Title Unspecified 1980

Title Unspecified Editor 1980

January, 1980

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED FO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

New Church Life               1

LIFE-100                    2

The Temporal and the Eternal
     A New Years Sermon on DP 214-270     Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh     3

Simultaneous Order
     An Address to the Council of the Clergy     Rev. Erik Sandstrom     9

New Church Radio
     Inauguration and Two Radio Addresses     Rev. Harold C. Cranch     21

Editorial Department
     "Away with the Old and On with the New . . . "     31
     "Ten Points of Difference     Rev. Robert S. Junge     33
     Experience          Rev. Mark Carlson     35

Church News
     Charter Day     Leon S. Rhodes     37
     Central Midwestern District     Rev. J. Clark Echols, Jr.     39

Announcements
     Births, Confirmation, Betrothals, Marriages, Deaths 42

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BY

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Rev. Ormond Odhner, Acting Editor. Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Business Manager

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February, 1980

Prayer
     A Sermon on I Kings 8:30     Rev. Roy Franson     45

Don't Stay Angry     Stephen Gladish     51

The Account of the Lord's Birth as Related in the Old Testament and in the New
     Rt. Rev. George deCharms     56

The Literal and Spiritual Sense of the Word     Rev. Norman Reuter     62

Eldric S. Klein
     A Memorial Address     Rev. Kurt S. Asplundh     69

Pure Love-A Dialogue     Rev. Frank S. Rose     75

Editorial Department
     Notes on this Issue
     First Reaction-Second Thought
          (Guest Editorial by Rev. Morley D. Rich)     80
     Communication-Second Recording     Edna F. Schnarr     81

Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmation, Betrothals, Deaths     83
     Midwest Academy Admission Applications     84

March, 1980

Positive Uses of the Holy Supper
     A Sermon on John 6: 53-58
          Rev. Morley D. Rich     85

The Holiness or Wholeness of the Lord's Supper Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs     90
Eating in Company     Rev. Donald L. Rose     94
Exercises in Freedom     Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom     99
The Doctrine of Permission I     Rev. Dandridge Pendleton     111
Anger     Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson     120

Editorial Department
     On Death and Dying     126
     The Living Will     128

Church News     129

Announcements
     Ordination, Baptisms, Betrothals, Marriages, Deaths     131

April, 1980

True Conscience and Mental Health
     A Sermon on John 5:31, 32     Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs     133

The Doctrine of Permission II     Rev. Dandridge Pendleton     141

Common Cause     Edward F. Allen     148

Memories that Hurt     Rev. Donald L. Rose     154

Ormond deCharms Odhner
     A Memorial Address     Rt. Rev. Louis B. King     156

Editorial Department
     Posting it All Together     165
     Notes on this Issue     166
     My Wife Thinks There's Men on the Moon     John M. Davidson     167
     Historical Viewpoint     Margaret Worcester Briggs     170
     The Good News Bible     Kurt and Kathy Simons     172

Church News

Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Betrothals, Marriages, Deaths, General Assembly Program, Academy of the New Church Calendar and Joint Meeting, Council of the Clergy Program     176

May, 1980

Thy Kingdom Come
     A Sermon on TCR 791     Rt. Rev. Louis B. King     155

The Divine Inspiration of Emanuel Swedenborg     Rev. Ormond Odhner     191

The Doctrine of Permission III     Rev. Dandridge Pendleton     196

How Did You Die?     Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom     205

It Hurt, But Now     Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz     208

Annual Reports of the General Church
     Corporation     Stephen Pitcairn     212
     Treasurer     Leonard S. Gyllenhaal     215

Editorial Department
     The Breath of Life     219
     "The New Church in France"     222
     "Pure love"          Humus's Friend     224
     Reflective Notes on Don't Stay Angry, NCL Feb. 1980     Stephen Gladish     224
     Away With the Old          Tim Liquori     226

Church News     228

Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Betrothals, Marriages, Blessing on a Marriage, Deaths, Addresses Unknown 229

June, 1980

The White Horse
     A Sermon on Rev. 19: 1     Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh     231

New Jerusalem Coming Down
     A Dedication Address     Rep. Erik Sandstrom, Sr.     237

Dedication Weekend for the Denver Circle     Peggy (Klippentein) Andrews     243

Some Questions about the 19th of June     Rev. Douglas M. Taylor     245

The Divine Inspiration of Emanuel Swedenborg, Part II
     Rev. Ormond Odhner     256

How Many "Last Judgments" Have There Been?     Rt. Rev. George deCharms     265

At Eventide     Rev. Clayton Priestnal     268

C-100     272

Editorial Department
     The Breath of Life II     275
     A Note of Clarification     Rev. Mark Carlson 278

Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Betrothals, Marriages, Deaths, Ministerial Changes     279

July, 1980

Walk While Ye Have the Light
     A Sermon on John 12: 35     Rev. Norbert H. Rogers     283

Dreams, Visions and Sleep, Part I
     Introduction     Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr     289

Additions to the Swedenborg
     Concordance     Rev. Donald L. Rose     295

General Church Annual Reports (continued).
     Extension Committee     Douglas M. Taylor     299
     New Church Life     Morley D. Rich     302
     Translation Committee     Bruce Rogers     303
     Publications Committee     Lorentz R. Soneson     307
     Religion Lessons      Lorentz R. Soneson     308
     Schools Committee     Frederick L. Schnarr     310
     Sound Recording Committee     Douglas M. Taylor     311
     Orphanage Committee     Robert F. Zecher     312

Editorial Department
     Affirmation Opens the Mind          313
     Changes, Changes          315
     "Historical Viewpoint"      Norbert H. Rogers     316
     Earths in the Universe     Erik E. Sandstrom          317

Church News     319

Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Betrothals, Marriages, Deaths     328

C-100     329

August

Guilt
     A Sermon on Psalm 32: 5     Rev Peter M. Buss     31

Idealism and the Rites Of the Church     Rt. Rev. Louis B King     335

Dreams, Visions and Sleep     Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr     349

Innocence vs. the Prevention of Offspring     Rev. Stephen D. Cole     356

Declarations of Faith and Purpose     364
     by Candidates Kenneth J. Alden, John L. Odhner, Louis D. Synnestvedt.

Editorial Department
     Helen and the Saints     367
     "How Many Last Judgments?"     Patricia Rose     370
     Humus's Friend     372
     Thinking about Moon-Dwellers     Norman J. Berridge     372

Announcements
     Ordinations, Baptisms, Confirmations, Betrothals, Marriages, Deaths, Ministerial Changes     375

September, 1980

Strength In Courage
     A Sermon on     Joshua 1: 9     Rev. Walter E. Orthwein      379

The Divine Promise:
     Abraham to Joseph     Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs 384

Idealism And The Rites Of The Church     Rt. Rev. Louis B. King     394

Dreams, Visions and Sleep     Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr     404

Leadership In New Church Education     Rev. Erie H. Carswell     411

In Our Contemporaries          415

Journal of the Twenty-Eighth General Assembly          416

Assembly Impressions and Notes     Rev. Morley D. Rich     419

Editorial Department
     Back To School     422

Church News     424

Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Betrothals, Marriages, Deaths     427
     Charter Day          429

October, 1980

The Lord God Jesus Christ Doth Reign
     A Sermon on John 14: 20     Rt. Rev. Louis B. King     431

The Importance of Delight     Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh     436

Dreams, Visions and Sleep     Rev, Frederick L. Schnarr     447

The Men upon the Planet, Moon     James S. Brush     455

Delight in the New Church     Sarah J. Headsten     461

Directory of the General Church     464

In Our Contemporaries     473

Editorial Department
     You are one of the Handicapped     475
     Miss Keller Among New Church Friends     477
     William Cookworthy     479

Church News     481

Announcements

Baptisms, Betrothal, Marriages, Deaths     482

November, 1980

Laughter
     A Sermon on Gen. 18: 21     Rev. Cedric King     483

Dreams, Visions and Sleep
     Part V     Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr     487

Some Comments on the Girls' School     Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton 496

Ghana     499
     The Reception of the New Church in     Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard
     Another Trip to          Jeremy Simons

Ten Years of Laurel Leaf Academy     Jack Rose 509

Receiving the Lord's Forgiveness     Rev. Daniel Goodenough     514

Annual Report of the Secretary of the General Church
     Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson     517

Editorial Department
     Give Thanks for Your Faculties     523
     "Prevention of Offspring"     Kristin O. Carlson     524
     "Memories that Hurt"     Chris Q. Horner     527

Church News
     C-100     431

Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Betrothals, Marriages, Blessing on a Marriage, Deaths     544

December, 1980

The Glory of the Lord
     A Sermon on Isaiah 40:5          Rev. Frank S. Rose     535

The Coming of the Savior     Rev. Roy Franson     538

The Literal Story Of The Wise Men     Rev. William H. Clifford     539

Dreams, Visions and Sleep     Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr     544

The Hillside Chapel, Baltimore (Photograph)      553

Knowing Yourself     Hyland R. Johns     554

New Church Education Of Boys and Girls     Rt. Rev. George De Charms     557

Annual Council Meetings
     Council of the Clergy     Rev. B. David Holm     561
     Joint Council      Rev. L. R. Soneson     570

Clergy Reports
     Report of the Executive Bishop     Rt. Rev. Louis King     577
     Council of the Clergy     Rev. B David Holm     579

Local Schools Directory          586

Editorial Department
     "Call His Name Jesus"     589
     "The Prevention of Offspring"     Rev. Glenn G. Alden     593

Announcements
     Baptisms, Confirmations, Betrothals, Marriages, Deaths     596
     Two New Societies, Atlanta and Kempton     598

NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. C
JANUARY, 1980
No. 1
NEW CHURCH LIFE
     A few years ago, about thirty of the young people connected with the New Church in Philadelphia, formed a Club for intellectual and social culture. In the fall of 1879 they began a Manuscript Paper for their own use. In its contents, the paper was somewhat miscellaneous, treating of topics doctrinal, literary and social. Some of the articles were intended to instruct and others merely to amuse. Of the later numbers of the periodical, manuscript copies were made and sent to friends in other cities. The paper met with so favorable a reception that its continuance was called for. This led to the conclusion that its sphere might profitably be enlarged so as to embrace the Young People of the New Church generally. Measures were accordingly taken to print and publish the paper, and as the result, we herewith present the first number of "NEW CHURCH LIFE." Devoted to the interests of the Young People of the New Church, our journal will, we hope, satisfy a great want in our literature. The NEW CHURCH LIFE will be very similar in its character to the manuscript paper; only that the Department of Correspondence and Church News will be greatly enlarged. As formerly, contributions will, for the most part, be from the young people themselves.
     The NEW CHURCH LIFE is to be thoroughly and distinctively a New Church paper, designed to promote the culture of the Young People in the doctrines and life of the Church; thus, if possible, leading them to embrace fervently the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem as the only means of becoming true men and women.
     And, finally, by bringing the Young People into closer relations with one another, the NEW CHURCH LIFE, it is hoped, will become an ultimate of that bond of love which must always exist among those whose one great aim is to become useful members of the New Church which, in heaven and on earth, is "the Crown of all Churches."

     LIFE - 100

     Although it does not reach its actual 100th birthday until January, 1881, NEW CHURCH LIFE begins its 100th year of publication with this issue. That is something of a record for a New Church periodical, but it does not make LIFE the oldest magazine in the Church. (Convention's Messenger, sometimes under slightly different names, began publication in 1853.)
     Originally LIFE was published quarto size (pages exactly twice the size of this), and its material was printed double column. It is the material found in the first column of the first page for January, 1881, that is reprinted on page 1 of our current issue-printed in the same typeface that was used then-the material that announces the birth and the hopes of this new "young people's magazine."
     A New Church young people's magazine! LIFE started out that way, and at least in name it continued as such for more than a decade; but it very rapidly became more than that.
     It started out, in fact, as a private venture of "the young people of the New Church in Philadelphia," and its editorial board consisted of five young men, whose names and ages follow: Andrew Czerny, 27; Charles P. Stuart, 19; E. J. E. Schreck, 22; George G. Starkey, 21; and E. P. Anshutz, 35. (Three of these-Czerny, Schreck, and Starkey-were ministers or were training to become ministers.)
     Even in its first year of publication, however, LIFE was obviously becoming more than a young people's magazine, and was already being recognized throughout the Church as the standard-bearer of the so- called "Academy movement" or "Academy position" that upheld the full Divine authority of the revelation given by the Lord at His second advent in the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, that is, in "the Writings." From that position, LIFE has never deviated, and as long as it has life, it never will.

* * * * * *

     It is my hope to publish bits and pieces of the history, growth, trials, and tribulations of NEW CHURCH LIFE during the coming issues of LIFE-100.
     Ormond Odhner
          acting editor

TEMPORAL AND THE ETERNAL 1980

TEMPORAL AND THE ETERNAL Rev. KURT H. ASPLUNDH 1980

     A NEW YEAR SERMON
     The Divine Providence looks to eternal things and to temporal things only so jar as they agree with eternal things DP 214-220, heading

     As we begin a new calendar year let us turn our thoughts to a comparison of temporal and eternal things and the Lord's government in both. Our text drawn from the Writings concerns the nature of the Lord's government and reveals a principle of Divine rule that we must know to maintain our faith in the Lord.
     Our first faith in the Lord is the simple and true belief that the Lord rules the universe and everything in it. This is what He told His disciples: "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." As children we learn of the Lord's miracles which show His power. He showed the power necessary to control the wind and sea, to heal incurable diseases, to cast out devils, and even to give life to the dead.
     Yet, as we mature and become aware of the many disorderly, unjust and evil circumstances in the world our simple faith is tried. We have been taught that the Lord is all-powerful, omnipotent. We have been taught that the Lord wills or wants only what is good. What then is the explanation of the situation we find so often in the world around us? Why does the Lord permit wars? Why do we find injustice and inequity among men? How long will disease, poverty, crime, and other manifestations of evil bring grief and tragedy to mankind? If the Lord is truly omnipotent, why doesn't He establish peace and order? Why doesn't He heal the sick world as He healed the lepers and the paralyzed in Galilee? Why doesn't He cast out sin and evil as He cast out the legion of devils? Surely this is His desire. And if He has all power to accomplish His eternal ends, what reason does He have to allow these contrary circumstances to continue?
     It is thoughts such as these which may lead some men to doubt there is a God after all, and to deny that there is a Divine government ruling over the affairs of men. This is the reason the Lord has now revealed Himself in the Writings. Here, He has revealed the nature of His power, and the wise ways in which His government works for the accomplishment of His Divine ends. He has given us a rational understanding of His ways.

