23. PROPOSITION THE SECOND

The Adamic, or Most Ancient Church of this Earth

The world has hitherto believed that by "the creation of heaven and earth," in the first chapter of Genesis, is meant the creation of the universe, according to the letter; and by Adam, the first man of this globe. Seeing that the spiritual or internal sense of the Word has not been disclosed till now, the world could not believe otherwise; nor, consequently, that by "creating heaven and earth" is meant to collect and found an angelic heaven from those who have finished with life in the world, and by this means to derive and produce a Church on earth (as above, n. 18-20); and that by the names of persons, nations, territories and cities, are meant such things as are of heaven, and at the same time of the Church: in like manner, therefore, by "Adam." That by "Adam," and by all those things which are related of him and his posterity in the first chapters of Genesis, are described the successive states of the Most Ancient Church-which are: its rise, or morning, its progression into light, or day; its decline, or evening; its end, or night; and after this the Last Judgment upon those composing it, and thereafter a new angelic heaven from the faithful, and a new hell from the unfaithful, according to the series of the progressions laid down in the preceding Proposition-has been explained, unfolded and demonstrated in detail in the ARCANA CAELESTIA on Genesis and Exodus, the labour of eight years, published in London; which work being extant in the world, nothing further is necessary than to recapitulate therefrom the universals respecting this Most Ancient Church, which will be cited in the present volume. At the outset, however, some passages shall be adduced from the Word, by which it is proved that by "creating" is there signified to produce and form anew, and, properly, to regenerate; on which account it is that regeneration is called a "new creation," by which the universal heaven of angels and the universal Church of men, exist, consist and subsist. That "creating" signifies this, is plainly manifest from these passages in the Word:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a steadfast spirit in the midst of me (Psalm 51:10).

Thou openest the hand, they are filled with good; Thou sendest forth the Spirit, they are created (Psalm 104:28, 30).

The people that shall be created shall praise Jah (Psalm 102:18).

Thus said Jehovah, thy creator, O Jacob; thy former, O Israel: Every one that is called by My Name, I have created for My glory (Isa. 43:1, 7).

That they may see, know, consider and understand, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it (Isa. 41:20).

In the day that thou wast created, they were prepared; thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, until perversity was found in thee (Ezek. 28:13, 15):

these things are concerning the king of Tyre.

Jehovah that createth the heavens, that spreadeth abroad the earth, that giveth breath unto the people upon it (Isa. 42:5; 45:12, 18).

Behold I create a new heaven and a new earth; be ye glad to eternity in that which I create: behold I will create Jerusalem a rejoicing (Isa. 65:17-18).

As the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall stand before Me (Isa. 66:22).

I saw a new heaven and a new earth: the former heaven and the former earth are passed away (Rev. 21:1).

We, according to promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein shall dwell righteousness (2 Peter 3:13).

From these passages it is now manifest what is spiritually meant in the first chapter of Genesis, by the verses,

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth; and the earth was waste and empty (Gen. 1:1-2).

The earth's being said to be "waste and empty," signifies that there was no longer any good of life or truth of doctrine with its inhabitants. That "wasteness" and "emptiness" signify the lack of those two essentials of the Church, will be established in Proposition IV of this volume, respecting the Israelitish Church, by a thousand passages from the Word: at present let the following in Jeremiah serve for some illustration:

I saw the earth, when, behold, it was vacant and empty; and [I looked] towards the heavens, when their light was not. Thus said Jehovah, The whole earth shall be wasteness; for this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above shall be made black (Jer. 4:23, 27-28).

1141. Merchandise of gold and silver.- That this signifies the goods and truths of the Word, of doctrine, and of the Church, in general all profaned by them, thus all evils and falsities in general, from which they derive gain, is evident from the signification of merchandise, which denotes all those things by which gain is acquired, and, when used in reference to the Church, signifies all evils and falsities, concerning which see just above (n. 1139); from the signification of gold and silver, which denote goods and truths (see above, n. 242), but here, these profaned, and thus evils and falsities, because they belong to Babylon. For when the goods and truths of the Word are profaned, they are no longer goods and truths, but evils and falsities; they are profaned by falsifications and adulterations, and by a corresponding life. The nature, source, and quality of profanation, may be seen above (n. 1045-1099). The reason why all things in general are signified by merchandise of gold and silver, is, that in the following parts of this verse the profaned goods and truths are enumerated, which are specifically evils and falsities, and are signified by precious stone, pearl, fine linen, crimson, silk, scarlet, thyme wood, vessels of ivory, vessels of precious wood, brass, iron, and marble. The reason why all things of the Word, of doctrine, and of the Church, are signified by the things named in this verse, is, that those things which are enumerated in the following verse signify all things of worship, and those in verse 14, all things pertaining to effects. From these considerations it is clear, that by the merchandise of gold and silver are signified here the goods and truths of the Word, of doctrine, and of the Church, in general all profaned by them, thus all evils and falsities in general from which they acquire gain.

[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed, and concerning the Lord.- The third law of Divine Providence is, That to think and speak truth, and to will and do good, from freedom according to reason, are not from man, but from the Lord; and to think and speak falsity, and to will and do what is evil from freedom, are not from man, but from hell, yet in such a way that evil and falsity are thence; but freedom itself regarded in itself, and the very faculty of thinking, willing, speaking, and doing, regarded in themselves, are from the Lord. That all good that is good in itself, and all truth that is truth in itself, are not from man, but from the Lord, may be comprehended by the understanding from this fact, that the light which proceeds from the Lord as the Sun, is the Divine Truth of His Divine Wisdom, and that the heat which also proceeds from the Lord as the Sun, is the Divine Good of His Divine Love; and since man is the recipient of these, it follows, that all the good which is of love, and all the truth which is of wisdom, are not from man but from the Lord. But that all evil and all falsity are not from man, but from hell, is a proposition, which not having been heard of before, has not been made an article of faith, like the proposition that good and truth are not from man. But it is an appearance that evil and falsity are from man, and if it is believed, it is a fallacy. This cannot be comprehended, until the nature of hell is known, and how it can enter by influx with evil and falsity on the one hand, as the Lord enters by influx with what is good and truth on the other. We shall, therefore, first show of whom hell consists, and what is its nature and origin; how, also, it enters by influx and acts against good, and thus, how man, who is between heaven and hell, is acted upon as a mere recipient on both sides.