Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) #23
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).
Mark 4
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And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
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And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
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Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
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And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
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And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
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But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
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And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
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And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
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And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
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And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
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And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
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That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
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And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
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And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
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And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
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And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
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And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
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And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
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And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
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And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
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For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
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If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
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And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
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For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
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And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
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And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
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For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
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But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
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And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
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It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
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But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
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And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
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But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
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And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
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And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
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And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
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And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
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And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
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And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
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And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