And with this understanding we can resist the spirit of denial which attacks our faith in the Lord.
     The truth is that the Lord does have a perfect knowledge of all that happens and all that is to come. He knows the fall of every sparrow, He numbers the very hairs of our head. How much more then is He aware of all human affairs, for men are of more value than many sparrows. It is true, also, that the Lord governs the affairs of men. Nor is His rule or power over only the generals of life, as that of an earthly king who knows the general strength of his armies, but cannot know the particular strengths or weaknesses of each soldier in his ranks. The government of the Lord is over every least particular thing. The Lord foresees and provides for every turn of our thought and every effort of will. He governs every least happening of our lives even to such a degree that it may be said that there is no such thing as chance or luck.
     If all this is true, we may ask why the world is not a better place, and why our life is flawed. The answer is to be found in the text: "The Divine providence looks to eternal things-and to temporal things only so far as they agree with eternal things."* This is a law of Divine government, infinitely deep and universally applicable. It requires explanation and illustration if we are to see its wisdom and its wonder.
     * DP 214.
     Even the idea of eternal things challenges our understanding. Temporal things we know-things which perish with time, or have importance to us only during our life on earth. Such things are many and varied, but they relate to our position in life, and to our wealth and possession. If we lived in the natural world alone without the expectation of eternal life, temporal things would be all-important. Our physical comfort, the security of riches, and the dignity and satisfactions of position would be our goals. Not only would these be our goals, but they would be the gift of our God. The God of such a creation would seek to bless all men with natural or temporal rewards, and He would govern the affairs of life to assure us of these things.
     But the fact is that we have been created for life eternal. Eternal things therefore are of greater importance to us than temporal. These are such things as man carries with him after the death of the body and are related to love and wisdom. These are the treasures of heaven: delights of charity, love of use, conjugial love, and innumerable others. The Lord offers these eternal things to man. It is the end and purpose of His Divine providence to reward man with eternal gifts. That is why it is said that the Divine providence looks to eternal things. These are the things that are important in the sight of the Lord, not the temporal things of earthly life. Sometimes temporal blessings are joined with eternal blessings, and lead a man to his spiritual rewards.

Often, however, the temporal conflicts with or obscures the eternal and cannot be given by the Lord. Therefore, the Lord, with a higher mercy that we can appreciate, may allow us in our earthly life to endure hardship, disappointment, insecurity, and grief. The Divine providence looks to eternal things-and to temporal things only so far as they agree with eternal things. If this seems abstract, it may be brought down to a concrete illustration from the Word of the New Testament.
     We read how a man came to the Lord with a temporal concern-a matter of money.. "Master," he said, "speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me."* Here is an example of a typical situation. A desire for riches leads to a disagreement. Two men have quarreled about how to divide the family wealth. Both want the inheritance for themselves. It will, they believe, contribute to their happiness. It was with the hope of such temporal happiness that the man came to the Lord to ask Him to intercede with his brother for a fair division of the money.
     * Luke 12: 13.
     The man regarded the Lord as having some authority and power to do this, for he called Him "Master." The Lord's answer gave the man no satisfaction, however. He said, "Who made Me a judge or a divider over you?" The Lord later said the same thing in other words: "My kingdom is not of this world." He took no action.
     It is not the Lord's purpose to be Master over purely temporal matters. While these matters are surely a concern to Him, and while He does not wish to see men suffer and grieve on account of them, He knows that there are worse things. Therefore He taught His disciples: "Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him."*
     * Luke 12: 4 ff.
     We are not told what was the reaction of the man who came seeking a judgment against his brother. We may well imagine that he turned away angry or contemptuous. Perhaps he thought to himself: "This man is no Master in Israel. He has no authority. He is nothing but a pretender." Such thoughts would not be unlikely, for we often think the same. We lay the blame against the Lord for failure to correct some temporal concern that affects us. We may ask of the Lord, "Why do you allow me to be unjustly treated? Why do I deserve this grief? Why don't You grant me what I want?" When we come to the Lord with such thoughts, we are seeking to make Him but a judge and a divider over our temporal concerns.

We are thinking of Him in purely natural terms. And because He will not answer us in like terms we may well reject Him. We may turn away with the words of denial upon our lips, "I know Him not."
     And truly, we do not know our God if we think of Him only in this way. That is why the Lord has revealed Himself in new terms as Divine Man.
     The Jews knew the Lord only as "Judge of all the earth." The Laws He had revealed in the Old Testament were applied to the temporal affairs of the people. The masters of Israel knew how inheritances were to be divided. Moral laws and ethical behavior are plainly set forth. But what these masters did not know was the higher reality-that which the Lord came to reveal-that the life is more than meat and the body than raiment; that life is eternal.
     So it was in the case of the man who came asking about the inheritance that the Lord refused to make a judgment. He wished to show here, as in all of His teachings and actions, that He was concerned with those things which do not pass away with time, those things of the human spirit which form a part of man's eternal character. He came to show that the Divine government looks to eternal things and regards temporal things only as they have some bearing on what is eternal.
     The case here was that the temporal matter also involved an eternal matter. Thus, after refusing to give a temporal judgment in the proper division of the inheritance, the Lord proceeded to a judgment of far more importance, one that would affect the man's eternal welfare. He said to all those that were present: "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."* The man thought his happiness would be assured by possession of a share of the inheritance. The Lord knew better. The Lord knew that his eternal happiness would be assured only if it were not destroyed by a covetous attitude. Was it not covetousness that was the real problem the man brought to the Lord? The man himself did not realize this, but the Lord did. Suppose the Lord had done as the man had asked Him. Would this have been a satisfactory solution? Would not these brothers have remained selfish, dissatisfied, and unfriendly no matter how justly the inheritance was divided between them? But now the Lord taught them to beware and shun an attitude that is spiritually damaging. Insofar as they faced this eternal problem and conquered it, the temporal problem would dissolve into easy solution. The men would be left contented and friendly.
     * Luke 12: 15.

     So too, with us. The Lord gives us genuine aid when He raises our thought from temporal to eternal things. When He lifts our minds out of a sole concern for things of this world and the things of self, which so often trouble us, He makes us aware of our spiritual needs. We are mistaken if we believe that the Divine providence of the Lord looks to temporal things alone. Fortunate, indeed, is that man who can replace this inadequate idea of God and of His government with a true idea. If we come to recognize that the Divine providence looks to what is eternal and to what is temporal only when it agrees with what is eternal, we can have renewed faith. Instead of denying God, and turning away from His mercy, we can look to Him for instruction and guidance. We can use the Divine power to meet those problems of life that bring grief to the soul, and which can destroy both soul and body in hell.
     There would seem to be application of this principle to the present state of religion, or religious attitudes in the world-including those found in the New Church. We often look to our religion for some solution to the problems of life. We insist that our religion be relevant to our life and our time. In this there seems to exist the spirit of the man who came to the Lord seeking a just division of the inheritance. But solutions to life's problems which fail to strike at the root causes of these problems will fail to improve the quality of life.
     When the church has no immediate solutions, many turn away. In doing so, however, men reject that which is most relevant to their welfare and eternal happiness. They reject the Divine doctrine which may reveal the eternal purposes of life and the true nature of the Divine government.
     It is true that the doctrines of the New Church have been given for the sake of life. They should be seen to apply to life. But there is a difference between application to temporal life and application to eternal life. We may not find in the pages of the Writings direct application to the temporal concerns of our lives today. What we will find are teachings that reveal deep-seated attitudes of contempt, hatred, lust of dominion, love of the world, and pleasure, boundless storge, pride, and countless other evils which must be shunned as sins against God. And it is the subjugation of these evil attitudes in the life of regeneration which alone can result in the final solution to the ills of humanity and society.
     What we think to be relevant depends upon what we love. That which promotes what we love, or what we strongly desire, seems most relevant to us. This we give our utmost attention and interest. If our love is purely natural, looking to the betterment of life in this world, we will seek for such knowledges and theories as seem to best answer our needs.

These are not to be found in the Word. The Word has been given, rather, to reverse our loves. By awakening us to the reality of spiritual life, in contrast to purely natural life, the Word can arouse a new interest in us. We may thus be imbued with a love of the spiritual truth which is relevant to eternal life. And as we seek to attain unto life eternal, the truths of the Word which are the means to its attainment will increasingly become more important and their application to our lives will become more apparent.
     To neglect the truths of the Word, and to ignore them as unimportant, is to be like that so-called "rich man" whose barns were filled with this world's goods, who said to himself: Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him as He will to us also: "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."*
     * Luke 12: 20.
     Let us pray, then, that the new year may bring us more than a share of this world's goods and pleasures, that it may find us seeking, with renewed zeal, for the water of life which the Lord gives freely to all who come to Him; and that' that water of life may become in us a well of water springing up into eternal life, Amen.

LESSONS:     Psalm 10. Luke 12: 1-7, 13-21. Arcana Coelestia 8717: 2, 3.
TEMPORAL THINGS AND ETERNAL THINGS 1980

TEMPORAL THINGS AND ETERNAL THINGS 1980

Temporal things are all things which are proper to nature, and things from these proper to man. Things proper to nature are especially spaces and times, both having limit and termination; and things derived from them proper to man are those things that belong to his own will and to his own understanding, and consequently to his affection and thought, and especially to his prudence. It is well known that these are finite, and limited. Eternal things, on the other hand, are all things which are proper to the Lord, and, while from Him, are as it were proper to man. Things proper to the Lord are all infinite and eternal, and consequently without limit and end. Things derived from these, and as it were proper to man, are likewise en finite and eternal; yet nothing of these is man's, but they belong to the Lord alone in man. Divine Providence 219.

SIMULTANEOUS ORDER* 1980

SIMULTANEOUS ORDER* Rev. Erik Sandstrom 1980

     * An address to the Council of Clergy, March, 1979. Ed. Note: At times Mr. Sandstrom's address is "hard reading," but I would highly recommend it to any real student of the Writings who wishes to understand discrete degrees, continuous degrees and simultaneous order and successive order.

     In this study I should first like to review the general teachings about discrete and continuous degrees and about successive and simultaneous order. Afterwards I will say something about the application of these teachings to the mind; then to the spiritual world; then to the Word; and finally to the Lord Himself.

I. General Teachings

     The first thing to establish is that simultaneous order must not be confused with continuous degrees. That unfortunately is frequently done, and if done the whole dynamics of the doctrine is of necessity lost.
     The concepts that ought to be compared together are on the one hand discrete degrees and continuous degrees, and on the other successive order and simultaneous order. Order is a term assigned with a view to describing the function of degrees, and is not a substitute for the term degree.
     The best known general doctrine is of course that discrete degrees relate as end, cause, and effect; while continuous degrees compare as that which is more or less of the same thing. For example, the electricity that produces light stands in a discrete relationship to that light; but the greater light close to the source becomes continuously more and more diminished according to the distance from that source. There is no cause and effect relationship between more light or less light, since the cause in either case is the electricity that produces the light, and the light source is the same whether I am close to it or far away.
     Using again the example of light we can see the presence of simultaneous order. At this time we expand the example to include the generator of electricity; and we get the generator as the first cause, and then the electricity as the middle cause, and finally the light produced as the effect. In successive order we think of one of these three things at a time: The generator is there, and has its own mechanism, and functions according to its own conditions; then there is the electricity, which is the operating influx that proceeds at great speed from the generating source; and finally we have the reaction in the filaments of the lamp bulb, by which the effect, namely, light, is produced.

     In simultaneous order, on the other hand, we have the generating power, the inflowing electricity, and the resulting light, all in one view, and all simultaneously present in the effect-light. The discreteness of these three is in no way taken away by the simultaneity of the operation. Really, too, the effect would instantly cease, if the two prior discrete degrees were to be cut off from the plane of the effect. The generating power and the inflowing current are discretely and simultaneously present in the lighted lamp.
     We therefore keep the concept of discreteness distinct from that of continuity, and the idea of order distinct from that of degree.
     A most comprehensive teaching concerning successive and simultaneous order is to be found in The Intercourse Between the Soul and the Body:

     Every operation is first successive and afterwards simultaneous. Successive operation is influx, and simultaneous operation is harmony; as when the mind thinks and afterwards speaks, or when it wills and afterwards acts. It is therefore a fallacy of reason to establish simultaneous operation and to exclude successive.*
     * Infl. 1:e; emphasis added.

     Then we find specific teachings in scattered places in the Writings, notably in Divine Love and Wisdom. First we note: In successive order the first degree makes the highest, and the third the lowest; but in simultaneous order the first degree makes the innermost, and the third the outermost.* That same number goes on to give a further explanation:
     * DLW 250, heading.

