end of a process, but the process itself was designed to lead to a new beginning; one that could not be entered into unless it had been followed faithfully.
     Every student realizes this to some extent. He can gaze fondly on his certificate, diploma or degree, and luxuriate in the thought that he has finished the work it represents, for just so long. Then his mind begins to look forward eagerly to the next step, for which it has prepared him: to secondary school or college, to graduate work or his chosen career. There would be something very sad about a graduation in the unlikely event of its being known that all the graduates were immediately going into retirement! For together with their rejoicing, and that of family and friends, in work well done is the promise of new beginnings, and this is, perhaps, the stronger of the two.
     However, there is something unique about our graduations because our hopes go beyond this life. We are well aware that regeneration is not the product of education; yet education is vitally concerned with preparation for it. In various ways it looks to the development of a rational mind in which the spiritual rational can be implanted eventually. When that mind has been formed, no man can say; but when it has, there is a new beginning, or rather a series of new beginnings, that will continue and bear fruit to eternity.
RESPONSIBLITY AND THE PRIESTLY USE 1965

RESPONSIBLITY AND THE PRIESTLY USE       Editor       1965

     June is the month in which, appropriately, ordinations most frequently take place, and in preparation for them we may usefully reflect upon their significance. Ordination into the priesthood is inauguration into a use, and use implies responsibility. Furthermore, since the use is to be performed to others, the responsibility is twofold: on the part of the priest who, is engaged in it, and on the part of the people for whom it is entered into; and unless this dual responsibility is accepted, the use intended by the Lord will not be performed.
     This responsibility is expressed with beauty and clarity by the prophet Malachi: "The priest's lips should guard knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts."

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Because it is his use to bring the words of the Lord to the people, and the people to the Lord - to teach the truth of the Word and thereby lead to the good of life and thus to the Lord - it is the solemn responsibility of the priest to see that the Divine truth is preserved, guarded and protected in the doctrine he preaches and teaches; and because that is the priestly use, the people should seek in his pastoral instruction only the Divine truth that will purify and renew their lives: nothing more, nothing less. When this twofold responsibility is faithfully met, the priestly use is performed; for thereby souls are saved - the use is extended and is reciprocated and received.
     Integrity in teaching and in being taught may seem to involve an awesome responsibility, and it does, but it is one that may be accepted in humility and trust. It is true that the Writings do not speak through the priest; he can only speak of himself from the Writings. But if he does that, and does not speak from his own intelligence and from a selfish love, the doctrine will be safe in his keeping; and if the people seek in his teaching only the truth that leads to good, and not self-advantage, the truth sent by the Lord whose messenger he is will be received by them in its purity and with all its power.
WANTED: A NEW ICONOCLASM 1965

WANTED: A NEW ICONOCLASM       Editor       1965

     Among the things to worry about which society has given to us in recent years is our image. Individuals, business, professions and governments have, we are told, images about which they should be most deeply concerned, and, thus brought to awareness and admonished, they frequently are: sometimes, it would seem, to the extent of being more concerned with their image than about the reality which supposedly it represents. When, for example, certain events occur in a nation, there are those who seem to be more concerned about what they may do to the country's image abroad than with the intrinsic wrong or injustice of the events themselves; and reprobation is measured out according as the image appears to have been tarnished or damaged.
     If this were only a fad it might be dismissed as mildly amusing where it is not irritating; but although the terms may change, the idea is both dangerous and persistent. Man's concern should be with uses, and when men become more concerned about the image they project than about the uses they perform they are inviting serious consequences - in the other life if not here. Especially would this be so in the church, where they ought to know better! While we do have an obligation to accommodate, we have a duty not to be carried away by the desire to please.

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In the General Church and the Academy, in our societies and their schools, our responsibility, and therefore our primary concern, is to find the proper ultimates for worship, instruction and education - the proper ultimates for the uses of the church; and if the resulting image does not gain the world's endorsement, so much the worse for the world!
     Although most men are unaware of the fact, there is an image between which and the prototype there can be no discrepancy. This is what the Writings call the sphere of man's life. Because it is spiritual, this sphere cannot itself be detected on earth. As it affects others, it makes one with the sphere of use; and it is with the development of this sphere as a sphere of spiritual uses that we should be concerned. However, such a sphere cannot be fashioned or protected artificially; it makes one with the inner reality. To the extent that we are really concerned with uses it will become our desire to show ourselves as what we are; and this will be to display, not a man-made, synthetic stereotype, but the living image and likeness of God in man. The obtrusion of other images invites, as their presence demands, a new image breaking-a new iconoclasm which has as its end not mere destruction, but the removal of that which comes between men and reality and diverts them from it.
CHURCH AND BIRTH-CONTROL 1965

CHURCH AND BIRTH-CONTROL       Editor       1965

     Last month an attempt was made to bring together the key teachings of the Writings which bear upon this subject and to indicate the basic questions they raise. It was pointed out then that there are potential hidden dangers in trying to answer these questions, and it is these dangers that will be touched on now. Our concern in this discussion is not with those who would like to avoid parenthood altogether, or at least to plan and control it entirely. Nor are we involved here with the question of birth-control as a means of solving population problems. Our concern is with those couples who sincerely desire to follow the Writings, who wish not to be misled, and who will repent of any selfish or worldly motive they discover in themselves.
     One of the arguments advanced in favor of birth-control is that young couples entering into marriage should have an opportunity to get to know one another before they become enmeshed in the duties and responsibilities of parenthood. However this is phrased, it is difficult to dismiss the suspicion that the argument regards children as a burden that will take the bloom off the marriage, or that it implies that, somehow, their arrival will stop or at least hinder the process of mutual discovery. But is it not, in fact, a plea for prolonging the honeymoon state beyond what is useful?

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And when we have regard to what the Writings teach about the fulfillment of marriage, how better can a husband and wife really get to know one another than in the mutual duties and responsibilities of father and mother?
     However, the greatest potentiality of danger lies, we believe, in the argument that, granted the love of offspring, couples do have a responsibility, as free and rational beings, not to bring into this world more children than they can properly support and educate to take their rightful place in the society of the future. While this argument cannot be dismissed as unworthy of even a moment's consideration, it should be scrutinized very carefully in the light of everything that is taught in the Writings about human prudence. There is, we are told, a co-operative prudence with which as a virtue the Divine Providence works, and whether it is indeed permissible to use prudence in this way should be carefully considered. Yet we may readily see the dangers inherent in merely human prudence taking upon itself to recognize when conditions are propitious, to decide what constitutes a satisfactory standard of living, and to foretell what kind and amount of education will be needed and how much it will cost, what the family's circumstances will be - all without taking the Divine Providence into its calculations.

     Reasons of health introduce another factor; and here it is assumed that, as with other and more ultimate aspects of birth-control and their possible effects, medical opinion will be sought. What is essential in marriage is that there be the love of offspring and that it be ultimated if possible; for, as has been said, while conjugial love can exist without offspring, it cannot exist apart from the love of offspring. In the conditions under which we live there will be exceptions; and those in the church who feel that their situations are such certainly have an obligation to examine them closely in the light of the Writings and to search their intentions with a view to discovering whether or not they are influenced by selfish or worldly motives and reasons. If they feel, after honest scrutiny and candid search, that they are not, then they need not be weighted down by feelings of guilt; and they should not be judged spiritually by the church, which has not told them what to do but has left decision to their conscience. The church's function is to teach and lead, and in the exercise of that function it strives both to preserve freedom where it exists and to introduce into it where it may be lacking or defective through absence of truth. It is to this end that in this matter, as in all else connected with marriage, it teaches and strives to lead to the ideal.

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GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS 1965

GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATIONS       STEPHEN PITCAIRN       1965




     Announcements
     The 1965 Annual Corporation Meetings of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in the Benade Hall Auditorium, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, June 16, 1965, at 8:00 p.m., DST. Notices have been mailed.
     STEPHEN PITCAIRN
          Secretary
BRITISH ASSEMBLY 1965

BRITISH ASSEMBLY              1965

     The Fiftieth British Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in Colchester, England, July 16-18, 1965, the Rev. Erik Sandstrom presiding by episcopal appointment.
     All members and friends of the General Church are cordially invited to attend.
NEW FILM 1965

NEW FILM              1965

     The New Church Film Committee has added to its list a new film, Noah, which is available for use throughout the church. This is an unusual "animated film" (about 13 minutes, 16 mm color, sound) done by pupils of the Bryn Athyn Elementary School. It first recounts the biblical story, then repeats the same pictures with a brief explanation of the internal sense. Of missionary value for children or adults, the film may be obtained through the General Church Sound Recording Committee, Bryn Athyn, Pa., 19009.
NUMBERING THE PEOPLE 1965

NUMBERING THE PEOPLE       Rev. ORMOND ODHNER       1965



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Vol. LXXXV
July 1965
No. 7

NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the sons of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague upon them, when thou numberest them." (Exodus 30: 11, 12)

     Why the ancient Israelites regarded it as a sin to number the people, to take a census, the Word does not say; but regard it as a sin they did, as witness the attempt of Joab, general of David's armies, to dissuade his king from so rash an act. Furthermore, as soon as the census was completed, David at once knew that he had sinned and that punishment for it would come upon him. Several times in their earlier history, the first time under Moses, the people had been numbered by Divine command; but then it had also been commanded that during the census peril each person was to pay a tabernacle tax as a ransom for his soul, lest plague come upon them. Outside of the biblical record, furthermore, it should be noted that many ancient religions regarded the taking of a census as a certain invitation to calamity and disaster. Even today, the same superstition is held by many primitive peoples.
     To a reader of the Writings this at once suggests two things: first, the idea that a census-taking was evil must have existed in the Ancient Church before the dawn of history; second, since the taking of a census is obviously neither sinful nor evil, the sin must have been in what the act represented. Such, of course, is the teaching of the Writings.
     The nation of Israel, we are told, represents the church, and its people represent the church's truths of faith and goods of love.

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To number them - to survey them all at once, to count their whole sum - is said to signify to set all things of the church in order, to dispose them; and for a person to number them on his own, not by Divine command, signifies that man attempts to set in order and dispose all things of the church from himself, when yet it is in the power of the Lord alone to do so. Yet man attempts it when he regards the truths and goods of the church as his own, rather than the Lord's, and thus claims to himself what is Divine and defiles it with merit.
     All things of the church are the Lord's alone, and they remain the Lord's even after they are received by man; they do not become man's personal possessions. Yet man is ever prone to believe that they do. It is his truth, his doctrine, his insight and enlightenment. It is his church, and his, therefore, is the duty of protecting it. He, from himself, can make a final judgment on his own spiritual state, can number his people and see how he stands. He aligns the truths of doctrine to suit himself, imposing a merely human connection upon them. He takes truth out of its Divinely given context and turns it into heresy; formulating doctrine from himself, both for himself and for others. Man protects the church - protects it to its death.

     It is said in the Writings that it is well known in the church, the Christian Church, who and of what quality they are who spiritually number the people: who believe the church to be their own, and who therefore try to dispose and arrange its truths and goods. However, no more is said about them.
     Who are they, then? In the former Christian Church were they not those who took the teachings of the New Testament and aligned them to justify their own desires and preconceived opinions? Unwilling, or unable, to be guided by the Lord through the appearances of truth and the apparent contradictions of that revelation, to what did they come? Three persons in the Godhead, the chief of them invisible and therefore unknowable. A Christ with two personalities, one Divine and one human, with the human given all power in heaven and on earth and therefore able to pass on that power to the heads of the church. Salvation through a God-given, unmerited gift of faith. Predestination. Bodily resurrection. Marriage for this earth alone, and hardly ideal at that! The list is endless.
     In all fairness to them, however, it should be noted that they were without a Divinely given guide to lead them to the truth through the frequently enigmatic and puzzling teachings of the New Testament - a Divine guide such as we have been given in the Writings. But what of ourselves and the new revelation given to us by the Lord? What Divine guide do we have to the genuine truth of that revelation?

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For, as with all revelation, it, too, is written in appearances of truth and is filled with many apparent contradictions, as witness the many widely variant and even opposing beliefs held by New Church men, all of them avowedly based on the Writings.
     Here is where we, too, face the danger of numbering the people on our own - of trying to align, connect and arrange the teachings of our revelation as though they were ours to play with as we would. We get this idea from our revelation; we put that interpretation upon it; we draw up a creed, or make up a slogan, and say that everyone must subscribe to it in order to be truly New Church. Why not? The Writings do not even actually state that they themselves are the Word.
     But it is our church, and we are going to protect it; protect it from those who do not agree with ourselves. "Does the Lord's church need our protection? Indeed, can it stand it?" As one of the former leaders of our church said many years ago: "No humanly derived contrivance can protect and save the church. . . . All the ills of the church from most ancient times have arisen from the conceit or persuasion that man can care for the church. . . . If any movement in the church is of the Lord, He will protect and save that which is His own, nor does He need the help of man. . . . Is it not better to have no external bonds, in order that the church may be free to disperse if it be in evil, or that it may be held together by internal bonds if it be in good?"
     It is our church, and we are therefore going to judge it in ourselves, are going to take spiritual stock of ourselves, numbering the goods and truths that are in us from the Lord. This we know to be fully and infallibly true, that we need more light on; and the trouble is that we tend to forget the latter and remember only the former.

     Yet we must, from the Lord, number the people. We must make spiritual judgments on ourselves. We must protect the church. We must draw doctrine from our Word and guide ourselves and others with it, since we have no outside, Divinely given guide to lead us to the genuine truth within the Writings.
     How, then, may we number the people from the Lord, and not from ourselves? When Moses was Divinely commanded to number the people, he was also commanded to collect from each of them a stated tax for the support of the tabernacle, as a ransom for his soul, lest plague come upon them. Thus, during the census, each person had to give an offering to the Lord, and the amount was the same for rich and poor alike. The Writings explain this as meaning that during a spiritual numbering of the people, each person, whether spiritually rich or poor, is to ascribe all things of the church - all its truths of faith and goods of love - to the Lord alone, acknowledging that they are not his own. If a man does that when he makes a spiritual judgment on himself, when he formulates doctrine to guide to the genuine truth within revelation, when he protects the church from evil and falsity: then, spiritually, he does not destroy himself.

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     And how is this done? In periods of self-examination we will not dwell unduly upon the truths of faith and the goods of love we already have from the Lord: numbering the people as though they were our own, taking pride in our wisdom and goodness. Rather will we concentrate on what we still lack, what is still in us that keeps us from closer conjunction with the Lord. That is the way of spiritual progress.

     Yet it is not a sin to recognize that there is in us from the Lord something of the church, something of its truths and goods, provided only that we acknowledge whose those things really are in us: not our own, but the Lord's. In that very acknowledgment there is escape from spiritual plague in the numbering of the people. Acknowledging that they are His and He is infinite, while we are merely finite mortals, we will also humbly acknowledge that though something of the church be in us, it is yet little and almost as nothing compared with the infinite good and truth that is the Lord Himself. What there is in us of the church is indeed the Lord's; but we receive it in finite, limited ways, seeing but certain facets of the truth - and our sight of even those ever prone to error and distortion.
     And when we protect the church from the approach or attack of evil and falsity, that, too, can be from the Lord and not from ourselves. From ourselves we would protect it with external rules and restraints, with laws binding the future, but really just binding the church. What law can foresee all contingencies? From the Lord we protect the church, each of us individually, by wholehearted devotion to the truth of revelation, for it is by means of His truth that the Lord protects what is His in the church. Especially does the priesthood protect the church by the fearless proclamation of the whole of that truth and the leading thereby to the good of life. That will rid the church of evil and falsity within its loyal members; and those who prefer to remain in evil and falsity, and whose presence is a real threat to the church, will soon leave it. That is all the protection the Lord's church needs.
     As for drawing doctrine from the Word in order to understand its genuine truth - for it is a general truth, applicable to all revelation, that the Word cannot be properly understood without doctrine - this, too, can be from the Lord and not from self. Primarily this is the work of the priesthood, but it is not exclusively so, for to some extent it is a work shared in by everyone who reads or hears the teachings of the Word and tries to understand them. But genuine doctrine - that is, a genuine understanding from the Lord - can come to those only who are in enlightenment, and no one can be in enlightenment from the Lord until he shuns his own evils as sins against his God.

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Evil closes the mind to heavenly influx, for good recoils from the mere presence of evil; and enlightenment from the Lord comes to man by heavenly influx.
     Enlightenment, then, will come to him who shuns evils as sins. But each enlightened man perceives the truth of the Word according to the state of mind formed in him by doctrinals. If these be true, we are told, his perception will become clear; if they be false, obscure. How, then, do we form the mind by true doctrinals? By reading and studying the Word devotedly and with prayer for understanding, with an open mind, and for the sake of the uses of life - seeing what the Word actually teaches rather than forcing one's own opinions into it, and being ever ready to change one's mind if further study brings greater light: by humbling oneself and one's own intellect before the truth because it is the Lord's. Thus the enlightened mind will gradually be formed by true doctrinals, and man will perceive - he knows not whence - the genuine doctrine of the Word which can lead himself and others to its genuine truths. And every man thus enlightened and perceiving the truth, because he knows that the truth is the Lord's and therefore infinite, because he knows that no one mind can see the whole of it, will be anxious for the opinions and views of other men.
     Thus will the church arrive at the genuine doctrine of truth, and thus will the church be led and governed and numbered by the Lord and not by man, albeit through the agency of man. For the man so numbering the church will have made his offering to the Lord. Amen.

LESSONS:      Exodus 30:11-16. II Samuel 24: 1-17. SS 57-59.
MUSIC:      Liturgy, Pages 466, 448, 471.
PRAYERS:      Liturgy, nos. 45, 54.
SPIRITUAL LOVE OF COUNTRY 1965

SPIRITUAL LOVE OF COUNTRY              1965

     "Our country is more the neighbor than a society, because it is like a parent; for there the man has been born; it nourishes him, and protects him from harm. Our country is to be benefited from love, according to its necessities, which chiefly regard its sustenance, its civil life and its spiritual life. He who loves his country, and from good will benefits it, in the other life loves the Lord's kingdom; for there the Lord's kingdom is his country. And he who loves the Lord's kingdom loves the Lord, because the Lord is the all in all of His kingdom; for what is properly called the `Lord's kingdom' is the good and truth from the Lord in those who are in it" (Arcana Coelestia 6821).

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WHERE IS THY GOD? 1965

WHERE IS THY GOD?       Rev. WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1965

     An Address on the Person and Essence of God

     It is the faith of the New Church that there is a God and that He is Divine Man. Yet because the existence of God is not demonstrable in terms of sense experience, some question His existence and others deny it. To deny God, however, is to assume that the universe is but a blind flux of physical energy which, although devoid of purpose and intelligence, has somehow fallen into an ordered pattern capable of producing and sustaining life. One would think, therefore, that reason would incline to faith; for where there is order it is reasonable to assume that there is intelligence, and that where there is intelligence there is a purpose. But because many at this day are not willing to admit to a purpose in creation, they seek to discredit faith; and like those of whom the Psalmist speaks, they support their denial by casting doubt upon the credibility of any evidence save that of the five senses. Hence they say, in disbelief: "Where is thy God?" *
     * Psalm 42: 3.
     In a deeply troubled world which seems to have lost all contact with any definitive source of moral and spiritual values, this question is pertinent. Indeed, it would seem that if there were ever a time when man stood in need of faith it is at the present day. But by faith we do not refer to a blind trust in some invisible deity whose ways transcend all human understanding, but to a God who is visible to the sight of the mind. Yet to see God, man must first form some idea of Him, and this idea must be determined to some object of thought. Thus the Writings insist that "no one can think of the Divine itself unless he first presents to himself the idea of a Divine Man"; * for to think of God apart from the idea of a Divine Man is to think indeterminately, "and an indeterminate idea is no idea." **
     * AC 8705.
     ** Ibid.
     The primary or primitive idea of God, therefore, is the child's concept of the Lord; that is, of a Divine Man in human figure. How else can the little child think of the Lord? The idea of figure is basic to all advanced concepts, and apart from figure, man cannot form an idea of anything. Thus it was that before the Lord came into the world He revealed Himself through the human of an angel who appeared to the prophets as a Divine Man in human figure.

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It was this basic idea of God that enabled men to think of Him as a person, although their idea of Him as a person was derived through those prophets and kings who in turn re-presented Him to the people.
     It was, then, in terms of those who represented Him that the ancients thought of Jehovah as a person. In this also the faith of the pre-Christian churches did not differ from the faith of the child, for the child thinks of the Lord even as he thinks of those who temporarily stand in His place. Herein is to be found the representative function of parents, for it is from the idea that he forms of his parents that the child derives his first idea of God. The reason for this is that the child thinks of God as of one who, like his parents, possesses human attributes such as love, wisdom, judgment and authority. We can understand, therefore, why it was that the Israelites thought of Jehovah as one who was like those who were authorized to speak and act for Him, and why it is that the child's first idea of the Lord is centered in the concept of a Heavenly Father. But in this, as in all human representations, the idea is limited and qualified by the person or personality of him through whom it is represented.

     While a representative idea of God is sufficient to the faith of first states, the time comes when the mind can no longer be held in the acknowledgment of a God who is known only through the instrumentality of others. Thus it was that in process of time the Lord put on a human from the mother, and He who was formerly known through the person of others came into the world and revealed Himself as Divine Man in His own Divine person. It is this that accounts for the striking difference between the Old and New Testaments. Whereas to the ancient Israelites, Jehovah was a remote deity who was to be feared and therefore obeyed, to the Christian, the Lord became a personal God who was intimately concerned with the individual. Here was a new concept of God - a concept that was so different that many have found difficulty in reconciling the Scriptures. Whereas Jehovah's concern seems to have been for Israel as a nation rather than for the Israelite as an individual, the Lord taught men, saying: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; [even] as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." * How, it is asked, can you reconcile the idea of a jealous God, who was relentless in the government of the nation of His choice, with the doctrine and person of Jesus Christ, who taught forgiveness and mercy?
     * John 13: 34.
     It was this apparent discrepancy between the two Testaments which in time led to the doctrine of a plurality of persons in God. In identifying Jehovah with the person of the Father, and the Son with the person of Jesus Christ, the Christian Church sought to establish the unity of the Word.

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In brief, the explanation was that an angry Father, having sent His Son into the world, and having perceived His Son's suffering upon the cross, was moved to compassion, and because of His Son, forgave all who had faith in Jesus Christ. Further, it is held that this salvation is continually effected through a third person, who is identified as the Holy Spirit. Thus it is believed that although God is one as to essence, He is at the same time three persons; yet the Writings state that "no one can comprehend how the Divine, which is one, can be divided into three persons, each one of whom is God, for the Divine is not divisible. And to make . . . . three one through . . . essence or substance does not take away the idea of three Gods." *
     * Lord 57.
     But if, as the Writings insist, God is one, not only as to essence but also as to person, why is it that the appearance of three persons is found in the New Testament? The reason is that in this, as in all the appearances in which the letter is written, there is a truth involved. The truth is that in all unity there is a trinity, and apart from the trinity, the unity of a thing cannot be seen. In God, as in the man whom He created after His image, there is a trinity - a trinity of soul, body and mind. Were this not so, God would not be Divine Man; neither would the man whom He created be man. But whereas in God these three discrete degrees of life are infinite and uncreate, in man they are finite degrees receptive of life. In God, as in man, therefore, there is a trinity of being. Hence the Writings say: "Take the idea that there is one person, with a trinity in that person." * When understood in this way, the truth will be seen. But we are told that in thinking of the Lord as a person, we are not to think of His essence from His person, but of His person from His essence. **
     * Ath. 110.
     ** AR 611: 7.

     II

     While it is true that every man is a person, there is a deeper reality to whom the Writings refer as the essential or real man. It is this man who in essence is man. If, like the Psalmist, therefore, we ask, "What is man?" we must abstract our thought from the idea of man as a person and think of him in terms of the use he was created to perform. For man is a form of use; that is, a living form endowed with the capacity to see truth, and from truth to do what is good. It is in this that man differs from the beast; for although the animal experiences all those sensations which come to consciousness by way of the five senses, it cannot abstract knowledges from experience and order them in such a way that truth may be seen. But because man can perceive what is true, he can, if he wills, do what is good.

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That is what is meant when it is said in the Writings, "Who does not know that a man is not a man because of his having a human face and a human body, but because of the wisdom of his understanding and the goodness of his will?" * This also is what is meant by the statement that "to love the neighbor, viewed in itself, is not to love the person, but the good that is in the person." **
     * TCR 417.
     ** Ibid.
     As it is with man, so it is with the Lord, who is Divine Man. If we would know Him we must know Him not only as He who came into the world in His own Divine person, but we must see and acknowledge that in essence He is good itself, and that all good with angels and men is from Him. 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; and it is in the Word, and not apart from it, that the Lord may be known among men. Thus the Writings teach that the Word is the medium of conjunction between God and man. Yet how many at this day believe this? For the most part, men think of the Word as the testimony of the religious experience of the prophets. And while many believe that the prophets were somehow inspired, they do not understand the nature of their inspiration; neither are they prepared to believe that within the appearance of the letter there is a spiritual sense which constitutes an authoritative statement of truth.

     To see the truth is to see God. But as truth cannot be communicated except by means of words, it is as the Word that the Lord is revealed to man. Hence it is said in John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." * But whereas the Word of the Old Testament was given through the instrumentality of the human of an angel who was seen by the prophets, and whereas the Word of the New Testament was given through the instrumentality of a human derived from the mother, the spiritual sense of the Word is a direct revelation of the Lord in His own Divine Human; that is, a revelation of Him who in essence as well as in person is Divine Man. Yet because few at this day perceive that the Writings are the spiritual sense of the Word, and as such the essential Word, it is no wonder that many have lost faith in the Scriptures, for apart from the spiritual sense, the Word in its letter cannot be understood.
     * John 1: 1.
     We should have no difficulty, therefore, in understanding why it is that men in increasing numbers are saying, "Where is thy God?" Some say it in scorn because they are convinced that the idea of God is a primitive myth, and that there can be no real progress in human affairs until the mind of man is emancipated from the idea that there is a supernatural being who imposes His will upon men.

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Yet there are others who ask this same question, and this because they will to believe in God, but in their confusion they do not understand. It is to the latter, and not to the former, that the Writings are addressed, for what the Writings offer us is a new concept of God; that is, of a God who is Divine Man not only as to His person, but who in essence is the Spirit of good and of truth. As the Lord said to the woman of Samaria: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." * And as He said to His disciples on the eve of the crucifixion: "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 4: 24.
     ** John 16: 12, 13.
The essence of a thing is its spirit. As already considered, therefore, man is not man because he possesses a human figure, but because he is endowed with a human mind. In other words, the spirit of man is the mind, and the mind is the man. Thus it is that we do not know any man except in so far as we know his thoughts and affections. This is a matter of communication, and as ideas cannot be communicated except by means of words, it is as the Word that the Lord is revealed as Divine Man. 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; that is, as He who in essence is Man. Here He may be seen, not as He was seen by them of old time, nor as He was seen by His disciples, but in His Divine Human, which is the Divine Mind. Hence it is said in the True Christian Religion that "the second coming of the Lord is not . . . in person, but in the Word, which is from Him, and is Himself"; * and also, that "this New Church is the crown of all the churches . . . because it is to worship one visible God." **
     * TCR 776.
     ** TCR 787.
     By a visible God is not meant a God who is objectively revealed to the sight of the senses, but a God whose love and whose wisdom may be rationally perceived in the understanding. It is in this, above all else, that the Writings differ from former revelations; for whereas in the letter of the Word the thought of the mind is held in the idea of God as a person, in the spiritual sense the thought is directed to the inner reality which underlies the person. That is why we are taught that we are not to think of the Lord from His person, and from this of His essence, but from His essence and from this of His person; * for in the Lord the essential Man is good and truth, even as the man whom He created in His own image and likeness is in essence a form receptive of good and truth.

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To see the Lord, therefore, is to see and acknowledge the truth of the Word that is from Him. Under no other form can He be made visible to the sight of man's mind.
     * AR 611: 7.

     III

     It is one thing, however, to see and acknowledge the Lord; it is another, to love Him. Hence the question, which so frequently arises, How does one love the Lord? Yet in asking this question we are thinking of the Lord as a person; and while it is true that He is a person, it is not on account of His person that He is to be loved. In explanation of this we would remind you of the passage which was quoted earlier in this address, where in treating of the neighbor who is to be loved, the Writings state: "To love the neighbor, viewed in itself, is not to love the person, but the good that is in the person." * This applies to the Lord as well as to man, for in the supreme sense, it is the Lord who is the neighbor.
     * TCR 417.
     To love the Lord, therefore, is not merely to love Him as a person, that is, as a Divine Man who came into the world and revealed His love for all men through His person; it is to love the good which is from Him. Concerning this the Writings state: "Those who think . . . naturally and not at the same time . . . spiritually . . . are unable to think otherwise than that the Lord is to be loved as to . . . [His] person." * But "to love the Lord means to do uses from Him . . . for the reason that all good uses that man does are from the Lord. . . . No one can love the Lord in any other way; for uses, which are goods, are from the Lord, and consequently are Divine; yea they are the Lord Himself with man." ** If, then, men ask, "Where is thy God?" let them but look to those uses which underlie all human relationships, and in them they will find Him who is good, for to see the good that is implicit in use is to see God.
     * Wisdom XI: 1.
     ** Love XIII: 1.
     For the most part we think of uses in terms of occupations and services. But these human activities are not uses; they are only the forms which uses take. Nevertheless, to be of use we must perform some service; that is, we must in one way or another serve as a means whereby good is done to the neighbor. Yet in serving the neighbor, the appearance is that the good that is done is from ourselves; but the Writings insist that this is not so, for of himself man cannot do good, but he can do good from the Lord. In this the choice rests with man. He can do what is good from the Lord, or he can turn what is good into evil in himself. In so far as he turns what is good into evil he perverts and subverts the use.
     Take for example, the institution of marriage. Here is a use which is said to excel all other uses, and this for the reason that it is the Divinely appointed means whereby the Lord provides that there may be a heaven from the human race.

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The use is the Lord's, but man enters into the use; and in so far as he looks to the use he shares in the delights which are proper to it. But if in the marital relationship, as in any other human relationship, man's primary concern is for self, he turns what is of use into what is essentially selfish, and he destroys in himself the unique faculty or ability into which all men are born; namely, the capacity to enter with delight into the service of use.

     By this we do not mean to imply that through selfishness man renders himself incapable of serving others; but we do mean that the delight which he finds is in those things which accrue to self and not in the use. There is a world of difference between these two motivations; for whereas 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. Hence we are taught in the Writings that the love of self is not necessarily an evil love, for when it is rightly subordinated to the use it is intended to serve, it actually perfects the man. * That is what is meant when it is said in the Gospel of John: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." ** But what is it that the Lord has commanded us? Is it not that "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul . . . and thy neighbor as thyself"? ***
     * TCR 403.
     ** John 15: 13, 14.
     *** Matthew 22: 37-39
     In essence and purpose these two great commandments are one. The reason for this is that we cannot love the Lord unless we love the neighbor, and we cannot love the neighbor unless we love the Lord, for to love the Lord is not merely to love Him as a person; it is to love the uses which are from Him. And to love the neighbor is not to love him on account of his person, but because of the good which he does; that is, because of the uses which he performs. Thus it is that to love the neighbor is to love the good and truth which are from the Lord with the neighbor. Concerning this the Writings teach that "the man who loves good because it is good, and truth because it is truth, loves the neighbor eminently, because he loves the Lord who is good itself and truth itself. There is no love of good and love of truth from good, that is, love to the neighbor, from any other source. Love to the neighbor is thus formed from a heavenly origin. It is the same thing whether you say use or good; therefore performing uses is doing good; and according to the quantity and quality of the use in the good, so far in quantity and quality the good is good." *

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     * TCR 419.

     IV

     There is, then, a God, and He is good; and as stated in the Gospel of John: "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." * To believe otherwise is to believe that man is but a chance product of physical forces which somehow emerged as a living soul. But the atom does not think; neither does the molecule display any of the attributes of the human mind. Of all created forms, man alone can see what is true, and from truth do what is good. Hence man is said to be a form of use; that is, a living form capable of self-determination in the doing of those goods which are of use to the neighbor. It is, then, in the exercise of the God-given faculties of freedom and rationality that man is man. But man is not man from himself, for of himself he cannot do good. He is man because God is Man; that is, Divine Man, who in essence is good and truth. Hence 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 a Divine Man.
     * John 1: 3.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Rational. The essential idea in this term is that of an intermediate between the spiritual and the natural - a mental plane on which light from heaven illuminates what is in the light of the world. Thus rational truth is the spiritual truth about natural things, and rational thought is thought from understanding of the spiritual uses of things. The rational is the highest plane of the natural degree, intermediate between the soul and the natural mind; and rationality is the faculty of receiving light from the Lord, and of thus perceiving the relations of things to one another and to the Lord. The terms "natural rational" and "spiritual rational" refer to the rational before and after regeneration. (See AC 3314, 5150, 1944; AE 569; HH 468.)
     Ratiocination. More often translated "reasoning," this term describes the process of arguing whether Divine and spiritual things exist in which those indulge who inwardly doubt and deny, and who approach such things from sensuous and scientific ones. Ratiocination, which always favors man's principles, takes the place of understanding with the unregenerate. (See AC 7352; HH 464.)

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TEACHING AND LEADING TO THE GOOD OF LIFE 1965

TEACHING AND LEADING TO THE GOOD OF LIFE       Rev. ERIK SANDSTROM       1965

     Some General Principles

     Delivered to the Council of the Clergy, Bryn Athyn, Pa, January 27, 1965

     1.     The Priesthood was Instituted in Order that the Divine Might Be Among Men.     The priesthood exists in order that what is Divine may be among men. * That Divine is good and truth. The good from the Divine is that which kindles love and affections; the truth gives perception to the inner mind and light to thoughts.
     * See Char. 130, 131, 135.

     This is good and truth coming by an internal way through heaven. Priests cannot impart that good and truth to men. But there is the good, orderly, external conduct that forms a basis for the influx of the Divine good into the heart, and there are true ideas into which light may flow: and this is the scope of the priestly function among men - priests lead to a good external conduct and teach ideas of eternal truths.
     These ideas, however, rise to the throne of God itself. They are not earthbound for not being light itself. On the other hand, it should be known that priests can only teach ideas in such a manner as to induce men to think about truths. The Lord alone can enable them, by influx, to think from truths. This applies whether the truths relate to the life of the body or to celestial life itself. Still, since the truths, or the true ideas, do concern the inner life of the mind as well as the conduct of the body, therefore they are vessels capable of receiving internal life from the Lord as well as life for the external mind.
     It is the same with good. No priest can implant conscience in a fellow man. But he can lead the way to such a manner of living as will correspond to spiritual and heavenly affections, and whereby there is a resting place for these. Herein are the Writings true when they say: "Act precedes, man's willing follows." * Willing is from the Lord. Hence the further teaching, that when man puts on good as a habit, "it is then insinuated into his rational or internal man." ** Not even the loftiest ideas will of their own accord insure conscience. The Lord creates it in man, and the ministers who serve Him may only supply and foster the language by which conscience speaks.

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In the words of the Writings: "Preachers can indeed speak [the Word], and bring it to the understanding of many, but not to the heart of anyone." *** The Lord alone can touch the heart.
     * AC 4353: 3.
     ** Ibid.
     *** DP 172: 6.
     We conclude, then, that the Divine is among men if there is a fitting reception of it, and that the priesthood has been instituted to promote such reception. In this there is a distinction between the kingly and the priestly office. The kingly office - by which is meant in general that office which upholds civil order - is concerned with what is good and true, even as is the priestly; but it promulgates the laws and guards the conduct that relate to life in the world only, while the priestly office is concerned with the law and conduct that pertain to internal life also. It follows that the kingly office is alive only when there is full regard for the priestly office, and that civil law becomes like a skeleton, or like walls without defenders around a city, and that external conduct turns, at best, into play-acting if internal law and life are not sustained at the same time. It was on this account that Samuel denounced the people for demanding a king; for they desired a civil order without regard for what is Divine among men. They desired to be like other nations. Yet Samuel promised that if they and their king obeyed the commandments of God, then God would be with them and would bless their king. In other words, Samuel declared that a king, or a prince, would not be contrary to what is of the Divine, provided that the civil order which he represented was not cut off from internal order.

     There is, then, a relationship between the kingly office and the priestly office - that which exists between the external and the internal. That is why it can be said that the former pertains to truth and the latter to good; for truth is relatively external, and good internal. In like manner, the kingly office is concerned with a sufficiency and with security in the world, but the priestly office with salvation. In this the two offices, properly related, complete each other, and it is on this ground that it is said: "By the priestly office is represented the Divine good of the Lord's Divine love, and by the kingly office the Divine truth thence derived." *
     * AC 9809.
     This emphasis on good in no way invalidates other teachings in which truth is placed in the hands of the priest as his special responsibility, as, for instance, the following: "Priests who teach truths, and thereby lead to the good of life, and so to the Lord, are good shepherds of the sheep." * The truths priests are to teach are interior truths, that is to say, truths relating to the life of the mind itself, thus to conscience itself: these truths having nothing else to say, relative to effects, than that this or that is of spiritual use - or call it spiritual conjunction; or, with respect to origin, that this or that is of affection or love.

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Hence internal truth is a description of good and a vehicle for love. It is on this account that it takes on the status of good if compared to the laws of a merely civil order.
     * HD 315.
     It is clear, then, that the whole burden of the priestly office is to teach and lead conscience. Is there any other way than the way of conscience in which the Divine may be among the people?
     That conscience is Samuel. In our day, however, Saul is also necessary. It would have been better, as in the earlier days, with Samuel alone; but when the church declines, and evils abound, it is expedient to uphold external law and order by a power which, in that state, appears to be the only ruler of the land. Saul is not of the Divine will, but of permission. "But the thing was evil in the eyes of Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel. Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them." * So in the spiritual order of life, as compared with the celestial, there must be kings or princes as well as preachers. In the celestial order there is no need for a special civil law; for the celestial, by its own nature, reaches out towards the ultimate effects, thus to the ultimate forms of life. Even in the spiritual order, however, the priestly office is celestial: it is the celestial of the spiritual. And without the celestial, which is love to the Lord - the source of charity - and love to the neighbor - the object of charity - entering into and vivifying the external dictates of truth, there is no salvation.
     * I Samuel 8: 6, 7.
     2.     Life Is the End, Truth the Means.     From all that has been said it follows that truth regarded as mere knowledge is in itself dead. This applies even to the truths of doctrine, for there is such a thing as a mere scientific of doctrine. It is at once evident, without apology, that the Lord's warning applies just as much to the New Christian Church as to the church that was: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you are spirit, and are life." * The "spirit" in doctrine is the Holy Spirit, and the "life" there is the power of the Highest - to speak as did the angel at the Annunciation. Clearly, no one is saved by doctrinal knowledge alone. That, of course, is nothing but faith alone. But it is different when the Spirit moves the doctrine into living ideas, and when the life awakens the heavenly affections that ought to spring up from the heavenly doctrine.
     * John 6: 63.
     To serve these purposes is the function of the priesthood.

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Of course, as we have observed, priests, though they themselves may think from doctrine, can only teach about doctrine; just as they can only show what the good of life is, even though, perchance, they are in such a life and it is in them. Yet this is all that they are asked to do. They cannot touch, or quicken, the heart. Life alone, descending from Divine love, can do that. Neither can they give the Holy Spirit to anyone. But life may enter into their teaching and leading, and the Holy Spirit may flow in with those who are taught and led. As every minister knows, the Holy Spirit "is not transferred from man to man, but from the Lord through man to man." *
     * Can. HS iv: 5.
     Yet nothing of this is possible unless there is the good of life as well as the truth of doctrine. Life exists only when these things are conjoined, and the Holy Spirit cannot operate in what is dead. These things become self-evident upon reflection. But things that are in themselves self-evident may vanish from sight when the mind is intent upon appearances, and there is an appearance that the whole body of doctrine given in the Writings appeals mainly to the intellect.
     Let us listen to what they themselves say with regard to the essence and true nature of their doctrines:

     "As regards the doctrine in particular which now follows, this is indeed from heaven, because it is from the spiritual sense of the Word, and the spiritual sense of the Word is the same with the doctrine that is in heaven. The whole Sacred Scripture is nothing else than the doctrine of love and charity, which the Lord also teaches when He says: `Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart . . . and thy neighbor as thyself: on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.' " *
     * HD 7, 9e.
     "All Divine truth regards these two precepts - to love God above all things, and the neighbor as oneself." **
     *AC 4353: 3.
     "Every man is of such a nature that of himself he does not know what heavenly good is, but must learn it from doctrine, which is called the doctrine of faith. Every doctrine of faith regards life as the end, and therefore good, for good is life." *
     * AC 3863.
     "There are many truths that appear to be of faith only, as that there is a God; that the Lord, who is God, is the Redeemer and Savior; that there is a heaven and a hell; that there is a life after death; and many others, concerning which it is not said that they are to be done, but that they are to be believed. . . . It is said that these truths appear to be of faith only; but the thought of the understanding derives its existere from the love of the will, which is the esse of the thought in the understanding, as was said above (no. 43). For whatever anyone wills from love, that he wills to do, wills to think, wills to understand, and wills to speak." *
     * Life 47, 48.

     Let us also recount from the Spiritual Diary the testimony of an experience from the spiritual world. There were, apparently, those who thought that they would merit heaven by virtue of their possession of the heavenly doctrine; but they were sent down from heaven, at least temporarily, for the purpose of learning better - or, possibly, permanently.

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We read:

     "I was in a state of sadness, but did not know the cause. I then heard that a vast number was being let down out of heaven towards the lower places. The reason having been sought out, it was said that they were those who rejoiced that they possess the heavenly doctrine, saying that they wished to embrace it because they believe all things which are in it. Many, also, perceived that these things were truths. But as soon as they heard that that doctrine was not only a doctrine of faith, thus that the things which were therein were not only to be known and acknowledged, but that it was also a doctrine of life, and the things in it were to be willed and done_ also, that doctrine effects nothing with those who merely know and affirm it, but only with those who at the same time do it; for these from the heart love it and embrace it - then they became sorrowful, and all rejected it, not wanting it. Hence was my sadness; and hence were they sent down into the lower place towards the north, where there was little communication with heaven, but yet where was some communication. Those who were let down inquired of me how much must be done, whether all the things which are in that doctrine; adding, that they could by no means do this. It was granted me to tell them that it is not grievous and difficult; since it only intends that a man should live sincerely, both in his calling and outside his calling, with every one and in every matter, because if he does otherwise it is sin, that is, against God and against the neighbor." *
     * SD 5540, 5541.

     A little earlier we quoted the teaching that the whole of the Scripture hangs on the Two Great Commandments, and that the Heavenly Doctrine is the same as the spiritual sense of Scripture. Now, let us note that the Two Great Commandments have a new and enhanced formulation in the Writings and are there called the "two essentials of the New Church." They are signified by the "two witnesses" in the Apocalypse. Concerning this matter the teaching is as follows:
     "'And I will give to My two witnesses,' signifies those who confess and acknowledge from the heart that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, also that His Human is Divine, and who are conjoined to Him by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue. That these are here meant by the 'two witnesses' is because these two things are the two essentials of the New Church." *
     * AR 490, 491.

     That there is no salvation without them is also taught:

     "There are two essentials by which there is conjunction with the Lord and thence salvation: the acknowledgment of one God, and repentance of life. But today instead of the acknowledgment of one God there is the acknowledgment of three, and instead of repentance of life there is the repentance of the mouth only, that one is a sinner; and by these two there is no conjunction. It follows that unless a New Church which acknowledges these two essentials and lives according to them shall arise, no one can be saved." *
     * AR 9.

     Is there not implied in all of this that all the teachings of the priesthood must bear the imprint of these two essentials, and that the spirit and life of our teaching are gone if either one is missing from the affections and the arguments which compose our message?

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After all, these two essentials can be seen to be the heartbeat and breath of all the doctrines of the Writings. And it is certain that the good of life comes into existence with those who gradually learn to turn constantly to the Lord Jesus Christ as to their ruling love, and who at the same time turn away - in the end, in horror - from the evils which are contrary to the heavenly doctrine. In a word, the truth that we teach has life in so far as it is focussed on the heavenly good of life which answers to the heavenly doctrine.
     All of this places upon the priesthood a responsibility which cannot but go beyond that of intellectual ability and integrity. What else, in fact, can we conclude from the following open statement with regard to the matter? "Moreover it is the affection of interior truth which teaches; for from this affection the church is a church, and a shepherd or pastor is a pastor." *
     * AC 3795.

     3.     Quod Sacerdotium Sit Militia. * So to teach and lead is a matter of battle. If it were not for the fallen nature of man, this would not be so; but as it is, the Divine cannot be established among men without spiritual warfare. Did not the Lord Himself say: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came, not to send peace, but a sword"? ** It is the Prince of peace who said this; but He could not establish peace in His kingdom without first wielding the sword. It is the same in His second advent, in the vision of which John saw one whose name was called, the Word of God: "And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations. . . . And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords." *** When the battle is over He declares peace, saying: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you." ****
     * The Priesthood is a military service.
     ** Matthew 10: 27.
     *** Revelation 19: 13, 15, 16.
     **** John 14: 27.
     Because of this the service of the Levites was called a military service - or, the warfare of the service, as the Hebrew can be rendered. "This is it that belongeth to the Levites: from a son of twenty and five years and upward he shall come to do military service [or, to war the warfare of the service] of the tabernacle of the congregation." * The Writings quote this, and explain:

     "The labors and ministries of the Levites about the tent of meeting [or, tabernacle of the congragation] are called `military service' because the Levites represented the truths of the church and Aaron to whom the Levites were given and assigned for service, represented the Lord in relation to the good of love and in reference to the work of salvation; and as the Lord from the good of love by means of truths from the Word regenerates and saves men and also removes evils and falsities that are from hell, against which He continually fights, so the functions and ministries of the Levites were called `military service.' The same is evident from this also, that their ministries were called `military service' although the Levites did not go out to war against the enemies of the land. This shows that the priesthood is a military service (quad sacterdotium sit militia), but against evils and falsities. For the same reason the church at this day is called a church militant (ecclesia pugnans) ." **
     * Numbers 8: 24.
     ** AE 734: 14. See also AC 2714: 4.

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     It is the truth that fights; yet truth has no power by itself. We are all familiar with the oft-repeated teaching that "all power is in truths from good": * a teaching also stated thus: "All the power of good is through truth"; ** or thus: "All power is in good through truths, or in charity through faith." *** In these several teachings the negative is also mentioned, usually or frequently. "There is no power whatever in falsities from evil." **** "In general, good without truth has not any power nor has truth without good." ***** "There is no power in charity without faith, nor in faith without charity." ******
     * HH 233.
     ** DLW 406: 2.
     *** AE 209: 4.
     **** HH 233,
     ***** AE 205.
     ****** AE 209: 4 et al.
     This should not be taken as a purely, academic teaching. Power is the same as influence. What is meant is that truth has no influence upon a man's life unless he sees that it speaks on behalf of good and leads to good. If a person, figuratively speaking, shrugs his shoulders, saying, "What's the good of it?" then, in fact, what is the good of it as far as he is concerned? It is therefore necessary that the truth be presented in such a manner as to show that it concerns the listener, thus that it has a bearing on his mental life and/or his external habits of action or language. Of course, this is not done in a kindergarten fashion: not didactically, but rather by suggestion or implication. We might agree that if the preacher or lecturer does not simply compile passages from memory, but himself clearly sees a point of importance in life, and if he himself is affected, then there is at least some likelihood that his message will not leave the listener disinterested and cold.
     The importance of the teachings concerning power comes forth also when another teaching is noted: "It is not the Word which makes the church, but the understanding of it; and the church is of such a character as is the understanding of the Word among those who are in the church." * Of course, if this teaching is taken only superficially, it might seem to contradict the whole doctrine concerning power. Yet that the Writings are not at all speaking of mere mental ingenuity or inborn intellectual talent is abundantly clear from what they do say about the nature of a true understanding. The following will illustrate the point:
     "In the proper sense, nothing can be called understanding but that which is from the truths which are from good . . . . Therefore man's understanding is never opened except when the man perceives and loves truths; and the perception and love of truth are from good. Consequently it is truths from good that are the source of the understanding." * *

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     * SS 76.
     ** AC 10675: 3.

     "No one can be wise and intelligent in regard to truth unless he is in good, that is, in charity; because all truth is from good, and looks to good; so that they who are without good cannot understand truth, and are not even willing to know it." *
     * AC 3412: 3.

     "Unless charity flows into faith and gives it life, faith cannot reign universally; for what a man loves reigns, and not what he merely knows and holds in the memory." *
     * AC 5130e.

     "The love or will prepares a house or bridal bed for the future wife, which is the wisdom or understanding. . . . When the nuptials are accomplished, the first conjunction is through the affection of knowing; and the affection of truth is the issue, . . . . The second conjunction is through the affection of understanding; and the perception of truth is the issue . . . . The third conjunction is through the affection of seeing the truth; and thought is the issue. . . . That these three out of the love which is of the will follow in order in the understanding can indeed be comprehended by the rational man, but cannot yet be clearly seen so as to come home to positive belief." *
     * DLW 402, 404, 405.

Having said this, the Writings then proceed to illustrate the point by showing the corresponding relation of the heart and lungs, thus purposing to confirm and bring home the doctrine to "positive belief."
     Succinctly and forcefully this whole doctrine is summarized in Divine Providence 259: 2 - "The will must see in the understanding"; and similarly in Arcana Coelestia 3863: 12 - "Faith is the eye of love." *
     * See also AC 3049, 3798, 6628: 3, 7233 et al.
     Truth is the sword, but the power is in the arm that wields the sword. It is thus that good must lead the truth and master it. Remember that truth without good has no power, that is to say, no power over evil and falsity. There is much warning in this regard in the following statement: "Whoever acts from truth leads himself, but whoever acts from good is led by the Lord." *
     * AC 8505. Cf. AC 3652: 6, 7, 5895: 5.
     It is obvious that the Divine cannot be among the people unless evil and falsity be rooted out. Hence it is equally obvious that evil and falsity must not be condoned. It matters not where they are found. If they are found collectively, they must be publicly exposed and a cure shown. This can be done in mercy, though it is possible that the mercy is not at once manifest. When found individually, then, too, they must be expressed; though, face to face with an individual, the matter is more delicate, in that freedom is in such a case more directly involved. Yet it must be assumed that the person concerned strives for what is good and true; and if this be the case the priest's function will be, essentially, to offer help for self-help. The important thing is that the priest shall not appear silently to accept what is evil or false.

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Clearly, prudence and wisdom are required in matters of this nature, and many a priest may hesitate to act for fear lest he do more harm than good. This, of course, is understandable. However, it does not take away the responsibility of the priest to represent what is Divine among the people. He is in military service. Is he not a guard of what is good and true, chaste and beautiful in life? Is he not a guard of conscience? Can he, then, be motionless when these things are ignored or despised?

     4.     The Priest Must Know not only Doctrine but also People. A few more principles may be referred to, but more briefly now, lest this discourse become too extended. We would note the need for real communication between the priest and the church. It is not what the priest thinks or intends that is important, but what the member of the church understands him to think and intend. Hence it is of paramount importance that he shall not expose to public view just whatever has caught his own interest, but shall be watchful of needs, and speak to needs, as he sees them. In a word, there must be a bridge between him who teaches and him who listens, and a real link between the one who leads and those who follow. Knowledge alone does not build that bridge or forge that link; yet knowledge comes first in time. Both aspects of the necessary knowledge are in the Writings, that is to say, both the knowledge of the operation of the truth and the knowledge of the actual functioning of the human mind in all its several states and parts. But it is mutual love, respect and trust, and a real regard for the preservation of the true freedom and integrity of the individual that will alone communicate knowledge, apply it to needs, and draw from it the good that is stored within it.

     5.     It Is Necessary to Judge States. Here the subject is both vast and delicate. Yet your speaker holds that few doctrines in the Writings have been more widely misunderstood and misapplied than the doctrine concerning judging the states of others - also of self. What is forbidden is to condemn. But the Lord also commanded, saying: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." * For the better understanding of this teaching, however, it is helpful to know the meaning of the Greek word, opsis, which has been translated "appearance" in the King James Version. The proper meaning is "the act of sight"; and hence, by implication, the "visage," an "external show," and therefore in that sense "countenance," "appearance," "face." What comes out, therefore, is that we are not to judge according to an external show, or by a put on face, which does not truly represent the things of the heart.

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This comes out also from the context of the teaching; for the Lord was rebuking the pharisaical piety which kept the sabbath day in a merely external observance. Hence the doctrine He taught was that we are not to judge by a mere appearance or by artful showiness, but by the true state - or something of it - that comes to view to the discerning man.
     * John 7: 42.
     Conjugial Love no. 523 also makes use of the word, appearance; but now the reference is to true or genuine appearance, that is, to the internal appearing in the external in such a way as actually to represent that internal. In that teaching we are forbidden to go so far as to judge concerning a man's state after death, what it might be. This is a penetrating and particular judgment that is reserved for the Lord alone. But we read on: "A general judgment such as: If in internals you are what you appear to be in externals you will be saved or condemned, is allowed; but a particular judgment such as: You are such in internals, and therefore will be saved or condemned, is not allowed." *
     * CL 523.
     Clearly, this is judgment concerning internals, but judgment with reservation and with humility. Nor is the other person judged or appraised in comparison with oneself, but only in comparison with what the Lord teaches in His Word; for if it is not the Word that is the standard of judgment, there can be no view concerning salvation or condemnation. Also, a "righteous" judgment is judgment according to what is right, thus according to the truth.
     If judgment such as is here indicated were not allowable and, in fact, commanded, what, then, would become of the universal teaching concerning charity, that it is to be exercised according to the good of the neighbor? Would we not have to say that this is a teaching that is not to be obeyed? Let us bring the following passage to remembrance:

     "The quality of the neighbor with a man is in accordance with the quality of the good and truth with him; or such as a man is, such a neighbor is he. . . . He who does not make distinctions in regard to the neighbor in accordance with the quality of the good and truth with him may be deceived a thousand times; his charity becomes confused and at length what is not charity." *
     * Char. 50, 51.

     Since the priest's office is eminently an office of charity, it would seem that he especially is called upon to exercise judgment in appraising the neighbor, and to do so - with judgment!

     6.     The Priest Is a Minister of the Word and of the Sacraments.     This principle is scarcely in need of confirmation. Let it only be noted that the priest relates to Divine revelation as Aaron to Moses; and with respect to the sacraments, that Baptism stands for the cleansing of the mind, and the Holy Supper for the subsequent vivification of the will with inflowing good from the Lord and enlightenment of the understanding with the light of truth.

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He administers the Word and the sacraments faithfully who brings the living things therein to the attention and the comprehension of the people, so that they may partake internally in freedom as well as representatively in the external acts.

     7.     The Priestly Office is a Representative Office.     Mere representatives have been abolished. This means that, other than was the case in the Jewish Church, it is not permitted in the New Church, which is to be a living church, for an internal state to be contrary to that which shows in acts and speech and other external forms. True representatives can never be abolished, or else a face full of love would cease to represent love in the heart. In this sense the New Church is to be more fully and truly representative than any preceding church. And is not this to be the case with the priesthood also?
     In fact, can the Divine be among the people by means of the priesthood except as represented by that office? It is suggested that the Divine is truly represented when priests describe life by means of their teaching, and guide in the observance of order; when they rebuke and combat any persistent evil or falsity among men, whether showing collectively or individually, and above all within themselves; when they have the love of salvation, which alone is capable of bending doctrine to states and needs; when the eye of their mind is capable of seeing what is beneath the surface or the external appearance; when they teach concerning the sacraments, and administer them, in such a way as to cause them to be signs and memorials of the corresponding things in the minds of men; and thus in general when they bring forth to the people both the spirit and the life of revealed doctrine.
SOCIETY SCHOOLS: A CORRECTION 1965

SOCIETY SCHOOLS: A CORRECTION       Editor       1965

     The statement has been made twice in NEW CHURCH LIFE this year that no new elementary school has been opened in any of our societies during the last sixty years. A correspondent, to whom we are grateful, has drawn attention to the fact that this is incorrect. The Kainon School in Durban was opened in 1923, and the Colchester Society's school was established a year later, during the pastorates of the Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner and the Rev. F. E. Gyllenhaal, respectively. We apologize to these two societies and are glad to set the record straight.

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FREEDOM: DOCTRINE, PROBLEMS AND APPLICATIONS 1965

FREEDOM: DOCTRINE, PROBLEMS AND APPLICATIONS        Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1965

     (The first in a series of four classes)

     1.     WHAT FREEDOM IS

     Throughout history there have been highminded men for whom death was the only acceptable alternative to liberty. That preference comes from the depths of man's being. Because freedom and rationality are the human itself, and because only in freedom can spiritual progress be made and eternal life and happiness be received, the Lord has implanted in man a desire for freedom that is of his life itself. Therefore man's deepest longing is for freedom, whatever he conceives freedom to be; and there is an almost universal perception that to be free, and to be able to act freely from oneself, is truly human, that freedom and life are one, and that servitude is worse than death. Although he may obscure it, or even extinguish it by yielding to unworthy motives, man has this perception from the Lord: from the Lord's love of human freedom as the only means to the end of His love in creating the human race.
     The church is well aware of the need for freedom. Indeed few doctrines have so impressed themselves upon its consciousness as that of freedom, and there are few things to which it is so sensitive as a real or imagined threat to freedom. Our thoughts, words and actions are characterized by a constant concern for and insistence upon freedom in our private lives and in the practices of the church. This is fundamentally sound, for the regeneration of its members and therefore the internal development of the church depend upon a high regard for freedom and its preservation. Yet it is essential that we should understand correctly what the freedom is that is necessary; that we should know accurately what properly belongs to that freedom and what does not; that we should be able to meet the philosophical problems that arise in connection with freedom; and that we should be aware of the questions that are involved in application of the doctrine. These things are essential, for there is no doctrine that can more easily be misunderstood, or more readily misapplied in human situations.
     It is to these matters that we propose to direct attention in this series of classes.

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We shall not be concerned here with the theological and philosophical problem of the freedom of the will; nor will we take up the basis for and the mechanism of freedom of choice, or note the arguments for and the proofs of its existence that the Writings offer in such abundance. Our purpose is to see from the Writings what freedom really is - especially the freedom that is essential for spiritual development and a truly human life - and why it is necessary; to consider the different kinds of freedom that are given; to try to distinguish between what properly belongs to freedom and what does not; to try to understand some of the problems that arise in connection with it; and to discuss some of the questions that pose themselves when we try to apply the doctrine. Our concern in this first class is with what freedom is and why it is necessary, and with the different kinds of freedom described in the Writings; and we begin by examining some definitions.

     What Freedom Is

     We do so because in the Writings the term, freedom, is used in several ways. They speak of spiritual and natural, real and apparent, heavenly and infernal freedom. While each of these is distinct, all have something in common, which is why every one of them is called freedom. In order to avoid confusion, therefore, we must seek in what is common to all a definition which is so comprehensive that it covers every usage of the term and at the same time is such as to lead to the distinctions that are made.
     This definition, and it is the most universal one of which we are aware, is that freedom is to think and will from affection. * Everything that is of man's will or ruling love is called freedom, because everything that is of the will appears free; and the very state of willing is freedom, since that which is willed is chosen and longed for because it is loved and is acknowledged as good. **
     * AC 2874.
     ** AC 9585, 3158 2.
     Here, then, is the fundamental idea - that to think and will from the affection of the life's love is freedom. A range of selections is not an essential condition of freedom in itself, and to suppose that it is, is to obscure the issue. A man who thinks and wills from that affection has freedom, even if no other possibilities lie before him at the time. On the other hand, whatever is not from that affection is from non-freedom; for, as the Writings observe, what the ardor of affection is lacking, freedom ceases, and what is then done is non-free and at last compulsory. * This idea, that whatever a man does from love appears to be free, may prepare us for the distinctions made and help us to understand them.

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But it may lead to a question which has troubled many minds before and since the giving of the Heavenly Doctrine. The ruling loves of men are far from being all good. Why, then, is freedom so necessary that it exists in the comprehensive sense that has been mentioned? Why is the freedom of an evil love granted to men?
     * AC 4031.

     Why Freedom is Necessary

     The need for freedom lies in the very nature of man and of his destiny. Man is not life, but a form receptive of and reactive to life inflowing from the Lord; and he is created to receive love from the Lord and react to it in such a way that a reciprocal conjunction of love between the Lord and man may be established. Love cannot be compelled, however; it can be given or returned only in freedom, and consent, which is the essential of conjunction, must be given freely. Without freedom in spiritual things, then, man would have nothing with which to enter into conjunction with the Lord; so the Lord, in creating him, bestowed upon him the faculty of freedom - of receiving or rejecting the Lord's love as he willed.
     Because the Lord is life and love itself He is freedom itself, and the image of God in man is freedom in reception of what proceeds from the Lord and the appearance that he lives of himself. If man were only a vessel, nothing more would be required than the filling of it; but as he is also reactive, what inflows must be appropriated by him or it will be dissipated, and only that which enters in freedom can be appropriated. Anything that is put into the mind under compulsion cannot and will not remain there; in suffering it to enter the man is dominated by the will of whoever compels him, and when he returns to his own will it is not retained.
     While man should acknowledge as the reality that he lives from the Lord, the appearance that he lives and acts from himself is necessary for a life that is human. This shows itself in a number of familiar ways. Children soon become impatient with adult assistance in things they have learned to do for themselves; adults seldom welcome gratuitous advice and instructions from self-appointed superintendents when they are quite capable of handling a situation themselves; and it is now recognized that a life so fully regimented that individual initiative and responsibility are taken away entirely is a debasing and dehumanized existence. Evidently this is equally true on the spiritual plane; and it rests on the law that as affection is man's life, and to act from it is to act from his life and thus from what is his own, nothing appears to man to be his own except that which is received in freedom.
     This law is of wide extension.

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Without freedom man could never have faith; for unless truth is learned from affection, and thus in freedom, it cannot be implanted; and still less can it be elevated into the interiors of the mind, where it becomes faith. In other words, faith cannot be received except by the affection of it, and that affection is produced by and in freedom. Nor could man be regenerated, for unless he had freedom in everything he thinks and wills, the freedom of thinking truth and willing good could not be insinuated by the Lord; and to be reformed man must think truth and do good as if of himself. Neither could there be internal worship, which is worship itself, for all such worship is from freedom. The things that should be offered to the Lord in worship are those that appear to be from the man himself. These are the things he offers in freedom, and they alone are acceptable to the Lord. Finally, without freedom there could be no operation of the Divine Providence; nor could there be on man's part any spiritual confidence in the existence and leading of Providence, for that confidence flows in through love and charity when man is in a free state. It is the freedom of man into which the Lord operates, for all freedom is of love and its affections, and Providence leads man by his affections.

     Heavenly and Infernal Freedom

     These teachings not only show why freedom is necessary; they also emphasize two truths which are often forgotten today - that freedom is not an end in itself, and that it is not freedom from but freedom to, freedom to do something. In doing this they point to the real ends for the sake of which freedom should be sought, prized and guarded: that we may receive faith, be regenerated by the Lord, come into internal worship, and enter into the stream of Providence. However, of the different kinds of freedom that are given, only one can lead to these ends; so it is necessary that we should examine these freedoms, see by what they are distinguished, and understand the intrinsic nature and quality of each one.
     Perhaps the first thing which should be realized is that freedom is relative, and this in more ways than one. The very fact that freedom is often though of as the state of being able to do exactly as one pleases indicates one of these ways, for one man's pleasure is not another's and every man feels free to do what other men do not. Also, it shows that there is no such thing as unlimited freedom to do anything at all. Apart from the fact that such a freedom would be self-neutralizing, since its exercise in one way would cancel out its thrust in the opposite direction, the definition of freedom as thinking and willing from affection implies self-imposed limits; for man does not will freely what is opposed to the ends of his love and what would place them in jeopardy.

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     More importantly, there is no such thing as absolute freedom, nor could there be unless man's life originated in himself. Although in the freedom in which they are kept by the Lord it seems as if life were in them, angels and men are recipients of influx, are receptacles; and no one thinks from himself, but from others, and these from others again. All will, thought and action are through unconscious communication with associate angels and spirits. The willing and thinking of those who are in good and truth is from the Lord through heaven, and that of those who are in evil and falsity is from hell. This, of course, does not tell the whole story, for as has been noted, and as will be developed in a later class, man is not only a vessel. He is also a responsible reagent, and in this lies his freedom in the reception of influx. But it does make clear that no man is ever free in the absolute sense that he leads himself. Because he is a receptacle he must be led by something outside of himself! The choice that lies before him is not between submitting to the Lord's leading or leading himself. It is between whether he will be led by the Lord or by hell; and this opens the way to a consideration of the real nature of the freedoms that are set before man.

     Two Freedoms.      We recall again that freedom is to think and will from affection. Evidently, then, the freedom is such as the affection is; and as affection is good or evil, there is a freedom that inflows from heaven with the love and affection of good and another which flows in from hell with the love and affection of evil. These are both called freedom in the Writings: the one, heavenly, spiritual and real freedom; the other, infernal, natural and apparent freedom. This is done because whatever is of any love and its delight appears to be of freedom to those who are in them, and all that is contrary appears to be non-freedom. Thus whatever belongs to the loves of self and the world appears to the natural man as freedom, although this is infernal freedom; and whatever is of love and charity is freedom itself, and is so seen by the spiritual man. This is the only real freedom; the other is actually slavery, and it is called freedom only because things are named according to what they appear to be and not what they really are. The difference between them is said to be like that between life and death; and we are told, indeed, that whenever angels and evil spirits think about one another's freedom the angels are seized with internal pain and the spirits are racked with anguish. Infernal freedom is hell to good spirits, and heavenly freedom is hell to infernal spirits.

     Heavenly Freedom.     Heavenly freedom consists in being led only by the Lord through the ministry of angels, and thus in willing nothing from the proprium but only from the Lord, and in thinking only from heaven.

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This is true freedom because the angels lead man in freedom, not where they wish, but where it pleases the Lord to lead him; and in this there is nothing of coercion or command, but a leading so gentle that there is nothing of yoke or dominion, for the man is led by his delights and happiness, and thus in freedom, and he is loved and esteemed by the angels.

     Infernal Freedom.     Infernal freedom is actually slavery in a twofold sense. The man who is in the loves of self and the world may imagine that he is free when he wills and thinks from their affections because he feels emancipated from the restrictions and considerations which appear to limit other men, but he is really a slave, and a vile slave at that. The affections of these two loves flow in from hell, and all influx from hell is forcible, impetuous, violent, and dominating. Evil spirits do not lead man, they drive him, and they drive him where they want him to go! They have nothing but contempt and hatred for him, and they seek only to subjugate him completely so that he may be nothing and they may be everything. Thus the presence of the Lord involves freedom, but the freedom of the proprium, so called, makes man the slave of infernal spirits, whether he realizes it or not. Furthermore, infernal freedom is slavery in yet another sense. It is the freedom of the cupidities of dominating, persecuting, hating and tormenting all who do not serve one; and those who have confirmed themselves in it are interiorly bound because they cannot escape their cupidities.

     True Freedom

     Paradoxical as it sounds, the man who believes that he thinks and does nothing from himself is free, while he who imagines that he thinks and does everything from himself is in servitude. This is graphically illustrated in the Spiritual Diary, no. 1948, by the case of a spirit who supposed that he was free because he was speaking from himself, but was told that he was speaking from other spirits who were such that they wished to murder him if they could, and that it would be better to be led by the Lord, who wills good to all. This the natural man simply cannot see. Imagining that he can rule himself he wants to do so, and supposes that he would lose his freedom if he were to believe that everything flows in and were then to act accordingly.
     But real freedom consists in being led solely by the Lord, in willing from Him alone, and in thinking only from heaven. This is not servitude but freedom, for the Lord inspires into the man's will the good from which he is to act, yet in such a way that it is perceived as being of the man himself and therefore of his freedom.

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The Lord implants affections in favor of good, and aversion for evil, which the man follows freely because they are of his love; the affection of and longing to do good are appropriated to him, so that nothing affords him greater happiness than the performance of uses; and he receives perception, intelligence and wisdom, all as if they were his own. For the Lord does not flow immediately into the things of perception, thought and wisdom with him, but into the affection of the love of good, and through that into these things, and everything the man then thinks from that wisdom appears as his own. Unless this distinction is clearly seen - that the Lord's influx is into the affection of the love of good and through that into the understanding, and not immediately into the understanding - it can never really be understood how the man who is led by the Lord is in freedom; for it may seem, and to the natural man will seem, that once reason has been surrendered to the Lord, the intellect is so conditioned that man has no choice but to follow His indoctrination. The truth is, however, that the affections into which the Lord inflows are those that man has chosen freely. The spiritual man is ruled by the Lord through conscience and is free, because nothing is more repugnant to him than to act contrary to his conscience.

     Conclusion

     This is freedom itself. If we are to strive for it, value it to the extent that it seems to be present, and work for its preservation, we must also know what properly belongs to freedom and what does not. That will be the subject of our next class.
REV. A. WYNNE ACTON 1965

REV. A. WYNNE ACTON       B. I. NZIMANDE       1965

     A Memorial Resolution

     We, the Ministers of the South African Mission, assembled here at Clermont Township, Natal, South Africa, do hereby place on record our deep sense of loss at the passing away of our Superintendent, the Rev. A. Wynne Acton, and also place on record our appreciation of his work amongst us; for he was looked upon as our father for his tender and fatherly love, and his wise leadership, and untiring devotion to his work. We send our condolences to Mrs. Acton, to the immediate members of the family, and to the church at large, and may the Lord say to him: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25: 31)
     B. I. NZIMANDE, Secretary

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EPISCOPAL VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA 1965

EPISCOPAL VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA       D. W. HEINRICHS       1965

     The Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton and Mrs. Pendleton arrived in South Africa on Friday afternoon, February 26, and were met at the airport by the Rev. and Mrs. Daniel Heinrichs and Mrs. Joe Ball, their hostess during their brief visit in the Transvaal. The relaxing afternoon spent at the Balls' was the prelude to a very busy and extremely useful three-week visit among the New Church people in South Africa.

     Visit with the Transvaal Group and the Alexandra Mission Society

     On Friday evening Bishop and Mrs. Pendleton, Mr. and Mrs. Ball and the Rev. and Mrs. D. W. Heinrichs drove the forty miles to the Peter Prins' home in Krugersdorp. The trip was not uneventful! An unidentified sharp object punctured the gas tank of the car when we were about eight miles from our destination. Fortunately there was a garage open about a mile farther on and repairs were effected within twenty minutes and we were on our way. After a delicious meal at the Prins' home the members of the group began to arrive. After greetings and introductions, Bishop Pendleton gave a very lucid, informal address on the subject "What is Truth?" His address prompted much discussion and many questions which occupied the remainder of the evening.
     On Saturday afternoon Bishop Pendleton renewed his acquaintance with the pastors and people of the Alexandra Society and gave an extemporaneous address on "The Trinity in the Lord and in the Word." After questions and discussion he and the Superintendent journeyed the twenty miles back to the Balls' home in Irene, where a pleasant informal evening was spent visiting with some of the members of the Transvaal group.
     On Sunday morning Bishop and Mrs. Pendleton and the Rev. and Mrs. D. W. Heinrichs drove again to the Alexandra Society. This was Mrs. Pendleton's introduction to the General Church Mission in South Africa. Bishop Pendleton preached a fine extemporaneous sermon on Joseph. After the service he introduced Mrs. Pendleton to the members and spoke to them informally. After the gathering had adjourned to the outside, moving pictures were taken for a permanent record of the visit.
     On Sunday afternoon at 4:30 a service was held at the Balls' home in Irene. During the service the Rev. D. W. Heinrichs officiated at the baptism of Mrs. Kenneth Brown and the confirmation of Miss Mary Ball. Bishop Pendleton preached a very useful sermon on "Love to the Neighbor."

