1. A Brief Exposition of the Doctrine of the New Church Signified by the New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse

As several works and tracts have been published by me during the past few years concerning the NEW JERUSALEM, by which is meant a New Church to be established by the Lord, and as the Apocalypse has now been revealed ¹ , I have decided to bring to light the Doctrine of that Church in its fulness, thus as a whole. This, however, is a work which will take some years to complete; wherefore I have thought it advisable to produce some sort of a sketch of it, in order that a general idea of this Church and its Doctrine may first be obtained. For, when general things precede, then each and everything stands out clearly in the light; for particulars enter into generals as things homogeneous into their own receptacles. This brief exposition, however, is not designed for critical examination, but is only offered to the world for information; its contents will be fully proved in the major work itself. Yet the doctrinal tenets of today concerning Justification are to be set forth first, on account of what follows concerning the disagreement between the doctrines of the present Church and those of the New Church.

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16. A SKETCH of the DOCTRINALS OF THE NEW CHURCH.

Now follows a brief Exposition of the Doctrine of the New Church, meant by the New Jerusalem in the Revelation, chapters 21-22. This Doctrine, which is not only a matter of faith but also of life, will be divided in the major work ¹ into three parts.

THE FIRST PART will treat of:

(1) The Lord God the Saviour, and the Divine Trinity in Him.

(2) The Sacred Scripture and its two senses, the Natural and the Spiritual, and its holiness thence.

(3) Love to God and love towards the neighbour, and the agreement of these loves with each other.

(4) Faith, and its conjunction with those two loves.

(5) The Doctrine of Life, from the Commandments of the Decalogue.

(6) Reformation and Regeneration.

(7) Free-will, and man's co-operation with the Lord by its means.

(8) Baptism.

(9) The Holy Supper.

(10) Heaven and Hell.

(11) The conjunction of men therewith, and the state of their life after death according to that conjunction.

(12) Eternal life.

THE SECOND PART will treat of:

(1) The Consummation of the of Age, or end of the present Church.

(2) The Coming of the Lord.

(3) The Last Judgment.

(4) The New Church, which is the New Jerusalem.

THE THIRD PART will point out the disagreements between the tenets of the present Church and those of the New Church. But we will dwell a little upon these now, because it is believed both by the clergy and the laity that the present Church is in the very light of the Gospel and its truths, which cannot possibly be disproved, overturned or assailed, not even by an angel, if one should descend from heaven. Neither does the present Church see otherwise, because it has withdrawn the understanding from faith, and yet has confirmed its tenets by a kind of sight beneath the understanding; for in that sight falsities can be confirmed until they appear as truths, and falsities there confirmed acquire a fallacious light in which the light of truth appears as thick darkness. For this reason, we shall here dwell a little upon this subject, mentioning the disagreements and illustrating them by brief remarks, so that those whose understanding has not been closed by blind faith may see these differences in a kind of twilight, afterwards as in morning light, and at length, in the major work, as in full daylight. The disagreements in general are as follows:

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43. VIII. This Faith is Faith in God the Saviour Jesus Christ, which in its simplest form is as follows:

(1) There is One God in whom is the Divine Trinity, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ.

(2) A Saving Faith is to Believe On Him.

(3) Evil actions ought to be shunned because they are of the devil and from the devil.

(4) Good actions ought to be done because they are of God and from God.

(5) And these should be done by man as of himself, yet it ought to be believed that they are from the Lord, with Him and through Him.