     There is successive order and simultaneous order. The successive order of these degrees is from highest to lowest, or from top to bottom. The angelic heavens are in this order; the third heaven there is the highest, the second is the middle, and the first is the lowest; such is their relative situation. In like successive order are the states of love and wisdom with the angels there, also states of heat and light, and of the spiritual atmospheres. In like order are all the perfections of the forms and forces there. When degrees of height, that is, discrete degrees, are in successive order, they may be compared to a column divided into three stories, through which ascent and descent are made. In the upper rooms are things most perfect and most beautiful; in the middle rooms, things less perfect and beautiful; in the lowest, things still less perfect and beautiful. But simultaneous order, which consists of like degrees, has another appearance. In it, the highest things of successive order, which are (as we said above) the most perfect and most beautiful, are in the inmost, the lower things are in middle, and the lowest in the circumference. They are as in a solid body composed of these three degrees: in the middle or center are the finest parts, round about this are parts less fine, and in the extremes which constitute the circuniference are the parts composed of these and which are therefore grosser.

It is like the column mentioned just above subsiding into a plane, the highest part of which forms the innermost of the plane, the middle forms the middle, and the lowest the outermost.*
     * DLW 250.

     This teaching gives what I would describe as the structural concept of the general doctrine. It is almost like a graph. Then it calls upon us to remove the static picture, and to substitute a vision of the life activity of the degrees-not confining such activity to the successive order, but most certainly retaining the concept in the simultaneous order as well. In fact, a specific challenge for us is to realize that successive order is not essentially a matter of time sequence, although a time element is present in the operation of such order in the natural world and even in the natural mind. In the Divine order of influx there is no time. We are then speaking only of a succession of forces, but in point of time these always operate simultaneously. It is a help for us to think first in terms of time, but in true philosophy the time element should be removed.
     Perhaps we see this the most clearly if, as a temporary aid for our understanding, we think so to speak from below. The effect cannot possibly exist, unless the two prior degrees are at the same time present in it, that is, unless there is a constantly renewed influx into it, thus a constant operation by successive order. The simultaneous exists after the influx has arrived; but the successive keeps operating unceasingly until it arrives, and arrives again and again. Accordingly we have the familiar teaching that if the Divine would for a single moment withdraw its influx from the things of creation, then those things would instantly perish, and in fact altogether vanish.
     Involved in all this is the striking and perhaps startling concept that "higher" and "lower" are not terms truly descriptive of the actual reality of things, but rather are taken from the language of appearances. In the spiritual world there no spatial "higher" or "lower." Neither is there any "higher" or "lower" in any philosophy. For example, the generating power is not spatially higher than the flow of electricity, nor is this flow higher than the light-giving glow in the filaments of the lamp bulb. And as for the relationship between the spiritual and natural worlds, it too has nothing to do with height. The spiritual world is not "up there." Truly, the things belonging to the "higher" world (as we call it) are contained within the things of nature, and are constantly operating within nature according to simultaneous order.
     Accordingly we learn that in the Word, "'higher' signifies inner, and 'lower' signifies outer. 'Upwards' and 'downwards,' and 'high' and 'deep' have a like meaning."*

Of course that which is signified is the real thing, and that which signifies is the appearance.
     * DLW 206.
     Not surprisingly, therefore, the above summary teachings in the Divine Love and Wisdom go on to say: "In every outmost there are discrete degrees in simultaneous order" (DLW 207; emphasis added). In every outmost! The point is then illustrated by motor fibers and nerves, by seeds and the things within seeds, by the things in fruits, and by the parts in metals and stones. Then generalizing the point is put together thus: "The innermost, the middle, and the outermost elements of the parts exist in discrete degrees in simultaneous order], for they are successive compositions, that is, bundlings and massings together from simples that are their first substances or matters."*
     * DLW 207.
     And finally the point is made that since there are discrete degrees in simultaneous order in every outmost, therefore there are such degrees in every effect. The reason given is that "every outmost consists of things prior, and these of their firsts."* It is noted too that this law applies not only to the degrees of love and wisdom, and of heat and light, but also to "the organic forms of affections and thoughts in man."** We shall return later to this teaching.
     * DLW 208; emphasis added.
     ** Ibid.
     What then does the general doctrine concerning successive and simultaneous order tell us? Above all it tells us that the prior things that composed lower things, down to ultimates, are all, without change, present and active within their derivatives, and thus within all ultimates. We say 'without change,' because the discrete degrees of successive order, which produced the lower forms, and the discrete degrees of simultaneous order, which are contained within these lower forms, are the same.
     No wonder then that power is imparted to ultimates, and that power thus resides in ultimates. There was influx into ultimates; and then in those ultimates there is harmony (see passage quoted above, Infi. 1: e).
     So much for the general doctrine. Now for some specific applications, first to the mind.

II. The Mind

     We recall the distinction drawn in the Writings between the good of the natural and natural good. Both these kinds of good-and they are very different-operate on the natural level; but the one is spiritual in its essence, and the other natural. Two specific teachings will serve to define these kinds of good: "Natural domestic good is that good which a man derives from his parents, or into which he is born, quite distinct from the good of the natural which flows in from the Lord . . . ; and therefore for the sake of distinction the one good is called the Good of the Natural, and the other Natural Good."*

Again: "By the good of the natural . . . is meant a good which is spiritual in respect to its origin. Into this no one is born, but is led into it by the Lord through the knowledges of good and truth. Therefore until a man is in this good (that is, in spiritual good), he is not a man of the church, however much from a good that is born with him he may appear to be so."**
     * AC 3518.
     ** AC 4231.
     These teachings will tell us about a man who speaks and acts in the natural world, perhaps in many ways similarly to other men, but whose mind has been formed from heaven. His mind is spiritual in its essence, and it is this internal quality that flows into and is present in everything that man says and does; and not only in what he says and does, but also in all his thoughts and all his impulses or motivations to action. The spiritual quality of his mind is by simultaneous order present in these external conscious things with him.
     This is what is represented by the descent of Israel into Egypt, where was Joseph. The internal sense of Genesis 45 and following chapters deals with this matter. We quote from the summary of the general contents in Genesis 46: "In this chapter the subject treated of in the internal sense is the conjunction of the internal celestial which is 'Joseph,' with spiritual good from the natural which is 'Israel.' There are then enumerated the truths and goods of the church in their order, wherewith conjunction must afterwards be effected. The truths and goods of the church are Israel's sons and grandsons, who came into Egypt."*
     * AC 5994.
     The celestial Joseph with man, sometimes called the celestial of the spiritual, consists of the good of love in the remains implanted in the intellectual part of the mind. These remains constitute the antipode to the proprial affections which man has by inheritance. They are the very essence of conscience, and out of them from the Lord flow the things that are to produce a new natural man. For this to be done, however, Israel must come into Egypt; and that Israel is the conscious affections and new concepts that have gradually built up in the mind on the basis of the habits of doing what is good. No man is sensibly aware of the internal process whereby the change into such new affections and ideas comes about. All he knows is that he is to shun evils in his external man, and learn to do well in the life of that man. It is thus a state is forged in the external that is in correspondence with the descending forces that operate from the Lord from within. Israel goes to Egypt.

However, he does so reluctantly, just as man is reluctant to submit himself to the self-compulsion of going down into his external man in order that his soul may be given bread and live.
     In all this the teaching, given in another context, is true: "Act precedes, man's willing follows; for that which a man does from the understanding, he at last does from the will, and finally puts it on as a habit; and it is then insinuated in his rational or internal man.""
     I suggest that Joseph is the potential new rational ("Joseph is the celestial spiritual man itself, which is rational")* that Israel (formerly called Jacob) is the potential new middle natural; and that Egypt and the Pharaoh are the external natural, which is to be saved by means of Joseph and honored by the entry of Israel, the patriarch, into it.
     * AC 4286:3.
     The descent into Egypt, then, is the descent of internal things into external things; and it is there, in Egypt, that Joseph, Israel, and all the eleven brothers of Joseph are together. The actual ruler is Joseph; the symbolic ruler is Pharaoh, who as king represents the whole of the natural mind that is to be saved from death through starvation. Internal things are in simultaneous order in the lowest things of the mind, and these lowest things have their quality from the family of internal things.
     Organically speaking, an actual change is imposed on the substances of the mind. We know from the last number of the Divine Love and Wisdom that the two highest degrees, those belonging to the soul, are in a state of order; but that the natural degree is perverted. Regeneration is to change that. The Word from without, and remains from within, actually press a new form on the organics of the mind, so that that which was perverted becomes remote, and an orderly form takes its place.
     I have in mind a number of teachings relating to the organic substructure of the affections and thoughts within us, the most succinct being the following:

     Affections, which belong to the will, are mere changes of the state of the purely organic substances of the mind; and thoughts, which belong to the understanding, are mere changes and variations of the form of those substances; and memory is the permanent state of these changes and variations.*
     * DP 279:6.

     Earlier we touched on a reference to this matter in DLW 208, where the particular subject is simultaneous order. That reference reads more fully as follows:

     End makes the inmost, cause the middle, and effect the outmost. The same is true of degrees of love and wisdom, and of heat and light, also of the organic forms of affections and thoughts in man (as will be seen in what follows)* What follows is given in the next number, where we read:

As love and wisdom are not abstract things, but substance (as was shown above, n. 40-43), so in like manner are all things that are called civil, moral, and spiritual. These may be thought of abstractly from substances, yet in themselves they are not abstract; as for example, affection and thought, charity and faith, will and understanding; for it is the same with these as with love and wisdom, in that they are not possible outside of subjects which are substances, but are states of subjects, that is, of substances. That they are changes of these, presenting variations, will be seen in what follows. By substance is also meant form, for substance is not possible apart from form.**
     * DLW 208.
     ** DLW 209e.

     The point that emerges from this is that the organics of the mind are "successive compositions, that is, bundling and massings together from simples that are their first substances or matters."*
     * DLW 207.
     There is no question in my mind but that these and other teachings on the same subject give a real clue to the understanding of the doctrine concerning the limbus. The limbus is retained after death, and it seems clear that without it there would be no survival of the individual. Spiritual qualities, such as affections and thoughts, "are not possible outside of subjects which are substances, but are states of subjects, that is, of substances." Therefore, is not the limbus a form resulting from "successive compositions"? Is it not formed form inmost created substances, such as are from birth in a state of order, and from substances formed and organized in the natural mind according to the life of man in the world? If that life has been according to the Word, then the form of the outmost substances of the limbus will be such as to agree by correspondence with the interior substances, and the result will be a simultaneous order which is to be described as one of harmony.* All these substances are in the brains.**
     * See Infl. i.e.
     ** DLW 365, 316.
     What we have said in this section of our study, therefore, is that the mind consists of organic substances, formed by successive compositions, and that spiritual qualities are stamped on these substances, and are therefore also subject to successive compositions. In the end the substances and their qualities rest on an ultimate or outmost, where they are together in simultaneous order; and that ultimate or outmost is then a sum total of its own prior things, and exhibits the presence, the affectional knowledge, and the power of those prior things. The limbus, being born of nature, is such an ultimate and outmost; and in it dwells the entire spirit of man, for "the outmost degree is the complex, containant, and base of the prior degrees."*
     * DLW 209, heading.

III.     The Spiritual World

     The spiritual world has its own ultimates, just as in our own minds our affections and thoughts form their own ultimates through our imagination. The ultimates in the spiritual world are real appearances and appearances not real. If there is order there, so that spirits and angels receive and love the Divine truth, and live it, then the appearances around them correspond to the reality itself of creation; and that reality is in and from the spiritual sun.
     With regard to the essential reality of the spiritual world, and thus of the whole of creation, we read:

     The heat and light which proceed from the Lord as a sun are what in an eminent sense are called spiritual and they are called the spiritual in the singular number, because they are one. . . . From that spiritual it is that the whole of that world is called spiritual. Through that spiritual, all things of that world derive their origin, and also their name . . . God by virtue of His own very essence is called Jehovah; but by means of that proceeding He vivifies and enlightens angels of heaven and men of the church.*
     * DLW 100.

And we read further that "all things that exist in that world by means of [the heat and light that proceed from the sun of the spiritual world] are substantial, and are called spiritual."*
     * TCR 75:3.
     That essential spiritual is called in the Apocalypse Explained "Divine Truth," and in the Arcana "the Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Good." Two most telling teachings should be recorded.

     In the spiritual world, where angels and spirits are, the Lord is seen as a sun, from Divine love. All that goes forth from that sun is called Divine truth; and that which goes forth brings forth (quod procedit hoc producit) also that which goes forth is Himself, because it is from Him. . . . Likewise from the Lord as a sun auras and atmospheres go forth, but such as are spiritual, because they are from Divine love which makes that sun. . . . These when made active in common exhibit heat, and when modified in their least parts (singilatim) exhibit light. That heat which in its essence is love, and that light which in its essence is wisdom, are called specifically Divine truth; but together with the auras, which are also spiritual, they are called the Divine proceeding. And from these the heavens were created, and also the worlds; for all things that are in the natural world exist from the spiritual world: they are produced as effects from their effecting causes.*
     * AE 726:3, 4.

Here, then, spiritual heat and light are "Divine truth," and that heat and light together with the spiritual auras that contain them, are "the Divine Proceeding."
     The Arcana teaching, more succinct, is perhaps even more emphatic: "The Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good is the veriest reality and the veriest essential in the universe, and it is this that makes and creates . . [and] it is the only substantial through which all things are."

(AC 5272: 2, 8861e)
     Finally The Athanasian Creed adds a word about the origin of nature:

     [The proceeding Divine, which is Divine truth, and is the light of the spiritual sun] is the inmost of the spiritual world; and it is this from which nature took its origin. . . . [This proceeding Divine] is afterwards formed successively into spheres, the last of which is the atmosphere of the natural world."*
     * Ath. 191.

We need now to tie things together. I mentioned earlier that the appearances in the spiritual world may be regarded as the ultimates of that world. In saying this I had in mind a phrase used in the Apocalypse Explained, and I quote:

     The angels in heaven have no idea of space and time, but concerning these they have a spiritual idea, which is an idea of state. But this idea of state, with the consequent idea of an appearance of space and time, does not occur (non datur) except in the ultimates of creation there. The ultimates of creation there are the earths upon which angels dwell. It is there that spaces and times appear, and not in the spiritual things themselves from which [those] ultimates were created. Yea, neither [do they appear] in the affections themselves of angels, except when the thought from these affections passes through to the ultimates.*
     * AE 1219:4, 5.