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Following the service there was a buffet supper, which afforded an opportunity for the Bishop and his wife to mingle with the members of the group and get to know them on a personal basis. It was a very satisfying conclusion to the Bishop's visit with the Transvaal group.
     On Monday morning Bishop and Mrs. Pendleton, accompanied by the Rev. and Mrs. D. W. Heinrichs, set out on their drive to Durban. The first leg of the journey was to the National Park Hotel in the scenic Drakensburg Mountains. After a short driving and walking tour of the area on Tuesday morning, we continued on our journey to Durban, stopping briefly en route to take in the beautiful view of the Van Reenen Pass. The Bishop and his wife were given one day - Wednesday - to catch their breath, acclimatize themselves, and prepare for the Seventh South African District Assembly.

     The Seventh South African District Assembly

     At eight o'clock on Thursday evening, March 4, the Assembly began with a reception in the church hall for Bishop and Mrs. Pendleton. The secretary of the Durban Society, Mr. W. S. Cowley, welcomed the Bishop and his wife on behalf of all assembled. Bishop Pendleton responded, expressing his pleasure that Mrs. Pendleton was able to accompany him on this visit. This was greeted with warm applause. He then entertained us all by relating amusing anecdotes of his experiences while visiting various New Church centers. The rest of the evening was spent informally and the Pendletons took advantage of the occasion - the Bishop renewing old friendships and Mrs. Pendleton making new ones. It was altogether a very enjoyable and useful reception and a fitting commencement to the Assembly.

     First Session.     The Bishop opened the first session of the Assembly with a short reading and prayer. After welcoming all present to the Assembly, he spoke briefly on the uses of both General Assemblies and District Assemblies and expressed his pleasure at being able to preside over the Seventh South African District Assembly. He then called on the Rev. D.W. Heinrichs, who gave an address on the subject of "Reflection." Mr. Heinrichs opened his address by drawing attention to some striking teachings which emphasize the need and importance of reflection. He went on to show that without reflection it is impossible to progress in the life of regeneration. He pointed out that men do not naturally reflect, and even when they do, it is usually on worldly concerns. The need and responsibility of introducing children at an early age into the habit of reflection was brought out.

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He urged that advantage should be taken of those opportunities which invite reflection on spiritual things - services of worship, doctrinal classes, and meetings where the uses of the church and of life are considered. The address provoked a number of questions and provided the basis of some useful discussion.

     Second Session.     The second session of the Assembly was held on Friday evening, March 5, at 8:00 p.m. Bishop Pendleton gave the episcopal address, on the theme "Where is thy God?" This was a clear and penetrating study on the person and essence of God. In his address Bishop Pendleton pointed out that if there ever was a time in history when men were in need of faith in God it was at the present day: not a blind faith in an invisible God, but a rational faith in a visible God - visible to the sight of the mind. He showed that in ancient times the concept of God was comparable to the primitive concept of God which exists with little children - the idea of God as Divine Man in human shape. While such a concept is basic to more advanced concepts, it nevertheless is not adequate to more advanced states. Thus in the Old Testament the invisible God is represented in the person of angels who manifested themselves to the prophets. In the New Testament God manifested Himself as Divine Man in a Human which He assumed by birth into the world and which He glorified or made Divine. Bishop Pendleton pointed out that in order to have a true idea of God we must not think from His person to His essence, but from His essence to His person. He further showed that as to essence God is good and that good is use. Therefore when men see the good which is implicit in use they see God, and when they love the good of use they love God. Thus the two great commandments are interiorly one. For to love the Lord is to love the uses which are from Him, and to love the neighbor is not to love his person but the good which he does - the good with him from the Lord. In replying to questions after his address, the Bishop showed a depth of understanding of this most important doctrine that was a great inspiration to all.

     Third Session.     The third session of the Assembly began at 10:00 am. on Saturday. On this occasion Bishop Pendleton gave an informal and extemporaneous address on the uses of the General Church. This was an extremely useful talk. Bishop Pendleton brought into focus the numerous and complex uses which are carried out by the General Church. It was clear from the Bishop's address that the New Church is blessed with able and dedicated men, but that if the rapidly proliferating uses of the General Church are to be carried forward there is need for broader based participation and support throughout the General Church. In spite of the parochial nature of some of the questions which were asked, it is nevertheless true that the Bishop imparted to us - an isolated society of the General Church - a sense of oneness with the church as a whole. That, in itself, was of tremendous value to our society.

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     The Banquet.     The Assembly banquet was held in the spacious air-conditioned Banquet Hall of the Marine Hotel - a room eminently suited for our purposes. Many of the members arrived early and enjoyed a relaxing period of conversation over cocktails. After a delicious meal served by a well-trained and efficient staff, the toastmaster, the Rev. D. W. Heinrichs, began the evening's program by reading warm greetings from absent friends and well-wishers, to which the assembled guests responded by singing "Friends Across the Sea."
      The general subject of the evening was: "The Layman's Responsibility to the Church." Mr. Fred Parker, in speaking on "The Layman's Responsibility in Regard to Worship, Instruction and Reading," warned against taking the things of the church for granted. The quality of the church as a whole depends upon its quality with the individuals who constitute the church. If the church is to have quality and perfection, the men of the church must examine themselves to see if the church is in a flourishing condition with them. They must prepare the soil of their minds to receive the seeds of Divine truth, and they must cultivate the soil that the truths may take root, grow and bear fruit. If the church is to be an effective means of salvation for all men it must flourish with the men of the church specific. He emphasized that this can happen only when men recognize their responsibility to progress in understanding and wisdom, and meet that responsibility by participating regularly in public and private worship and by receiving instruction both through the priesthood and by private reading.
      Mr. Donald Ridgway spoke on "The Layman's Responsibility in regard to Social Life." In his speech he emphasized the adults' responsibility to provide an orderly social environment for the young people of the church. He pointed out that adolescents are in a formative state. In a world where immorality is rife, a teenager is subject to many adverse influences. It was the responsibility of the adults of the church to provide a social environment for the young people of the church which encouraged the growth of the church both within and among them.
      Mr. John Frost spoke of "The Layman's Responsibility in regard to "Church Uses." He pointed out that there is a variety of uses pertaining to the external organized church - uses connected with worship, instruction, administration, social life and finances.

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These uses were not ends in themselves, but to the extent that they were performed diligently and from the Lord through heaven whereby the Lord may be present among men, and perform through them the internal uses of the church which look to the formation of His eternal kingdom from the human race. Mr. Frost spoke of the prevalent attitude of the world: "What's in it for me?" and said we must guard against this. If we refuse to perform certain uses of the church, when called upon to do so, because of personal inconvenience, then we are not only harming ourselves and our friends but, more important, we are harming the internal uses of the church. He showed that, by birth, home training, education and experience, we all have special abilities and talents which can contribute to the perfection of church uses when we employ them with the purposes of promoting Divine ends. He urged that we do not allow personal weaknesses of others to arouse feelings of hostility and resentment that would both harm their uses and hinder us from performing our own. If we concentrate on the uses before us, and have charity and tolerance, the uses of the church, both external and internal, will thrive.
     The fourth speech was given by Dr. Willard Mansfield on "The Financial Responsibility of the Layman to the Church." He began his speech by acknowledging that this was not a popular subject to speak on but yet it was of vital importance. Finance was a very necessary means to promote the internal uses of the church. He enumerated some of the uses which rely upon finance for their implementation. He urged members not to regard finance as though it were unmentionable, but to view it positively as an essential means to promote church uses. He pointed out that the perfection of the spiritual things of the church depends upon the perfection of the ultimates which are to embody them and express them; and money, being the most ultimate, was very important. The extent to which members of the church freely provided for the material things of the Lord's church was a measure of their love for its spiritual things.

     Bishop Pendleton was then called upon by the toastmaster to bring the subject and the evening to a conclusion. In his remarks Bishop Pendleton emphasized the layman's responsibility in regard to the home. He pointed out that if the church is not in the home, it is not anywhere. The home is the basic unit of society and the quality of the homes determined the quality of any society. The strength of the New Church depended upon the growth of the conjugial in the home and a true and strong relationship between parents and children. He urged that if we wish to promote the growth and development of the church as a whole, we must first look to the most basic relationships and responsibilities which exist in the home. If the church is in our homes, and our homes are strong, then the church on earth will flourish.

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     Sunday Services.     The final day of the Assembly was Sunday, March 7. During the morning service the Rev. D. W. Heinrichs officiated at the confirmation of Mr. Barry Rabone and the baptism of his cousin, Miss Marian Homber. Bishop Pendleton preached on the subject "A Question of Values." This was a very direct and useful sermon which prompted reflection on the basic issues of life. It was much appreciated. The attendance at this service was a record - 173.
     After the service, the Assembly photograph was taken. During the photographic session, Bishop Pendleton and several of our amateur photographers took advantage of the situation to get a permanent record of the occasion.
     In the afternoon there was an informal tea at the Schuurmans'. There was supposed to be tennis, swimming and social relaxation. However, the weather let us down and we crowded into their spacious house and achieved our last stated objective - social relaxation.
     The Holy Supper Service which took place at 7:00 p.m., Sunday evening brought the Assembly to a peaceful and fitting close.

     Annual Meetings of the Mission Ministers

     The Annual Ministers' Meetings were held from March 9 to 14. They were very full meetings indeed. Excluding Bishop Pendleton's paper, there were seven papers on the docket. The program committee chose as a subject "The Spiritual World." There were two papers - one by the Rev. P. P. Sibeko on "The Reality of the Spiritual World," and the other by the Rev. M. M. Lutuli on "Entrance into the Spiritual World." In addition, the Rev. A. B. Zungu gave a paper on "The Fall of Man." The Rev. P. Mbedzi's paper was on "Israelites Under Joshua." A second paper by the Rev. P. P. Sibeko was entitled "Religion and Christianity in the Home." A paper on "The Lord's Prayer" was read by the Rev. W. Kunene. The Assistant Superintendent, the Rev. B. I. Nzimande, gave a paper on "The Proprium." Although there was a lively discussion on each of the papers, the heavy docket made it impossible to allow a full discussion on any one paper.
     Bishop Pendleton's paper, "Where is thy God?" proved to be very stimulating to the ministers and provided a basis for many questions and much useful discussion.
     In addition to the papers, every minister gave a report on the state of his society and the work being done. The Assistant Superintendent also gave a report on his activities during the year.

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     Memorial resolutions were read for the former Superintendent, the Rev. A. Wynne Acton, the Rev. Solomon B. Mkize and Theological School student Reggie Ndlovu, and the secretary was instructed to send copies to their widows.
     On Saturday morning the final session was devoted to a discussion on the problems of the Mission. The discussion centered around the problems of lack of growth and lack of financial support by the members. All were agreed that, though no ready solution to these problems was now seen, they yet deserved careful study.

     The Sunday Service. The Ministers' Meetings concluded with a service on Sunday at 11:00 am. Because it was anticipated that the Clermont Church House would be too small to accommodate the whole congregation, arrangements were made to hold the service in the Durban Society's church on Musgrave Road. At this very impressive service, three first degree ministers - the Rev. Messrs. William Kunene, Paulus Mbedzi and Armstrong Maquelepo - were ordained into the second degree by Bishop Pendleton, who also preached a very moving sermon on "The Priesthood." There were well over a hundred in attendance, and the beautiful a cappella singing added to the beauty and sphere of the service.
     After the service Bishop Pendleton spoke briefly to the congregation on the Meetings which were now over and his pleasure in visiting in South Africa again. His introduction of Mrs. Pendleton to the congregation was greeted with warm applause. Mrs. Pendleton requested the congregation to accompany Mrs. Heinrichs in the singing of "Triumphant Zion." Mrs. Heinrichs sang solo while the congregation accompanied her, humming in harmony. It was beautiful. After several other musical numbers the Annual Ministers' Meetings came to an end.

     Episcopal Visit: General

     While in Durban, Bishop Pendleton met with and addressed the, young married people, the young people and the children. All of these occasions were useful, stimulating and satisfying. He also met with the Joint Council of the Durban Society and spoke to them on the New Operating and Fiscal Policies of the General Church, and what their effect would be in relation to the Durban Society. This most useful meeting did much, I am sure, to foster a better understanding of what the General Church is doing to increase its effectiveness and promote the various uses to the church in a more uniform and consistent manner.
     The Pendletons had a very busy social program while in Durban, and it was arranged that, with one or two exceptions, they had opportunity to meet and visit with all the members and friends of the Durban Society, both old and young. They impressed one and all with their warmth, understanding and charm.

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The Pendletons, accompanied by the Rev. and Mrs. D. W. Heinrichs, also paid a short visit to Kent Manor to visit with Mr. and Mrs. Fred Parker. This provided a little relaxation from a very full and busy program of functions and engagements. On each of their three Sundays in Durban, Bishop Pendleton filled the pulpit, providing a welcome relief for the pastor, and for the congregation also, no doubt.
      After the service on Sunday morning, March 21, there was a church tea on the Manse lawn to bid farewell to our honored guests who were leaving for America on the following day. Mr. Gordon Cockerell, on behalf of the Durban Society, presented a Basuto blanket to the Pendletons as a memento of their visit, and expressed to the Bishop and his wife our deep appreciation for their memorable visit. It was indeed with heavy hearts that we wished them "Bon voyage." Let us hope that the interval between this visit and the next will be considerably less than seven years.

     D. W. HEINRICHS
REVEREND JOAO DE MENDONCA LIMA 1965

REVEREND JOAO DE MENDONCA LIMA       GEORGE DE CHARMS       1965

     An Appreciation

     With the passing into the spiritual world of the Rev. Joao de Mendonca Lima the New Church in Brazil has lost a beloved pastor and a staunch defender of the truth revealed in the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem. He was born on April 12, 1887, a native Brazilian of Portuguese descent. He was introduced to the Writings by Senhor Levindo de Castro de Lafayette, by whom he was baptized on March 18, 1906.
     Senhor de Lafayette was not an ordained priest, but in 1892, while on a visit to Paris, France, he had become acquainted with the Writings through a supernatural experience. Because of this he considered that he had been Divinely commissioned to establish the New Church in his native country. On his return to Brazil in 1893, he began to spread abroad the knowledge of the Heavenly Doctrine by means of a missionary magazine, the Nova Jerusalem. Under his leadership the church grew in membership until at one time it included about four hundred adherents, about two hundred of whom resided in Rio de Janeiro.
     In 1915 Mr. John Pitcairn visited Brazil and became acquainted with the members of the church in Rio. He was very favorably impressed with their complete devotion to the Writings. He returned to Bryn Athyn eager to encourage and promote this promising beginning of the New Church in South America. In 1916 the members of the New Church in Brazil were cordially invited to attend the Ninth General Assembly, to be held in Bryn Athyn in June of that year.

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While no one was able at that time to accept the invitation, they sent a message of friendship and expressed their complete harmony with the doctrinal position of the General Church.
     In the fall of 1916 arrangements were made for Senhor de Lafayette and his wife to come to Bryn Athyn, where they remained until June 1917. During their visit Senhor de Lafayette attended theological classes at the Academy.
     However, in 1919 serious doctrinal differences arose between Senhor de Lafayette and a considerable number of his followers. Strangely enough, although he had fought valiantly against spiritism, clearly demonstrating its dangers in a series of articles in Nova Jerusalem, he himself became deeply influenced by it. On the basis of open communication with spirits he began to advocate doctrines contrary to the plain teaching of the Writings. Those who, through his instruction, and through their own reading and study, had been imbued with a profound faith in the Divine origin and authority of the Heavenly Doctrine, were not able to follow his leadership, and they therefore separated from him in order to form an organization of their own. They appealed for help to the General Church, and Bishop N. D. Pendleton asked Dr. E. E. Iungerich to visit Rio in order to assist in forming there a society of the General Church. This was done; and two of the leading members there, Senhor Henry Leonardos, and Senhor Joao de Mendonica Lima were authorized to serve as joint pastors.
     Senhor Leonardos was a prominent banker and business man, and Senhor Lima was in the military service and became a captain in the army; yet they both devoted themselves with great zeal and ability to the work of the church, preaching regularly on alternate Sundays. They both attended the General Assembly that was held in London, England, in 1928, where they were ordained by Bishop N. D. Pendleton into the second degree of the priesthood. They returned to Rio, newly inspired and greatly strengthened in their resolve to labor for the establishment of the New Church. They had to face many difficulties imposed by political upheaval and by economic disturbances. In 1930 the government of Brazil was overthrown by revolution, and the currency was repudiated. To protect the depositors in his bank, Senhor Leonardos gave up all his assets and became financially bankrupt. Senhor Lima, on the other hand, was promoted to the rank of general, and became a member of the President's cabinet under the regime of Getulio Darnelles Vargas. For outstanding service to his country he was decorated with the Goran Cruz, and the highest military honors Brazil could offer. During the succeeding years he was appointed to a series of important government posts and proved a very able administrator. In spite of these heavy burdens, he continued to give a great deal of his time and energy to his New Church ministry.

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     In 1940 a temple for worship was built in the heart of the city, and at the request of the Society, Bishop George de Charms visited Brazil and conducted the ceremony of dedication. Concerning this building Pastor Leonardos wrote in a letter to the Bishop: "Our temple is plain but very expressive in its simplicity. . . . It is the result of a long and persevering struggle. . . . Under the foundation stone we placed a copy of the Word, a copy of the Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem, an act signed by the members of the New Church present during this ceremony, and the latest edition of New Church Life. On the corner stone of the temple we carved in Greek letters: 'For it had been founded upon a rock.' "
     Concerning his friend Pastor Mendonca Lima, Pastor Leonardos wrote: "The sermons which he preaches are very much liked by his followers for the profoundness of his teaching, for the clarity of his explanations, and for his gift as a speaker; and therefore, on the Sundays when he preaches the perfect comprehension of the Word in its spiritual meaning becomes known to his hearers."
     In 1950, Pastor Leonardos fell victim to a fatal traffic accident, and since then Pastor Lima continued to lead the Society, with the assistance of Senhor Jose Lopes de Figueiredo, who was duly authorized by the Bishop to perform this service. With advancing years, Pastor Lima became less able to take as active a part in the leadership of the Society as had been his wont. He has for several years lived in retirement in Petropolis, devoting his time to the translation and publication of the Writings in the Portuguese language. The New Church in Brazil will continue to benefit from his labors for many future years. He leaves 12 volumes of sermons, besides many articles on various subjects of interest and value to the church.
     The entire General Church is deeply indebted to Pastor Mendonca Lima, for his life-long service to the Society in Rio de Janeiro, and for the part he has played in establishing the New Church there on a permanent foundation.

     GEORGE DE CHARMS
EDITORIAL NOTE 1965

EDITORIAL NOTE       Editor       1965

     Translations of Conjugial Love and True Christian Religion into Portuguese by Mr. Lima have already been published. Last year he reported to the Bishop that he had finished translating Divine Love and Wisdom, and that he was working on the translation of Divine Providence. These works will be a lasting memorial to his ministry in Brazil.

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RANDOLPH W. CHILDS, ESQ. 1965

RANDOLPH W. CHILDS, ESQ.       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1965

     Extracts from a Resurrection Address

     Delivered in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral, May 22, 1965.

     Another loyal and true New Church man has been called to his use in the New Heaven from which the New Church on earth descends. His love of and devotion to the Heavenly Doctrine have well prepared him for this use - the use of inspiring the love and strengthening the faith of those in the New Church on earth.
     With love, and in sorrow, we solemnly performed the rite of burial for our friend, Randolph Childs; and now we gather here to join with the heavens in the joy of his resurrection into life. Today is the day of Randolph's return to full consciousness in the spiritual world. The inmost joy and peace of the resurrection are followed by the happiness of reunion with many relatives and friends. We are assured that "all, as soon as they enter the other life, are recognized by their friends, their relatives, and those in any way known to them; and they talk with one another and associate in accordance with their friendships in the world." * What a wonderful and delightful reunion Randolph and his friends must now be enjoying!
     * HH 494.
     Our friend, by his life in the world, would seem to be well prepared for life in heaven, which is the activity of love to the Lord and toward the neighbor expressed in use. All the delight and joy of heaven are in use, from use and according to use, and Randolph in this world was eminently a useful man. He performed his uses, not as dull and hard tasks - burdens that must be borne - but with spirit and joy, as a privilege to be of service to church, country and friends. Such performance of use is the basis for the reception of the joy and delight of heaven.
     A man's first duty of charity is the performance of his use justly, sincerely, honestly and faithfully. In this way, when he at the same time shuns evils as sins against God, man becomes a form of charity. Randolph loved the law, his profession, and performed his practice with due regard to the ethics of the law and loyalty to his clients. He was a credit to his profession and outstanding in the justice with which he followed it. But his works of charity extended far beyond the necessities and duties of his calling.

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He served his country in war. He worked for the good of his country in civil and political affairs. He promoted the justice of the law through offices and active participation in local and state Bar Associations. Above all, he sought the good of the New Church through active and able service in corporations and committees furthering the uses of the General Church and the Academy, its educational arm.
     These works and activities in themselves are not important. However, only in and through a man's works can we see and know the quality of his spirit. The works themselves are not eternal. They pass in time and vanish from memory, except in a very few exceptional cases. But the spirit expressed in and through works goes on and increases to eternity, both in the immediate family and in all who are moved and affected by the works; for the spirit formed through the works continues its life in the other world, where its sphere and influence increase to eternity, both in its usefulness to those in heaven and in its effect upon men in the world, especially those conjoined with it in love and common ends.

     Randolph's services to the church, the country, his family and friends have not ceased with his passing, to live on only in the memories of men still on earth; they have blossomed into fullness and are beginning to bear fruit unto eternal increase. While the visible and tangible evidences of his use will no more be seen by us, yet through the faithful performance of his use in heaven he will continue to serve us through inspiring us to carry on the good of the works he so sincerely and outstandingly performed.
     The son of a founder of the Academy, he faithfully bore the torch of the life and spirit of the movement. He was true to the treasure entrusted to him and passed it on to others. He was an Academician, which to us means that, above all else, he held the Writings to be the Word of the Lord in His second coming and therefore the supreme authority in man's thought and life. With him this was not a cold intellectual belief. It was full of warmth and love and joy: the inward joy that comes from the affection of truth and expresses itself in delight in worship, in faithful reading of the Word, in thought and conversation on doctrine and in genuine conviviality with friends.

     From Randolph's full acknowledgment of the Writings as the Word came his outstanding quality of loyalty. He was a loyal man - loyal to his faith, loyal to the church and her leaders, loyal to the law and to his country, and loyal to his family and friends. He upheld the uses of the priesthood loyally and faithfully, and truly in him priest and layman stood hand in hand.

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PERSON IN THE LORD 1965

PERSON IN THE LORD       Editor       1965


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 SUB5CRIPTlON
$5.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     It is our faith that God is one in person and in essence. The very thought of more than one person in the Godhead, or in the incarnate Lord, meets with instant opposition in our minds; for it begets the idea of a tripersonal trinity and of duality in the Lord. Therefore the expression, two persons in the Lord, causes us concern. Yet while the Writings, to our knowledge, never actually use it, it may be said to be implied in the statement that in the Lord, after the glorification, the Divine and the Human are not two but one person.
     How is this to be understood? Light may be seen in the teaching that in the Word by two persons are signified two things in the same person. The reference of the statement mentioned is to something well known and understood, and not disputed by any student of the Writings: that the Lord while on earth had two distinct states of consciousness between which He alternated. These were, of course, the state of glorification, in which He was conscious of oneness with the Divine, and the state of exinanition or consciousness of being separated from the Divine; and both were states experienced in the natural degree of the mind, which is the center and plane of consciousness.
     While the words, two persons, may be used to express this, we conclude that it is wiser to employ other terms because of a connotation that may result in misunderstanding. If, instead, we speak of two consciousnesses in the Lord we are on firm ground, in accord with the more general usage of the Writings, and beyond reasonable possibility of being misunderstood - a state always to be desired in doctrinal discussion.

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YOKE AND THE BURDEN 1965

YOKE AND THE BURDEN       Editor       1965

     The priestly love is that of the salvation of souls and salvation can be attained only through repentance and regeneration. These involve self-examination, the shunning of evils as sins, and the endurance of temptation, to none of which the natural man is inclined. Therefore in the exercise of their preaching and teaching ministry priests are required to urge, admonish, exhort, and sometimes denounce and rebuke. Yet a priesthood which did no more than that would be lacking in vision and also in the affection of the priestly use.
     If there are evils to be shunned, we may never lose sight of the fact that they are to be resisted in and by human beings; from the Lord, indeed, but as if of themselves. The vision includes, and the love embraces, those men and women with their hopes and fears, their cares and anxieties, their grief and pain and personal tragedies, who, despite their weakness and failures, are striving to discover and fight against their evils. To them the church has also a mission to encourage and strengthen, to comfort and console, to bind up and heal.
     There is need that their duty be kept before them; but there is need also that the mercy of the Lord and the joy and beauty of a life of use in His kingdom be held up to them constantly, for it is only the affection of eternal life that can lead to it. That affection is at first a tender thing and one that is easily discouraged. So it may be said that the priestly use is to urge the people to take upon themselves the Lord's yoke and burden, and at the same time to assure them from the doctrine that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 1. LOVE OF RELIGION 1965

SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 1. LOVE OF RELIGION       Editor       1965

     In a recent series of articles on the state of the moral virtues in the church reference was made to the spiritual virtues. These are discretely higher because they do not flow from rational or moral wisdom but from love to the Lord and toward the neighbor. They are the virtues that are most highly regarded in a true church, and they are of vital importance; for it is only as they have entered into a man's moral virtues that these remain after death. Although there are others, the spiritual virtues named are love of religion, charity, truth, faith, conscience and innocence; and it is said that justice and judgment bear rule in them, and that they may be referred to zeal for religion, the common good, one's country, and one's parents, consort and children.
     We propose to comment on these virtues during the next few months, speaking first of the love of religion.

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Evidently this virtue is more than love of religious ceremonies, which may only afford aesthetic or sensual gratification, stir the emotions, or compensate for drabness and frustration. It is more than love of what is commonly called a religious life, which may breed a sense of merit and superiority and foster an intolerant spirit; and it is more than love of doctrine, which may be merely intellectual. When the true love of religion is present these things are its signs, but they are not that love itself.
     Religion, in itself, is the marriage of the Lord and the church. Its end is the formation of an angelic heaven from the human race, and its use is to impart spiritual things to man through a revelation of Divine truths from the Lord and man's willing and acting according to them. Its generals are the acknowledgment and worship of the Divine Human and the shunning of evils as sins against God in a life of repentance; and its very life is the doing of good according to the doctrine of truth.
     So the genuine love of religion is the spiritual love of these things. To have it is to desire that the church may indeed be the wife of the Lord, to wish for conjunction with Him, to place one's ends in the life after death and look to what is eternal, to love truths from the Word and shun self-intelligence, to long for the conjugial and shun its opposite, and to love not only the doctrine but also the life of the church - the life first of repentance and then of the uses of charity.
     To love the internal and external things of worship and religion - as uses for receiving the spiritual, and as means of entering into life eternal - and to desire them for all degrees of the neighbor, is to have the love of religion. This is indeed the first of the spiritual virtues and that which makes moral life to be spiritual in origin; for it produces true and just desires, judgments and acts, on all planes.
CHURCH AND ALCOHOL 1965

CHURCH AND ALCOHOL       Editor       1965

     There is no lack of evidence that alcoholism and excessive social drinking by men and women who are not alcoholics are serious problems in many countries. Nor is there much hope of abatement in the statistics and public opinion polls on drinking by teenagers and young people. It would be unrealistic to assume comfortably that the problem exists only outside of the church. Unlike some other religious bodies, the General Church has never made the oversimplification of equating goodness with total abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, or made such abstinence an article of religion. Traditionally it has stood for temperance, for a wise moderation in the use of alcohol; and that is a fine thing as long as the responsibilities implied in such a stand are conscientiously accepted.

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But wherever a use is allowed there is the possibility of abuse; and to the extent that even one member of the church habitually fails to live up to that standard, even though he may pay it lip service, we are involved in the problem, too.
     A New Church man may be able to explain or excuse his excessive drinking; but it is doubtful whether his attempts at self-justification are very convincing even to himself, and it is certain that he cannot find a rational defense in the Writings. They are essentially a doctrine of use, and without being perverted they can never be employed to defend an abuse. On the contrary, they present at least three cogent reasons for avoiding such excess that must be taken seriously by those who claim to accept their teaching.

     Excessive drinking obliterates the very human in man, for the time being at least; cumulatively it poses a serious threat to marriage and the home; and it can be destructive of a man's use to society, both in the impairment of his mental and physical abilities and in the loss of that respect and confidence from others which are necessary for the performance of a use. These things, of course, are fully recognized in the world; but the Writings put them in a spiritual perspective which shows them as touching the deepest realities of life. For here are what ought to be the three most precious things in life: the things that make man truly human, the highest fulfillment that is possible to him, the reason for his being and the purpose of his life. It is freedom and rationality that distinguish man from the beasts and, indeed, constitute the image of God in man, and the effect on these two faculties of a heavy consumption of alcohol is too well known to require description. Conjugial marriage is the jewel of human life; and the Lord's purpose in creating man is that he may perform a use to society and to heaven.
     If we really believe these things to be true, can we do other than acknowledge frankly that habitual heavy drinking is not merely a social fault or a regrettable weakness but a sin against the Lord and the neighbor? The problem drinker may protest that what he does is his own business, but few men live a life so completely isolated that they can make this claim with any pretension to truth. What we do does affect others, and none more so than those who are nearest to us. In this particular matter it also raises the questions of what the general attitude of the church is, and should be, to habitual excessive drinking. These questions we will take up next month.

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Church News 1965

Church News       MORNA HYATT       1965

     SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION

     The Sixty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Swedenborg Scientific Association was held on May 12, 1965, in the auditorium of Benade Hall, Bryn Athyn, with 55 members and 30 guests attending.
Mr. Donald C. Fitzpatrick, Jr., was re-elected to the office of president, and the following were elected unanimously to the Board of Directors: Messrs. Lennart O. Alfelt, Edward F. Allen, E. Boyd Asplundh, Charles S. Cole, W. Cairns Henderson, Hugo Lj. Odhner, Joel Pitcairn, Kenneth Rose and Tomas H. Spiers. At a meeting of the Board held after the close of the Annual Meeting the following officers were re-elected: Vice President, Mr. Charles S. Cole; Treasurer, Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh; Secretary, Miss Morna Hyatt; Editor of the NEW PHILOSOPHY, Mr. Edward F. Allen.
     Mr. Asplundh circulated his report as treasurer and announced that membership stands at 297, with 44 additional subscribers to the journal and 50 or more copies sent free to libraries, etc. Membership is down slightly.
     Mr. Fitzpatrick reported plans for a cumulative index to the NEW PHILOSOPHY and for a revision of the index for the first 50 years. Considerable work was done last summer to bring the index up to date.
     Mr. Allen reported that the NEW PHILOSOPHY has again fallen behind schedule, but two issues are now in press. The April-June issue will he devoted entirely to a revised edition of Dr. Hugo Lj. Odhner's "Principles of the New Philosophy," which was originally published in 1941.
     Mr. Alfelt reported for the Committee on Translation that during last summer Mr. N. Bruce Rogers continued the translation of Codex 55 of The Brain, but since Mr. Rogers as a candidate for the ministry will be occupied with society work most of the coming summer, he will have little if any time for translating.
     A report of the weekly meetings of the Glenview Chapter was read.
     Dr. Hugo Lj. Odhner delivered the annual address, on "The Racial Man and the Human Form of Society." In the address he noted that the perception that society is in the human form has been called a "philosophical perennial' and gave examples to illustrate this from Plato through Hobbes and Henry James, Sr., to Bertrand Russell, including, of course, statements from the theological and secular works of Swedenborg. However, the pragmatic modern mind is easily made contemptuous of metaphor and underestimates the value of representative truth. Dr. Odhner quoted from the Writings concerning the fact that the church appears before the Lord as one man, and this Maximus Homo must pass through the ages of infancy, youth, manhood and old age. He pointed out that there is a comparison between the data of physiology and of sociology. The body is organized of cells as society is constituted of people. However, the likeness lies not in morphology but in the correspondence of uses. The bones are rigid, unyielding people who give stability to society. The bloodstream of a nation is its transport system while its digestive system is made up of its food and fuel industries. The functions are ruled not only by the brain but by the law of supply and demand. These and many other parallels were drawn by Dr. Odhner. But "many a problem will attend any attempt to apply the doctrine of the Gorand Man." For instance, how far can the racial man be said to have a continuous identity? It is the individual consciousness that makes an individual out of the trillions of cells in a human body.

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Does a society have anything that could be called consciousness? In the discussion following the paper Prof. E. Bruce Glenn questioned Dr.      Odhner's statement that the modern mind is contemptuous of metaphor. He believes that there is today a new interest in symbol and myth and in what Jung called the collective consciousness. Yates and his predecessors, Coleridge and Blake, depended on the foundation of ancient lore. This suggests a fruitful field for the New Church philosopher. Mr. Glenn acknowledged Dr. Odhner's statement that doctrine is not to be drawn from correspondences, and yet we can take heart in the movement that frees the mind from fact and wakes it to a higher vision on the rational plane. Prof. Charles S. Cole said that as a teacher of the course in the human body in the Boys School he has always been conscious of a debt to Dr. Odhner. Prof. Cole saw definite evidence of the contempt for metaphor spoken of in the address. Allegory is all right for playing with, but is not real. There is ridicule      for the man who sees God in the human form. No one would dare to present a speech like Dr. Odhner's to a learned society. Dismal and foolish efforts are made to demonstrate that life comes from the chance organization of matter. Only rarely is it pointed out that such efforts are an improper application of the laws of probability.
     Dr. William R. Kintner stated his belief that the world is not as bleak as described by Dr. Odhner and Prof. Cole. Political scientists are coming more and more to the anthropomorphic point of view of society, and systems engineers treat nations as human beings.
     In his response Dr. Odhner emphasized that it is the pragmatic mind that has contempt for metaphor, and people are becoming more and more pragmatic. The field of metaphor has become confined to such areas as literature. All of us at times when we feel the need to express something inexpressible turn to picturesque speech and poetry. He closed with an expression of his lifelong delight in studying the human body and its spiritual counterparts.
     The reader is urged to study this interesting paper in its entirety as it appears in the July-September issue of the NEW PHILOSOPHY. Those interested in subscribing to this journal or in joining the Swedenborg Scientific Association are cordially invited to write to Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     MORNA HYATT,
          Secretary
NEW CHURCH WORLD MAP 1965

NEW CHURCH WORLD MAP       Editor       1965

     Mr. Leon Rhodes of Bryn Athyn has prepared an unofficial New Church World Map on which he attempts to show all the places where organized New Church groups are to be found. The General Conference, the General Convention and others are included as well as the General Church. Prepared for distribution to celebrate New Church Day, the map has on the back an index which lists more than 300 locations throughout the world. It is based on available information, and will undoubtedly, Mr. Rhodes notes, require additions and corrections.
     Copies have been distributed to listed New Church centers, and additional copies may be obtained from the General Church Book Room and at other major centers. Mr. Rhodes is to be congratulated on a formidable undertaking and thanked for making it available. [EDITOR]

350


ORDINATIONS 1965

ORDINATIONS       Editor       1965




     Announcements
     Buss.-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, May 16, 1965, the Rev. Peter Martin Buss into the second degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton officiating.

     Soneson.-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, May 16, 1965, the Rev. Lorentz Ray Soneson into the second degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton officiating.
General Church of the New Jerusalem FIFTIETH BRITISH ASSEMBLY 1965

General Church of the New Jerusalem FIFTIETH BRITISH ASSEMBLY              1965

     Members and friends of the General Church are cordially invited to attend the Fiftieth British Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, which will be held in Colchester, July 16-18, 1965, the Rev. Erik Sandstrom presiding.

Program

Friday, July 16
6:30 p.m.     Tea at the Church
8:00 p.m.     First Session. Address: Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz

Saturday, July 17     
10:00 a.m.     Second Session. Presidential Address
1:30 p.m.     Luncheon
3:30 p.m.     Third Session. Address: Rev. Peter M. Buss
8:00 p.m.     Social. Toastmaster: Mr. Geoffrey Pryke

Sunday, July 19     
11:00 a.m.     Divine Worship. Preacher: Rev. Erik Sandstrom
1:00 p.m.     Luncheon
3:30 p.m.     Holy Supper Service
4:30 p.m.     Garden Party, by invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Wyncoll
New Church Club 1965

New Church Club              1965

     The Assembly will be preceded by a meeting of the New Church Club, 7:00 p.m., Thursday, July 15. The Rev. Erik Sandstrom will give an address on "Swedenborg's Rational Psychology on Sensation, Perception, Imagination and Memory."
TRUST 1965

TRUST       Rev. ALFRED ACTON       1965



353




Vol. LXXXV
August 1965
No. 8

NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." (Psalm 37: 3)

     The Divine Providence, working in the least particulars of our lives, is ever leading us toward the Lord and the peace of truth which He mercifully gives to all who return His love. But how can man enter into the stream of this broad river of life? How can man, who of himself is nothing but evil, enter into the bliss of heaven? In what way must man cooperate with his Maker to find the joy of life eternal? As the Psalmist has said: "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou visitest him?" *
     * Psalm 8: 4.
     The answers to these questions ring forth clearly in our text: "Trust in the Lord, and do good." But what is trust in the Lord? How can the man who trusts in the Lord do anything? Did not the Lord command us to care not for the morrow? Would not such trust in Him leave us devoid of all action? If we trust in these words would we not stand before the Lord with our hands down, awaiting the moving of His Spirit within us? Does not trust, or faith, demand blind obedience, a perfect humility which will do nothing? For should we do otherwise, would we not be ascribing merit to our actions? Would we not, in practice, be denying that very trust which we have been commanded to give?
     Those who adhere solely to the letter of the Word could draw no other conclusions. They would indeed relate care for the morrow to natural events, failing to realize that the whole of the Lord's Word is spiritual; that the whole of the Word is the Lord speaking to man, showing him of His love, of the spiritual qualities of heavenly happiness. Those who adhere to the letter alone thus deny spiritual truth and sink into the morass of contradictory, natural, man-made dogmas.

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     We who have been called to the New Church, who have been called to receive the Lord in His second advent, can rise above this natural paradox. For to us has been given a glimpse of spiritual light. In the Lord's new Word we can hear Him speaking of the Father, opening unto us the spiritual message within previous revelations. As we read in that Word: "It is a fallacy that the confidence which is called saving faith, accepted without understanding, is spiritual confidence, since confidence apart from understanding is a persuasion from another, or from confirmation by passages gathered up here and there from the Word and applied by reasonings from the natural man to a false principle. Such confidence is a blind faith, which is merely natural because it does not see whether a thing is true or false." * No. Trust in the Lord is not a blind faith in Him.
     * AE 781: 9.
     Trust in the Lord is never built upon the fallacies of the senses. Trust in the Lord must be spiritual. It must rest upon the spiritual sense of the Lord's Word. As the Arcana Coelestia teaches: "They who think solely from things of sense cannot see one whit of what is honorable, just and good, and therefore they trust in others and speak much from the memory, and thereby appear to themselves wiser than others. But they who are able to think above the things of sense, provided the things in the memory have been set in order, possess a greater capacity than others to understand and perceive, and this according to the degree in which they view things from what is interior." *
     * AC 6598.

     What, then, will the man who thinks spiritually understand when he reads the Lord's command: "Take no care for the morrow"? Listen again to the voice of revelation. "[Care for the morrow] does not mean the care of procuring for oneself food and raiment, and even resources for the time to come; for it is not contrary to order for anyone to be provident for himself and his own. But those have care for the morrow who are not content with their lot; who do not trust in the Divine, but in themselves; and who have regard for only worldly and earthly things, and not for heavenly things. With such there universally reigns solicitude about things to come, and a desire to possess all things and to dominate over all which is kindled and grows according to the additions thus made, and finally does so beyond all measure. They grieve if they do not obtain the objects of their desire, and feel anguish at the loss of them; and they have no consolation, because of the anger they feel against the Divine, which they reject together with everything of faith, and curse themselves. Such are they who have care for the morrow. Very different is the case with those who trust in the Divine. These, notwithstanding they have care for the morrow, yet have it not, because they do not think of the morrow with solicitude, still less with anxiety.

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Unruffled is their spirit whether they obtain the objects of their desire or not; and they do not grieve over the loss of them, being content with their lot. . . . They know that for those who trust in the Divine all things advance toward a happy state to eternity, and that whatever befalls them in time is still conducive thereto." * Indeed the Lord lovingly cares for all His children. All those who trust in the Lord can rest assured that He is leading them gently and mercifully into the blessedness of heavenly life.
     * AC 8478: 2, 3.

     But what is trust in the Lord? Who are the Lord's spiritual children? Again let us turn to the Word. "Trust in the Lord is to have confidence that He will save, and as no one can have this confidence except one who lives aright, therefore this also is meant by believing in Him." * "The Esse of the Faith of the New Church is: confidence in the Lord God the Savior Jesus Christ [and] a trust that he who lives well and believes aright is saved by Him." **
     * F 36.
     ** TCR 344.
     Yes, the New Church man must acknowledge that the Lord "out of mercy will teach man the way and lead him to heaven." * To the New Church man such an acknowledgment should be easy, for he can see the Lord's truth openly revealed in His new Word. In its pages the New Church man can indeed see the Lord teaching and leading. There he can recognize that all good comes from the Lord and that his faith must rest on the life of charity. For he knows that faith is the form of charity, and that without charity faith is hollow and dead. We read: "Few know that faith is trust and confidence, and among these few, still fewer know that trust or confidence is from charity, and is not possible with anyone who has not lived the life of charity." **
     * AE 810: 4.
     ** AC 3568c.
     Trust is indeed from love, for a man trusts in that which he loves. The man who trusts in himself loves himself, while the man who trusts in the Lord loves the Lord. To love the Lord we must place Him above all else. We must in truth obey His first commandment. We must place no other gods, or loves, before Him.
     This teaching, of course, does not mean that we should expel all other loves from our lives. Rather should we so order these loves that they are below our love to Him. The man who loves the Lord also loves himself. He takes pride in the things which the Lord has given him. He acknowledges that without the Lord he could do nothing, but that with the gifts he has received from Him he can do much for the betterment of his fellows. He loves the good which he has received from the Lord and guards it jealously, lest by indolence and sloth he should defile it.

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He sees clearly that the good which he does must follow the trust which he has in the Lord. He understands the words of our text: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed."

     But does such a man do good in order that he may inherit the land? in order that he may receive spiritual food? Is not good done from this motive good looking to reward? Is not the desire to obtain merit from good which is really not one's own evil? The new Word tells us that doing good from a desire to be received into heaven is not evil. Every love desires the spiritual food required to nourish it. For good loves to desire the spiritual food which they will find only in heaven is not evil. In such a desire, merit is not placed in the work itself. Rather what is desired is the opportunity to express a good love further. But hear the voice of the Lord. "To think about getting into heaven, and that good ought to be done for that reason, is not to regard reward as an end and to ascribe merit to works; for thus do those also think who love the neighbor as themselves and God above all things. . . . Such do not trust to reward on the ground of their merit, but have faith in the promise of grace. With such the delight of doing good to the neighbor is their reward. This is the delight of the angels in heaven, and it is a spiritual delight which is eternal, and immeasurably exceeds all natural delight. Those who are in this delight are unwilling to hear of merit, for they love to do, and in doing they perceive blessedness. They are sad when it is believed that they work for the sake of recompense." *
     * TCR 440.
     Such trust in the Lord grows as man on his part strives to fulfill the potentiality of the talents which he has received as gifts from his Heavenly Father. Such trust will come to fill man's whole life as he turns in humility to the Lord; seeking to serve Him, seeking to find the spiritual food that will nourish the good which he has received. Therefore such trust is the result of the life of regeneration. Man acquires it as he puts on the heavenly proprium which he receives from the Lord, and puts off his own evil proprium which he inherited at birth.
     Yet it is also such trust that sustains man during his life of regeneration. In times of temptation, trust in the Lord is man's strong defense against the flood of evil that seeks his destruction. We read: "All temptations appear evil, for the reason that they are interior anxieties and griefs, and as it were damnations; for the man is then let into the state of his evils, consequently among evil spirits, who accuse him, and thus torment the conscience; nevertheless the angels defend him, that is, the Lord through the angels, for the Lord keep him in hope and trust, which are the forces of combat from within whereby he resists." *

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     * AC 6097.
     So we see that trust in the Lord both leads man to the life of heaven and sustains him in it. Trust in the Lord gives man peace, for it opens man's mind to the Lord's infinite love and wisdom. Believing in Him, we can see His truth, and so enter into the life of heaven - the truth of peace. "Peace is like dawn on the earth, which gladdens minds with universal delight; and the truth of peace is like the light of dawn. This truth, which is called the '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 [or trust] 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. A man comes into this state in proportion as he comes into love to the Lord." *
     * AC 8455: 1.

     So it is that our trust in the Lord will quiet our care for the morrow. We will become content in the knowledge that whatever befalls us is in the hands of our Heavenly Father, who by pure mercy is gently guiding us through the cares of this world to Himself.
     But there are those in the world who have a false trust in the Lord. There are those who believe that trust must be blind, who believe that trust is not the result of love, or inflowing good. There are those who from the evil of their lives seek to excuse their false loves, placing them above the Lord, by their desire to attain heaven and at the same time delight in the insanity of their evils. We in the church know the falsity of such spurious trust. We know that we must return to the Lord the gifts which He in His providence has given us. We know that our lives must reflect charity if we are to enter into the life of heaven, if we are to trust in Him.
     Yet still there are times when we, too, may wonder as to the nature of our trust in the Lord. How can we judge as to whether our trust also may not partake of evil? Is there any guide which the Lord has given us by which we may evaluate our confidence in Him? Indeed there is. As the Lord says: "Whoever desires to know the quality of his confidence, let him examine in himself the affections and ends as well as the practices of his life." * When man seeks through such examination to approach the Lord, and so shuns those ends and practices of his life which do not conform to the truth of His Word; when man does this, his trust in the Lord grows.

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It becomes the bulwark which defends him in times of temptation; and at length it becomes the confidence that leads him by means of a life of good into the spiritual land of Canaan - into the life of heaven, where he will find spiritual food that will nourish him even to eternity. "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." Amen.
     * AC 2982: 2.

LESSONS:      Psalm 37: 1-19. Luke 12: 22-40. Divine Providence 179.
MUSIC:      Liturgy, pages 500, 465, 593.
PRAYERS:      Liturgy, nos. 74, 118.
SWEDENBORG SOCIETY 1965

SWEDENBORG SOCIETY              1965

     155th Annual Report

     In the 155th Annual Report, which covers the year 1964, the Council states that good progress has been made in the new translations of Apocalypse Revealed and Divine Love and Wisdom; that some progress has been made in the preparation of a volume of small theological works and fragments; and that work has continued on Volume VII of the third Latin edition of Arcana Coelestia, although some problems remain to be solved. Pending completion of a new translation, which is in hand, 300 copies of The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine have been reproduced by photolithography, and a reprint of The Infinite by the same process has been undertaken. Work is in progress on a pamphlet, The Internal Sense, which will contain inter-chapter material from the Arcana Coelestia.
     A Zulu translation of The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine is being prepared, and a Tamil translation of Divine Love and Wisdom originally published by the Society in 1930 is being reprinted. Total distribution for the year was 4,111 books and 2,528 pamphlets. As in the past, advertising, meetings and lectures were continued, though the number of lectures was reduced to two, and a study scheme was organized for which lesson notes were prepared and distributed. The report contains, among others, a memorial resolution for the Rev. A. Wynne Acton who served the Society for many years. It is gratifying to note a small increase in membership, and a modest but steady increase in the number of members of the General Church whose names appear in the list of members. The use of the Swedenborg Society is one that should appeal to us, as, indeed, it should to all who are interested in the dissemination of the Writings, and one that needs and deserves more support than it receives.

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FUNCTION OF THE PRIESTHOOD IN LEADING TO THE GOOD OF LIFE 1965

FUNCTION OF THE PRIESTHOOD IN LEADING TO THE GOOD OF LIFE       Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR       1965

     Delivered to the Council of the Clergy, Bryn Athyn, Pa., January 27, 1965

     (For the first part, see NEW CHURCH LIFE, July 1965, pp. 324-324.)

     It is the intent and purpose of this second part of our study * to examine and discuss the specific areas of application of the teaching that "the priesthood is to teach truths and lead thereby to the good of life." We will pursue the subject under the following headings:

1.     Examination of the Teaching
2.     Leading to the Good of Life Through Public Instruction
3.     Leading to the Good of Life Through Private Instruction and Counsel
4.     Leading to the Good of Life Through Personal Example
5.     Difficult Questions Relating to the Subject of How a Priest Leads to the Good of Life
6. Concluding Remarks

     1. Examination of the Teaching

     The Essential Use of the Priest.     This is stated in the following teachings:

     "They [priests] must teach men the way to heaven, and must also lead them. They must teach them according to the doctrine of their church, and they must lead them to live according to it." *
     * AC 10794.

     "Priests must teach the people, and lead them to the good of life by means of truths." *
     * AC 10798.

     "Priests are to teach truths, and by these lead to good, and thus to the Lord." *
     * AR 854.

     "If he [a priest] is in the good of the priesthood, which is to care for the salvation of souls, to teach the way to heaven, and to lead those whom he teaches, then in proportion as he is in this good, thus from his love and its desire, he acquires the truths which he may teach, and by means of which he may lead." *
     * Life 39.

     Charity and Conscience with a Priest.     These are defined and described for us in the following:

     "The priest who teaches truth, and leads to good, for the sake of truth and good exercises charity." *
     * AC 8121.

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     "The priest who teaches truth from the Word, and thereby leads to the good of life and so to heaven, because he consults the good of the souls of those of the church, is eminently in the exercise of charity." *
     * TCR 422.

     "A priest who has a spiritual desire to teach truths in order that his flock may be saved has conscience; but he who has any other end in view does not have conscience." *
     * TCR 666: 2.

     "A priest who is in this good [the good of love toward the neighbor] does a good work whenever he teaches and leads, because he acts from the love of saving souls." *
     * Life 72. See also: AE 1137; Love xiii, xvii; AC 343, 3795; AE 250: 9.

     The conclusion drawn from these and related teachings, to be considered later, is that the teaching of truths by the priesthood is not by itself the use of the priesthood in leading to the good of life, but is rather the means by which the priesthood can lead to the good of life. The distinction may at first seem to be a subtle one; yet it is upon it, we believe, that two very different ideas of the use and function of the priesthood have been developed. When a priest is teaching truth, is he automatically leading his people thereby to the good of life? The Writings tell us of priests who teach truths, but do not lead thereby to the good of life. Such priests are called "evil shepherds," "thieves and robbers." *
     * AC 10784.
     Teaching truth and leading to the good of life are not one and the same thing. From the passages noted above we believe it is clear that leading to the good of life by the priesthood can take place fully only when the priesthood itself looks to the good of life. How can there be the "good of the priesthood, which is care for the salvation of souls," unless the priesthood looks to the good of life in its instruction? Unless it does so look, there is no care for the salvation of souls; there is no leading to good "for the sake of truth and good"; there is no consulting "the good of the souls of those of the church"; no "spiritual desire to teach truth in order that the flock may be saved"; no love toward the neighbor, and no conscience. "He who does not lead to the good of charity and teach it is not a true shepherd." *
     * AC 343.
     That a priest must be in something of the good of life in order to lead his flock fully to that good by means of truths would seem to be confirmed by the teachings given concerning the operation of the Holy Spirit with the clergy. We read: "The clergyman, because he is to teach doctrine from the Word concerning the Lord and concerning redemption and salvation from Him, is to be inaugurated by the promise of the Holy Spirit, and by the representation of its transfer; but it is received by the clergyman according to the faith of his life." * Note that in this passage the Holy Spirit is only promised - to be received according to the "faith of his life" the good of life.

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Yet something is given with inauguration into the priesthood that would seem to depend entirely upon the function of the priestly office apart from the man's character and quality, for we are taught also: "The Divine energy and operation which are meant by the `sending of the Holy Spirit' are, with the clergy especially, enlightenment and instruction.
     * Can. HS iv.
     But enlightenment and instruction are communicated especially to the clergy, because these belong to their office, and inauguration into the ministry carries these along with it." *
     * TCR 146.
     If enlightenment and instruction are given as the presence of the Holy Spirit at the time of inauguration, then what is the presence of the Holy Spirit that is only promised at that time? In True Christian Religion no. 155 it would seem that perception and disposition are the promised presence of the Holy Spirit, but we quote that passage before commenting on its implications for our subject.

     "It has been shown above, under the third proposition, that the Divine energy meant by the operation of the Holy Spirit with the clergy especially is enlightenment and instruction; but in addition to these there are two intermediate operations, which are perception and disposition. Thus there are four things that with the clergy follow in order: enlightenment, perception, disposition and instruction. Enlightenment is from the Lord. Perception pertains to man, and is in accordance with the state of mind formed in him by doctrinals. If these doctrinals are true his perception becomes clear from the light that enlightens; but if they are false his perception becomes obscure, although from confirmation it may seem to be clear, this arising from a fatuous light which to the merely natural vision resembles clearness. Disposition is from the affection of the will's love, and that which disposes is the delight of that love. If it is a delight of the love of evil and of falsity therefrom, it excites a zeal which is outwardly harsh, rough, burning and fiery, while inwardly it is anger, ferocity and unmercifulness. But if it is a delight of the love of good and of truth therefrom, it is outwardly mild, smooth, resounding and glowing, while within it is charity, grace and mercy. Instruction follows from these as an effect from causes. Thus in each man enlightenment, which is from the Lord, is turned into various kinds of light and heat in accordance with the state of his mind." *
     * See also TCR 154.

     Would we conclude from this instruction that all four of these operations of the Holy Spirit must take place with a priest before he can lead fully through truth to the good of life? If there is a disposition from the love of evil, can he lead to the good of life? We believe that all four operations of the Holy Spirit must take place for a priest to lead fully through truth to the good of life; thus that there is not just the presence of the Holy Spirit given with inauguration but the promised presence of the Holy Spirit as well. This, we believe, is the very reason that the church is instructed to value ministers "according to their will and love, together with their understanding in spiritual things." *
     * TCR 660.
     Yet if all of this is true, that a priest can lead to the good of life fully through truth only if he himself looks to the good of life, how are we to understand those passages which speak of the representation of the priesthood today?

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Also, how are we to understand the fact that evil priests teach truths and perform the holy functions of worship as well as good priests? We read:

     "All priests, whoever they may be, and of whatever quality, by their office represent the Lord. The office is holy whatever be the quality of him who ministers therein: and this is the reason that the Word taught by an evil man is equally holy, and also the sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Supper, and other such things." *     
     * AC 3670
     "Such preachers [evil priests] have no communication with heaven in themselves; and yet those have who hear and receive the words from their mouths, if they are in a pious and holy internal; for it matters not from whom the voice of good and truth flows forth, provided their life is not manifestly wicked." *
     * AC 4311: 3. Cf. AC 6914: 3, 9806: 5, DP 298.

     This is an area that we hope will be fully discussed, for there seems to be no easy solution of the problems involved. It would seem, in bringing these teachings together, that there is a general leading to the good of life through the representation and function of the priestly office: a leading to the good of life that is not essentially dependent upon the state or quality of the priest. Because of the representatives in worship, in the sacraments and rites, the person of the priest, his character and quality, is largely removed from the thought of the laity, and the goods of the Word are received with affection and so lead to the good of life. What matters it, then, if the priest is a "good shepherd" of his flock, a good watchman or a good judge? Is not the Lord Himself leading His people?
     In formal instruction, where the priest is a teacher of truth, does he not at least prepare the laity for the good of life when he presents the mere scientifics of doctrine? What matters it, then, if he is a good shepherd, a watchman or a judge? If the laity has been led to know and understand truths and doctrines, has he not led to the good of life through truths?
     Yet it is apparent from what has been considered that this is not the only leading to the good of life that the priesthood is to regard. There is to be a particular leading by the priesthood through truths to the good of life, a leading that requires the priest himself to look to the good of life in order that he may be a good shepherd, watchman and judge of his flock. We believe that such a particular leading to the good of life by the priesthood is of paramount importance to the life of the New Church, and that this is why so great an emphasis is placed in the Writings not only on conducting worship and teaching doctrine but also on leading to the good of life.
     In the topics that follow, we have endeavored to define the areas in which there should be a particular leading to the good of life by the priesthood.

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By this we mean a leading that depends upon the state and quality of the priest, and upon his looking to the good of life from the love of the salvation of his flock.

     2.     Leading to the Good of Life Through Public Instruction

     Obviously the first duty of a priest, in all instruction, is to assure himself that the truths and doctrines presented are from the Word of the Lord, and not merely from self-intelligence with its cherished theories and speculations. To insure that his instruction is from the Word a priest must be diligent and studious in his examination of the Word. He must continually nourish and develop his understanding; otherwise he cannot really be certain that what he is teaching is from the Word.
     In all instruction the priest must endeavor to direct truth to the good of life. He does not merely set forth truths as scientifics; nor is it his endeavor to encourage mere intellectual and abstract consideration of the truths presented. His constant effort is to relate truths to the goods of life - to remove truths from a purely abstract and philosophical level, so that they may be received with affection. Sometimes the application of truth to good is general - as in an expository sermon, in which a doctrine is seen confirmed in the letter of the Word. This confirmation is received with delight, and the delight is a general affection that is the good of life. Something similar happens when a seemingly abstract doctrine - that of discrete degrees or of the Divine Human, especially with newcomers or young people - is presented in a sermon or a class in such a way as to show how it relates to the good of life. More specific, of course, is the application of a spiritual law to the good of moral or spiritual life, and so on.

     How Does a Priest Abuse the Function of Leading to the Good of Life Through Public Instruction? He does so by claiming for himself the sanctity that belongs to his priesthood*; by desiring to dispense the things which are the Lord's, especially those which are of heavenly life with man, for reasons of power, gain, honor, and so on**; by teaching truths, but not leading to the good of life thereby***; by trying to compel belief, and not instructing and leading in freedom****; and by living a manifestly wicked life.***** A priest who does not look to the good of life, and lead thereto in his instruction, steals from the Lord the power of salvation and robs the people of the means of salvation. Such a priest is called a thief, a robber and an evil shepherd.
     * AC 3670: 2.
     ** AC 9020; TCR 318, 320. Cf. AC 10796.
     *** AC 6779, 10061, 10794.
     **** AC 10798.
     ***** AC 4311: 3.

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     3.     Leading to the Good of Life Through Private Instruction

     Private instruction and counsel from the priesthood look to the good of life with individual members of the laity. This is an area in which public instruction is not always suitable for dealing with the particular problems, disorders and temptations of the individual; indeed public instruction in certain areas may be inappropriate and even disorderly. In this position the priest is not just a friend; he is the leader in and the administrator of the things that relate to the church. He is the shepherd, counselor, comforter, watchman and, sometimes, judge.
     Much of what has been said about public instruction applies also to leading to the good of life through private counsel and instruction; but something more is necessary. The priest must as well know his flock. Through personal contact and communication the pastor must know the states of the members of his flock individually: their convictions, their troubles and problems, their disorders and temptations. He must make himself available to his people. A pastor cannot become so involved in the various duties and responsibilities of his office that he becomes unavailable to or unapproachable by his people. We believe that this is something of which we must be particularly aware at this day, when most of our pastors seem to be overextended in their areas of pastoral responsibility and at the same time are engaged in a variety of church uses. As the watchman of his flock he must speak out against falsities and disorders, and when necessary bring them to the attention of individual members of his flock. This, too, requires the time and reflection necessary for a pastor to be aware both of that which is affecting his flock from its worldly environment and that which arises within the church itself. This is an area which, we believe, requires our present and studious attention. As a judge, he must exercise judgment. He must make it a matter of judgment when to bring a disorder or a disturbance to the attention of his people, if it is a general condition, or of individuals if it is of a private nature. In extreme cases, and for the sake of protecting the good of the whole, he must even judge as to when an individual must be separated from the group.

     How Does a Priest Abuse the Function of Leading to the Good of Life Through Private Instruction? This may seem to be apparent from what has just been said, but for the sake of clarity we would note certain things. He does so through ignorance of the states and needs of his people, whether through laziness or lack of contact and communication. He does so by adopting dictatorial attitudes in governing, both in reference to the spiritual states of the people, thus leading from himself rather than from the Lord, and in directing and administering the formal uses of the church. *

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He may do so also through unwise fear of making any kind of judgments, so that the flock is not properly protected from falsities or disorders. The uses of the church suffer as well unless the priest exercises judgment in seeing that those who guide and develop them have the conviction and the ability to see that they develop in proper order.
     * AC 6390.

     4. Leading to the Good of Life Through Personal Example.

     We have already noted the teaching that a priest cannot lead to the good of life if his life is manifestly wicked. But we believe that more than this is involved, although we have not found it spelled out in so many words as relating specifically to the priesthood; unless the Writings are understood to include moral and civil disorders when they speak of what is manifestly wicked. In any case, we believe the following considerations are implied in many other teachings: as concerning the care and protection of children and of the simple good; what we are to honor, respect and love in the neighbor, and, indeed, in the priesthood; and the care and protection of the states of the church.
     That a priest leads to the good of life through personal example with children, young people, and even adults seems very apparent. Certainly in the specifics of civil and moral life the priest cannot lead to the good of life on a "do as I say, but not as I do" basis. Those who do not yet think for themselves are led through the example of others, especially of those whom they regard as speaking and teaching with authority; and even with mature adults there is not the same inspiration and encouragement to the good of life when, in the mind of the layman, there is associated with the priestly use of instruction a certain confusion, sadness, and even mistrust of its integrity.
     When the Writings instruct the church to value ministers according to their will and love, together with their understanding in spiritual things, * what is it that indicates the will and love? We would say, it is personal example and effort, devotion to the uses of the church, and obedience to the order of life directed by the Lord. We would note the following as areas which may justly be considered.
     * TCR 660.
     1) The integrity of study and intellectual leadership in doctrine as it becomes evident in public and private instruction.
     2) The effort to establish and maintain means of worship and of public and private instruction.
     3) The interest and leadership shown in advancing and promoting other uses of the church that are useful and primary means for the people of the church to ultimate their thought of and affection for the spiritual and natural growth of the church.

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     4)     The nature of moral conduct; in which much can and should be forgiven with all, but in which constant abuse destroys the use.
     5)     The manners and care of the person. These are the extreme ultimates of charity and have a just place as indications of the will.

     How Does a Priest Abuse the Function of Leading to the Good of Life Through Personal Example? This should be apparent from the five areas we have just noted. However, it still seems in order to say a further word about each of them.
     1)     With the pressures of local growth, expanding church uses, social activity, and constant demands that he take a more active part in worldly uses, the pastor's time for doctrinal study seems to become less and less. This, we believe, is reflected in our church publications, particularly with our pastors. How many pastors now have time to make even one major doctrinal study a year? Yet surely this is where the vital life, welfare and security of our church lie; and it is not enough that this be done only by those who are in teaching positions. In our opinion, the question is not whether such a state exists, but whether there is anything we can do about it - beginning with mutual consultation.
     2)     The effort to encourage and maintain worship and public and private instruction should be a matter of conscience with us, whether we are involved as priests or laymen.
     3)     The question as to what other uses of the church a priest should devote leadership to, and how much time he should give to each, is, of course, a matter of judgment and depends on many things. Still, all uses that relate directly to the life of the church are under the priesthood and must receive from it impetus, leadership and general supervision. Missionary uses, the establishing of local libraries and book rooms, social activities, groups for discussion of doctrine or philosophy or education, programs such a Sunday school that support worship and instruction, and other like uses - these are not established merely when the laity feel the need and express sufficient desire. The priest, particularly the pastor, must give leadership and inspire through example and instruction, so that the laity in turn may enter into and support such uses, and have the opportunity of finding delight therein. All ministers are not regenerate, especially those of us who are younger, and laziness is not an evil reserved exclusively for the laity!

     4) The area of moral conduct is one that speaks for itself. Everyone is aware that major moral disorders, especially those which violate the virtues of chastity, sobriety and honesty, can very quickly ruin a man's usefulness in the priestly office. What should be noted is that we do not limit our thought to those particular virtues when setting an example, but extend it to cover the entire list of the virtues.

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     5)     The last area of moral consideration, our manners and care of the body, some might be inclined to brush aside as external and relatively unimportant. Yet we cannot believe that there is any justification for such an attitude. Manners and care of the body are the ultimates of moral order; they are the means of a daily expression of charity. The fact that they can be merely external and hypocritical has nothing to do with their just place in the exercise of moral order; and who should lead in such order but the priesthood?

     5. Difficult Questions Relating to the Subject of How a Priest Leads to the Good of Life.

     1) The love of the salvation of human souls would seem to be a regenerate love. What form, then, does this love take with a young, novitiate priest? *
     * See TCR 106; Life 72; AE 1187; TCR 666: 2, Love 13: 2, 17: 3.

     2)     Spiritual Diary no. 5917 speaks of men who are teaching as being in two states: one while in the public exercise of their office, the other while in private life. Is this true of all priestly work? If it is, then is it true that a priest is always a priest, no matter what he is doing, when he is outside of his home sphere?
     3)     What fields of instruction properly fall under the priestly office - Hebrew, Geography, Mathematics, History, and so on? When a priest is instructing in matters that relate to science, for example, is he at that time in the priestly office? What we do now may be from necessity, but what would be the order toward which we should strive?

     6.     Concluding Remarks

     From time to time in the history of our church the statement that "the priest teaches from the good of life" has been branded as a falsity. It has been pointed out that such a position leads to the establishment of the personal rule of the priesthood. *
     * SEE NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1950, p. 112.
     From the thesis of this paper it may seem that there is some conflict with this idea; however, we believe that there is only an apparent conflict and that it arises from lack of definition. We have tried to present the idea that there are two ways in which the Lord leads to the good of life through priestly instruction: one, through the representative function of the priesthood in worship and in the teaching of truths as scientifics in which the good of life of the priest is not involved; the other, through the priest, from the good of life, leading to the good of life in the teaching of truth.

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It is this second leading to the good of life by the priesthood that we have endeavored to examine and present.
     It is our sincere conviction that the interior quality and life of the church rest first upon the good of life of the priesthood. It is not necessary that they do so, but where there is order they will. For the priesthood is the first of the church, and in its love for the salvation of human souls it is first in protecting, in nourishing, and in leading the church to the good of life. It is evident from the priesthood of former churches that the Lord cannot lead men on earth to the life of spiritual good and truth through a priesthood that does not have the good of life as its primary goal and purpose. If the church is to be brought into a good of life that is spiritual, it is necessary that the Lord have the means of leading through the priesthood not only as a representative office but also as an actual medium of influx.
LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 1965

LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE              1965

     "7. Man is admitted into the truths of faith and the goods of love by God only as far as he can be kept in them to the end of life; for it is better that he should be constantly evil than that he should be good and afterwards evil, since he thus becomes profane. The permission of evil is chiefly from this ground.
     "8. God is continually withdrawing man from evils, as far as man, from freedom, is willing to be withdrawn. As far as man can be withdrawn from evils, so far God leads him to good, thus to heaven; but as far as he cannot be withdrawn from evils, God cannot lead him to good, thus to heaven. For as far as he is withdrawn from evils, he does good from God, which in itself is good; but as far as he is not withdrawn from evils, he does good from himself, and this has evil in itself." (Apocalypse Explained 1136)
MINISTERIAL CHANGES 1965

MINISTERIAL CHANGES              1965

     The Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz has accepted appointment, effective September 1, 1965, as Visiting Pastor to the General Church.

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COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS 1965

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS       Rev. DAVID R. SIMONS       1965

     (Delivered at the Academy's Commencement Exercises, June 16, 1965.

     Bishop Pendleton, friends of New Church education, and you who are becoming: you who are becoming priests in the Lord's New Church; you who are looking forward to continuing your education here in the Academy, in other colleges, or in further experiences of life; especially you seniors, who have reached a particular milestone in your journey to maturity, though not forgetting the ambitious juniors, who will become the leaders of the school next year; and all of you who anticipate advancement - becoming educated men and women of the New Church!
     I use the term "becoming" - borrowed from the title of a book by a modern educational philosopher, Gordon Allport - as most appropriate and applicable to graduates: and to all the rest of us, for that matter. For "becoming" implies a past that looks to the future. It says: "You have come this far; what will you become?" To me, it implies unending growth, which is what I wish for you all - unending growth in the uses of life!
     Today we can look back on where you have come from with a sense of pride and delight. Something worthwhile has been accomplished. Instruction has been received; assignments have been completed; examinations have been passed; and, more important, new ideas and skills have been acquired. From this vantage point, the processes of growth are very satisfying. Even past ordeals - the problems, frustrations, doubts and foolish mistakes; the flurry of activity as the end of the year approached - not unlike deathbed repentance, which is spiritually ineffective: even these abrasive and negative aspects of our development, as long as they are in the past, can be viewed objectively and philosophically as lessons of life, as part of growing up, albeit as things we hope can be eliminated or at least minimized in the next phase of life.
     Looking back on your progress, reflecting on what you have become, can and should be a pleasurable sensation. In fact, if you are honest as well as humble, you may recognize the truth that you have really come further than anticipated.

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Things have turned out better than planned; your education, your stay at the Academy, has accomplished far more for you than might have been expected; you have discovered things, gained knowledge and insight, skills and delights, far beyond anything you had imagined; for a little expenditure of time and effort, big and rewarding results have been achieved. You have become someone new, as, no doubt, is or will soon be apparent to your parents, who have not seen you since the school year began. And the reason for this change is, of course, that you have grown; and growth is a deepseated process which extends, expands and amplifies the work and effort of the human will, especially when that effort is well directed and sincere. For the process of coming to maturity - of becoming someone unique, a special individual form of use - is in the hand of the Lord. All the forces of His providence are at work, molding, guiding, sharpening and bending, though never infringing on your precious freedom, never robbing you of the full sense that life is your own; leading each one of you with patient, individualized care to become a form of charity, to realize the inner potential for use to the neighbor which is your soul.
     Concerning this leading, we are taught in the Spiritual Diary: "Man can never be led better [than he is led]. . . . [For] each and all things of life tend to our ultimate end [that we may become] parts in the Gorand Man, that is, in the kingdom of the Lord." This unerring leading is possible because the Lord "sees each and all things at once, and the future as present"; and He can and does dispose all things for man's eternal welfare. * Human growth is a direct manifestation of this leading of Providence.
     * SD 3114, 3115.
     When we reflect on the processes of becoming, we can acknowledge how utterly insignificant our role is, and how much is done for us by forces above and beyond our control. And when we see this in the past, we can look to the future with a special confidence and trust, fortified by the realization of the near presence of the Lord.
     Physically we eat, we exercise, we rest; and, with the help of the unseen forces of life, we grow! We consciously take food into our mouths, and immediately a host of forces goes into action to digest and assimilate, or reject, what we have eaten. We have no control whatsoever over the secret operations of our bodies. Providence, acting through our souls, converts food into blood and flesh. What we become physically is, to a greater degree than we generally recognize, cared for by forces beyond our thought and will, so that it is literally true that man cannot by "taking thought" add one cubit to his stature. *
     * Luke 12: 25.
     We exercise, we consciously direct our muscles; we repeat and extend our efforts, and a host of unseen friends marshal their resources to give us strength, agility and skill.

