Résumés en exposition de la doctrine de l’Église Nouvelle, qui doit être compris par la Nouvelle Jérusalem dans l’Apocalypse

1. Après avoir publié dans l’espace de peu d’années quelques Ouvrages et quelques Opuscules sur la NOUVELLE JERUSALEM, par laquelle est entendue la Nouvelle Eglise qui doit être instaurée par le Seigneur, et après que l’Apocalypse eut été révélée, je formai le dessein de mettre au jour la Doctrine de cette Eglise dans sa plénitude, ainsi la doctrine entière; mais, comme c’est un travail qui exigera quelques années, j’ai pris la résolution d’en présenter une sorte d’Esquisse (Sciagraphie), afin qu’on ait d’abord une idée générale de cette Eglise et de sa Doctrine, puisque, quand les notions communes précèdent toutes les choses, en général et en particulier, qui sont comprises dans leur étendue, apparaissent ensuite dans la lumière, car elles entrent dans les notions communes comme des homogènes dans leurs réceptacles. Toutefois, cet Abrégé n’est pas soumis aux jugements pour la discussion, mais il est seulement communiqué pour la connaissance du sujet, attendu que tout le contenu en sera pleinement démontré dans l’ouvrage même. ¹ Mais comme il sera, dans la suite, traité des Discordances entre les dogmes de l’Eglise d’aujourd’hui et ceux de la Nouvelle Eglise je vais d’abord présenter les Doctrinaux d’aujourd’hui sur la Justification.

Notes de bas de page:

268. (Verse 3) And he that sat was in aspect like a jasper and a sardius. That this signifies the appearance of the Lord as to Divine truth translucent from the Divine good of the Divine love is evident from the signification of one sitting upon the throne, as being the Lord as to the Last Judgment, which was treated of just above (n. 267); and from the signification of in aspect like, as being appearance; also from the signification of a jasper stone, as being the spiritual love of truth, of which we shall treat in what follows; and from the signification of a sardine stone, as being the celestial love of good, thus by a jasper and a sardius, to which the Lord appeared like, is signified Divine truth translucent from the Divine good of the Divine love.

[2] That a jasper signifies the Divine love of truth, or Divine truth proceeding is evident from those passages in the Word where it is mentioned, as in Exodus 28:20, and in Ezekiel 28:13; also in the Apocalypse:

"The light" of the holy Jerusalem "was like unto a stone most precious, like to a jasper stone, clear as crystal" (21:11.).

By the light of the holy Jerusalem is signified the Divine truth of the church shining, and by the light truth itself shining, by Jerusalem the church as to doctrine; this is likened to a jasper stone, because jasper has a similar signification. And in another place:

"The building of the wall" of the holy Jerusalem "was of jasper, and the city was pure gold like unto pure glass" (21:18).

The wall of the holy Jerusalem is said to be of jasper, because by wall is signified Divine truth defending; and on account of this signification of wall, the first stone of its foundation is said to be jasper (verse 19), foundation signifying the truth upon which the church is founded.

[3] The sardius is also mentioned, because by that stone is signified good, here Divine good, because it is said of the Lord. It is this stone which is called pyropus; and since it shines as it were from fire, by both is signified the translucence of truth from good. (That all precious stones signify the truths of heaven and of the church derived from good, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 114, 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873. This is why in the breast-plate of Aaron, which is called the Urim and Thummim, were set twelve precious stones, and by them responses were given, and this by their shining forth, and at the same time by perception of the thing inquired about, or by a living voice.)