The real things the angels contemplate, however, are not these ultimate appearances, but the things relating to wisdom and love. These things are called the "subjects" of their thoughts and affections, while the appearances are called "mere objects" of thoughts and affections. The teaching is:

     All these [objects] are appearances of the wisdom belonging to the understanding of angels, and perceptions of loves belonging to their wills; for these objects are created in a moment by the Lord, and in a moment are dissipated. They are permanent or not permanent to the extent that Spirits or angels are constant or inconstant in those things of which they are appearances. And this being so [the appearances] are merely objects of their thoughts and affections, while the subjects are those things from which appearances are, and these, as has been said, are such things as relate to wisdom and love, thus spiritual things."*
     * D. Wis. Vii: 5: 2.

It is "the interior things that belong to the affections and thence the thoughts of angels" that "are clothed with forms such as appear in the heavens," when those interior things "pass through to the sight of their eyes." And "they are called appearances because they are visible, and they are said to be correspondences and are real because they are from creation."*
     * AE 553:2.

     But the final ultimate, thus the true ultimate, is in the natural world. The last of the spheres that are produced from the proceeding Divine "is the atmosphere of the natural world."* Or in the words of Divine Love and Wisdom: "The atmospheres, of which there are three both in the spiritual and in the natural world, in their ultimates cease in substances and matters such as are in the world (in terris)."**
     * Ath. 191.
     ** DLW 302, heading.
     We conclude, therefore, that all things of creation, from the very radiant belts around the spiritual sun and on down, are together on this earth and on other earths. For the spiritual atmospheres and the natural atmospheres were created by successive formations, and all the things that are derived from them likewise, until they cease and come to rest in simultaneous order on earth. Hence the spiritual atmospheres are within the natural atmospheres, and the spiritual world is within the natural world. It is because of this that "the ultimate degree is the complex, the containant, and the basis of the prior degrees";* and it is because of this that "the uses of all created things ascend by degrees from ultimates to man, and through man to God the Creator, from whom they are."**
     * DLW 209.
     ** DLW 65, heading.

IV.     The Word

     The most vast of the subjects I have chosen to touch upon in this review, are the Word and the Lord; but on these subjects I will be the briefest!
     Suffice it to say with regard to the Word, that it too came about by a successive descent. It is not a creation, but it describes creation and its Master, the Creator. "It was in the beginning with God, and was God"; and "it was made Flesh, and dwelt among us." And not only did the Lord Himself, who alone is the very essential Word, come down to dwell among us, but the written record too was formed so as to be a dwelling place of the Divine truth descending.
     The thing we need to recognize is that the spiritual sense is not from the sense of the letter, but that the sense of the letter is from the spiritual sense. The spiritual sense, in its inmost, was in the beginning with God. Inmostly the spiritual sense is the spirit and life itself of the Word, and that spirit is the Holy Spirit, and that life is the Life of Divine Love. Hence the spirit and life pre-exist their ultimate forms of expression. But from the beginning with God, and down to the "flesh" of the letter, the whole of the Divine and the whole of heaven are contained. In the literal sense all things are in simultaneous order.

     That is why the sense of the letter of the Word "is the basis, the containant, and the support, of its inner senses"; and that is why "the Divine truth in the sense of the letter of the Word is in its fulness in its holiness, and in its power."*
     * SS 27 and 37, headings.
     Nor are the Writings excluded from this view. For it is there, in the ultimates of human language, that the Lord speaks "the many things," which at the time of His sojourn on earth "men were not able to bear."*
     * John 16: 12.

V.     The Lord

     At another occasion I should like to study at length what happened when the Lord added the Divine Natural to the two higher degrees within Him that He had before. A few special teachings, however, belong in this survey.
     First there is this universal and paramount teaching:

It has been told me from heaven, that in the Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah, before His assumption of a Human in the world, the two prior degrees existed actually, and the third degree potentially, as they do also with angels; but that after the assumption of a Human in the world, He put on over these the third degree, called the natural, thereby becoming Man like a man in the world; but with the difference, that in the Lord this degree, like the prior degrees, is infinite and uncreate, while in angel and in man they are all finite and created."*
     * DLW 233, emphasis added.

     It was by putting on the third degree that the Lord in His Human could say, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth."* Previously too all power belonged to God, but in relation to men He did not exercise it immediately, but mediately through the celestial heaven. He governed by representatives before His advent, but without them "when the scepter departed from Judah," and He-Shiloh-took it into His own hand.**
     * Matt. 28: 18.
     ** Gen. 49: 10; AC 6371-6373.
     And now, not only has He taken the Divine Natural to Himself, but also revealed it. Therefore The True Christian Religion testifies, saying:

     The glorification of the Lord is the glorification of the Human which He assumed in the world, and the glorified Human of the Lord is the Divine Natural . . . and from this He enlightens not only the internal spiritual man, but also the external natural; which two, unless they are at the same time enlightened, man is as it were in the shade, but while both are at the same time enlightened, he is as it were in the day.*
     * TCR 109.

     At this day the internal spiritual man and the external natural man can both of them be enlightened together-both from the Divine light shining out from heaven into our rational and natural minds. "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee."* This is because the whole of the Divine is simultaneously present in the Divine Human-the Divine Natural.
     * Is. 60.
     If therefore the whole of the Divine speaks to us out of the Divine Human (for truly, "in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily"-Col. 2: 9), then it is possible for the whole of the human mind, from its inmost remains down to its ultimate scientifics and life-experiences, to be enlightened, led, and blessed, by the Divine that proceeds from the Lord's Divine Human. It is possible, because all interior things in man can be opened up, and can be present by simultaneous order in all his affections, thoughts, deeds, and words.
     This is what is represented by the ephod of Aaron and its shoulder pieces, concerning which we read:

     Successive things at last form in ultimates what is simultaneous, in which these successive things are in like order side by side. Wherefore simultaneous things, which are ultimate, serve successive things, which are prior, as corresponding supports on which they may lean, and thus by means of which they may be preserved.*
     * AC 9836.3.
APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH COLLEGE 1980

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH COLLEGE 1980

Requests for application forms for admission to the Academy College for 1980-81 should be addressed to Dean Robert W. Gladish, The Academy of the New Church College, Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009. Completed application forms and accompanying transcripts and recommendations should be submitted by March 15, 1980.
It should also be noted that the College operates on a three-term year and that applications for entrance to the Winter and Spring terms of the current academic year can be processed, provided that they are received by Dean Gladish at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the new term.

NEW CHURCH RADIO 1980

NEW CHURCH RADIO Rev. HAROLD CRANCH 1980

     New Church history in the making: On April 28th, 1979, a new FM radio station was dedicated at Glenview, Illinois. Its call letters WMWA represents the voice of the Midwestern Academy of the New Church. The station itself is an educational station which means not only that we have programs of an educational nature, but that it serves as a training ground for our high school students, both in radio techniques ? and in programming. In addition the station presents many community-oriented services, and, most important to us, it has a rich and varied selection of religious programming.
     Like all FM stations WMWA has a limited range. At the present time the full extent of that range has not been determined, although tests are going forward. However, it is estimated that the potential listening audience ranges from 50 to 200 thousand, which should increase when the station is granted full power.
     The dedication ceremony on April 28th was divided into two parts. First was for the general public. This was widely advertised by posters, direct mail, and newspaper ads, and was presented at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. The public was invited and the program itself was broadcast live from the station. Three speakers were presented by the Master of Ceremonies, the president of the Midwestern Academy, Rev. Harold Cranch. The first speaker was Mr. Dick Brickman, the vice President of MANC, who spoke of the four years of effort it had required to achieve the goal celebrated that day, and spoke also of the many uses the radio station will have for the student, the church, and the community. The next speaker, the Rt. Rev. Louis King, gave a brief history of Glenview and the part the church had played in its development, and the further part it would play through the new station. It would familiarize the people of the community with our activities and our doctrines, and remove any feeling that might have existed in the past that we desire to be exclusive. All are welcome to attend our services and activities. The next speaker, the Village president, Tom Smith, spoke of the great value of the station to the community, and of his delight in the part the young people were taking in its activities.

     About 400 people attended the dedication ceremony and among them were at least 62 visitors from the local community. Many people toured the station and visited with the manager, Mr. Tom Aye, and his able assistant, Mr. Dan Woodard, and many of the students who were at the controls during the live broadcast.
     The second half of the dedication day was given to banquet and celebration in the evening. Mr. Charles Ebert, the principal of the Midwestern Academy was the Master of Ceremonies. The Bishop addressed us again, and the Pastor, Rev. Peter Buss, presented some gifts to Mr. Bob Coffin who had labored tirelessly and against many discouragements to get the license for the station. During the evening a few samples of the proposed religious broadcasting were presented.
     We know from the Doctrine that all developments in science and history are for the ultimate establishment of the New Church. The possibilities for the future are great when the church is large enough to take advantage of the scientific means for communication. However, our small numbers, and the growing needs for our own organization's uses, and the great expense of many modern means of communication prevent the very wide use of the media. But now, in the Chicago area, we have an opportunity to present the Doctrines to new people on a much larger scale. To do this we must compete in every way with commercial stations. We are fortunate in having as the station manager, Mr. Tom Aye, a professional of high standing in this field. He has arranged with the Mutual Network to use many of their features and news coverage. He insists on a very high level of technical and content excellence in everything produced by the students and by local talent.
     Our broadcast day is divided into three sections, the first, for the late morning and early afternoon, has a musical motif of "easy listening." When school is dismissed for the day and until five o'clock, our format musically is "contemporary," and from five o'clock until sign-off at eight the musical format is classical. During all of these periods there are new presentations and specials. But of course our distinctive offering is in the field of religion. Each morning at the beginning of the broadcast day we have a brief sermonette adapted from the address given at the opening worship service of MANG when this is suitable, and many initial sermonettes will be recorded to provide for the other days, or when any subject is not considered suitable for public broadcasting. Every evening at seven o'clock a series of talks called "Conversations on Religion" are presented. These are from eight to twelve minutes long and are on a variety of subjects giving our doctrine in a strong but easily understood way. About four times a day a brief doctrinal statement is used at the time of station identification.

These are one-liners taken directly from the Writings. Early in the afternoon the "Conversation on Religion" of the night before is repeated, for this reaches a different audience, and provides a means for maintaining the series if one had been missed earlier.
     Sunday broadcasting is distinctive and different from our regular daily broadcasts. It centers around our worship services. Special music has been prepared by a group in Bryn Athyn under the able direction of Rev. Kenneth Stroh, and recorded by Mr. Lachlan Pitcairn. Twenty hymns have been beautifully prepared in this way, and more are being done by this group. These are spliced into the specially prepared services introductory to the New Church. The services are presented at eleven o'clock and at four-thirty in the afternoon. During the period between and after the services we have classical music programs, and special organ music. (Dr. Kirstin Synnestvedt has graciously granted us the use of the tapes of her many organ recitals for this purpose.) And between major classical pieces a brief one- to two-minute doctrinal message is inserted.
     Our classical programming is done by Mr. Marvin Stevens, a New Churchman well qualified by talents and training to do this work. He prepares the introduction and commentary on the pieces he has selected for each day's presentation on the air. This work is beautifully done, and equals in quality the best classical programming on other stations, but in addition his work contains many helps for pronunciation to aid our amateur announcers and students.
     In addition to the above programming we are working on a special Swedenborg Foundation hour which will include some of the talking books prepared for the Foundation on Heaven and Hell, The City of God, Children in the Other Life, and Helen Kellers's My Religion, and similar subjects. We will also have some programs on a given doctrinal subject with brief selected readings and a very brief personal comment.
     Interview techniques will be used in two ways. Newcomers will be interviewed to find out what interested them first and how their interest developed. Such interviews would be very short, possibly five minutes and will allow statements to be made by individuals that we could not make officially as an organization. We find that many people enjoy the thoughts of others, and will pay more attention to the testimonial of a layman, than to prepared talks by ministers. By having such interviews we can take advantage of this, and augment the work of ministers. As these will be recorded, we would have full control of their content and be able to edit both for length and the number of ideas to be included.

     In addition to these interviews we will take advantage of prominent visitors for longer special interviews. We will arrange to interview people well known to the general public who have some degree of interest in the church or in a subject that we would like to introduce.
     Part of the education work of the station will involve one class from the subject matter of our high school teaching. A religion course will be presented for thirteen weeks, and various English courses with emphasis on the presentation of the doctrine either in drama, or in composition, or interview techniques; and we hope to have a course on Bible study, and a course on Archeology, the Bible, and Emanuel Swedenborg. Many other subjects and programs will develop as we gain experience and can evaluate the work.
     Opportunities occur for timely programming from the news. Thus, when the media recognized Helen Keller's birthday, we prepared a special short presentation about Helen Keller and her connection with the New Church. This was aired four times on that day. At the time of the air tragedy at O'Hare Field a special message was prepared on how Providence operates through tragedies, and on how these victims of the tragedy itself would enter the spiritual world and be prepared for their place. These messages were very much appreciated and show what might be done more effectively as we find opportunity. Mr. Aye is alert to such needs and opportunities and brings them to the ministers' attention.
     Many uses are being served by this broadcasting program. The sick, the elderly, and shut-ins, are served more fully than ever before. They can worship in their homes, spiritually taking part in a New Church service. They receive daily instruction in a brief doctrinal class, and their thought is directed to the Doctrine and the spiritual aspects of life, in other programs and even in some of the news reports. The students are benefited by the special training, by the assumption of responsibilities, by thinking of others, in community uses, and by directing their attention and efforts to the development of the New Church. The general public benefits by having the opportunity to find the teachings of the New Church, to ask questions, and receive special attention, as needed. Their freedom is protected, but the opportunity for consistent, regular learning is presented. And a great deal of New Church literature and missionary material is being prepared.
     These are important uses, and their impact on the church as a whole will be great in the years ahead. We welcome this new banner bearer for the New Church and we look forward with interest to see how the Divine Providence will use this in the upbuilding of the New Church.