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The complexities of acquiring a skill - the co-ordination involved in completing a pass in football or sinking a basket in basketball - these feats defy accurate analysis. Our will flows into act spontaneously from an order of correspondence implanted in the nerves and muscles themselves. Will, a purely spiritual thing, is transposed and expressed in motions that are purely natural. We put in our effort, and the results are little short of miraculous. We work, and try, and are given rewards beyond calculation.
     A third ingredient in growth is rest. We relinquish all effort in exhaustion; we relax; we turn our attention elsewhere; we forget all effort and sleep. We awaken refueled, recharged, refreshed and ready to go; and more than this, when we awaken we are in some way new. We have grown. The very skill we found so difficult and demanding yesterday is easier today; what seemed impossible last year becomes almost commonplace. So much of the gift of skills learned is given in sleep. This is what is expressed in the Psalm: "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for He giveth His beloved in sleep. *
     * Psalm 127: 3.

     And what is true of physical growth and the acquisition of external skills is doubly true of our minds. Mental growth: becoming knowledgeable, intelligent and wise, becoming ambitious and useful, the acquiring of new loves - such growth is the center and focus of all the forces of Providence. For by means of true education we become men, our inner potential for service to the neighbor is gradually released.
     Our minds are fed by knowledges. But knowing is not enough. The life forces from within give us the desire to understand, and are never truly satisfied until we come to see the truth. "The Divine Providence continually causes man to see truth, and also gives an affection for perceiving and receiving it; [and when man receives he] becomes a man, both in external and in internal form." * Knowledges crammed into the human mind produce nothing but chaos, as students are often aware. They cause confusion, unless the means for interpreting and relating them are provided. * It is good, it is what we love, it is our ideals and goals in life that bring order and purpose to the things we know. True education, such as you have received in the Academy, centers in the things of love: the love of truth and use, love of the neighbor, love of the Lord. It is these loves from which all knowledge is to be interpreted, which cause all knowledge to fit together in harmony, and which enable the mind to digest and assimilate what it learns.
     * DP 298.
     ** See AC 3315.
We often hear education equated with the power to think. "We teach our students to think!" This is an important skill. Yet genuine education must look higher.

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It must endeavor to awaken in students the potential power to love. It must seek to provide every student with the opportunity to acquire new loves. And loves, like any physical skill, can be acquired. We cannot, it is true, love the unknown; and it is equally true that we cannot make ourselves love a thing. But we can place ourselves in a position to receive genuine loves as gifts of Providence from within. We can learn the truth. We can put this truth to work in our own thinking and willing. We can make the effort of will to become New Church in our thinking and acting; and when we on our part do this, then the Lord, working from within, will do His part to help us. He will inspire us with the genuine loves of heaven. "For it is a sure and immutable law that as far as man approaches the Lord, so far the Lord approaches man." *
     * TCR 100.

     You graduates are entering a world of great contrasts: a world that is proud of what man, secure in his mastery of his physical environment, has accomplished externally; but a world that is internally insecure and in deep trouble. We see modern man triumphant in the person of an astronaut floating outside his capsule, apparently reveling in the magnitude of space. Through his eyes and his camera we are introduced to an entirely new grandeur and beauty. It is an inspiring and breathtaking sight. Man has come a long way. He has, step by step, climbed steadily to ever new heights. Yet when we view modern man in his social environment, in his relation to his neighbor, we may wonder at how low he can fall. What can we say of those who stood by, unwilling to become involved, and watched - as if real life were some giant television screen - while their neighbor was robbed, raped and murdered, and as modern priests and Levites in the parable of the Good Samaritan, raised no hand or voice in protest? When we consider the growing neutrality of our times, the unwillingness to be permanently committed to any person or any ideal; when we reflect on the growth of marital infidelity, the rise in the divorce rate, and the increase in the use of alcohol and drugs among the young; we may ask ourselves, What are men becoming? What is to become of a society which moves in this direction?
     In the parable of the Good Samaritan the Lord tells us what He wills that man, each one of us, shall become, namely, a form of charity: involved, yea, totally absorbed, in uses to the neighbor! We have spoken of what Providence does for you in secret, above and beyond your conscious effort. This parable, so familiar to all of you, shows Providence at work openly; and I am not thinking of the poor Jew whose physical life was saved, but of the Samaritan whose spiritual life was fulfilled, whose abilities to serve the neighbor were challenged and used: the Samaritan who, because he was led to recognize those who needed his talents, became a man.

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     This, that you may be led to grow, to discover and to fulfill the use for which you were created, is the inmost wish that we, your parents and teachers, have for you on this day of graduation: that you who are entering the priesthood of the Lord's New Church may receive the gift of spiritual enlightenment to fulfill the use you have chosen - a use desperately needed in our world today; that you who have elected to further your education, in advanced education or in life itself, will use the gifts you have received from the Academy, the ideals of the New Church with which you have been blessed, to realize the potential for growth, for unending growth, by which you become spiritual men and women.
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1965

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1965

     In "Swedenborg and the Chinese" (NEW-CHURCH MESSENGER, June 1965) Professor Eugene Y. T. Chen of the Department of Oriental Studies, Harvard University, explains why, as an Oriental of Chinese background, he became interested in Swedenborg's teachings. Swedenborg's thought, he says, besides being adaptable to the trends of modern times, parallels to a large extent the traditional Chinese philosophy; and it is, he feels, the sector of Western philosophy most suited to the taste of the Oriental people.
     The basic discipline governing a person's conduct in life in traditional China, Professor Chen continues, may be represented by a set of virtues: loyalty, filial devotion to parents, humanity, love, faith, righteousness, harmony and peace; and with the exception of filial devotion to parents, which is solely a product of Chinese society, all other virtues are constant topics in Swedenborg's teachings. Certain similarities which he sees between Swedenborg's teachings and Chinese philosophy have led him to the strong belief that Swedenborg's thought will eventually gain the full support of his people on the other side of the world, as it "offers us a new kind of enlightenment, new hope and new communion with God in Christ."
     With this background, Professor Chen and his associates are organizing a Swedenborg Oriental Association. Among the aims of the Association are: to translate, publish and distribute the Writings in Oriental languages; to encourage a wider circulation and understanding of them among the Oriental communities throughout the world; to promote a better understanding of Oriental philosophy in the West; and to propose, initiate and sponsor research projects in the areas of Swedenborg's thought, Oriental philosophy and modern sciences.

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FREEDOM: DOCTRINE, PROBLEMS AND APPLICATIONS 1965

FREEDOM: DOCTRINE, PROBLEMS AND APPLICATIONS       Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1965

     (The second in a series of four classes)

     2.     THE CONSTITUENTS OF FREEDOM

     Freedom is one of the two faculties that make man human. Upon it depends the appearance that he lives of himself. Without it, nothing spiritual can be appropriated to him; there can be no faith, regeneration or internal worship; and there could be neither any operation of the Divine Providence nor belief in its existence and leading. The freedom which is thus essential is to think and will from affection and is therefore such as the affection is. As man does not originate loves and affections, but depends for them upon influx, freedom is not absolute but relative; and as affections inflow from heaven or hell, there are two kinds of freedom - heavenly and infernal freedom.
     The former consists in being led solely by the Lord through angels, and in willing and thinking only from the Lord and heaven. This is true freedom. For the angels lead man gently where it pleases the Lord to lead him; he is led by his delights; and he wills and thinks in favor of good as of himself. The latter, which is to think and will from the loves of self and the world, is actually slavery, and is called freedom only according to the appearance and because it is of the love. The man who is in it is driven by evil spirits who hold him in hatred and desire only his subjugation.
     Lastly, no man can ever be free in the sense of leading himself. Because he is a receptacle, he must be led by something outside of himself! His choice is not to lead himself or allow the Lord to lead him, but whether he will be led by the Lord or by hell; and in choosing the Lord's leading he comes into true freedom because it is imperceptible and one in which man acts as of himself.
     This, briefly, is what was presented last time. In this class we wish to consider what properly belongs to the freedom that is essential for a truly human life, and what does not; for about this there is often some confusion which leads to misunderstandings and misapplications of the doctrine that are detrimental to freedom.

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     The Plane of Freedom

     Perhaps the first thing which should be realized is that in the Writings freedom is predicated essentially of the mind, and of the natural mind. Freedom itself, from which man has the exercise of the faculty, is in his internal; but it is in the natural, in the conscious mind, that he uses it. Otherwise it would not be freedom. Furthermore, the freedom which the Writings say is necessary for salvation is in spiritual things - freedom of will and thought. That is the unmistakable teaching of the following statements from the Heavenly Doctrine.
     "Freedom is to think and will from affection." * "It is an eternal law that everyone should be in freedom as to his interiors, that is, as to his affections and thoughts, in order that the affection of good and truth may be implanted in him." ** "Man has freedom to think and will as he pleases. This is the freedom here treated of, and not natural freedom, except in so far as the two make one." *** "Freedom, which results from spiritual equilibrium, is to be able to will what is good or what is evil, and to think what is true or what is false, and to choose the one in preference to the other. This is the freedom that is given by the Lord, that is never taken away, and that is, indeed, the Lord's with man." **** "It is within the freedom of every man to think evilly or well, sincerely or insincerely, justly or unjustly, and also that he can speak and act well, sincerely and justly, but not evilly, insincerely or unjustly, on account of spiritual, moral and civil laws by which his external is kept in bonds. Hence it is evident that the spirit of man, which is what thinks and wills, is in freedom, but not so much the external of man, which speaks and acts, unless this be in agreement with the abovementioned laws." *****
     * AC 2874.
     ** AC 2876.
     *** DP 71.
     **** HH 587.
     ***** Ibid.

     We believe that the meaning of these teachings is clear. The freedom which the Lord gives to every man as the indispensable means of salvation, which He protects zealously, and which is not to be encroached upon by other men, is freedom of the mind or spirit, not that of the external man. It is internal freedom: freedom to accept the Lord and His Word or to reject them; freedom to believe that life inflows from the Lord or that it originates in self. Thus it includes freedom to will and think in favor of good and truth or against them - to will and think evil and falsity. But it does not include liberty to do what is evil and to speak what is false. It is true, of course, that there is a connection between spiritual and natural freedom and that there should be provision for the ultimation of freedom, and of this we shall speak in the next class; but natural freedom is not indispensable for salvation, and external limitations are not necessarily an interference with freedom.

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As imposed upon some, they may, indeed, be necessary for its preservation with the many. It is, therefore, man's right to will and think as he chooses, but not to do and say just as he pleases. On the external plane he is free to do and say only what is just, sincere and good. This is recognized to some extent in civil life. Freedom of assembly is protected by laws against unlawful assembly and riotous behavior, political freedom by laws against sedition and treason, freedom of speech and of the press by the law of slander and libel, and freedom of movement by the penal code and ordinances requiring criminal registration.

     Freedom and License. This brings us to the important distinction between freedom and license. Vital as that distinction is, it is not always easily seen. As a start, we can do no better than take the definition of license offered by Swedenborg in Rational Psychology, no. 355, namely, indulging one's natural tempers, obeying the wishes and lusts of the animus, giving full rein to bodily appetites, and allowing cupidities to break out into corresponding acts. We seldom have difficulty in identifying any of these things as license in others, but we may not so readily recognize them as such in ourselves! As the Writings point out: "Those who do not possess conscience make freedom to consist in the license of thinking and speaking what is false, of willing and doing what is evil, and of not compelling and humbling such desires." * Nor do they leave us in any doubt as to the source of this misapprehension, for the passage continues: "This freedom they receive from the infernal spirits who are with them and who infuse it, and when they are in the life of these spirits they are also in their loves and cupidities, and suppose themselves to be in their freedom."
     * AC 1947: 3.
     However, those who thus confuse license with freedom cannot always see their mistake. They regard any opposition as an affront to their status as free persons, external restraint as an attack on their freedom, and self-compulsion as a surrender of it. Therefore various restraints on license exist, both internal and external: some civil, some moral and some spiritual. The civil and criminal law and their penalties, a sense of honor and decorum, respect for persons who must be obeyed, sensitivity to public opinion and concern for the image, corporate or private, the necessity of obtaining food and clothing, and above all the laws of conscience, all serve as such restraints; and except for the last-mentioned, all make a persuasive or cogent appeal to the natural man.
     None of these things in themselves take away freedom.

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What they do is to restrict license. The will and the thought are still free, and they are given to us by the Lord in order that we may enjoy true freedom and not abuse it, which is to govern our own minds in such a way that we live according to Divine and human laws. We shall have more to say later about the fact that not all external restraints violate freedom or make its exercise impossible; for the present we simply note the fact itself and stress its importance. For one of the most dangerous fallacies to which we are exposed is that to deny to anyone the right to uninhibited self-expression is to subject him to a traumatic experience that may leave lasting scars; and this, having regard to what the proprium is, we must surely resist!
     Nothing may be more difficult at times than to fix the dividing line between freedom and license in externals. Yet we are not left without guidance. The teaching is that man is not free to do what is evil, unjust and insincere, or to say knowingly what is false in order to achieve an evil end. Unfortunately, his imagined right to do so is sometimes justified by himself, or even by others, on the specious grounds that he must be left in freedom. But this is the advocacy of misunderstanding, or worse. To repress evils may be dangerous; to suppress them until they can be overcome is most necessary. Freedom implies responsibility. Men do not normally live in complete isolation from their fellows, and whenever the so-called freedom of one encroaches upon the legitimate freedom of others, then freedom becomes license. Consideration for the welfare, safety, enjoyment and comfort of others is inseparable from true freedom; and when a piece of conduct is justified indignantly with the declaration, "This isn't Russia, it's a free country," we may at least suspect that what is being defended is the taking of license rather than the exercise of real freedom!

     True Freedom

     Yet men are naturally external. Even when they are able to distinguish it from license, they tend to think of freedom in terms of speech, action and movement, and of choice among ultimate things. But the emphasis of the Writings, as we have seen, is upon freedom of the mind, and their teachings about it throw new light upon the subject and lead to certain unavoidable conclusions.
     A careful comparison of many passages shows that man has freedom in thinking, in choosing and in acting; that freedom of choice is freedom itself with man, since the mind cannot select what flows into it but does choose what shall be retained, appropriated and determined to act; and that true freedom is to reject evil and choose good, to think truly and wisely as a result of that choice, and to act accordingly.

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This is what is different in the teaching of the Writings: that freedom does not consist essentially in the absence of restrictions imposed from without, but in as-of-self liberation from restraints that come from within - from the yoke of the natural mind and from sensual and corporeal things - and in willing acceptance of the discipline of good and truth. We can disengage ourselves from the things of the lower mind by using them as means instead of being mastered by them as ends. We can be instructed by the Lord in the Word, we can worship Him, and we can come to love spiritual things; and in this is the potentiality of true freedom.
     So the freedom we are to seek, prize and defend, is freedom of the mind, freedom in spiritual things. But, and this is the conclusion to which the teachings lead, in order to enter into true freedom we must frequently be willing to exercise self-compulsion against self, instead of insisting upon a fancied right to say and do whatever we feel prompted to say and do in a given situation. Essential freedom consists in controlling the mind, not in giving rein to its cupidities. There is, of course, no such thing as self-conquest, and no man can ever be his own master; but unless a man fights against self as if of himself and so comes under the Lord's leading, which is true freedom, he will be mastered by his proprium. He who fights against himself, then, is more free than he who indulges himself, and the noblest exercise of freedom on man's part is self-compulsion against self.
     This is a familiar teaching of the Writings. "As man is man from the internal of his thought," we read, "he compels himself when he compels the external of his thought, and this is not contrary to rationality and freedom, for rationality makes the combat and freedom follows it up. Moreover, real freedom and rationality are in the internal man, and from this in the external. When therefore the internal man conquers real freedom and rationality are given." * "In all self compulsion to what is good," reads another passage, "there is a certain freedom that is not discerned while man is engaged in such compulsion. Such is the case with those who compel themselves to do what is good for the sake of the Lord's precepts and the salvation of their souls. There is a willingness within and thus a certain freedom from which they do it . . . . This freedom is from the Lord, who insinuates it into the man's conscience and by means of it causes him to overcome the evil as from what is his own. Through this freedom man acquires a heavenly proprium. Without a proprium given through such freedom man cannot be reformed." **
     * DP 145
     ** AC 1937: 4, 5. Cf. AC 1947: 1.
     Here is the highest use for the sake of which the faculty of freedom is given to man - that of serving as the means through which the heavenly proprium is acquired; and every use of the faculty not having this as the end is a lesser use, if it is not an abuse.

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Man is in freedom when he can think and will from affection, and he is in true freedom when he thinks what is true and wills what is good and then compels his external mind to speak and act as the internal thinks and wills.

     Two Principles

     The teachings considered in this class lead to two principles, and the first of these is embodied in the Lord's often quoted but frequently misapplied words: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." To understand it, however, we must take note of the essential condition prefixed by the Lord: "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." Knowledge is not power; right knowledge does not necessarily lead to right action; and mere knowledge of the truth, just any truth at all, does not make men free. It is the truth itself, the truth of the Word, that makes men free; and that truth is not a matter of mere knowledge, of remembering what the Word says, but is attained by continuing in the Lord's Word as His disciple by acknowledging His Divine Human and living according to His precepts in the Word.
     However, it is a fact that until men know the truth about a given situation or course of conduct they are not in freedom to make a rational decision. Truth puts man in freedom because it enables him to see both sides of the question and to judge wisely, and because it also enables him to control those prejudices and preconceptions which most seriously constrain his freedom. It follows from this that it is a misinterpretation of the teaching, and one to which we are easily prone, to suppose that those who are doing evil in ignorance of the true facts should be left in freedom to continue in their evil. That is not to leave them in freedom but to keep them in ignorance. Rather, if it is possible, should they be put in freedom by being acquainted with the facts, the truths, that will equip them to make a rational decision. If that it done, and if no pressure is then brought to bear that might force a decision, then the freedom they have been offered is preserved. They may reject it, or continue in the evil anyway, but at least they may now know what it is that they are doing.
     Yet the main idea here, and it leads to the second principle, is that freedom increases, not through release from the exigencies of external circumstances, but according to the understanding of truth. A man in prison might be more free than one at liberty; one compelled to be silent than one at full liberty to speak freely.

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It is true that there must be some opportunities to ultimate freedom, and of this we shall speak in our next class; but the fact is that we achieve true freedom, not by getting rid of all external restraints, but by increasing our knowledge and understanding and application of truth in the circumstances in which we are; and that even when we most deplore our lack of freedom we may be neglecting our real opportunity to develop it.
     The second principle is that true freedom in externals is not incompatible with certain restraints and even compulsions. It is probably true that on the civil plane we are not in freedom to do or not do certain things. Theoretically there is a choice, but we are so conditioned that the penitentiary does not offer a real alternative! Yet freedom on any plane is impossible without law and order. Civil liberties are balanced by civil duties and responsibilities; and in the discharge of these freedom lies, not in the doing or not doing, but in the motive from which a man acts.
     This is made clear in an interesting passage which is speaking of the payment of duties and taxes as a public duty of charity. "These," it says, "are paid with a different disposition of heart by those who are spiritual and by those who are merely natural. . . . Those who are spiritual pay them unreluctantly and with a willing mind, and consider it iniquitous either to withhold them or to use deceit. But those to whom their country and the church are not the neighbor pay them with a reluctant and an unwilling mind, and as often as they have an opportunity they defraud." * Here is food for reflection, and a statement of principle so clear that no comment is needed.
     * TCR 430.
     Freedom and voluntaryism are not necessarily identical. When the common good requires that men do certain things they will not, or feel that they cannot, volunteer to do, external compulsion does not take away real freedom, provided it is applied by lawful means. Freedom does not mean that in every external situation the decision shall be left to the individual. This is not easily learned, still less easily acknowledged; but it is essential to the concept of freedom.

     Conclusion

     Yet when we consider the results of choice in spiritual things and think also about the human environment, the pressures to which men are subjected - few of their own choosing and many things they can do little or nothing about - we may wonder at times how much freedom does man really have. The doctrine is clear, but in practice how can it be said that man is free? These questions we will attempt to answer in our next class.

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ORDINATIONS 1965

ORDINATIONS       Jr. DANIEL WEBSTER GOODENOUGH       1965

     Declarations of Faith and Purpose

     The Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is the trine of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the one only God of heaven and earth. He is Divine Man, the same from eternity to eternity, and His essence is infinite love conjoined with infinite wisdom. He is the Creator of the universe and the only Savior of man. By birth from a virgin He took upon Himself in time a human, which by means of continual victory in the combat of temptation He made Divine and united to the Divine in Himself.
     The essence of Divine love is to love others outside of oneself, to will to be one with them, and to render them blessed from oneself. To this end man was created a free and rational receptacle of inflowing Divine life. But of himself man is nothing but evil, and he opposes Divine order unless he allows the Lord to regenerate him. To receive the Divine gift of eternal life man must therefore act as of himself in repenting of evils as sins against God and in leading a life of charity, which is a life of use. The Lord's New Church consists of all those who by way of life worship the glorified Lord.
     To worship an invisible God is to worship no God, and the Lord has therefore made Himself visible to man through His threefold Word. Divine truth in the Old Testament is heavily veiled, and in the New Testament, less veiled; but in the Writings given through Swedenborg the Lord speaks openly to man. The Old and New Testaments and the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem are together one Word, revealing the glorified Divine Human. To be saved, the man of the church must study the Word, and then live its commandments spiritually.
     The priesthood has been established by the Lord for the purpose of teaching men the truth and leading them thereby to the good of life. When the priest acts for the salvation of souls and teaches from the Lord rather than from himself, he serves truly as a representative of the Lord on earth.
     It is from belief in these truths that I offer myself for inauguration into the priesthood of the Lord's New Church. I acknowledge also that this call to the priesthood is of the Divine Providence; for the Lord alone builds His church.

     DANIEL WEBSTER GOODENOUGH, JR.

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Title Unspecified 1965

Title Unspecified              1965

     I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the one God of heaven and earth in whom is the Divine Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which is the trinity of love, wisdom and use itself.
     I believe that the Lord from His Divine love, through His Divine wisdom, has created a kingdom of uses - heaven, in which man may dwell with the Lord in eternal happiness; and that He has also created the earth as a seminary for this heaven.
     Man is born upon the earth, and is given a Divine endowment of freedom and rationality from which he should act as if of himself while yet acknowledging that he acts from the Lord. The proper exercise of freedom and rationality is to shun evils as sins against the Lord and to do the neighbor every good in a life of use.
     I believe that the Lord has revealed Himself to man in every age, and, since the consummation of the Most Ancient Church, in the written Word. In the Old Testament He appears as Jehovah of Hosts; in the New Testament He appears as Jesus Christ, Jehovah incarnate; and now in the Writings for the New Church He reveals Himself in full glory and power in His Divine Human.
     If a man would live the life that leads to heaven, and thereby enter into the New Church, he must humbly seek the Lord in His Word. This Word, although it is given in three different forms, is yet one Word. The doctrine of genuine truth, which is one with the spiritual sense, appears in all three forms of the Word: in generals in the Old and New Testaments, in particulars in the Writings. This doctrine, in its generals and in its particulars, is Divine law for the church and is altogether to be observed and done.
     I believe that it is of Divine order that there should be an ordained priesthood whose use it is to see that there is what is Divine among men. Priests worthily perform this use when they are affected by the desire of saving men's souls, and from this affection teach the truth of the Lord's Word and lead thereby to the good of life and thus to the Lord. In this use the priest must acknowledge that he cannot save souls; that he is but an instrument in the hands of the Lord serving this end. Only the Lord's love acting through the truths of His Word can elevate the souls of men into heaven.
     In presenting myself for inauguration into the priesthood of the Lord's New Church I pray that the Lord in His Divine Providence will lead my will and enlighten my understanding that I may teach the goods and truths of His Word aright for the establishment and strengthening of the New Church. I pray that I may be a worthy laborer in the Lord's vineyard.

     WILLARD LEWIS DAVENPORT HEINRICHS

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OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Receptacle.     By receptacles are meant the very essential forms of men. Men are forms receptive of life from the Lord, and the human mind therefore consists of receiving vessels. Note, however, that by this term the Writings do not mean inert vessels to be infilled but vessels which react, freely and responsibly, to the influx of life. (See AC 6138, 5531.)

     Reciprocal.     This term relates to the reaction of truth to good. Truth from the Lord enters the mind from without through the Word; good from the Lord inflows by an inner way. When man makes the truth his own, or as if his own, by obedience to it, it reacts with the good that inflows from within, and this reaction is what is meant by reciprocation. It should be noted that both the action and the reaction are of the Lord, but that the latter is effected through man as if of himself. (See AC 2954; DLW 115.)

     Redemption.     Here is a theological term which has an entirely different meaning in our doctrine from that which is given to it in Christendom. To redeem is to buy back, and the Christian Church teaches that the Lord bought back the souls of the elect with the blood shed on the cross. The Writings teach, however, that redemption itself was the subjugation of the hells and the arrangement of the heavens into order, and thus preparation for a new, spiritual church. So the passion of the cross was not redemption, though, as the last of the Lord's temptations, it was a means of redemption because of glorification. (See TCR 84.)

     Reflection.     We should be careful to distinguish this term from "meditation," which is the ruling love thinking. It may be defined in three ways. In act, reflection is a mental operation in which the mind considers, as from above, its external acts and processes and the, functioning of the body. In effect, it is a mental view of the things that impinge upon the mind through the senses of the body, and of what their quality is. In essence, it is consciousness, and thus the essential of thought and sensation. It is, therefore, the faculty through which everything human comes to man, and without which he would not be man at all. (See SD 733-739.)

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FACES OF HATE 1965

FACES OF HATE       Editor       1965


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By
THE GENERAL CHURCH OP 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.
     Just as there are advocates of collective rather than individual responsibility and guilt, so there are those who profess to find in hate as a disease of society the reason for specific expressions of hatred. To characterize society as hate-ridden would be an overstatement; yet it can scarcely be denied that there is too much hatred in the world. The presses of extremism and racism spew out their hate propaganda - and there are many who are inflamed by it; national, religious, political and social hatreds smolder, and are easily fanned into searing flame.
     Even where naked hate does not show itself, there is no lack of deep contempt: contempt for those in political opposition; contempt for those whose religious practices, theories, culture, educational and social background, customs and mores are different; and in the academic world sometimes even contempt for those who work in other disciplines. It is not suggested that such contempt is universal, or even general; but it is common enough to cause alarm, especially when we realize that contempt is, as the Writings teach, a form of hatred.
     Inevitably there is much in the world that we must oppose. Yet when the Lord commanded His disciples to love their enemies He was neither demanding the impossible nor urging sentimental foolishness! The essence of love is good will; the essence of hatred is to will evil. When conscience dictates we must oppose; but if our, opposition to what we believe to be evil, dangerous, wrong or stupid is animated by contempt or hatred, it does not come from the Lord through heaven. Aversion to evil does; hatred springs only from the proprium and originates in the hells.

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MILIEU OF REGENERATION 1965

MILIEU OF REGENERATION       Editor       1965

     The hard-pressed New Church man may sometimes feel, wistfully, that it would be much easier to love his neighbor if only the neighbor did not include some of the people with whom he is associated; that in another setting, an ideal one of his own imagining, he could regenerate with relative ease! For the most part, however, we can see at once the flaws in these fancies, dismiss them as the whimseys they are, and again face reality. Far more serious is the plight of the man or woman - more sensitive, perhaps, than most - who doubts whether regeneration is possible in a society as materialistic as ours and so indifferent or even hostile to the idea of spiritual values.
     Doctrinally, of course, such doubts can find no solid basis, and those who are plagued by them need to be helped to become better instructed. If we know and really believe the many teachings of the Writings about the leading of Providence and the preservation of man's freedom and rationality, we can only conclude that the situation in which we are, the conditions of our lives, the circumstances which surround us, furnish the only milieu in which we can be regenerated. If it were not so, our condition would surely be different. Regeneration is not a matter of the forces that play upon us, but of how we react to them; and our freedom to react rightly is protected by the Lord.
     Idealism, when divorced from reason, becomes a dangerous rather than a valuable quality. The only ideal world is the one that is entered into through regeneration, and we cannot expect an ideal setting in which to attain it. This is not the Lord's will; it is a hard fact of what men have made of life. But the life we live, day by day, is the only one in which we can be regenerated; and if we look to the Lord, believe in Him, and trust in His power to overcome for us, He will provide the means and give us the fortitude to use them.
CHURCH AND ALCOHOL 1965

CHURCH AND ALCOHOL       Editor       1965

     In discussing last month the problems of alcohol we raised the question of what the general attitude of the church is, and should be, to habitual excessive drinking. As was said then, in principle we stand for temperance; but in practice do we sometimes fall into the unshocked acceptance of drunken behavior which is so prevalent in our society? Or are we at least reluctant to express disapproval of drunkenness in a way that is quite clear, and to invoke moral and social sanctions against those who regularly offend?

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     Perhaps the wider question is: What should be the attitude of the church to drinking? If those who have suffered the mounting misery of alcoholism in their families and homes become militant advocates of total abstinence, even to the point of fanaticism, that is quite understandable. But our attitude as a church should be a reasoned one, and reason and fanaticism are poles apart. Our stand must surely be on the doctrine of use; and we may surely see that the answer to an abuse is never the total elimination of the use which it perverts.
     While total abstinence is the alcoholic's sole defense, we do not believe that the abuse of alcohol should drive the entire church to such abstinence. Intemperance takes many forms, and we need to beware of the form it sometimes takes in those who are most critical of excessive drinking! The answer to our problem is not to banish alcohol from all social occasions. However, neither should it ever be felt that no social event at which alcohol is not served can possibly be enjoyable and successful; and that those who cannot afford it, or do not wish to serve it, should therefore not entertain! That is to make alcohol an essential of social life rather than an adjunct to it.
     Where social drinking does take place, however, it should be relaxed, not compulsive. Obviously there should be no pressure to drink, especially on younger guests, and equal provision should be made for the non-drinker. A wise and discreet host can and will see to it, without seeming to stint his hospitality, that the consumption of liquor does not go beyond the point where it mars social pleasure rather than contributing to it. To some, this may not seem so effective as outlawing alcohol; but it is, we believe, what temperance means in practice, and, coupled with strong disapproval of excess, it suggests an approach that is rational and is based on the doctrine of use. The drinker's problem and what can be done to help him is another matter. Our concern here is the church's attitude to alcohol and the practices it follows.
SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 2. CHARITY 1965

SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 2. CHARITY       Editor       1965

     By reason of its very nature, love of religion is indeed the first of the spiritual virtues. But because of that nature, and of the source from which these virtues flow, the second is said to be charity. In defining this virtue the Writings present us with one of their most vital and beautiful concepts, and make the term one of the most important and distinctive in our New Church vocabulary.
     Our modern world thinks of charity almost entirely in terms of private or organized relief of material want or need. But although that may serve in childhood or in states of simplicity as a basis, it is natural, and is not what the Writings mean by charity.

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This virtue is not an action of any kind, although it has no reality unless it is ultimated in deeds. The vital distinction is that charity is to will well, and good works are to do well from willing well. In itself, charity is a love which originates in the unselfish affection of good. It is an internal affection which consists in a man's desiring from the heart, as the delight of his life, to do good to the neighbor without thought of recompense either in this life or in the world to come; and its essence is to will well to the neighbor, to be affected with good, and to acknowledge good as the neighbor. Charity is therefore love toward the neighbor and mercy; which is to love what is true sincere and just, and from will to act accordingly. Thus it is what is meant by spiritual good, which is to do good, or those things which the Lord has commanded in the Word, because they are true; that is, to do the truth of the Word.
     Charity itself, or the life of charity, is to act sincerely, justly and faithfully in one's employment and in every other work and relation with the neighbor. For good can be done to the neighbor only by means of what is good and just in the particular work in which one is engaged, and with whomsoever one has any dealings.
     It should be noted, however, that charity has also its duties, its benefactions and its recreations. The duties of charity, which are outside the scope of man's employment, but are made obligatory by civil and moral law, are public, domestic and private; and they consist in such things as payment of taxes, the discharge of responsibilities in the home, and the honoring of contracts and pledges. The benefactions of charity, on the other hand, are left to man's free will and consist in such things as a prudent giving to the poor. The recreations or pastimes of charity are all innocent amusements and hobbies which are taken up to the end that the animus may he re-created by suitable diversions.
     These are the things which enter into the second of the spiritual virtues that in a true church are the most highly regarded; and we are taught that this virtue has its signs, which are the externals of the body and of the mind that pertain to worship. It is true that these may not indicate the presence of spiritual charity. But if they are present, and seem to do so, the man of the church may believe that if their internal quality is such as it appears to be, he has received somewhat of charity; not from his rational or moral wisdom, but as a gift from the Lord through love to Him and toward the neighbor.

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Church News 1965

Church News       Various       1965

     THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH

     Commencement

     "From the four corners of the earth . . . ." began one of the valedictorians at the Academy's eighty-eighth Commencement ceremony on June 16. It well characterized one of the recurrent notes of Academy Commencements. This year there were graduates from four continents among those receiving degrees and diplomas from the Academy's five schools; and the license plates on cars outside proclaimed happy parents from the far reaches of the United States as well as Canada.
     The significance of this geographic range, of course, was not where the students came from, but why they came to Bryn Athyn and what they will take home with them. The responsibilities which a New Church education entails were stirringly described by the speaker, the Rev. David R. Simons, in an address published in this issue. His call for a commitment to charitable uses was most pertinent in the world of confused values which the graduates are entering.
     Valedictory expressions of gratitude were given by the following students: for the Girls School, Barbara Echols; for the Boys School, Geoffrey Childs; for the Junior College, Stephen Gladish; for the Senior College, Noel Griffin; and for the Theological School, Willard Heinrichs. Bishop Willard D. Pendleton, in response to the valedictories, expressed the Faculty's confidence in the graduates, and bade them take their places as leaders in New Church education from a growing knowledge of the truths of the Heavenly Doctrine. He concluded the ceremony with the affecting wish that the Lord might grant them "courage, strength, commitment, and peace."
     This year's Commencement was marked by the introduction of a new and distinctive recessional song, with words by Academy teacher Kenneth Rose set to Holst's "Turn Back, O Man."
     E. BRUCE GLENN

     ACADEMY SCHOOLS

     Awards, 1965

     At the Commencement Exercises on June 16, the graduates received their diplomas and the honors were announced as follows:

Theological School

     BACHELOR OF THEOLOGY:     Daniel Webster Goodenough, Jr., Willard Lewis Davenport Heinrichs.

Senior College

     BACHELOR OF SCIENCE:     Nuhad Khalil Abed, Noel Frederick Griffin.

Junior College

     DIPLOMA:     With Distinction: Constance Field, Alaine Lee Fuller, Stephen Geoffrey Gladish.

     DIPLOMA:     Loella Jean May Eby, Robert Barry Genzlinger, Barbara Anne Kendig, Joann Kay Lockhart, Elizabeth Anne Orr.

     Girls School

     DIPLOMA:     With Honors: Virginia Louise de Maine, Barbara Echols, Linda Mae Glenn, Laurie Lehne, Elaine Pitcairn.

     DIPLOMA OR CERTIFICATE:     Rudiana Khalil Abed, Judith Ellen Abele, Merrily Alden, Greta Lucy Doering, Sarah Jean Doering, Teresa Dunlap, Eva Anna-Lisa Fornander, Harriet Holmes, Deena May Homiller, Kathleen Doris Kendig, Barbara Jill McClow, Janyne Luise Nail, Deena Nelson, Pamela Orr, Susan Parker, Merrily Renn, Lisa Schoenberger, Gillian Simons, Kathleen May Stroemple, Carolyn Louise Walker, Elizabeth Ann Walker, Lynn-Del Walter, Portia King Willie.

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     Boys School

     DIPLOMA:     With Honors: Laurence Edward Cranch.
     
     DIPLOMA OR CERTIFICATE:     Robin McLean Barnitz, Mark Gene Barry, Eugene William Betz, Geoffrey Stafford Childs, John Somerville Cronlund, Lyle Edmond Dhuez, Daric Nicholas Ebert, Franklin Thomas Fiedler, Donald Frank Grubb, Jeffrey Louis Heath, Alan Richard Heldon, Peter Robert Knechtel, Robert Arne Larsson, Richard Kim Lindsay, John Rowland Moorhead, Robert Campbell Nash, Bryon Odhner, Jeremy Odhner, Michael Posey, Friedel Ludvig Rosenquist, Paul Schroeder, Michael Gregory Smith, Eric Dale Soneson, Kurt Blackman Synnestvedt, Dan Hatfield Woodard.

     Theta Alpha Award

     The Theta Alpha "Alice Henderson Glenn Award" was given by the Faculty of the College to Alaine Lee Fuller.


     NEW ENGLAND

     Connecticut

     The Connecticut group is still going strong and has been especially strengthened by the holding of more services at our own rented church in Foxon. Our October lay service was conducted by Mr. Allan Soderberg. An example of attendance is as follows: Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cadden plus three children; Mr. and Mrs. George Tyler plus three children; Mr. and Mrs. Allan Soderberg plus five children; Dr. and Mrs. William Radcliffe plus one child; Mr. and Mrs. Arne Larsson; Mr. Brian Simons; Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Simons; Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Burnham of Glenview.
     Doctrinal class in November was held at Dr. Radcliffe's and was conducted by our former pastor, the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, who also ministered at the service on Sunday morning. We were all most delighted to have the Hendersons visit us again.
     In December another lay service was held, this time a children's service for Christmas. There was a short service with a talk concerning the meaning of the Star of Bethlehem. This was followed by a Christmas concert with the Cadden family, and grandmother, Mrs. Robert C. Hilldale, at the piano. Everyone sang the songs from the Liturgy as the three clarinets and the piano led. Then the gifts from the church were presented to the children, and this was quickly followed by a buffet luncheon served next to a small, decorated tree. There were ten adults and twelve children present.
     The Rev. Robert S. Junge was with us for our January doctrinal class, which was held at the George Tylers' home. It was announced that the next few classes would be on missionary work, or what we can do whenever interest is shown in our church's doctrines. Church the following day had the usual twelve adults and twelve children, plus one guest - Miss Elizabeth Gardner. The Holy Supper was received by ten communicants.
     Another lay service, this time conducted by Mr. Frank Cadden, was held in February. There was the usual attendance, and Miss Gardner was again with us.
     Church weekend in March was a particularly happy occasion for the Connecticut group for two wonderful reasons. At the doctrinal class, held at Dr. Radcliffe's, we were greatly pleased to meet Carolyn Simons, Barry Simons' bride. They reside in Hyattsville, Maryland, but will visit his parents, the Elmer Simons, occasionally. The second reason was that during the service held the next morning Dr. William Radcliffe was baptized into the New Church. After the service was over, we all toasted the church, and Bill, with great affection.
     Mr. Elmer Simons conducted the lay service held on Palm Sunday. The subject was the three Marys in the Easter story and what Palm Sunday means. On the following Saturday, the day before Easter, a baby girl was born to Dr. and Mrs. Radcliffe, much to everyone's joy. Now we have thirteen children - until September, when the Radcliffes leave for England.
     May saw the special joint meeting of the Massachusetts and Connecticut groups.

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We were most fortunate to have Bishop Willard D. Pendleton visit us along with the Rev. Robert S. Junge. The Caddens, Mrs. Hilldale, the Simons, Miss Elizabeth Gardner, Brian Simons and the Soderbergs were among the group. At the lovely banquet we were most surprised, and pleased for him, to learn of Mr. Junge's projected additional duties as Secretary of the General Church and that he will no longer be with us. In his two years as our visiting pastor he has succeeded in inspiring us to carry lay services and to acquire a "settled" place of worship - Norseman's Hall in Foxon, near New Haven, which is rather centrally located for all of us. As a result of these two changes we now seem to have more unity as a church group, and all of us wish him happiness in this extension of his labors.
     We shall be looking forward to a new visiting pastor in September, the Rev. David R. Simons. As he has visited here several times during the past few years, we are pleased that we will now be able to greet him as "our" minister.
     DOLORES B. SODERBERG.

     BRYN ATHYN, PA.

     The Rev. Elmo C. Acton has nearly completed his second year as Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church, and a brief survey of this period under his able leadership in worship, doctrinal instruction and social life is in order. For many years this society has shared its pastor with the entire General Church and the Academy. The Bishop, the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, recognizing the need for a priest whose full time could be devoted to the Bryn Athyn Church, asked Bishop De Charms to serve as Dean after his retirement from the episcopal office. Then, two years ago, the Society unanimously confirmed the Bishop's recommendation that Mr. Acton be called as Dean, to assume responsibility for the Society's worship, doctrinal instruction and social life.
     Since that time this community has come to love and respect the gentle but firm guidance of its Dean. Mr. Acton has made several innovations, among which are: special doctrinal classes in preparation for New Church Day, men's discussion groups, an inquirers' class, Hebrew lessons for children, and a Nineteenth of June pageant performed by the children of the elementary school. For this fall, he has planned a special joint Thanksgiving service to be held in the Asplundh Field House.
     In addition, Mr. Acton has had his own Dean's Council. This body of men has enjoyed a series of thoughtful discussions on the status of the Society and its future growth. Dr. William R. Kintner, a member of that group, suggested a survey of the community in the form of a questionnaire. The idea took root, and a few weeks later the Bryn Athyn Boys Club distributed over 600 copies of a questionnaire throughout the Bryn Athyn congregation. These were collected by the same well-organized messengers the following week, and then the real work of analysis began. Fortunately, some members of the Council had computers available to them through their work, and the know-how to program the material into them.
     The questionnaire consisted of 75 questions regarding financial support and reading habits, as well as an interest checklist of the numerous uses and activities available to members of the congregation. In addition, there were 13 opinion questions that invited honest responses concerning the state of the Society, its problems and suggestions for solving them. The 525 replies received (over 71% of them signed) provided the Dean with answers that were affirmative, frank, thoughtful, and, in a few instances, astonishing! Many attached lengthy letters addressed to their Dean. The opinions and notes were treated confidentially by the Dean's office, and the statistical portion of the replies was programmed into the computer.
     A special meeting of the Society was held in May at which Dean Acton gave a preliminary report on the questionnaire. The results of this survey will probably be published for other interested General Church people. Meanwhile, the Dean has not only a wealth of names of people who have expressed their interest in various society uses but also a long list of suggestions for society improvements.

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Pertinent statistics have already been forwarded to interested persons - for example, to the editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE on subscriptions and reading habits - and the punched cards await future analysis by the Dean.
     Many in their replies to the questionnaire expressed the desire to do more for the inquirer and the newcomer to the Society. Dean Acton recently received approval of a proposal to make the Epsilon Society, a missionary committee, part of the Society's uses, which provides a way to meet just that need. Others reported their concern in connection with the young people of the Society. Plans are now being made for a program which will better incorporate the young people into the work of the Society as well as into its social life.
     Many of the shortcomings pointed out are not, however, peculiar to this community. Most of our problems could be eliminated by a genuine spirit of charity to the neighbor. Yet the overwhelming feeling given by the questionnaire was one of affirmative support of the Dean and his wise leadership in the uses entrusted to his care. Affirmation, in the real sense, builds unanimity and confidence in pastoral leading, and these are essential ingredients for building the church on earth. Government by the Writings and through the clergy is true government in and of the church, and this the Bryn Athyn Church is receiving through its Pastor and its Dean.
     LORENTZ R. SONESON

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS

     Glenview has come to the end of the last half of a busy year. Now thoughts of school-closing, vacations and a quiet summer routine are uppermost in the minds of most of us.
     As the past six months pass in review we start with the activities of the Social Club. First there was a Bridge Tourney which ran for several weeks after Friday suppers. The Club then came through with a novel program, a Beerfest, which was very jovial and friendly. As usual, New Year's Eve came, with open houses before the big dinner-dance and the noisy midnight celebration. The Social Club provided well for the needs of the occasion. A marked variation in entertainment was "Mom's Sunday Out" on Valentine's Day. Because families attended in groups there was an all-time record attendance. Many forthright testimonies written by children about their mothers were read. The food was served by the children, and mothers sat back and relaxed - except when their children's papers were being read! A travelogue was given by several travelers and picture takers in the Society, and prizes were awarded for the best pictures in several categories. At present the Park Social Club is sponsoring a tennis tournament.
     The Girls Club, whose membership is drawn from the sixth through the ninth grade, held a handcraft sale before Christmas, a bake sale later, and a mother-daughter banquet in May. Another of the Club's big projects was the gathering of favorite recipes from the cooks in the Society and then having them printed and made into a very attractive book which sells for $1.50. The proceeds from all these endeavors go to the camp in Wisconsin.
     The Boys Club has been performing many services for the Society and it, too, had a banquet, a father and son banquet. One of the greatest feats of entertainment was the program written and directed by the sponsor of the Club, Mr. Donald Edmonds. This great saga of the West was called "A Horse Named Louis LePages." Mr. Edmonds had all the boys and girls from the sixth grade up performing, and any serious moment or reference to fact was positively unintended. As amusing as the play was the program leaflet with its humorously illustrated advertisements by various local businesses and individuals.
     Some highlights from this school year are: publication by the eighth grade of THE PARK SNOOZE, a periodical containing the best in humor, poetry and eighth grade sophistication; a superb musical program, excerpts from The Mikado, semi-costumed and done by the entire school. Several of the teachers and Mrs. Justin Synnestvedt gave excellent renditions, and the headmaster sang his own version of the words to "Let the Punishment Fit the Crime."

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This very ambitious performance was directed and accompanied on the piano by our two Glorias: Gloria Barry (Mrs. John Barry) and Gloria Harer (Mrs. Warren Harer).
     Two new homes have been constructed on Gladish Lane, those of the Roy Fuller and the Donald Schnarr families. The house which the Ben McQueens moved down Glenview Road to the Junge lot is being readied for habitation. Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Barger have moved from Mexico to the Park, to the delight of the Society; but we regret that Mr. Henry Mellman's company has transferred him to Minneapolis and we have lost his family from our midst.

     Three weddings have been celebrated since our last report. The former Kay Nicholson and Conrad Iungerich, the former Gladys Holmes and George Kuhl, and the former Sandra Graham and Wayne Goebel were the happy couples.
     Theta Alpha kept the clothing exchange open all year. A bake sale was held; a clever and highly successful book sale was undertaken; and the chapter secured as a speaker the famous author and columnist, Mr. Sydney Harris, whose subject was "Present Day Man's Dilemma." Theta Alpha brought its year's activities to a close with a banquet, at which we had the great pleasure of having our former pastor, the Rev. Elmo C. Acton, as our speaker. The Society was delighted that Ione also came. This brought back former states of love and happiness.

     Another honor that came our way was a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Boyd Asplundh. Mrs. Asplundh, the president of Theta Alpha, attended a tea in her honor. She presented news of the uses being performed by Theta Alpha and also sought opinions of ideas under discussion. The Sons meetings this year were enlivened by speeches on controversial subjects by local gentlemen. The Sons very gallantly sponsored a Ladies Night Out and provided a pleasant diversion for les femmes.
     We were saddened by the loss of three stalwart members. Mr. Jesse Stevens, who gave so generously of his musical talents to the school and to anyone seeking his instruction, was called to the spiritual world. Mr. Henry Maynard, who never failed to support, either financially or by his presence, any function of the church, was released from a wearisome illness in this world. His generosity and love of the church were reflected in his willing his estate to the Immanuel Church. Another kindly and constant supporter, Mr. Neville Wright, left for his eternal abode. He never without good reason missed a service.
     The Epsilon Society has been trying new and different ways to spark interest in the Writings. Two ads designed by an expert in the advertising field, Mr. Arvid Tessing, were inserted in the Book Section of the Chicago Tribune, and members have written personal letters to all who responded to them, inviting them to a series of lectures given at Sharon Church by the Rev. Kurt Nemitz and the Rev. Alfred Acton. So far these lectures have attracted ten visitors. Mr. Nemitz was the speaker one evening at the College of Complexes in Chicago. This organization gives an opportunity to all who wish to air their ideas.
     Mr. Acton inspired the school children to undertake scientific projects and then displayed them at a Science Fair in Pendleton Hall. Some wonderful work was shown, and children and spectators received a wealth of information. The school is losing three teachers: Mrs. Bruce Fuller, Mrs. Neil Caldwell and Mrs. Leroy Streicher. Fortunately, however, three kind and qualified ladies are going to fill the gap. They are: Mrs. Marvin Stevens, Mrs. Martin Klein, and Miss Helen Echols from Bryn Athyn.
     A further change in our Society will be the transfer of the Rev. Kurt Nemitz and the coming of the Rev. Robert Cole. We shall miss Kurt, and we thank him for his devoted and wholehearted service. We extend a hearty welcome to Mr. Cole and hope that he and his family will enjoy Glenview.
     VERA KITZELMAN

     THE CHURCH AT LARGE

     General Conference. The Rev. Claud H. Presland has moved and his new address is: Rev. Claud H. Presland, Secretary of the General Conference, 36 Warminster Road, South Norwood, London SE. 25, England.

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     Mr. Arthur Jackson has retired from the treasurership of the New-Church College after serving in that capacity for twelve years. He had previously served for a short time as secretary.
     The Nottingham Society reports that it has adopted a form of offertory different from the usual one. Offerings are made as people enter the church, and the offering is dedicated during the service.

     THE SWEDENBORG SOCIETY

     The Rev. Donald L. Rose took the chair at the Spring Meeting, the subject for discussion being The Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture. Miss Madeline Waters dealt with the natural and historical plane of the work; Mr. Bruce Jarvis spoke on correspondences in general and of the history, development and gradual decline of the science of correspondences; and Mr. Michael Stanley developed the subject of correspondences in particular. All three speakers were making their first appearance.

     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 make it possible for contact with these people to be regained, please send it to the Rev. Robert S. Junge, Secretary of the General Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009.

1.     Mr. Stephen A. Alexander - 100 2nd St., Alberttown Ward Georgetown, British Guiana, South America
2.     Mrs. Ross E. Baker - 444 East End Ave. Beaver, Pa.
3.     Mrs. Alice L. S. Barnes - Martinaville, N. Line, Syndney, N.S.W. Australia
4.      Mrs. Thomas M. Graves - North Chelmsford - Mass.
5.     Mr. Thomas P. Gray
6.     Miss Henrika G. Koster - Zwaluwenweg No. 1, Blaricum, Holland
7.     Mrs. Robert Laroque La Targette - Mananjary, Madagascar
8.     Mrs. Edward J. Maat - Hoofdstraat West 14, Pastorie Doofsgezinde Kerk, Wolveg, Friesland Holland
9.     Mrs. Francis J. Marguire - 730 Fort Washington Ave. New York 33, N. V.
10.     Miss Norma A. R. Radford - 57 Hurstville Rd. Penshurst, N.S.W. Australia
11.     Miss Harriet T. Rice - 4031 Randolph St. San Diego, Calif.
12.     Miss Jean Sherman - Sandoval. Illinois
13.     Miss Mildred V. Stoll - 1034 5th Ave. Santa Monica, Calif.
14.     Sr. Levindo A. Villela - Rua Santos Titara, Meyer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
15. Miss Marya Winska - 65 Corso Del Impero, San Remo, Italy

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MIDWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1965

MIDWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1965




     Announcements
     The Midwest District Assembly will be held in Glenview, Illinois, Friday, October 1, to Sunday, October 3, inclusive, the Bishop of the General Church presiding.
     All members and friends of the General Church of the New Jerusalem are cordially invited to attend.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop
EASTERN CANADA DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1965

EASTERN CANADA DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1965

     The Eastern Canada District Assembly will be held at the Olivet Church, Toronto (279 Burnhamthorpe Road, Islington), Ontario, Canada, Saturday, October 9, to Monday, October 11, inclusive, the Bishop of the General Church presiding.
     All members and friends of the General Church of the New Jerusalem are cordially invited to attend.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop
ORDINATIONS 1965

ORDINATIONS       Editor       1965

     Goodenough.-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, June 19, 1965, Candidate Daniel Webster Goodenough, Jr., into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton officiating.

     Heinrichs.-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, June 19, 1965, Candidate Willard Lewis Davenport Heinrichs into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton officiating.
CORRECTIONS 1965

CORRECTIONS       Editor       1965

     Because of unclear or incomplete information, the following were reported incorrectly in recent issues of NEW CHURCH LIFE. Please note the changes that should be made.

     Brown.-Under "Baptisms" (May, page 258), for Miss Verna June McDonald Brown read Verna June McDonald (Brown) Brown (Mrs. Kenneth Brown).

     Bazett.-Under "Confirmations" (May, page 259), for Mr. John Rabone Bazett read Mr. Bazett John Rabone.

     Wilson.-Under "Deaths" (April, page 211), for Mill Maude Wilson read Mrs. J. C. Wilson.
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN 1965

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN              1965

     People coming to Bryn Athyn for the opening exercises of the Academy schools 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. William B. Alden, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
WANTED 1965

WANTED              1965

     Miss Helene Howard would like to purchase two copies of The Mythology of the Greeks and the Romans by C. Th. Odhner, published by the Academy Book Room 1927. Will anyone who has a copy for sale please write to Miss Howard at 6655 Dalzell Place, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15217.
JUDGMENT FROM THE OTHER WORLD 1965

JUDGMENT FROM THE OTHER WORLD              1965

     "I spoke with spirits concerning drunkenness, and it was confirmed by them that it is an enormous sin, as well as that man becomes a brute [and] no longer a man; because that man is a man lies in his intellectual faculty, thus he becomes a brute, besides which he brings damage to his body and so hastens his death, besides wasting in extravagance what might be of use to many. - 1748, June 27. And it appeared to them so filthy that they abhorred such a life, which mortals have nevertheless introduced amongst themselves as a civil life" (Spiritual Diary 2422).
RESOLUTION 1965

RESOLUTION       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1965



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     As Bishop of the General Church I would express my deep appreciation of the following resolution which was unanimously adopted by the Council of Ministers of the General Convention on June 22, 1965, at Brockton, Massachusetts, and was unanimously approved by the General Convention on June 24, 1965, at the same place. It reads:

     Resolved:     That the General Convention of the New Jerusalem, recognizing that the General Church of the New Jerusalem, since its inception, has shared with us a central dedication to New Church life and teachings and a desire to serve our Lord Jesus Christ in His Second Coming, and acknowledging our rights and opinions as distinct bodies, testifies to its sincere desire that we shall live together in mutual love and understanding. It therefore calls upon its President, now and in the years to come, to further the following ends:
     First:     The fuller and freer exchange of information concerning the structure, policies and activities of our two bodies.
     Second:     Joint participation in such activities as may well be undertaken together.
     Third:     Exploration and discussion of differences and misunderstandings that may remain or arise between us.
     Fourth:     Encouragement of dialogue among us on ministerial and lay levels, wherever and whenever this may show promise of being fruitful.

     I know that all members of the General Church will share in my appreciation of this resolution and will look forward with confidence to a new era of understanding and co-operation between the General Convention and the General Church.
     It should be noted that this resolution was delivered to me in person by the Rev. Richard Tafel, President of the General Convention, and that our ensuing discussion centered around our mutual interest in the establishment of the New Church among men.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
     Bishop of the General Church

398


FATHER'S LOVE 1965

FATHER'S LOVE       Rev. NORBERT H. ROGERS       1965


Vol. LXXXV
September 1965
No. 9

NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" (Matthew 7: 9-11)

     Man himself is but a vessel, inert and passive. Nothing whatever originates in him. Everything, be it good or ill, that he has and that causes him to be what he is comes to him from without. His organic soul is derived from his father, and his body from his mother; his life flows into his soul, mind and body from the Lord; his ability to receive life and to react, and his essential human faculties of will and understanding, are given him by the Lord. The food, drink and air that nourish and purify the body, and that sustain its life, are taken in by man from outside of him - as are the bacteria, viruses, poisons and other things that harm his body and its life. Also from outside of man, from the natural world and the spiritual, come the sensations and experiences, the knowledges and perceptions, the thoughts and affections, the forces and causes, which affect his mind and spirit, developing or corrupting their form, state and life.
     From the natural world come the things and forces which affect mainly the natural body and mind. Some have a good effect, others not; some serve as means by which good spiritual forces are made operative with man, while others stimulate what is spiritually harmful. Whatever their effect, all natural things are of themselves of a gross, temporary nature, and are of little importance compared to spiritual things. All that is false and evil with man, and only what is false and evil, comes to him from hell. All that is genuinely good and true - all that is capable of perfecting man's spiritual life and eternal happiness - comes to him only from heaven; that is, from the Lord through heaven.

     The knowledge of this is of vital importance to man. For although he himself is merely a passive vessel, whose state of life is formed by what comes to him from outside, man is not simply the product of his environment, either spiritual or natural; nor is he to be regarded as the helpless victim of the forces that bear upon him.

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For the Lord has given man the ability to react variously to what comes to him from his internal and external environment. Although in infancy and childhood a man may have little control over his physical surroundings, or over what is given to him, such as food, clothing and knowledges, as he grows older he becomes able increasingly to select what he wants to be, and what he wants to eat, wear and learn, until eventually, in adult life, he is able to have considerable control over such things. It is similar with the things of the mind and spirit. Although man has at first no control over his spiritual environment and associates, over the thoughts and affections which make his state of life, or over the forces which act to produce changes in his state, because of the faculty of rationality the Lord has given him he can judge the things that come to him, determining whether he favors them or not; and because of the faculty of freedom the Lord has given him, man is able to react affirmatively to the things he favors or wants to favor, thereby strengthening their effect upon him. He is able also to react negatively to the things he does not favor or want to favor, thereby weakening their effect. In this way, by degrees, man is able to gain control of his spiritual environment and of what flows in from it. In this way, he is able to determine what his state of life shall be, thus also what his spiritual environment shall be.
     Man tends to favor what gives him delight, to be indifferent to what has no conscious effect on him, and to be antagonistic to what distresses him. Because natural things delight his natural senses, he favors and receives them gratefully. Because evils and falsities gratify the evil affections of his proprium, he finds pleasure in them and reacts affirmatively to them, looking upon them as goods and truths. Because genuine or spiritual goods and truths have no sensible effect upon the natural pleasures of a man's life, he tends to be indifferent to them; and because they are not in harmony with his proprial affections, causing them distress, the unregenerate man is inclined to react negatively to what is from the Lord - to the only things that can give him spiritual life and genuine happiness.
     That man may come to want to favor good and truth from the Lord, that he may come to react affirmatively to their approach and so receive them as his own, it is vitally important that he come to know and believe that he will receive only what is good and true from the Lord. In brief, it is of vital importance to a man that he come to trust the Lord as a child his father, looking to Him for the necessaries of life, and being assured that He is good. This is important, not only that man may come to want to favor what is from the Lord, but also that he may actively seek it; for man values, enjoys, and so uses properly and benefits from, goods and truths only in so far as he desires them and then petitions the Lord for them.

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For this reason the Lord exhorts man to ask of Him that he may receive good things.

     That God is good is the teaching of every church from the Word, and it has become a common saying among men. But just what is understood by that phrase depends on the state of mind and of life in each one. In general, to those in the good of life - especially to the regenerate, whose minds are illumined by spiritual light - the infinite goodness and loving-kindness of the Lord are clearly perceived and gratefully acknowledged. But to the evil, and to all whose minds are closed to the light of genuine truths and to the perception of genuine goods, the saying that God is good is a meaningless phrase: mere sounds uttered by the lips from habit and without understanding, without conviction and without joy. For regardless of what he is taught, of the quantity and quality of the knowledges he has at his disposal, every person's real and essential concept of God is according to the quality of his life, of his active and dominant affections. That is why the Writings teach that each one's place in the spiritual world is according to his idea of God. That, too, is why it is so often said that man's concept of God is a reflection of himself. In this connection, however, it is to be noted carefully that it is the concept, the idea, that is the reflection of man, and not God Himself; for God is, and He is good, whatever may be man's idea of Him.
     Because his state of mind and life is spiritually gross and perverted, because of the perversity and sensuality of his proprial affections, the unregenerate natural man's concepts of God, however they may appear, are characterized by falsity and irrationality. That such men, and, indeed, all men, might nevertheless come to have a correct idea of Him, that they might come to have confidence in Him and so open their hearts and minds to receive good things from Him, the Lord came on earth, revealing Himself in His Human. And He has taught all men, saying: What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" In this way, by using ideas and emotions familiar even to the most natural-minded of men, the Lord has enabled all who hear His words to understand something of the essential quality of His love and of His concern for the welfare of everyone.

     There are, we are taught, two universal spheres which go forth from the Lord for the conservation of the universe: the sphere of procreating, and the sphere of protecting that which is procreated. *

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These spheres affect the whole of creation, and are manifested variously in all the kingdoms of nature. In the human race, where they are most fully and perfectly manifested, these two spheres make one with the sphere of conjugial love and the sphere of the love of infants, * which are also said to be universal spheres. Being universal, these spheres affect all men and women, both the evil and the good; often so powerfully as to cause them to disregard all other considerations, ambitions, desires and pleasures for the sake of marriage and for the sake of children.
     * CL386.
     ** CL 387.
     The spheres of the love of offspring and of protecting them cause even the evil to respond affirmatively to the tender and helpless innocence of infants and little children, bringing out, as it were, the "good" in them. Thus the presence of little children generally causes normal men and women to be gentle, patient and tender - sometimes even against their will! It causes them to want the happiness of the little ones, to provide for their needs and protect them from harm; it causes them to want to do what is good for them, and to be fiercely angry at anyone or anything that causes them pain or distress. Affected by these spheres, it is unthinkable for a father to give his son so useless a thing as a stone, or so dangerous a thing as a serpent, when he needs and asks for food. If this be the case even with an evil man who is a father, how much more can be expected of a good man? And how much more can be expected of the Lord, who is infinitely good?
     Though the love of offspring affects all men, causing them to respond affirmatively to the children's innocence and to want to protect and provide, the quality of the love differs with each one according to his own quality. With the evil, the love may appear more active and strong than with the good; but with them, we are taught, it is genuine for only a very short time, if at all. That is to say, with the evil the love of offspring is, or soon becomes, merely an extension of their love of self. Thus they protect their children and provide for them, loving them inordinately, not because they have concern for their children's welfare, but because they see themselves in their children and through them seek to fulfill their own ambitions. These are the things they love, cherish and foster; and on account of them they care for their children and are solicitous, even self-sacrificing. But if their children should cease to be extensions of themselves, or if they refuse or are unable to fulfill their ambitions, the love of evil parents commonly turns to hatred, even violent and implacable hatred.

     With those who are merely natural, the love of offspring may also seem more active than with the good.

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This is because they are concerned primarily with such externally evident things as their children's natural welfare and safety, and concentrate their attention and energies upon them. And since they give little thought or effort to the spiritual needs of their children, merely natural parents tend to be more indulgent than others, permitting their children's proprial affections to flourish unchecked.
     With genuinely good parents, the love of offspring partakes of charity. They love their children for their own sakes and are concerned about their eternal welfare. They look on their children, not as their own, but as souls entrusted to their care by the Lord. They seek to protect them from spiritual as well as natural harm, and endeavor to provide for their spiritual as well as their natural needs; and they find delight and comfort in the knowledge that their genuine concern for their children's spiritual and natural welfare, and their sincere efforts to provide for their spiritual and natural needs, will be used by the Lord for the eternal life and happiness of the children.

     Those who desire to be good parents, who seek to provide well for their children's true needs, are to have a care lest inadvertently they give them a stone when they ask for bread, or a serpent when they ask for a fish. That is to say, they are to have care lest, when their children are in need of affection, which is the "bread" of spiritual life, they content themselves with giving them merely the cold stones of knowledge instead of showing them the affection they need, and instead of arousing in them affections of good and truth. For although knowledges of good and truth, of heaven and the church, are necessary and useful, they cannot be substituted for love and affection. Care is to be taken also to guard children from falling into faith-destroying states such as prevail in the world about us. Care is to be taken that when our children seek the knowledge of truth by which their minds are developed, when they seek understanding and faith, which is meant by asking for a "fish," we do not let them become deceived by their senses; that we do not let them come to trust in sensual things, or in their own intelligence, which is meant by giving them a "serpent." Only by considering carefully their real needs can parents come to know how to give good gifts unto their children: gifts of affections, of knowledges, of faith, that will lead them to place full confidence in their Heavenly Father; that will enable them to acknowledge with understanding that He is good indeed; and that will cause them to ask of Him the blessings of life eternal. Amen.

LESSONS:     Psalm 119: 9-24. Matthew 7:7-23. DP 330: 1-4.
MUSIC:     Liturgy, pages 446, 459, 456, 502.
PRAYERS:     Liturgy, nos. 27, 102.

403


REFLECTION 1965

REFLECTION       Rev. DANIEL W. HEINRICHS       1965

     Delivered at the 7th South African District Assembly, Durban, Natal, March 5, 1965

     One often hears the complaint made that the Writings are very difficult to read: that they are too theological, that their terminology is unusual and hard to understand, and that the reading is dull rather than stimulating. Of one thing, however, we may be sure. If a person will persevere in his reading of them, these objections will shortly pass away. For the fact is that the Writings abound with clear, lucid and arresting statements. They are a veritable treasure chest of precious gems for those who will make the effort and take the time to open them and explore their contents.
     I would invite your attention to the following statement and ask you to consider with me its implications. We read: "I have now been in conversation with spirits and angels concerning reflection, to which I do not know whether men have paid sufficient attention. If they do attend to this subject they will find there are more arcana in the doctrine of reflection than in any other whatsoever." * Here is a truly remarkable statement. How many of us knew that there was a doctrine of reflection, or suspected that the doctrine of reflection contained more arcana, or secrets, than any other doctrine? Does this statement not arouse and stimulate our imagination, thought and contemplation? We read further: "The doctrine of reflection is a complete doctrine, and without it no one can know what interior life is, nor even what the life of the body is. Indeed, without reflection from a knowledge and understanding [cognition] of truths no one is reformed." **
     * SD 733.
     ** SD 739.
     Think of that! Without reflection we cannot be reformed. Without reflection we do not know anything of the interior processes of the mind, nor are we even aware of bodily sensation. If we do not reflect upon our respiration we are not aware of the fact that we are breathing. There are odors in this hall but without reflection we do not smell them. Unless we reflect we are not even aware of those things which lie within our view. Having eyes, we see not. The chairs in this hall are hard, but unless you reflect upon that fact you are not aware of it. *

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(It is my hope that the subject of our address this morning will be of sufficient interest to you that you will not be inclined to reflect on such mundane and corporeal things at this time!)
     * See SD 733.
     As we have said, without reflection there is no conscious awareness of many things which impinge upon our minds through the five senses. * In fact, when reflection is absent the memory retains none of the thoughts or sensations which have entered the mind. "In a word, without reflection nothing is infixed in man." ** On the other hand, we are told that the memory retains that upon which man has reflected. ***
     * See SD 2315.
     ** SD 2593.
     *** Ibid.
     It may seem that the case for need of reflection is being over-stated. Yet it is not so. That without reflection nothing is retained in the memory is further emphasized in the following passage. There we are told that without reflection upon himself man "does not know that his hands or face are cold, or that his foot presses the ground when he walks, nor that he is uttering words when he speaks, or in like manner whatever else exists anywhere in the body, unless he reflects upon it, and directs his thought to it. There are many similar confirming things, as that, if man does not reflect on the sound of bells, or on the objects seen about him, he is altogether ignorant that he has heard or seen them." * There is no life in sensation or thought without reflection. **
     * SD 721.
     ** SD 2221.
     As we have noted previously, reflection and reformation are intimately related. Without reflection there is no reformation. Now reformation is part of the larger process called regeneration, of which the Lord said: "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." * It is clear from this that reflection is of tremendous importance to us. Yet the Writings say: "There are few at this day who are being regenerated and still fewer who reflect." ** Here is a statement which should cause us to pause and consider. It indicates that the world is in a sad state of affairs indeed. It brings to light a dire need in human society, a need which we should be well aware of and give some attention to, for without reflection there is no truly human life." ***
     * John 3: 3.
     ** AC 4245. See also AC 1933: 2.
     *** See SD 1905.
     What is reflection? There are various definitions in the Writings which show it in its different aspects. One passage defines reflection as "the mental view of a thing in regard to its nature and quality . . . from this comes perception." * Again we read: "To reflect is to concentrate the intellectual sight, and to observe whether a thing is so, and then that it is so." ** It involves an elevation of the thought - a lifting up of the eyes of the spirit. ***

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Elsewhere it is said: "Reflection is a sight proceeding from things past; hence it is self-knowledge." **** Reflection also involves a turning aside from that which normally occupies one's mind and seeing. ***** From these definitions we may say that reflection is a turning aside from the pressing concerns of the world, and a looking back on past experience and the things of memory; with these in view, elevating the thought and concentrating the intellectual sight in order that we may have a mental view of the subject under consideration. The results of such reflection are a recognition of the difference between appearance and reality, a perception of the nature and quality of the things reflected upon, a seeing of things in their true perspective, and self-knowledge.
     * AC 3661. See SD 1904.
     ** AC 5684.
     *** Ibid.
     **** SD 2107.
     ***** See AC 6836.
     Reflection, we are told, does not originate in man. We are only organic powers. Reflection is given by the Lord through influx. * Even that in man which gives him the ability to reflect is not his own. It is "from remains, that is, through remains from the Lord [that] man is able to be as man, to know what is good and true, to reflect upon matters of every kind, and consequently to think and reason." ** Reflection is, therefore, a God-given ability, it is not our own; and it is given us in order that we may experience sensation, thought and life on a truly human level. It is given that we may, by its exercise, act in a truly human manner and thereby be reformed and regenerated.
     * SD 2221. See AC 321.
     ** AC 560.

     Now reflection is not innate in man. By this I mean it is not something that comes naturally to man. It is imbued by habit from an early age, and it becomes natural only by repeated practice. * We have examples of this in the life of the body. Take, for example, an infant learning to walk. This eventually becomes natural to him - so natural that he is completely unaware of all the processes that are involved in walking. But when he is learning to walk he has to concentrate on every motion that he is making: the placement of his feet, his timing, balance and so on; and he has to persist in his endeavors, but it is through this concentration and persistent endeavor that he finally walks naturally and without any thought. The same thing is true of speaking. Infants do not speak. It is only through effort - sustained effort - that this ability is acquired and eventually becomes natural. (In fact, in some cases it becomes so natural that they can hardly stop!) The same thing is true of learning a foreign language. When one is first confronted with a foreign language the vocabulary, the structure, the sounds - these are all things that require great concentration. Once the language is learned and used continually, it becomes natural: Once these things are mastered they are easy.

