1. THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION

Containing THE UNIVERSAL THEOLOGY OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW CHURCH

THE FAITH OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW CHURCH

This faith is presented at the outset in its general and in its particular form. It is so presented that it may serve as a preface to the whole work which follows, as a gateway, as it were, by which entrance is made to a temple, and as an epitome in which the subsequent details are duly summarized. It is said to be "The Faith of the New Heaven and the New Church" because heaven, where angels are, and the Church, in which men are, act as one like the internal and the external with man. Hence it is that the member of the Church, who is in the good of love from the truths of faith, and in the truths of faith from the good of love, is an angel of heaven as to the interiors of his mind. Thus he enters into heaven after death, and there enjoys happiness according to the degree in which those principles are united in him. It should therefore be known that this faith in its summary form is the index and gateway of the new heaven now being formed by the Lord.

528. VI. ACTUAL REPENTANCE CONSISTS IN A MAN'S EXAMINING HIMSELF, RECOGNIZING AND ACKNOWLEDGING HIS SINS, PRAYING TO THE LORD, AND BEGINNING A NEW LIFE.

That repentance is absolutely necessary, and that man's salvation depends on it, may be clearly seen from many passages and plain declarations of the Lord in the Word, of which the following will be here adduced:

John preached the baptism of repentance and said, "Bring forth... fruits worthy of repentance," Luke 3:3, 8; Mark 1:4.

"Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent" Matthew 4:17. And he said, because the kingdom of God is at hand: "Repent ye" Mark 1:14-15;

again,

"Except ye repent, ye shall all... perish" Luke 13:5.

Jesus instructed His disciples "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations" Luke 24:47; Mark 6:12.

Then Peter preached repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38; and he also said, "Repent ye... and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" Acts 3:19.

Paul preached to all men everywhere that they should repent, Acts 17:30.

Paul also "Showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" Acts 26:20; and testified "both to the Jews, and also to the Gentiles, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" Acts 20:21.

The Lord also said to the Church at Ephesus,

"I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love... repent... or else I... will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" Revelation 2:4-5;

and to the Church in Pergamos,

"I know thy works... Repent" Revelation 2:13, 16;

and to the Church in Thyatira,

I will cast her into great tribulation, except she repent of her deeds, Revelation 2:22;

and to the Church of the Laodiceans,

"I know thy works... be zealous therefore, and repent," Revelation 3:15, 19;

and in another place,

"There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth," Luke 15:7.

There are other passages to the same purpose; and from all these it is evident that repentance is absolutely necessary; but the nature and the manner of repentance will be explained in what follows.

201. (4) THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD HAS HITHERTO BEEN UNKNOWN.

That all things in nature, both general and particular, and also all things in the human body, correspond to spiritual things is shown in the work "Heaven and Hell," (87-105). What correspondence is, however, has hitherto been unknown; yet in most ancient times it was very well known, for to those who lived then the science of correspondences was the science of sciences, and was so universal that all their treatises and books were written by correspondences. The Book of Job, a book of the Ancient Church, is full of correspondences. The hieroglyphics of the Egyptians and the myths of antiquity were of a like nature. All the ancient Churches were representative of spiritual things; the ceremonies and also the statutes on which their worship was founded, consisted of pure correspondences. Of a like nature were all the things of the Church established among the Children of Israel; their burnt-offerings, their sacrifices, their meat-offerings and their drink-offerings, with all things connected with them, were correspondences. So also was the tabernacle, with everything in it; and likewise their feasts, as the feasts of unleavened bread, the feast of tabernacles, and the feast of the first fruits; and also the priesthood of Aaron and the Levites, and their holy garments. What the spiritual things were to which all these corresponded is shown in the "Arcana Caelestia," published in London. Moreover, all the statutes and judgments relating to their worship and life were also correspondences. Now because Divine things manifest themselves in the world in correspondences, therefore the Word was written by pure correspondences. Therefore also the Lord, since He spoke from the Divine, spoke by correspondences. For whatever proceeds from the Divine manifests itself in nature in such things as correspond to what is Divine; and these things then have stored up within them Divine things called celestial and spiritual.