TWO OF MR. CRANCH'S RADIO TALKS * 1980

TWO OF MR. CRANCH'S RADIO TALKS * Editor 1980

     * These are actually number 2 and 4 in a series of four talks.

     I. The Nature of God

     II. Knowing God from Revelation

          I. THE NATURE OF GOD

     It is important to think out our beliefs, for each one of us must come to an understanding and an acceptance that makes them our own, and not just ideas that we have been told to believe. The fact that freedom is necessary to build a living, personal religion, goes all the way back to the very nature of God. In fact, it becomes one of the important reasons why we do accept the fact of a God who created all things and who preserves the order and purpose of His creation.
In a former talk, we tried to answer the question, "Why do you believe in God?" by showing that there are only two choices. The world exists and either it had a beginning and God created it and established its purposes which gradually are being fulfilled in mankind; or nature always existed, never had a beginning, and will never end, and from blind, mindless chaos, just by the passage of time, intelligent, loving beings came into existence and complete internal order was established. If this is true, we would have a complete reversal of all the observed laws of nature, for if nature is self-existent, dead matter created life, life created intelligence, intelligence created cooperation, usefulness, love and mercy, and all the human qualities of justice and wisdom. To me it becomes self-evident after considering the possibilities, that there had to be a creator and that His wisdom guided His creation and produced the order of nature and the possibilities of ideal, human life. I would like to talk further about how we can know that there is a God and how we can know the nature of God and why religion exists.
     Years ago St. Thomas Aquinas reasoned somewhat in this way: Nature had to have a beginning and we can call that first cause God, or chance or fortune or whatever, but everything that takes place must have a cause and when we go back to the very beginning, we have to term that "the First Cause." This First Cause created the sun, the universe as a whole, the earth, and then life. However we think of this First Cause, as of science or religion, it doesn't matter. We are not defining it by a name, for as I said, we can call it God, or chance, or fortune, or just happenstance. At this point a name doesn't mean anything, but we define the First Cause as that from which every other cause took its rise.

We can know something of the nature of that First Cause from what developed from it, for something of its qualities are in the things it produced in creation. So we can know the mind and thought, the nature and character, of an author by reading all of his books and gaining his point of view from them, his values, and his wisdom, or lack of wisdom, in what he wrote. We can know something about an artist by studying his works, and about a musician by carefully listening to and studying his music, We can get to know our neighbors by observing their work, and by listening to their words, observing their acts. We come to know our husbands or wives very deeply because we share so much of our life and can see so many of the hopes, and dreams, and ideals that each one works for. By applying that universal law, we can know something of the First Cause, because that which creates impresses its nature on that which is created. It must, because that which is created takes its origin from it, and it cannot rise above its origin in quality and nature. It merely adapts and presents the source. So we can know the nature of the First Cause through the creation which arose from it.
There are two philosophic terms which we commonly use but which have a particular meaning in terms of philosophy. One is "love," and the other "wisdom." In that sense "love" is that which causes us to act, so an affection in us, like a desire to learn, for instance, drives us to study and to gain knowledge. A desire for companionship leads us to seek out other people and become acquainted with them, and so forth. There can be no action without a love which drives or compels action. Wisdom used in that same philosophical sense is the form by which love expresses itself. It is the means by which an action takes place. If I love to talk and didn't know any words, I would he in a bad way; I would have the love without the means to express it. So the words which we use in communication are the wisdom by which the love of communicating is expressed.
In the fact of talking, two things then become evident. There is love which caused the action, and wisdom, the words by which communication takes place. Both are present in the act of talking. So in the creation, the fact that nature is, shows that the First Cause was moved to act, and wisdom was the means, and both love and wisdom are impressed on every aspect of nature. So nature itself has something of the form of its creator. We can see that wisdom or order in all things of nature. All things of nature are interdependent, each one helps to support every other part. It is this law which we have come to realize very fully in our present studies in ecology. But the important point here is to see that love and wisdom were two attributes to the First Cause and this gives quality to that cause, for these attributes of love and wisdom are the essential, spiritual qualities of man.

So, in the First Cause we see human qualities or the qualities that we know to be human in the highest form of his creation. From this we must change our definition of the First Cause. It can no longer be called chance or fortune or the inner forces of nature because it has motivation, and it has wisdom, and therefore we must call it "God." And by like reasoning the essential qualities of God demonstrate that He is Divinely Human as to His inmost nature. This the Scriptures state saying, He made man in His own image and likeness.
     The importance of this fact, and how it affects the necessity for a revelation and religion will be discussed next.

          II. KNOWING GOD FROM REVELATION

     Today we plan to talk about how we can know the nature and quality of God from Revelation. In previous talks we have seen that there is a God who created all things, belief in Him is far more rational than to believe that nature has always existed and that dead matter created life, intelligence, love and wisdom. Man can grow in wisdom and understanding, for the Divine qualities are in the Lord's creation and can be received by man. We have also seen that religion is needed for the sake of man, who, by his worship, humbles his own pride of self and opens the way to receive the Lord's love. And it was stated that the Church of the New Jerusalem looks to the Lord Jesus Christ as being the very person of Jehovah God. This is now the subject of our talk.
     Many have said in the past that the God of the Old Testament is a vengeful God, just and wise, but unforgiving of man's shortcomings, quick to anger, wreaking vengeance upon the sinner. However, this is contrary to the teachings of the Word and, in the places where it speaks of God's anger and His vengeance, we find that this is man's reaction to the Divine leading when he has done evil. The punishment of an evil person is for the sake of his reformation. Yet because it involves punishment, it seems to the person undergoing it, a matter of revenge and inflicted suffering. We can understand this best if we think of punishing children when they have done something wrong. We punish from love, that their evil habits may be corrected so they can grow up free of such evils as lying, irresponsibility, blasphemy, swearing, stealing, vicious anger, and similar things. Children will experience most of these things at least once in their upbringing, and a wise parent will correct these evils when they first appear, by judicious punishment. But the child being punished thinks that the parents are angry with him and want him to suffer. But the fact is quite the reverse. It's far easier to ignore the evils of our children to maintain peace in the home.

But a true love desires the child's welfare and, for his sake, will punish and correct, that his future life may be much happier, and his place in society more assured. So it is with the appearance of punishment, vengeance, or anger on the Lord's part in the stories of the Word.
The Bible speaks of the true nature of God when it says that God is eternal, all powerful, all wise, and everywhere present. It describes Him as being merciful and loving. He is just, but His justice is for the sake of man s salvation. So we have such statements as "God is love." (I John 4: 16), "He never changes." (Malachi 3: 6) "His mercy endures fore- ever." (Psalms) And He says: "Fury is not in me." (Isaiah 27: 4) He is also all forgiveness. This is brought out in the entire 18th chapter of the prophet Ezekiel. So the people of Israel are told to cast away their transgressions and make a new heart and a new spirit, for He asks: "Why will ye die, O house of Israel?" And the Lord, through that prophet added: "For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dieth, said the Lord God: Wherefore turn, and live ye." (Ezekiel 18: 32) Here the Lord refers, obviously, to the death of sin, not the death of the natural body.
Now some have thought that men had to purchase their salvation by offerings given to the Lord, sacrifices of animals and of their personal belongings. They believed they had to follow the ritual law of the early Jewish Church. But this law was given as a help to those who could not, at that time, understand their spiritual responsibilities toward their God and Lord. They needed reminders, and they needed a way to demonstrate their obedience and service to the Lord. Sacrifices served that purpose. But as men became more capable of understanding the nature of God and spiritual qualities that He desired of them, the prophets were able to teach them their spiritual duties. So the great prophet, Isaiah, in the very first chapter of his prophecy, said: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: . . . I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs or of he-goats. When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations." Then He taught this spiritual duty plainly: "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doing from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; . . . come and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Very plain, moral teachings that expressed the spiritual duty of a wise man. This is repeated many times in the prophets, so the whole spiritual duty of man was stated by Micah when he said: "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God?" And his question of whether he should give sacrifices and gifts of his possessions was answered thus: "He hath showed thee O man what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micab 6: 6-8)

     The New Testament picture of the Lord makes this abundantly clear. For the Lord in His Person revealed God to men, and He said: "God is love." And in His own life, He showed the nature of God in human terms. Yet some have questioned that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. They have said: "How can this be?" Now this is an important but very large question.
     In the prophecies of the Old Testament, the Lord, the Messiah who was to come, is called God, Savior, God with us, and Jehovah. We cannot see these things as clearly as we would if we could read the original language, the Hebrew of the prophecies. For the English translators have adopted the custom of the Jews who will not use the sacred name "Jehovah" except on very rare occasions. In its place they use the term "Adonai" which is translated "Lord." And Jesus, in the world, justified that use when He said to His disciples, "Ye call me Lord and ye say well for so I am." From this and from traditions, the translations use the term "Lord," but they show it is the name of Jehovah by printing "Lord" in small capital letters. Wherever in the prophecies you read Lord in capital letters, it means the original is "Jehovah" in Hebrew. So let us look at some of these prophecies and see that the Lord who was to come into the world, is Jehovah, the one God. In Isaiah we have the prophecy, "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and His name shall be called "Emanuel" which means "God with us." Also in Isaiah, in the ninth chapter, we have the teaching, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called 'Wonderful,' " (which means a miracle worker) "Counsellor" (which means a wise teacher), "The Mighty God" (and here the meaning is plain), "The Father of Eternity," (which is the same as saying, He who is, and was, and is to come) and the "Prince of Peace" that is the source of peace to angels and men. Isaiah also said he was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Jehovah" (here Lord in capitals). This was quoted in fulfillment by John the Baptist, referring to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
     There are many places where we read: "I am Jehovah, thy God, a just God and Savior, and beside me there is none else." And many of the quotations to that effect say He is the only savior to whom men should look. Yet, when the Lord was born, it was said that: "He shall be called Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins." And He is called "the Savior."

     Another problem of seeing from the very language of Scripture that the Lord is the one, only God in human form, is the habit the translators had of adding little English words to make the translation clear. But these were added according to their understanding of doctrine. So, in Titus, the Greek says: "Awaiting the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." But the English translators have translated that: "Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the Great God and Our Savior, Jesus Christ," which has a very different meaning. However, this is true in most of the Acts and Epistles.
     So in the first chapter of Corinthians, the third verse, Paul wrote: "Grace be unto you and peace from God, our Father and Lord, Jesus Christ." The translators have added: "Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." Which makes it seem like two separate beings, and yet the actual translation is clear. Nor is this only taught and seen by correcting such translations, for Paul taught very clearly: "In Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the God Head bodily." And he also said: "In Him we live, and move, and have our being." And the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in the world, said: "I and my Father are one." "He that seeth me, seeth the Father." And, "the father that dwelleth within me, He doeth the works."
     If we read the Bible carefully, God's redemptive work for man's salvation is described in far different terms than it's usually thought of. The common idea is that Christ was in the world to reconcile His Father to us; but the teaching of the Bible is: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself." That is, from His love, He put on a human body through the virgin Mary, that men could see, hear and understand the teachings of Divinity and could follow them, and that He, by focusing the Divine Power upon the hells, could conquer their power over men, and make it possible for men to receive power from Him to do likewise. And so, after the glorification, He said: "All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth." All power means there is none left for a different God, or a different person of God.

     That the Holy Spirit is His spirit going forth to lead and teach men, He demonstrated by appearing to the Disciples after His resurrection, breathing upon them, and telling them: "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." And He described the Holy Spirit as the comforter which He said was Himself. So He said: "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you." So the plain teachings of Scripture emphasize that Jehovah God is He who came in the world, put on a body, revealed Himself to men, glorified that body so that He can be seen and be approached in prayer and in thought by all men.

"THEN AWAY WITH THE OLD, AND ON WITH THE NEW" 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
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Published Monthly By
THU GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

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These words are part of an old "Academy" song, still popular in the General Church. The words are still popular, that is, but the doctrine behind them seems to be in danger of losing its appeal. Instead of "Away with the Old," what is frequently heard today is some such thing as, "That belonged to a simpler age. Look at all the wonderful truths the world has to offer. And after all, we're not allowed to judge."
Away with the old . . ." "The faith of the New Church cannot be together with the faith of the former church, and if they are together, such a collision and conflict will take place that everything of the church with man will perish." (Brief Exposition 103)
Title Unspecified 1980

Title Unspecified 1980

I readily admit that in the more sophisticated bodies of the Protestant churches there is very little preaching of false theology today (but for that matter, there is very little preaching of any theology in those churches today). Perhaps most of today's leading Protestant theologians now see that three separate persons in the Godhead means three separate Gods; they know that God is infinite; and they are unwilling to proclaim three infinites. But Roman Catholicism has not dropped one iota of its false theology and the preaching of it, and neither have the more evangelical and pentacostal branches of Protestantism.