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Now the same thing is true of reflection. Man does not naturally reflect. He has to learn to reflect and be trained to reflect. We are told that unless a man reflects on what he thinks, what he does, and why he thinks and acts as he does, he knows only that he is, and nothing else. ** Self-knowledge is a recognition of one's quality; so unless a man reflects on what he thinks, what he does, and why he thinks and acts as he does, he has no knowledge of his quality. Thus all he knows about himself is that he is.
     * SD 4226.
     ** SD 734.
     Now what is it that hinders or banishes reflection? As was pointed out above, the Writings say that there are few who are being regenerated and still fewer who reflect. * Now why is this so? One reason given in the Writings is that men are too concerned with the seeking of pleasure. ** When a man devotes himself to the pursuit of pleasure, trying to taste of every joy, he lives on the surface of life. He does not penetrate with any depth into an understanding of what life is about, or what his own life is about. All he does is go from one pleasurable sensation or experience to another and all his attention and thought are directed to these things.
     * AC 4245.
     ** DP 113.
     There is another cause for it, which is probably just as prevalent, and that is mental laziness. Reflection requires concentrated thought, and this takes effort. When we are being initiated, it is more difficult than physical activity. So we are inclined, when opportunities for reflection present themselves, to ignore them, for it requires an output from ourselves. There may be other factors which prevent reflection. Since one of the results of reflection is self-knowledge, we may be afraid of some of the things which we will discover about ourselves if we reflect upon ourselves. We may be afraid to recognize of what quality we are. We may persistently ignore the opportunities of reflection because we do not want to find out, and we persuade ourselves that ignorance is bliss.

     Now it was said that reflection is imbued by habit at an early age. How is it initiated? Since man does not naturally reflect, how are we to be initiated into reflection? In the Writings there is a rather unusual passage which, when reflected upon, suggests an answer, and that is, by suffering others to reflect upon oneself. * I am not unaware of the fact that such an idea is rather repellent to the proprium - the idea of having others reflect upon ourselves. Nevertheless it can be an extremely useful thing.
     * See SD 734.
     Since initiation into reflection is to begin at an early age, we can see a new responsibility that parents have towards their children, and that is, reflecting upon their children in such a way that their children are brought to some awareness of their own quality - the quality of their affections, thoughts, speech and deeds.

407


Children have many faults. They also have their good qualities. If parents would consciously lead their children to examine the things they have said and done and to judge of their quality, instead of merely scolding them and upbraiding them, then not only will they succeed in bringing these faults to their attention, but their children will acknowledge their shortcomings because they have discovered them themselves. With repeated experiences of this nature the habit of reflection can be established - a habit essential to their spiritual development and well-being. It would be wrong, of course, to reflect only upon bad qualities. One can reflect also upon their strengths and their virtues, so that they can be encouraged to strengthen and develop their good qualities. The point is that parents have a responsibility in this matter because if they do not reflect upon their children in such a way that their children are aware of this, and are brought to do the same thing in relation to themselves, then in later life the habit of reflection, which is so essential to spiritual life, will not have been established.

     But this reflection of others upon oneself can be of value in other ways. Its value is not restricted to infancy and childhood. Friends can be of great use in this regard. We call it constructive criticism. If we have genuine friendship for certain persons, we are interested in their real welfare, not merely in the pleasure we derive from associating with them. We desire to promote their welfare. If they have serious faults which we know they are unaware of, we can reflect upon them, and they can reflect upon us, or offer constructive criticism. We all have faults that we are unaware of - faults which hinder our relations with our fellow-men and our ability to be of use to them. If someone calls them to our attention in such a way that we see they are doing it from love and affection, then we can be led to reflect upon ourselves. After recognizing our shortcomings we can proceed to reflect upon their causes. When we see the causes in ourselves, then we are in a position to improve upon ourselves and become more useful to our fellow-men. I can give an example. A person I once knew was accused of having a superiority complex. A friend of hers reflected upon her with the intention of being helpful. She asked why her friend assumed a superior air. It developed that this person was not aware of the fact that she did adopt this superior attitude. It was only when it was brought to her attention that she reflected upon herself and realized that, in fact, she did adopt such an attitude. She was then able to reflect further that she did not, in reality, feel superior, but inferior. She realized that through constantly comparing herself with her friends she became so aware of her limitations and imperfections in relation to others that she began to feel inferior, and to compensate for this she adopted a superior air to gain confidence.

408


Upon further reflection she realized that it was a mistake to compare oneself with other people. She recognized that we are individuals and that we each have a contribution to make. We each have talents and gifts that no one else has. This led to an acceptance of self, or self-knowledge, which was gained through reflection. Having reached this point the superior attitude or air was discarded and a barrier was removed. She was then able to establish relationships with people which were more conducive to the performance of uses, and satisfaction was derived therefrom.

     We are told that "spirits, especially those who during their life had been proud, can never know otherwise than that they are better than others. They also find it hard that others should reflect upon them. When, however, they are brought into a state of reflection, they are brought into the state of a better life, for they can then first recognize themselves, and more truly know what they are." * We can see from this passage that it is pride that makes us unwilling that others should reflect upon us. From this teaching we can see that it is through allowing others to reflect upon ourselves that we can come to recognize ourselves and know more truly what we are and thereby be led into a better life.
     * SD 736.
     It may seem strange to us, but even angels do not know of what quality they are without reflection. * Yet we are told that because they are in good, if they do not reflect, they believe that evil has been completely separated from them, that their evils have been washed away and that they are pure. Now this presents a great danger to them for, in fact, evil is never completely removed. The Lord withholds them from evil, so that the evil in them is as it were quiescent. But it is there! However, if they do not reflect periodically that evil adheres to them, they begin to ascribe the good which they love, the truth which they think and the uses which they perform to themselves. In doing this they ascribe what is the Lord's to themselves, and this is the beginning of all evil. Their heavenly quality would be destroyed unless they were given by the Lord to reflect, from time to time, that they, of themselves, are evil; and that they are withheld from this evil by the Lord, and thus that the good which they love and do is from Him.
     * AC 1581.
     Now how does this apply to us? If we were not given to reflect upon the same thing - that the goods which we do are from the Lord, and that evil adheres to us - we would not be aware of the fact that we are in need of salvation through regeneration. We would be complacent about our spiritual state, and this would render us unsalvable.

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For it is through reflection that we can perceive this essential truth - through reflection from the Lord. Such reflection, therefore, is essential to our salvation.
     On the planet Jupiter, spirits initiate the inhabitants of that planet into reflection, and they participate in it. * They call forth the states of the inhabitants of that planet - the experiences they have undergone and the state of their thought and affection in these experiences - and where necessary, they admonish them. Now we are told that this cannot take place in this world, due to the fact that if we had this open contact with spirits it would lead to perversion. Because of our external state we would try to turn such conscious contact with the spiritual world to selfish and worldly ends, and no use would be accomplished thereby. But we are told that although this type of communication and initiation into reflection cannot be given in this world, yet the Lord does at certain times draw our thoughts towards heaven. What are these certain times? Principally they are in states of worship - public worship and private worship; in states of instruction from the Word and when we are reading the Word for ourselves. These are occasions when the Lord can draw our minds, or our thoughts, towards heaven, but only when we reflect. If we do not reflect, the knowledge that we receive through worship, instruction and reading, passes through us as through a sieve. As we read earlier, without reflection nothing is infixed in the conscious memory of man. ** Nothing is infixed in the conscious memory without reflection. If we go to worship and do not reflect on the subject of the instruction; if we read the Word and do not reflect on what we are reading; we may be temporarily in a sphere of order which does us some good, but nothing is infixed in our conscious mind.
     * SD 740.
     ** See SD 2593.

     Now our tendency is to reflect upon the things of this world. We reflect upon the various ways that we can find pleasure, secure wealth and achieve success. These are examples of reflection which the Writings warn us against. Such reflection is to be avoided. * It does not lead to anything eternal. These things pass away, and when they occupy the center of our thought they keep us on that level of life which we have in common with animals - not on a level of life which is truly human. We need regular periods when we can be withdrawn from these states - this concentration on worldly things. We have to step aside from the stream of our regular life. We have to elevate our sight above the things of this world, the temporal things, to the things of eternal life. And we have to seek to distinguish between spiritual reality and natural appearance.

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It is the church that provides the occasions when we can do this. The opportunities for worship and instruction, provided through the church, are the times when we can step aside, when we can elevate our sight, and when we can be led to distinguish between spiritual, eternal realities, and the natural appearances which perish with the life of the body. However, important as these occasions provided by the church are, unless we reflect on what we learn, nothing remains in our conscious minds. We are told that "the doctrine of faith effects nothing with men unless the Lord gives them to reflect. For this reason men learn what is true and good from the Word of the Lord, in order that from it they may reflect upon themselves. . . . Therefore it is of the greatest importance to know truths, for without cognitions there can be no reflection and no reformation." * In other words, the truths are not ends in themselves. They are the objects upon which we can reflect. When we have knowledges of truth in our minds, the light of the spiritual sun can be reflected from these objects and we can see spiritual realities.
     * AC 1321.
     ** SD 737.
     There is another type of reflection to be avoided - reflection on the good that we do. When we reflect on the goods that we do, we are told that there is nothing good in it because we are reflecting from ourselves. * The only reflection that leads to a perception of spiritual realities is reflection from truth. When we reflect from self, because our hereditary nature is evil, we are reflecting from evil. We see in the delusive light of falsity, and so we do not come to a perception of our own nature nor of the realities of life.
     * SD 1561.
     Nor should we reflect on the evils of others. * This is another type of reflection to which we are very prone. The only time that we should reflect on the evils of others is when we wish to help them - when we are seeking to promote their real welfare. But this is not what we are inclined to do. Our inclination is to reflect upon the evils of others, to see how bad they are in relation to ourselves, and to condemn them. This type of reflection is all too prevalent and leads to no good.
     * See AC 3147: 7.
     There is yet another type of reflection which is to be avoided. This is referred to as morbid self-reflection. * When we reflect on our troubles, the lack of trustworthiness in others, on our financial difficulties, and on how little we are appreciated by other people, we do not do ourselves any good. When we indulge in such morbid reflections there are certain societies of spirits who seek to hold our minds in them. They actually lead us to an obsession which produces melancholy, phantasy and insanity. The more we return to these things, the stronger their hold on us becomes.

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It can become so serious that anything we see or hear or experience brings our minds back to reflection on these things, and then the spirits hold us in these morbid thoughts. There is only one cure, we are told, for this type of morbid reflection, and that is trust in the Lord. All these subjects of reflection just referred to spring from care for the morrow. On the other hand, if we trust in the Lord, that He is leading us, in so far as we are willing to follow, to eternal happiness in heaven, then, whatever befalls us, we can trust in His leading, and we do not need to reflect upon our difficulties and our troubles.
     * See SD 3624-3628.
     Now there is another type of reflection which we have not considered so far, and that is interior reflection. We have two memories - an interior memory and an exterior memory; and when it was said that nothing is infixed in man without reflection, the reference was to the exterior or conscious memory. But we have an interior memory which registers everything that we sensate or experience. * In this memory everything is infixed to eternity. We are completely unaware of this interior reflection. It is given us by the Lord and its use is to order our minds in such a way that what is there conduces to our eternal well-being. **
     * SD 2594.
     ** SD 2249.

     Although we have emphasized that reflection is absolutely essential to regeneration, at the same time we are still very imperfect beings and the results of our reflections are often not conducive to our eternal welfare, for our spiritual quality imposes limitations on the quality of our reflection. Therefore the Lord, through interior reflection, orders our minds when we are unaware of it - when we are not consciously controlling our thoughts - to bring out of the chaos that exists in our minds the best possible order that is consistent with the free choices we make in our external mind. In other words, this interior reflection is absolutely essential to our salvation. Without it we could not be saved. Yet it has its limitations. Because that only is ascribed to man which he accepts from freedom in accordance with his reason, therefore the benefit that man derives from interior reflection is in accordance with the disposition he makes of those things which come to his consciousness. In other words, the benefits of this interior reflection are proportional to the nature and quality of man's conscious reflection.
     Now, according to the doctrine, there are three stages of mental development. The first, in childhood, is a state of memory. During this period of development we learn truths from the Word and something of the doctrine of the church. In this stage, we are told, we are able to apply the truths that we learn in the Word, and from doctrine, to others.

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In other words, we do not see the application of the truths we learn to ourselves. We see their application to other people. This state continues until approximately the tenth year.
     The second stage of mental development is from the tenth to the twentieth year. During this period we are able to reflect upon the truths that we have learned from doctrine and from the Word. But we reflect upon them from worldly love. Our end in view is our own self-esteem. We feel a sense of merit from the fact that we are interested in spiritual things. The fact that spiritual things interest us gives us a sense of our own goodness that is pleasurable to us. We would like to enjoy a reputation for being a serious-minded person. Thus we reflect from worldly loves upon the goods and truths which we have learned.
     The third stage is from the twentieth year onwards. During this period, if we are progressing, we reflect upon uses, and upon the truths of the Word and of doctrine, with a view to their use. This is the end to which these previous stages should be leading.

     What has just been said concerning the first two stages of mental development provides us with something to reflect upon. What is the state of our mental development? Have we passed the first stage - the first ten years? Do we not all very readily see the application to others of the truths we know? Have we passed through the second stage of mental development - the period from the tenth to the twentieth year - when we reflect upon truths from worldly loves? These are questions each one of us must answer for himself. But I would suggest that they bear serious reflection. We should be advancing to the third stage, when our attention is focussed on use, when we reflect upon uses - on their relative importance and how they may be implemented. * A man is truly intelligent only when this stage is reached. And we are told that when a man from habit reflects on uses, and upon all things from a viewpoint of use, he becomes a form of use. **
     * AC 3603: 3, AC 2280: 2, 5.
     ** AC 1487.
     Regeneration means to be born again. The Lord said: "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." * How does this new birth take place, and how is it related to reflection? The conception of the new man takes place from the love of truth, or, stated differently, the affection of truth is what produces the seed of this conception. The gestation of the new man is brought about by reflection, and the birth of the new man is the doing of uses which are the result of reflection.
     * John 3: 3.
     From this it is clear that reflection is an essential part of regeneration. It is, therefore, a habit which is to be cultivated.

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We should set aside times periodically for reflection, and we should take advantage of those occasions which can stimulate and promote reflection. We should read the Word regularly and reflect upon what we read. We should attend church faithfully and reflect upon the weekly sermon after we have left church - not think to ourselves, Well! that was a very interesting sermon, or a great sermon, or a helpful sermon; but reflect upon it, attempt to see how it relates to our lives. This can be done, to a certain extent, while in church, but the real benefit of the sermon comes only when the service is over and we reflect upon it - upon the meaning and application to our own lives of the truths we have learned. The same is true of doctrinal classes. They also are occasions which can stimulate us to reflect. And the benefits we derive while we are in the class are few in comparison with the benefits we derive from reflecting upon what we have learned as a result of being there. By reflection the truths that have been presented are infixed in the conscious memory. They become a part of the fabric of our thought.
     Finally, we should reflect on the uses which these things are to serve in our lives. Without reflection, as we said before, there is no spiritual life.
     I would like to close with a quotation which reveals the quality of those who do not reflect. Swedenborg was shown the state of those who do not deny God, the Word or theology, yet do not think about these things. In other words, they acknowledge God, they acknowledge the Word, they acknowledge religion, but they do not think about them or reflect upon them. Swedenborg says: "I was carried downwards to some of them who were complaining quite a good deal that they were inwardly honest, yet they have within, as it were, something that pains them. They get good things to eat . . . cream and fine food, but it does them no good; all good things have no effect with them. After a while they take up some work; but as soon as it is done it comes undone again." And the quotation closes: "They eat horse-radish with enjoyment."! *
     * SD 6027: 19.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH 1965

CHRISTIAN CHURCH              1965

     "The doctrines of the New Church are all essentials, in each of which there is heaven and the church; and they regard this as their end, that man may be in the Lord, and the Lord in man, according to His own words in John (14: 20, 15: 4-6). It is this conjunction alone which constitutes the Christian Church" (Brief Exposition 97).

414


FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE CHURCH 1965

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE CHURCH       Dr. WILLARD R. MANSFIELD       1965

     (Delivered at the 7th South African District Assembly banquet, Durban, Natal. March 6, 1965.

     Financial responsibility means responsibility to our material or external life. Our other responsibility is to our spiritual life; and before much is said about our subject, we should once again state, so that it may be kept clearly in mind, what we understand to be the relationship between these two. This is important, because it may be felt that too much stress is being laid in this paper on material things. Let us be very clear, then, that our spiritual life, which comprizes a life of use and love to the Lord and our neighbor, comes first; and subordinate to it - and a long way subordinate - is our natural, material life. Why is it subordinate to such a degree? Because our end in view - that to which we should strive - is a spiritual life of service which will endure to eternity. We are all going to live to eternity, whether we like it or not; and this being so, are not these few paltry material years that we serve on this earth subordinate to a spiritual life to eternity?
     There can be no doubt, then, in whatever we say, that a consideration of spiritual things is of greater importance than that of material things. But we must also remember that notwithstanding the higher order of one in respect to the other, the one cannot exist without the other - there would be no earth if we were not continually receiving life from the Lord through heaven; and also, something which we sometimes tend to forget, there would be no heaven if there were no earth - there could be no spiritual if the material did not exist. It is a well known teaching that the existence of heaven is dependent on the existence on this material earth of men who acknowledge the Lord and live a life according to His Word. Let us remember also, then, the importance of this material, natural life.
     Let us think for a moment why we are here on this earth. We are here to serve a use - to be of use to society, and so to the Lord. This we have heard about very clearly during the past several days. But we also know that uses can be produced only through the agency of material things with which we have been provided. Think for a moment: take away material things, and just how many useful things can we do?

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If someone is ill and we want to help them, an expression of sympathy alone is not enough. We have to do something, like buying them a bottle of material aspirin. If they are distressed we can comfort them, and try to help them sort out their problems; but we have to communicate with them first, and we can communicate with them only by means of some material agency like a car, for instance. We cannot think of any useful things which we can do that can be divorced from the material things of this world, and it is of order that this should be so, for we are a race of people who work through ultimate, material things.

     We are by genius one of the most external of all people in the universe. Representatively, we occupy the position of the skin in the Gorand Man. Does not this fact alone clarify what our basic genius is? It was because of the comparatively external nature of the people on this earth that the Lord was born here. Only here are there the ultimate abilities developed of external speech and of writing, so that the truths of doctrine can be preserved for posterity. Let us not, then, be ashamed of the word "material." The fact that we are ultimate in nature is surely not news to us. We are never more aware of this than at the end of every month, when we have to find material means of providing for all the material treasures we have acquired during the past thirty days. We live in a material world, with all its ramifications, and we cannot escape it; but perhaps some of us think that we can at times. Perhaps we feel that we can escape material things when we are considering the requirements of the organized church.
     This tendency of ours to dissociate our church from material things is possibly a result of the stress that is quite rightly laid by the clergy on our spiritual state. Because we do not consider our spiritual existence as seriously as we should, and because in our daily lives we are more concerned with the material things concerning our homes and our work and our play, the clergy, when we attend church and doctrinal classes, implore us to remember that we are here for one purpose only, and that is to prepare for heaven; that the consideration of our spiritual life is of prime importance, and that we should not let the material pleasures of this life cloud the purpose of creation. This we receive in humility and accept, and we go back to our work and try to remember these things. But because of this stress on our spiritual life we tend to associate our church and clergy with spiritual matters only, and we seem to find it somewhat incongruous that, the importance of our spiritual life having been stressed, we are then asked to increase our financial contributions! Some of us seem to find this, shall we say, just a little indecent. We have the impression - although we do not say it - that the church is two-faced.

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At one moment we are being exhorted to improve our spiritual lives, and at the next we are being asked for money. For years the church has shown little activity in providing for its material requirements. We are not used to it, and somehow we feel that it is wrong.
     The trouble with the church, perhaps, is that it has not in the past stressed sufficiently the need for material requirements in the church, with the result that we now find the church lacking in material things and a congregation unused to the idea of providing these things as they should be provided. This is common to all churches.
     The real trouble is perhaps with us. Are we not in our personal lives tending to separate our spiritual life from our material life? Our normal, everyday life concerns matters of the natural world, and when we go to church we consider only spiritual things; and subconsciously we feel that the two should not mix.

     I remember talking to a Catholic years ago - we were at University together - and I asked her how she reconciled the theory of Evolution, the acceptance of Freud and his Analysis of the Ego, and the denial of the existence of God as she was being taught in her philosophy and psychology courses - how she reconciled all this with her deep belief in her religion. Her answer was simple but incredible. In her mind she completely separated the teaching of her religion from the teaching of her university. As she said, she had two separate compartments in her mind, and never were the two to meet.
     We know well enough the fallacy in this argument, but do we not tend to do the same sort of thing? Do we not find it difficult to reconcile our church with our material life? If we do separate them, it is contrary to all our teaching, as we have already indicated. The spiritual cannot exist without the natural, and the more perfect the natural the more perfect is the conjunction between the two.
     It is most necessary, then, for us to promote the requirements of our external church to the maximum of our ability. The degree to which we do not do this is the degree to which we hinder the spread of our church to all people, for it is only through the means of the external church that the church on earth can grow and prosper. We all know, if we bother to think, what the external church consists of; it consists of buildings, priests, teachers, property, books, office equipment. One of the most important functions of the priesthood in this country is frequent visits to the isolated. How can all this be achieved? How can all these so necessary material requirements be met? There is only one way. No kind thoughts alone are going to help us. No grandiose ideas alone about the spiritual nature of life are going to help. We have to contribute financially.

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It is the duty of all of us here this evening, because nobody else is going to do it for us. That is the only way the church will grow and prosper. In fact, if we are not prepared to contribute to the utmost of our ability towards the development of the Lord's church on earth, then we are not really spiritual. The degree to which we are prepared to give up our material things for the sake of the Lord's church is a measure of the nature of our spiritual life.

     When problems arise concerning the day to day running of the organized church, and our material shortcomings become evident and we are asked to do something about it, do not let us hide behind the expression "We are getting too materialistic"! That is an expression which should be entirely absent from the thoughts of New Church men when we are considering the requirements of our church. If we really love the Lord and our church, and really wish to promote its usefulness on earth, then we cannot provide materially for it too fully.
     And when we have reached this stage where we have provided adequately for the church in this country - when we have sufficient teachers for our school, an adequate manse, a larger church and school; when one day we have provided for all this, then let us remember the General Church and all its commitments. The fact is that we should always have borne in mind the General Church and all its commitments with a view to playing our part to the maximum in the light of the requirements of our own society. We have had two of our young men training for the ministry. This takes seven years. Somebody has to provide for this. What have we done about it?
     We have our own pastor. What contribution did we make to his seven years of training? Students at University pay fees, we might argue. But the cost of running any institution such as this is three or four times that which is received from student fees. In this country the majority of the cost comes from government subsidy. In Bryn Athyn, this results from donations to the General Church and the Academy. Are we helping in this direction? Think of the other commitments of the General Church that affect us. Who pays the fares back and forth when a minister and his family are transferred? Who provides for up-to-date translations of the Writings, for the printing of all the Theological Works? These are things we should bear in mind. Somebody is providing so that we can benefit. Are we sharing the financial responsibility for all of this as best we can?
     Where do we go from here? For the future, our hope comes from those who are growing up. Let us instill in our children the idea that when they are adult the material needs of the church should be thought of as of the utmost importance for its existence on this earth.

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And to those young people who are here this evening - those who have recently started earning their own living, and those who will be doing so shortly: remember our financial responsibility to the church - it needs you badly.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Reformation. This is one of the major theological terms used in the Writings. Reformation is predicated of the understanding and is a state of thought, formed by the truth of faith, in which man looks with longing to the spiritual life. During it he is led by truth to good and is in a state of obedience in which truth predominates. Man is in a state of reformation when he sees and acknowledges that good is good and evil is evil, and thinks that good should be chosen; and the process itself is a reforming of the existing content of the understanding - a reorganization effected through temptations by which knowledges of truth are centered in the Lord and heaven instead of in self and the world, and are thus prepared to receive a new will from the Lord. (See TCR 571.)
     Regeneration. In its wider meaning, this term refers to the entire process of man's rebirth, but in a more restricted sense it relates to that part of the process which follows reformation. As distinct therefrom, regeneration is predicated of the will and is a state of love, formed by the good of charity, in which man becomes spiritual-natural. During it man has a perceptive understanding of truth from good, and is in a state of affection in which good has the dominion. He comes into it when he begins to shun evils and do goods, and the process consists in the establishment of a new will in the reformed understanding. This will, which is an entirely new structure, consists in the goods of remains, which are then appropriated by the natural. (See TCR 571.)
LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 1965

LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE              1965

     "9. God does not, without the use of means, teach man truths, either from Himself or by angels, but He teaches by means of the Word; by means of preaching, reading, and conversation and intercourse with others, and thus from thought within himself about those things; and man is then enlightened according to his affection for truth grounded in use; otherwise he would not act as if from himself" (Apocalypse Explained 1136).

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FREEDOM: DOCTRINE, PROBLEMS AND APPLICATIONS 1965

FREEDOM: DOCTRINE, PROBLEMS AND APPLICATIONS       Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1965

     The Third in a series of four classes.

     3.     THE PROBLEMS OF FREEDOM

     The doctrine of freedom given in the Writings is clear, consistent and complete. Yet this does not mean that no questions arise when we attempt to understand it! They do, and it is entirely proper that they should. To question the Writings is not necessarily a negative procedure; it may result in a stronger and more rational faith. If there are those who doubt before they deny, there are also those who doubt before they affirm; and among them there are those who believe this doctrine to be true because it is from the Lord, yet find themselves deeply perplexed. Their difficulties may, perhaps, be consolidated into two questions: how are we to understand that man does have freedom of choice when the reality seems so hard to see? and how are we to understand that he has the opportunity to exercise it when the evidence of history and the testimony of experience raise so many problems? It is with these two questions that we shall be concerned in this class.

     The Reality of Freedom

     How are we to understand that man really has freedom of choice when his situation appears to be this: if he chooses heaven, he is blessed with eternal happiness; if hell, he is punished? The reasoning here appears to be that if the choices offered do not hold similar or equal opportunities for satisfaction, where is the freedom? Implicit in it seems to be the thought that man's only course is to follow the Lord, or take the consequences, and that this does not represent a real choice. It should be noted that the question, thus formulated, does not state the alternative quite accurately. Punishment is not the opposite of happiness; hell is not a state of perpetual punishment; and the penalty of evil is inherent in it, it is not exacted as punishment for evil. Yet the question itself remains, and it deserves an answer.
     If we reflect, however, we may see that while the choices are opposites they do offer the same satisfaction. The Lord does not say: "Choose heaven, or suffer the torments of hell."

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Heaven and hell are both chosen from love: heaven because it satisfies everything for which good longs, hell because it is the only satisfaction evil craves. It is true, of course, that each choice seems intolerable to the man who has made the other; but for the man whose choice it is, there is no other that he would want to have made because it has been arrived at freely from his ruling love.
     Nor does the Lord compel man in any way. Although He wills the salvation of all men, and ardently desires to be received, in His Word He simply says, in effect: "If you do this, that will follow; if you do that, this will be the consequence" - and man determines his course of action according to his love of one result or the other. This was made clear in our reading from the Word, * and it is to be found in other places also. "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword." ** "If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever." ***
     * Deuteronomy 30: 11-20.
     ** Isaiah 1: 19, 20.
     *** John 14: 15, 16.
     Thus does the Lord lead man in freedom because by his affections, and we simply confuse the issue if we think or ask: "But what makes man choose good or evil?" The very form of the question implies that there is something outside of man which impels him to choose one or the other, or that choice results from this or that factor being stronger than another; thus that the choice is not made in full freedom by man but is made for him. A forced choice is not a choice at all. It is true that once a choice has been made, it is easy to reflect upon the apparent causes that have led to it; but the fact is that there is nothing which "makes" a man choose, that the choice is his own. The Lord continually inflows with life into the inmost of man, and from that influx man has the power in his natural, conscious mind to appropriate evil, or to compel himself against it and choose good. * Why one man chooses good and another evil is, of course, another story; but the choice is his own, and in making it he chooses the only life that with his love he would want to have.
     * See AE 1148: 2; AC 3043: 2.
     There is, however, one further difficulty. To some it seems unjust that within the span of his earthly life, which is but a moment in comparison with eternity, a man makes a choice which will stand forever. This seems to imply that there has not been a sufficient basis for such a choice and to suppose that later there may be a desire to change for which provision should be made. Yet this is to misunderstand the very nature of the choice.

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In external life a man may make decisions without knowing what he is getting into, decisions which do not represent his real will at all. He may be talked into them, pressured into them, or thrust into them by emotion. But his choice of heaven or hell is entirely different. No one can really say when a man's choice is made, and it seems certain that there is no one crucial moment of decision; but in the Lord's providence it is not made irrevocably until the man knows so well what he is doing that he wills nothing else. As long as his choice has not been made, man is still free to change, is still in freedom of choice; but when it has, he passes into freedom in choice - freedom in the choice he has made - and to eternity he has no desire to change, but only to enter more and more fully into the life he has chosen for himself.
     We conclude, then, that despite the difficulties which may have to be overcome in trying to understand it, man's freedom of choice is a reality, perhaps the most real thing in his life. But that is not the only question which confronts us; other problems arise when we attempt to understand how man can have the opportunity to exercise freedom when there are so many appearances to the contrary.

     The Exercise of Freedom

     The Problem.     The new awareness of history which has developed in recent years has made the problem of freedom and determinism more acute for the thinking world, but has not done much either to change the nature of the problem or to make its solution any easier. On the one hand, students in that field find that it seems impossible to take seriously the significance of history without facing realistically the cooperation and conflict of individuals who in some sense and to some extent exercise the power of free choice. On the other hand, they feel that history reveals the individual as the sport of super-individual forces to which he has contributed little and before which he is comparatively helpless. Thus modern scholarship has been faced with a problem which it has not been able to solve - that of reconciling the facts that in some senses men seem to be free, while in others they seem not to be.
     This is, of course, our problem also. Externally man does seem to be the sport of cultural and environmental influences to which he has contributed very little if anything, which he has little power to withstand, and which he has little hope of changing. Yet we are assured in the Writings that internally man is in freedom, no matter what his heredity and environment may be. These do not pre-determine man's choice in spiritual things, nor does his choice fall under the law of averages so that it can be predicted from statistics.

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As the Writings observe: "Man has freedom, and if he has freedom nothing is from necessity." *
     * AC 6487
     To every man the Lord offers all the means of salvation, and gives all the faculties and abilities necessary for their use, and man chooses whether he will employ those means and the extent to which he will do so. It is true that the opportunity comes to different men in various ways and at various times, but it is always given.

     The Solution.     To understand this, we must distinguish between external and internal things and between appearance and reality. As a process of selection, choice is always between values; a man chooses that which his affection and the thought formed from it tell him is of the greatest value. Even before the fall, men could and did choose between higher and lower goods. Now it is true that in external things men may be disposed by heredity and environment, by education and training, and by the influence of the culture in which they live to esteem certain values more than others. No man can escape this, and few if any of these factors are of his choosing. Yet even this is not determined; for men can and do spurn and repudiate the values in which they have been trained, and even indoctrinated, and this whether they be beatniks in San Francisco, defectors from behind the Iron Curtain, or New Church men who embrace agnosticism or another faith. Despite its popularity, the theory of psychological determinism can be carried only so far; the same system persists in producing different types, and from the same closely regulated and protected environment can come heroes and cowards, men of honor and unmitigated scoundrels, saints and sinners.
     Nor are the external choices open to man determinative of his real character. No matter how depraved his heredity may be, or how dissolute his environment, every man receives from the Lord the remains which are essential for salvation. It is by these remains that freedom is preserved and all men can go to heaven if they will to do so. This is the testimony of many of the memorabilia. There we read of men, highly esteemed because of the external choices they had made on earth, who yet found their final lot in hell; and of others, but little regarded on earth because of their poverty of opportunity, whose abode was yet with the blessed.
     Choice is made possible by the maintenance of a balance between tendencies to think and act from self and from love and charity. This choice can be made on any level, the level depending upon the truth that is known and understood, since the new will is to be formed in the understanding.

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Knowledge does not determine the choice that will be made, but the plane on which it can be made; and it might be said in passing that one of the purposes of New Church education is to provide for the making of choices on more interior planes than were open to man before, not to determine the choices - a distinction that shows how education differs from regeneration, and that should always be kept clearly in sight.

     Equilibrium.     The basis of freedom is, of course, the equilibrium between heaven and hell in which man is kept as long as he lives in this world; an equilibrium which is constantly maintained by the Lord and which insures freedom in spiritual if not always in natural things. While equilibrium is usually thought of as a point in the spiritual world, because it is so described in the Writings, there are also passages which speak of it as a point in the human mind. When freedom in ultimates is restricted, they teach, the point of equilibrium ascends, or is withdrawn into the interiors of the mind; but in the degree that it is not so limited, the point comes down lower and freedom of choice can be exercised on a more ultimate plane.
     If it is remembered that choice involves values, the application of this principle may resolve many difficulties that perplex us and may also serve to correct much confused thinking. In the world in which New Church men live and work, many of the situations which arise from day to day are neither black nor white. There are many gray areas, and they come in a wide range of shades of gray. The actual choice, as far as courses of action are concerned, may not be between good and evil but between a greater or a lesser evil. It is this that has led some modern thinkers to conclude that absolutes cannot survive in a sophisticated world of complex choices. Yet the absolutes of good and evil have not perished. They have simply vanished from the human scene as things to be reckoned with, and they can still exist in the mind and be acknowledged there. In these hard decisions, the man who would sincerely choose good if it were set before him, and who elects the lesser evil rather than do nothing at all, may not be deviating from the way to heaven in so doing. He has not chosen evil in preference to good, but from the courses open to him has taken the one which is less remote from good, and he would have chosen good had that been possible. Application of this idea, though not always easy, can help to solve many of our problems.

     Freedom in the Christian Church and World

     However, the New Church man is not concerned only with his own problems, and those of others who share his faith, in connection with freedom.

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His concern extends to society in general and takes form in this question. Since the Christian churches have been consummated, what freedom is there for men in them? When a church has begun to decline it seems evident that the freedom of its members has begun to change; and that when it has been consummated, those whose thought is formed from its theology, its teaching and its influence do not have a choice between good and evil, or between truth and falsity, but rather between a milder evil and a greater one, or between a lesser fallacy and a more serious falsity. This would seem to be the situation of such men and women in the Christian churches today; for as we have seen, there is no real freedom of choice except where there is spiritual truth and therefore spiritual faith.
     Yet this does not mean that they have no freedom at all! There is a degree of repentance open to them, and where there is no truth the Lord will accept falsities that are not of evil, and thereby give something of enlightenment to those who through no choice or fault of their own have been born into a consummated church. Thus men of all religions can be saved by entering into a state of reformation through the good of obedience. Not that obedience to false doctrines regenerates; if a fallen church could be restored to integrity through its own religion, the teachings of the Heavenly Doctrine would be other than they are. Evils do close the spiritual minds of some who, the Lord foresees, would profane the truth; and that mind is neither opened nor closed with those who lack truth but are yet in good as to life, and who, the Lord foresees, can be instructed in the world of spirits after death. But this does not interfere with man's choosing of heaven or hell; and even though his freedom of choice be restricted in its exercise to degrees of evil and falsity, he can still be on the way to heaven.
     The same principles may be applied to those living in a secular society or one which is influenced very little by organized religion. It is obvious that such a society does not offer choices on the spiritual plane, that it does not offer a direct choice between good and evil. Yet it does offer civic, moral and ethical choices. Although shot through with falsities, many of these are falsities not of evil; and the man who does not allow confirmed evil to lead him to the denial of God, who sincerely rejects evil and chooses good as he understands them and by whatever name he calls them, and who feels and acts upon an unselfish concern for the welfare of his fellow men as he sees it, rather than following his own interests only, may also be in the way of heaven. Although his freedom of choice is severely restricted in its exercise it is not atrophied He will still be able to choose heaven when it is set before him.

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     Freedom in Ultimates

     Finally, something should be said about freedom in ultimates. Because the freedom that is essential for regeneration is spiritual - freedom to will and think good and truth, and also evil and falsity - it would be wrong to assume that the New Church has little or no concern about the preservation of such ultimate liberties as freedom of religion, of political action, of the press, of speech and writing, and of lawful assembly. Apart from the basic fact that the organized New Church can exist, without having to go underground, only where these freedoms are guaranteed by law, there are interior reasons that make them important.
     In commenting on the Germans in the spiritual world, True Christian Religion says that as they live on earth under a despotic government in each state they do not enjoy freedom of speech and of writing, and adds that "where this freedom is restrained, freedom of thought, that is, of taking the widest view of things, is restrained at the same time." *
     * No. 814.
     Elsewhere it is said that the lack of freedom of speech and writing on ecclesiastical and civil affairs then prevalent in Italy leads to the concealment of certain evils which break out and can be recognized where that freedom is enjoyed; and comparison is made with England, where freedom of speech and of the press existed but there was no freedom to commit crimes.
     Internal freedom can never be destroyed by the state. But the exercise of freedom can be seriously restricted, and the New Church has a vital interest in the preservation of ultimate liberties. Yet this does not call for a crusade on the part of the church as such; rather does it demand that in the protection of his ultimate liberties, as in all else, the individual New Church man should have a spiritual motive and a spiritual end in view.

     Conclusion

     The problems connected with freedom do not all center in its reality or in the possibility of its being exercised in various human situations. We may be dedicated to freedom in theory, and yet challenge, inhibit or even deny its exercise by others in practice; either through mistaken ideas that we do not stop to evaluate, or through attitudes the impact of which on others we may not realize. Consequently there are problems involved also in the application of the doctrine, and of these we shall speak in our final class.

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RELIGION, CHURCH AND STATE 1965

RELIGION, CHURCH AND STATE       Editor       1965


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By
THE GENERAL CHURCH OP 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, 5O cents.
     It is not intended here to discuss the issues raised by separation of church and state but to emphasize a principle. There is authority in the Writings for separating ecclesiastical and civil functions, however much we may question or deplore some of the decisions that have been made in so doing. Indeed the church receives substantial benefits from such a separation. What would be catastrophic in any country would be, not that separation, but separation of religion and life, the disappearance of religion from the public and private life of its people.
     When the Writings enumerate the things in which the common good consists, they put in the first place that in the society or kingdom there shall be what is Divine. This is what is essential. For where the Divine is present, the policies and duties of officials are formulated and carried out and the lives of private citizens are lived from a religious conscience, whether or not religious forms and exercises are allowed in public institutions. Church and state are separate, not as two entities, but as distinct parts of the whole which religion makes.
     Fortunately religion cannot be legislated into or out of the hearts and minds of people, and no bill or court decision can make a country either God-fearing or godless. That of which we need to be most wary is the effort, often made in ignorance, to reverse the roles of religion and life - to make the former external instead of internal. There are many today for whom democracy is the supreme goal in life, and for whom religion is to be tolerated only because it fits in with the ideal of a pluralistic society, and if it does not hinder realization of the ideal.

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OBJECTIVES IN EDUCATION 1965

OBJECTIVES IN EDUCATION       Editor       1965

     In Education and You, reviewed recently in this journal, education in the General Church was analyzed frankly and fairly. As one possible reason why the General Conference has not adopted the ideal and the resulting policies it was suggested that what would be appropriate education in a New Church community might not be so in a mixed community. It was then asked whether a child in a New Church school is getting the best preparation for living well in the world as it is today.
     The question is thoughtful and searching, the kind asked by a friend, and one that we ourselves may well ponder. Not all of our educational work is carried on in New Church communities, and the work itself has a much broader objective than preparation for living in such communities. Our view of the purpose of New Church education may be said to have been formed by two teachings: that man is created to perform a use, first to society and then to the Lord's kingdom; and that in order to perform a use man must live in the world and engage there in occupations as a spiritual man. Education, of course, will not cause a man to be in the world but not of it; that is the work of regeneration. But it can teach children and young people how an occupation can become the ultimate of a spiritual use, and thus teach and lead to spiritual ideals of service, at the same time as it teaches the evils that must be shunned.
     With the understanding that there can always be improvement, we would say, then, that a child in a New Church school may be receiving the best preparation for living well in the world as it is today. Such schooling, of course, is not available to all; but the same principles on which it is based applied in the home and through the church will result in similar preparation for the good life in both worlds.
SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 3 TRUTH 1965

SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 3 TRUTH       Editor       1965

     Love of religion, as the first of the spiritual virtues, leads to charity, and the nature of genuine charity is such that it does not exist without truth. For such charity, in life, is not instinctive but is the result of intelligent application of the truth of the Word to human situations. Truth is therefore the third of the spiritual virtues, and this may lead us to ask: "What is truth?" Pilate's inquiry is usually regarded as a philosophic question or a clich? of the schools; but, the Writings reveal, he understood that the Lord was referring to truth as a king, and meant "Is truth a king?" That, indeed, is what truth is.
     At first thought it may be rather difficult to conceive of truth itself as a virtue, though easy to see truthfulness as one.

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But it means, first and foremost, the presence in the mind of spiritual truth from the Word. This involves a number of things. For such truth to enter the mind of man he must have an affirmative attitude toward it and an affection of it. A merely intellectual approach will not store his mind with truths, but with knowledges, and between these there is a vital distinction. The Lord gives truth only as man intends to use it, only as He knows that the man wills to do it and to be led by it.
     So this virtue means, primarily, an interior love of truth, which in turn implies zeal for its protection and integrity, a firm resolve that it shall govern in all things, a willingness to suffer for its sake if need be, and a reluctance to deviate from it, whatever be the incentive. In an ultimate sense, therefore, it does mean truthfulness - and this is not as common a virtue as might be supposed. There are comparatively few men who have a consistently high regard for truth; and even among those who are reasonably veracious, there are still fewer who acknowledge in the Word an absolute truth and are willing to subordinate to it their affections and emotions and desires, their preconceived ideas and cherished opinions, their traditional and preconditioned attitudes.

     The man of truth is he who has sworn fealty to the truth of the Word as an absolute monarch: who has vowed freely to make that truth the law of his life, to extend its sway wherever it may be accepted willingly, to uphold its honor, and to defend the kingdom it forms against attack from foes without or subversion from traitors within. His interpretations of truth are not colored by the effect of their application to his own states; his judgments of human situations are not warped by his like or dislike of the persons involved, or by some inherited or acquired prejudice. As a wise master of prudence, he knows when to take refuge in silence; but he is a man of tried probity who can be relied upon never knowingly to withhold, distort or misrepresent facts: one who will make a full statement of the case as he sees and understands it, and who will speak the truth without fear or favor, confident that in the truth alone are there protection, healing and amendment.
     He is the man who does not conceal or avoid his own failures and shortcomings, who humbly acknowledges the very truth that rebukes him, who can see virtues in his enemies and faults in his friends, and who is guided by evidence rather than swayed by personal loyalty or animus. Above all, he is the man who places the truth before every consequence to or reflection on himself, whose resolve is that the truth shall govern in all things of his life. These things make truth a spiritual virtue.

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Church News 1965

Church News       Various       1965

     TUCSON, ARIZONA

     Young People's Weekend

     On June 18, young people from California and Arizona General Church centers gathered in Tucson for the young people's weekend. The Rev. Harold Cranch and the Rev. Geoffrey Howard presided. On Friday evening we had a welcoming banquet. Name tags were passed out and we got to know one another while eating. After the banquet there was informal entertainment in imitation of the "Rolling Stones" by the California group, who went by the name of the "Falling Rocks." In addition to the "Falling Rocks" there were the "Flying Pebbles" - the California members who flew in from Bryn Athyn. Mr. Cranch, the "Big Boulder," was solidly backed by the "Big Rock," Mrs. Cranch. This group claimed that warning signs publicizing their arrival had been posted all along the highway. They read: "Watch for Falling Rocks." After the songs, Mr. Howard gave us a talk about the Nineteenth of June in the spiritual world, and Mr. Cranch talked to us about the Nineteenth of June in the natural world. Then we all went to our designated houses for a good night's sleep.
     Saturday morning found us at the church for an open seminar. In the course of this discussion we talked about life in Bryn Athyn, morality, spreading the doctrines of the New Church, conjugial love and evolution. When we were finished, we hopped into cars and went out to the Desert Inn and had a refreshing swim. Coming home tired but happy, we had a wonderful Chinese dinner, after which Mr. Howard talked to us about the growth of the New Church. After his talk we walked over to the Hartters' house for a social get-together. Then, after much happy concentration, a game headed by jolly Mr. Bob Bonzer, we retired for the night.
     On Sunday morning we all attended the church service. Mr. Cranch gave a talk to the children on the birthday of the New Church, and his sermon, addressed primarily to the young people, was on the text: "Behold, I make all things new." In it the newness of the doctrines and the essential differences between them and Protestant and Catholic teachings were brought out. After the service the congregation was invited to Dr. and Mrs. Waddell's home for a picnic lunch. This was the last official activity in the young people's weekend; afterwards we stood adjourned.
     We find that these young people's weekends are extremely valuable. By their means teenagers from isolated centers come together and discuss situations important to young people. This type of weekend is most useful and rewarding.

     CLAUDIA CRANCH,
     Acting Secretary


     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA

     This year's work in the Hurstville Society opened with the celebration of Swedenborg's birthday. The pastor gave an address in which he showed that, apart from serving the Swedish nation in other ways, Swedenborg was always eager to help the cause of science in his homeland.
     In the last published report of the Hurstville Society there was an invitation to tourists to come Hurstvillewards. A week later arrived Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Thomas of Pittsburgh, Pa. They attended service and were afterwards entertained at the pastor's home; or rather, Mr. Thomas entertained us with his delightful sense of humor. A week later Mr. and Mrs. Owen Pryke arrived from England and we certainly enjoyed their visit.

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A sharp lookout was kept the following weekend, but we had to wait until May for another overseas visitor, Mrs. Flood from Auckland, New Zealand.
     It has been noticed that several members of the Society have knitted brows and other signs of thoughtfulness. This is attributed to the thought-provoking series of doctrinal classes on The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine. There has been great interest in the early chapters on the mind of man. The philosopher who said, "Man, know thyself," did not himself know that it is only from the Writings that man can understand his own nature.

     New Church Day was celebrated with a varied program. A banquet was held on June 19th, and several visitors responded to invitations. Hurstville ladies are first-class cooks, and it was a well-fed company that listened to three addresses on the topic "All Things New." The aim was to consider how the new revelation can provide new light and life to literature, science and psychology. One of the speakers was Dr. Philip Groves, a visitor who has studied the Writings. He displayed enthusiasm and considerable insight into the application of the doctrines to his own interest, psychology.
     On Sunday, June 20, at a service for adults and children, there were two baptisms, those of Christopher Philip Groves and Mrs. Weatherup. In the evening tableaux were shown, interspersed with songs and preceded by short talks to the children by the pastor.

     Obituary. On May 12, Mr. Frederick William Fletcher passed into the spiritual world, being eighty years of age. At a memorial service at the church in Hurstville after the funeral, Mr. Taylor paid tribute to Mr. Fletcher's years of quiet service to the Society. As treasurer and organist he carried out his duties with characteristic thoroughness. Also, many were the useful tasks he quietly performed, as he was a practical man who loved to work with his hands. Yet at the same time Mr. Fletcher undoubtedly had a deep love for the New Church doctrines, to which he was introduced when in middle age. His was not the gift of expressing his thoughts, but his was the determination to apply to life what he was taught. The practical nature of the teaching, "the life of religion is to do what is good," must surely have appealed to him. Several non-New Church friends of Mr. Fletcher's were at the service, and some expressed surprise and delight at Mr. Taylor's address; speaking as he did with conviction about the reality of the spiritual world and the certainty of an eternal heavenly use for those who obey the Lord's teachings.
     NORMAN HELDON

     WASHINGTON CHURCH DEDICATION

     The Washington (Maryland) Society cordially invites the members and friends of the General Church to attend the dedication of its new church and all-purpose building: date - November 5-7, 1965. There will be a reception-dance on Friday evening, an address by the Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton on Saturday morning, a banquet on Saturday evening, and the dedication service on Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
     Mrs. Philip D. Coffin, 3907 Pennsylvania Avenue, S. E., Apt. 201, Washington, D. C. 20020, to whom please address all requests for accommodations, is in charge of housing arrangements. As many guests as possible will be placed in homes; when these accommodations are filled we will be glad to arrange for motel reservations.

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MIDWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1965

MIDWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1965




     Announcements
     The Midwest District Assembly will be held in Glenview, Illinois, Friday, October 1, to Sunday, October 3, inclusive, the Bishop of the General Church presiding.
     All members and friends of the General Church of the New Jerusalem are cordially invited to attend.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop
EASTERN CANADA DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1965

EASTERN CANADA DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1965

     The Eastern Canada District Assembly will be held at the Olivet Church, Toronto (279 Burnhamthorpe Road, Islington), Ontario, Canada, Saturday, October 9, to Monday, October 11, inclusive, the Bishop of the General Church presiding.
     All members and friends of the General Church of the New Jerusalem are cordially invited to attend.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop
CHARTER DAY 1965

              1965

     All ex-students, members of the General Church and friends of the Academy are invited to attend the 49th Charter Day exercises, to be held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., on Friday and Saturday, October 15 and 16, 1965. The program:

Friday, 11 a.m. - Cathedral Service, with an address by the Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh
Friday Afternoon - Football Game
Friday Evening - Dance
Saturday, 7 p.m. - Banquet
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN 1965

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN              1965

     People coming to Bryn Athyn for the opening exercises of the Academy schools 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. William B. Alden, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
PRAYER FOR THE LORD'S HARVEST 1965

PRAYER FOR THE LORD'S HARVEST       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       1965



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Vol. LXXXV
October 1965
No. 10
NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest." (Matthew 9: 38)

     The ninth chapter of Matthew closes with the saying that the Lord was moved with compassion for the multitudes, who were as sheep having no shepherd. Thereupon He said to His disciples: "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest."
     Then the tenth chapter begins, as if in answer to this prayer, with the Lord's calling the twelve and sending them forth. The Lord intended to send them forth, and yet they were told to pray to that end. As in so many prayers, it may seem strange here to pray to the Lord to do His will - to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His harvest. On a later occasion the Lord bade the seventy to pray, just as He had bidden the twelve. He sent the seventy, two by two, into every city and place "whither He Himself would come. Therefore said He unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest. Go your ways." *
     * Luke 10: 1-3
     In the book of Revelation, when the harvest is ripe, an angel cries to the Lord: "Send Thy sickle and reap." This signifies "the supplication of the angels of heaven to the Lord, because there was not anything corresponding on earth, for the church on earth is to the angelic heaven as a foundation is to a house which rests upon it . . . wherefore when the church on earth is destroyed, the angels lament, and make supplication to the Lord. They supplicate that He would make an end of the church, and raise up a new one." *

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     * AR 645
     In one sense it may be said that the Writings were given to the world because of a lamentation by the angels. "All these subjects are now explained, because the angels have lamented before the Lord that when they look out upon the world they see nothing but darkness, and among men no knowledge of God, of heaven, or of the creation of nature, for their wisdom to rest upon." * The angels are grieved at the darkness upon earth, and they lament the falsities among men. **
     * DLW 284.
     ** DLW 188.
     Swedenborg also prayed that the Lord's work of revealing the truth might be accomplished. As he became aware of the great need, he prayed earnestly, like the disciples who were sent forth, that he might be the Lord's servant. In the Journal of Dreams he wrote: "0, Thou Almighty Jesus Christ, make me worthy of this grace!" Later, upon reflecting, he realized that the prayer itself was not from him - "that the words which I spoke and the prayer which I said did not come from myself, but that the words were put into my mouth, although it was I that spoke." He realized that the labor was not to be his own, and he therefore prayed for grace, "since the work is of Jesus Christ and not my own. . . . " *
     * Pp 26, 27. See The Swedenborg Epic, pp. 185, 186.

     The teaching of the Writings is that "prayers must be from the Lord Himself with man." * Prayers come from the Lord, not only in the sense that the Lord enjoins man to pray and what to pray for, as in the text. The very affection and desire of the heart of the man who prays are from the Lord. We have the example of angels together with Swedenborg who prayed that they might see into the hells. ** The prayer was granted; for was it not a prayer inspired by the Lord Himself? - an example of the teaching that "the Lord leads their prayers through heaven to Himself." *** On one occasion, when Swedenborg and certain angels felt a desire, they were given to know the origin of the desire; "and we perceived," he says, "that this desire was inspired to the end that [these things] might be known." ****
     * AC 10,299.
     ** TCR 159.
     *** AE 182: 4.
     **** CL 268.
     "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest." We read that those angels who instruct newcomers to the other world pray to the Lord in doing this work. * "I saw that they were bewildered, and I said, 'I will pray to the Lord.' " ** We see evident application of the text to the condition in the other world, where daily many thousands enter from our earth. "Whoever goes into a calculation will find that . . . . some myriads of millions die every year." ***

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This vast multitude must be instructed, and it is no wonder that the angels pray to the Lord, as they are moved with His compassion. "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them. . . . Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest."
     * 5 Mem. 21, 15. Cf. TCR 73: 2.
     ** TCR 73: 2.
     *** HH 425.
     The disciples were to pray to the Lord concerning the work in which they themselves would be engaged, and so should all pray in seeking to serve the Lord; for except the Lord send His laborers, we all labor in vain. The disciples labored to convert men, but "it was the Lord, by means of the angels . . . who prepared for reception those whom the disciples converted to the church." *
     * AE 911: 16.
     The answer to prayer is an actual doing by the Lord, a sending forth of angels into His work. The sequence of prayer, and then the sending of the angels, occurs several times in the Writings. "The Lord Jesus Christ has heard your prayers, and has therefore sent us to you." * "I prayed to the Lord . . and, lo, an angel stood by me, and said: 'I am sent by the Lord to be your guide and companion.' " ** The doubt in the world as to the efficacy of prayer goes hand in hand with the doubt as to the existence of angels. The very word, angel, means "sent." *** and represents for us the Lord's compassionate response to the needs of men. "The Lord help thee in the day of trouble. . . . Send thee help from the sanctuary." ****
     * AE 224.
     ** CL 75.
     *** See AC 6280, 10,561.
     **** Psalm 20: 1, 2.
     The teachings of the Writings provide a basis for a living awareness of the presence of angels and of the efficacy of prayer. How simple and beautiful a picture we have of the actuality of the Lord's sending forth His laborers! We read of the celestial angels being sent to others. * and of children we read: "The little children who are in the other life are sometimes sent by the Lord to little children on earth (although the little child on earth is quite unaware of it), and those little ones of heaven are in the highest degree delighted with these little ones of earth." **
     * AC 4750.
     ** AC 2295.
     The association of the sending of angels * with the answer to prayer is seen from one passage in which men are warned that prayers do not avail if they do not keep themselves from evil. "You could not in this case be preserved even by legions of angels sent from the Lord." ** Even the prayer for enlightenment is related to the sending of angels, for an enlightened state of mind is the result of the presence of angels sent by the Lord. ***

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This is illustrated for us in the Memorabilia in those instances in which by command of the Lord angels were associated with Swedenborg that he might have light. **** On one occasion he was told that angel companions would be given him, and that, "through these, light will be given you by the Lord." *****
     * HH 228e.
     ** BE 52.
     *** See AC 4073, 8694.
     **** See TCR 135: 3.
     ***** CL 231:6.

     The prayer to the Lord to send forth laborers into His harvest is actually part of every prayer. We are invited to pray for the harvest, and this has not only general but also particular applications. The Lord's harvest has to do with "the setting up of the church" and also with the regeneration of the individual, and in this work heavenly laborers are deeply concerned. * When angels are conversing together on the subject of the regeneration of man by the Lord, then fields and harvests actually appear in the world of spirits as a result of their conversation. **
     * See HH 391; AC 10,699: 3.
     ** AC 9272: 2.
     In its broadest sense, the "harvest" signifies "the state of the whole human race in respect to the reception of good by means of truth; in a less broad sense, the state of the church in respect to the reception of the truths of faith in good; in a more restricted sense, the state of the man of the church in respect to this reception; and in a still more restricted sense, the state of good in respect to the reception of truth, thus the implantation of truth in good." *
     * AC 9295: 3.
     Whenever we pray that the Lord's kingdom may come, we are praying that He will send forth laborers into His harvest, and we make the prayer as willing laborers ourselves. "He who knows anything of the Lord's coming, and of the New Heaven and New Church, and thus of the Lord's kingdom, should pray that it may come." *
     * AR 956.
     Perhaps it is in the broadest sense that we find it most difficult to understand why we are told to pray for the Lord's harvest. Perhaps we wonder why we should pray for "the state of the whole human race in respect to the reception of good by means of truth." For we say to ourselves that it is not our harvest, but the Lord's, and that it is a matter of His will and His wisdom, not ours. Yet if we doubt that we should pray for the Lord's harvest, then there is doubt in all prayer: prayer "for the peace of Jerusalem," prayer that the Lord's kingdom may come, prayer that His will may be done. Indeed there is doubt that the individual should pray for help in combatting evil; for it can be said rightly that the regeneration of the individual is also the Lord's work, His harvest, a matter of His wisdom and love.

437




     However, we know from the Writings that a man is most certainly to pray for aid against evils. * To be sure, it is the Lord's will that man be delivered from evil. It is His harvest. Nevertheless He does not deliver the man who does not desire it. Thus we read that the man who "supplicates" overcomes; for "when the man also wills and intends it, this perpetual effort of the Lord becomes an act." ** He sends laborers. He sends help from the sanctuary.
     * DP 281: 3, 2963, Life 31e, 104e, AE 803: 3, Coro. 59: 4.
     ** Char. 203.
     And if we can truly understand the prayer of the individual, we can also understand the prayer for Jerusalem, the supplication of the angels to raise up a New Church, * the prayer for the whole human race. The wording of the Lord's Prayer is a plural wording in which we do not confine ourselves to our individual needs. "Deliver us from evil." "O Lord deliver us." **
     * AR 645.
     ** AE 1148: 4.
     We must bear in mind the teaching of the Writings that before the Lord His entire kingdom is as a single man. Heaven is ruled by the Lord "as a single man is ruled, thus as a one." * Those things which apply to the individual in prayer apply also to the whole of the Lord's kingdom. The whole human race is also as one man. ** The Lord has compassion on the, human race and longs for its salvation, and the man who becomes an angel receives from the Lord His love towards the universal human race. ***
     * HH 63.
     ** Love VI.
     *** AE 388: 30; AC 2140, 4220.
     The man who knows the needs of the human race, and knows also that there is one hope for the human race, can understand the saying that "he who knows anything of the Lord's kingdom should pray that it may come." * The multitudes are as sheep not having a shepherd, and those who know the truth and are affected by it are as the disciples to whom the Lord says: "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest." Amen.
     * AR 956.

LESSONS:     Matthew 9:27-10:16
MUSIC:     Liturgy, pages 570, 481, 499.
PRAYERS:     Liturgy, nos. 9, 62.
MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY 1965

MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY              1965

     "Unless a man provides the necessary things for a garden or a house, he will have no garden with the benefits of its fruits, and no house with the privilege of living in it. So it is with reformation" (Apocalypse Explained 1154: 2).

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ASSEMBLIES: THE PULSE OF THE CHURCH 1965

ASSEMBLIES: THE PULSE OF THE CHURCH       Rev. ERIK SANDSTROM       1965

     Delivered at the 50th British Assembly, Colchester, July 17, 1965.

     At this occasion of the Fiftieth British Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem it would seem useful to reflect on the uses of Assemblies, and to view, if only in a brief glimpse, their forerunners in earlier churches and their historical beginnings in the New Church.

     Assemblies in Preceding Churches

     In the sight of the Lord a living church is as one. It is therefore of order that the interior unity of the church should be represented from time to time in general convocations, when the church from scattered parts may come together and experience, confirm and revive that unity.
     This applies in a spiritual church as distinct from a celestial church. There is no evidence in the Writings that there were major gatherings in the first church on this earth. History, of course, gives us no information concerning it. That church, referred to as the Most Ancient, was celestial as to genius. It had interior unity without special convocations.
     Its people lived - Revelation tells us - in houses, families and nations. "A married pair with their children and their manservants and maid-servants constituted a house; a number of houses that were not far distant from one another constituted a family; and a number of families a nation." * They would meet, for they were mostly shepherds, and they journeyed with their tents; ** but this would come about in a natural way, and without prearrangement. That there was communication between houses is also manifest from the circumstance that it was customary to contract marriage within the family. *** The tents of each household were the meeting places for instruction. "The father of a family taught those who were born of his house the precepts of charity and thus a life of love." **** This teaching, however, was not like our teaching, for the most ancients "saw external things through internal ones as in the light of the sun by day." ***** Thus they were not instructed by an external way, through the memory. Nor did they have the "externals of worship." ******

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That is to say, they did not in an intellectual way cultivate external symbols of worship, but their bodily postures and the like while in adoration came to them by the internal dictate of love. All of this, and more, could be revealed through Swedenborg by virtue of his visits among angels who had been men and women of the Most Ancient Church.
     * AC 1159: 3.
     ** AE 799.
     *** See AC 471.
     **** AE 799.
     ***** AC 4493:3.
     ****** Ibid.
     If, then, convocations were neither customary nor necessary in the days when the church was celestial, it would follow that unity was maintained through other means. Communication by means of spheres served that purpose. Spheres, emanating from the affections of love, are real and living things, though so obscured as to be scarcely perceptible by men of later ages such as ours. Thus in most ancient times there was greater unity without convocations than in succeeding ages by means of them. "The reason they dwelt thus alone by themselves, distinguished into houses, families and nations was that by this means the church might be preserved entire. . . . Each house was of a peculiar genius, distinct from every other. . . . Therefore in order that there might not be a confounding, but an exact distinction, it pleased the Lord that they should dwell in this manner." *
     * AC 471.

     On the other hand, we may assume that there were gatherings of various magnitude in the Ancient Church. The people were now instructed in doctrinals, * which means that they were taught through the memory; and there was no longer the internal communication with heaven that existed before their time. ** The teaching that they worshiped in mountains and in groves implies that they came together for that purpose. *** Even their building of the tower of Babel testifies in an inverted manner to their having gathered for worthy reasons before their decline. Such worthy reasons would have been instruction in correspondences derived from the previous church, and worshiping according to the knowledge thus imparted.
     * AC 609.
     ** AC 784.
     *** See AC 2722.
     The Jews had three major convocations each year. Concerning these we read: "Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto Me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of the unleavened bread . . . and the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labor which thou hast sown in thy field: and the feast of ingathering in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labors out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God." * "These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations . . . besides the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your free-will offerings which ye give unto the Lord." **

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     * Exodus 23: 14-17.
     ** Leviticus 23: 37, 38.
     
     As in the Ancient Church, the gatherings of the Jewish Church were in course of time defiled. Isaiah then voiced the Lord's denunciation: "The calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth; they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them." * But again corruption testified in its negative way to the holy use that had been intended.
     * Isaiah 1: 13, 14.
     We know especially from the book of Acts and the Epistles that gatherings both great and small were common in the early Christian Church. Apparently they were sometimes together for several days, and then freely shared their possessions. "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common." * There were even times when this sharing took on such proportions that it was necessary to appoint special men for the "daily ministrations" and to "serve tables." ** These men were later called deacons. *** Charity was widespread in these early days, and the church grew in influence and numbers, so much that Annas the high priest and the elders feared the people. **** The Writings note the feasts of charity of that time. ***** It is quite apparent that there was no internal doctrinal strife or dissention, but harmony reigned among the believers, and was at times further enhanced through the persecution they suffered.
     * Acts 4: 32.
     ** Acts 6: 1, 2.
     *** I Timothy 3.
     **** Acts 4.
     ***** TCR 433. See also Jude 1: 12.

     Assemblies in the General Church

     Turning now from the Apostolic Church, the church established by the Lord's apostles, to the early days of the New Church in England and the pioneer days in the General Church, one cannot fail to note some striking similarities. The same applies in greater or lesser degree to New Church beginnings elsewhere, but as far as I am aware, nowhere as manifestly as in the instances just mentioned. At this time we are particularly interested in the birth of Assemblies in the General Church; and thinking that the first three constitute a kind of trilogy of their own, I would refer to them in particular; not, however, before having done something to substantiate the reference to the first formation of the church in this country. It was here that the organized New Church began; and in another context only a much fuller treatment could lay claim to doing any justice at all to the spirit that apparently prevailed in the first group. For the present we must be content with a glimpse through the eyes of Robert Hindmarsh.

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     In his Rise and Progress of the New Jerusalem Church, Mr. Hindmarsh writes as follows concerning the first General Conference of the Church, held from Easter Monday, April 13, to April 17, 1789:

     "As this was the first General Assemblage of the members of the New Church, met for the purpose of promoting the great interests of that Body at large, it was thought advisable to give a particular and circumstantial detail of what passed on that occasion; in order that the spirit of charity and affection, which influenced all present, and the zeal tempered with prudence, by which all were actuated, might never be lost sight of, nor departed from, by those who shall hereafter be engaged, either publicly or privately, in advocating and advancing the same cause. . . . The harmony, which prevailed during the time the General Conference held its sittings, was justly regarded as a kind of pledge or earnest, that all future meetings of the New Church would in like manner be conducted in the true spirit of love to the Lord, and charity towards all mankind." *
     * Page 105.

As the New Church historian knows, Mr. Hindmarsh lived to see disappointments, but the sentiments in the early days are not thereby altered.
     The first General Assembly of the General Church was held in Huntingdon Valley, now Bryn Athyn, June 25-29, 1897. Its background was gloomy, for there had been earlier that year a separation from that "grand old man," Bishop Benade, affectionately known as Father Benade. Five men had withdrawn, and had come to Bishop W. F. Pendleton to ask him to initiate a new body of the New Church. Bishop Benade in his old age had become so autocratic that the feeling was spreading throughout the church body of which he was the head - The General Church of Pennsylvania, later renamed The General Church of the Advent of the Lord - and through the Academy of which he was Chancellor, that there was no true freedom for the clergy and the members of these bodies. Nevertheless, the universal testimony of that generation shows that the affection in which he had been held for so long was never withdrawn. On this account it would be true to describe the spirit around the time when the General Church of the New Jerusalem was founded as one of sadness rather than one of bitterness. Also, there was at first, on the opening day of the first Assembly, a certain sense of hesitancy and uncertainty, for fear lest freedom could not be secured except at the expense of order, or lest order should be sacrificed in the cause of freedom.
     This fear was soon dispelled, and it was clear that Bishop W. F. Pendleton has earned the enduring gratitude of the church for the kind of leadership he gave both by action and pronouncement.
     In his editorial in NEW CHURCH LIFE, July 1897, the Rev. C. Th. Odhner, who was also Secretary of the General Church, wrote:

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     "When, at last, Bishop Pendleton's plan of organization was unfolded, preceded by a most elevating consideration of principles, and crystallizing into simple, practicable form those elements of agreement in which all were ready to unite - the relief and enthusiasm of the meeting found vent with an unanimity and spontaneity that can be appreciated by anyone who has ever come through a similar period of doubt and fear as to the stability of his spiritual home on earth. . . . One thing which this Assembly may be said to have definitely settled, is, that the spirit of the entire movement is for freedom - freedom for all. To the unwritten constitution of the past has been made a further contribution or development - a fuller interpretation of the doctrine of the priesthood, by a better understanding of the principle of reciprocation by the Church, without which priestly government is but a name and a delusion. A balance was needed: the ministration of the Lord Himself can effect nothing of eternal life without the reciprocation of man, and this must be represented in the functions and organic life of the Church. While this has been acknowledged all along it has not been sufficiently developed, and of late it has suffered." *
     * NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1897, pp. 97, 98.

     There had been preparation for sentiments of this nature in the months preceding the Assembly. Essential in this preparation was a statement issued by Bishop Pendleton at the very time when the new general body of the church was taking form. The five men who called on him were inaugurated by him as a priesthood of the incipient church body. This was on February 6, 1897; and the next evening, at a formal meeting of the congregation in Huntingdon Valley, the Bishop announced the step that had been taken, and said that that step would lead to the formation of a complete church if any laymen should apply for admission and accept its ministrations. As Secretary, Mr. Odhner reports "in substance" what the Bishop said, and we extract the following:

     "We reject nothing of the principles of the past-those known as the principles of the Academy. . . . Any change in principles, if it is to come at all, must come in the future. It will not do to change from what we have believed, now while in the state of transition and disturbance. The chief change will be one of policy - without that there would be no reason for this movement. The new policy will include two features essential to the life of a Church - Council and Assembly. There is no telling the uses of a general assembly, in bringing the members of the Church together, to consider measures, exchange thoughts, and strengthen each other in the life of the Church. . . . [Members] should meet, not to decide doctrine, but to consider measures for the conduct and development of the Church. What is a Church without the free, rational co-operation of its members?" *
     * Ibid. 1897, pp. 43, 44.

     The Assembly itself, called for the summer of the same year, was potent with important features. One might say, speaking paradoxically, that the first act of the Bishop was to withdraw as Bishop. The purpose was to leave the Assembly, now acting for the whole church, in real freedom. The Council of the Clergy also withdrew for the same reason.

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We quote here an extract from the report of the proceedings of the first day:

     "Bishop Pendleton then announced that this General Assembly, the natural outgrowth of this movement to form a general church, was now competent to express its voice upon the principles and government of the Church, to consider and decide upon the uses of the body, to determine its policy and perfect its organization; and that in order to contribute in the fullest measure to the freedom of the Assembly in the doing of these things the Council of the Clergy, together with the Bishop, having performed the office of bringing a provisional body into existence, and of calling members together, now withdrew from external connection or collective relation with the General Assembly, retaining at the same time their places as individual members of the same. He further announced his own retirement from the leadership of the movement, his resignation being then in the hands of the Council of the Clergy; and stated that the selection of a permanent chairman of the meeting was now in order." *
     * Ibid., 1897, p. 99.

     On the motion of a layman it was then first resolved that the chairman should be a priest, and afterwards Bishop Pendleton was nominated and elected permanent chairman. Our reporter notes as "an index of the strong affirmative attitude of the meetings that every question passed was a unanimous action." *
     * Ibid., 1897, p. 99.
     Later, when the Assembly was nearing its close, a provisional action was taken in order to arrange for the proper supervision of the affairs of the church until the next Assembly. The Council of the Clergy was asked to provide for the administration of the ecclesiastical affairs for that period, and the Assembly elected an Executive Committee to conduct the business affairs, also for that period. Subsequently the Council of the Clergy met, and then secured the withdrawal of Bishop Pendleton's resignation, previously tendered to the Council; and this action was reported to the Assembly, together with the assurance that the Council gladly assumed the responsibility laid upon it by the Assembly.
     On the same day, the fourth day, Bishop Pendleton delivered his paper, "Notes on the Government of the Church." NEW CHURCH LIFE reports: "The reading was followed with rapt attention and followed by an enthusiasm (vented in prolonged cheering) rarely seen in an ecclesiastical gathering, in the New Church, at least." *
     * Ibid., 1897, p. 104.
     The paper itself - which may be regarded as the herald of the form of government that has gradually evolved in the church - outlined a threefold form of organization. The Assembly is here an essential ingredient, and our extract is selected in order to focus particularly on this point.
     "When we examine the nature of the organized uses of the Church, we find that they are threefold in form, or may be classified under three general heads:

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1) Those performed by the clergy distinctively and separately, or ecclesiastical uses. 2) Those performed distinctively and separately by the laity, or civil uses. 3) Those performed by the clergy and laity together, or in common; or uses intermediate between the ecclesiastical and civil, partaking of the nature of both. . . . The body of the clergy, composed of all ministers of the Church, to constitute a distinct department, house, or chamber, to consider, determine, and administer the purely ecclesiastical affairs of the Church. The body of the laity, composed of the active laymen of the Church, to constitute also a distinct department, house, or chamber, to consider, determine, and carry into execution the civil or business affairs of the Church. The intermediate body, composed of ministers and laymen, to constitute an assembly of the members of the Church, to perform the uses of a public deliberative body, to discuss the principles and measures of the Church; and, when a conclusion is reached on any given question, to refer it to one of the other bodies for final deliberation and action.
     "Such a body brings the clergy and laity together on a common plane in common assembly, it provides for freedom of speech, and will be an instrument for bringing before the members at large the principles and uses of the Church. . . It is competent for each body to have its own Council, or General Committee, for the more efficient transaction of its business. . . . It has been said that [these three bodies] must also have one head. This is important; for, as we read, 'What would a kingdom, state, or house be, unless someone in each should act as supreme?' (TCR 679). Without a common head such a three-fold body as is here proposed would be subject to the condemnation visited in The True Christian Religion (n. 141) upon the Roman republic, which had a divided government without a common head, namely, the consuls, the senate, and the tribune of the people. This image of a divided trinity is provided against when each part, and all the parts together, recognize a common head." *
     * Ibid., 1897, pp. 108, 109.

     The Bishop closed by placing three suggestions before the Assembly:
"1) That no action be taken upon the question of government, or organization, at this meeting of the General Assembly. 2) That this Assembly pass a resolution requesting the Council of the Clergy to provide for the administration of the ecclesiastical affairs of this Church until the next meeting of the General Assembly. 3) That this Assembly elect an Executive Committee of laymen to conduct the business affairs of this Church until the next meeting of the General Assembly." * We have already seen that the Assembly adopted suggestions 2 and 3, and we add that the first suggestion was also approved.
     * Ibid., 1897, p. 109.
     The second General Assembly was held in Glenview, near Chicago, in the following year, June 24-28, 1898. This Assembly can be described as confirming what the first Assembly initiated. Thus there was now the formal endorsement of the principles outlined in Bishop Pendleton's paper at the first Assembly; and there was also the final action of the Assembly, on behalf of the church at large, in accepting Bishop Pendleton as its ecclesiastical head. In addition, the question of how the house of the laity should be constituted was ventilated and referred to the Executive Committee for further preparation until the following year.

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We note also that the name of the new church body had not been finally settled, and that there was at this time a wide preference for the name, "Academy Church of the New Jerusalem." * One of the chief topics at this Assembly was Evangelization, in the full discussion of which the important point was stressed that repentance is the only way to awaken men to spiritual truth and life. Further we note that Convention had sent to this Assembly delegates who displayed a most friendly attitude and who shared in its discussions; and that the Assembly of the church was immediately followed by an Assembly of the Academy, the latter being specially designed to clear up the relationships between the two bodies. **
     * Ibid., 1989, p. 110.
     ** Ibid., 1898 pp. 173, 174.

     The third Assembly in our trilogy convened in Berlin, now Kitchener, Canada, from June 30 to July 4, 1899. This Assembly is famous as the forum for the promulgation of the twelve Principles of the Academy. It must be remembered that the Academy was older than the General Church - having been founded in 1876 - and that the men who now launched the General Church into existence were the heirs of the Academy. On this account the formulation of the Principles of the Academy on the occasion of a General Assembly of the General Church served as it were to bring the spirit of the Academy into the General Church. Something of this is also implied in the Bishop's opening statement: "The body which has been known, up to this time, under the name of the 'General Church of the New Jerusalem' is an outgrowth of the Academy movement, and is founded upon the principles of the Academy. It would seem useful and important, therefore, to set before the members of the Church, at this time, a brief general statement of the doctrine and faith of the Academy." *
     * Ibid., 1899, p. 117.
     This statement can be compared to the declaration of faith and purpose given by a candidate for the priesthood on the occasion of his ordination, also to the confession of faith by a candidate in the rite of Confirmation. While expressive of the conscience of the generation at that time, it was never meant to bind the conscience of generations to come. Nevertheless, it was expedient that the new church movement should establish its doctrinal platform by formulating its common understanding of the teachings and spirit of the Writings. After this the church was ready to go ahead and apply its faith to its life.

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     There was, then, at the first Assembly a move to organize the church; at the second Assembly, after due time for free reflection, study and discussion, the unanimous confirmation and establishment of the principles of government and organization that had been propounded; and at the third Assembly a formulation of the doctrine that constituted the common faith of the membership of the church. This would seem to complete the church's preparation for future actions and life, and it is with this in mind that we have referred to the first three Assemblies as a trilogy.
     The twelve principles set forth the acknowledgment of the Lord as appearing in the Writings; the consummated state of the former church; the status and use of the priesthood; the nature and benefits of Baptism and the Holy Supper as administered in the New Church; the essence and development of the conjugial; the relation of perception to doctrine; the law of unanimity; the relation of legislation to current needs and uses; and the first need in the field of evangelization, namely, the education of the children of New Church parents. *
     * Ibid., 1899, pp. 117, 118.
     
In concluding, the Bishop stressed the principle that is within all true principles:

     "It is clear, however, that what makes the Church is not so much its doctrine as its spirit; for the essential of doctrine, the essential of faith, the essential of law, is the spirit that is within it. . . . The most important principle of all, therefore, has not yet been stated, the principle that is within all, the truth that is within the doctrine of the Academy, the law that is within the law, which is the spirit of the law - this spirit of the Academy, the spirit of its doctrine and law, the spirit of its work from the beginning, is - the love of truth for its own sake.     If this love be in the Church, and continue in it as its ruling principle, as its spirit and life, the Church will have a spiritual internal from heaven, by which it will be enlightened and guided in the performance of its uses, and by which it will be protected from the spheres in which the spirit of the world rules, for no man will then come to it, or remain in it, who is not willing to die that the truth may live and prosper." *
     * Ibid., 1899, pp. 119, 120.

The Uses of Assembly

     Now the above may indicate the heritage of our present-day Assemblies. We need occasionally to see where the road began, to make sure that it continues in the direction of the right goal. At this point, therefore, we ask: What are the uses of Assembly that we should endeavor to keep alive? It would also be well for Councils and future Assemblies to consider ways of further enriching the usefulness of the major or lesser convocations of the church.

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     Let the following serve to recall to our minds, in a summary, some of the major uses that Assemblies of the General Church are designed to serve:
     1. Common Worship. The church must develop as a unity. That unity is from the oneness of God. Nothing can promote unity more efficiently than worshiping the Lord, the one God of heaven and the church, when the scattered members of the church meet together in Assembly, praying that He alone may lead.
     2. Doctrinal Instruction. The church must be led by means of the understanding. It is therefore essential that there shall be a development of a common understanding of the doctrines that have been Divinely given for the life of the church.
     3. Practical Information. The membership of the church, in order to participate in the activities between Assemblies, ought to have a firsthand knowledge of what is going on, and a share in planning for the future.
     4. Freedom of Speech. Freedom of speech is one essential for the freedom of the church. Assemblies provide a common platform for that freedom. The church at large must have an opportunity of expression both on points of doctrinal understanding and of practical application.
     5. Social Life. In a true form of social life, spiritual loves come into their outward flow of delight. This seals and revives internal values held in common.
     6. Mutual Love and Friendship. The life of the church is from doctrine but in and through mutual love and charity. For this reason a true and living friendship among the members of the church is an essential without which the unity that comes from the Lord cannot be finally received and established.

     Finally, looking to the future, we may note that action is the purpose for which doctrine is given. It would therefore seem that Assemblies would serve increasingly as an impetus to use in the church if they were to focus on preparing for activities that are contemplated and are seen to be useful. Doctrine will inspire the more if received in the sphere of uses that are actively in the minds of those who constitute the church.
     It is with this in mind that we have likened Assemblies to the pulse of the body. The pulse that is in the bloodstream from the heart is not an end in itself but a means of sending out the ingredients of physical life to the organs and cells of the body in order that these may perform their uses. Assemblies are designed to serve a like purpose in the church.
     British Assemblies have a higher numeral in their title than any other Assemblies in the church. Fifty Assemblies! It is a milestone, the passing of which brings out both reflection and hope. May future British Assemblies ever more serve the cause of the Lord's New Church in the country in which the organized church began.

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FREEDOM: DOCTRINE, PROBLEMS AND APPLICATIONS 1965

FREEDOM: DOCTRINE, PROBLEMS AND APPLICATIONS       Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1965

     The last in a series of four classes.

     4. APPLICATIONS OF THE DOCTRINE

     If there are problems to be solved in trying to understand how man has freedom and is able to exercise it, there are others which arise in the realm of applications. Some of these are of our own making. We may be dedicated to freedom as an ideal, passionately devoted to it in theory, and yet obstruct it in practice. Perhaps without our even realizing it, our modes of speech, our manner, our attitude, may question or limit the freedom of others, or even discourage its exercise altogether.
     Yet this is not the only source of problems. If all men were either spiritually good or deliberately evil, there would be little difficulty in ultimating the doctrine of freedom. But there are many degrees and qualities of human motive. Even the regenerating do not always act from spiritual affections, and some evils and falsities are not intended but are the result of ignorance; in some instances, of mistaken ideas which are sincerely if tenaciously held. Misguided zeal, misdirected energy, an excess of enthusiasm over judgment, are not unknown even in the church! So some interesting problems do arise when we attempt to apply the doctrine, and it is about them that we wish to speak in this final class.
     We propose to touch on them as they relate to freedom in the church, in the home, in uses, in social life, and in speech and writing. It will be evident that little more can be done than to touch on them and suggest the more general principles of application. However, in consonance with the subject, it is the intent in these classes to leave you in freedom to reflect further, and to invite assumption of the responsibility for doing so; and it is hoped that enough of the doctrine will have been presented to put you in freedom, in the event that that is necessary.

     Freedom in the Church

     Spiritual freedom is essential to the life of the church. The uses which the church is established to perform are uses of the Lord through men - uses which require the transfer of the Holy Spirit through men to men; and that transfer can be effected only in a state of freedom and order, for these are prerequisite to any reception of influx.

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     The leading principle here may be seen in the internal sense of the Lord's injunction to His disciples: "Call no man your father upon earth." * The idea here is that the Lord alone should be thought of as the Father of the church. This is the law in heaven, where no other father is known. Although there are willing subordinations in uses among the angels, there are, we are told, no archangels in obedience to whom others are held by authority; for no angel in heart acknowledges anyone as above him but the Lord.
     *Matthew 23: 9.
     Evidently the application of this principle is that no human authority binding the conscience or the thought is to be interposed between man and the Lord; that no one in the church should claim, or be granted, the right to think for others; that no understanding of doctrine is to be advanced as an official position which must be accepted without discussion or thought. At the same time, since freedom can be lost by default as well as by force, it means that the laity should not wish the church to make for them those decisions which are the responsibility of the individual. In general, this is recognized, but it is not without its problems.

     There is always the danger in the church, or in a society, of a creeping spiritual paternalism intruding. Within bounds, this may have its place in an early period of instruction, such as that of youth or newcomers; but it should not continue after it has outlived its usefulness. When our young people grow up, and those who have entered the church as adults have attained maturity in the doctrine, they should be allowed - in fact, encouraged - to think of themselves from the Writings, and not from us; and we should beware of standing in their way. This can be done far more easily than we may realize. We may indeed be sound on freedom in theory; but if we treat their ideas with indifference or good-natured contempt; refuse to examine and discuss them seriously; and, above all, suggest by our attitude that when they have attained to our years and wisdom they will think as we do, or at least be worth listening to, we discourage seriously their exercise of freedom. We restrict it even more if we try to force their thinking into the mold of our thought, and suggest that they are falling short of essentials and ideals if they differ from us in the slightest degree.
     For the most part, of course, this has reference to freedom in spiritual things. But what of freedom in ultimates within the church? This will be answered in part by what is said later about freedom of speech. The question is a complex one, and we can only offer this as a general principle.

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In spiritual things and in those which pertain to worship - matters of conscience - decision should rest with the individual. But all external things are not really matters of conscience, even in the church. We are warned in the Writings against overconscientiousness, against making every detail and routine of life a matter of principle and conscience; and there are external things in the life of the church in connection with which there is no curtailment of freedom simply because the decision is made by some responsible body, usually one elected for that purpose, and the individual is asked to accept it.

     Freedom in the Home

     Freedom in the home involves two separate but interrelated considerations: freedom between husband and wife, and freedom as it enters into the relations between parents and children. That freedom is essential in marriage and makes one with its delight, and that there is perfect freedom in the inmost friendship of conjugial love are among the truths revealed in the Writings. As long as men and women remain natural, they are likely to think that marriage and freedom are not fully compatible, or to claim in the name of freedom that which can only be destructive of marriage. To the natural man, compromise is the only basis for a working arrangement between individuals; and while a person may be willing to compromise, there is usually a point beyond which he does so grudgingly, under threat of losing something which is considered to be more valuable than what is conceded. Where men have become utterly stupid in regard to spiritual things 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.
     It is the teaching of the Writings, however, that the desire to exercise dominion in marriage is destructive of 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 be only enmity according to the dominance of the one and the subservience of the other; for the love of dominion can only despise the very submissiveness it demands, and submission can breed only resentment against being mastered even while it is accorded.
     Where conjugial love has been established there is no problem, for 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 what the other thinks and wills. This is freedom itself.

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It is not the semblance of harmony that results when one partner dutifully echoes the thoughts and reproduces the affections of the other. It is a state in which 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 in either but comes from a source to which both look - the Lord in His Word.
     However, where conjugial love has not yet been established problems may arise. It is obvious that a sphere of authority, of intellectual superiority, or of dominion, will be inimical to the use of freedom, but there are other conditions that can be equally hostile. A free expression of ideas involves as essentials a willingness to hear and consider what is unpalatable as well as what is pleasing; care that rational decision be not subjected to emotional pressure; and concern lest it be repressed by fear of emotional repercussions. A wife who knows that her views will always be received with kindly condescension or thinly-veiled contempt, and that she cannot speak her mind fairly without inviting sardonic amusement, sarcasm or anger, does not have the freedom she should have. Nor, of course, does a husband who knows that any attempt to speak his mind will make home one of the less pleasant places to be during the next few days! The freedom that is granted only on the basis of personal approval is not genuine freedom.

     Much could be said about freedom in relation to children. There is time only to point out how wrong and dangerous it is to accept the popular idea that children are young adults and should be treated accordingly. The teaching of the Writings is clear that freedom and rationality go together and that the development of the rational does not begin in childhood. It is a form of mental cruelty to try to force children to make rational decisions they are not capable of making. They must, of necessity, be subject to the rationality of others, and it is the duty of parents to use their faculty of rationality wisely. This does not mean, of course, that parents should be dictators, though they are justified at times in simply saying: "This is what I say, and that is the way it is going to be!" But to give reasons for parental decisions after they have been announced - as distinct from being maneuvered into argument or being talked out of them in a losing defense - is quite different from demanding that the child think out the reasons for himself and then make his own decisions. Of course, children can be led by good affections, and thus in freedom, when they show them, as they often do; and when they do not, we may usefully remember that even those in hell are not punished for the evil they do, but only when it is so excessive as to endanger the public safety.
     Adolescence poses more delicate problems.

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The teaching itself is clear that as long as youth continues there should be submission to the rational judgment of parents, but not afterwards. To apply it, however, is not always easy on either side, especially when, as sometimes seems to be the case, there is a strong suspicion on the part of some of the young that after adolescence there is only obsolescence! The need is for a gradual transition from subordination to freedom in the course of which there will be many alternations of state - easily said, but not always so easily effected. Yet if we can remember that adolescence means the process of becoming an adult, and that our task and privilege is to assist in this process, not to try to arrest it for selfish reasons, we may be given the wisdom and patience, the firmness and flexibility that are needed.
     These things are important. However much men and women may talk about freedom and insist upon it, their real attitude to it is shown by the kind of freedom, or the lack of it, that exists in their homes; and the basis of true freedom among members of a family is good will, and regard and respect for one another as individuals with distinct personalities and uses, and with an integrity and dignity that are not to be violated.

     Freedom in Uses
     
Freedom in uses may be limited and cannot be the same for every person, but as far as possible men should be free to develop their uses according to their particular enlightenment. This does not limit the freedom of others, because it implies due consideration for related uses and is balanced by the rights of fair criticism, just judgment and dismissal for cause. But it does prevent interference. The principle may be expressed thus. We may say that a man is not running his business wisely, and may even tell him so; but we may not dictate to him how he shall run it, and still less may we decide to move in and run it for him!
     There is an obvious application here to the church, its societies and its schools. Episcopal, pastoral and educational uses should be left to those who have been entrusted with them. We do have a right to criticize fairly and to express disapproval, though this should be done to the person concerned rather than to the community at large; and we may distrust those who would deny us that right. But we do not have the right to say how the matter should be remedied, and we must admit the right of the person criticized not to accept our opinion. We may not know all the facts, or we may lack the specialized knowledge that would qualify us to appraise the situation and decide what steps need to be taken; and we should therefore not be deeply offended if our advice is not always taken. The basis here is confidence. A man or woman who is in good standing should be left in freedom; one who is not may be removed. But in that case the disorder should be serious and the concern general.

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There are always those who tend to conclude that when they are disturbed about something the entire church is disturbed; and by the time they are finished, it sometimes is!

     Freedom in Social Life

     It will surely be evident that if social life is not to become an exacting master or the insatiable devourer of all our leisure moments there must be freedom in it also. The demands made upon our time by a multiplicity of functions and activities must be balanced against the needs of the home; there must be a certain freedom for the exercise of preference among varied activities that is not limited by social pressures; the desire for private diversions must be weighed against social obligations; and while we should indeed be friendly to all, and should avoid cliques, we should be free to form our closer friendships with those to whom we are most drawn and with whom we feel that we have most in common. In all of this we should be willing to grant to others whose tastes are different from ours the same freedom that we hope they will extend to us. The guiding principle here would seem to be that of consideration for uses and for others: this together with a realization on the part of all that social preferences are not indicative of spiritual judgments and should not be confused with them.

     Freedom of Speech

     Freedom of speech is rightly a matter of constant concern. Yet we may wonder whether it is always realized that such freedom means much more than uncontested use of the air-waves. Speech is merely the mechanism by which a man may express himself and by which something may be conveyed from one mind to another. Even if no one should ever attempt to silence him, a man will not feel within himself that he has freedom of speech unless he knows that he will be given a courteous and impartial hearing; that his ideas, whether they are accepted and acted upon or not, will at least be considered carefully and fairly.
     What freedom is there in speaking to closed minds, or to minds so prejudiced that they will distort everything that is said? Freedom of speech becomes a mockery when a man knows that his every utterance will be but barely tolerated, or that the expression of an unpopular view will expose him to ridicule or anger. No matter how graciously it may be said, the assurance, "It's a free country, and you are entitled to express your stupid opinion," will scarcely set the stage for a meeting of minds! Nor does freedom of speech really exist when men have reason to be afraid of uttering just criticism because they know that any criticism at all will be taken as a sign of disloyalty or disaffection, or when they have cause to fear reprisals in one form or another.

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     The freedom to speak adversely from conscience and conviction - and this includes freedom so to write - is an essential part of the total concept; and one test of our belief in freedom of speech is our willingness to hear from others what is unpalatable as well as what is pleasing, and to consider it fairly and dispassionately. The readers of Pravda and Izvestia are entirely free from exposure to capitalist-warmongering-deviationist propaganda. Yet we would not willingly exchange for their "freedom" that offered by a press which, editorially and through its columnists, presents various and even conflicting political philosophies - even if some of its offerings raise our blood-pressure alarmingly!

     This idea has considerable extension. The Writings teach that unless men had freedom in thinking and willing, the freedom of thinking truth and willing good could not be insinuated into them by the Lord, and they observe that in an orderly society there is no freedom to speak against religion. But we do not live in an orderly society, and the saying and writing of much with which we do not agree is part of the price that must be paid for being able to hear and read that with which we do agree. This does not mean that our minds should be open to everything! In the area of free speech, civil, moral and spiritual law all distinguish license from freedom and provide safeguards against abuse; and as we should be alert to the need for these, so we should not hesitate to invoke them.

     Within the church, freedom of speech is encouraged when it is possible for men to offer ideas for discussion without being tagged as committed to those ideas; when they can raise questions for consideration, and not have to defend themselves against attack as if they had declared for one side or the other: in a word, when the spirit of inquiry is distinguished from that of advocacy. That freedom would, of course, be discouraged if there were a few who considered themselves to be sole guardians of the pure truth, and suggested that those who differ from them are flirting with heresy or have developed their views from some other source than the Writings.
     In all matters of freedom of expression, whether by speech or by writing, our concern should be with truth; and the man who is most concerned with truth is the most aware that he has no monopoly. Love of truth involves a sturdy conviction that the truth can provide its own defense, if we will but allow it to do so. Our prejudices are another matter. As has been said, we may be their sole defense against reality.

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Conclusion

     The subject of freedom cannot be exhausted in a few classes, neither can the doctrine be absorbed or all the problems solved. The doctrine can only be opened up and some ideas in the realm of application offered for further study, thought and reflection. We must go back to the doctrine again and again, seeking from the Lord a deeper understanding of it and a more interior perception of how it is to be applied: this on the basis of our endeavor to ultimate it in life according to the best understanding at any given time. We may do no less than this, for it is as we do it that the Lord is given the opportunity to make us truly human.
     Freedom is a vital issue in today's world, and society's concern with it is our concern also. But in our involvement with the problems of political, economic, social and civil freedom, let us never lose sight of the fact that the freedom we should most desire is one that is as yet known to very few, and one that it is therefore all the most important for us who know of it to seek: freedom itself, which is freedom to think what is true and to will what is good. For upon the maintenance of that freedom on the earth depends the future of the human race.
TOWARDS A PHILOSOPHY OF MISSIONARY WORK 1965

TOWARDS A PHILOSOPHY OF MISSIONARY WORK       Rev. ROBERT S. JUNGE       1965

     A DOCTRINAL CLASS

     The Need for a Philosophy

     The subject of the class tonight is missionary work. On the basis of the passages in the lesson, * and many others, we assume that this work is an essential use of the church. We do not, therefore, ask whether we should conduct missionary work, but rather, how.
     * Matthew 28: 18, 20, 10: 8; AR 626; Can. Red. vi: 6.
     Now you will recall that for many years before the Academy was established, schools came into existence within the church and flourished for a time and then failed. Time and again sincere New Church men were disappointed in their educational efforts. Some even claimed that there was nothing said in the Writings about education. The practical vision of New Church education at that time was not drawn from the Writings with conviction. But as soon as the members of the Academy looked to the Writings to guide their education, they discovered in them unlimited applications to work in the classroom.

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They learned from the doctrines not just that they should educate, but how. New Church education became founded upon the rock of the Writings themselves.
     Now, today, in the field of missionary work, we face just such a need to discover in the Writings themselves, not just that we should evangelize, but how to do missionary work. We need, not just the conviction of the need, but some indications as to what practical methods we should try. Some work has been done in experimenting with missionary techniques throughout the General Church and other New Church bodies. But if our missionary efforts are to find lasting success they cannot be guided by experience alone. Nor have they been. For many years a few individuals, the Rev. Karl R. Alden in particular, kept alive the need for establishing this use. His conviction was that missionary work would be effective only if it led to the authority of the Writings themselves. You simply have to believe in them in order to interest others. On the practical side, even a superficial comparison of Convention's rate of growth to our higher rate of growth from new members alone, without counting growth from our children, confirms the need for a strong belief in the Writings. Still, in spite of all this progress, it becomes more and more apparent that the Lord, through the Writings, must be our guide in co-ordinating all our past and future studies to form an over-all philosophy of missionary work analogous to our growing philosophy of New Church education.

     It has been truly said that becoming a New Church man is just a matter of education. The principles of true education, being from the Lord, are universal. In a sense, the philosophy of missionary work is merely seeing these same principles applied to those outside of the church rather than to our own youth. But this does not take away the need for seeing the direct application of the Writings to the missionary field itself.
     We read: "The Lord's New Church is spread through the whole world, but its inmost is where the Lord is known and acknowledged and where the Word is. From that inmost light and intelligence are propagated to all who are round about and are of the church [that is, the church universal], but this propagation of light and intelligence is effected in heaven." * "Is effected in heaven." Such communication is by means of affections and delights which all men receive from heaven. It is dependent upon our association with the heavens through reading the Word. If we are to co-operate with this spread of the church through affections, we have our first duty to live and act as New Church men.

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In this way the Lord can lead those who are ready, gently through their affections, to ask that question: "Just what does the New Church teach?" Now too often our people stumble over this and forget this affectional leading. The conversation runs something like this. "What is the New Church?" "Swedenborgian." "Never heard of it; what's that?" "We believe in the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg." "Who's he?" "A great eighteenth century scientist turned theologian." "Oh . . ." Not very many people are interested in eighteenth century philosophy.
     * AC 313: 3.
     Fortunately many of our people are much more successful than this example might suggest. Experience has shown that without specific drives or programs, the most effective missionary work so far accomplished by the New Church is through personal contact with a friend, and this will probably always be the case. One of our major problems, therefore, is not what we should advertise, but what should we answer when someone asks us, "What does your church teach?" Of course, there is no pat answer, any more than there is a specific answer to the question, what shall I teach my children when they ask about life? But there are many principles from the Writings and experience which can help us.

     The Parallel Between Entrance to the Church and Entrance Into Heaven

     In seeking these principles we read: "A man of the church in particular is a heaven, a church, and a kingdom of the Lord in least form." * "When heaven is spoken of, the church is also meant, for the heaven of the Lord on earth is the church." **
     * AC 9276.
     * AC 10131e; cf. AC 9808 et al.
     Certainly it follows that the preparation for entrance into heaven by regeneration is also preparation for real entrance into the church. There is a series of seven steps in entering heaven, carefully defined in Heaven and Hell. Can we therefore find an analogous series of seven steps for entrance into the church to make a beginning set of principles for missionary work, even if it is only an analogy? The steps of resuscitation and preparation of the spirit to find his place in heaven clearly seem to parallel the steps through which a newcomer passes in approaching the church.
     The resuscitation process begins very gently. We find good men of all faiths being led to heaven. We find sincere people who have just begun to reform, and those who have come a long way in regeneration, each seeking his path to heaven, some quickly, some slowly. We see how angels, far superior teachers than we, lead and guide them to find their habitation in the Lord's heavenly kingdom. We also find the evil sorting themselves out, turning their backs upon entrance into the Lord's kingdom, and so preserving and protecting it.

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Let us try to see from doctrine and from experience how the way that the spirit enters heaven is parallel to man's entrance into the church.
     We must never forget that evangelization is the Lord's work. The process is firmly in the Lord's hands. Just as the Lord alone knows when man is ready to die and begin his life in the other world, so the Lord alone knows who is ready to learn of the New Church, and when. This is clearly taught in the Arcana Coelestia, and it is also added: "There will be few within the church." *
     * AC 3898: 3.

     The Celestial Angels and Inmost Affections and Remains

     We know that the celestial angels are the first to come to a novitiate spirit. The celestial angels keep the novitiate spirit engaged in pious and holy thoughts, thoughts about eternal life. They try to keep him in such affections as would move him to love the Lord. Their presence is accompanied by an aromatic odor which protects the novitiate from the attacks of evil. Although it is not to my knowledge directly stated, it is clearly implied that the celestial angels are dealing with man's celestial remains of infancy as well as his inmost adult affections. Their effort is always to draw out the good in man and to hold him in it, if he so wills.
     The teachings concerning this state bear many lessons to missionaries. The first effort is to appeal to the inmost affections that man has. From earliest infancy and childhood all men are given these remains by the Lord. Our efforts in the beginning should be to rekindle these earlier affections. Let them know that there is a way for a Christian to have a clear idea of one God and of the purpose and meaning of life. Inspire them to believe again in the Word and to cultivate the innocent willingness to follow. Give them hope of eternal life and the eternity of true marriage. Give them the hope of the satisfaction and peace which we associate with the highest angels. The words, peace and satisfaction, are important, and involve much more than merely satisfactory answers to intellectual questions.
     Some summers ago a number of us took interviews with those who had joined the church in recent years. The newcomers described the desperate need for satisfaction which they felt prior to joining the church. In spite of the 55 different individuals involved, from their stories we pieced together certain basic and common patterns of approach to the church. Typical beginning states were described: "I was going around in circles." "The New Church sure was easier than living the mixed-up life I was leading before." "Our life was compatible, but it was a certain type of hollow life.

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There was something void." "Meaningless," "drifting," "utterly unsatisfied," torn between their ideals and the hard realities of life. This is the state which needs the New Church; and to that state we gently try to bring peace. Often this is an almost unconscious attraction to the church, which may last only a short time. Yet knowing this desperate state, we can understand one man's explanation of his reading of Heaven and Hell when he said: "I was thrilled no end, and there's no description for the joy or thrill that I received from reading it."
     Beginners need simple, affectionate, friendly discussion. To argue or dispute abstract terms will only increase their frustration. When we are tempted to argue, let us remember what is said of the celestial angels and their calm communication of their thoughts largely through their affections and example. The Writings say of them in the Spiritual Diary: "I could know nothing of the subject of their thoughts . . . except that they made no account of the fallacies and falsities of spirits, but as puerilities [or childish things], yet by no means deriding them, thus accounting them as nothing [they never looked down on them], themselves remaining in their own tranquil state." You aspiring missionaries who get into heated arguments note - "themselves remaining in their own tranquil state."
     Let us remember, too, that the celestial angels protect man from evil spirits. Evil spirits bring doubt and temptation to him. Now is the time to hold the newcomer to the church in high ideals. Pass by for a time his errors, not introducing those matters which might cause doubt. This first appeal to inmost affections is clearly indicated in the whole sweep of the Writings, both in the educational philosophy and in all teaching. It is the remains of innocence in individuals that are essentials of the remnant from which the church is to grow.

     The Spiritual Angels, Affections for Truth

     Now we know that newcomers frequently become impatient if we give them only high ideals. They want to know why and how these things are true. In fact, they are frequently looking, not just for satisfaction in their life and will, but looking for answers. There is a desire for learning in every man's heart. One man interviewed summarized his former life as one big question of "Why can't we understand?" Another said that he felt like a lost dog hunting for his master. Still another said: "Everything was vague and generalities. There were no answers, at best wishy-washy answers." Another said: "The liberals get you to give the answer and then say, "we'll go along with it." They are "teacherless." They give you "only darkness, never light."

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These phrases clearly describe the need for understanding and light. Of course, this parallels the coming of the spiritual angels. We know that without knowledges no one can become a man of the church. * The church is from the Word justly understood. ** But we should make a clear distinction here between this state with the spiritual angels and the state of interior instruction which comes just before the novitiate enters heaven. This is a first vision or glimpse of the church. Usually the newcomer to the church needs even to have his desire to learn rekindled. If we look closely at the work of the spiritual angels in resuscitation, we find that it seems to be rekindling and reorganizing the affection for truth. For this reason, in instructing newcomers our teaching must be warm and alive. These are not times for abstract doctrines. These are times for seeing the doctrines in life. The surprise of a novitiate after death in learning that he is a spirit is often paralleled by the surprise of a newcomer discovering a commonsense approach to religion. Many described this state as "too good to be true. Yet what a wonderful thing it was."
     * AC 1171.
     ** SS 79.

     Frequently the world in which the novitiate spirit finds himself seems very much like the world in which he formerly lived. How often we hear from newcomers: "Why that's just what I believe." Our temptation at such times is to jump right in and show them that this is not so. But this is not the time for judgment. We read of the novitiate spirit: "When he has come into the enjoyment of light, the spiritual angels render to the new spirit every service he can possibly desire in that state and teach him about the things of the other life as far as he can comprehend them." *
     * HH 450.
     Notice how gradually they are led by the spiritual angels to see the value of the light of heaven. We read: "If these spirits have been good, they are taken up into heavenly society to be instructed and are passed from one society to another in order that they may receive living experience that there is light in the other life and this more intense than is ever found in the world; and they may at the same time take notice that in so far as they are in light there, so far they are in intelligence." * What a wonderful step it is for newcomers when they come to realize that in so far as they are in the light of the Writings they are in intelligence.
     * AC 4415.
     Novitiate spirits are even taken into the homes of angels." * This is the time, I believe, to begin to introduce the newcomer into our society. While we do not pretend to be angels, if we are all endeavoring to do our first duty as missionaries, to live as New Church men, then when a newcomer enters a New Church home or church, he should sense something deep and wonderful. This exact effect was noted time and again in the interviews.

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     * AC 1630.
     When a novitiate spirit is allowed to see the life of heaven, if he is good, his affection is kindled and he desires to be a part of that life, even though gradually he learns that he is not yet ready and that he has work to do before he can. We hope that a similar thing will take place with newcomers to the church. We should be delighted, then, not disappointed when they say, "I wish that I could believe that." But the difficult secret is to show them by living experience that others like themselves have been able to learn and believe. This is the power of the newcomers or inquirers class.

     The seeds for a second all-important step are sown at this time. There is a transition which comes with seeing that these things are not just good ideas which their personal friend has, but that all in the church have these ideas. If they all have them, affectionately, if not intellectually, the newcomer is being prepared to see that these ideas are not from individual men, but from the Lord alone. The normal path is beginning to be laid for accepting the Writings as Divine.
     The first state, then, is a state of delight, typified by such a phrase as, "that certainly is a beautiful thought." The second state is ruled by a desire to learn. It is typified by such phrases as, "I wish that I could believe that," or, hopefully, "Where can I find out more about this?"
     But many people ask, and rightly so, what thought, what subjects, have real appeal to newcomers. Let's let some of those who have come into the church speak about that. Here is what they said in their descriptions. These are typical remarks, and illustrate in order of their emphasis, or how frequently they were mentioned, the common problems and subjects. They recognize common sense in the teachings. One summarized: "We had tasted of the truth and it was good and realized that it was right." Another tried to put this in words: "I just adopted the church because I could go along with everything I had always felt. Not that I had always felt, because I hadn't paid any attention to my feelings, but the new, this more genuine urge that I had to feel. I felt that this church just hit the spot."
     The life after death has strong appeal. Here's what they said: "To me it has been a big help to think of life after death and not just thinking, like when I was young, that thought of heaven with angels floating around. And hell was in the dark or something like that. You get such a different feeling about not having angels swinging up somewhere in the air." Another: "Well, there was nothing. There is absolutely no understanding in the old church today about life after death, and of course that is the thing I was searching for."

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Still another: "What about this next life, because this one's going to go, that's routine, and it horrified me to think of lying in the grave, not knowing; and there didn't seem any purpose to work for something and never know what it was going to be; and even more important, that is, the old church speaks of you this way: You die, your soul goes to some place - heaven or hell - but they never say you do. You die, your soul, see. 'Lord, take my soul,' but not me. Well, I wasn't worried about my soul. To me, it wasn't me."
     The doctrine of marriage has strong appeal, and practical appeal. One person said: "We had sort of fallen off in the art of communicating. The mutual togetherness on coming together to the New Church, and also the teachings on conjugial love that we both read, helped us to see that that was the main function of the couple, to make a mind and not just to coexist." Another said: "I had all these children and a husband - and I didn't know what either one of them was for."
     Newcomers want something they can test or try. One expressed it: "I tried the doctrines right away, and quite frankly, I don't think it took any time at all to see that they worked. . . ." Freedom was one of the biggest helps, especially realizing that every man, regardless of his church, has the right to freedom. The doctrine of use was indicated as an important appeal. "There were a lot of things at work that used to raise havoc with me. The idea that you should make a certain amount of money, these various types of rewards, somebody should pat you on the back. Quite frankly, from the teachings we have on use, and the kingdom of use, this has given me a lot of peace of mind."
     Other subjects mentioned less frequently, but still strongly indicated in the survey, were: the internal sense of the Word, Divine Providence, the oneness of God, the fact that all men can be saved. It is probably true, as with teaching, that the way a subject is presented is sometimes more important than what the subject is.
     If we are really interested in people and their problems, our gentle concern and interest will probably make a stronger impression than the specific things which we say. Frequently people said they could not remember what was said in the home they visited, or from the pulpit, but it was the sphere they felt which attracted them. We must have a thorough-going interest in others.
     Once a person is beginning to get a grasp of the church, his zeal may wane, just as the novitiate spirit gradually tires of his instruction from spiritual angels. He then passes to the natural angels, or good spirits.

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It is interesting for all members of our church, particularly those with prejudice toward visitors, to note the teaching: "All who come into the other life are without exception welcome and accepted guests." *
     * AC 119.
     The good spirits continue man's instruction, but on a still lower plane. In this state the externals of our societies take their part. Now our goal is that the natural, social and home life of our church shall be in obedience to our interior principles. We hope that as a newcomer is introduced into our social life it will reflect something new to him, even in externals. If not doctrinally, we hope at least it will reflect something stemming from a worthwhile basis. In the world of spirits we find a drawing out for the novitiate spirit of his good natural affections, but not necessarily an intellectual or a complete drawing out. In missionary work, we can appeal to such natural affections as storge, that the newcomer may have the desire to arouse that his children should have what we offer. He may be touched by the external marriage happiness that New Church men seem to have. On this lower plane it is not always easy for the newcomer to see the differences; but these exterior planes, appealing to the natural good in man, have their place, even though it be the ultimate place. We should remember the use of mediate goods. We are taught: "When a man is being born anew by the Lord, he is led by various affections of good and truth which are not affections of genuine good and truth, but are of use merely to enable us to apprehend these, and then to enable us to become imbued with them; and when this has been done, the previous affections are forgotten and left behind, because they have served merely as means." * Newcomers need to feel the warmth of the New Church on all planes of their lives. A great deal of instruction and preparation takes place through external New Church social life. Much is done through a natural admiration of New Church people.
     * AC 3982: 2, cf. 3518e.
     These three states are in a sense like dream states with a novitiate spirit, yet they are very powerful and essential to him. With newcomers, it is similar. They find themselves deeply stirred, moved to learn more, and to make these things their own; respectful of New Church men, yet at the same time scarcely consciously knowing how this has taken place.

     The Fourth and Fifth Steps

     But the novitiate spirit soon finds himself actively living as of himself in the world of spirits. He is in a state of exteriors, the fourth step. His life is a mixed state, much as if he were in the world. National, racial and external ties in general are still predominant. Newcomers to the church often find themselves faced with problems of family ties, bonds of external friendship - ties with the old, yet drawn to the new.

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In a sense they are like what we read of good novitiate spirits, "connected with some society in heaven . . . and yet only as regards interiors." *
     * HH 497.
     Let us remember to be patient with this state. This is the beginning of the very often painful process of alternating between exteriors and interiors, the fourth and fifth steps. The newcomer, like the novitiate, must reject some of his past life, and re-evaluate the rest. The novitiate who is to become an angel must come to let his interiors take the first place. We read that the novitiate unconsciously glides into this state of interiors. * This is the real time for judgment. With the sincere newcomer, he has come so far that he cannot turn back; yet he realizes that to go forward means rejection of his past, a coming out of the old church of his former beliefs.
     * HH 502.
     It is striking how many newcomers to the church actually become aware for the first time of the interior things of life. Prior to this they have thought of themselves as decent moral people, but now they see regeneration for the first time as something far more than cleansing the outside of the cup and the platter. Those newcomers who are going to reject the New Church will soon find their objections. They will become critical of New Church society and its people and fail to see that the truth is far more than these externals of life. They will soon reject and return to their place outside of the church, some violently, and some quietly. While this is true, we must remember that some who are not ready for the church in this world may be in the next.

     It is true that we try to avoid casting our pearls before swine. But we also should remember that the truth placed on a candlestick cannot be hid and will bring its own judgment. I believe that it is very important for us to remember that the Lord alone judges. We are not to take delight in stripping the newcomer of the things he has loved. Our task is to lead him to the truth, and the truth will bring judgment upon him. Remember, the evil novitiate casts himself into hell by fleeing from the good, whose sphere he cannot bear. Newcomers who are not ready or not willing to receive the New Church will flee from its sphere, provided that we make sure that the sphere of the church is strong enough. It would be wrong for us, from fear, to turn in only on ourselves. A key source of heresy is those who labor from themselves to protect the church. The Lord will keep the city.
     The good novitiate is stripped of his evils, his former convictions, by having them exposed. Often these are exposed by his being let into these beliefs and affections, and seeing their direful nature.

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Many evil spirits wait in the world of spirits, eager to press falsity and evil upon man, little knowing that through them good novitiates are prepared to see clearly and to love purely, so that they can enter heaven. Many in the former churches, in the past life of those who come to the church, unwittingly perform such a function in trying to coax their members back into the fold. This state of vastation is often a long and painful process of alternating between interiors and exteriors. One man said, "I got it from all sides." It is often necessary to fall into error, to follow out false delights, that they may be fully rejected. Above all else, we must be patient with these states.

     The Sixth Step, The Third State After Death

     Now we turn to the sixth step, or the state of interior instruction, which is only for the good. It is the direct preparation for the novitiate's entrance into heaven, and for the newcomer's entrance into the church. Having at length rejected the past and seen the beauties of the new, the newcomer eagerly takes up the task of learning and seeking his place in the church. We find newcomers reading at great length, often forgetting their lengthy preparation, and not understanding why the whole world does not see these things. They are ready for and enjoy the interior instruction for which the church must stand - for the church can never allow beginning instruction so to pervade her sphere that the sight of new truth and new uses which is her life ceases. We cannot sacrifice the sphere of the church for the sake of bringing in newcomers, for it should be apparent that in doing so we would at length destroy the very effectiveness of that missionary use itself.
     A number of people being interviewed accused the New Church of being cold. Carefully examining their comments led me to believe that they do not mean that the handshake and welcome wagon are not in evidence after church. In the beginning they almost always felt that the New Church people were friendly and wonderful. They mean rather, not being accepted for what they are in this later state, fellow New Church men. One woman summarized: "It is just as if you have a tag on you." When we reflect on the life of heaven and its uses, we realize that it depends on each individual's being accepted for what he is. This does not apply just to newcomers. Every human being feels the need to be accepted and to be appreciated. Uses are the key. Just as novitiates are eager to find their place in heaven, so newcomers are eager to find their use and place in the church. Those who do are far less likely to talk of the coldness of the New Church. It is important that all of us find uses that we can do for the church, for the Writings set forth the ideal of knowing the satisfaction of works done for the sake of the church which, they say, are the "best of all." *

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     * AE 975: 2.
     At length, freely, as if of himself, the novitiate spirit finds his spiritual home. And in like manner the newcomers come to the church and freely offer their love to her. So they enter the church even as the novitiates enter heaven, when they see as of themselves that they are ready.
     The interviews from which I have quoted are not carefully written answers to specific questions. They are the spontaneous remarks of people, many of whom you know, trying to describe their approach to the church. Yet in spite of the tremendous individuality of these experiences, a basic pattern was unmistakable. In short, experience and what the Writings imply about missionary work, open the door to seeing a set of principles for missionary work which any New Church man can apply in his conversation with friends outside of the church. Doctrine and experience indicate that missionary work should be a very personal and human endeavor, in which we all have a part. It requires inspiring teachers and companions along the way. It requires high ideals and practical application. It cannot possibly be accomplished solely by the priesthood, any more than New Church education could be accomplished only in the pulpit and in the religion classroom. Many of these states are best fed by others. Converted Mohammedans for example teach novitiate Mohammedan spirits. In the light of the Writings, with our working together as a church, this use can grow like the grain of mustard seed. The goal of this use makes one with the goal of the Lord's heavenly kingdom, for, "evangelization is annunciation concerning the Lord, His advent, and concerning the things which are from Him, which belong to salvation and eternal life." *
     * AC 9925.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Religion. Religion is frequently thought of in the world as a system of belief, which may be held without being practised. It is often implied that which system is embraced does not matter as long as it satisfies and one lives well, and the idea persists that religion was invented by men out of necessity from wonder or fear. The essential idea, however, is that true religion is revealed and is of the life, but a life according to genuine doctrine. Belief and life cannot be separated, the Writings teach, since a man cannot live differently than he really believes or believe differently than he loves and lives. (See AE 805.)

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EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL 1965

EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL       CARL R. GUNTHER       1965

     AUGUST 20-27, 1965

     Overheard at one of three social functions held during the week of the meetings was a remark made by a lady guest to one of the teachers. "You're are so lucky," she said, "to be able to meet with so many of the best minds in the church. I wish I were a little mouse, so that I could creep in and listen, too."
     It seemed odd at first that a lady should be making such an obviously sincere wish to become a rodent that under normal circumstances she would view with more or less muted horror, but upon reflection it occurred to me that she was right. We teachers are lucky to be able to attend such meetings. It is a privilege that few would pass up if given absolutely free choice in the matter. Perhaps that is one reason why nearly eighty members attended some or all of the meetings, together with some twenty invited guests.
     The meetings opened with a service of worship in the Benade Hall chapel. This is the most brief of all scheduled events of a very busy week, yet it is the most significant. It represents the very purpose for which New Church education exists - that we may help in leading future generations to genuine worship of the Lord.
     Series of classes presented by members of the Council, and designed to give further enlightenment to minds already specially trained in education, have been a feature of Council meetings in the past few years. This year was no exception. There were, in fact, three series of classes offered for the teachers, each dealing with subjects basic to a fuller understanding of the role of New Church education. The Rev. Ormond Odhner opened these sessions with a series on the Most Ancient and Ancient churches. Professor E. Bruce Glenn followed with a series entitled "An Inquiry into Aesthetics"; and Dean Charles S. Cole delivered a series of classes on teaching a Human Body course.
     Mr. Odhner's classes were based on a course he teaches in the Theological School and covered the history of man from what is known about his earliest beginnings, both from the Writings and from scientific discovery, through the establishment by the Lord of His first church upon earth, man's fall into evil and the subsequent decline of that church, to the raising up of the second or Ancient Church.

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In his classes Mr. Odhner dealt in a most stimulating fashion with such issues as the creation of man, the origin of evil, and some misconceptions prevalent in the church of what the Writings actually teach on these subjects.
     Professor Glenn's classes on the importance to the New Church man of a study of the arts were based on the following definition: art - the affectional ordering of the spirit through the imagination. Since this series will be published elsewhere, it will simply he noted here that Mr. Glenn's well thought out presentation stimulated a good deal of discussion and debate and left us all feeling richer for having heard it.
     Dean Cole's lectures began on a very practical basis; the teachers were required to make up good basic source-books from materials he made available to them. Not only did he deal in discussion with what might he taught in a good basic course on the human body, he also set up simple laboratory experiments in another room and encouraged all the teachers to participate in carrying them out. His work showed how even the smallest New Church school might easily demonstrate some of the basic ideas contained in such a course with very little difficulty and at little or no expense. After presenting these more practical aspects of a course on the human body he also spent some time discussing the importance of the teacher's philosophy in presenting it to children. It is hoped that out of this excellent beginning a general curriculum for this subject will be constructed in the near future for use in all our schools.

     While the classes provided us all with a great deal of food for thought, the Council was also stimulated greatly by such things as a most interesting talk by Dr. James Pendleton on "Some Relationships Between New Church and Psychiatric Concepts." Dr. Pendleton observed with some emphasis that the relationships between the presence of evil and mental illness need to be examined with great care. Mental illness, he noted, does not necessarily indicate an evil personality, nor does mental order necessarily indicate a regenerating state. The principal function of the therapist, he stated, is to help the patient to indulge in calm and reasonably objective self-examination looking toward reform. One cannot help but note the similarity in this respect between the functions of psychiatry and the priesthood.
     Another guest speaker was Mr. Roy Rose, who spoke to the Council as vice president of the Bryn Athyn School Board. Space does not permit a lengthy discussion of Mr. Rose's talk, but it may be said that he produced quantities of evidence submitted before the highest courts in Pennsylvania and before committees of the State Board of Education which shows the high quality of New Church education.

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For this reason the Bryn Athyn School District is seeking tax relief under a new law in order that this education may be carried on without financial impairment, and without loss of freedom to develop its distinctive system.
     Of the curriculum development committees the following made reports: the Art Curriculum Committee reported that experimental programs were under way in at least two schools and it was hoped that a definite statement of principles would be forthcoming for the 1967 Council meetings. The Committee on States reported that many hours had been spent in discussing what was needed by the curriculum committees on this subject and that several possible approaches suggested themselves. No positive statement, however, has been attempted as yet. The Hebrew Committee reported on work done in the various schools in the past year and expressed the hope that it would be carried on and expanded where this seemed feasible. The principal purpose in this study is not to have the students learn the language as such, but to familiarize them with it to the extent that it can be used in worship. The Mathematics Committee reported on the uses and problems connected with teaching the "New Math" and the Cuisenaire system. In general, the committee felt that the new systems certainly had some strong points in their favor but that they also had some weaknesses. The study would be carried on with the hope of being able to present a full elementary curriculum for the 1967 Council meetings.
     After an excellent banquet at the Civic and Social Club to round off this year's sessions the members of the Council dispersed, to return to their work with renewed vigor and a bit more wisdom. The Council will not meet until August 1967 because of the Assembly in June 1966.
     CARL R. GUNTHER,
          Secretary
WASHINGTON CHURCH DEDICATION 1965

WASHINGTON CHURCH DEDICATION       FREDERICK L. SCHNARR       1965

     The Washington (Maryland) Society cordially invites the members and friends of the General Church to attend the dedication of its new church and all-purpose building: date - November 5-7, 1965. Please refer to the September issue, page 430, for details of the program.
     Mrs. Philip D. Coffin, 3907 Pennsylvania Avenue, S. E., Apt. 201, Washington, D. C. 20020, to whom please address all requests for accommodations, is in charge of housing arrangements. As many guests as possible will be placed in homes; when these accommodations are filled we will he glad to arrange for motel reservations.
     FREDERICK L. SCHNARR,
          Pastor

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FIFTIETH BRITISH ASSEMBLY 1965

FIFTIETH BRITISH ASSEMBLY       FRANK S. ROSE       1965

     COLCHESTER, JULY 16-18, 1965

     Great Britain now has the distinction of being the first district in the General Church to have had fifty Assemblies.* True to our hopes, it was a happy, a warm, a Golden Assembly.
     * The Chicago District had its 47th Assembly in 1960, but when it was changed to the Midwest Assembly, had to start again with its first in 1963.

     First Session.     The Assembly began on Friday evening, July 16, with tea at the church set out by the Colchester Chapter of Theta Alpha and consumed in peaceful animation on the church grounds.
     Opening worship was conducted by the Rev. Erik Sandstrom, by no means a newcomer to British Assemblies,* but holding for the first time the position of president of the Assembly. The minutes of the 49th British Assembly as published in NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1964, pp. 463-466, were adopted, and messages were read from: Bishop and Mrs. Pendleton; the president of the Swedenborg Society, Mr. Alan Drummond; Mr. and Mrs. Harald Sandstrom; Miss Doris Potter, on holiday in Vancouver and the Rev. Martin Pryke. The pastor of the Colchester Society, the Rev. Frank Rose, welcomed the Assembly in general and the president in particular. He spoke of the affectionate memory of Miss Margaret Lewin and Mr. Percy Dawson, who had passed into the spiritual world since our last Assembly.
     * This was his 13th Assembly, which means that he has attended more than a quarter of all British Assemblies.
     The address, on "A New Morality," was by the Rev. Kurt Nemitz. He described the collapse of moral virtues in recent years and emphasized the point that genuine morality must originate in a genuine and understanding worship of God. He stressed that the responsibility for improvement rested on the shoulders of those who receive the Lord in His second coming.
     In the discussion a number of questions were posed by various people, and were replied to in his vigorous and interesting way by the speaker. The session was brought to a close after the discussion and the church cleared for the serving of wine and snacks, offered for the delight of the Assembly by the Colchester Chapter of the Sons of the Academy. This gave us an excellent opportunity to carry on the discussion, and to chat with friends from far and near.

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     Second Session.     On Saturday we met in the premises of the Alderman Blaxill School, about a mile from the Colchester church. The school proved to be ideally suited to our needs, with a bright, modern hall, removed from traffic noises, and with plenty of space for children to play quietly at tables in the back of the room or on the spacious lawns. Along one wall, forty-seven out of the fifty Assemblies were represented in Assembly photographs: an attraction for young and old alike and a convenient way of noting the increase over the years, especially the increase in families and children.
     Opening worship was conducted by the Rev. Frank Rose. Messages received that morning were read: from the church in Scandinavia, and from the Colchester Prykes, who were attending the Schnarr-Pryke wedding in Toronto that very evening. We then turned to the business of the Assembly, which, for some reason, all seemed to come from the lips of the Rev. Frank Rose. He gave four reports: chairman of the British Finance Committee; visiting pastor; editor of the News Letter; and chairman of the British Academy. The report of the treasurer of the BFC was on the chairs for all to read. The Assembly formally adopted the treasurer's report, ratified the Bishop's re-nomination of the Rev. Messrs. Alan Gill and Frank Rose to the committee, and re-elected Messrs. A. J. Appleton and Philip Waters as the committee's auditors.

     The business having been dispatched, in about twenty-minutes, we turned our attention to the presidential address by the Rev. Erik Sandstrom. * He spoke on "Assemblies, the Pulse of the Church," and mentioned that although Assemblies did not exist in the Most Ancient Church, they are of great use now. He traced the history of Assemblies in the General Church, with special reference to the first three General Assemblies, showing how each of these in its own way contributed to laying the foundations of principles, government and ritual which have characterized the church ever since.
     * Who has the distinction of having addressed more British Assemblies than any other man, this being the thirteenth time. Other speakers, with the number of times they addressed British Assemblies, are: the Rev. Andrew Czerny (10) the Rev. Albert Bjorck (10) the Rt. Rev. Robert J. Tilson (10); the Rt. Rev. George de Charms (9) the Rev. Alan Gill (8) Mr. Frank H. Rose (7) the Rev. Frank S. Rose (6); the Rev. Victor J. Gladish (5) the Rev. A. Wynne Acton (5); Mr. John Potter (4); Mr. James S. Pryke (4); the Rev. F. E. Gyllenhaal (4); the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton (4); Mr. George A. McQueen (3); the Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton (3); the Rev. Eldred E. Iungerich (3); the Rt. Rev. N. D. Pendleton (3); the Rev. Gustaf Baeckstrom (3); Mr. F. G. Colley Pryke (3); the Rev. Martin Pryke (3); the Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen (3). Altogether, thirty-two priests (seven of them bishops) and twenty-three laymen have addressed British Assemblies.

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     There was a coffee break after the address, and then an hour of discussion. The first question stimulated the president to give a very clear and powerful analysis of the three essentials of the New Church (DP 259), showing that all of them depend on the acknowledgment of the Writings. Other questions were raised and points made, including a question about the proposed World Assembly of all New Church bodies in 1970. In his concluding remarks, Mr. Sandstrom emphasized the need for people to take an active part in Assemblies, particularly in the discussions, so that spiritual uses may continue to be served by them. After the session there was time for us to relax before lunch, served in the same building.

     Third Session.     We returned to the hall at 3:30 p.m., for the third session. Opening worship was conducted by the Rev. Donald Rose. There was no business, so we could move directly to the address by the Rev. Peter Buss, on his way from Canada to take up his new position as superintendent of the Mission in South Africa. Mr. Buss spoke on "The Doctrine of Permissions," in such a way as to clear away certain misconceptions, particularly concerning acts of Providence. It was clear from the discussion that the speaker had opened up many new thoughts and many old problems, notably predestination. We felt that we could have gone on with the discussion for hours.

     Assembly Social.      We were told that a Carnival Procession had been laid on for our benefit - and at great expense, but we all knew that this was just a way of apologizing for the clash of interest between the Colchester Carnival and the opening of the Assembly social, held in the George Hotel on the High Street. The center of the town was blocked for an hour and a half just at the time when the social was due to begin, with car parks and busses crammed to capacity; but many people heeded the warning and went to the hotel early, finding there a vantage point in an upper room overlooking the procession route as they waited for the social to begin.
     And what a social! Mr. and Mrs. Denis Pryke and family, and committee, had planned and worked for months to provide us with a fast-moving, joyful and hilarious evening, very much in the spirit of many a golden social in the past. There were many items of entertainment from London and Colchester (was the Charmouth family holiday really like that?), plus items from individuals. There were only two set speeches: the response to the toast to "The Church" by the Rev. Peter Buss, and to "Fifty British Assemblies" by Mr. John Cooper; plus a host of spontaneous ones expressive of the lines of memory, friendship and affection that radiated from that group of people to friends there and all over the church.

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The invasion by a couple of brown bears just about finished us off. A truly memorable evening.

     Sunday Services.     Our feeling of disappointment at the relatively small attendance at the sessions was forgotten as people crowded into the hall of the Alderman Blaxill School for Assembly services on Sunday morning. As far as the ushers could count, some two hundred and ten people were present at the service - equal to the record-breaking service at the 1963 Assembly. The Rev. Donald Rose gave a talk to the children, explaining how the desire to keep one of the commandments showed a willingness to keep them all. He illustrated the point with the command: "Thou shalt not commit adultery." This made a useful preparation for the sermon by the Rev. Erik Sandstrom on "Truth from the Lord out of Heaven" (Exodus 20: 1), as seen in the Decalogue, in all revelation, and especially in the Heavenly Doctrine.
     After the service we gathered on the school lawn to face our intrepid photographer, Mr. Brian Appleton, who had installed himself in an upper classroom of the school. From that vantage point he managed to get three excellent pictures, and with amazing speed had them printed and on display at the garden party only four hours later.

     The adults returned after Sunday lunch to the Colchester Society's church for the Holy Supper service. One feature of the service was the introduction of a re-bound altar copy of the Word, being used in its present form for the first time. The original volume was presented to the Society many years ago by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Motum, but in course of time the binding cracked and needed replacing. This gave us the opportunity to insert some pages of the Writings to make the copy complete. The first three numbers of True Christian Religion, reproduced in facsimile from the first Latin edition, were placed at the end of the volume, so that now all three forms of the Word are represented. The new binding is in a beautiful red-morocco, and to preserve its beauty it now rests on a gold cushion specially made by Mr. Norman Motum. The cost of rebinding and of the cushion were defrayed by the descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Motum as a tribute to their memory.
     It seemed very appropriate that the Rev. Alan Gill, who has presided over so many British Assemblies in the past, should preach and act as celebrant of the Holy Supper, with the Rev. Messrs. Frank and Donald Rose, pastors in Colchester and London, assisting. This most holy act of worship is always the heart of our Assemblies and our nearest communication with the Lord and heaven.

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     During the Holy Supper service, and far away in Lab. No. 2 of the Alderman Blaxill School, the Rev. Kurt Nemitz, Mr. Garth Cooper, and a number of volunteer young people were looking after some forty children, giving them a view of two New Church films, The Water of Life and Noah, and later amusing them with games. All that the adults knew was that they were free to take the Holy Supper in peace, and then, on coming to the edge of Maldon Road, see a bus coming toward them filled with happy children moving from the delight of the films to the anticipated delight of the garden party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Wyncoll.

     Garden Party.     The very hot weather of Sunday morning gave way in the afternoon to something less brilliant and more bearable, so that over two hundred people could enjoy the beauty of the garden, the delight of a tea at tables in the summer air, and the important opportunity of talking to their friends in the spirit of greater understanding, charity and worship that had been fostered by the Assembly. As the day thus drew to a close, we felt that the many people, particularly in Colchester, who had worked so hard on the arrangements, and the ministers (there were six altogether) who had given so much though to the addresses, services and discussions, had provided us with an Assembly worthy of its exalted number. The Lord had blessed our gathering, and whenever our thoughts turn back to the events in that short but busy weekend, the feeling of blessing returns, and with it gratitude.

     Statistics.     Attendance figures were as follows:

First Session               84
Second Session          89
Saturday Luncheon          105 (no children)
Third Session               92
Assembly Social          105
Divine Worship               210
Sunday Luncheon          143
Holy Supper               95 (88 comm.)


     FRANK S. ROSE
          Secretary of the Assembly
NEW CHURCH CLUB 1965

NEW CHURCH CLUB              1965

     On Thursday, July 15, nineteen people, mostly young and all male, gathered in the Wynter Room of Swedenborg House to hear the Rev. Erik Sandstrom's address on "Swedenborg's Rational Psychology on Sensation, Perception, Imagination and Memory." Eleven took part in the discussion.

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REVIEW 1965

REVIEW              1965

A GREAT REVELATION. By Basil Lazer. Published by the Author, Canberra, Australia, 1965. Mimeographed. Paper, pp. 11.

     During the six years since he was introduced to the Writings several interesting pamphlets have come from Mr. Lazer's pen. This one is different from the others in that it is a chapter of spiritual autobiography: a vivid description of a man vainly seeking for a living and inspiring faith in which he could really believe, yet despairing of ever finding a religion that would satisfy both his spiritual and intellectual hunger; and a moving account of the steps by which he was led to accept the Writings as a revelation of spiritual truths from the Lord. Mr. Lazer did not immediately accept everything that he read, and he saw clearly the judgment on all his previous thinking that would come with acceptance; but his determination to let the Writings speak for themselves to an open mind, and his interest in applying to life what he saw to be true, gradually removed whatever obstacles there were.
     This very articulate testimony has been made public because the author believes that there are many people in the world who, like himself, would derive great benefit from the Writings, and because he is convinced that only the Lord Himself could have written such Divine revelations. The earnest but frustrated seeker who has wrestled in vain with problems such as are raised in the introduction may find much help in it. As a fascinating if brief case-study it should appeal also to those who are interested in missionary work; and it should delight those who never tire of the story of how those who seek are brought to the light.
LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 1965

LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE              1965

     "10. When eminence and opulence lead astray, it is man who from his own prudence has led himself to them; for he is led by the Divine Providence to such things as do not lead astray, and that are serviceable with regard to eternal life; for all the operations of the Divine Providence with man look to what is eternal, because the life which is God, and from which man is man, is eternal" (Apocalypse Explained 1136).

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REBELS WITHOUT A CAUSE 1965

REBELS WITHOUT A CAUSE       Editor       1965


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 he 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.
     Among the phenomena of a materialistic society are those young people whose interpretation of the contemporary scene is that their parents and adults in general are dedicated solely to money, status and symbols. This their idealism tells them is wrong, as it is when that is true, and they rebel against it. Unfortunately, however, their rebellion sometimes takes the form of subscribing to an anti-cult - the cult of not worshiping these things. From this it is but a step to denying all the values of society: to despising preparation for a career and a career itself as simply the means of making money, acquiring status and collecting symbols, and life itself as the mere enjoyment of these things. The good is rejected with the bad, and life as it is lived is regarded as being without any meaning worthy of serious consideration.
     These are rebels without a cause because they oppose one negative to another. What they fail to see is that it is not the pattern of life that is to be contested but the motive from which it is followed. When life is viewed in terms of use an entirely different picture is seen. The angels do not set their hearts on fine homes, beautiful possessions, position, and the other things that make for truly gracious living. They do not even regard them as the rewards of use; for to them use, on which their hearts are set, is its own reward. Yet neither do they despise them, but accept them gratefully as means. To make the rejection of money, status and symbols an end in itself is foolish. It is the part of wisdom to see use as the end and make it so. When this is done, then all other things fall into their rightful place.

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RECEPTACLE OF USE 1965

RECEPTACLE OF USE       Editor       1965

     The Writings abound in short statements which invite reflection. Among them is this: "Action is the receptacle of use." New Church men are well aware of the importance of use. What is being emphasized here is the familiar but vital truth that unless love and wisdom are ultimated in action, no use is received from the Lord, who is the source of all good uses, and performed to others. Until they are so ultimated, our aspirations to serve the Lord, the church and the neighbor; our dreams of doing so; our idle thoughts about how we may do so, and will do someday, are just that and nothing more.
     However, the statement has further meaning for us. Use is the third in the discrete series of love, wisdom and use, or, philosophically, of end, cause and effect, which trine cannot be divided. Love, the end or purpose, is not anything unless it is brought into use or effect; and it cannot come into use or effect unless wisdom, the cause or means, supports and provides for it, for wisdom conjoins the two. Action divorced from truly human love and wisdom is animal behavior. Love, no matter how ardent, is powerless to act as it wishes unless it has the knowledge of how to act; and the most complete knowledge will not lead to action if the desire to act is entirely absent. All three are necessary, and the love and wisdom must be homogeneous for use to result.
     If action is the receptacle of use, then, it does not become so until the will and the understanding are the receptacles of love and wisdom, for the effect cannot be other than the end and the cause. So the Lord has given us His Word, that through obedience to it we may receive from Him a spiritual love of use: a love that will inspire us to seek the spiritual truths from which the uses of charity are performed. When that love is received in the will it forms wisdom in the understanding, and then action indeed becomes the receptacle of use that is heavenly.
SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 4. FAITH 1965

SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 4. FAITH       Editor       1965

     In the Christian churches faith is variously conceived as intellectual acceptance of the passion and merit of Christ, blind adherence to what is beyond comprehension, or conviction of personal salvation. Some contend that man can do nothing to prepare himself for it, and the accent is on a belief which fetters the understanding. What can be seen does not call for faith, and some will even complain that their faith is being taken away if its mysteries are explained rationally.
     Very different are the definitions given in the Writings.

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There we are told that faith is an internal acknowledgment and affection: an internal acknowledgment of truth from understanding it; an internal affection of truth from willing it because it is true, which is the truth so affecting the mind from within that we desire from the heart to know what is good and true for the sake of life. For genuine faith is love to the Lord and toward the neighbor, and thus a life from these loves; doctrinals are not faith, although they belong to it, for their end is that man may become what they teach him that he should be.
     Faith is therefore one of those spiritual virtues which flow out from love to the Lord and toward the neighbor. However, it is characteristic of these virtues that they not only flow out from these loves but also flow again to them, and that they may be referred to every ascending degree of the neighbor. This teaching extends the concept of faith far beyond the realm of theology into that of religion; from obedience to the church to the expression of spiritual loves; from a focus upon one's own salvation to an active concern to promote the spiritual welfare of others; from a blind resting in conditions of personal salvation to an intelligent understanding of the meaning and application of truth.
     For faith is truth in act - not truth alone, which is harsh, unyielding and condemnatory - but truth which has inflowed from love and charity and which flows again into them: truth in which justice is tempered with mercy, principle with understanding, and firm standards with a sympathetic insight into human states and weaknesses. Such faith, entering into every phase of life, and moderating the extremes of knowledge of truth alone and natural good alone, is indeed a spiritual virtue. It is a virtue which is entirely the gift of the Lord, but one for which, like all other virtues, man must prepare himself as if of himself; and in his own mind, and in the Word, the means of so doing are provided.
PERSON IN THE LORD 1965

PERSON IN THE LORD       FRANK ROSE       1965

Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE:

     Thank you for your editorial on "Person in the Lord." [NEW CHURCH LIFE, July 1965, p. 344]. It seems very important to resist any suggestion that Father and Son ever were separate persons. It is an idea that arises in the minds of simple folk* from certain passages in the Word, although it is never said in the New Testament or the Writings that Father and Son were ever two persons. Indeed we have the teaching that "the Father is not to be understood as a first person."** If so, the Incarnation would involve one Divine person begetting another,*** and this is both absurd and contrary to genuine theology.
     * Lord 55.
     ** Ath. 121.
     *** See Canons, Trinity iii: 2.

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     The Writings never use the term, person, in the Lord, at least in an affirmative way. This is because the idea of persons inevitably begets the idea of "gods." *
     * BE 33.
     What, then, of the passage you mention, implying that the Divine and the Human are no longer two but one person? The Latin says: non amplius erant duo sed una Persona. * This comes in a section showing that the Father and the Son are not two but one. In the argument appeal is made to the Christian creeds, which teach that the Divine and Human are united like soul and body in man; therefore "after the unition of the Human with the Divine in Him . . . they were no longer two but one Person." No longer two what? Two persons? If this were meant, would it not have been stated clearly that the old church doctrine on this point is correct as regards the Lord prior to glorification? And if this was meant, why the analogy with man, for it can never be said that man's soul and body are "two persons," albeit they may be at variance with each other. When man is regenerate, we might say that he is no longer two but one person, but this would not mean that he used to be two persons. Besides, the Latin reads: non amplius erant duo. If it meant to say, "no longer were two persons," would it not have read, non amplius erant duae?
     * Lord 34: 4. Cf. Ibid. 35: 2.
     It may be admissible to speak of two natures in the Lord, * and possibly even of "two planes of consciousness," although I am somewhat doubtful. But the expression, two persons, seems to be quite unacceptable. Even in the passages that almost seem to imply that, the expression is avoided, and should be avoided in theological discussions in the church.
     * See AC 1414.

     FRANK ROSE
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1965

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1965

     We welcome the reappearance of A Nova Igreja, a magazine issued by the Rio de Janeiro Society which had suspended publication some time ago. Formerly edited by the Rev. Joao de Mendonca Lima, the periodical is now directed by Elca Tolipan, assisted by Levindo Alves Villela. The issue received contains, among other things, notes by the editor, a calendar of events, a sermon by the Rev. Robert S. Junge, a directory of the Society, and a record of baptisms, confirmations, marriages and deaths. A vigorous periodical seems necessary for the further development of the church in Brazil, and we wish this one success.

480


Church News 1965

Church News       Various       1965

     DURBAN, NATAL

     Bishop and Mrs. Pendleton must have been greatly relieved that their visit to South Africa did not extend beyond the planned three weeks. I doubt if they had two nights when they could sit at home in their hotel room in peace and quiet and draw breath. To have had the chance of seeing the Bishop once again, this time accompanied by his charming wife, was a pleasure that we will not soon forget. Mrs. Pendleton caused a stir and made a hit wherever she went, and she soon won the hearts of all the members of the Society. Durban turned on its hottest weather for her, and apparently she thrived. During their stay they spent an evening with the teenage set at the home of Mrs. Denise Bongers. They were served a delicious cold buffet supper, and a most enjoyable evening was spent by all. The young married set had the pleasure of enjoying their company at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice de Chazal, where all sorts of questions on contentious subjects which must have been difficult to answer were fired at the Bishop. It says much for the growth of the Durban Society that there were thirty-six young married people at this evening. Mrs. Pendleton spent a lovely morning on the Durban north beach with a group of young mothers and grannies. She was in her element with the young children and romped and played with them both on the beach and in the surf. Out came the tea baskets about 10:45, and there was comparative silence while young, middle-aged and tinies enjoyed their tea.
     On the last Sunday of this visit of the Bishop and his wife there was a Society tea held on the manse lawn, when Mr. Gordon Cockerell, treasurer of the Durban Society, gave a most moving and heartwarming speech of thanks to the Bishop and Mrs. Pendleton. We in Durban seem so far from the main body of the church, and at times seem so isolated, but the Bishop mentioned that it is often those who are farthest away who occupy a special place in his heart. Mrs. Pendleton also said a few words of thanks to us all, and especially for the lovely Basuto blanket that we presented to her. She said that she had enjoyed herself tremendously, and we can assure both her and the Bishop that we are dying to have them with us again. There were many tears when eventually the hour of departure arrived. Please, both of you, come back again.
     As the Bishop was heard to say during his visit, this is the most crucial year in the history of the Durban Society. The reason for this statement is the fact that we are considering moving to more suitable premises - premises more conducive to worship and instruction. We occupy a most valuable property on the Durban Berea, and the land, having commercial rights, is at the moment the most valuable property on one of Durban's most well known roads, Musgrave Road. It seems a little silly, financially, to sit on a property so valuable when it is no longer conducive to quiet worship and instruction. The growth and progress of Durban have trebled during the past five years, and the noise of the busy shopping center adjacent to the church and the noise of traffic along Musgrave Road have become sources of annoyance to minister and congregation alike. To develop the present property with a suitable school, manse, ball, etc., will be impractical as we would soon be very overcrowded; so the feeling of the Society as a whole is that we should relocate the church and buildings on some suitable land on the outskirts of Durban, where we can expand to our heart's content.
     There has been a number of propositions, and at present we are investigating the possibility of developing the present Musgrave Road property ourselves and using the income from this development to finance the proposed move.