(Christ, the eternal Son of God, died on the cross in a vicarious atonement, to appease the anger of God the Father, and the merit of Christ resulting from this self-sacrifice is imputable to man. That's still today's preaching in the "Old Church"- a term frequently employed by the Writings themselves.)
     But if the theology of the more sophisticated bodies of Protestantism is now pretty well vastated into oblivion (an absolute necessary prerequisite for the spread of the New Church), there is still no sign at all of any return by those churches to the cornerstone of truth of all theology-the belief that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one, only God of heaven and earth. And do not the Writings themselves say that one of the reasons Roman Catholics may be more easily initiated into the faith of the New Jerusalem than Protestants is that Roman Catholics entertain more of an idea of Divine majesty in the Human of the Lord than do Protestants? (Brief Exposition 108)
     Nor is it any human judgment that judges and condemns the Old Church. It's the Lord who makes that judgment, and from it, our body of the church has concluded that the former Christian Church is consummated and dead and without hope of a resurrection.
     No theology may be less harmful than a false theology, but if there is no theology, neither is there a church. Of course there are many wonderful truths in the world around us-in non-church fields of study. (The use of a church is to teach spiritual truths from the Word, and to lead by means of those to the good of life.) Undoubtedly, such truths are the gold and silver and jewels of the Egyptians that we are told to "borrow." But let us remember that the things borrowed from the Egyptians were used for the construction of the tabernacle, that perfectly formed human mind with is properly a temple for the worship of the Lord.
     Let us not take this wealth that we "borrow," and fondle it and feel it and smell it and taste it, as an avaricious miser does with his gold. As we get these things, they are not yet a dwelling place for the Lord. They can be taken and admired for what they are, but they may not be worshiped and adored as though they were already a part of the Lord's New Church.
     "Away with the old"-first. Only then can the promise be fulfilled which says, "On with the new."

"TEN POINTS OF DIFFERENCE" 1980

"TEN POINTS OF DIFFERENCE" Rev. ROBERT S. JUNGE 1980

     May I make a few comments concerning Dr. Horn's evaluation of our Theological School. He says, contrasting the Swedenborg School of Religion with the Theological School in Bryn Athyn, "we do not instruct our students in theology exclusively as is done at the Theological School in Bryn . . . . We teach our students how they can pass on our spiritual heritage so that it can be understood not only within our own walls, but also in the world. . . . Therefore our theology students learn to speak the language of our time and culture, and not 'Swedenborgish' only. . ."
     That this is Dr. Horn's opinion of us, I can accept as opinion, though I am unsure upon what grounds he bases it. As Dean of the Theological School in Bryn Athyn I am indeed proud of our emphasis on studying what the Writings themselves say. Real scholarship demands that any "inward digestion" or ability to express the author "in one's own words," demands a thorough study of the author in his own terms. Since we accept the Divine Authorship of the Writings, I am glad Dr. Horn observes our efforts to understand them in their own terms. If he wishes to regard those terms as "Swedenborgish" rather than the Lord's own words in His Second Coming, we can probably agree to disagree.
     It is also puzzling how Dr. Horn reached the evaluation that we instruct in theology exclusively, are only concerned for what is within our own walls, and that our students only speak "Swedenborgish." Our catalog is available to him. I would like to quote some portions of the course descriptions of prerequisites and theological school courses required: "A study of the letter of the Word in its historical and cultural context as a basis, containant and support of the internal sense." (2 terms) "Textual and historical criticism, Review of non canonical, apostolic and apocryphal literature and of ethnic scriptures." (1 term) "History of the Christian Church. A survey of the leading eras, with emphasis on the history of doctrine." (2 terms) "History of Western Philosophy" (2 terms) "Principles and methods of Church Extension." (Evangelization) (1 term) An undergraduate degree is also required. Is this "theology exclusively?"

     We also have four 1-term Applied Theology courses labeled as such, a full summer's supervised field experience, teaching the young at both the elementary and secondary level, a three year program of speech, plus 9 terms of homiletics. I earnestly hope all of these are taught in the light of doctrine, but "theology exclusively"?
     As the catalog says, "The Theological School offers a three year course which is designed to give the student for the priesthood instruction on the graduate level in the Theology of the New Church, Homiletics, Pastoral Theology and Church History." These facts which were so readily available to the President of the Swedenborg School of Religion, ought to be made known to the readers of New Church Life, and perhaps could well be made known to the readers of Offene Tore.
     One further comment not specifically on the School: Dr. Horn alleges that the General Church "tries to compensate its lack of success in external evangelization by 'picking off' members of the much less important and moreover considerably poorer General Convention." It is true that our supposedly exclusive and closed community welcomes Convention members who freely choose to worship with us, or decide to join our body.
     Dr. Horn seems to have us with a "closed" door that is too "open." Our door is open to sincere inquiry and I hope always will be. How could it be otherwise? Would he have us single out the Convention and close the door to them?
     I agree we have not been as successful as we would like in external evangelization. But our published annual reports listing new members and the periodic summations of statistics by the Secretary is where we should turn for a responsible look at those who join the General Church from non New Church background. Over the years about 40% of our new membership has come from that source. The record is openly published each year. I would like to see an identification and count of the actual names for the last couple of decades of those who have come from the General Convention to the General Church. Present the facts. If we are deliberately trying to "pick off Convention members," perhaps Dr. Horn can take consolation that we seem to be pretty inept at it.
     I believe there is a fairer reading for that relatively small movement of members. It is a pretty simple thing to ask them, or analyze what they see in the General Church that apparently they do not see in Convention. Most of them that I know of have already told Convention. Convention certainly do not have to agree with what they say, but in their minds they have a reason. As far as I can tell, it is not pressure from us, it is not our alleged wealth, episcopal form of government, or exclusiveness. Most of these people, if they thought these things existed as Dr. Horn describes them, would be turned off.

     In fairness, don't they believe that they see the Writings and the Lord's Second Coming differently from the way Convention does? Is it so wrong to commit themselves to what they believe is right? Do we believe in a doctrine concerning freedom or don't we?

     (Rev.) ROBERT S. JUNGE, Dean
     The Theological School
     Bryn Athyn, PA
EXPERIENCE 1980

EXPERIENCE Rev. (Rev.) Mark Carlson 1980

Dear Editor:

     I wish to respond to the Rev. Stephen Cole's article on "Experience." (NCL October, 1979) Mr. Cole very eloquently makes the point that we are not to reason from experience concerning truths of faith. But Mr. Cole left me with the impression that experience was never to be trusted as a teacher in regard to religious matters. This is curious when one considers that the Writings often refer to lessons from experience, to confirmations of truth from experience, and to Swedenborg's own experience-with no hint of condemnation. Perhaps we need to keep in mind that there is a difference between deriving truth from experience and learning about truth from experience.
     I wonder if such a denial of the value of experience might cause some poor soul to reject the experience of a regenerate state as untrustworthy. Certainly a state of regeneration, i.e., some delight in good or truth, whether temporary or permanent, must be an experience, one to be cherished, and most certainly one to be learned from. No doubt those who are married learn much from the experience of the honeymoon state.
     The Writings speak of this kind of learning from experience in many places. It is the learning about truth that takes place from the experience of good. The experience of good enlightens the mind and allows the Lord to give a deeper, more merciful, understanding of truths already held in the memory. This is the proper order for learning what is true, but because of our hereditary tendencies to evil, an inversion of state must take place; we must learn the truth first with the understanding alone, and must do so for reasons which in the beginning are primarily childish and selfish. This is represented in the Word by Jacob buying the birthright from Esau and later stealing his blessing. (See AC 3563: 4)

     Are all the answers to the life-questions we have to be found in the Word of God? Yes, I believe they are there; but are all of us capable of finding them there? I would agree with Mr. Cole when he suggests that we will not be very successful in this endeavor if we wait until some crisis situation forces us to it. It would seem that those who read and meditate on the Word of God regularly will have few crisis situations which leave them desperately searching for answers, while those who do not give the Word much thought except when they are in trouble, will find little help there.
     But that does not mean, I would hope, that the church has no help to offer such a person, or that all we can do is speak the appropriate external formulations of truth in their ears, and all will be well. Such a situation would seem to be a time when others who have successful experience in applying the principles of the Word to their life may help. That "other" may be a minister who not only understands the principles from the Word, but also is blessed with some wisdom and experience in applying those principles to his life. In the case of a marriage problem, the "other" may be an older couple who have successfully negotiated the problems that are common to most marriages, or the help may come from a trained marriage counselor.
     Often when we are faced with problems in our life, it is not the principles themselves that we are unaware of, misunderstand, or doubt, but the application of the principles to our particular situation is what eludes us. For instance, in marriage, most New Church men and women are well aware of the principles of marriage; they know the "why" of it, and are committed to the principles which state why marriage is holy and why it is to be maintained for life in the world. But when it comes to the "how" of their own marriage, things can get very confused. New Church couples sometimes need help in learning how to make their marriage work, in other words, how to apply the principles of marriage to the specific situation of their marriage. Often these kinds of answers, answers which tell us "how," can come from the experience of others who have learned how.
     It would appear that the Lord gives us spiritual principles to live by, and spiritual institutions to support us in those principles, but He leaves us in freedom to discover, from experience, how to apply those principles and institutions in each new generation, and in each world culture. Where do the Writings give us more than the most general ideas as to the "how" of ritual, marriage, parenting, church government, even ministering? If we cannot learn from experience in these things, our own and others, then it seems to me that we are doomed to a rather lonely, isolated, and short-sighted existence.

We are left to constantly pioneer a territory in which the trails are already well marked, unless we can swallow our pride and ask to be shown the way.
Sincerely yours,
(Rev.) Mark Carlson
Kitchener, Ontario
Church News 1980

Church News Various 1980

     CHARTER DAY 1979

     For more than a century the October anniversary of the granting of the Academy charter has been increasing cause for gratitude and delight. The annual Charter Day celebration is properly a highlight in Bryn Athyn's busy year, and its observance is of great interest to New Churchmen throughout the world. The messages spoken on Charter Day and actions taken by the several organizations during the weekend have direct application to all who share the vision of New Church Education, while nostalgic ties make even the sports contests and social gatherings newsworthy.
     The 1979 Charter Day package was adorned and decorated in delightful wrappings, from idyllic October weather (at last-, and again) to the kaleidoscope of fall foliage, class banners, elegant evening gowns and A.N.C. colors of a winning football team (28-14) and exuberant cheer leaders. And the warm smiles of social gatherings and reunions, and a happy holiday for the student body, and the Academy's 103rd birthday was a full expression of "our love, our loyalty."
     Traditional features were the morning procession and service in the cathedral, the football game and President's reception Friday evening; Saturday was opportunity for organizational meetings and luncheons, "open houses" and the gala banquet. Among the extras-the wedding of Candidate Kenneth Alden and Miss Kim Truax, and a special reunion of Laurel campers.
     Resounding brass ushered the procession into the cathedral Friday morning, with 782 on hand for the fine address by the Rev. Daniel Goodenough on the vast picture of the human race's growth in knowledge and learning (printed in the December issue), with Chancellor King and President Acton conducting the inspiring service with readings from the Genesis 3 parable of the Tree of Life, and No. 134 from Conjugial Love, a memorable relation describing an angelic discussion of man's being born into a love of learning.
     While the Academy Red & White provided the excitement, a large gathering on the sidelines enjoyed informal visits between the cheers. The afternoon was also opportunity to visit the Academy Museum which, like the Book Center and expanded Print Shop in Cairncrest, proudly displayed themselves to out-of-town visitors. Parents of dormitory students could meet housemothers and housemasters and inspect the facilities at the Academy for boarding students.

Numerous Bryn Athyn homes were empty except for babysitters and their charges, while others were jammed full until time for the wedding and reception or the gala reception in the Asplundh Field House. Another chance to greet-even dance with-former friends and classmates, and a lively mixing of all ages under the display of Academy banners counting off the years.
     The International Sons of the Academy gathered in Pendleton Hall Saturday morning with Bob Heinrichs presiding. A.N.C. President Acton opened the meeting and reminded the Sons of their importance to the Academy. The Sons President's report reviewed the Sons activities and programs and announced Sons Silver Medal awards to Matt Smith and Conrad Zecher. Mr. Heinrichs then outlined the agenda which included bylaws changes published in the Bulletin. The primary question, that of automatically making graduates of the Academy Boys School members of the Sons, together with other proposals, generated a lively discussion which could not be resolved and will be continued at the 1980 Assembly in Guelph, Ontario.
     Next, the Sons-as was true of the Theta Alpha a little later-had opportunity to see a slide presentation depicting the location and facilities for the 1980 Assembly at Guelph University. Both the Theta Alpha and the Sons will hold important meetings, including joint sessions, during the Assembly.
     The focal point of the Sons session was the presentation by Dr. Charles Ebert, the new Development Officer of the Academy, who described the plans now getting underway to support the Academy by an extraordinary effort to attract students and generate support of many kinds. Dr. Ebert's well-presented plans deserve wide attention by all New Churchmen, and it is hoped that the Sons BULLETIN will give prominence to his proposals.
     Luncheons of both the Sons and the Theta Alpha were socially enjoyable, combined with programs of interest, and the Sons, about 120 strong, were given a description and demonstration of the Academy's new Career Guidance system. The Bryn Athyn Chapter, hosting the luncheon, has assisted in the establishment of this program which will be of great value to High School and College, boys and girls, in job counseling and guidance for higher education.
     The afternoon, again in ideal weather, featured the College soccer game (another ANC win) and the annual Sons Cross Country run with a large and varied pack of runners cheered on by a vicariously energetic audience.
     The Charter Day banquet, ever the highlight of the celebration, was a gathering of 884-which may and may not include a very large crew of volunteer workers, adults and students, which handled all the arrangements and served up a marvelous meal with embellishments such as floral centerpieces, attractive table settings and wine for the traditional toasts. Before even the program commenced, announcement from the Academy Corporation meeting told of the election of Paul Simonetti to the Corporation, and the addition of Peter Gyllenhaal to the Board of Directors.
     Two excellent addresses deserve better than a brief mention, so it is hoped that other periodicals will give proper presentation of Dr. Gregory L. Baker's "Research, a Frontier for the New Church," and Mr. Prescott Rogers' address, "Bryn Athyn: The Climate Is Good"-not mere meteorology but a description of the significant activities in which the Academy faculty is conducting research and encouraging advanced studies in the fields of nature and of intellectual thought.
     Chancellor King concluded the evening and the weekend, with a reminder of the central purpose of the multi-faceted celebration-the lively consideration of the uses of knowledge in which each generation must study the teachings of the Church in the light of its times. "Knowledges are empty vessels unless they contain truths from good" and the Lord promises that in making all things new He invites the man of the Church to take the waters of life freely.
     Leon S. Rhodes