481


This way we can retain legal control of the Musgrave Road property ourselves, as well as have a new church, school, manses, hall, etc., at some other location more conducive to worship and the conducting of a school. There are many snags to iron out in the meantime, and the relocation and executive committees have been kept very busy in the interim. The possibilities are tremendous, and a new church, school, hall and so on are great incentives to even the most cautious of us. To some, the move will mean lots of disadvantages - the distances to travel to church, school and so on; the uprooting of families; and, maybe the hardest of all, the demolishing of the only New Church building they have ever known: but for the future of the church in South Africa we can all see that this is the only step we can take at this time.
     The children's New Church Day banquet, which was held in the church hall, took place on Friday, June 18. White candles set in red holders, representing truth and good from the Lord, decorated the long tables. The children had a lovely supper of chicken, vegetables, ice cream and jelly. No papers were given by local children this year; instead they listened to papers written by other New Church children. When all the papers had been read, Mr. Heinrichs asked the children questions on them.
     Although the weather was miserable, there was a good attendance, 100 members, at the Royal Natal Yacht Club to celebrate New Church Day with a banquet. The atmosphere was one of common love for the church and rejoicing in the celebration of its birthday. Three papers were given this year, the theme being "Dangers." When Mr. Heinrichs introduced the speakers he said that all who love the church hope for its growth and prosperity, and it is essential to recognize the dangers, which are, in fact, evils, which threaten that growth. Neil Buss delivered a few forthright remarks on dangers in the individual, which arise chiefly from the loves of self and the world. Mr. Frank Perry presented a very clear picture of the evils which should be guarded against in the group and in society. The most important of these he considered to be scandal, gossip, shyness and the forming of cliques. Mr. Bob Mansfield, in dealing with the dangers originating from the outside world, explained how New Church men can guard themselves and their children against the insidious attractions of the outside world. In this field, he said, New Church education was of primary importance. The evening closed with the singing of "Our Glorious Church."

     Irene, Transvaal

     The group at Irene in the Transvaal is our largest isolated group, and a friendly and convivial atmosphere was the keynote when the people there assembled at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ball to enjoy the spiritual and material fare that this New Church festival always provides. Twenty-five people gathered round the table, which had been decorated with red and white blooms, to enjoy the delicious fare which the ladies of the group had provided. The Rev. John Booth, superintendent of the Conference Mission in South Africa, read a paper on New Church Day, showing how privileged we are to have the distinctive revelation of the Second Coming. Mr. M. Perry then read a stimulating paper on ``Prayer'' in which he stressed its value very sincerely. Mr. Don Ridgway's paper on the value of New Church social life was a challenging and arresting address which gave rise to a good deal of animated discussion. The toastmaster, Mr. J. Ball, then read a paper on "New Church Day and the Second Coming" by Bishop De Charms which offered much food for thought. With a log fire blazing at one end of the room, creating warmth and cheer, the evening drew to a close; and thus ended our most distinctive festival - New Church Day.
     SERENE DE CHAZAL

     PITTSBURGH, PA.

     Here we are in the middle of summer, with an interesting report to make. Our pastor, the Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh, is right on the job until August 12, at which time we will have Candidate Bruce Rogers, son of the Rev. Norbert Rogers, take over for a month.

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In spite of vacations, our summer family services showed an increase in attendance of 13 last year and promise well for this year. Sunday after Sunday we are given such fine sermons and talks to the children. Every Sunday the nursery is open during the sermon, with Mrs. Dirk van Zyverden in charge; and for children from age four through eighth grade colored slides of the Word are shown and the stories about them told. Kenneth Blair is in charge of this program and is assisted by Carol Lindsay. This is for the summer months only. At most of our services beautiful flowers, arranged to perfection, are seen on the chancel. This labor of love is performed mostly by Doris Bellinger, but sometimes by Mrs. Ed Lee.
     On June 20, our New Church school ended its 80th consecutive year of operation in Pittsburgh, which we humbly believe to be a record in the church. That school is the mainstay of our Society, and if you look at the old school pictures you will note that very few pupils are not now active members somewhere in the church. Yet if you read the history you will see that only Providence has kept us going. One year, for instance - 1897 - our school was almost closed. In fact, it did not open until late fall, when the Rev. E. C. Bostock, later Bishop Bostock, was sent from London, where he had a school, and managed to get the school open - mostly with his own children in attendance! This year we had a total enrollment of 35 pupils. Our pastor, who is in charge, teaches religion. We have three fulltime trained teachers, one half-day teacher, and local help in music, art and in the library: a fine school, we believe.
     This year we had four graduates. Each gave a paper on one of the churches: David Alden on the Most Ancient Church; Linda Abele, the Ancient Church; Craig Acton, the Jewish Church; and Lynne Horigan, the Christian Church. The papers showed a thorough study of their subjects and were most interesting. Mr. Gareth Acton, Craig's father, addressed the graduates on the importance of New Church education. As is the custom, the graduating class gave a gift to the school, the gift being a living tree.
     When writing these notes one is most grateful to the editor of our Pittsburgh Monthly Reporter, Leslie Asplundh, who, with the help of her brother, gathers news each month and assembles future dates for the New Church calendar. One printing member, Paul Olson, has it printed in good style. Our Reporter contains a pastor's page, where Mr. Asplundh expresses some ideas pertinent to the times, for instance, how to speak of our church teachings to a person of another faith who might be interested. He also gives particularly interesting numbers from the Writings.
     One new thing added this year is a men's discussion group promoted by the laymen but having the pastor present. The group gets together twice a month since starting in April and is continuing over the summer. At present it is studying The New Church and Modern Christianity by Bishop De Charms, and although the group is small the discussion is lively. The same can be said of the young married's group, except that there the pastor gives a class, after which the couples talk freely about the subject. Friday suppers and classes continued during the year and were as enjoyable as ever. You can see that with all these classes, which include a Freeport class once a month, and a school, not to mention a fine sermon every Sunday, our pastor does keep busy.
     During the month of March, Theta Alpha invited Miss Elaine Cooper, a registered gemologist, to speak to all the women of the Society. The meeting was held at the home of Mrs. Kurt Asplundh, and it proved to be both very instructive and great fun. The subject was "Gems of the Word."
     Our social committee put on a most enjoyable "Spring Arts Festival" on April 3rd. The festivities started with a grand buffet supper. An amazing collection of paintings and sketches, all done by local talent, was hung on the wall, and there was entertainment of all sorts. First prize was awarded to Mrs. Kenneth Blair for her painting of an "Old Man," and second prize went to Robert Glenn for his painting "Aaron the High Priest."

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     The Pittsburgh Chapter of the Sons of the Academy was host to the spring meeting of the international executive. Besides the meeting itself there was a welcoming party on Friday night at the van Zyverdens' apartment, and on Saturday there was a grand banquet with about one hundred present. Charles S. Cole, Dean of the College, was the speaker. He gave us interesting information about the college, and A. H. Lindsay showed moving pictures of the early days of the building of our church and of the members of those times. The meeting was both serious and filled with fun - a successful affair.
     Once again we had a big camping trip on Memorial Day weekend. This camp is unique in that it includes everyone in the Society - men, women and children; and what a joyful time they had! The weather was cold but the spirit was warm. There were 132 people attending church on Sunday afternoon.
     On New Church Day we again had service in the afternoon, followed by an outdoor pageant given by our school children. This year, however, they portrayed a different set of scenes from Revelation - scenes prophesying the coming of the Church of the New Jerusalem. Even though it is simply done, the pageant touches our hearts deeply, for it is the Lord's Word, the truth, enacted before our eyes. The Woman Clothed in the Sun had been given earlier on the flannelboard in the Sunday school. The pageant was put on by our pastor, assisted in staging, props and costumes by Mrs. Gareth Acton and Mrs. Robert Blair.
     Mr. and Mrs. John Schoenberger invited the Society to the marriage, on July 10, of their daughter Gretchen to Harald Sandstrom, and to a reception following in the church auditorium. The father of the groom, the Rev. Erik Sandstrom, officiated at the ceremony. The sphere of the wedding was impressive. Never have we seen the church so beautifully decorated with delicate ferns, white flowers and candelabra. Mrs. Franz Sammt played the organ, and there was a beautiful vocal solo and a stirring trumpet solo. The bride had her three sisters for bridesmaids. All were dressed in pale green and were carrying daisies, as were the junior bridesmaids and the flower girl. The bride's veil was held by a Swedish gold crown. Truly Gretchen was a "queen for a day." There were some eighty-four out-of- town guests at this wedding, including six ministers and their wives and some of Gretchen's little pupils from Bryn Athyn. A lovely reception followed the wedding.
     There are four of our boys in military service at present. Dan Ebert, Robin Kendig and Larkin Smith are in the U. S. A., and Paul Schoenberger is now serving in Germany.
     We are happy to report that Miss Edith Cranch, a dietitian, has become a member of this Society. We hope to add more.
     Few societies outside of Bryn Athyn are as lucky as we are in having so many visiting ministers. The Rev. Donald Rose, pastor of Michael Church, London, was the guest of the Sons last February. He gave the Society an inspiring talk on Swedenborg. Bishop De Charms came on April 9th. He gave the Friday class, conducted children's service on Sunday, preached at the adult service, and gave a talk to the Sons that evening and to the school children the next morning. Bishop De Charms was accompanied by his wife, and we were so happy to have them, for that was the sad weekend that Mrs. Charles (Virginia) Ebert died, and he was a great comfort. The Rev. Cairns Henderson preached on June 6th, giving a fine talk to the children on Pentecost and delivering a sermon on "Reception of the Holy Spirit." The Rev. Peter Buss conducted the service on July 11th. He and his wife were en route to South Africa, where he was to take up his new duties in the Mission.

     Obituaries. Since our last report two of our members have died. The Lord called Mrs. Charles Ebert (Virginia Sepp) on April 9, and the memorial service was conducted on Sunday by our pastor. There were 201 people at church, for Virginia died at the height of her career. She had so many friends, inside the church and out, and all of us loved her dearly.

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She met her husband while attending college, married him, and not only joined the church but, with her executive ability and her enthusiasm and love, took a leading part in it. That ability she expressed also as a Director in Girl Scout work. All who heard that service were impressed, for it was not of death that our pastor spoke but of life after death. "And ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you" (John 16: 22).
     George Percy Brown died on May 10, after a long and useful life. He was eighty years old, and was as faithful and devoted a member as we have ever had. His love was the church, and he never missed a meeting or a service if he could help it. He left behind his sweet wife and a heritage of five children, nineteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. We will miss him, but the children will carry on. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, because he trusted in Thee" (Isaiah 26: 3).
     LUCILE S. BLAIR

     SWEDENBORG SOCIETY INC.

     155th Annual Meeting

     The 155th Annual Meeting of the Society was held at Swedenborg Hall, London, on May 28, 1965, and was attended by about sixty members and friends. The meeting opened with the repetition of the Lord's Prayer. After the formal reading of the notice of meeting, the secretary read messages and apologies for absence. The secretary then read the Minutes of the 154th Annual Meeting, which were confirmed and signed.
     In presenting the Report of the Council for 1964, Mrs. Griffith spoke of the good progress made in the preparation of new translations of Apocalypse Revealed and Divine Love and Wisdom. Both of these were eagerly awaited: the latter because the standard edition was out of print and only the pocket edition was available, the former because there had been no new translation for ninety years. In the preparation of new booklets there was hope of co-operation from New Church friends in the Academy of the New Church in the U.S.A. A small book containing the series on the Gorand Man from Arcana Coelestia was already planned. Translation of these sections would begin in the near future. Collaboration of this kind was welcomed by the Council and offered much promise for the future. The secretary said that the membership, now standing at 891, showed a small increase over last year, but she would like to see the thousand mark reached.
     The Society had suffered a great loss in the sudden death last November of the honorary treasurer, Mr. R. V. Stebbing-Allen. The president spoke of Mr. Stebbing-Allen's interest in and service to the Society, and tribute was paid to his memory by a rising vote. The secretary then said how indebted they all were to Mr. Dan Chapman, who, for the second time since he retired from the treasurership, has come back to help the Society through the difficulties caused by the death of a treasurer. He had accepted a temporary appointment until a new treasurer was found, and he and the Council were therefore very glad when Mr. F. B. Nicholls consented to accept the office.
     In speaking of the office staff, the secretary said that Mr. Kenneth Campbell, who joined last September, had fitted into the team extremely well and was happy in the work. Miss I. G. Briscoe, who has been with us for some three years, was about to emigrate to Canada. She would be greatly missed, but our good wishes go with her. Mr. Wainscot was now at his own desire working part-time, so Miss Waters was carrying an increasing share of the responsibility of the day-to-day work.
     The new treasurer, Mr. F. B. Nicholls, was then called on to read the Auditor's Certificate and to present the Accounts and Balance Sheet. He explained that he had had nothing to do with the preparation of these accounts and confined his remarks to the main expenditures. Redecoration of the building, repairs to the fire-escape and improvements to the housekeeper's flat had caused a net loss of ?850 on the property, in spite of ?1100 having been transferred from the Repairs Fund. Although no major printing had been done last year there was a deficit on the publishing account.

485


The treasurer warned that he could see no likelihood of expenditures being reduced in the future: printing costs were going up, postage has gone up, salaries and wages were bound to be higher, and building repairs and improvements would cost more.
     The chairman of the Council, Mr. Kenneth F. Chadwick, moved the adoption of the Report and Accounts. He would like to pay tribute to the members of the Advisory and Revision Board, who continue their task of trying to improve our translations, and thought that the reduction in the number of books sold almost certainly reflected the fact that no new publications had been issued. He expressed the Council's pleasure that the Spring Meeting had been so successful, particularly in attracting the young people. He also spoke of the meeting of the Swedenborg Society held in Bryn Athyn when Mr. and Mrs. Griffith were there on a private visit, and said that the Council was grateful to them for arranging and taking part in that meeting. Thanks were due, too, to Mr. Atherton who for some years has been the Society's auditor and has charged no fee. Finally, the chairman mentioned that it had been decided to omit from the Annual Report the printed list of subscriptions. The list of members was still printed and would continue to be, but the omission of the subscription list effected a small saving in cost. The Council would welcome members' reactions to this.
     Mr. Owen Pryke seconded the motion for adoption, and the president added his thanks for the generous contribution Mr. Atherton is making to the Society as auditor. Mr. R. H. Griffith commented that about 43% of the members lived outside Great Britain and could neither take part in the management of the Society's affairs nor benefit from its program of lectures and meetings. Their membership was therefore an expression of their appreciation of the Society's work. It seemed that the membership in this country should be greatly increased. Mr. T. J. Ford supported the omission of the printed subscription list and the Report and Accounts were then adopted unanimously.
     It was proposed and seconded by Miss H. G. Stacey and Mr. E. 0. Acton that Mr. A. A. Drummond be re-elected president for the ensuing year. Both paid tribute to his services to the Society and his suitability for the office. The motion was carried with acclamation. Mr. Drummond thanked the Society for the honor and proposed that Mr. Acton should continue as vice president, which was also passed with applause. Mr. R. H. Griffith proposed that Mr. F. B. Nicholls be appointed honorary treasurer for the coming year, saying that the Society had been fortunate in a long line of distinguished treasurers to whom Mr. Nicholls was a worthy successor. Seconded by Mr. Owen Pryke this was carried unanimously.
     The president then referred to Miss H. G. Stacey's retirement from the Council. She had decided not to let her name go forward this year for re-election, greatly to the regret of her fellow members. Mr. Drummond said that in her fourteen years on the Council she had contributed much, through her devotion and talent, to the Society's work. The Council and the Society wished to thank her and to wish her well in her retirement. Miss Stacey briefly acknowledged this tribute and said that her interest in the Society would be no less than before.
     One nomination for the Council had been received, and as this filled the vacancy caused by Miss Stacey's retirement, no vote had been necessary. The new member was Mr. T. J. Ford, and the president welcomed his election.
     The president said that he had a pleasant duty to perform which was not on the agenda. This year the honorary secretary completed twenty-one years in office and sixteen years as secretary of the Advisory and Revision Board, and the Council had felt that this event should be marked in some way. They had therefore arranged the presentation to Mrs. Griffith of a selection of the books, specially bound, which had been printed and published during her secretaryship. Mr. Drummond read an appreciation which had been inscribed by Mr. Edwin Penn, which read as follows: "Presented to Freda G. Griffith, Ph.D., B.Sc., by the Council, Advisory and Revision Board, and members of the Swedenborg Society to celebrate the 21st year of her distinguished service as Honorary Secretary.

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For this presentation a selection has been made from the long list of translations and revisions of the works of Emanuel Swedenborg which have been supervised and seen through the press by her during her secretaryship. That her unique service may long continue is the earnest hope and prayer of all her grateful fellow-workers." Mr. Drummond handed this to Mrs. Griffith with the books: Conjugial Love, Divine Providence, Heaven and Hell, Last Judgment and True Christian Religion, handsomely bound in blue leather.
     Mrs. Griffith, expressing her thanks, said that she was taken completely by surprise; she had no idea that any such recognition of her twenty-one years of office had been planned. As members would know, she loved the work and hoped to be able to continue as secretary for a few more years; it would be much more difficult if she had not got a first class office staff and if the Council were less understanding and co-operative. She said that the books themselves, in their beautiful bindings, were a great delight, but still more because they represented the Council's and members' appreciation.
     Mr. T. J. Ford, on behalf of the members, moved a vote of thanks to the officers, the Council and the office staff, and this was carried with applause. The president then gave an address on "Doctrine: Knowledge or Habit." Mr. A. E. Friend expressed the feeling of all members when he proposed a vote of thanks to the president, not only for his services during the year and his conduct of this meeting, but also for the excellent address. The meeting closed with the Benediction.
     FREDA G. GRIFFITH,
          Honorary Secretary
COMMITTEE FOR THE 24TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1965

COMMITTEE FOR THE 24TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY              1965

Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Chairman
Bryn Athyn, Pa.

Charles P. Gyllenhaal, Public Relations
28609 W. Oakland Road
Bay Village, Ohio

Oliver I. Powell, Treasurer
Mrs. Oliver I. Powell, Catering
2963 Montgomery Road
Shaker Heights 22, Ohio

Alan G. Longstaff, Transportation
13540 Elbur Lane
Lakewood, Ohio

Richard G. Smith, Meetings Facilities
31299 Miles Road, Village of Orange
Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Dr. Philip B. de Maine, Sports
Mrs. Philip B. de Maine, Hospitality
1930 Wiltshire Road
Akron 13, Ohio

Alan D. Childs, Student Work
19369 Beachcliff Boulevard
Rocky River, Ohio

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph David, Young People's Program
320 Pinoak Drive
Franklin, Pa.

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MIDWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1965

MIDWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1965




     Announcements
     The Midwest District Assembly will be held in Glenview, Illinois, Friday, October 1, to Sunday, October 3, inclusive, the Bishop of the General Church presiding.
     All members and friends of the General Church of the New Jerusalem are cordially invited to attend.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop
EASTERN CANADA DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1965

EASTERN CANADA DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1965

     The Eastern Canada District Assembly will be held at the Olivet Church, Toronto (279 Burnhamthorpe Road, Islington), Ontario, Canada, Saturday, October 9, to Monday, October 11, inclusive, the Bishop of the General Church presiding.
     All members and friends of the General Church of the New Jerusalem are cordially invited to attend.
     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop
CHARTER DAY 1965

              1965

     All ex-students, members of the General Church and friends of the Academy are invited to attend the 49th Charter Day exercises, to be held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., on Friday and Saturday, October 15 and 16, 1965. The program:

Thursday, 8:30 p.m. - Academy Open House sponsored by the Girls School

Friday, 11 a.m. - Cathedral Service, with an address by the Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh

Friday Afternoon - Football Game

Friday Evening - Dance

Saturday, 7 p.m. - Banquet
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN 1965

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN              1965

     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. William B. Alden, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

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SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING 1965

SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING       Rev. MARTIN PRYKE       1965


Vol. LXXXV
November 1965
No 11.

NEW CHURCH LIFE
     "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, 0 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)

     Thanksgiving is the time when we think of our need to make a return to the Lord. Perhaps instinctively, but certainly from instruction, we know that the receiver of blessings, of gifts, properly makes some return, some response, to Him from whom they come. The question we may ask ourselves is this: What does God require of man? "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God?"
     Down through the ages man has asked this same question, and the answers he has found have been many. There have been those who believed that their gods demanded the most monumental material sacrifices of them - "ten thousands of rivers of oil." Even human life has been offered to appease the appetite and lust of imaginary deities. On the other hand, in Christendom, there have been those who denied that man is capable of making any return to God, save a faith in the awful sacrifice of His Son. It has been held that the gap which exists between the infinite God and finite man is so great as to be unbridgeable. There is nothing good that man can do, and he should therefore not be presumptuous enough to attempt it. Faith alone will suffice as a proper return to the Benefactor of mankind.

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     The New Church is blessed with a rational explanation of paradoxes such as these. The Writings show us that while the relation between Creator and man is an infinite one the gap can yet be bridged, and that this is done by man's offering a life which shuns evils as sins against God.

     It is interesting to observe something of the history of man's concept of what is a proper return to God - of what man's real responsibility is. There can be no doubt that in the Most Ancient Church it was clearly, if simply, grasped that man's return to his Maker is a life of full response to His will - a life of reciprocation of His love. The men of the Most Ancient Church did not make any material return or sacrifice to the Lord, * and doubtless saw no reason to do so; for they knew that only one return was really significant - the life of love to Him and to the neighbor.
     * AC 2180: 4.
     In the later Ancient Church sacrifices were introduced to represent those offerings of the spirit which man should make. In that era representatives were used increasingly to instruct in spiritual truths and to illustrate such truths. To such men it was both useful and powerful to represent their desire to offer the sacrifice of a "broken spirit" * to God by making material sacrifices. The external served to remind them of the internal; as they offered clean beasts they thought of the goods of charity which must be returned to the Lord, and as they offered clean birds they remembered the truths of faith. ** Animal sacrifices were permitted at that time in order to prevent men from falling into the more serious and horrible abuse of human sacrifices. ***
     * Psalm 51: 17.
     ** AC 921, 922, 2180.
     *** AC 1241.
     In the decline of the Ancient Church, however, the representation was forgotten and the external act alone was considered. Thus men came to think that God required animal sacrifices of them; that in this way they satisfied His love; and that in this way they could propitiate Him and gain the things which they desired. We see this concept in its most degenerate form in many pagan religions where gods are made into insatiable beasts; where god and man suffer alike in a sensual and selfish idea of the relationship between them.
     The perversion of representative sacrifice, which had a real significance for the worshiper, into a merely sensual idea of appeasing God is paralleled, of course, by the turning of other orderly representative forms into idolatry. The spirit of what was done was withdrawn, and so a shell was left that was not only useless but was also completely false.

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The inclination toward this practice is vividly illustrated in the readiness with which Aaron and the Israelites turned to the worship of a golden calf when they thought that Moses would not return from Mt. Sinai.
     In the Jewish Church the perverted sacrifices of the Ancient Church were restored and re-ordered so as to represent once more heavenly things. But now there was a profound difference. Unlike the men of the Ancient Church, the Israelites did not know the spiritual significance of what they did. They regarded them as holy in themselves; they believed that by means of these external ceremonies they were cleansed and justified. The efficacy of the rites of the Jewish Church lay in the fact that this was merely a representative of a church, and that communication was effected with heaven through the simple in the world of spirits, who could be with the Jews as they sacrificed, and who saw the spiritual significance of what was done.
     Thus the orderly carrying out of the statutes concerning sacrifices and other ceremonials was vital at that time to the preservation of communication between heaven and earth; but to the Jews themselves they embodied an entirely sensual idea of the return to God which is required of men. Sacrifices were the principal things of their worship and were to them a proper appeasement of their God.

     We may see, then, that "sacrifices were by no means acceptable to Jehovah, they were merely permitted and tolerated." * "Sacrifice and burnt offering Thou didst not desire . . . burnt offering and sin offering Thou has not required." ** "For Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, Thou will not despise." *** Even the Israelites were shown that the external forms were not enough, although few of them readily grasped the idea.
     * AC 2180: 6.
     ** Psalm 40: 6.
     *** Psalm 51: 16, 17.
     In the book of Samuel we are told how Saul disobeyed the command of the Lord by sparing the captured sheep and oxen which were to have been destroyed after the conquest of the Amalekites. He then sought to excuse himself by saying that they were spared in order that they might be sacrificed to the Lord. To this Samuel had only one reply: "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." * Three hundred years later Hosea, Amos and Micah were all to say the same thing. "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." **

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"Though ye offer Me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. But let judgment run down as waters, and justice as a mighty stream." ***
     * I Samuel 15: 22.
     ** Hosea 6: 6.
     *** Amos 5: 22, 24.
     There was, therefore, no reason for the Jews to remain ignorant of the proper return that should be made to Jehovah; and doubtless there were among them a few, including the prophets, who did have some glimpses of this more interior response and who saw sacrifices as of secondary importance. Certainly we see here a vital concept on which the later teachings of the Lord could be built. We see here a bridge between the purely sensual idea of our responsibilities to our Creator and the later message of the Lord expressed in Matthew: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." *
     * Matthew 23: 23.
     By the time of the Lord, the function of sacrifices was ended, and so it was foretold that then He would "cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease." * Elaborate and bloody externals of worship were abrogated, for they could only sensualize man's thought and interfere with his more interior concept of what was required of him. The New Testament gives us a whole new idea of our responsibilities to our Maker and to our fellowman and demonstrates that these two are, in fact, inseparable. In the Writings of the New Church not only do we see this same interior concept elucidated and enriched in rational terms, but we see how it is taught in the spiritual significance of the Old Testament and even of the sacrifices themselves.
     * Daniel 9: 27.
     Micah was a prophet of Judah who lived about 700 B. C., before the captivities, and who addressed himself to both Judah and Israel. He taught the same thing to the church of his time, and did so in a deeply moving manner which will continue to stir the hearts of all succeeding ages. He asks, and answers, the time-old question of what is demanded of man. "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" A poignant questioning! What is asked of us? Is there any sacrifice great enough to meet the demands of an infinite God?

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Does He ask "ten thousands of rivers of oil"? Or "shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"
     The answer is so simple and yet so profound, so briefly stated and yet of such enduring moment that we cannot fail to be moved by it. "He hath showed thee, 0 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?"
     Of these words the Writings say: "The Lord is not approached by externals of worship, but by internals, which are of good and truth." * What can sum up the essentials of internal worship better than the injunction "to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God"? The essentials of faith, love and use are so clearly depicted. To "do justly" speaks of the upright life established firmly upon the truths of faith, upon the teaching of God's Word; to "love mercy" can mean nothing less than the true charity which looks to the real welfare of the neighbor, which is truly merciful, which longs for the good of another, condemning none and serving all. To "do justly" and to "love mercy" is indeed to "walk humbly with God," which is to live according to the truths of faith and the goods of charity. This is to follow the path - to walk in the way - that both leads to God and is with Him. Can such a way be other than humble? It involves inevitably a proper understanding of our relations to our fellowman and to God Himself: humility before man and God is the essence of the regenerate life.
     * PP.
     We see, then, the gamut of views concerning our proper return to God, from human and animal sacrifices to the most sublime concepts offered to the Jewish, Christian and New churches. These things cannot fail to be in our minds at the time of Thanksgiving. We, and our children, may well use simple representative forms to express our internal sense of gratitude to the Lord. But we remain in these forms at our peril! They serve simply to remind us of far more interior concepts, and this is so even for children, who can understand something of this. Yet the forms do more than remind us; they may inspire us, if we so will, to bring these more interior concepts into our active lives of regeneration.
     Can we go away from a Thanksgiving service and not be inspired by a recollection of the multitudinous blessings that we receive at the Lord's hands, and, being so inspired, not be moved to active thanksgiving in our daily lives? In this we recognize that our essential return to the Lord is nothing less than a complete sacrifice of our love of self and the world, so that He may bless us further with a new love and life which will make us truly of His kingdom-in which the very purpose of His creation is fulfilled.

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"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?" Amen.

LESSONS:     I Samuel 15: 1-23. Matthew 23: 1-12, 23-26. AC 2180: 4, 5.
MUSIC:     Liturgy, pages 570, 560, 568.
PRAYERS:     Liturgy, nos. 89, 109.
THANKSGIVING 1965

THANKSGIVING       Rev. DANIEL GOODENOUGH       1965

     A Talk to Children

     Children, we have all been taught to be courteous to others and to thank them for the kind things they do for us. How easy it is to say, thank you! But when we receive presents and favors it is also easy to think so much about our own happiness that we do not remember where these good things came from, and forget to give thanks for them. Would it not be much more pleasant if we all remembered to show our thanks for what we receive?
     But there is a kind of thanks that is much more important than thanking our parents, our teachers and our friends. This is thanks to the Lord, because everything good that we have is really a gift from Him. We should thank the Lord all year long for His many blessings to us, but thanking Him is so important that we have a special time every year to show Him that we are thankful. This is why we celebrate Thanksgiving each year, after summer is over and all the harvests are safely indoors. Ever since the earliest times on earth good men have known that the Lord gives us everything good and have had a special festival to thank Him.
     Have you thought very much about the gifts the Lord gives us? At Thanksgiving we may think first of good food. But the real reason for a big dinner at Thanksgiving is not just that we may enjoy it, but that we may be reminded of all the delicious and nourishing food which the Lord gives us the whole year long. Every different kind of food that the Lord provides for us has a special use and makes us strong and healthy in a different way. Keeping us healthy is something else for which we should thank the Lord. Even though we may not be healthy all the time, we ought to feel thankful to be as healthy as we are.

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Often we do not realize how much we want to be healthy until we get sick and wish we were well.
     Our homes are also something for which to be thankful to the Lord. This is one reason that homes are dedicated to the Lord. Of course, we should thank our parents for a comfortable home, where we can live and eat and sleep in peace and safety. But it is the Lord who has given each of us our parents and everyone else who loves us, just as He gives mothers and fathers to each other. Think how lost we would feel without anyone to love us or to teach us to do things. Think how miserable we would be if there were never anyone to comfort us when we are hurt or unhappy. Because the Lord has given us family and friends who love us, we should offer our thanks to Him for all their teaching and love and for our homes. And we should remember that all the good and happy times we have around the home are also spiritual gifts provided for us by the Lord.
     Each of you can think of many more things for which to be thankful to the Lord - our clothes and other belongings, the chance to go to school and learn, and our many opportunities to do interesting and amusing things. More important, the Lord has given us His Word, so that we may learn about Him. Since the Word teaches us how to live so that we may be happy in heaven forever, it is one of the most important of all of the Lord's gifts.

     Children, there is nothing that any of us really needs that the Lord does not provide. But what do you think is His greatest gift? It is the gift of life. Life is not from our bodies. We have to breathe to live, but life is not from our breathing. Food and drink are also necessary for us to live in this life, but life itself is from the Lord. It is a free spiritual gift which the Lord grants to all men and which He never takes away, no matter how evil they become or how much they hate Him. Life really means the ability, or the freedom, to become the kind of person we want to become, to seek to be happy as we want to be. And however selfish we choose to be, the Lord continually gives us this ability. What greater gift than this could there be?
     How empty our lives would be without the Lord's gifts! In fact, without His greatest gift we would not even be alive. And yet the Lord does not have to give us any of these gifts. Like the rich man who selfishly stored up all his fruits and goods, we take most of the Lord's gifts for granted and forget that He does not owe us anything at all. We deserve no gifts from Him. He gives every gift for no other reason than that He loves us and wants to show mercy to us.

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     There are two ways in which we can show our thanks to the Lord for
His many blessings to us. The first is, of course, to feel thankful, and to show our thanks in prayer and worship, not only at Thanksgiving but all year long. But this way of showing thanks is not enough by itself, and if our thanks is to be sincere and true we must learn to show thanks in all our lives, by turning away from every kind of evil and by doing good to our neighbor. Real thanks is from our lives as well as from our lips.
     We can especially learn to show thanks by putting our gifts to good use. Every gift of the Lord is created for a use, and only when we use a gift for the right purpose do we show that we truly appreciate it. If someone gives you a present of a bicycle, a toy, or clothes, your real thanks is using the present for its intended purpose. But if you abuse the present, by using it for the wrong purposes, you show that you do not care about it at all. You really care only about yourself. And it is the same with all of the Lord's gifts. If we really care about them, and not just about ourselves, we will use them for the purposes for which the Lord gave them to us. We will use the Lord's gifts of food; health, our homes, our family and friends, our clothes and belongings, our many opportunities, the Word and, in fact, our whole lives for the purposes for which the Lord gives them to us. When we misuse these we show only that we are not grateful.
     At Thanksgiving let each of us think not only about the Lord's gifts to us, but also about what uses these gifts were intended for. The Lord gives different gifts to different people, but to everyone He gives some special gifts that He gives to no one else. Let us look for these gifts and their uses and learn to use them as the Lord wants us to, and not in our own ungrateful ways. Let us not lay up treasures for ourselves, but learn to be rich toward God. Only by using our gifts for what the Lord wants can we begin to render thanks to Him for His blessings. Amen.

LESSONS:     Luke 12: 15-30. AC 32: 2.
MUSIC:     Liturgy, pages 566, 562, 564, 561.
PRAYERS:     Liturgy, nos. C1O, C18.
CHRISTMAS SUGGESTION 1965

CHRISTMAS SUGGESTION              1965

     Order your Christmas gift books now! The General Church Book Center, Bryn Athyn, Pa., makes it easy for you to get all the books and pamphlets in print listed in the NEW CHURCH READER'S GUIDE, postpaid - in time for Christmas.
     See the inside front cover of this issue for current suggestions.

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MESSIANIC PROPHECY AND ITS FULFILLMENT 1965

MESSIANIC PROPHECY AND ITS FULFILLMENT       Rev. WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1965

     At this season of the year our thoughts and affections are stirred by the remembrance of the Lord's birth into the world. To understand this story as it is recounted in the Gospel of Luke we must go back into the history of that nation among whom the Lord was born. For it is here, in the historical and prophetical Word of the Old Testament, that the prophecy of Him who was to come is to be found. Indeed, it is this prophecy which accounts for the remarkable history of this people and sets it apart from the life story of all the other nations of the ancient world.
     It is to be noted, however, that the Messianic prophecy did not have its origin among the Israelites. The first recorded statement of a Savior who was to come is found in the third chapter of Genesis, where, in rebuking the serpent who had deceived the woman, the Lord God said to the serpent: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed . . . [he] shall . . . [trample upon] thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." *
     * Genesis 3: 15.
     The first thing that strikes us in connection with this prophecy is its obscurity. In fact it is so obscure that the question immediately arises, how, from this statement, did men know that the Lord was to be born into the world? But the Writings state that the ancients also possessed other doctrinals "from which they knew that the Lord would come into the world, and that Jehovah would be in Him, and that He would make the Human in Himself Divine, and would thus save the human race." * What specific forms these other doctrinals or prophecies took, we cannot say, for the Ancient Word has been lost, and all that remains of it today is to be found in the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis in which the prophecy of the seed of the woman is found.
     * AC 3419.
     One thing, however, is certain: the knowledge of the Advent did not originate with the Hebrews. It had its origin among the remnant of the Most Ancient Church who survived after the fall. It was from this remnant that the Ancient Church was formed, which, in turn, recorded the prophecies of the Lord's coming in the Ancient Word.

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But when in the course of time the Lord did not come, the ancient prophecy was gradually forgotten. As men fell away from internal worship and turned to external worship, that is, as the men of the Ancient Church became idolatrous, the time came when they did not even know the name of the Lord. This was the case with Abraham, a descendant of the Ancient Church, with whom the historical Word of the Old Testament begins.

     According to the testimony of the Writings, Abraham was an idolater who worshiped a family God by the name of Shaddai; and it was as God Shaddai that the Lord revealed Himself to Abraham. But if this be so, the question arises as to why the name of Jehovah, and not that of Shaddai, repeatedly occurs throughout the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The reason is that the book of Genesis was written many years later by Moses, to whom the name of Jehovah had been revealed. Because of this later substitution of the name of Jehovah for Shaddai, we are left with the impression that the patriarchs knew the Lord. This, however, was done by Moses for the sake of identification; but the real reason, although unknown to Moses, was, we are told, for the sake of the internal sense. *
     * AC 7194.
     Throughout the entire story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, however, there is only one open or direct reference to the Lord who was to come. It came at the end of the patriarchal period, when, in the blessing of his sons, Jacob said of Judah: "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come." * The historical meaning of the text is clear. The function of government was to belong to Judah until such time as He who had been promised of old came into the world. By this renewal of the ancient prophecy with the sons of Israel, the nation that descended from them was set apart from all the other peoples of the earth. As the Lord said later unto Moses: "Ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people. . . . Ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." * But the holiness of Israel did not consist in any spiritual virtue that was peculiar to this people, but in the representative function that they were selected to serve in preparing the way for the Advent.
     * Genesis 49: 10.
     ** Exodus 19: 5, 6.
     Yet here is a curious thing: while it is true that throughout the entire patriarchal period only one direct reference is to be found concerning the Advent, in the derivation of the spiritual sense out of the letter it is this series which serves as the basis for the exposition of the doctrine of the glorification. Seven volumes of the Arcana Coelestia are devoted to this primary doctrine of the church. Chapter by chapter, verse by verse, the Lord's life on earth is progressively revealed.

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     By the Lord's life on earth, however, I do not have reference to the historical events which are recorded in the New Testament, but to those states which He put on as a man in the world. Here are revealed the laws of mental growth and development, the formative states of the Human, the nature of the Lord's temptations, the quality of those perceptions which were revealed to Him from the Divine, and the nature of those states of humiliation and glorification which marked His progress toward union with the Divine. This testifies to two primary teachings of the Writings:
     a)     That apart from the spiritual sense, the Word in its letter cannot be understood.
     b)     That in its inmost sense the Word treats exclusively of the Lord, and were this not so the Word would not be Divine. For as the Writings insist, the Old Testament comes to us in the form of history, and if this history did not contain Divine truths, that is, truths concerning the Lord, it would have no more claim to meaning than the history of any other people or nation.

     Our interest this evening, however, is not so much in the spiritual sense which testifies to the Divinity and holiness of the letter as in the continuity of prophecy as seen in the spiritual sense, as it is in those occasional passages of the Old Testament where the inner vein of prophecy breaks through the letter and speaks directly of the Lord who was to come.
     In this connection we note what is said concerning Shiloh, which signifies the tranquillity of peace. It is a beautiful signification, and the inference was that some day a ruler or governor, who would be a lawgiver, would be born among this people, and in His day Israel would enjoy the tranquillity of peace. But that day was not yet. Remaining in Egypt, the descendants of Jacob were enslaved by the Egyptians; and during the long years of servitude they forgot the God of their fathers. Thus it was that when the Lord appeared to Moses He had to identify Himself as the God of his fathers; that is, as Shaddai. But as in each progressive revealing, a new concept of the Lord is given, He said unto Moses: "I am . . . [Jehovah]. And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob . . [in God Shaddai]. But by My name Jehovah was I not known to them." *
     * Exodus 6: 2, 3.
     In Moses, therefore, it seemed that one like unto Shiloh had come. Was he not a lawgiver? Neither did any come after him who so closely approximated this first definitive function by which He who was to come was to be known. But the days of Moses were not days of tranquillity and peace.

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Israel was beset on all sides by enemies, and for forty years they were forced to remain in a wilderness where each day was a matter of bare survival. If Israel was to fulfill its allotted destiny new hope was necessary, and it was during this period that two further signs were given by which He who was to come was to be known.
     It was Moses himself who gave the first sign, for he said: "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet . . . like unto Me; unto Him ye shall hearken." * When Shiloh came, therefore, He was to be not only a lawgiver, but also a prophet; that is, even as Moses was speaking, now He, too, would speak with authority of things that were yet to come. In all probability it was this prophecy that heightened Israel's sense of anticipation in the days of the later kings of Judah when such prophets as Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah and Jeremiah appeared upon the national scene.
     * Deuteronomy 18: 15.
     The other prophecy of this period is the well known prediction of Balaam - a wise man or magi who came from among the sons of the east. It was he who, having been charged by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse Israel, blessed them instead. He it was who said: "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side." * It was also he who took up his parable, and said: "I shall see Him, but not now: I shall behold Him, but not nigh. There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth." ** For more than a thousand years this prophecy must have been preserved among the wise men of the east. How else can we account for Matthew's testimony that "when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him." ***
     * Numbers 24: 5, 6.
     ** Numbers 24: 17.
     *** Matthew 2: 1, 2.

     Now we note with interest that in the succeeding period of Israelitish history, that is, in the days of Joshua, the Judges and Samuel, no open reference to the Messiah is to be found. In all probability the reason for this was that during this period Israel was a divided nation, warring among themselves, and there was no unified concept of a nation into which the ideal of the Messiah could be recast. It was not until the time of David that Israel actually became a unified people, and he is generally regarded as the outstanding prototype of the Messiah. What is more, when the Lord was in the world He was frequently referred to as the son of David.

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     It was, then, in the image of David, that a new concept of the Lord as a king and a deliverer began to emerge in the popular mind. This image is reflected in the Psalms, many of which are attributed to David. While as yet obscure, the Psalms nevertheless opened the way to the more definitive statements of the later prophets. As for example, the twenty-fourth Psalm, where the question is asked, "Who is this King of glory?" The answer is: "The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.." * The question itself is evidence of the form in which the Messianic prophecy was now being cast.
     * Psalm 24: 10.
     But of all the references in the Psalms to the Savior, the most significant is found in the second Psalm, where it is said: "I have [anointed] My king upon . . . Zion . . . I . . . [shall announce the statute]: The Lord . . . [saith] unto Me, . . . My son [art Thou]; this day have I begotten Thee." * Here, for the first time, what was common knowledge among the people of the Most Ancient Church was revealed to the Jews: namely, that He who was to come into the world was to be as no other, in that He was to be conceived of Jehovah. Yet when, and where, and how this miracle was to be effected was not yet revealed. But one thing was certain: this Man, although like unto David, would be different, in that by virtue of Divine conception He would possess Divine attributes. This was a great step forward in the formation of the Messianic ideal in the national mind. Slowly but surely the way was being prepared for the advent of the Lord into the world.
     * Psalm 2: 6, 7.

     It was not until the days of the later kings of Judah, however, that this new concept of the Messiah was confirmed. As the psalmists gave way to the prophets - those men of God who were specifically authorized to speak for Jehovah - the voice of prophecy was frequently heard throughout the land. Those were the days of Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Jeremiah, an age in which the Messianic prophecy became so descriptive and so insistent that it seemed as if the day of the Lord was actually at hand. It was Isaiah who foretold how the Lord was to be born on earth; and who can forget his immortal words? "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]." * Neither did he leave to the imagination what manner of Man this was to be, for he said: "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." **

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Neither was there to be any doubt concerning the kingdom He would establish, for "of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." ***
     * Isaiah 7: 14.
     ** Isaiah 9: 6.
     *** Isaiah 9: 7.
     But if it was Isaiah who foretold how the Lord was to come, it was Micah who designated the place of His birth: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler of Israel." * So specific, so urgent, so insistent was the voice of prophecy, and so desperate was Israel's need at the time, that it was only reasonable to assume that the time was now at hand.
     * Micah 5: 2.

     But despite all the signs that had now been given, the Lord did not come. Instead of the Messiah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon; and having destroyed Jerusalem, he carried the people away captive into Babylon. What follows here is a matter of history - the tragic history of the remnant of a once proud nation whose confidence in their manifest destiny had seemingly ended in crushing defeat and foreign captivity. But the voice of prophecy, although it never again attained to the heights of eloquence and immediacy that are descriptive of the prophets who spoke for Jehovah in the days of the later kings of Judah, was not yet stilled. It was Daniel, the prophet of the captivity, who saw in the night visions, one like the Son of Man, coming in the clouds of heaven, and to Him was given "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom . . . which shall not be destroyed." * In all probability it was this prophecy which led to a renewal of hope among those who later returned to Jerusalem. But apart from this we find no further open reference to the Messiah. While it is true that the prophets of the post-exilic period spoke of Him, they spoke in veiled terms which served to keep alive the hope of His coming, but did not provide any further signs by which He was to be known.
     * Daniel 7: 13, 14.
     With the death of Malachi, the last of the prophets, the voice of prophecy ceased altogether. For almost four hundred years the Word of the Lord was not heard in the land. During these barren years in Israel's history all that was known of the Messiah was what had been revealed to them of old time. But it came to pass, when Herod was king in Jerusalem, that rumors of one who had been born King of the Jews began to spread among the people. According to the testimony of certain shepherds, an angel of the Lord had appeared to them, saying: "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. . . . And when they had seen . . . [Him] they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child." *

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It was also reported that following this there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, inquiring of Him who had been born King of the Jews, and they said: "We have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him." ** Was this, indeed, He of whom the prophets had spoken, or were they to look for another? That is the question which to this day separates those who believe in Him from those who repudiate the testimony of the New Testament.
     * Luke 2: 11, 17.
     ** Matthew 2: 2.
     In reviewing the Scriptures, one thing is certain: the Lord did not come when expected; neither did He come as expected. Israel had looked for a king after the pattern of David and Solomon, but this Man came from among the lowly. According to the record, He was to be a lawgiver and a prophet; but the scribes and Pharisees accused Him of perverting the law, and the future of which He spake held no comfort for Israel. As to the kingdom which He was to establish on earth, He answered them, saying, "My kingdom is not from hence." * For these, and for similar causes, the Jewish Church rejected Him. But in this also a long forgotten prophecy concerning Him was fulfilled. Had not Isaiah said: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of . . . dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men." ** With the Jews, therefore, as with every church since the beginning, the darker implications of prophecy were forgotten in anticipation of the event.
     * John 18: 36.
     ** Isaiah 53: 1-3.
     So it is that at this season of the year when men pause to reflect upon the meaning of those events which took place almost two thousand years ago in the hill country of Judea, the question arises, Who was this Child and what did His birth portend? Some say He was but man, even as you and I and others are man. Others say, although He was man, yet was He the best of men, and as such, an example to all men. Still others hold that He was a third person in a mystical trinity of Divine persons. But the Writings insist that although He was born as man, He was God; that is, one God in person, who is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the faith of the New Church, and upon this faith, as a house upon its foundation, all of the Writings rest.
     If, then, we would understand those things which were said by them of old time concerning this Child, we, too, must go unto Bethlehem, that is, to the spiritual sense of the Word, and there we will find Him.

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The reason for this is that apart from the spiritual sense the Word in its letter cannot be understood. But once it is seen and acknowledged that the Word in the letter contains a spiritual sense, the thought of the understanding is able to perceive that this Child, that is, the newborn doctrine of the Divine Human, is as no other, and that in Him all prophecy from the beginning is at this day fulfilled.
     But again we are reminded of the prophecy of Isaiah: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" * It is a pertinent question, and in this the Second Advent does not differ from the first; for while many have heard of Him, few have sought Him. But there is a difference, and the difference is that the second coming of the Lord is not in person, but as the Writings testify, it is in the Word which is from Him and is Himself." ** This Word is the Word in its spiritual sense; that is, the Spirit of truth of whom the Lord spake to His disciples, saying, "When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth." *** In this, however, the burden of proof lies with the Writings, and this will be the subject of our next class.
     * Ibid.
     ** TCR 776.
     *** John 16: 13.

     (To be concluded.)
SUMMER SCHOOL IN ENGLAND 1965

SUMMER SCHOOL IN ENGLAND       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       1965

     Famed in poetry for its seven wives with seven cats, St. Ives will now be remembered as the venue of the seventh British Academy Summer School. Two dozen students over the age of fifteen gathered there in the month of August for two weeks of classes and conviviality. Only five nations were represented, as compared with nine last year; but the international flavor was there, and the marking of exam papers required some knowledge of Dutch, French and Swedish.
     The Rev. Frank Rose, the headmaster, opened the school with a service of worship and a talk on "how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together" in unity. Services of worship were held each morning and evening thereafter. The morning services included a brief sermon by one of the three ministers present on some portion of the Sermon on the Mount. The evening services were more simple, consisting of singing, a prayer and the reading of some Memorable Relation from Conjugial Love. One of these, no. 17, depicts a heavenly society in which all are busy at work in the morning and have races, ball games and other recreations in the afternoon.

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     Each morning of the summer school the students were busily at work. Usually divided into junior and senior groups, they attended four forty- five minute lectures before lunch and saw to menial tasks in rotating working teams. The accent is traditionally on religious courses and the provision of highly concentrated instruction in the things of the church. This year courses in astronomy and logic were included along with courses on morality, the spiritual world, the Second Coming, and the letter of the Word. There were also talks given on belief, drama, the unity of nature, the use of the Concordance, the canon of Scripture and atomic energy. Visiting lecturers included the Rev. F. F. Coulson and Mrs. Coulson, Mr. Peter Jones, Mr. Fred Elphick and Miss Edith Elphick.
     The Rev. Kurt Nemitz and Mr. Kenneth Rose, who had been teaching in a Scandinavian summer school, poured their considerable energies and talents into the activities of this summer school. The latter became known as "Mr. K," in order not to be confused with other Roses. He undertook to make signs with appropriate names for all the rooms in the building. The senior lecture room became the "Zenith," the junior room the "Nadir." Mr. Nemitz took the sports program under his wing and was up each morning long before breakfast directing the physical exercises of brave young volunteers.

     "Visitors' Sunday" has become an important day in England. This year there were more than a hundred people at the service on the morning of August 22 to hear Mr. Nemitz preach on "A Kingdom of Uses." In the afternoon our visitors were entertained by the students. Notable on the program were Mr. K's choir and some serious drama based on two Memorable Relations. This was the fruit of the drama lectures and practices organized by Miss Edith Elphick. The scenes were portrayed in a striking way, and the dignity of the presentation was a real credit to the directress and the students.
     St. Ives is not far from Cambridge, and a coach tour to the colleges of the University there was one of the afternoon projects. Numerous forms of recreation included volley ball, "whiffle ball," hiking, and boating on the River Ouse. The weather was excellent for all the activities. Natural food was as bountiful as the spiritual fare, and this undoubtedly contributed to the high morale of the students. We have much to be thankful for in the yearly development of this summer school. Its value to the church in England is proving to be great indeed, and it shows increasing promise as an aid and inspiration to church centers on the European continent. It is hoped that young people from other continents will continue to take part in this unique venture. Plans are being made, and the welcome mat set out, for the British Academy Summer School in 1966.

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ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING AND SWEDENBORG 1965

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING AND SWEDENBORG       ROBERT W. GLADISH       1965

     A perennial frustration of many New Church men, I think, stems from the rather shadowy state of our scholarship on the question of the extent of Swedenborg's influence on thinkers and writers in the nineteenth century. This problem arises in the first place, of course, because, unlike our own century, the nineteenth is literally crowded with notables who either read the Writings, mentioned Swedenborg's name, or had some sort of connection with the New Church. But which of these figures were really sympathetic to the doctrines in the Writings? We read the glowing comments gathered by the compilers of encomiums and placed in the dust jackets and on the fly leaves of editions of the Writings, but what do they really tell us?
     One of the future tasks of New Church scholars will undoubtedly be the exploration of the debt that the broad intellectual and theological movements of this period owe to Swedenborg, but before this can occur some solid groundwork must be done on the individual men and women who provided the tantalizing quotations we have all read and wondered about. What was the full nature of the influence the Writings had on Transcendentalism? Otto Matthiessen, in his renowned study of mid- nineteenth-century American literature, American Renaissance, called the 1840's the "Age of Swedenborg," but the proof that such a title is apt has yet to be demonstrated. What connection is there between a social movement like Fourierism and Swedenborg? What can one say about the influence of the Writings on the direction that Evangelical Protestantism and "liberal" Christianity took in this period? To what extent did the Writings add to the prestige and influence of Spiritualism (much as we may be loath to frame the question)? Fascinating and vital questions all. But they can only be approached through the study of individual figures or small groups of them, and this is precisely where we must direct our attention if we are ever to see some future New Church scholar tie the fragments together and provide us with a broad picture that does justice to the tremendous complexities involved in forming such a synthesis.

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     Some such minor studies have already been done, and they are to be applauded and encouraged, or our future "genius" will never find the scholarly soil sufficiently tilled and weeded for the harvest. It is with this in mind that I offer here some observations about Elizabeth Barrett Browning's interest in the Writings - fruits of my doctoral study on Mrs. Browning - in hopes that interest and enthusiasm may be aroused in a period that promises rich rewards for the New Church scholar.
     Mrs. Browning's interest in the Writings was stimulated only in the last nine years of her life, but in that time she seems to have read them quite steadily and with a combination of eagerness and thoroughness that characterized her approach to most things that interested her. Indeed, she called herself a Swedenborgian several times, and, from the evidence that I could assemble, she certainly seemed to understand and accept what we think to be the central doctrines expounded in the Writings. Her concomitant interest in Spiritualism may be as initially embarrassing to us as it seemed to remain to her family and to the majority of her biographers, but one needs to examine this interest in the light of contemporary events and interests if one is to judge the matter fairly. To make this mixture of Swedenborgianism and Spiritualism understandable requires some background study of Mrs. Browning, and before I come to evaluate her study of the Writings, I should pause to consider the atmosphere of the times and her religious beliefs prior to her acquaintance with the Writings.

     By 1852, when Mrs. Browning began to read the Writings in earnest, her reputation in England and America had become enormous. Since the early 1840's her fame had grown until she was not only regarded as incontestably the greatest feminine poet in English literature but was generally ranked second only to Tennyson among her contemporaries. It lies beyond the scope of this article to consider the reasons for the growth of her fame or the reasons for its impermanence. Suffice it to say that to her facility in writing poetry that developed broadly romantic, sentimental, and religious themes, and to her reputation as a savante, a Greek-reading blue-stocking, were added the stories of her invalidism and consequent seclusion, the glamor of her secret romance and marriage with Robert Browning, the drama of her flight to Italy. Her name thus became a household word, but the passage of time has dealt very rudely with her poetic fame. Her reputation, which far outshone her husband's during her lifetime, has shrunk as his has grown, until it is he who is now regarded as one of the poetic giants of the nineteenth century, while she is remembered for little more than the Sonnets from the Portuguese. But though Mrs. Browning's poetic reputation has apparently slipped irrevocably, her fame as a personality has never dimmed, although we do not now speak of her in the hushed and hallowed tones that many of her contemporaries used in reference to her.

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     There is little doubt that Mrs. Browning's interest in the Writings grew out of her fascination with Spiritualism, which had swept the United States at this time and had spread to Europe by 1852. Unlike many other popular "crazes" or "fads," the origin of the particular spiritualistic movement that manifested itself in the table "rappings" and spirit- messages that were delivered by means of knocks upon tables, can be dated quite precisely. An explanation for the amazing speed with which the "manifestations" spread is much more difficult to present.

     In 1848, the "rapping spirits" first made their presence known in the humble house of John D. Fox, a Methodist farmer of Hydesville, New York. The neighbors who were invited in attested to the marvels of the loud knocks that seemed to come from all over the house at once. It soon became evident that it was Fox's two young daughters, Margaret aged eleven, and Kate aged nine, who possessed the power to stimulate the "knockers," for the sounds followed the girls wherever they went. The family soon moved to Rochester and opened their home to the host of visitors who came to see the girls and hear the strange noises. *
     * Fred L. Pattee, The Feminine Fifties (New York and London: D. Appleton-Century Co., 1940), p. 239 ff.
     In 1849, the girls were giving public exhibitions in a rented hall in Rochester, and the next year they were in New York City giving demonstrations at $100 a night. Naturally, such a sensation could hardly remain the sole possession of two young girls, and soon the spirits were making their presence known through the agency of a rapidly growing number of "mediums," as they came to be called. By now the rappings had become much more sophisticated than the random noises that had followed the Fox sisters. Seances over which mediums presided in darkened rooms produced not only the rappings but also messages that could be given by means of the knocks. The "spirits" were contacted through the agency of the medium, who frequently went into a self-induced trance similar to the hypnotic trances of the mesmerists. In answer to questions asked the departed, the raps indicated a "yes" with two knocks, a "no" with one. More complicated messages were spelled out by having the medium go through the alphabet until a rap or a succession of them indicated a certain letter to be used. After enough trips through the alphabet, a crude message would thus be formed. Messages from Washington and Franklin abounded. Some mediums claimed to receive poetry from the spirits of poets such as Edgar Allan Poe, though the results were usually and predictably incredible drivel.

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     In addition, spirit hands, ethereal music, floating tables, various objects "apported" from afar by spirit hands, and occasionally even levitating mediums, became accepted parts of the seances. Skeptical comments were brushed aside. Nothing resembling scientific, or even careful, tests of the "manifestations" was bothered with. It was a "craze" that spread with unbelievable speed, particularly in the Eastern states where curiosity, leisure time, the inroads of science upon religious belief, and a general love of wonder apparently combined to produce a wave of believers that numbered from one to two million by 1854. * "Nothing like this mass psychic disturbance on the eastern seaboard of the United States," writes Jean Burton, "had been known anywhere on the globe since the Middle Ages." **
     * Joseph McCabe, Spiritualism (New York: Dodd, Mead and Co., 1920), pp. 65-66.
     ** Jean Burton, Heyday of a Wizard (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1944), p. 24.
     
     Although the interest of Europeans in Spiritualism never reached the frenzy it acquired in the United States in 1848_1854, and although it was not until late in the 1850's that the movement really attracted a wide following in Europe, it reached England in 1852 and did manage to stir up considerable interest among certain groups there. In that year, a Mrs. Hayden, an American medium, officially brought Spiritualism to London when she gave seances at which people, for half a guinea apiece, communicated with the dead. She managed to convert Robert Owen, but the English, in general, were not roused to the fever pitch prevalent in America. *
     * It is worthwhile commenting here, I think, that in 1888 the Fox sisters confessed that the "rappings" of 1848 which had ushered in the Spiritualism "craze' had actually been caused by the girls' ability to crack their toe joints loudly, a feat which, I am told on good authority, is not too rare in swiftly growing adolescents. At any rate, what apparently began as a prank reached a point of out and out deception, and one's faith in human nature receives an added blow when one discovers that an aunt of the girls - one with an admirable combination of those wonderful Yankee traits of horse sense, shrewdness and thrift - managed to ferret out the girls' secret and then turned a tidy profit out of the gullibility of her contemporaries by acting as the girls' manager.
     Catherine Fox later recanted her confession; Margaret never did. See McCabe, p. 40 ff.

     It was from this period till the end of her life that Mrs. Browning evinced great interest in Spiritualism and spiritualists. Her letters abound with excited references to and questions about the "manifestations," and it is clear that she and many others were infected with millennial expectations - vague feelings that a new age was about to dawn.

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Because of their reluctance to tarnish her image by dwelling upon her connection with a movement that attracted so many charlatans and produced so many dupes, biographers of Mrs. Browning have generally tended to de-emphasize the importance of the movement in her life, or have insisted - taking their cue from Mrs. Browning's son, Robert Wiedemann Barrett Browning - that her views on the subject were much "modified" at the end of life. What this "modification" was supposed to involve we have never been told, but the evidence supplied by her letters seems to indicate unequivocally that her fascination with Spiritualism survived her husband's early skepticism and his later anger and disgust; it survived the revelation that a close friend had deceived her cruelly concerning these matters.
     Ironically enough, the strength and tenacity of her belief was encouraged by what she read in the Writings, for Swedenborg offered to many a respectable and philosophical framework for a belief in communication with spirits. Since the Writings stressed the immediacy and reality of the spiritual world, many arguments to prove the existence and validity of such communication were buttressed with quotations from the Writings, conveniently ignoring their strictures regarding the flagrant disorders involved in such attempts.
     What long-range effects this linking of Swedenborg and Spiritualism had on the spread of the Writings cannot be known. One likes to think that, in Providence, the value of the acquaintance of large numbers of people with the Writings outweighed the debasement the Writings suffered because of the sordid and cynical use that quacks and hucksters made of them. It is interesting to note that so staunch a New Church man as the Rev. J. P. Stuart took advantage of the public frenzy over the question of spirit communications to give public lectures on the subject in New York, beginning one of his discourses with the calm acceptance of the validity of the "phenomena" as "indisputable." Henry Spicer, an Englishman who had undergone a change of heart about his earlier disbelief in and contempt for the communications, recorded a considerable portion of what Stuart had to say, and if Spicer may be regarded as an accurate witness, Stuart said:
     We might see for ourselves that we are gaining a most glorious result in the demonstrations of the spiritual world that are given to men of every class; for whether declarations of men who have passed into the other life are true or false, weighty or worthless, wise or nonsensical, one thing is gained by them. *
     * Henry Spicer, Sights and Sounds: The Mystery of the Day (London: Thomas Bosworth, 1853), pp. 185 & 186.

This gain, of course, was the recognition of the reality of the spiritual world.

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Though Stuart concluded by noting, "We shall do well never to surrender either our rationality of thought, or freedom of action, to the fantastic delusions that may be poured upon us from the spirit-world," it seems evident that he had no suspicion that large amounts of fakery were involved in the "manifestations." When one examines the incredible number of those who, at one time or another, believed in the "manifestations," with never a suspicion that most of them were being bamboozled by cynical exploiters or were victims of mass suggestion and hysteria, one may be more patient with the instances of Mrs. Browning's gullibility.
     However, if Mrs. Browning's interest in the Writings had gone no further than to supply evidence to bolster her faith in the spirit communications, she would not merit mention here. It is abundantly clear that many of those who invoked Swedenborg's name in their comments about Spiritualism were not concerned at all with the theological teachings in the Writings. But Mrs. Browning was not one of these. Her attention certainly seems to have been focussed on the Writings by a frequent linking of them with Spiritualism, but once she had begun to read them she found them the source of religious truths that she cherished.
     It is also clear that by 1852 she had independently developed religious beliefs with regard to general doctrinal matters along lines that were close to teachings in the Writings. Her early religious background, however, was Calvinist; in her youth, before her health began to decline, she frequently went with her father to Independent (Congregational) chapels, coming to admire the simplicity of these services and laying the groundwork for a lifelong prejudice against pomp and ceremony connected with religion. When she later came under the influence of Hugh Stuart Boyd, a blind Greek scholar who tutored her extensively in Greek, she read the Greek Christian Fathers and early Christian devotional literature. But her primary source of inspiration seems to have been the Bible, which she read in the Hebrew and Greek.
     Boyd tried several times to draw her out into argument about Calvinism, a creed he was willing to attack when he could spare time from blistering Roman Catholics, but he had little success. From the beginning of their relationship, she confessed to considerable mystification concerning the Calvinist dogmas of Predestination and Irresistible Grace; it is clear that such a negation of man's freedom of will was completely unattractive to her, but she firmly believed that man was saved by Grace and by Faith. There were "great difficulties on both sides of the question," she wrote Boyd in 1827, and she was happy to take Boyd's uncharacteristically mild position that "an opinion may be entertained on either side without endangering Christian essentials." *

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     * Barbara P. McCarthy (ed.), Elizabeth Barrett to Mr. Boyd (London: John Murray, 1955), p. 9.

     In 1840, when Mrs. Browning's favorite brother, Edward, drowned in a boating accident at Torquay, she underwent a spiritual and physical trial that showed its effects for the rest of her life, and to this incident also may be attributed a large part of her feelings of desolation upon the death of those she loved. It was an infirmity she could never conquer, no matter how deep her faith in an afterlife might be. What she knew and believed could afford but little consolation in the face of the sense of isolation and loss that the death of a friend or loved one presented. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons that Spiritualism had an irresistible appeal to her, for it provided a further defense against her morbid dwelling upon the irrevocable absence of the departed.

     Another consequence of Edward's death and of her belief, in the early 1840's, that her own death was imminent was an increased aversion to theological controversy. In a letter to Boyd in November, 1842, she mentioned that she felt herself near death, and had, indeed, "suffered the bitterness of death without attaining its calm." Concerning the clash between the orthodox Calvinists and the Arminians, she would state no preference for either side, being convinced that "into the counsels of God we have no right to enter" and that the points argued between both sides were of "no importance" and were "not intended to be rendered clear in the present aspect of the church." All that was accomplished by such wrangling, she believed, was a diminishing of love, whereas the goal of Christians was to "love more rather than to learn more." *
     * Ibid., p. 255.
     The picture that emerges from these comments is that of a Bible- reading Protestant who was averse to controversy because she felt that such argument was generally futile and personally distasteful. Despite the impression she gives that she shunned dogma, however, it is obvious that she pondered religious questions quite seriously, and it is also clear that she maintained certain points of view very strongly. Though orthodox Calvinism was unacceptable to her, she deplored the tendencies of the more "liberal" sects as well as the growing influence of the Oxford Movement. Since she believed deeply in the Divinity of Christ, she had little regard for the Unitarians, becoming quite irritated when her poetry was later accused of having Unitarian tendencies. Her worship in Independent chapels during her youth had made her suspicious of pomp and formalism in religious services. When she learned in 1842 that the Church of England was creating a bishopric for New Zealand, she erupted indignantly in a letter to her friend Mary Russell Mitford, scoring the "waste of public money" that such a step would represent.

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If men were to be sent among the heathen, let them be "simple men with simple words"; the idea of "lawn sleeves and the mitre" in such a setting seemed utterly incongruous to her. * Her views about what she called the "sacramental ordinances" were that only Baptism and the Lord's Supper were to be regarded as such, and that even those were to be seen only as a prospective and memorial sign and not as a "peculiar instrument of grace, mystery, or the like." ** She deplored the tendency to make "mysteries of God's simplicities," and she showed little sympathy for the Oxford Movement when she wrote an acquaintance in 1843 that her inspection of the Tracts for the Times disappointed her expectations of at least finding in them some strong evidence of intellectual distinction and power. "From motives of a desire of theological instruction," she wrote, "I very seldom read any book except God's own." *** As for the Roman Catholic revival in England, she told Miss Mitford that she "would not willingly speak with disrespect of Roman Catholic Christians," but she rejoiced that Miss Mitford had too clear a head "to go over in a rapture and puff of incense into the belief of an infallible Pope." ****
     * Betty Miller (ed.), Elizabeth Barrett to Miss Mitford (London: John Murray, 1954), p. 112.
     ** Frederick G. Kenyon (ed.), The Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1899), I, 145.
     *** Ibid., p. 159.
     **** Miller, p. 177     

     (To be concluded.)
APPEARANCES 1965

APPEARANCES       GEOFFREY P. DAWSON       1965

     (Delivered to the New Church Club, London, England, May 1965.)

     We have been taught that nothing whatever is known to us save according to appearances. Yet we are warned that thought from the eyes closes the understanding. * After every debate in which neither party is willing to discard its original opinion, unless the meeting ends in scandalous behavior, the protagonists generally concede that thus and thus it appears to A, whereas so and so it appears to B. Each, privately, may consider the other to be in error, if not foolish or perhaps incurably obstinate; but in order that appearances of courtesy and harmonious decorum may prevail, neither will press beyond the limits of civility. In all kinds of relations we are asked to observe appearances and preserve them for the sake of interior principles: those relating to the conjugial, for instance, ** military discipline, dignity of office, and so forth.

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It is not good to strip away every assumed appearance to discover whether or not the principle is really there; that indulges in the folly of killing the goose which laid the golden eggs. Remove the appearances, and, behold, nothing remains but a carcase - no more eggs! That is one of the difficulties, for it is impossible to detach appearances from principles of original causes as if for examination, since the finite human mind sees nothing whatever except by means of illustration. Whatever we say about appearances will inevitably remain an appearance. Debate about them might be similar to shifting our cash from one pocket to the other without gaining any profit from the transaction.
     * DLW 46.
     ** CL 279.
     It is noticeable that the less that is known about any subject the simpler it appears to be. Some things appear so simple that we rarely halt to imagine the miracles they involve. The sight of the eye, hearing by the ear, speech, every step by the feet or gesture of the hands: all of these appear simple. But traced to their origins, activities of natural light, sound, motion, sensation, thought, and the connections of all these between the brain and the body become a complex multitude: an indefinite series of functions spreading far beyond the computative powers of a universe of calculating gadgets, and every incident in the system, if isolated, might be capable of a similar unlimited resolution into parts.

     Now since appearance cannot be separated from principles of cause, every appearance is closely related to a form of function. Thus appearances might be regarded as utilities. However, these utilities are as limited as they are finite, but this is a circumstance we sometimes ignore. When we assess the validity of an appearance, we are apt to ask ourselves whether or not it is real. By this we are concerned, simply, with whether we or anyone else can use it, whether it is tangible or rational, thus something to which we can return - an independent entity. Fortunately we do not often congratulate ourselves on the skillful adjustments we make in assessing appearances to suit the uses to which we wish to put them. The surveyor is happy to accept a flat world, measuring and transcribing its image to a flat piece of paper, constantly asserting that he can take a "level." Provided that his plan does not cover too much territory the method works quite well. But Christopher Columbus could not manage with a flat world. For him it had to be at least cylindrical. More recent navigators, especially the breed which conducts its business at high speeds and considerable altitudes, would find their work intolerably inconvenient unless the world could be regarded as a sphere upon which courses can be traced as great circles.

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Should men ever be permitted to project themselves through the continuum in a manner making their celestial journeyings bearable, we may suspect that they will have to conceive of the world differently again, to co-ordinate the several ratios of space, time and velocity which might appear, if ever they are to come home again.

     Have we demonstrated thus simply that even the most common and utilitarian concepts of space, time and the objects extant in them are not to be regarded as inevitable and invariable? It may be objected that relativity respecting motion and spatial geometry does not undo the inevitable quality of an appearance respecting the application of its function. But finite things cannot have invariable characteristics. There is a limit to every finite appearance. If you wish to leap over a babbling brook you gauge the distance with your eyes, flex your leg muscles, and hurl your body forward, perhaps even gracefully, to descend safely on the selected patch of turf on the other side. If your leap attained the speed of light the result would be different. On the other hand, some day you may suffer rheumatism; appearances will be excruciatingly different again; and, sensibly, you will find the nearest bridge. No set of circumstances remains absolutely identical in the finite world of change.
     The implication that all appearances are subjective does not offend common sense as seriously as might at first be thought. It is inescapable that all appearances are entirely personal with each and every one of us. They are always subject to the reception and acknowledgment of our own distinctive faculties. Broadly, all men living in the world at a given time approximate to a similar state of sensual perception and can agree to a scale, use and relationship respecting material appearances: that fire burns, ice is cold, what is soft or hard, wet or dry, light or dark, and so on, in a way which permits their co-operation in their undertakings. But the fire does not always burn; for Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego walked in a flaming, fiery furnace, and not a hair on them was so much as singed. * The sun does not always continue its course; for Joshua it stood still to give him a victory. ** Water will drown as well as slake the thirst, but not always does the raging sea swallow up what is abroad upon it. The Lord walked upon the waves as He walked upon the dry land. *** When the soul departs, it generally leaves the body to decay in the tomb; but the cornerstone of Christian doctrine is that the Lord rose with His whole body from the tomb and later ascended into heaven with that body.
     * Daniel 3: 22, 27.
     ** Joshua 10: 13. Cf. AE 401.
     *** Matthew 14: 25, 32.
      To plead that these are special cases does not assist a claim that the common course of natural events, as we are accustomed to understanding them, is inevitable and invariable.