     CENTRAL WESTERN DISTRICT

     As visiting minister to the Central Western District, it was my pleasure last summer to make a trip through the southern portion of the district by car, and visit the isolated there. I am in the unique position, therefore, of being able to give the church a picture of this, perhaps the largest district of the General Church.
     My wife, our two children and I left Glenview on June 9th, arriving in St. Louis in time to give a doctrinal class that evening. The next day, Sunday, we had a beautiful worship service in the Convention church, the Church of the Open Word. It was attended by eighteen adults and numerous children, and was followed by a luncheon and a fine social gathering. This church, regularly attended by General Church members, has plans for growth, and is working towards having a resident minister from the General Convention.
     After lunch we left on a three hour drive to Columbia, MO., and the home of the David Zeiglers. That evening we had class, and the other three members of the General Church in Columbia, all ladies, were able to attend. The next morning we joined the four Zeiglers in family worship before heading west.
     Our next stop was in Maysville, MO., north of Kansas City, and the home of the Glen Klippensteins. After lunch and a tour of their large farm, Linda Klippenstein and her three children, (Glen and their oldest son being out of town), led the way to Leavenworth, KA., an hour's drive. There, at the David Coffin home, we had class for the children, a worship service, and supper. There was time for touring the Coffin estate, with horses and all, before heading back to Glenkirk Farms for the night.
     The next day, Tuesday June 12th, we drove to Wichita, KA., arriving in time for supper at the Bruce Henry home. Bruce and Pam (Henderson) have a bouncing baby boy, who, along with our two children, lent a sphere of innocence to our gathering. As was the case in many of the places we were to visit, what was needed meat was an informal doctrinal class, followed by a long discussion. What the isolated, many of them new to the church, need and want, is a chance to discuss those things which are immediately affecting their lives. It always leads to a long, deep, worthwhile conversation.
     The next morning we were off again, this time to Strong City, OK. Mrs. Helen Lackey was waiting for us, ready to feed us and put us up for the night. Unfortunately, her husband Lee had just entered the hospital and could not join us. Before the evening was done, however, she partook of the Holy Supper, and we shared her deep, well-read appreciation for the Lord and His Word. Her great faith is sustaining her during this time of her husband's illness.
     The next morning, leaving the stark beauty of western Oklahoma, we drove to Amarillo, TX., and the home of the 0. B. Longs. We were able to enjoy a leisurely lunch before a worship service. During the afternoon we discussed many things, enjoying the not too hot, dry climate of northern Texas. Right after an early supper, we left on the first leg of a three day drive to Los Angeles, and a two week break in the trip for a California vacation.
     On the afternoon of June 28th, we arrived at Big Spring, in western Texas. There, we stayed at the home of newly married, (last January), Jennifer and Dalton Lewis. After supper a surprising thing happened. Dalton's friends started dropping in. Little did they know that a minister was visiting! To make a long story short, we talked until one AM. We covered many topics, all surrounding the doctrines on marriage. I think that the teachings of the New Church made an impression on the three fellows that were there, who had had unhappy experiences. And Dalton and Jennifer showed, as do all these who are isolated, how much they love talking about the life of religion to their friends, as well as to other New Church people.
     The next day we were off to Dallas, TX. The New Church in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area is strong and growing. For instance, the David Conarons from England, and Charlene Hale from Bryn Athyn, have moved to Dallas because of the employment possibilities there.

Many more New Church people will probably move to the area because of its strong economic growth. It is a very nice place to live, and any who visit there should look up the Don Bokers, who were our gracious hosts.
     After an early worship service the next day, Sunday, July 1st, we headed for Austin, TX., and the Robert Grubb home. Robert and Denise (Cowley) and their five children had just moved there from Bryn Athyn. They are not sure why they chose Austin, but they made a good choice. We had a nice family worship in their spacious backyard. After the children were all in bed, we enjoyed some ice cream and a discussion on many topics. Being newly isolated, they had many observations of the effects of being away from a church center. Those who move away from societies become deeply appreciative of what a church society has to offer its residents. And we met several people in our travels who wanted some day to move to one of the church centers.
     The next morning, July 2nd, we made the relatively short drive to Beeville, TX., which is a bit north of Corpus Christi. Waiting for us there were Cynthia Soderberg and Royce Harvey. They are both in the Service, assigned to the Naval Air Base there. They had met in Alaska, fell in love, and were looking forward to their marriage later in the summer. Royce, like many in the district, discovered the church by falling in love and marrying an isolated church member. We may think that introducing a friend to the church may be hard, but introducing one's future spouse is a long, involved process. The reward, however, of sharing the beauty of the Lord's truth and love with your partner is the greatest possible, for it brings with it the delights of conjugial love.
     Our next stop was Houston TX. On the way we stopped in Angleton, TX., an hour south of Houston, and visited with the Brad Williamson family for a few hours. We were sorry to leave the beautiful fragrances of his flower shop. Between Angleton and Houston we got caught in our only major gas line. I waited for more than an hour, in the sweltering heat and humidity, while Margie and the kids stood in the store-it was air conditioned!
     We arrived at the Bruce Coffins in time for supper and class, The Hightowers, also of Houston, were able to make it, and we had a fine dinner and visit. The next day, July 4th, we took a much needed rest. We cleaned our car in the afternoon, and watched the fireworks that night. We enjoyed sharing our 4th of July with the Coffins and their two girls. But it was not too important a day to forget to worship. We had a family service, and then the children went off to play during the sermon. That we had a worship service on the 4th of July was just more evidence of the importance of these services to the isolated. Whenever possible, they schedule their vacations and business trips around the visits of ministers,
     We left the Coffin's the next morning, and made the six hour drive to Baton Rouge, LA. Baton Rouge is the hometown of the Henry Bruser family. Brent, with his wife Gay and their three boys, and Stephanie, live there, and visiting their parents at the time were the Herb Schoenbergers of Bryn Athyn. The next evening, Friday, July 6th, we all got together for supper and class and a good discussion well into the evening.
     The next morning we all got up early and made the two and a half hour drive to the home of Hank and Joanne Bruser in Pineville, LA., just outside of Alexandria. There, in a plantation-style house, we enjoyed true southern comfort and hospitality. There was even time for a swim. After the children were all in bed we had class, discussing the self-compulsion needed to achieve true heavenly freedom.
     The next morning, Sunday, July 8th, we had a family service and sermon. This was the largest group we met with, outside of St. Louis, for there were seven adults and six children in the congregation. After the service we had a class just for the older children on Christ's ability to heal people and what that meant.

Fostering a love for the Lord and His church in children was one of the most important uses of the trip. Most of the parents do a fine job of teaching their children. They have regular services, either by tapes from the Sound Recording Committee, by reading the Word and discussing it, or by reading a sermon. And of course many of them work with their children on Religion Lessons material. By meeting with these children, and having a "real" worship service, with a robed minister, the work of the parents is reinforced. The promise of the growth of the church on earth depends in large part on the continued activity of these children when they are adults.
     After a wonderful, truly southern style lunch, we piled back into the car for the first leg of the drive to Batesville, in north central Arkansas. We made it more than half way before having to stop for the night in a motel just north of Little Rock. After a good night's rest, we got off early. We stopped in Beebe, AR., and had a short visit with Mrs. Syble Kelly, a long-standing reader of the Writings whom none of the ministers here had met.
     We arrived at the Jerry and Dinah (Holmes) Haertlein home, within sight of the Ozark Mountains, in the mid afternoon. Also at the Haertlein's was Mrs. Tracy Wilson (Francis Gladish) and her three little girls. Those three, our two, and Jerry and Dinah's little Richie, made a delightful gang of preschoolers. When the Wilson children had gone to bed in the spare bedroom, and our children were settled in our tent, we had class and a good visit. We learned, to our amazement, that Fran had driven almost clear across the state. She thought that it would take only four hours, but it ended up taking seven. The people spread out through the district are willing to make efforts like this for the very occasional visit of a minister. Fran's effort was unusual, but a two or four hour drive, for a one-day meeting, three or four times a year, is not uncommon, It makes our efforts to get to class or worship, in the same town, seem no effort at all. On the other hand, a regular diet of "religion" can tend to lessen our appreciation for our unique opportunity to worship the Lord in the New Church.
     The next morning, after a family service and sermon, we packed the tent and the car, and were off again, headed for the Ozarks, and Plato, MO. The Charles Van Zyverden farm is far away from the interstate highways we were used to. Mr. and Mrs. Van Zyverdan, their four sons and daughter run a working dairy farm. We were able to watch them milk the cows, cut grass graze, and inspect the damage a recent rain storm had caused. In the evening we had family worship, continuing their reading of the Word. The next morning, Wednesday, July 11th, we had a full worship service. Of course that was after breakfast, which itself was after the early morning milking!
     The Van Zyverden farm is a beautiful place, and we hated to leave it, but we were anxious to get home, so we left that afternoon, for this was our last stop. We had been on the road for eighteen days and had gone over four thousand miles. (And that does not include our fourteen day, three thousand mile vacation to California and back.) We had visited more than sixty adults and twenty-five children. Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, and all the people of these midwestern and southern states, we will always remember with affection. Even with these few, the New Church is strong and growing. I hope that those who read this will get some feeling for the status of the New Church in the heartland of our nation. If you are ever crossing the country by car you can be sure that there is a New Church person or family within a day's drive. They are not that hard to find. I am sure it is safe to say that they would love to have you drop in and see them if you are nearby.
     Rev. J. Clark Echols, Jr.

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH BOYS SCHOOL AND GIRLS SCHOOL 1980

     Announcements

     Requests should be made before February 15, 1980 for application forms for admission of new students to the Academy Secondary Schools in the fall of 1980. Letters should be addressed to Miss Morna Hyatt, Principal of the Girls School, or Mr. Donald C. Fitzpatrick, Principal of the Boys School, at The Academy of the New Church, Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009. Letters should include the student's name, parents' address, the class the student will be entering, the name and address of the school he or she is now attending, and whether the student will be day or dormitory. Please see the Academy catalog for dormitory requirements.
     Completed application forms and accompanying material should be received by the Academy by March 30, 1979.
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Pittsburgh, Toronto, or Kitchener who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Mrs. James C. Pendleton
815 Fettersmill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (215) 947-1810

Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Ben Hur Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

Mrs. Philip Horigan
50 Park Drive
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (312) 729-5644

TORONTO:
Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave.
Weston, Ont. M9P 2J5

Mrs. Mark Carlson
58 Chapel Hill Drive
R.R. 2
Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5

PRAYER 1980

PRAYER Rev. ROY FRANSON 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. C
FEBRUARY, 1980
No. 2
     "Lord God . . . hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy servant. . . hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place; and when Thou hearest forgive." I Kings 8: 30

     This is part of the long, beautiful prayer which King Solomon offered to the Lord on the day of the dedication of the temple. In this most remarkable prayer Solomon humbly acknowledges the greatness and trustworthiness of the one God of heaven and earth. Time and again he had experienced the perfect justice and ceaseless mercy of the Lord; yet, with his hands stretched toward heaven, he prays that the Lord might judge the people of Israel righteously-condemning the wicked and justifying the righteous. And knowing that the people would often disobey the commandments and sin against the Lord, and on that account would suffer from famine and pestilence, or else be delivered into the hands of their enemies, he ardently prays that the Lord might forgive them, and "teach them the good way wherein they should walk."
     We clearly recognize in this prayer all the important elements of prayer. There is the acknowledgment of the one God of heaven and earth. "The Lord God of Israel, there is no God like Thee in heaven above, or on earth beneath. . . ." He prays for the Lord's presence, forgiveness and mercy, although he knows in his heart that the Lord is forever present, forgiving and merciful. Thus the need for prayer is strongly implied. There is the element of self-acknowledgment and self-dedication, pointing to the importance of man applying himself according to his best understanding of the commandments, which involves study, meditation and self-discipline.

There is also contained in it prayers for Divine blessings, as well as prayers for those who err, or sin, or suffer, teaching us that the Lord can bestow His blessings upon us only to the extent that we ask, and that the life of charity and use cannot be a reality on earth unless the spirit of concern, tolerance and forgiveness prevail among men. "Hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place; and when Thou hearest forgive."
     When we study the subject of prayer as recorded in the Word, we may wonder if the most ancient people ever prayed. This question may present itself to our minds for two reasons; first, because prayers are never mentioned in the story of Adam and Eve, nor in the story of Cain and Abel; secondly, because it is clearly stated that "men began to call upon the name of the Lord" only after Enos, the grandson of Adam through Seth, had been born.* The truth is, however, that they did pray. Indeed, their prayers were far more orderly and perfect than the prayers of men in succeeding dispensations. For the worship of the Lord with the most ancient people was a worship of life, which is the true and genuine form of worship signified by prayer. It is therefore revealed that "prayers, in the internal sense, mean all things of worship."** Prayers were not a separate or distinct form of worship with - the Most Ancient people, they were an intrinsic and inseparable part of it; they talked with God as it were face to face, and prayers are nothing else than talking with God.***
     * Gen. 4: 26.
     ** AE 325.
     *** AC 2535.
     Thus it is true that prayer is as old as man, as universal as religion, and as instinctive as breathing. Prayers have been, are, and ever will be, a most important form of worship, or practice of devotion, in all religions.
     Prayer, or talking with God, was the order of the day with each and every member of the Most Ancient Church as long as it remained in its integrity. It constituted the very foundation for their wisdom and happiness of life. The doctrine of love and charity-which is the Divine doctrine itself-was what they cultivated by their daily talking with God.
     But all of that changed when men fell into evil. The voice of the Lord was then heard only by a selected few, and the knowledge of the doctrine of love and charity was given by means of a written Word, rather than through the "Book of Nature," and pleasant educational dreams. Nor could the written Word be understood except through the instrumentality of an order of priests who were skilled in the science of correspondences-the language of revelation.
     Still, men continued to pray. But prayers became more and more a distinct and separate form of worship. Many prayers were ordained by God in the written Word; there were set prayers given for perpetual use; prayers were to be offered at certain set times of the day, such as the morning and evening prayer.