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Either they appeared to occur for some effective end or they did not, and if they did not, much doctrine is, to say the least, quite misleading. We call them miracles, by which we mean that the events are out of the ordinary expectation of experience, and apparently contrary to the tidy, uniform and universal explanations of the behavior of material things, which we call scientific. The situation is difficult if appearances, as we see and understand them, cannot be regarded as subjective; but rationality is less offended if it can be accepted that appearances are personal, commodities of limited utility, which are modified according to states of reception, acknowledgment, application and purpose. In that case it is not necessary to limit our credulity to the confines of apparent natural laws which men have invented for material reasons. If it is desired to perform material functions, these scientific principles can be used. Indeed we use them all the time. But they are not truths, and ought not to be venerated as such, lest we lapse into the worship of ourselves. Truth is one and indivisible, whereas scientifics proliferate and are subject to revision.

     Neither firm believers nor skeptics can be easily moved from their opinions. However, it is fortunate that we all have the capacity for accepting the things which appear to us to be real. It can be distressing to suspect that any of our perceptions are no more than hallucinations. We may allow the proposition that what appears to us is only subjective as an entertaining intellectual conceit, a toy; but we would never base our entire attitude to other beings and objects on the assumption that they were altogether the products of our imagination. We are confident that our friends and relatives have lives of their own which continue even when we do not think about them. Particularly are we nervous of our enemies when we cannot see them, lest they be plotting skilfully against us. Experience tells us that nothing ever occurs unless there is a prior cause, and we assume that, however the event may appear to us according to the state of body and mind, the objects we see are entities apart from ourselves. The appearance of friend or enemy may well result from the subjective condition; but we know that peace and hostility can be changed, though the objects in which they appear may not alter in their physical aspect. We assume a comforting reliance upon the continuity of material things, the assurance that the solid earth will support our feet. We may regret, in moments of misfortune, that it will not swallow us up; that we cannot at will walk upon water or through fire without being burned; but we could hardly endure a world in which apparent functions did not follow predicted patterns regardless of our states of mind. Such a world would be bedlam.

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     Nevertheless, dependable continuity in natural appearances is a product of apparent scale. Changes are not usually accomplished in the wink of an eye, but in measurable and gradual progressions. Yet nature is not in itself any more stable, static or reliable than are states of human emotion. One day the inhabitants of a Japanese town bestirred themselves to do their daily tasks when, in a cataclysmic flash, their city was reduced to ashes. That incident of instability we regard as manmade. But there are earthquake shocks; whole mountains have been known to explode; far across the cosmic depths of space stars are said to burst out with the devouring fire of a billion suns; and in every moment there goes forward on our planet the conversion of the appearances of connate energies into forms of use and their subsequent decay. It is our own apparent size and concept of time that permit events in nature to appear more or less constant; but change is change, slow or fast, large or small, and apart from the scale of events we live and function in a quagmire of shuddering elements.
     Very well, suppose that appearances are a synthesis of our states of reception and response; what, then, is the essential nature of the objects which we call material, if causation is something apart from our powers of appreciation? The answer has changed with the different ages of man, and we have to rely on sources of information not acceptable to science to know what some of these variations might have been.
     In his first mature age, man regarded nature only from the internal value and use of its significance. The sweet, the sour, light and shade, strength and weakness, hard and soft, trees for food, shrubs bearing poison, in all of these men saw an actual world; but if asked what they saw, they would not have answered flatly that dark was dark and light was light, and so forth. On the other hand, if you could have told them that light was an oscillation of some imponderable potential occurring within a range to which the eye was susceptible, they might, quite rightly, have thought you mad! Thought - for they would not have had the words to tell you so, even had the discourtesy occurred to them. To them light signified something of illumination in the understanding derived from wisdom, and perceived as influx of the ability to comprehend according to the state of affection. *
     * AC 20, 21, 66.

     In later ages, when men had learned how to confuse themselves with words, others would have woven a legend for you in which they hid the same idea; not because they wanted to mislead, but what else could be done when the only organized vocal sounds refer to the obvious external appearances of the activities seen in earths, animals and men?

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Essentially the human mind was never less subtle than it is today. Often it had to be more acute, not having depreciated its intelligence with so many creature comforts and mechanical aids. It was never entirely content with its myths and legends; for the further men came to be removed from their primary perceptions, the less they continued to recall the original significations. According to rational external standards their gods were often unjust, reaping where they had not labored, surveying the tragedy of the human condition for celestial entertainment and personal glory, settling the scores of heavenly quarrels in the sufferings they promoted among mortal men. Ask men in such an age of decaying theology and material thought the nature of light, and they might tell you that it was particles broken off from their source entering the eye and adding themselves to the faculty of memory in the brains. The more external the principles of thought, the less cohesive appear the particulars, falling as they do into specialties. The mind tends to divide into departments, each dealing with its own subject. One concerns faith, another justice, another morals; others have to do with bodily care, politics, commerce; until all things are viewed respectively from specially conceived and autonomous sciences. *
     * EU 54.
     The more society is dispersed and subdivided, the greater the need for vehicles of communication. The society of the mind is no less dependent on means to convey the meaning of its thoughts. Words multiply and become specialized, extended, debased, abused and co-opted to serve incredible functions. There is a language of art, of science, and of politics, engineering, law, commerce and education, not to mention ethnological languages such as French, German and English. Ask men today what light is, and the vulgar answer might be: "All the better to see you by!" The reply having pretensions to a cultivated understanding may be: "Light is the qualifying medium of intellectual and aesthetic perception." The scientific answer would probably go into a rigmarole explaining waves, frequencies, quanta, and such theoretical entities. But none of this describes the thing as it actually is, only the thing as it is seen to perform with respect to sensual, material and intellectual requirements of understanding from affection. Today we are able to regard light and describe it sensually, corporeally, as a state of the mind, by various styles of language, each related to a special department of thought. Yet light continues to be quite simply light, though our thought about it changes radically, as is manifest in the words we use. Obviously the words never uncover the true essence of the substance of light, which resides only in the interior substances of the mind.

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Words only stimulate representative images of functions in the thought; and these are only appearances, not realities - figures which sometimes refer to nothing more than compulsive habits of context and usage. So words are often contorted in extraordinary ways, as when any instrument which responds to stimuli is said to "read" them, by which is meant that the activity is merely received, not comprehended. How often do we hear and use words, and no more than their images occur in the imagination, tripped by signals of custom and association; never the least part of their signification touching the intelligence. *
     * EU 62.

     It may seem that your essayist is taking advantage of your patience. He has shuffled along from the limitations of solid geometry by way of the subjectivity of private opinion to the insubstantial characteristics of material things and the shaky constructions of natural language. His purpose has not been capricious. He has had the misfortune to choose for study a subject so woven into the fabric of finition that it is impossible to stand entirely apart and observe it objectively. This thesis is offered in words, without which nothing could be communicated; but it is necessary to understand that with us words cannot be actual truths. This is a paradox, for without words we would have little idea of what truth is, and would not be able to convey that idea to anyone else. We know from constant experience that any statement purporting to embody truth suffers chronically in the capacity of its use according to the state of mind in each man who hears it. We are bound to acknowledge that truth is not isolated for examination merely by the careful arrangement of terms, as if truth were a product of grammar, syntax and logic, to be captured in a mesh of syllables. Some of us are continually clearing away the debris of decayed contentions to make room for new ones. Truth is entirely distinct from the dead letter of human finite language, and must be sought at length only in the spirit in which doctrine is given and received. Particularly does this become clear when we consider the language of theological faith, in which to attend too closely to the mere terms of expression as they are in themselves is to lose not only the sense of the spirit but the sense of the letter as well.

     (TO BE CONCLUDED.)

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SEVENTH PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1965

SEVENTH PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISTRICT ASSEMBLY       SANDRA PENNER       1965

     REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS

     The Seventh Pacific Northwest District Assembly was held in North Vancouver, British Columbia, June 26-27, with the Right Rev. Willard Pendleton presiding. Bishop Pendleton was visiting Vancouver for the first time. At noon on Friday, June 25, the Bishop, Mrs. Pendleton and their daughter and son Joan and Laird, were met at the airport and taken to their hotel. That evening an informal group of thirty, consisting of early arrivals, gathered at Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Fairburn's home for a buffet dinner. The Pendleton family had been taken on a short sightseeing tour of Vancouver and its mountains and harbor just before dinner, and their exuberance over what they had seen lent itself well to a colorful evening of conversation. We learned of some of the missionary work being done within the United States and of the many well written pamphlets available for this type of endeavor. The need for teachers and the growing demand for space at the Academy were also discussed. Most of those present had traveled a long way, so the pleasant evening came to an end before the hour grew too late.
     On Saturday the children attending the Assembly, twenty-one of them, were taken on a tour of the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. From the remarks made it could be concluded that they all had a good time. During the business meeting the children swam in the pool at the hotel where the Assembly was being held.

     Session.     The Assembly began officially with a short business meeting at the Coach Inn at 3:00 p.m., on Saturday, June 26. The meeting began with the opening of the Word by the Rev. Roy Franson, after which Bishop Pendleton led us in prayer. New officers were elected for a period of two years and it was decided that the Eighth Pacific Northwest District Assembly should be held at Portland, Oregon, in 1967, at a date to be determined later.
     Bishop Pendleton spoke about the General Assembly to be held at Oberlin College, Ohio, in 1966, and expressed a wish to see many of the faces before him present there. The difficulties involved in supplying the isolated with pastoral ministrations were also commented on; the church makes every effort to see that all members are visited at least once a year.

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The Bishop said a few nice words about the Rev. Willard Henrichs, who will be the new visiting minister to the district.

     Banquet.     The social hour, which began at six o'clock on Saturday evening, gave everyone an opportunity to mingle and talk with friends and new acquaintances. As guests we had the pleasure of having, in addition to the Pendleton family, Mrs. Junge from Glenview, Mrs. Franson and two of her children, several families from Dawson Creek, and three ladies from the Convention church in Vancouver. The banquet, held at the Coach House Inn, began at seven with Douglas Crompton, our toastmaster, giving a word of welcome to all. With keen interest and delight eighty people listened to Bishop Pendleton's address, "The Lord's Second Coming in the Word." The response was lively and many, including our Convention visitors, were inspired to ask questions.
     A panel of four persons from the district each gave a paper on "How the General Church of the New Jerusalem Affects Business." The participants were Messrs. Hubert Junge and Harold Kunkle of Seattle, Mr. William Hansen of Spokane, and Mr. E. L. Fairburn of North Vancouver. The topic was covered thoroughly by these able gentlemen, and through all the talks ran the same thread of basic truth - everyone should do his duty faithfully, sincerely and justly. The beautiful red and white decor of the Coach House Inn had its own symbolism for our minds - the good of love and the love of truth - and the surroundings seemed a perfect setting in which to glean more truths.
     With a note of sadness lingering the banquet came to a close. The sadness was due to the imminent departure of the Rev. Roy Franson and his wife and family to Florida, where they will live in Miami. He and his family have come to know so many of the members in the Pacific Northwest, and we shall all miss them very deeply.

     Sunday.     The Sunday morning service began at 11:00 am., with the Bishop and Mr. Franson on the chancel. The Holy Supper was administered to sixty-five communicants. After the service we all gathered in the salon for refreshments.
     On Sunday afternoon the remaining guests, along with the Vancouver people, went to Stanley Park and then to a smorgasbord dinner at Capilano Gardens. Thus after a wonderful weekend of exchanging ideas and thoughts and meeting many fine New Church men our Assembly closed.
     SANDRA PENNER

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INTERLUDE IN THE "VIKING TOUR" 1965

INTERLUDE IN THE "VIKING TOUR"       BERYL G. BRISCOE       1965

     As a member of the New Church Viking Tour (June 9-30) I looked forward to visiting at least one or two archives in Stockholm and Upsala, where so many of the original Swedenborg MSS are deposited. Arrangements had already been made with the Rev. Olle Hjern, so on June 21st he came to our hotel and we set out, first for the Royal Library (Kungliga Biblioteket). I at once felt quite at home on seeing this fine building, as I had typed that name so many times as a reference for the manuscripts. The first thing we saw on entering the hall leading to the Reading Room was the Library's greatest treasure, the Codex Gigas, Bohmen 1204-1230, sometimes known as the Devil's Bible (Djavulsbibeln). It is a handwritten MS consisting of parchment made from 160 skins of asses, one foot high, twenty inches wide. It includes the Old Testament (Vulgate edition), the New Testament, and several other pieces, and legend has it that it was written overnight by a condemned monk with the aid of the devil.
     After looking at this curious document we lost no time in obtaining the help of a librarian in the Manuscript Department. I had with me a list of headings under which the various collections were supposed to be deposited, and my object was to verify the correctness of this list. Most of the items were confirmed as being correct, to my great satisfaction, although there was some difficulty on account of the non-separation of the various headings in the Royal Library's filing system. All items are catalogued under the name, with the department as a subheading at the foot of the card. We received the most patient and courteous attention, however, in spite of the fact that the checking of my list entailed work in various sections of the Manuscript Department.
     About eleven-thirty, we left the Royal Library to go to the Royal Academy of Sciences (Kungliga Vetenskapsacademien), another building with which, as to title, I was quite familiar! My aim in this Academy was twofold. First, to check the list of headings, as had been done in the case of the Royal Library. This was accomplished almost immediately since there are only eight entries in our list for this Depository, and Olle's Swedish was of the greatest advantage in saving time. These headings also turned out to be correct.

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My second object was to check our references to the Bergius Collection, and I had with me a separate list for this purpose, consisting of eighty items. Once again we received the most cheerful co-operation, the head librarian of this department being a most charming lady whose name, alas, I failed to get.
      This Bergius Collection, to quote Dr. Acton, consists of "twenty volumes of letters copied by Bengt Bergius (1723-1784) and now preserved in the library of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences. These volumes contain copies of letters of all kinds, ancient and contemporary, and . . even of fragments of letters, or extracts; but the place where the letter was found, etc., is never given." * Our list consists mostly of letters to and from Jesper Swedberg, etc., spread throughout nine of these twenty volumes, and the need for checking it arose from the intricate alterations entered by Dr. Acton in the original copy of his list so that I could not be certain I had followed his directions correctly. In no time at all these nine volumes were brought to us, and the Rev. Olle Hjern was, of course, a great help at this point since he was able to check in one volume while I was checking in another. At any rate, this part went quite quickly, and had the happy result of confirming my reading of Dr. Acton's alterations. We finished about twelve forty-five, but I felt that I could not leave without seeing the original Writings, even though I knew I was going to see them the next day with the whole tour. Our charming librarian was delighted to take us up to the stacks where they are permanently kept on open shelves - though they are beautifully bound. It is always a very moving experience for a New Church person to see these originals, especially one who has had the privilege of working so closely with their photographic copies for so many years.
     * Letters and Memorials of Emmanuel Swedenborg, p. 288n.

     At this point I felt some concern about taking up so much of my companion's time, and I wondered where lunch came in. On inquiry, I was informed that there are no set times for meals in Sweden as in the United States, and that it did not matter when he ate. However, I was reminded that I had not seen the Bokforlaget collection housed in his home, and Olle then very kindly invited me there for lunch. We soon arrived at the Hjerns' delightful apartment in a fine part of the city near Skansen, and I received a most charming and cordial welcome from Olle's wife, Inga. Even before lunch, however, Olle started showing me something of the collection. It was all very fascinating, and I felt somewhat frustrated at not having more time available for its examination. After a delicious lunch, we continued with our examination of the Bokforlaget Documents, necessarily only in a cursory way.

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     Among the many interesting items, first editions, etc., I was fascinated at seeing the membership lists from the early days of the church in Sweden, including such names as Asplundh, Odhner, Rosenquist, etc., at least two or three generations back from the present members now living in Bryn Athyn. I felt sorry to discover, however, that there is no card index to the contents of this library. The need for one is great, and I suspect that some very valuable documents might be unearthed-to say nothing of the valuable first editions, and autographs in the Writings - once this end is accomplished. I hope that something may be done about this in the not too distant future. No one could have been more cordial than my host and hostess and their lovely family of five little daughters, the last two being twins.
     When the time came to leave, Olle very kindly went with me on the streetcar leading to the underground. I would surely have become lost otherwise. When I bought my ticket at the underground, the agent, seeing that I was a foreigner, courteously allowed Olle to pass through the gate so that he could see that I got on the right train. Before leaving, Olle said that he would like me to meet a certain Lektor Lenhammar in Upsala who also was interested in the Documents, although not a member of the church. We were going to Upsala the next day, and Olle said that if he could get him on the phone he would arrange for us to meet there the next afternoon. This is exactly what happened, to my further great advantage.

     On June 22nd our tour left by bus in the morning for Upsala, stopping on the way at the Royal Academy of Sciences to see the exhibit of the original Writings which had been arranged especially for us. We finished the morning by going through the Cathedral and other vital points of interest in Upsala, and afterwards had a good lunch at a fine restaurant where Mrs. Alfred H. Stroh was coming to join us. After lunch we all went to the Upsala University Library - the largest and oldest library in Sweden - and I had the privilege of being taken by Mrs. Stroh to see her old room where she had worked for so many years after her husband's death. It was quite moving to see the affectionate manner in which she was greeted by her old associates at the library. Mrs. Stroh also wished to introduce me to the Head Librarian, Dr. Liljencrantz, but unfortunately he was away.
     At two o'clock Olle Hjern arrived at the Library, as arranged, and after saying goodbye to Mrs. Stroh, who was joining the tour on its way to see the old part of Upsala, etc., we went almost at once to the Manuscript Department. I then inquired about three collections in particular: the Nordenskjold Collection, the Frugard Documents and the Stroh Collection.

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While I got no satisfaction over the first two items, to my great surprise - after waiting about five minutes - two fairly large cardboard boxes containing some Stroh papers were brought out to me, and I was informed that they had not been catalogued. Whether the ones referred to in our collection are contained in these boxes I could not tell at first glance, and there was no time at this point to make a thorough search. It would probably take about a week to make a list of the contents and give them a thorough examination. In the midst of a feeble effort on my part to do so, Olle, who in the meantime had gone to look for Lektor Lenhammar, came back to tell me that the Lektor had arrived; and so, to my regret, I had to leave these boxes unexamined. However, Olle said he would try to find time to examine their contents later.

     Lektor Lenhammar at once proposed that we go to his apartment and have a talk, which we did. As a result, I found that he could answer many questions as to the correctness or otherwise of my titles for the Royal Library, the Royal Academy of Sciences, and the Upsala University Library. Many questions arose out of our talk, and he very kindly made notes, promising to follow them up and write me an answer whenever it was possible for him to obtain the right one. For instance, he certainly knew something about the Nordenskjold Collection, and all he needed now was to confirm the correctness of this information. He also promised to see what he could find out about the Frugard Documents. Another unresolved question was one concerning the label "Swedenborg House" attached to a small house set back in its own tiny plot, which, I was informed, was the oldest house in Upsala. Lektor Lenhammar promised to find out the history of this label. One suggestion was that it was believed to be the house where the first meetings of the Vetenskaps Societeten were held.
     We sat talking and comparing notes until four forty-five p.m., when Olle and I had to catch a train back to Stockholm. Again I was reminded that in Sweden there are no set times for meals! I was not sure what time had been set for our tour dinner at the hotel, but thanks to the good terms established by our leader, when I arrived there at 8:15, I found it was still possible to get dinner.
     As a result of my efforts as above, I came to realize that it would not be satisfactory to try to do any research work in the summer since so many of the archives are then closed. Due to the wonderful cooperation of all the friends in Stockholm, the Boyesens and Hjerns in particular, however, I was able to accomplish far more than I dared hope for in the limited time at my disposal.


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THANKSGIVING AS A CALL TO ACTION 1965

THANKSGIVING AS A CALL TO ACTION       Editor       1965


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By
THE GENERAL CURCH 0F 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.
     On Thanksgiving Day we will again be reminded that the yearly harvest is a gift of the Lord's bounty. He alone creates the seeds, and He alone causes them to germinate and grow into plants which yield fruit and new seeds for the benefit of mankind. This we know and believe, and in acknowledgment of it we will raise our voices to the Lord in joyful songs of gratitude and praise.
     Yet we may be reminded also that if these benefits are to be received and enjoyed, there are certain things which men must do as if of themselves. They must collect the seeds, equip themselves with the tools and machines needed for working the ground, prepare the ground, sow the seeds, and then tend and protect the growing crops. Otherwise the Lord's work cannot be done, and there will be no harvest.
     With these two things in mind, may we not see in Thanksgiving not only a call to worship but also a summons to action? The mere expression of gratitude effects little, and still less does a satisfied counting of our blessings. If we truly value the Lord's work, and desire that it be done, we will want to do more effectively that work which we must do as if of ourselves if His benefits are to be received.
     Especially is this true of the spiritual harvest. Reformation is a work entirely Divine - a work done by the Lord, we know not how; but if it is to be wrought in us, we must by our own efforts provide ourselves with knowledges of truth from the Word, the doctrine of the church and the world. May this Thanksgiving inspire us to a renewed dedication to such co-operation with the Lord of the Harvest.

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FORGIVENESS AND REMISSION 1965

FORGIVENESS AND REMISSION       Editor       1965

     What should be our attitude to those who have seriously transgressed against us or against the order which we may be responsible for maintaining and enforcing? This question must inevitably arise in the private and public lives of some New Church men and women. It seems clear that permanent ostracism or hostility is not the answer; it bars the door against any possibility of reconciliation. Yet neither should we say that it does not matter, that we do not care. This, if true, would mean that there is no affection to which the offender can appeal, and affection is as necessary for reconciliation as for conjunction.
     Light may be seen in the teaching that the Lord forgives everyone his sins, but the sins are not thereby remitted, that is, removed, unless the man performs serious repentance, desists from evils, and then lives a life of faith and charity. The Lord still holds the man in good will and desires nothing but his salvation; but the man remains in his evils until he wills to be removed from them, and as the penalty of evil is inherent in it, he still suffers that penalty.
     It would seem, then, that we should strive to feel good will for the offender, difficult as it may be, and let him know that we do; that we should hold out the hope and possibility of reconciliation, but make clear that the only road to it is that of actual repentance. In this spiritual charity differs from softheartedness. It does not deny or minimize the offense, forget it or expunge it from the record. Rather does it insist that the offense and the justice of the penalty be acknowledged and that repentance be recognized as the only way to rehabilitation. But it does so kindly and with the assurance that with genuine repentance the offense will be remitted in full, as it has already been forgiven.
CHURCH AND CONJUGIAL SIMULATIONS 1965

CHURCH AND CONJUGIAL SIMULATIONS       Editor       1965

     Ours is an age which, in rebelling against hypocrisy, sometimes goes to the other extreme. Complete candor, the utmost frankness, are lauded as virtues, even when brutal and uncalled for. To expose one's every thought and feeling becomes admirable, if not indeed a sacred duty; and any concealment, no matter from what motive, is branded as a vice. This does not make any easier acceptance of a teaching that is not always readily understood and received even by New Church men and women.

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     This is the teaching that in those marriages in which the internal affections do not conjoin, there are external affections which simulate them and consociate, whence there are apparent love, friendship and favor between married partners; and that these appearances, or conjugial simulations, are praiseworthy because they are useful and necessary. The teaching, which should be consulted in full, is found in Conjugial Love nos. 279 - 289, and the intention here is not to summarize it but to discuss it in the context in which it has been introduced.
     A superficial reading might suggest that the teaching is pragmatic; that the ends sought in the employment of conjugial simulations are at best utilitarian and at worse selfish. If this impression is formed, the teaching should be read again, this time with care, and then reflected upon. The ends for the sake of which these simulations are commended may then be seen to be important uses of the home. Yet this is not the only obstacle to be overcome. To some minds, even within the church, what seems to be suggested is the introduction into marriage of an element of pretense, and to those minds any pretense is distasteful, unwholesome and unlikely to succeed. However, if we consider the purpose for which Conjugial Love was given, we may see that the real end of conjugial simulations is the preservation of the conjugial: and the means which lead to such an end cannot be deceitful or hypocritical.
     Hypocrisy and deceit exist when qualities and states are assumed for an evil purpose, for some selfish or worldly end. When conjugial simulations are rightly used the end is one of good. Responsible people involved professionally are more concerned with saving marriages whenever possible than with finding reasons to dissolve them. Yet there is still a strong popular opinion that when a couple find themselves to be incompatible it is far more honest, and best even for the children, that they separate. Against this view is set the teaching referred to, and the conflict between them will be discussed further next month.
SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 5. CONSCIENCE 1965

SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 5. CONSCIENCE       Editor       1965

     Among the spiritual virtues mentioned in the Writings is conscience. If we are to understand why it is so described, however, we must know that the Writings use the term with a meaning strikingly different from that given to it in common speech. Conscience is generally thought of as an inner voice that warns us when we are about to do wrong or reproaches when we have already done so, and that is originally possessed by everyone - although it may be stifled. Indeed it has even been pictured as a miniature second or better self, whispering earnestly into a reluctant or remorseful ear!
     In the Writings, however, conscience means, in the highest sense, the new will received from the Lord by regeneration.

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This is conscience in its essence, which is to do evil to none and good to all, and is the Lord's gift to the spiritual in place of that perception which was lost in the fall of the celestial church. In this absolute sense, then, conscience is possessed only by the good. The evil have none, and the idea that the torments of hell are the stings of conscience is a pious fancy.
     As a perception of what is to be done and what is not, conscience may be possessed by all; but as it is formed with a man from the particular religion in which he is, and to the extent that he has received his religion interiorly within himself, this conscience is not uniform and is not even necessarily true. There is a Catholic, a Jewish, a Protestant, a Moslem conscience, and so on; and from the truths of the Writings inwardly received there is to be formed a New Church conscience.
     More generally, the conscience of those gentiles who are in simple good is what is called spurious conscience; and what is said to be a false conscience exists with those who are in natural good, this being so described because those in that good are interiorly selfish and worldly. It is this that has often been mistaken for conscience itself, and its existence is what has caused men to postulate a norm of conscience. But conscience is relative, the bad conscience of a good man being the good conscience of an evil one; and conscience has been known to vary with geography as well as with social and cultural movements.

     The true idea of spiritual conscience is to be found in the statement of the Writings that conscience is to act according to religion and faith. This, when directed by true religion and genuine faith, is the conscience that is a spiritual virtue; and it is so called because it inflows from within and governs man's life with the neighbor in societies on every plane and in every degree of life. Like all the others, however, this spiritual virtue is of slow formation. Until the truths of the Writings begin to be received inwardly, they may have little or no effect upon man's life, or may act intermittently as a conscience borrowed as it were from others; the man being less concerned with the intrinsic nature of his acts than with how they will appear to those who live by the truth. When he is moved to try to change his life, and is genuinely distressed when he fails, a spiritual conscience is beginning to be formed in him. Then, when the truth so affects him interiorly that he cannot do otherwise than live according to it, conscience has been formed; and thereafter it will be perfected to eternity. Yet even spiritual conscience is not uniform; it is full or less full according to the quantity and quality of the truths which are received inwardly.

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LOCAL SCHOOLS DIRECTORY 1965

LOCAL SCHOOLS DIRECTORY              1965

1965 - 1966

Local schools report the following teaching staffs for 1965 - 1966:

BRYN ATHYN:     Rev. David R. Simons          Principal
     Miss M. L. Williamson     Kindergarten (1)
     Miss Eleanor Cranch          Kindergarten (2)
     Mrs. Harald Sandstrom     Grade 1 (1)
     Mrs. Edward Cranch          Grade 1 (2)
     Mrs. Grant Doering          Grade 2 (1)
     Miss C. L. Woodworth     Grade 2 (2)
     Miss Nancy Stroh          Grade 3 (1)
     Mrs. Huard Synnestvedt     Grade 3 (2)
     Miss Alison Glenn          Grade 4 (1)
     Mrs. Sigfried Synnestvedt     Grade 4 (2)
     Mrs. William Homiller     Grade 5 (1)
     Mr. Bradley Smith          Grade 5 (2)
     Miss Diana Carpenter          Grade 6 (Girls)
     Mr. Carl Gunther          Grade 6 (Boys)
     Miss Cynthia Hyatt          Grade 7 (Girls)
     Mr. Robert Brown          Grade 7 (Boys)
     Mrs. Dan Echols               Grade 8 (Girls)
     Mr. Vorvar 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. Martin Klein          Kindergarten
     Mrs. Marvin Stevens          Grade 1
     Mrs. Donald Alan     )     Grades 2 & 3
     Mrs. Warren Reuter     )
     Mrs. Ben McQueen          Grade 4
     Miss Helen Echols          Grade 5
     Miss Gertrude Hasen          Grades 6 & 7
     Mr. Justin Synnestvedt     Grades 8 & 9

KITCHENER:     Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs     Principal
     Miss Dorothy Kuhl          Kindergarten
     Miss Laura Gladish          Grades 1 - 4 [Corrected. See NCL 1965, p. 558.]
     Miss Joan Kuhl               Grades 5 - 8

PITTSBURGH:     Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh     Principal
     Mrs. A. Gareth Acton          Kindergarten
     Miss Helene Howard          Grades 1 - 3
     Miss Viola Friesen          Grades 4 - 6
     Mr. Dirk van Zyverden     Grades 7 - 9
     Mrs. John Schoenberger     Special, Grades 4 - 9

TORONTO:     Rev. Martin Pryke     Principal
     Mrs. Sydney Parker          Kindergarten
     Miss Sylvia Parker          Grades 1 - 3
     Miss Beth Orr               Grades 4 - 6
     Miss Barbara Charles          Grades 7 & 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.

531


Church News 1965

Church News       Various       1965

     NORTH OHIO

     Since our last report, some eighteen months ago, membership in the North Ohio Circle has increased moderately, our entourage of young people and children has increased considerably, our program of services and classes has continued consistently; and in recent months activity in church affairs has increased tremendously, and will continue to do so over the next nine months. This is, of course, because the Circle's invitation to the General Church to hold the 24th General Assembly in our area in 1966 has been accepted by the Joint Council. The North Ohio Circle is highly pleased at this turn of events, not only because of the pleasure we anticipate in being hosts, but because we believe that we have found an ideal location for the Assembly.
     Oberlin College is ideally situated, within an easy drive of most of the larger societies, and is an ideal setting: large enough to take the biggest group we might expect; small enough that our group, the only one on campus that week, will not "rattle around." The campus itself is quite beautiful, in a wooded area surrounding a large, green mall. All the buildings we will use are within easy walking distance of each other. The dormitories are very modern, indeed luxurious, having been built within the past two years. The principal meeting room is ample and has a large organ. In case of hot weather, not likely in this area, we can move to an air-conditioned auditorium.
     The chairman of the Assembly Committee is our visiting pastor, the Rev. Erik Sandstrom of Bryn Athyn. Heads and members of other committees consist of everyone in the Circle who can "carry a musket." [See NEW CHURCH LIFE, October, page 486, for a list of committee heads.] The committee, i.e., the Circle, guarantees a wonderful Assembly, including many social, cultural and athletic activities, and, we are sure, inspiring Assembly sessions.
     Our growing Circle, i.e., Committee, now consists of twenty-two adults and seventeen young people and children. Two of our young people, Miss Gay Gabos and Miss Charlotte Gyllenhaal, will attend the Academy this year. Others are scheduled to follow in the next two years. Church services are held once each month in a beautiful building in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and doctrinal class the night before in a private home. Mr. Sandstrom has made the long trip from Bryn Athyn each month, often accompanied by portions of his family and other guests. His leadership has formed our Circle into a happy and cohesive group of New Church people, ready to tackle any job.
     In July, when Mr. Sandstrom was in Europe, we had a substitute minister for the first time in almost two years, the Rev. Ormond Odhner. This was a great pleasure for all of us. Mr. Odhner's deep penetration of the doctrines as applied to our lives came through to us in his sermon, his class, and the discussions that followed. He left us limp!
     Additions to the Circle include Mr. and Mrs. Alan Longstaff; Miss Corlette Longstaff, who graciously watches the younger children during the sermon; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph David and four children; Mr. and Mrs. Alan Childs and four children. We were sorry to see some of the old-time members move away: the Misses Alice and Eleanor Fuller to California, and Mrs. Daniel J. Curran to Pittsburgh.
     Over the past few years the Circle has built up a cordial relationship with the Convention group in Cleveland. Since our last report we have held three joint services with them, with Mr. Sandstrom as the minister, in their new church building.

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When practicable, Convention members attend our doctrinal classes and our Christmas and New Church Day celebrations. Convention holds regular Sunday services, sometimes with a visiting minister. One of the General Church members teaches Sunday school to the teenagers, another has taught the adult class, and Miss Charlotte Gyllenhaal has been the regular organist for over a year.
     The North Ohio Circle looks forward to greeting everyone who can possibly come June 15, 1966, to Oberlin College. It is an easy one-day drive from Bryn Athyn after school closing on June 14, and on the way to the western societies. It's the "Best Location in the Nation."
     CHARLES P. GYLLENRAAL

     NEW CHURCH VIKING TOUR

     Church centers throughout the world are noted for their hospitality to New Church friends. Guest lists in local news letters indicate an increase in visitors every year. Accounts of such occasions are scarcely newsworthy any more. The experiences of one cluster of travelers, nevertheless, may deserve mention. Thirty-two Americans, dubbing themselves "Vikings," spent three weeks this summer sweeping through Scandinavia and England. They returned full of enthusiastic reports about people and places, and with a far more vivid knowledge of the General Church.

     June 9, passports and cameras in hand, the vacationers embarked at Philadelphia. Some met for the first time at the airport, but in the ensuing days were to become close friends. The majority (26) were from Bryn Athyn; five flew in from Glenview, and one from Connecticut. The party ranged in age from fifteen to seventy-six, and the heterogeneous collection included four married couples, teachers, widows, a young bachelor, several grandmothers and five lively teenagers. Before the trip was over they had become a closely knit traveling society. Song practices on busses, doctrinal discussions and worship services en route, plus a genuine sphere of charity, made all feel a purpose in the adventure beyond that of mere pleasure.
     Suitably, an airline stewardess on the flight to London was already a friend, having recently been married in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral. A lovely Swede, Anita Joliffe added much to the journey.
     The itinerary called for two nights in London. Several visited relatives in Colchester, and six took the train to a seaside resort, Charmouth, where the London Society had gathered for a holiday. The Rev. Frank Rose and the Rev. Donald Rose had arranged this, and a number of families camped together in caravans (house trailers) to enjoy the environment, fellowship, and also instruction in rented buildings. The Viking visitors were included in a class, a social evening and a children's party before their reluctant departure.
     The tour members reconvened with the London Society at Swedenborg House on the evening of June 11. Short speeches, a guided inspection led by Mr. Stanley Wainscot as host, plus refreshments and tea, filled a fascinating evening. The neophyte traveler was most impressed with the collection of Swedenborgiana at this historical spot and learned a great deal about the Society's missionary efforts. This literary center dates back to 1810, and in the translating and publishing of Swedenborg's works continues to fill a vital need.
     The tour flew to Bergen, Norway, the following morning. From there we traveled by bus, passing fords and breath-taking waterfalls, and reaching Oslo on June 15. After the tour members had checked into the Norum Hotel, their chartered bus transported them to a beautiful old estate that had once belonged to the Boyesen family and is now a state owned country club. There the Oslo Circle (nineteen in all) had prepared a lovely smorgasbord dinner. The language barrier did little to hinder an evening of informal discussion in every corner of the building. The "Vikings" presented a silver vase for the Circle's chancel, the presentation being accompanied by songs and words of appreciation for a warm welcome. Mr. Eyvind Boyesen, speaking on behalf of the Circle, expressed what it meant to the Norwegians assembled to meet with so many New Church Americans.

533


Tour leader, Mr. Gosta Baeckstrom, responded for his group and conveyed appreciation of the work of the church being carried on so devotedly in this land of the midnight sun. The climax of the evening was a beautiful poem by Mrs. Helga Throndsen.
     The Vikings had their next encounter with the New Church at Skansen, in Stockholm, on June 19th. Pastor Bjorn Boyesen was on the chancel of the famous old Seglora Kyrka. The occasion was the marriage of Karin Loven and Alf Bryntesson, nephew of the Rev. Erik Sandstrom. Although the service was in Swedish, the American visitors felt deeply the sphere of this New Church marriage, the first such event in many years with both bride and groom members of the Stockholm Society. After meeting the wedding party and guests, we walked across the park to view Swedenborg's summer house in its new location. Set at the end of a picturesque rose garden, this famous structure now attracts the attention of thousands of visitors every summer. The tiny building was undergoing renovation inside, but should be open soon for inspection by tourists.
     The following morning, Sunday, the tour joined the Stockholm Society in Divine worship. Visiting Pastor Lorentz Soneson read the lessons and Pastor Bjorn Boyesen preached a beautiful sermon on the meaning of New Church Day, both in English. Even though the balance of the service was in Swedish, the Americans found little difficulty in reading Swedish words to familiar hymns. The congregation, over 50 in number, particularly enjoyed Mr. Ridval, the church organist's, playing of interlude music by Grieg.
     After the service the bus made a brief but pleasant stop at the late Pastor Baeckstrom's home in Avlik. From there, the group moved on to Pastor Boyesen's home for coffee and Swedish pastries. Most of the congregation had come, and it was soon very gemutlichkeit with songs and toasts.
     The same evening the host and traveling societies joined together again to celebrate New Church Day with a banquet. A private dining room in a Stockholm restaurant accommodated the group of 58 very handsomely. Toastmaster Gosta Baeckstrom led the evening's festivities and introduced the speaker, the Rev. Lorentz Soneson. His theme was the universal language of angels. Man comes into a common speech when he enters the spiritual world, and soon discovers that love is what is communicated by its inhabitants. Although Americans and Swedes spoke different languages, there was still much that was communicated between the two because of this language of heaven. The affections on the faces and the acts of hospitality expressed far more than words.
     Adjourning for coffee, hosts and guests viewed Mr. Jack Boericke's slides of the Cathedral and Bryn Athyn, described in two languages. The banquet lasted until midnight, when the Vikings returned to the Hotel Bromma via tunnelbana. There was still much more to come in the next few days.
     Besides a guided tour by Lois Boyesen to the Stockholm Town Hall, the visitors enjoyed a luncheon at the Boyesens' summer home on Lake Malar. The Boyesen family joined the Vikings that evening for dinner at the hotel. The next day, the group boarded the bus again to visit the Royal Academy Library, where a special showing of Swedenborg's original manuscripts and first editions was on display. The experience is one that no New Church man would ever forget. To turn the pages and examine the original Latin works embodying the Lord's second coming cannot but create a sphere of awe, privilege, humility and reverence.
     That same afternoon found the group in Upsala, viewing the famous Lutheran University and Cathedral. Swedenborg's tomb, directly across the nave from that of Linnaeus, stands as a national monument to Sweden's honored scientist. The old Trinity Church, just a block away from the Cathedral, lists its pastors as far back as 1169 AD. The name of Jesper Swedberg, Emanuel Swedenborg's father, appears among the others.
     The young people were feted with two evening gatherings at the Boyesens' home, and Mr. Boyesen also offered a most inspiring class at the hotel.

534


The Society still had enough energy to appear at the station early the following Thursday, passing out bouquets and good wishes. The train took the Vikings on to Denmark, where another delightful banquet had been arranged.
     After the travelers had met with some twenty-eight members and guests in their rented place of worship, they were offered wine and speeches of greeting. Everyone then adjourned to a nearby restaurant for a tasty spread. Toastmaster Sven Peterson read a moving speech, in English, expressing what it means to entertain New Church men from abroad. Toasting reached a new peak, and this genial group demonstrated most vividly its affection of the church and its people.
     After three days in Paris, the weary travelers returned to the States. The overwhelming feeling of the Vikings, one and all, was one of confidence in the development of the church outside of their own country. Few things short of an actual visit to other church centers leave the New Church man with such a feeling of unity in the work of spreading the Lord's New Church. Such visits re-inspire the traveler as well as the host. Furthermore, the New Church Vikings agree that there is nothing comparable to the cordiality which awaits future guests of our church centers overseas.
     LORENTZ SONESEN

     The ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH

     Enrollment for 1965 - 1966

Theological School     2
College               110
Girls School          109
Boys School               91
                    312

     LOCAL SCHOOLS

     Enrollment for 1965 - 1966

Bryn Athyn               402
Colchester               16
Durban               11
Glenview               140
Kitchener               31
Pittsburgh               33
Toronto               44
                    677

Total enrollment in Academy
and General Church schools     989
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Religiosity. This term, found only occasionally outside of the Writings, is used by them to describe an organized external worship which has no internal whatsoever. Thus they always speak of the "Roman Catholic religiosity" rather than "church" because Rome does not worship the Lord. (See AC 4440.)
     Remains.     Here we have another term around which is constructed an important doctrine. By "remains" are meant all the goods and truths, together with their attendant states, which the Lord lays down in every human mind without exception from first infancy to adult life as a basis for regeneration. They are so called because they actually are remains of all the goods and truths which have been impressed on the mind from infancy; of the states of charity, innocence, love and mercy

     (Continued on page 536)

535


OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965




     Announcements





     (Continued from page 534)

associated with them; and also of the states of attendant angels. It should be noted that all remains are implanted by the Lord and that the remains essential for regeneration are given to all. We can provide experiences in which remains may be implanted, but we do not do the implanting, and much that has been thought of as the instilling of remains is really the upbuilding of habits and attitudes. (See AC 561, 1060, 1738.)

     Repentance.     As this term is used in the Writings, it has a very different meaning from that which is attached to it elsewhere. In ordinary usage it is associated with regret for and contrition over the sins of the past. However, the Writings define repentance as confessing one's sins before God, praying humbly that they may be forgiven, and then desisting from them by leading a new life according to the precepts of charity and faith: a process which, to be effective, must be preceded by self-examination which includes the intentions and thoughts as they appear in the imagination as well as words and deeds. Ceasing from the evils confessed is the very essence of repentance, and the teaching makes clear that the evils of which man truly repents are those which he shuns when they present themselves with delight and when he is free to commit them. (See AR 531.)
VIRGIN BIRTH 1965

VIRGIN BIRTH       Rev. LOUIS B. KING       1965



537




Vol. LXXXV
December 1965
No. 12
     "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1: 35)
      Acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine and Human depends upon unquestioning belief in the Virgin Birth. True Christianity is founded upon that belief. The early Christian Fathers professed it to be the keystone of doctrine, although their thoughts were confused as to the relationship between what they called the Divine and Human aspects of Jesus Christ.
      Arius asserted that Christ was a lesser God created by God and therefore subordinate to Him - of similar but not of the same substance as God - and that Jesus was neither God nor man. Athanasius opposed this denial of the Lord's Divinity, declaring that God and Christ were of the same substance - that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, begotten from eternity, and also perfect Man; and the early church, rejecting Arianism, accepted in its stead the Athanasian Creed. Thus, in Providence, an idea of both the Lord's Divine and His Human was preserved in the Christian Church until the time of the Second Advent; when the Spirit of truth descended from God out of heaven, to reveal clearly to the rational minds of men the union of the Divine and the Human in the Lord Jesus Christ which was effected by means of the glorification.
      Our belief in the Virgin Birth can be strengthened immeasurably if we realize that the conception of life is a miracle every time it occurs. With the Lord, that conception took place within Mary according to the same laws of Divine order by which all individual life is conceived. There was a difference, however, between the Lord's conception and that of men: a difference in that which was conceived - the soul.

538


The Lord's soul was infinite, life itself, a love for the salvation of all men to eternity. With men the soul is finite, a vessel receptive of life, a love or endeavor to perform a specific but eternal use in heaven.

     It is, let us note clearly, the soul that is conceived, not the mind or the body. The Lord's soul was infinite, man's soul is finite. In accordance with this teaching the Writings explain that the soul or form of a man is from his father, whereas the body or substance is from his mother. In the finest, most interior organics of the father the soul of the offspring is formed, stamped with the paternal heredity, and clothed for transmission to the mother. Conception takes place when it is received by the mother and all the substance or clothing from the father then recedes. The soul then begins to construct a body in complete correspondence with its intrinsic form or potential use. All that which becomes the body, and upon which is inscribed the maternal or external heredity, is from the mother.
     It is easy for us to see, then, why the Lord had no need of a natural father; yea, that He could not have been Divine if He had had one. His soul was infinite, life itself. He could have no paternal or internal love of self and the world, and there was therefore no need of any natural medium for the clothing and transmission of His soul.
     Mary was a simple, good woman. Although she possessed the evils and weaknesses then extant in the human race, she willed that the promised Messiah come; and when the sphere of heaven overshadowed her, and the angelic society called Gabriel inspired her with the annunciation of the Lord's advent, she was beautifully prepared for the reception of that infinite life which was the Divine soul of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord was born into the conscious life of this world He differed from other men only as to His soul. His body and mind were identical with those of other men - finite and helpless. But as the Lord grew and developed in mind and body, as His infinite soul descended into and infilled His conscious mind, meeting there with truths of revelation from without, His finite mind and body were gradually purified of the hereditary forms taken from Mary; and, finally, their very finite limitations were removed, so that all the Human which the Lord had put on, both mind and body, was glorified and made Divine.
     When the Lord was in the world He assumed two humans. From Mary was taken a bodily human such as all put on at birth. Through this human the hells were free to attack as they attacked other men. Such an approach by the hells would have resulted in their complete destruction if the hereditary tendencies of the Mary-human had not provided a plane on which they could inflow and be conquered without being destroyed.

539


In the place of this Mary-human, which was successively put off, the Lord gradually acquired another Human which was from the Father and which was the Divine Human. This Divine Human was and is the Word of God. It is Divine because it is from God, because it is God speaking to man. It is Human because the whole of its interior message proclaims that God is one Divinely-human being.
     This second Human, which was present representatively within the law and the prophets, was assumed by the Lord and inscribed upon Him as His very mind. Other men, to be sure, receive this Human Divine, but only in the degree that they are able and willing to receive its truth and pattern their lives accordingly; but they can never become one with law and order because they are finite.

     As man regenerates, he becomes more and more a form of good and truth from the Word; yet he can never receive, still less become, all truth as did the Lord, and he can never remove the evils of his proprium completely as the Lord rejected totally the human derived from Mary. For these reasons only the Lord could glorify His Human; man's human is regenerated. Then, too, man's soul is finite - it is a love of a specific use. Consequently his capacity for receiving truth from the Word is limited. The Lord's soul, however, is infinite; it is the love of the salvation of the whole human race and it thus encompasses all uses. His capacity for receiving truths from the Word while in the world was infinite, and He therefore assumed all the truths of the Law and thereby fulfilled or infilled it with the love which was His soul. This infilling, and thus uniting the Divine truth with the life of His infinite soul, was the glorification of His Divine Human.
     To glorify means to fill with fiery brilliance and thus make visible in a new light. This the Lord did with His Human on earth. He had always revealed Himself in human form, but before His incarnation He did so in a representative way. The stories of the Ancient Word, and the law and prophecy of the Old Testament, when properly understood, represented the human qualities of God-Man. But as men became more and more external they lost these interior truths of the Word and, becoming engrossed in the literal sense and confused by it, passed from the worship of one Divine person into idolatries of every kind.
     The vision of the Lord's human essence was lost on earth because men were no longer able to see Him in His Word. True, His Human was still visible to any who might have viewed it representatively, but men had descended so completely into externals that this representative vision could not be attained by them. And with this absence of the Lord's Human from the conscious affection and thought of the human race, the hells were able to possess mankind, to destroy the church on earth, and to threaten the very heavens with destruction.

540



     It was therefore necessary that the Lord re-establish the church on earth by extending the vision of His Human to the most external of men, so that those on earth who desired it might once again worship Him in His true essence. Also, it was necessary that the Lord wage war against the hells to break their hold on heaven and earth and finally reduce them to a state of subordination to good and truth.
     To accomplish this great work of redemption the Lord came into the world. That He might overcome the hells He put on a human through Mary which the hells might attack. That He might reveal His Human again He put on the Human from the Father, that is, He received all truths concerning Himself in the Word. Power to perceive the totality of infinite truth and to become a living form of that truth was His by virtue of His infinite soul.

     So it was that the Word became flesh and dwelt among external men. The Lord alone received the Divine Human, the representative Word which others could not see, and made it an actual and living revelation by His life in this world. By His life and teachings the Lord fulfilled the Law. He took that law, that Word, which had been lost into His natural mind and then presented its truths to men by the words and deeds of His life. This was an accommodation of His Human to the comprehension of natural men, an accommodation made that He might once again be worshiped in spirit and in truth.
     The glorification, then, was a process whereby the Lord successively received into the natural assumed by birth of Mary the truth Divine which contained His representative Human, made that truth Divine the Divine truth, and united that truth with His infinite soul. The unity of infinite life with Divine truth was presented to the eyes of men in the person of Jesus Christ. For in Him "dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily."
     Coincidentally with the glorification, or revelation of His Human essence to the minds of men, the Lord conquered the hells. Through the Mary-human the totality of the hells approached Him; from His infinite soul, which was love for the salvation of all men, and by means of His Divine truth acquired from the Word, the Lord rejected the hells, and in so doing imposed upon them an eternal order. For the sake of man's freedom, however, it is permissible for the hells at this day to attack and even possess him, if he is so willing; but if from conscience he rejects evils, and thereby develops a love of shunning them as sins, the Lord will cause the hells to withdraw and return to that order which He Himself imposed upon them while He was yet in the world.

541


The Lord is therefore said to bear our iniquities: not because He suffered death on account of them, but because He ordered the hells, leaving all men in freedom to shun evils as sins in His name and by power derived from Him.

     If we look to no greater depth than the literal sense of Scripture, we, too, might believe that because of Adam's sin the law of the Old Testament condemns every man to damnation, but that Christ by His passion fulfilled the law in our stead, by cleansing us from our sins with the innocent blood of His sacrifice. Yet the truth is that the Lord fulfilled the law by His life, not by His death. He fulfilled the law by taking that law or Divine knowledge which inmostly treated of His Divine Human: by taking it to Himself, infilling it with His Divine love, and then personifying it in the deeds and words of His natural life.
     The New Testament is an account of the Lord's life in this world and must be, therefore, an actual presentation of His Divine Human. Why, then, do we, as New Church men, look to the Writings as the essential revelation of the Divine Human? The answer to this question may be found in considering the state of the early Christians and the Lord's words to them. They were external men, capable only of simple confirmations of truth; and even these confirmations by the natural mind had to be based upon sensual truth. They were as little children in the sincerity and simplicity of their belief. There was no rational consideration of the Lord's Human, only obedience and an affectional worship of His person. As long as He walked among them, instructing them by simple parables and confirming their belief by miracles, their faith remained pure and was sustained. But when He ascended into heaven, and they were left to themselves, their faith began to waver. For the natural mind lives in a world of sensual appearances and when left to itself becomes confused and is misled. Children are in a similar state and well exemplify this truth. As long as they are being instructed, and remain in the sphere of their instructor, they seem to understand much; but remove them from that sphere and they become confused and entangled in their own attempts to reason from appearances.

     So it was with the primitive Christian Church. Before many decades had passed it began to separate faith from the works of the law, to believe in the imputation of Christ's merit, and to think of God as three distinct personalities, which thought destroys any truly human idea of Him. Foreseeing that this would be the case, the Lord said while He was yet in the world: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."

542


There were rational things which they were unable to understand as yet; and they were to wait until the Spirit of truth came, the Spirit of truth which leadeth unto all truth.
     The Writings of the New Church are that Spirit of truth which leadeth unto all truth, for in them all things of revelation, science and human experience lead ever onward to a truer concept of the Lord's Divine Human. It is true that the glorification was completed with the passion of the cross, but men were unable to comprehend the full significance of what had taken place. They saw merely the external of the Lord's Human. Further instruction was needed before that which had been accomplished by the glorification could be brought fully into effect; and before it could be received the human race had to mature through seventeen centuries of scientific development. At the end of this period the Lord made His second coming, revealing the interior qualities of His Divine mind. He came into the world for the last time; came as the Spirit of truth - as that Divine doctrine which opens for all time the Old and New Testaments, revealing in their every detail the unity and Humanity of God-Man, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSONS:      Isaiah 7: 1-16. Luke 1: 26-38. Arcana Coelestia 1414.
MUSIC:      Liturgy, pages 501, 530, 535, 430.
PRAYERS:      Liturgy, nos. 51, 117.
THIS SHALL BE A SIGN UNTO YOU 1965

THIS SHALL BE A SIGN UNTO YOU       Rev. LORENTZ R. SONESON       1965

     A Talk to Children

     You will remember that when the angel Gabriel appeared to the shepherds, announcing the tidings of great joy, he also said: "And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." Later, in the story of the wise men, we read that these men from the east were searching for a sign telling them when and where the Lord would be born. Because they knew what to look for, the "star out of Jacob," they were able to come and worship the Lord and present their gifts to Him.
     You may ask: "Does the Lord still give signs?" The answer is that He does. There are signs around us every day, but we may not be trained to recognize them as yet. Just as a doctor is trained to look for, recognize and understand the signs and symptoms of bodily sickness, so the Lord teaches us what signs to look for in our lives to determine whether they are healthy, like those of the angels, or sick like those of the evil spirits in hell.

543



     There was a time when there was neither sickness nor disease and when there was no evil in the world. That was back in the most ancient times, when the Lord's first church was on the earth. Not only were men free from sickness and evil, but they could see about them very clearly all the signs of the Lord. When they saw a mountain, it was as a sign of the Lord's love ever near them. Everywhere they looked in nature - at the trees, the brooks, the flowers - they saw signs of the Lord.
     Later, men turned more and more toward evil and selfish ways. When this happened, they began to lose their sight of the signs of the Lord all about them. Not only was evil introduced into the world but disease and sickness as well. The knowledge of how to read the signs of the Lord was preserved with a few. Those who understood it could read the Word of the ancient people and thus learn the way to heaven.
     That knowledge was passed on from one generation to another, but the number of those who understood the signs became smaller and smaller. In fact, at the time of the Lord's birth in Bethlehem, none but a few wise men in the east knew what signs to look for as announcing His advent.
     There were some who would come and worship the Lord, if they were only told where He was, although they did not know how to read the signs - the clues given in the Old Testament. Such were the shepherds in the field who were watching their flocks by night. When the angels told them of the Lord's birth, and what sign to look for in Bethlehem, they went there without delay. Although they knew little about the Lord and His teachings they still had humility and a genuine willingness to learn from Him.

     You children are very much like those shepherds who came to worship the newborn Lord as He lay, wrapped in swaddling clothes, in a manger. Because of your age, you have not had for very long the opportunity to study the Lord's Word or to examine the world you live in; but you love the Lord, and you have come to worship Him this very day. However, if you persist in your studies, you will eventually become as the wise men from the east, who were rich in their knowledge of the Word and of the world about them. They knew what signs would reveal the presence of the Lord, and where and how to look for them.
     In the Writings of the New Church the Lord has provided you children with a priceless storehouse of gifts, the knowledge of the signs of the Lord. The heavenly teachings now available to you can lead you to the wisdom of those men of the east.

544


Your eyes can be opened through an understanding of the Word that will allow you to see the Lord's presence all about you; and then you can be led to His presence, bearing your gifts of love to the one God of heaven and earth, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSONS:     Luke 2:1-14. Apocalypse Explained 706: 12.
MUSIC:      Liturgy, pages 532, 528, 515, 534.
PRAYER:     Liturgy, no. C9.
OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY 1965

OUR NEW CHURCH VOCABULARY              1965

     Revelation.     When revelation is from the Divine, it is identical with the Word. In its ultimate form it is defined as a general vessel receptive of spiritual and celestial things, and therefore the medium through which the conjunction of heaven and earth is effected. Enlightenment is when the Word is read and perceived. (See AC 8694, 1775.)
     Scientifics.      Scientifics are the facts of the Word, of nature and of experience, unorganized into ideas. Thus they are merely vessels which are capable of receiving truths or falsities. Without them we can have no ideas, and therefore neither intelligence nor wisdom. (See AC 9394, 9922, 3052.)
     Scortatory.     By this term, which is peculiar to the Writings, is meant the love of adultery when it is such that adultery is not held to be sin, nor to be wrong and against reason, but allowable with reason. This is the opposite of conjugial love, and as that love is the essence of heaven, so is it the essence of hell. (See CL 423.)
     Sensual.     The sensual is the ultimate of the life of man's mind and it adheres to, and coheres with, the five bodily senses. It is the lowest of the three planes which constitute the natural degree of the mind, and is the obscure life animating the senses of the body that perishes when man dies. The man who lives only on this plane, believing only what he can see and touch, is sensual. (See TCR 565; AC 10,236; HD 45; AC 7693.)
     Similitude.     This term occurs in the doctrine of conjugial love. It refers to likenesses of mind, both internal and external, which originate in connate inclinations modified by education, environment and the persuasions that have been imbibed. For those who properly desire conjugial love the Lord provides similitudes, in the life after death if not in this world. The word has sometimes been thought of in the singular, and it has been supposed that a similitude is, in effect, a substitute partner provided for one whose true conjugial partner has failed to regenerate. This idea is based on the belief that conjugial pairs are created "one for one"; but there is no proof that they are so provided, the term is always used in the plural, and this idea of similitudes seems to be a mistaken one. (See CL 227-229.)

545


MESSIANIC PROPHECY AND ITS FULFILLMENT 1965

MESSIANIC PROPHECY AND ITS FULFILLMENT       Rev. WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1965

     (Continued from the November issue.)

     From ancient times it was known that the Lord was to be born on earth, but when and where this was to take place was not revealed. It was not until the days of the later kings of Judah that Micah the prophet spake, saying: "Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel." * It is reasonable to assume that this prophecy created a state of expectation among the people. The inference was that the coming of the Messiah, which had been so long delayed, was now at hand. But in this, as in former instances of open prophecy, Israel was destined to disappointment. Several generations passed; kings succeeded one another; but no one who fulfilled the prescribed qualifications of the Messiah appeared upon the national scene. Then came the armies of Nebuchadnezzar; Jerusalem was laid waste; and the people were taken away captive.
     * Micah 5: 2.
It was a pathetic remnant of a once great nation who returned to the site of Jerusalem after seventy years of foreign captivity. Under the urgings of Haggai and Zechariah they restored the city and rebuilt the temple, but prophecy had lost its emphasis upon the immediacy of the Advent. Then, without apparent cause, the voice of prophecy was stilled altogether. Generations passed, and the Word of the Lord was not heard in the land. With the passing of the years the central theme of prophecy was gradually obscured in the minds of the people, and all that was known of the Lord was contained in ancient scripts which preserved the record of that which had been told to "them of old time."
      It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that in the days of Herod few recalled those signs of the Advent which in earlier days had been common knowledge. Thus it was that when certain wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, and inquired as to where they might find Him who was born King of the Jews, none seemed to know of whom they spake. In evidence of their mission, the wise men spoke of a star which they had seen in the east.

546


The reference was to the prophecy of Balaam, who, in viewing the encampment of Israel in the days of the wilderness, had said: "I shall see Him, but not now: I shall behold Him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel." * But if this prophecy had been forgotten by men, the record was yet intact. So it was that when Herod "heard these things, he was troubled. . . . And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born." They said unto him: "In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel." **
     * Numbers 24: 17.
     ** Matthew 2: 3, 4.
          To all believing Christians, the story of the Lord's birth is a matter of historical record. Yet the question arises, who was this Child who was born so many years ago in the hill country of Judea? Some say He was as other men, howbeit, the best of men. Others say He was the Son of God born in time, that is, a third person in a trinity of Divine persons. But it is the faith of the New Church that apart from the spiritual sense of the Word, the Word in its letter cannot be understood. If, then, we would know this Child, we, too, must go unto Bethlehem, that is, to the spiritual sense of the Word; for it is there, in the city of David, that is, in the doctrine of the Divine Human, that we will find Him who was spoken of by the prophets. Here, and nowhere else, is He to be found: "For thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel." *
     * Matthew 2: 5, 6.
     It is important to note that in this prophecy, Bethlehem is also referred to as Ephratah, the name by which it was known in most ancient times. By Ephratah, therefore, is signified the Word in a former state; that is, the Word as to its letter, from which the spiritual sense is derived. Thus it is that in the Psalms of David we find an earlier and more obscure forecast of the Lord's birth in which it is said: "Lo, we have heard of . . . . [Him] . . . [in] Ephratah, we found . . . [Him] in the fields of the [forest] ." * By the fields of the forest are meant those appearances of truth in which the Word in its letter is written ** and it is from these appearances that man forms his first idea of God.
     * Psalm 132: 6.
     ** AE 700: 9.
     Let us have no illusions, therefore, concerning the use of the letter of the Word. Were it not for the letter, man could not be introduced into the spiritual sense; for it is upon the idea of God as Divine Man that the faith of the New Church rests. This is the primary teaching of the Old Testament and of the New Testament; and unless a man believes this, how can he accept the testimony of the Writings concerning themselves?

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As the Lord said to the Jews: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets . . . but to fulfil." * If the Writings break with the letter, it is not with its essential content but with those appearances of the letter in which the Divine doctrine is obscured. It is, therefore, in order that man may enter with perception and understanding into those things which are contained in the letter that the Writings are given; and the central theme of the letter is the prophecy of the Lord's birth and His life in the world.
     * Matthew 5: 17.
     It is He, therefore, of whom we have heard in Ephratah; and in the recollection of these things we experience the delight of former states. Thus it is that when we reflect upon the Christmas story there is a renewal of those affections which we knew as children, when we heard with awe and wonder the story of the Lord's birth among men. It is these affections of former days that the Writings call "remains." They are so called because they remain with man as long as there is any remnant of innocence in him; that is, any desire whatsoever to be led by the Lord. Never underestimate the influence of first states of instruction upon the mind for while much of what is learned is obscured in the memory, the delight that is inspired may yet be recalled to service.

     It is these primitive affections of childhood that are represented in the scriptural story by those who received the Lord at His birth. Were it not for them there would be none to receive the Divine doctrine at its coming; for at the time of His coming, Herod is king in Jerusalem, and Caesar Augustus is emperor of Rome. By Herod is represented the love of self, which exercises dominion over man's natural affections; and by Rome is represented the natural-rational, which exalts human reason. Thus it is that when confronted with the claim to the authority of Divine truth, the natural-rational, like Pilate, takes refuge in skepticism, saying, "What is truth?" To such states of mind the Divine doctrine cannot be revealed, for in such states man does not will to believe. It is, then, only to those who will to believe in His Word that the Writings are addressed.
     Yet faith in the Writings is not the faith of childhood. If it were, there would be no need for the Writings. It is because the faith of childhood is not sufficient to the more advanced states of adult life that the Lord has come again as the Divine doctrine. It is, therefore, not as children that we experience the joy of the Lord's advent, but as those who are permitted to perceive what these things interiorly present; for it is here, in Bethlehem of Judea, that is, in the spiritual sense of the Word, that He to whom all prophecy attests is to be found.

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We see Him, therefore, not as we knew Him in first states, but as He is now revealed; that is, as Divine Man made visible to the sight of the understanding in the Divine doctrine.
The meaning of the prophecy, therefore, is clear. If we would know the Lord we must go unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass that the Lord hath made known unto us. If we will do this, we will come to see that all revelation from the beginning testifies to the Divinity of this Child. That this is so is evident from the treatment of the letter of the Word in the Arcana Coelestia. Verse by verse, and chapter by chapter, we follow the sacred text through the formative states of the Human, and through those alternate states of temptation and glorification which marked His progression toward union with the Divine. Thus the Divine doctrine, which formerly dwelt in Ephratah among the obscure appearances of the prophetic Word, is now to be found in Bethlehem; that is, in the plain teachings of the Writings concerning Him. That is why it is said that Bethlehem represents the Word in a new state.
     But although at this day the ancient prophecy has been fulfilled, it seems that there are few to receive Him. In this, the Second Advent does not differ from the first. As the prophet Isaiah said: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" * The answer is, to none save a few. Men say, If this be the truth, would we not know it? But like many in Israel who were indifferent to those things which were told abroad by the shepherds, the modern mind does not credit the possibility of an authoritative statement of truth. It is not that men no longer believe in God, but that they have lost faith in Divine revelation. Yet in this day, as in that, there is a remnant who have not forgotten the Word of the prophets, and perceive that the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, even as the Divine Child, were conceived of God, and not by man. In the final analysis, this is the test of truth, and when applied to the Writings it inspires faith.
     * Isaiah 53: 1.

     At this time of the year, therefore, when we celebrate the birth of our Lord upon earth, let us not forget that those things which were seen by the shepherds were not only a fulfillment, but also constituted a renewal of the ancient prophecy; for as stated in the book of Revelation, "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." * That this is so is evident from the fact that the Lord Himself said that He would come again; but nowhere does it say that He would come again in person, but that He would come as the Spirit of truth, that is, as the spiritual sense of the Word. If men would read the New Testament with this in mind, if they would regard what is said there not merely as an historical record of past events but as a forecast of things to come, the Lord's life on earth, His birth, His death, His resurrection would take on new meaning, and, as it is said in the preface to the work Heaven and Hell, ignorance would be enlightened and unbelief dissipated. **
     * Revelation 19: 10.
     ** HH 1.

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     Consider, for the moment, the evidence in this regard. Did He not say 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"? * Also: "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." ** And again: "When the Comforter is come even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me." *** Who is it, then, whom the world cannot receive because it seeth Him not? Is it not He of whom the Lord spake; that is, He who at this day testifies to the Divinity, to the holiness, and to the unity of the Word? And is this not He of whom the prophets spake; that is, the Lord in His Divine Human?
     * John 16: 1.
     ** John 14: 16, 17.
     *** John 15: 26.

     But like the Jews who did not receive the Lord because He did not conform to their preconceived concept of the Messiah, neither has the Christian world accepted the Writings. Because they do not conform to men's preconceived concept of truth they have rejected them. But the truth of the Writings is not dependent upon men's acknowledgment of them. As the Lord said to the Jews: "I receive not testimony from man." * In this, as in all things, the truth speaks for itself. As it is stated in the Writings: "It is the Divine which bears witness concerning the Divine, and not man, from himself." ** We do not accept the Writings, therefore, on the basis of Swedenborg's claim to a Divine revelation but upon the internal evidence that the Writings are what they claim to be; that is, the fulfillment of the prophetical Word.
     * John 5: 34.
     ** AE 635: 2.
     By the prophetical Word, we here mean all the Word of the Old and the New Testaments. There is nothing said in the letter of either Testament that is not prophetic of the Lord who was to come; that is, of the Lord as He is now revealed in His own Divine Human. It is true that when the Lord came into the world men saw Him as a person; but to know the Lord is not to know Him merely as a person. It is to see and acknowledge the good and truth which are from Him; for to see what is good and true is to see what in essence is human. Hence we read in the Writings: "Who does not know that a man is not a man because of his having a human face and a human body, but because of . . . his understanding and the goodness of his will." *

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This also is what is meant by the statement in the same number: "To love the neighbor, viewed in itself, is not to love the person, but the good that is in the person." **
     * TCR 417.
     ** Ibid.
     As it is with man, so it is with the Lord, who is Divine Man. If we would know Him we must know Him not only as He who came into the world in His own Divine person, but we must see and acknowledge that He is good and truth itself, and that all good with angels and men is from Him. 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; and it is in His Word, and not apart from it, that the Lord may be known among men. Thus the Writings teach that the Word is the medium of conjunction between God and man. Yet how many at this day believe this? For the most part, men think of the Word as the testimony of the religious experience of the prophets and the evangelists. And while many believe that the prophets and the evangelists were somehow inspired, they do not understand the nature of their inspiration; neither are they prepared to believe that within the appearances of the letter of the Word there is a spiritual sense which constitutes an authoritative statement of truth.

     To see God, therefore, is to see truth; that is, to see Him as the truth of the Word. Hence it is said in John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." * But whereas, prior to His coming, the Word was revealed through the instrumentality of the human of an angel who appeared to the prophets, and whereas at His coming the Word was revealed through the human that the Lord assumed from the mother, in His second coming the Lord is revealed in His own Divine Human; that is, as the Divine doctrine which, in the words of the Writings, "is from Him and is Himself." **
     * John 1: 1.
     ** TCR 776.
     By the Divine Human, therefore, is not meant that body of flesh and blood which the Lord put on by birth into the world, but that body of Divine doctrine in which He is revealed at this day. We do not see Him, therefore, as the disciples saw Him; that is, as one who is revealed to the sight of the senses, but as one who is revealed to the sight of the understanding, that is, the good which is implicit in the truth of the Word. For God alone is good, and he who perceives what is good from the affection of truth sees God. But before God may be seen we must first form some idea of Him. That is why the Word has been given, for apart from the Word, man cannot form any idea of God; that is, any idea in which truth may take form.

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Thus the Writings insist that "no one can think of the Divine itself unless he first presents to himself the idea of a Divine Man"; * for to think of God apart from the idea of a Divine Man is to think indeterminately; and as the Writings state, "an indeterminate idea is no idea." **
     * AC 8705.
     ** Ibid.
     Despite the apparent discrepancies that exist in the Scriptures, there is one teaching that is consistent throughout. This is that God is Divine Man. In the Old Testament, in the New Testament, and in the Writings there can be no question concerning this. But whereas in the Old Testament the thought is determined to the idea of God in human figure, and in the New Testament to the idea of God as a person, in the Writings the thought of the mind is elevated to the concept of a God who in essence is good and truth. Thus the subject of the Writings is the essential Human, or that which in essence is Human in the Lord. Hence we are told that we are not to think of the Lord from His person, and from this of His essence; but from His essence, and from this of His person." * In other words, if we would understand who it was who was born into the world, we must not think of Him from the appearances in which the New Testament is written; but we must think of Him as He is revealed in the Writings, and then the appearances of the New Testament will be understood. For He was not man as we are man neither was He a third Divine person in a trinity of persons, but He was, as the Writings teach, the one God of heaven and earth.
     * AR 611: 7.

     What, then, shall we say of this Child who was born so many years ago in Bethlehem of Judea? Is it not He who has come again in the spiritual sense of the Word? Yet, like the Christ Child, the Divinity of the Writings is not at first perceptible. As we read in John: "He was in the world . . . and the world knew Him not." * Think of the multitudes who saw Him as a man in the world; but how many perceived that, as foretold by the psalmist, He was the begotten of God? ** In this, as already noted, the Second Advent does not differ from the first. Because He has not come as expected, that is, as a person, men say this is not He of whom Christ spake. But as Nicodemus said to the Lord: "Can a man . . . . enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born [again] ?" *** The answer is, he cannot. In other words, the Lord cannot come again as a man in the flesh; and if He did, who would believe it and what purpose would be served? But He can and has come as the Divine doctrine, that is, as the spiritual sense of the Word.

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Hence the teaching of the Writings that "the Second Coming of the Lord is not in person, but in the Word, which is from Him, and is Himself"; **** and also the teaching that "the 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 by means of the Word." *****
     * John 1: 10.
     ** Psalm 2: 7.
     *** John 3: 4.
     **** TCR 776.
     ***** TCR 779.
     "Who," then, " hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" It is revealed to those who in their hearts believe that there is a God, that He is one both as to essence and person; and who believe that the Scriptures contain within themselves a spiritual sense which, although not at first apparent, is nevertheless implicit in the Divine text. To such, that high and holy event which took place in the days of Herod the king is seen, not only as a fulfillment of the ancient prophecy, but also as a renewal of the inner meaning of prophecy, which at this day has found its ultimate fulfillment in Him who has come as the Spirit of truth.
APPEARANCES 1965

APPEARANCES       GEOFFREY P. DAWSON       1965

     (Continued from the November issue)

     "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." * Thus the beginning of the Gospel of John. Regarded materially, in the letter, it does not convey any rational sense; but if it is known that it is not to be understood according to the letter but according to representatives, it can be seen to convey ideas of truth concerning the Lord, Creator and Redeemer; concerning the states of men, what they are from themselves and what they are from the Lord; and even a general philosophy of creation itself. Whether the ideas stimulated have any reference to truth is again another matter to be considered later. Just now we stipulated that truth is of the spirit, and by spirit we mean that principle which does not appear as it is in itself, otherwise it would cease to be spirit and become natural.

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Truth is the form according to which natural things are assembled in the understanding, and its quality is derived from its soul, which lives in the purposes of its function. Consider that we are asked not merely to observe the letter of the law but to regard especially its spirit. That is what we expect of a good judge, who is deemed such because he seeks always to apply the law according to the needs of equity, mercy, peace and order. These are the spirit of the law, which is not for its own sake but for the welfare and happiness of men; wherefore the judge is called good because welfare and happiness are good with men.
     * John 1:1-4.
     "Taste and see that the Lord is good." * Again, this means nothing whatsoever unless the representation is understood. Literally it makes no sense, but interiorly it has nothing to do with natural taste or sight, for it signifies that if man appropriates what is from the Lord, he will comprehend that the Lord is indeed good itself. In the church we have doctrine, given in various ways, which informs us that the Lord alone is good as to His substance and truth as to His form. Doctrine can appear more or less elaborate and learned, and men may sometimes juggle with its terms; but the terms are relatively meaningless unless they are attached to some sensitive image. No man ever worshiped Divine good or Divine truth as intellectual terms unless, in some perverse conceit, he admired the products of his own intelligence, for such are the terms of his philosophy. The Lord is not terms! He is Being, the only Being, the God who is to be worshiped as Divine Man whose life is Divine love and its form Divine wisdom. It is with the living conception of a superlative human being that an idea of the quality and function of God is made visible to finite comprehension, in order that those who are created in His image and likeness might be conjoined with Him in freedom, from affection and according to rationality. **
     * Psalm 34: 8.
     ** TCR 621. 787.

     Doctrine teaches us that the first principles of a man's thought are according to his idea of God. It does not matter whether this idea is expressed in words or pictures, is contained in tacit speculation, or even bursts out against all specifications of deity proposed before it. Central to the organ of reception and response there is some kind of image from which, in every direction, flow the threads of intelligence and the currents of volition. The atheists have jibed that man creates God in his image and likeness, and to some extent that is true. On the other hand, it is equally true to observe that man creates the universe in relation to himself. It is useless to try to prove that God is and that He is Divine Man, for the ability to be convinced of this depends upon the principle from which the universe of appearance is viewed. If men choose, they can find ample reason to believe that God is a Man, and ample reason to deny that

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He is at all. In either case, the result depends upon what they are pleased to see in appearances. When we look out into the theater of natural creation and ask ourselves how, why and what it is, we can expect to find an answer only in relation to the ideas of how, why and what we think we are ourselves; and what we think we ourselves are stems from what we think God is, or is not. *
     * DLW 13, 33, 69-72.
     But is it not the same sun which shines upon the just and the unjust? Indeed it is. Do not all men in the world see material objects by means of what we call the light of that sun, whether they believe in God or not? Indeed they do. Is not that sun a great blaze of fire? So it is: and if generals and politicians have a mind, if the mathematics are adequate, and if the appropriate kinds of earth are arranged in a suitable manner, we are informed that samples of the same kind of fire can be made to burn here on the earth. Inevitably we return again to ask ourselves what it is that we all see as fire, which some of us call a creation of God and others an accident of released energy - whatever that may be. Regardless of what men may have thought they understood it to be in any age, what, in fact, is it that stimulates and maintains the appearance which has given men natural heat and light from the beginning? - to promote life and destroy it in the world with the same fiery indifference.
     Perhaps it is in this entire lack of discrimination that the characteristics of nature become apparent. In nature light is not light, heat is not heat. Objects of matter may be affected by what we call light and heat, but in nature itself these things do not exist. Likewise in all other things which we sense with our bodies and reflect on with our minds: the hard, the soft, sweet and sour, nearness and farness, space, time and motion - these things belong to our perceptions, not to nature. If it is desired, we can describe the universe as constellations of particles of greater or lesser scale; but the moment we look into nature to find its actual entity we peer over the brim of a seething cauldron, full of anomalies, wherein it cannot be told where motion begins or ends, which clocks tell the correct time, what is solid and what is void, without distinction between large and small and with no sensible direction. Frustrating? Perhaps it is. Yet such is the inclination of human psychology that it cannot bear the thought of a condition which does not have a comprehensible system. The awareness of incongruity may be illustrated when we are asked to study the "laws of disorder" if we wish to study the subject of thermodynamics. All we know of nature is in relation to our own apparent scale of values and dimensions. In other respects it is a closed book and seems likely to remain so. *

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     * DLW 89-92.

     Doctrine teaches us that the natural sun is pure fire, that it is dead that time and space came into being with the creation of the earth, its revolutions round and about the sun causing the appearance of alternating day and night and the passing of the seasons. As first born, man knows nothing about the sun, the earth, space and time. Through the senses he is inundated with impressions having neither order nor sequence, a tangled skein of stimuli. Only by constant repetition do these become distinct and resolved, like particles under magnetic influence falling into an organized form, gradually assuming the recognizable personality of a man. Reflect upon what it is that assembles material things into the order of an infant's body in the mother's womb. The materials do not know from themselves where to go; likewise neither do the sense impressions received in the mind. But the organized pattern of growth is commonly human, in which things of bodily sense are allotted to generally similar places and intellectual uses with all of us. The fact that we can communicate with one another at all is because the external significance of the things of sense is common to us. Most of us can see what we call natural light, and feel what we call natural heat; and we can use these and other appearances of sense for common uses, either individually or collectively. Yet, as we know, the pot is never greater than the potter. It has nothing save the form which the potter's mind imposed upon the clay. We can comprehend that the human pattern of things of sense is derived from the Creator, and doctrine confirms that God is Divine Man. *
     * Psalm 139.

     The analogy of potter and pot is not altogether satisfactory. The pot is not given responsive life; it lies inert and dead as it has been shaped. Pots are not rational creatures. Nor are potters Divine. They do not make the clay of which their pots are fashioned. Doctrine teaches that the Divine is in all time apart from time and in all space apart from space, but not the least part of the things of time and space partakes of the Lord's Divinity. Yet He made them all from Himself and sustains them continually in their existence. To think materially about such teachings as these is to find them untenable. Nor is it possible to rationalize them by thinking that we can have the concrete material on one side while we have the Divine and spiritual on the other. The Lord declares that He is the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last; unchanging; the All in all of heaven, the Maker and Redeemer of the world. There cannot be two systems of reality; there can be only one, the soul of which we call good, and the form, truth. We must attempt to comprehend how what is finite can be produced from what is infinite and appear to have life in itself, when that appearance is contrary to the reality.

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Might not the mode be contained in the Lord's names, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, as if the finite could be represented as the spark which is made to blaze between the juxtaposition of two poles; on the one hand, the proximity of infinite power, and on the other, its complete abstraction? Who but the Lord can give power, life and being? Who but the Lord can take these things away? What could be finite but that which is set forth from the Infinite in such a way that the Infinite does not enter into its finition? It is not difficult to conceive of the entire finite universe, from the spiritual sun in its most interior principles to the most inert of external forms, contained, as it were, between the hands of the Creator, vibrant from the Lord's infinite love and poised precisely at the dictate of His infinite wisdom. *
     * AE 42.
     It is unwise to regard appearances of any kind as if they themselves had the properties of reality. Reality in any appearance is a function of its use. The origin of appearances is dictated by use; but nothing finite can be formed unless there is first a complete vastation of everything pertaining to the Divine in the subject. Otherwise the finite could not appear. However, not every finition actually appears. We are taught that there are discrete degrees of finition, and that the more interior cannot exist unless those most external are provided to form, as it were, a foundation or container which will hold them together. The most ultimate finitions are appearances so formed that they seem to be both subordinate to our will and yet beyond our command. We are born into bodies which obey our inclinations in a general way, but which mature, decay and die regardless of our wishes. The most important part of these ultimates is not our analysis of their constituents - though from various concepts of these things we are able to enter into a multitude of external uses - but that they are the condition in which we can enter most rationally, freely and powerfully into the acquisition of a life which the Lord wills shall be, most particularly, our own. The very abstraction of His quality from the fabric of appearances, and yet His intimate proximity to them, provide and make this possible.

     Finite life is not possible, but response to influx is. Finite human life is founded in the reactive condition of the ultimate. Reaction is significant of nothing at all unless it applies opposition, as it were, to force. All finite motion or stability inescapably involves the play of forces which are in opposition to ultimates.

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Quite apart from material oppositions, which we can see figured around us in the physical world, we are taught that the life in the body provides the ground for the struggle in which the soul acquires the life of its own free election. We call this the life of good and truth on the one side, and of evil and falsity on the other: whether the man will follow the life of reciprocal love to the Lord and the neighbor, or devote himself to the illusions of the loves of self and the world which arise directly from the life of the natural body. If life is acquired in accordance with good and truth, the appearances of the ultimate are reduced to a concordant harmony, and interior things are successively unfolded. If life is developed in the evils and falsities of the proprium, the ultimate closes itself, hardens, and resists with increasing stiffening, until nothing of appearances according to the delights of interior principles can be enjoyed. Thus every man is given, as it were, a life of his own.*
     * DLW 248-255.
Appearances do not cease with the death of the body. Every spirit retains a natural, not of time and space, but of state, which is sensed in the appearances of time and space in which his states can be made manifest to finite perception. These appearances are not provided to form the basis of a free choice of life, but are organized to make sensible the life that has been chosen. Those who carry with them a natural that complies with the dictates of influx dwell in concordant appearances of peace and tranquillity in which they enjoy the delights of heaven from the Lord. Those who are encased in a natural which is closed above cannot dwell in such appearances or sense such delights. Instead the life which they receive from the Lord is changed into opposite things - appearances of restless violence against everything which does not serve their lusts. *
     * DLW 260.

     What, then, remains of the ultimates which we call the appearances of the natural world? In themselves they are not goods and truths, for in them everything of the Divine is as it were absent, and only by compulsion are they assembled into forms of reactive use. What we see of truth and feel of good is not from these appearances at all, but arises only because these things are governed in a manner which can represent truth and good before our minds. But with us, these external appearances are falsities and evils, even when arranged to convey ideas of truth and good; for they are things which imperfect men can touch with imperfect hands and think upon with imperfect minds - all instruments of the illusion of self-life. Unregenerate men can engage these things and never enter into the life of good and truth itself, thus without profanation. The life of good and truth is not acquired simply by obtaining knowledges of representations, otherwise none of the churches in human history would have declined. Representations of good and truth are utilities also.

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The quality of a representation depends upon the order of its use. As the foundation for repentance and reformation, the representation is a means by which something of the good of life is acquired interiorly, even though the representation itself be crudely at variance with the purity of truth and contrary to the universal good of life. The good are saved out of all religions. As supports for the glory and emoluments of self-life, the representatives are but serpents and carry venom in their teeth, be they most accurate and subtle as regards interior things. *
     * DP 220. Cf. Genesis 49: 16-18; AC 6395-6401.
     There is also another consideration that may be worth mentioning. It has been emphasized that our appreciation of appearances is from the pattern of the human imprinted upon us by the Creator. Our experience of the material universe is according to this as it is implemented in our kind of world, placed, as it is, in a specific relationship to the sun and other heavenly bodies. Sensual and material deductions tend to inform us that few if any other planets would be hospitable to a physical organization such as ours. Doctrine tells us that the men of this earth are the most externally constituted of all, and the only communication with the inhabitants of other earths has been through the common language and values of the spiritual world; from which we can know that there are some striking differences between ourselves and the men from other earths, even regarded spiritually. Are we to expect that the human principle can find a basis only in a physical body constituted of the same material fabric as our own? Suppose that men from this earth may one day leap across the apparent spaces that separate them from other earths. Must we expect that on arrival they will find anything of a material constitution with which they can communicate? It is only in the spirit that the essential principles of the human reside. Externally the fabric of appearances may be as impossible of having communication with as is the diversity of the material condition. Many things which we cannot feel or see flow from the sun, and perhaps there are others which we could never detect with senses such as ours. But our senses are limited to uses in the conditions in which they were designed to function. We cannot insist that other arrangements for human sensibility are impossible.
CORRECTION 1965

CORRECTION       Editor       1965

     Under "Kitchener" in Local Schools Directory, November page 530, for Miss Laura Kuhl read Miss Laura Gladish.

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ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING AND SWEDENBORG 1965

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING AND SWEDENBORG       ROBERT W. GLADISH       1965

     (Continued from the November Issue)

     It was, then, in her early years in Italy, after 1846, that Mrs. Browning apparently came to know Swedenborg as more than a name. Her biographers, however, differ as to who it was that first introduced her to Swedenborg and when that was. Gardner Taplin states that her interest began at the same time as her interest in mesmerism - 1843 - * while Dorothy Hewlett claims that it was Browning's friend, Fanny Haworth, who introduced her to Swedenborg in 1851 when the Brownings were in England for a visit; ** and Katherine H. Porter in her study of Spiritualism in the Browning Circle claims that Charles Augustus Tulk, a wealthy English Swedenborgian, introduced the subject to Mrs. Browning in 1848. ***
     * Gardner B. Taplin, The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1957), p. 99.
     ** Dorothy Hewlett, Elizabeth Barrett Browning (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1952), p. 279.
     *** Katherine H. Porter, Through a Glass Darkly: Spiritualism in the Browning Circle (Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas Press, 1958), p. 37.

     Undoubtedly, she must have been acquainted with Swedenborg's name before her flight to Italy, but she makes it clear in a letter written in 1854 that her knowledge of his works had been extremely slight before that date. * Thus it seems futile to search for one figure who introduced her to Swedenborg. Certainly Tulk did visit the Brownings at Casa Guidi in 1848 and did discuss "Swedenborg's reveries on `Conjugal Love,'** and Mrs. Browning did write to Fanny Haworth in 1851, telling her of reading Swedenborg while she was in London and of being deeply absorbed in what she read. However, this is hardly proof that either of these people introduced her to Swedenborg. It is just as reasonable to assume that the American sculptor, Hiram Powers, had as much to do with her interest as either Tulk or Fanny Haworth.
     * Kenyon, II, 176.
     ** Edward C. McAleer, Dearest Isa (Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1951), p. 202, n. 2.
     
     The name of Hiram Powers stirs scant interest or recognition today, but in the mid-nineteenth century he was recognized as, "without exception, the most famous American artist at home and abroad." *

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Powers had become interested in Swedenborg while he was a young man living in Cincinnati. His brother, Benjamin, became "a distinguished member of Adam Hurdus' flock" in Cincinnati, ** but Hiram did not officially join the church until 1850, when the Reverend Thomas Worcester of Boston baptized him in Florence. *** Since Powers never seemed to be at all reticent about discussing his beliefs, and since the Brownings had known him since 1847, it does not seem at all unlikely that he had a good deal to do with whatever interest Mrs. Browning showed in Swedenborg before her intensive studies of the Writings in 1852-53. After this date it is evident that she found Powers' interests in Swedenborg and in Spiritualism congenial with her own.
     * Albert Ten Eyck Gardner, Yankee Stonecutters (New York: Columbia University Press, 1945), p. 27.
     ** Ophia D. Smith, "Adam Hurdus and the Swedenborgians in Early Cincinnati," The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly, LIII, 1944, p. 128.
     *** The New Jerusalem Messenger, XXV (Wednesday, August 6, 1873), 67. Powers died before executing a commissioned bust of Swedenborg, but his son, Preston, completed it for $5OO. It was shown at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. Perhaps some reader can tell me if the bust of Swedenborg that now faces the Outer Drive in Chicago is this one?

     After the Brownings returned to Florence in the late fall of 1852, Mrs. Browning's letters became increasingly filled with references to spirits. She wrote her sister, Henrietta, of meeting Robert Lytton (Owen Meredith), the son of Bulwer-Lytton, the novelist, and she described Lytton as a "great supernaturalist." She then went on to tell her sister that Hiram Powers had made up his mind about "the truth of the American rapping spirits." * As for Swedenborg, she was later to tell an old correspondent that this winter of 1852-53 had been spent in "meditation on Swedenborg's philosophy," ** and an English stranger, who was paying his respects to the Brownings in Florence, wrote home describing his visits, during which, he said, Mrs. Browning spoke with animation of her interest in Swedenborgianism and Spiritualism. *** "Profane or not," she wrote in March to Isa Blagden, a good friend of the Brownings in Florence, "I am resolved on getting as near to a solution of the spirit question as I can, and I don't believe in the least risk of profanity, seeing that whatever is, must be permitted; and that the contemplation of whatever is, must be permitted also, where the intentions are pure and reverent." ****

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As far as the spirits were concerned, she told Miss Blagden, she was more interested in the bare fact that communication was possible than she was in what was transmitted, much of which, she admitted, was "abundantly foolish." Since the spirits were probably a "mixture of good spirits and bad, foolish and wise," she saw no reason to be dismayed by the type of communications that seemed to come. But, she told Miss Blagden, it was patently foolish to entertain notions of getting at a system of theology from the spirits.
     * Leonard Huxley (ed.), Elizabeth Barrett Browning: Letters to her Sister, 1846-1859 (London: John Murray, 1929), p. 173.
     ** Kenyon, II, 141.
     *** Leonard Huxley, "A Visitor to the Brownings," Yale Review, n.s. XIII (January, 1924), 234 & 241.
     **** Kenyon II, 104.

     Mrs. Browning's interest in Spiritualism was certainly whetted by the fact that Florence was stirred up about the subject of "rapping spirits." Pushed by the interest of the Americans residing in the city, the whole Anglo-American colony was soon completely taken up with seances and sessions at which people sat in a darkened room around a table waiting for the knocks to begin. ". . . [N]owhere in the world," Jean Burton writes, "did the rapping spirits produce louder echoes than in the Anglo-American colony of Florence. . . ." * Powers lent Robert Lytton copies of Swedenborg's works, but Lytton, whose attention was devoted to table-rapping s?ances, found Swedenborg a good deal less absorbing than the tables.
     * Burton, P. 64.

     As for Robert Browning, he insisted upon evidence that would convince him absolutely. Since this was never forthcoming, he maintained a steady skepticism about the validity of all of the "manifestations." A lot of his skepticism seems to have found an outlet in a kind of good-natured teasing. He probably felt that there was something preposterous in these sessions around a table at which adults suddenly seemed to lose all discrimination between what represented a fair test of the phenomena and what was virtually a predisposition to believe anything that occurred in these situations. With his acute perception of the wayward turnings of the human mind, perhaps Browning was able to comprehend something that eluded his wife and many others. One of the strongest arguments for the validity of the "manifestations," Mrs. Browning felt, was the fact that they had been witnessed by so many people, a good percentage of whom were of unquestioned integrity. For Browning, this was no argument at all, since the matter was not one in which integrity made much difference as long as people were inclined to be credulous and to believe that a moving table or some raps upon it was evidence of all of the claims of the spiritualists concerning communications.
     In August, 1853, the Brownings moved to Lucca to escape the summer heat in Florence, and there Mrs. Browning continued her reading of the Writings and her involvement with the spiritualistic phenomena.

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She was extremely disappointed that she was unable to receive any sort of communication herself, she told her sister Henrietta, and added that Browning wished for that sort of evidence himself. "He always says that that is one of the things which provoke him to incredulity in the business," she wrote, but she was convinced that this failure on both their parts to receive any spirit communication was probably owing to the "differences in the degree of receptiveness in the physical organizations of men and women." * As for those who did claim to receive messages from spirits and then offered communications that were frivolous or stupid, she felt that what was received depended completely upon the sender and the receiver. Just as there was a variety of spirits, so was there a variety of humans who received the messages. It was foolish to expect something profound from those with no profundity to their souls. Our communications are chiefly "trivial," she told Fanny Haworth, because we are trivial and fail to . . . bring serious souls and concentrated attentions and holy aspirations to the spirits who are waiting for these things. Spirit comes to spirit by affinity, says Swedenborg; but our cousinship is not with the high and noble." **
     * Huxley, E. B. B.: Letters to her Sister, p. 194.
     ** Kenyon, II, 137.
     Whenever one of her friends showed evidence of becoming interested in her pet subjects, Mrs. Browning reacted exuberantly. She was overjoyed to learn that Isa Blagden was reading Swedenborg, telling her that, with their mutual delight in Balzac, this gave them another interest in common. She then went on to indicate the extent of her reading and reception of Swedenborg:

     I have not read the 'Arcana' and some other of his works, and, of what I have read, the Heaven and Hell struck me most. He is wonderful, it seems to me - his scheme of the natural and spiritual worlds and natures appears to me, in an internal light of its own, divine and true. . . I receive it as a self-evident verity of which one wonders 'Why did not I think of that before?' If he was not taught it, if we are to consider him a common man and no seer, then I maintain that all makers of systems and dreamers of ideal philosophies, from Plato to Fourier, he stands first . . . . a man of genius beyond all their genius. I say this with regard to his general system. . . I can't receive everything . . . and there are points in his theology which don't in my mind, harmonize with the scriptures . . . but really I hold him in such respect, that even where I can't receive or understand, I would speak very humbly of differences. I mean to read him more fully than I have yet done. In the meanwhile he is the only thinker who throws any light on the so-called manifestations which are increasing on all sides of us. *
     * Edward C. McAleer, "New Letters from Mrs. Browning to Isa Blagden," PMLA, LXVI (September, 1951), 596. The rather unusual marks of punctuation are typical of Mrs. Browning's letters.

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     Just what this light was that Swedenborg threw on the "manifestations" was explained by Mrs. Browning in a letter to a Dr. Westland Marston in December, 1853. She told the doctor that Swedenborg's philosophy "explains much that is incomprehensible under other systems, - as to the apparent ignorance and infidelity, for instance; the frivolity and stupidity of many spirits (so called); the perplexing quantity of personation; and the undeniable mixture of the pure and heavenly with these." *
     * Louise C. Moulton, "A Hitherto Unpublished Letter from Elizabeth Barrett Browning," The Arena, VI (August, 1892), 298.
     And in another letter to Isa Blagden that fall, Mrs. Browning wrote:

     I shall get at Swedenborg in Rome, and get on with my reading. There are deep truths in him, I cannot doubt, though I can't receive everything, which may be my fault. I would fain speak with a wise humility. We will talk on these things and the spirits. How that last subject attracts me! It strikes me that we are on the verge of great developments of the spiritual nature, and that in a philosophical point of view (apart from ulterior ends) the facts are worthy of all admiration and meditation. If a spiritual influx, it is mixed - good and evil together. The fact of there being a mixture of evil justifies Swedenborg's philosophy (does it not) without concluding against the movement generally. *
     * Kenyon, II, 145-46.

     It was during their stay in Rome that winter that Mrs. Browning became acquainted with the American artist, William Page, whose interests in Swedenborg and Spiritualism gave him an immediate appeal to her. He had come to Florence in 1850, but apparently did not meet the Brownings until this winter of 1853-54. Mrs. Browning had heard of his reputation, however, and she referred to him as the "American Titian," a title that was quite generally applied to him by his friends for his admiration of Titian and for his skill at introducing certain of the master's effects into his own portraits. It is difficult to reconcile the extravagant praise that the Brownings and others among his contemporaries showered upon Page with the almost total neglect that befell him even before his death. Some of this is owing to changes in taste. Joshua C. Taylor has pointed out in his recent detailed study of the painter that Page's paintings "reflect that quality of the last century which is most difficult for us to understand, a quality which was known at the time as high seriousness, but which we are likely to consider a studied dulness." * But Taylor also makes it clear that Page's talents were large, and though he victimized himself by his unending experimentation and innovation, his ideas were and are valuable, and his reputation is undeservedly meager.

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     * Joshua C. Taylor, William Page: The American Titian (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957), p. v.
     While he was in Florence, Page had met Powers, and the two had become fast friends. Powers' interest in Swedenborg quickly rubbed off on Page, and Page became an enthusiastic Swedenborgian for the rest of his life. In addition, he was a lover of poetry, a magnificent reciter of verse, and, like almost all the other Americans the Brownings knew, was keenly interested in Spiritualism. By early January, Mrs. Browning was calling Page an "immense favorite" of her and her husband. She loudly proclaimed his genius to her correspondents, and Browning echoed that praise by writing John Forster in London that he had never seen such brilliant contemporary art as Page displayed. *
     * W. C. De Vane and H. L. Knickerbocker (ed.), New Letters of Robert Browning (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1950), p. 75.
     Page then completed his conquest of the hearts of the Brownings by painting a portrait of Browning and presenting it to his wife as a gift. * Mrs. Browning, in thanks, wrote Page, telling him: "I always must fail in any adequate expression of my grateful feeling to you for your princely gift. You have done most for me next to God, who gave me my husband." **
     * The painting, now owned by Baylor University, unfortunately darkened and became virtually spoiled, a consequence of Page's mistaken theory that the passage of time did not tone paintings and that Titian's paintings had been done as we now see them.
     ** Cited in Taylor, p. 136.
     Page's influence is shown further by his arousing the Brownings' interest in his theory of proportion in painting. * Page had apparently found the doctrine of correspondences to be most valuable in helping him find a firm relationship between the ideal concept of a painting and the natural object to be painted, and this carried over into his ideas upon proportion. Browning told Page's wife that he had put Page into his poem "Cleon," apparently a reference to the lines in which Cleon writes to Protus: "I know the true proportions of a man/And woman also, not observed before. . . ." And it is quite possible that Mrs. Browning was using Page's term when she made her poetic heroine, Aurora Leigh, praise poets as those who could discover man's "veritable stature," who knew ". . the measure of a man,/And that's the measure of an angel, says/The apostle." **
     * This theory was explained by Page in an article called "The Measure of a Man," which appeared in Scribner's Monthly, XVII (April, 1879), 894-98. See also Taylor, pp. 129-30. Page's attempts to use the teachings of the Writings as a basis for his theories deserve closer study than I can supply here. I would recommend a study of Prof. Taylor's book for those interested in the matter. He provides an intelligent and sympathetic approach, I think. Taylor notes that Page would "utter scarcely another word on art not colored by the thought, or at least the vocabulary of Swedenborg." (p. 113.) After Page returned to the United States, he set up a studio in Eagleswood, N. J., and when George Inness moved into a nearby studio he became converted by Page. At Page's funeral in 1885, the Reverend Samuel S. Seward officiated.
     ** Aurora Leigh, Book I, 11. 867-69.

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     It was in 1853, too, that Mrs. Browning's name was linked with Swedenborgianism by an American Baptist, J. Newton Brown, who claimed to see heresy and mass infidelity in the literary figures of England. Brown's criticism was in the form of an introduction to the republication of the famous sermon, "Modern Infidelity Considered," by the Baptist clergyman, Robert Hall, who had first published it in 1801. Brown's introduction attempted to direct Hall's charges at those writers of a later day who "infected the English mind" * Brown saw heretical and heathenish tendencies at every turn, and he attacked both the Brownings for a "Swedenborgian tendency" in their verse. He then went on to describe Mrs. Browning as being "recently a Unitarian." "She turns from the whole Christian church," wrote Brown, as he urged Americans to "Christianize the continents." **
     * Robert Hall, Modern Infidelity Considered With Respect to Its Influence on Society (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1853), p. 8.
     ** Ibid, pp. 24-26.

     The absurdity of Brown's charges would not bear mentioning were it not for the fact that Mrs. Browning's attention was called to the piece, and she felt that she needed to make her position clear. She wrote her brother, George, that the accusation of a tendency in her poetry to Swedenborgianism was an "immense compliment," though the truth was that she had not known Swedenborg's works, she said, at the time this poetry was written. Next she scoffed at the linking of Swedenborgianism and Unitarianism, which was like being "round and square at the same moment," since Swedenborg maintained unequivocally his belief in Christ's Divinity. As for the charge of turning from the Christian Church, she stated her opposition to "Church-domination, priestcraft and creeds over and above what is written in God's scriptures," but she affirmed her love of "Christ's universal church." *
     * Paul Landis (ed.), Letters of the Brownings to George Barrett (Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1958), p. 207. See also Kenyon, II, 155.
     Though the references that Mrs. Browning made to Swedenborg in the later years of her life are not numerous, and while she continued to believe in the "manifestations," despite a growing awareness that some people were abusing the credulity of others about the "spirits," she also obviously continued to read the Writings and to absorb their contents.

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She referred to herself several times as a Swedenborgian, * and when ill-health kept her cooped up at Casa Guidi while Browning went out, she reported to a correspondent: "I am shut up in the house of course, and go to bed when he goes out - and the worst is, that there's a difficulty in getting books. Still, I get what I can, and stop up the chinks with Swedenborg. **
     * Kenyon, II, 308; Huxley, E. B. B.: Letters to her Sister, p. 283.
     ** Kenyon, II, 303.

     In none of her references to Swedenborg does she indicate a basic disagreement with what she read, unless one considers her denial that there was any impropriety involved in communication with spirits as representing a disagreement. With her the matter was one of interpretation.
     It is quite natural that Swedenborg's revelations of man's state after death should have had a strong appeal for her. She indicated in a letter to Miss Mitford in 1854 that she had never believed in a resurrection of the body at some distant date and that Swedenborg had confirmed her feelings. She told Miss Mitford:

     I believe that the body of flesh is a mere husk which drops off at death, while the spiritual body . . . emerges in glorious resurrection at once. . . . I believe in an active, human life, beyond death as before it, an uninterrupted human life. I believe in no waiting in the grave, and in no vague affluence of spirit in a formless vapour. *
     * Ibid., p. 176.

     Death, she felt, was a "mere incident" in life, "perhaps scarcely a greater one than the occurrence of puberty." Without a belief in these "eternal relations," she told John Ruskin some time later, life would not be worth living, and she stated her belief that everything done on this earth had "some real connection with and result in the hereafter," and that the connection between the two worlds was effected by means of correspondences. *
     * Ibid., pp. 299-300.
     However, her interest in the Writings went a good distance beyond the teachings about man's state after death. As has already been indicated, she found strong support for her belief in Christ's Divinity in the Writings, and her commonplace book contains passages quoted from Divine Love and Wisdom and Divine Providence; passages dealing with the Incarnation, regeneration, the Trinity, hereditary evil, and other topics. * The world, she believed, was on the verge of a sudden influx of truth, of which the "manifestations" on every side were but one indication. Though she shunned religious controversy to the last, she made it clear that she felt that the Christian churches were in a state of decay and dissolution that would precede a "reconstruction of Christian essential verity." **
     * This notebook is in the Huntington Library, San Marino, California. The quotation from DLW is in the original Latin; the passages from DP seem to be her own translation into English.
     ** Kenyon, II, 420.

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     Two of her letters to Fanny Haworth, written in the last six months of her life, show clearly that her views changed little about Spiritualism, Swedenborg, or about the way she viewed the Christian churches. Miss Haworth had apparently made some mention of Mrs. Browning's unorthodox religious beliefs and had given warning regarding the folly and danger of communication with spirits. To the first charge, Mrs. Browning simply replied that she was used to being called "heterodox" and that this had never stopped her from holding her own views or from predicting the "dissolution" of the present churches. * With regard to Spiritualism, she was just as explicit. She would not deny that certain dangers might exist, for such a charge might be levelled at almost any area of serious inquiry, but she stated flatly: "No truth can be dangerous." ** As for the communications themselves, she wrote: ". . . I never heard or read a single communication which impressed me in the least: what does impress me is the probability of there being communications at all." How anyone could note all the signs and not speculate beyond the physical phenomena was past her comprehension. ". . . [T] he whole theory of spiritualism," she wrote, "all the phenomena, are strikingly confirmatory of revelation; nothing strikes me more than that. Hume's argument against miracles (a strong argument) disappears before it, and Strauss's conclusions from a priori assertion of impossibility fall in pieces at once." ***
     * Ibid., pp. 420-21.
     ** Ibid., p. 422. Italics hers.
     *** Ibid. The reference is to David Hume's essay, "Of Miracles." Strauss is the German author of Das Leben Jesu.
     This letter must have wounded Miss Haworth, and she must have accused Mrs. Browning of arrogance in her reply, for Mrs. Browning defended herself against such a charge in her next letter. Nowhere in her large correspondence does she show so clearly the two sides of her nature that often seem contradictory: the genuine desire to avoid giving offense and pain to others, and her inability to pretend a neutrality or to distort her true feelings about any issue that caught her interest.
     She humbly apologized to Miss Haworth for any arrogance she might have displayed in her first letter, but when she returned to the questions about Spiritualism and about what Swedenborg had said of communications, she did not hesitate to tell her: ". . . I don't think, if you will allow of my saying so, that you apprehend Swedenborg's meaning very accurately always." If there was any danger in the communications, why had Swedenborg considered his own contacts a great privilege, Mrs. Browning asked? And had not Swedenborg indicated a prospect for a greater aptitude for these communications in the future when men might approximate the condition of frequent and easy communication of men and spirits that had distinguished the "unfallen churches"? *

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According to Swedenborg, she said, the danger was to the "weak and unclean." The fact that Miss Haworth had based her disapproval of the subject upon her failure to receive " `a sublime communication' " did not seem sufficient evidence to Mrs. Browning for throwing over the whole question of Spiritualism. "Much less would satisfy me," she wrote. As for Spiritualism as it was generally held, she felt that, as with most things, it contained a mixture of good and bad, excellence and iniquity.
     * Ibid., pp. 424-25. At least this is Mrs. Browning's interpretation of Swedenborg's intimation that the New Church would, at some future date, he in a state similar to that of the Ancient and Most Ancient churches.

     Mrs. Browning then went on to discuss several of her religious beliefs, rejecting the traditional view of hell and of "arbitrary reward or punishment," and stating her belief in "consequences and logical results." She also rejected the idea of the Vicarious Atonement, and the traditional view of devils as fallen angels. She insisted upon the necessity of seeing Scripture as "symbolic" in its utterance, and she dwelt upon the failure of present churches to meet the spiritual needs of the age, a fact indicated by the disbelief prevalent among educated men "to a degree quite unsuspected." To her mind, Luther's theological treatises represented "old cerements" which should be discarded. "We are entering on a Reformation far more interior than Luther's," she wrote, "and the misfortune is that if we don't enter, we must drop under the lintel." If some of this offended Miss Haworth, Mrs. Browning was sorry, but she was "much in earnest" and felt unable to "`prophesy smooth things,' at moments of strong conviction." *
     * Ibid., pp. 426 & 427.
     When one reads such statements as these, it becomes very difficult to take seriously the claims of scholars that Mrs. Browning became disenchanted with Spiritualism before her death. Such is clearly the opinion of her son, Pen Browning, but the word of one who was twelve years old at the time of his mother's death can hardly be expected to carry much weight against the plain statements she made herself six months before her death, particularly when her involvement in Spiritualism became an evident source of embarrassment for her family. Even so acute a Browning scholar as W. C. De Vane indicates that it was "probable" that Mrs. Browning had "lost faith in Spiritualism before her death." * The solid evidence for that assertion, however, simply does not exist.

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That Mrs. Browning had her eyes opened by the discovery that she had been deceived by her American friend, Mrs. Sophia Eckley, in these matters about communication with spirits, as Pen states, is very probable; but to think that such a revelation would have shattered her belief in Spiritualism shows a very imperfect understanding of her and of the way she regarded Spiritualism.
     * W. C. De Vane, A Browning Handbook (New York: F. S. Crofts and Co., 1940), p. 271.
     On the basis of the evidence that she herself supplies, then, Mrs. Browning seems to have remained a staunch and devoted reader of the Writings. When she did discuss her religious views in any organized fashion, as she did in those last letters to Fanny Haworth written shortly before her death, those views either seem to have had their inspiration or confirmation in the Writings. Perhaps the most striking thing about Mrs. Browning's relationship with the Writings, however, is that, from the start, her attitude toward them was one of humble receptivity. Though they contained some doctrines that seemed difficult to accept, it is remarkable that she reserved judgment on those points and recognized that the cause of her hesitation was probably her own lack of perception. Indeed, this attitude was one of her most striking traits; for a woman so lionized by her contemporaries, so lauded for her intellectual prowess, she had a stunning lack of self-importance and intellectual pride. Throughout her life, Mrs. Browning remained a simple-hearted woman with great capacities for love.

     Nothing that I could uncover showed any attempt on her part to join the New Church, but this is not surprising since she was always repelled by sectarianism of any sort, believing that it drove men apart instead of uniting them in Christian love. As for her views on Spiritualism, it should be remembered that she continually stressed that it was the possibility of communication that was undeniable. If she gave far more credence to the "manifestations" than they deserved, and if she denied that there was disorder in the supposed contacts with the spirits, one must remember that, for personal reasons, she had an ardent will to believe in them, and this made it difficult for her to see harm in attempts at communication. That she was gullible and easy to deceive is undeniable, but one should not forget that there were many men and women at this time - by no means fools - who were just as convinced as she of the validity of the "signs."
     The development of ideas of scientific proof in the past one hundred years has made it unlikely that such a spate of silliness and conniving as much of the "manifestations" involved would gain the kind of hold over men's imaginations that Spiritualism obtained (though that assertion may be considered highly questionable, I suppose, when one looks at the flummeries that are peculiar to all ages).

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Today, when it seems to be axiomatic that the fewer things one believes in the more intelligent one must be, a universal skepticism prevails that probably keeps us from making such flagrant fools of ourselves. But we are left to wonder if, in the process, we have not removed from our hearts a capacity for wonder and belief that is, in the long run, far more valuable than even judicious skepticism.
     The "new age," evidence of whose dawning many saw in the communications, the "new law, or a new development of law . . . making way everywhere" that Mrs. Browning spoke of, was not to come in the nineteenth century. But a dawning did come to individual minds and hearts. In the last lines of her long verse novel, Aurora Leigh, Mrs. Browning gave poetic expression to this idea by having the hero and heroine, united after long years of misunderstanding and individual searching, see the dawning of a new age, symbolized in words taken from the Twenty-First Chapter of Revelation, a chapter which no New Church man needs to be told heralds the descent of the New Jerusalem from heaven:

     'The world's old,
But the old world waits the time to be renewed,
Towards which, new hearts in individual growth
Must quicken, and increase to multitude
In new dynasties of the race of men;
Developed whence, shall grow spontaneously
New churches, new economies, new laws,
Admitting freedom, new societies
Excluding falsehood: HE shall make all new.'

My Romney! - Lifting up my hand in his,
As wheeled by Seeing spirits toward the east,
He turned instinctively, where, faint, and far,
Along the tingling desert of the sky,
Beyond the circle of the conscious hills,
Were laid in jasper-stone as clear as glass
The first foundations of that new, dear Day
Which should be builded out of heaven to God.
He stood a moment with erected brows,
In silence, as a creature might who gazed, -
Stood calm, and fed his blind, majestic eyes
Upon the thought of perfect noon: and when
I saw his soul saw, - 'Jasper first,' I said;
'And second, sapphire; third, chalcedony;
The rest in order: - last, an amethyst.'

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JOY TO THE WORLD 1965

JOY TO THE WORLD       Editor       1965


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

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     Angels announced the Lord's birth as "good tidings of great joy," and the idea of joy is expressed in many Christmas hymns and carols. What is the joy that was offered to the world in and by the Lord's birth? The Writings tell us when they say that the ancients had a joy which surpassed all others from calling to mind the Lord's advent and the salvation of the human race through Him. If they could have such joy in the promise of prophecy, how much greater the joy in its fulfillment; and how much deeper should be the joy now that, with His second coming, the Lord has His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven!
     This, the true joy of the Lord's advent, is spiritual. It is the Lord's gift to those who love Him and the neighbor from the heart and express their love in uses, and it has its origin in the affections of good and truth with those in whom goods and truths are from heaven. Because all joy flows from love and is such as the love is, this joy can be felt by those only who are in love and charity; the loves of self and the world are entirely destructive of it.
     If spiritual joy in the Lord's advent seems remote, even somewhat unreal, that is understandable, for it cannot be comprehended from the external joys of the natural man. It is heavenly, and that which is heavenly cannot be penetrated by what is worldly. But heaven can enter the world; and if our hearts prepare Him room, the Lord will eventually give us to know - in the event that we have not already experienced it - the joy to the world announced by the angel on the first Christmas morning which is the true joy in His advent.

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CHURCH AND CONJUGIAL SIMULATIONS 1965

CHURCH AND CONJUGIAL SIMULATIONS       Editor       1965

     It has been noted that some current reactions against hypocrisy are in direct opposition to the teaching of the Writings about conjugial simulations. However, the real issue lies much deeper. The basic conflict is between law and public opinion: between the Divine law that even where the internal affections which conjoin minds are not within, marriages on earth should continue to the end of life, and the view that they should be terminable at will and where the law does not grant this remedy it is behind the times and should be reformed. Only in the light of the Divine law can the need for conjugial simulations be seen and understood. If marriages were dissolvable at will the need would not arise, and their continuance might become hypocritical; but if marriage is regarded as a covenant for life, reason may see the necessity, usefulness and truth that conjugial love ought to be assumed even where it is not genuine, so that it may appear as if it were; and where there is a will to accept it as such a covenant, there will be a desire for consociation in its uses and for apparent love, friendship and favor.

     As Divine revelation the Writings cannot teach and lead men and women to what is false, deceitful and hypocritical. In this particular teaching they are not urging them to pretend to states which they do not feel; to protest undying love when the affection they have is the opposite; or even to decide doggedly, either together or separately, to make the best of a bad job; and any idea that they are can lead only to misunderstanding. What is being urged is that when internal affections do not seem to conjoin, the husband and wife, without presuming to judge their internal states, should try to act as though they were in conjugial love by entering together into the uses of marriage and of the home: not building walls of separation, but honestly seeking consociation in those uses. If this is done, interdependence and mutual respect in common uses may result in the growth of apparent love, friendship and favor which will be quite sincere; and even if this does not lead to a conjugial union between the two, it will be the means of preserving the conjugial with them - and an indispensable means at that.
     That, as we understand it, is the force of the teaching. It will not commend itself to those who are bent on separation and are looking only for that which will justify it; but to those who can see from doctrine that marriage is a covenant for life, and will that it should be so, it can be the means, where conjugial love does not yet exist, of realizing a far greater satisfaction and happiness than could result from ignoring the teaching in the name of a pseudo sincerity.

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SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 6. INNOCENCE 1965

SPIRITUAL VIRTUES: 6. INNOCENCE       Editor       1965

     In the list of spiritual virtues given in the Writings the last to be mentioned is innocence. The term itself is one of many which, as part of the currency of thought, have been debased; for if innocence is associated with purity, it is the purity resulting from lack of knowledge or experience, and frequently the association is with that simplicity of mind which the sophisticated treat with mild contempt or gentle pity. As the term is used in the Writings, however, innocence means an interior willingness to be led by a power other than one's own; and that is the essential characteristic to be found in all forms of innocence.
     As manifested toward parents at the beginning of life, in the form of willingness to submit to their leading from desire for their favor rather than from fear of punishment, this is called in the Writings the innocence of ignorance. When it becomes through regeneration a willingness to be led by the Lord rather than by self, it is called the innocence of wisdom. This consists in acknowledging from the heart that with oneself there is nothing but evil, that all good is from the Lord, and that the truth of faith is not from self but from Him. Such innocence is the very esse of love and charity, and is said to be that in which heaven stores itself up with man; and it is important to note that it never becomes man's own, but is adjoined with him by the Lord.

     We may understand that such innocence is what is meant in the Writings by the Lord's own with man, concerning which we are taught that it is the only thing in which the Lord can dwell with man; that is, we may identify it with the Divine good proceeding and leading man to heaven. For the acknowledgment and desire in which spiritual innocence consists are the result of man's reception of and reaction to the inflowing Divine good, and it is in man's efforts to follow the Divine leading that the Lord is present with him as giving the inclination and the power to make them. At the same time, if man should cease from these efforts, innocence, which does not inhere in him, would be disjoined; or, rather, the man would separate himself from it.
     If we reflect for a moment, we may see why innocence is placed last in the list of the spiritual virtues. Drawn together in it as into a one are all the qualities involved in the other virtues: love of religion, charity, truth, faith and conscience; and it, in turn, flows back into them and makes them genuine, as it must enter into all true virtues. The innocence of wisdom is indeed a high virtue; and one especially to be desired or sought when we look back over the year and then look forward into a new year in which we may be led by the Lord to new blessings.

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DIRECTORY GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 1965

DIRECTORY GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM              1965

     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, Hugo Lj. Odhner; Martin Pryke; Norman H. Reuter; Erik Sandstrom.
Secretary; Robert S. Junge.

     "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. George de Charms; Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton; Kesniel C. Acton, Esq.; Mr. Carl Hj. Asplundh; Mr. Lester Asplundh; Mr. Robert H. Asplundh; Mr. Horace W. Brewer; Mr. Walter C. Childs; Mr. Gordon D. Cockerell; 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. Owen 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.
Honorary Member: Mr. Sydney E. Lee

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     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. 19009

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. 19009


     PASTORS
     
ACTON, ELMO CARMAN. Ordained June 14, 1925; 2nd Degree, August 5, 1928. Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009

ASPLUNDH, KURT HORIGAN. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1962. Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society. Address: 6901 Yorkshire Drive, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15208

BOYESEN, BJORN ADOLPH HILDEMAR. Ordained June 19, 1939; 2nd Degree, March 30, 1941. Pastor of the Stockholm Society. Visiting Pastor of the Copenhagen, Jonkoping and Oslo Circles. Editor of NOVA ECCLESIA. Address: Aladdinsvagen 27, Bromma, Sweden.

BUSS, PETER MARTIN. Ordained June 19, 1964; 2nd Degree, May 16, 1965. Superintendent of the South African Mission. Visiting Pastor to isolated members and groups in South Africa. Address: 129 Musgrave Road, Durban, Natal, Republic of South Africa.

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, Calif. 91204

FRANSON, ROY. Ordained June 19, 1953; 2nd Degree, January 29, 1956. Visiting Pastor to the Southeastern States, resident in Miami, Florida. Address: 320 N.W. 144th Street, Miami, Florida. 33168.

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. 60025

HEINRICHS, DANIEL WINTHROP. Ordained June 19, 1957; 2nd Degree, April 6, 1958. Pastor of the Durban Society, Address: 1 Mowbray Place, Musgrave Road, Durban, Natal, Republic of 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. 3, Blair, Ontario, Canada.

HENDERSON, WILLIAM CAIRNS. Ordained June 10, 1934; 2nd Degree, April 14, 1935. Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE. Supervising Pastor of the Advent Church, Philadelphia, Pa. Dean of the Theological School, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009

576




HOLM, BERNARD DAVID. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd Degree, January 27, 1957. Visiting Pastor in South Ohio and to the Erie Circle. Address: 10613 Le Marie Drive, Sharonville, Cincinnati, Ohio. 45241.

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. 85700.

JUNGE, ROBERT SCHILL. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd Degree, August 11, 1957. Secretary of the General Church. Address: Bryn Atbyn, Pa. 19009.

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. 60025.

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. 19009.

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. 19009.

PENDLETON, DANDRIDGE. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1954. Instructor in Religion, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009.

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. 48084.

RICH, MORLEY DYCKMAN. Ordained June 19, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 13, 1940. Visiting Pastor of the Central Western District, resident in Denver, Colorado. Address: 63 Pearl Street, Denver, Colorado. 80209.

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. 19006.

ROSE, DONALD LESLIE. Ordained June 16, 1957; 2nd Degree, June 23, 1963. Pastor of Michael Church, London, England. Address: 135 Mantilla Road, Tooting, London, SW. 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. 19009.

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: Box 1248, 116 Enterprise Road, Rt. 556, Mitchellville, Md. 21109.

577




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. Visiting Pastor to New England. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009.

SONESON, LORENTZ RAY. Ordained June 16, 1963; 2nd Degree, May 16, 1965. Assistant to the Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church. Visiting Pastor to the New York. Circle. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009.

STROH, KENNETH OLIVER. Ordained June 19, 1948; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1950. Director of Music, Bryn Athyn Church. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009.

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. 19009.

     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, Illinois. 60640.

BOOLSEN, GUDMUND ULLRICH. Ordained June 19, 1961. Address: DCC, APO 23, New York, New York. 09023.

COLE, ROBERT HUDSON PENDLETON. 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. 60025.

CRANCH RAYMOND GREENLEAF. Ordained June 19, 1922. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009.

FIGUEIREDO, JOSE LOPES DE. Ordained October 24, 1965. Minister to the Rio de Janeiro Society, Brazil. Address: Rua Henrique Fleiuss 155, Apt. 405, Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

GOODENOUGH, DANIEL WEBSTER. Ordained June 19, 1965. Assistant to the Pastor of the Olivet Church, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Address: Apt. 3, 136 West Mall, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada.

HEINRICHS, WILLARD LEWIS DAVENPORT. Ordained June 19, 1965. Visiting Minister to the Pacific Northwest, resident in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada. Address: 1108 96th Avenue, Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada.

NEMITZ, KURT PAUL. Visiting Minister to the General Church. Ordained June 16, 1963. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009.

     AUTHORISED CANDIDATE

ROGERS, NORBERT BRUCE. Authorized February 1, 1965. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009

578





     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.

     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.

KUNENE, WILLIAM. Ordained April 13, 1958; 2nd Degree, March 14, 1965. Pastor of the Enkumba Society. Address: Enkumba Bantu School, PB. Bulwer, Natal.

LUTULI, MAFA M. Ordained October 3, 1948; 2nd Degree, April 13, 1958. Pastor of the Kent Manor Society. Address: P. 0. Ntumeni, Zululand.

MAQELEPO, ARMSTRONG. Ordained April 13, 1958; 2nd Degree, March 14, 1965. Pastor of the Quthing Society. Address: Phahameng School, P.O. Box 33, Quthing, Basutoland.

MBEDZI, PAULUS. Ordained March 23, 1958; 2nd Degree, March 14, 1965. Pastor of the Mofolo Society. Address: 131 3rd Avenue, Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, Transvaal.

NZIMANDE, BENJAMIN ISHMAEL. Ordained August 21, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 3, 1948. Assistant Superintendent. Pastor of the Durban Society. Address: 1701 31st Avenue, Clermont Township, P.O. Clernaville, Natal.

SIBEKO, PAUL PEFENI. Ordained October 3, 1948; 2nd Degree, March 23, 1958. Pastor of the Alexandra Society. Visiting Pastor to Greylingstad. Address: 161 11th Avenue, Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, Transvaal.

ZIJNGU, AARON. Ordained August 21, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 3, 1948. Pastor of the Kwa Mashu Society. Visiting Pastor to Ohlange New Farm. Address: G. 1379, Kwa Mashu Township, Durban, Natal.
SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES 1965

SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES              1965

     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

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HURSIVILLE SOCIETY, N. S. W., AUSTRALIA     Rev. Douglas McL. 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

PITTSBURGH SOCIETY     Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh

RIO DE JANEIRO SOCIETY, BRAZIL     Rev. Jose Lopes de Figueiredo

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. Morley D. Rich

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA     Rev. B. David Holm

FORT WORTH, TEXAS     Rev. Morley D. Rich

THE HAGUE, HOLLAND     Rev. Frank S. Rose

JONKOPING, SWEDEN     Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen

MADISON, WISCONSIN     Rev. Robert H. P. Cole

MIAMI, FLORIDA     Rev. Roy Franson

MONTREAL, CANADA     Rev. Martin Pryke

NEW YORK, N. Y.     Rev. Lorentz R. Sonesen

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. Robert H. P. Cole

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," a "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.

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A Circle may become a Society by application to the Bishop and formal recognition by him.

     WILLARD D. PENDLETON,
          Bishop


     Committees of the General Church

                                   Chairman

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
Nominating Committee     Mr. Robert E. Walter
Operating Policy Committee     Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton
Orphanage Committee     Mr. Phillip C. Pendleton
Pension Committee     Mr. George H. Woodard
Salary Committee     Mr. Phillip 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.
WHY THE LORD BECAME INCARNATE 1965

WHY THE LORD BECAME INCARNATE              1965

     "Inasmuch as the Lord does all things from the first by means of the last, and in the last or the ultimates is in His power and in His fullness, therefore it pleased the Lord to take upon Him the Human, and to become Divine truth, that is, the Word; and thereby from Himself to reduce to order all things of heaven, and all things of hell, that is, to execute a last judgment. This the Lord could accomplish from the Divine in Himself, which is in firsts, by means of His Human, which was in ultimates; and not from His presence or abode in the men of the church as formerly; for these had entirely fallen away from the truths and goods of the Word, in which before was the habitation of the Lord with men. This, and also that He might make His Human Divine, was the primary cause of the Lord's advent into the world; for thereby He put Himself in possession of the power to keep all things of heaven and all things of hell in order to eternity." (Arcana Coelestia 1087)

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Church News 1965

Church News       Various       1965

     DETROIT, MICHIGAN

      The Detroit New Churchman reappeared recently after a short vacation, which indicates that another year of church activity is about to begin. Our pastor, the Rev. Norman H. Reuter, informs us that a combined service of worship for adults and children, as conducted last year, will continue to be held. This year the new rooms will come into full use for the Sunday school, the reading group, and nursery care. Mrs. George Field will head the Sunday school work, Mrs. John Howard the reading group, and Mrs. Vance Genzlinger the nursery.
     Religion classes will continue to meet on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week. Besides Mr. and Mrs. Reuter, two teachers have been added to handle the large number of children. Mrs. Owen Birchman will teach Class I, and Mrs. Walter Childs, Class II. The program embraces fifty pupils this year, the highest number so far. The young people's group will soon meet to determine what course of study it will undertake this year. There are some thirteen young people in that group, the most we have ever had. Doctrinal class will be held as usual every Friday evening except in the last week of the month, when there is a supper on Saturday evening followed by singing practice and a class.
     Mrs. Leo Bradin has accepted appointment as music director for this year; she will be in charge of singing practices for both adults and children. Organists for church services will he Mrs. Margery Gurney, Mrs. Stanford Lehne and Mrs. Leo Bradin. The practice of making tape-recordings of the organ accompaniment in our own services will be continued. These tapes will be used occasionally to ease the burden on our organists. Mrs. Harold McClow is in charge of this work.
     The addition to our building was dedicated on Sunday, February 28, immediately after the regular morning service. After closing the Word on the chancel, Mr. Reuter proceeded down the center aisle of the church and into the new rooms. The congregation followed behind him, forming a semi-circle around the improvised altar. All remained standing for the service of dedication. The hymns used for this service were all from the new Children's Hymnal.
     A most interesting weekend in March was planned for us by the Sons of the Academy and the Academy of the New Church. The winter meeting of the Sons executive committee was held in Detroit, and the Academy sent the Rev. Dandridge Pendleton as its representative. Part of the Weekend was set apart for Sons business. Mr. Pendleton spoke to us at the banquet on Saturday evening. His topic was: "Some Present Day Problems of Young People Growing Up, As Viewed in the Light of the Writings." We were pleased to have Mrs. Pendleton and the wives of many of the visiting Sons in Detroit for the weekend.
     During July we had the privilege of hearing two newly ordained ministers preach in our church. The Rev. Daniel Goodenough preached on July 4, and the Rev. Willard Heinrichs on July 20. Mr. Goodenough grew up in the Detroit area and was baptized in the church here, and Mr. Heinrichs spent several years in Detroit while attending Wayne State University.
     Newcomers to the Detroit Society are Miss Desiree de Charms and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Genzlinger and family.

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Desiree, a former member of our Society, has returned to this area to fill the position of head Music Librarian at Oakland University. Mr. and Mrs. Genzlinger moved to Detroit on Labor Day. Three of their children will enter public schools for the first time, having been previously in church schools in Bryn Athyn; the three older boys will attend either the Academy or a university. We are happy to welcome them.

     Obituaries. As we were happily anticipating and preparing for the Easter season, the Detroit Society was shocked by the tragic deaths of Hildegarde David and two of her children. Mr. Reuter expressed the following thoughts in the Detroit New Churchman. "Hildegarde filled many capacities for many people; as wife, mother, daughter, friend and counselor. As a musician she exercised influence (which is part of the pattern of one's usefulness) on the whole church, and in a very immediate sense on the Detroit Society. Such an influence she will continue to exert for a long time to come through the new Hymnal, of which she was musical editor. This production is a truly vibrant memorial of her, for it will continually remind us of all those things which she loved, believed and tried to communicate to us musically." We are sad that Warren, Hildegarde's husband, has found it necessary to leave Detroit with his children and move to Bryn Athyn. He has been a useful member of the Detroit Society and we will miss him.

     In the September issue of the Detroit New Churchman Mr. Reuter announced the following. "On Monday, August 23, 1965, William F. Cook passed into the spiritual world at the age of 75. Mr. Cook was one of the original members of the Detroit Society, and his many contributions to this society are remembered with great affection. Mr. Cook was born in Birmingham, England, and lived most of his life in the Detroit area. He is survived by his wife, eight children, twenty-seven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
     FREDA BRADIN
GENERAL CHURCH SEAL 1965

GENERAL CHURCH SEAL              1965

     "And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man." (Revelation 1:12,13)
     "And He that sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." (Revelation 21: 5)
     These words inspired the design of our General Church Seal, which is again available, in a slightly smaller size and lesser weight, at the low cost of $18.50, f.o.b., Bryn Athyn. Postage for 10 lbs. varies between $.50 and $2.00.
     These Seals may serve as a reliable expression of loyalty in the homes of church members and their families. To purchase one contact or send your check to Walter Horigan, Treasurer, Box 41, Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009, and one will be sent to you promptly with a receipt. The Seal would make an acceptable and permanent Christmas gift.

583


ORDINATIONS 1965

ORDINATIONS       Editor       1965




     Announcements
     Fugueiredo.-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, October 24, 1965, candidate Jose Lopes de Figueiredo into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton officiating.
General Church of the New Jerusalem ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS 1965

General Church of the New Jerusalem ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS       ROBERT S. JUNGE       1965

     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 23-29, 1966, at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.
     ROBERT S. JUNGE
          Secretary
Academy of the New Church APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION 1965

Academy of the New Church APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION              1965

     Preliminary letters regarding applications for admission to any of the schools of the Academy of the New Church for the academic year 1966-1967, should reach the Director of Admissions before February 1, 1966. 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. Completed application forms and accompanying materials should be received before April 1, 1966, and applications for student work and/or specific scholarship funds should be received before May 1, 1966.
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN 1965

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN              1965

     People coming to Bryn Athyn on any occasion who need assistance in finding accommodation will please communicate with the Guest Committee. Please address letters to: The Guest Committee, c/o Mrs. William B. Alden, Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009
ABBREVIATED TITLES 1965

ABBREVIATED TITLES              1965

The Writings

Abom. - Abomination of Desolation
AC - Arcana Coelestia
Adv. - Adversaria
AE - Apocalypse Explained
AR - Apocalypse Revealed
Ath. - Athanasian Creed
BE - Brief Exposition
Calvin - Conversations with Calvin
Can. - Canons
Char. - Doctrine of Charity
CL - Conjugial Love
CLJ - Continuation of the Last Judgment
Conv. Ang. - Conversations with Angels
Coro. - Coronis
DLW - Divine Love and Wisdom
Dom. - De Domino
DP - Divine Providence
Ecc. Hist. - Ecclesiastical History of the New Church
EU - Earths in the Universe
F - Doctrine of Faith
5 Mem. - Five Memorable Relations
HD - New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine
HH - Heaven and Hell
Hist. Crea. - History of Creation
Idea - Angelic Idea concerning Creation
Infl. - Influx
Inv. - Invitation to the New Church
Jus. - Concerning Justification and Good Works
Life - Doctrine of Life
LJ - Last Judgment
LJ post. - Last Judgment (posthumous)
Lord - Doctrine of the Lord
Love - Divine Love
Mar. - On Marriage
PP - Prophets and Psalms
Q - Nine Questions
SC - Scripture Confirmations
SD - Spiritual Diary
SD min. - Spiritual Diary Minor
Sk. - Sketch of the Doctrine of the New Church
SS - Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture
TCR - True Christian Religion
Verbo - De Verbo
WE - Word Explained (Adversaria)
WH - White Horse
Wis. - Divine Wisdom

Philosophical Works

AK - Animal Kingdom
Br. - The Brain
Cer. - The Cerebrum
Chem. - Chemistry
1, 2 Econ. - Economy of the Animal Kingdom, Parts 1, 2
Fib. - The Fibre
Gen. - Generation
Inf. - The Infinite
L Pr. - Lesser Principia
Misc. Obs. - Miscellaneous Observations
Pr. - Principia
Psych. Trans. - Psychological Transactions
R. Psych. - Rational Psychology
Sens. - The Five Senses
Trem. - Tremulation
WLG - Worship and Love of God

For lists of the Theological Works see: Tafel's Documents, Vol. II, pp. 950-1023; Potts' Concordance, Introduction; and General Church Liturgy, pp. 219-221.
     For lists of Swedenborg's earlier works see: Tafel's Documents, Vol. II, pp. 884-949; and A Classified List by the Rev. Alfred Acton.


GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

RIGHT REV. WILLARD D. PENDLETON, BISHOP
RIGHT REV. GEORGE DE CHARMS, BISHOP EMERITUS
REV. ROBERT S. JUNGE, SECRETARY OF THE CHURCH [UNINCORPORATED]

MR. STEPHEN PITCAIRN, SECRETARY OF THE CORPORATION
MR. L. H. GYLLENHAAL, TREASURER
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, U. S. A.

PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES

Akron, Ohio (North Ohio Circle).* - Occasional Classes. Inquire of Dr. Philip de Maine, 1930 Wiltshire Rd., Akron, Ohio 44313.

Auckland, New Zealand.** - Visiting Pastor: Rev. Douglas McL. Taylor. Taped Service every other week. Secretary: Miss E. R. Turkey, 34 Woodward Rd., Mt. Albert, Auckland. Phone: 83889.

Bryn Athyn, Pa - Bryn Athyn Church. Pastor: Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton. Dean: Rev. Elmo C. Acton. Assistant to the Dean: Rev. Lorentz Soneson. Friday Class.

Chicago, Ill. - Sharon Church. Rev. Louis B. King, Supervisor. Resident Minister: Rev. Alfred Acton.
North Side, 5220 North Wayne Ave. Phone: Sunnyside 4-6398. Services 11 p.m. Monthly Class.

Cleveland, Ohio (North Ohio Circle).* - Monthly, next to last Sunday, at Cuyahoga Falls. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Erik Sandstrom. Secretary: Mr. Charles P. Gyllenhaal, 28609 West Oakland Rd., Bay Village, Ohio. Phone TR 1-3107.

Colchester, England. - 175-181 Maldon Rd. Pastor: Rev. Frank S. Rose, 185 Maldon Rd. Phone: 6342. Wednesday Class.

Connecticut.** - Occasional. Visiting Pastor: Rev. David R. Simons. Secretary, Mrs. Allan C. Soderberg, 7 Town Rd., Niantic, Conn. Phone: PE 9-7791.

Copenhagen, Denmark.* - Occasional. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen, Aladdinsvagen 27, Bromma, Sweden.

Dawson Creek, B. C.** - Minister: Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs, 1108-96 Ave., Dawson Creek, B. C., Canada. Class alternate Fridays.

Denver, Colo.* - 3629 W. 32nd Ave. Regular Service at 11 am. Resident Pastor: Rev. Morley D. Rich, 63 Pearl St., Denver.

Detroit, Mich. - 205 West Long Lake Road, Troy, Mich. Pastor: Rev. Norman H. Reuter, 280 East Long Lake Rd., Troy, Mich. Friday Class.

Durban, Natal, South Africa. - 125 Musgrave Rd. Pastor: Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs, 1 Mowbray Place, Musgrave Rd.

Erie, Pa.* - Occasional. Visiting Pastor: Rev. B. David Holm. Secretary: Appointment pending.

Fort St. John, B. C.** - Class alternate Fridays. Visiting Minister: Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs. Contact Dr. Fred Heinrichs, Fort St. John.

Fort Worth, Texas.* - Pastor visits third weekend, Saturday class, Sunday service. Lay services at other times. Pastor: Rev. Morley D. Rich. Secretary: Mrs. Louis D. Hurt, 1007 N.W. 15th St., Fort Worth. Phone: Market 6-8556.

Glendale, Ohio (South Ohio Circle),* - Pastor: Rev. B. David Holm, 10613 Le Marie Dr., Sharonville, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Glenview, Ill - Immanuel Church. Pastor: Rev. Louis B. King, 73 Park Drive. Assistant to the Pastor: Rev. Robert H. P. Cole, 2700 Park Lane. Friday Class.

Hurstville, N. S. W., Australia. - Dudley St. Pastor: Rev. Douglas McL. Taylor, 22 Dudley St., Penshurst, N. S. W.

Jonkoping, Sweden.* - Monthly. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Bjorn, A. H. Boyesen. Call Mr. Lennart Fornander. Phone: 79119.

Kitchener, Ont. - Carmel Church, R.R. 1, Blair, Ontario. Pastor: Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs, R.R. 1, Blair. Friday Class.

London, England. - Michael Church, 131 Burton Rd., Brixton. Pastor: Rev. Donald L. Rose, 135 Mantilla Rd., Totting, London, SW. 17. Phone: Balham 6239. Wednesday Class.

Los Angeles, Calif. - Service: 11 am. Resident Pastor: Rev. Harold C. Cranch, 346 Riverdale Drive, Glendale 4, Calif. Secretary: Mr. A. M. Nickel, 2436 Rockdell, La Crescenta, Calif.

Madison, Wis.* - Weekly service. Minister visits every second Sunday except August. Visiting Minister: Rev. Robert H. P. Cole. Call: Mrs. Paul S. Mergen, 1250 Jenifer St., Madison.

Massachusetts.** - Occasional. Visiting Pastor: Rev. David R. Simons. Secretary: Mrs. Frank H. Palmer, Box 168, Mattapoisett, Mass.

Miami, Fla.* - l5l0l NW. 5th Ave. Pastor:     Rev. Roy Franson, 320 NW. 144th St.

Montreal, Que.* - Service and classes five times a year. Visiting Pastor Rev. Martin Pryke. Secretary: Mrs. W. Whitney Timmins, 305 Brock Ave. N., Montreal West (28). Phone: 481- 3040 or 334-3249.

New York, N. Y.* - Second Sunday 2 :30 pm. Doctrinal class follows service. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson. Call Miss Cornelia Stroh: CHelsea 2-8470 or Mrs. Frances Goodman: ULster 2-3766.

North Jersey.* - Occasional, 11 am. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Norbert H. Rogers. Secretary: Mrs. Edsall Elliott, 26 Fieldstone Dr., Whippany. Phone: TUcker 7-0478.

Oklahoma.** - Pastor visits monthly, third Friday or Saturday. Pastor: Rev. Morley D. Rich. Secretary: Mrs. Arthur Smith, Rte. 1, Mannford, OkIa.

Oslo, Norway.* - Occasional. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen. Contact Mr. Eyvind Boyesen, Vetlandsveien 82, Oppsal, Oslo.

Paris, France.* - Monthly meetings in the homes. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Frank S. Rose. Secretary: Mr. Elisee Hussenet, 50 Rue Caulaincourt, Paris 18, France.

Philadelphia, Pa. - Advent Church, 5007 Penn St., Philadelphia 24. Supervising Pastor: Rev. W. Cairns Henderson.

Phoenix, Arizona.** - Service 1st and 3rd Sundays. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard. Contact Mr. Hubert O. Rydstrom, 3640 E. Piccadilly Rd., Phoenix 85018. Phone: 953-2290.

Pittsburgh, Pa. - 299 Le Roi Rd. Pastor: Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh, 6901 Yorkshire Dr., Pittsburgh 8. Phone: 412-661-6844. Friday Class.

Portland, Ore.** - Quarterly. Visiting Minister: Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs. Contact Mrs. W. D. Andrews, 7619 East Evergreen Hwy., Vancouver, Wash.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - Minister: Rev. Jose Lopes de Figneiredo, Rua Henrique Fleiuss 155, Apt. 405, Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.

Rockford, Ill.** - First Tuesday of each month. Monthly class. Visiting Minister: Rev. Robert H. P. Cole. Contact Mr. Axel Eklund, 4608 Manheim Rd., Rockford, Ill. Phone: EX 8-0381.

St. Louis, Mo.** - Minister visits November, April. Visiting Minister: Rev. Robert H. P. Cole. Contact Mrs. J. C. Wilson, 1421 Silverton Pl., Richmond Heights 17, Mo.

St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minn.* - Weekly Service. Minister visits every third Sunday except in August. Visiting Minister: Rev. Robert H. P. Cole. Secretary: Mrs. Henry Mellman, 2330 Crestview Avenue North, Minneapolis.

San Diego, Calif.* - Service every Sunday. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard. Contact Mr. Marvin Walker, 655 Savoy St., San Diego 6. Phone: AC 2-3368.

San Francisco, Calif.* - Visiting Pastor: Rev. Harold C. Cranch. Secretary: Miss Dolly Ashley, 1077 Stanford Ave., Palo Alto, Calif.

Seattle, Wash.** - Quarterly. Visiting Minister: Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs. Contact Mrs. Bertil Larsson, 1005 - 104th Ave. SE., Bellevue, Wash.

Spokane, Wash.** - Quarterly. Visiting Minister: Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs. Contact Mr. W. E. Hansen, South 904 Altamont Blvd., Spokane 32, Wash.

State College, Pa.** - Occasional visiting minister; taped services otherwise. Sundays, 10:45 a.m. Call Mr. Erik E. Sandstrom, 402 South Burrows St., State College, Pa.

Stockholm, Sweden. - Services at Tunnelgatan 19 C. Pastor: Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen, Aladdinsvagen 27, Bromma, Sweden. Phone: 267985.

Tabor Mission, British Guiana. - Pastor-in-Charge: Rev. Henry Algernon, 288 Middle St., Georgetown 4, Demerara, British Guiana.

The Hague, Holland.* - Weekly services in homes. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Frank S. Rose. Inquire of Mr. Daniel Lupker, 43 Frederik Hendrikplein. The Hague, Holland.

Topeka, Kansas.** - Service every other month. Visiting Pastor: Rev. Morley D. Rich. Secretary: Mrs. Michael C. Kloe, 3200 W. 31st Street Terrace. Phone: CR 2-7022.

Toronto, Ont. - Olivet Church, 279 Burnhamthorpe Rd. Pastor: Rev. Martin Pryke, 2 Lorraine Gardens, Islington, Ontario. Assistant to the Pastor: Rev. Daniel W. Goodenough, Apt. 3, 136 West Mall, Etobicoke, Ontario. Friday Class.

Tucson, Arizona.* - 3056 N. Country Club Road. Resident Pastor: Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard, 2536 N. Stuart Ave., Tucson. Phone: 793-0261.

Urbana, Ohio (South Ohio Circle) * - Visiting Pastor: Rev. B. David Holm. Call Mr. Robert G. Barnitz, 609 South Main St., Urbana.

Vancouver B. C.** - Quarterly. Visiting Minister: Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs. Contact Mr. Gerald Penner, 1108 Tall Tree Lane, North Vancouver.

Washington, D. C - Washington Church of the New Jerusalem, Box 1248 Enterprise Rd., Rt. 556, Mitchellville, Md. Pastor: Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr, Box 1248 Enterprise Rd. Phone:     262-1491. Friday Class.

For services in England other than in Colchester and London communicate with the pastors of the Colchester and London societies

* Recognized Circle.
** Group.