But many prayers were the outcries of troubled hearts and confused minds in devotional solitude. And though prayers-any form of prayer-were never expressly commanded by God in His Word, it is nevertheless assumed and expected that man should pray. Indeed, the whole of the Word is essentially a book of prayers. And it has always been believed that there is special virtue and power in prayers.
     Yet, there has also been, during the history of the race, a gradual tendency to regard prayers as a meritorious work, and as an observable mark of personal holiness and piety--something to practise for the sake of the appearance. And in the days when the Lord walked the earth, the Pharisees made a public display of this perverted use of prayers. The whole subject of prayer had become such a confused mass of diverse and false notions, coupled with a sphere of mysticism, that the disciples found it necessary to ask the Lord to teach them to pray. And it is well known in the Church that in the contents of the Lord's Prayer "there are more things than the universal heaven is capable of comprehending." And it is also revealed that our understanding of, and benefit from, repeating that prayer, are in direct proportion to our ability and willingness to turn to the Lord in His Word and open our minds to the reception of the truths of heaven. And this is true of every form of prayer.
     For every aspect or form of prayer is contained in the Lord's Prayer. We can clearly recognize that in it the Lord teaches us to confess our sins; to adore His Divine majesty, and to acknowledge our own unworthiness and inability to be victorious in temptation. It also teaches us to supplicate His pardon and forgiveness, to ask for His Divine blessings, and, when receiving them, to offer up prayers of thanksgiving. And finally there is, although deeply concealed, the element of intercession, informing us that it is not disorderly to pray for others. Thus, in general, we may classify prayers, or divide them into prayers of adoration, by which we express our sense of Divine majesty and absolute perfection of the Lord in His Divine Human; prayers of confession, by which we acknowledge our fallen nature and utter dependence on the Lord's mercy; prayers of supplication, by which we pray for forgiveness and for blessings desired-blessings which we feel to be agreeable to the eternal ends of the Lord; prayers of thanksgiving, by which we express our gratitude to the Lord for the countless blessings of life; and, finally, prayers of intercession, by which we express our concern for others.
     Each of these five general forms of prayers contain within them endless arcana. A finite understanding of the appropriate way in which to approach the Lord in prayer, can forever be improved upon.

To illustrate: which one of us would ever think from ourselves that we can be in a state in which it would be inappropriate to offer up prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord? Yet, now it is revealed that if "a spirit purposes to give thanks, he can by no means do so unless from manifest permission or leave."* If this be true of prayers of thanksgiving, which is a form of prayer which no Christian will ever question, how much more is this true of prayers of intercession!
     * SD 2098e.
     Is it appropriate to intercede for others? Is it according to Divine order to pray for members of our acquaintances, friends and relatives in need or in distress? In many places in the letter of the Word we are given to understand that not only is it appropriate, but it is a Divine injunction. In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord taught us and said: "Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."* Samuel of old thought of it as a horrible sin not to pray for the children of Israel in the words: "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."**
     * Matt. 5: 44.
     ** I. Sam 12: 23.
     Yet, when searching for the spiritual meaning of these and similar literal statements in the Word, it is not the need for intercession, or even the appropriateness of intercession that is confirmed, advocated or even mentioned. Rather, the instruction is that good ought to be done from charity even to our enemies, and that the Lord alone knows the proper means through which all His children of men may in freedom progress towards His eternal ends. It is the spirit of hatred that the Lord admonishes us to shun whenever in His Word He speaks of praying for others. In a more specific sense, perhaps, to pray for others is to ask for enlightenment in cooperating with the Lord in His perpetual efforts to save. In the act of praying for others the Lord imparts to us a willingness to forgive, and an unwillingness to turn our back on our fellow men.
     The Lord Himself prayed for, or made intercession for, the human race, and especially for those who had accepted Him as the promised Messiah. "I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine. . . . Holy Father keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me . . . that they may be one as we are one."*
     * John 17: 9.
     But this prayer was offered by the Lord on earth when He was in a state of humiliation, for it was only in that state that He spoke to the Father, or with the Father, as with another. But in His states of glorification He does not intercede.

     Reflecting upon this particular teaching of Divine intercession, we may come to realize that intercession is a quality of truth rather than good; it was a form of prayer offered by the Lord on earth before He was fully glorified, or, when He spoke from the Human rather than from the Divine. It was the Divine truth that interceded with the Divine good. And, as we know, it is the revealed Word that intercedes between angels and men-the Word is the nexus through which the two worlds are conjoined. And because we do not know the spiritual state of our fellow men, but only that few progress in the road of regeneration beyond a state in which truth rather than good rules, expressed feelings that prayers for others are orderly should never be discouraged.
     Yet, at the same time, it is important that that we possess and understand the knowledges concerning prayers that are of no avail. It is revealed that it is human, when weathering the storms of life, to resort to prayers alone, thus seeking to by-pass and avoid the actual battle against the evil or disorder that caused the storm. Prayers offered in such false hopes are of no avail; wherefore to pray for deliverance without an active life of repentance, is contrary to order.
     Strictly speaking, however, there is no specific form of prayer that we may term prayers of intercession. For there is intercession in all love. Divine truth-the Word-has always been with God. He who loves or feels compassion continually intercedes, even as a husband-not vocally perhaps-continually wishes that his wife be well received by others. In other words, the element of intercession is present in all love.
     No man's life is completely void of trials and temptations. The Lord alone knows which, or what kind of, trials and temptations most effectively can cause a man to turn away from his inherited and acquired evils. In our imperfect and unregenerate states we may strongly feel that someone we love is given a greater share of hardships and sorrows than he deserves, and therefore pray to the Lord that he might be delivered. And, as indicated above, there is absolutely nothing wrong in going to the Lord in prayer with everything that weighs on our mind. Yet, Solomon, best known for his wisdom, was Divinely inspired to teach us that our prayers, however sincere and humble, often partake of hopes and desires that are contrary to Divine ends. Solomon prayed to the Lord many times; he poured out the desires and wishes of his heart before the Lord, and prayed that He might hear him. But he also humbly acknowledged that his prayers might not be in harmony with the Lord's eternal ends; and for this he asks to be forgiven.
     It is this humble acknowledgment that makes prayers meaningful and powerful in our struggles in life.

It is in this spirit that we can go to the Lord in prayer, talking with Him about all our needs, all our hopes and all our desires. For it is through a continued life of prayer that we can gradually learn what to pray for and what not to pray for. Prayers will forever be important to our spiritual peace and happiness. Yet, we should humbly realize that we can spiritually benefit from prayers; that is, the Lord can enlighten us through our prayers to the extent that we can pray with Solomon of old, "Lord God, hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place; and when Thou hearest, FORGIVE." Amen.

LESSONS: I Kings 8: 22-40; John 17; AR 376.
PRAYER 1980

PRAYER 1980

Prayer considered in itself is speech with God, and at such time some internal intuition of the objects of prayer, to which there corresponds a certain similar influx into the perception or thought of the mind of him who prays, so that there is a certain opening of man's interiors towards God; but this with a difference according to man's state, and according to the essence of the object of the prayer; if the prayer be from love and faith, and be about and for celestial and spiritual things only, then in the prayer there exists something resembling a revelation, which is manifested in the emotion of the person praying, as to hope, consolation, or a certain interior joy. AC 2535

DON'T STAY ANGRY! 1980

DON'T STAY ANGRY! STEPHEN GLADISH 1980

     Anger is defined as a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong. I count four levels. The first level of anger is a sudden violent displeasure accompanied by an impulse to retaliate. The second level is indignation-a more formal state, implying a deep and justified anger; strong displeasure at something deemed unjust, unworthy, or base. This is righteous anger. The third level is rage, or vehement anger. The fourth level is fury-anger so great it resembles insanity.
     Zeal is anger's good counterpart. It is defined as eager desire or endeavor, ardor, or enthusiastic diligence. Swedenborg states that zeal is when good reproves evil, while anger is when evil attacks good.* However, one can be carried away by zeal to amend the evil, and to protect others.** There is, then, charity in a man's zeal.*** In external form zeal appears like anger, but "there is evil in anger, anger intends evil to another, while zeal intends good."**** Swedenborg says, "Zeal may seem like anger and flaming fire, but its flame is extinguished . . . as soon as the adversary repents, with those who have genuine charity."*****
     * AC 2351e.
     ** AC 2417: 7.
     *** AC 2417: 6.
     **** AC 4164.
     ***** TCR 408; CL 365 (see also TCR 155).
     Good mental health demands us to appropriately feel and express our human emotions, especially anger. Observe how and in what manner a person handles anger, and you can get an accurate assessment of his or her mental health. A healthy emotional climate is where all the emotions are given ample play and freedom. Feelings are accepted; conveying how one feels is accepted openly and freely without threat of reprisal.
     Without that healthy emotional climate, a myriad sick ways to inappropriately feel and express anger pop out. Healthy anger has full awareness and possession. In health, anger is self-limiting. It takes place, then stops. The first level of anger is often merely a response to frustration due to misunderstanding. It is then followed by a healthy give and take, and a mutual exchange of healthy emotional information. Here the anger may be mainly from self-protection, without the evil concomitants of hatred and revenge.

     Healthy anger is not loss of control. That occurs only with an unhealthy slush-fund of excess anger stored up inappropriately from the past. Emotions are to be dealt with immediately as they rise. Healthy anger is a response to a presently occurring incident. The longer we hold in emotions, and bottle them up, especially anger, the more pathological the anger becomes. Our feelings control us when we subvert them, or are not consciously aware they exist. These feelings then have an autonomy of their own. A sick emotional climate exists where people feel one way and act another,
     Examples of inappropriate anger abound as the main source of the following behavioral messages, whether spoken or not:

     -Don't make waves-"nice guy" or "sweet woman" ("I won't get angry and I'll then be sure you don't get angry" approach).
     -Emotional Isolationist-("If I don't get involved, I won't get hurt").
     -Mr. Cool-("Keeping cool means I keep total control, manipulation, mastery, and domination of my world and all that's in it").
     -"I'm not angry, I'll just have a couple of drinks."
     -"I'm not angry, I'll just (unconsciously) go on an eating binge."
     -"A tranquilizer will solve that problem."
     -"Where did I get this headache? A couple aspirin will solve that."
     -"I just know you are mad at me." (Projection of self-directed anger.)
     -"People want to do me in." (Projection.)
     -"Can't you keep this house cleaner?" (Really angry at the boss at work, but afraid to show it).
     -Mutism: "I'm angry but I'm not going to talk about it." ("I'll punish you with silence.").
     -Anxiety (in its myriad forms)-"I'm angry, but am afraid to show it."
     -Depression (in its myriad forms)-"I'm angry but won't show it."
     -Insomnia, Phobias-"I'm angry and anxious but don't know it," or show it through fear of heights, etc.
     -Guilt-"I'll turn anger on myself, try to dissipate it, (often through overeating or overworking, oversexing or overexercise), but I hate myself and punish myself even more."
     -Dreams and Fantasies in which loved ones are lost, hurt, dying, mangled: "I have anger toward them I wasn't aware of."
     -"I'd rather be fat, sweet and jolly, than angry, thin, and healthy; I want to keep my angelic image."
     -Accident-proneness-"I am angry at myself and wish to hurt myself; I hate myself."

     -Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Chronic Gamblers-"I hate myself; I can't stand being successful."
     -Hypochondria-"I hate myself; I can't stand being healthy-don't deserve it." (Same goes for migraine headaches, high blood pressure, skin problems, and a host of other illnesses: the cause is emotional, the sickness is demonstrable-and can be medically treated.)
     -Sneak speakers-always manage to find one flaw in a plan, party, situation,- or person, under the guise of being honest. "I love your dress, but don't you think it would look better if you lost five pounds?"
     -Bullying-like all arrogant people, the bully feels fragile, vulnerable, threatened, and covers up feelings of inadequacy by trying to dominate and derogate others, blatantly or subtly.
     -Sadism-"I'm emotionally dead; I inflict and feel pain as a last-ditch effort to stimulate some kind of feeling."
     -Subtle Sabotage: dishonest sneak punches-interrupt when an important point is about to be made; borrowing and forgetting to return; chronic forgetting of anything and everything; talking during movies, plays; habitual lateness; sudden attacks of stupidity.
     -Sideline aggressors-"quiet" people who identify with the aggressors in TV movies, shows, and football, or who have vicious dogs, but who cannot deal healthily with their own anger.
     -Promiscuity and prostitution are often linked to anger directed at authority figures (usually the father).
     -Adolescent drug and drinking habits-often linked to anger and revenge directed toward parents, especially toward parents whom the adolescents felt were duplicitous, dishonest, manipulative, and exploitive, unable to relate with healthy honest feelings.
     -Writing angry letters or articles or books, instead of face-to-face.
     -All gossip is malicious and vicious; an appropriate way to rid oneself of anger, by spreading poison around freely.
     -Envy and jealousy can be linked with inappropriate anger.
     -Car accidents-A high percentage occur due to anger toward self and others, in the safely anonymous situation where the car and driver are an instrument of vengeance: angry feelings of sibling rivalry, sexual inadequacy, inability to be assertive to one's boss or wife or mother, all burst out on the road.
     -The compulsive joker, the clown: works out the poisons of perverted anger-hostility, bigotry, vulgarity, destructiveness.
     On the other hand, appropriate or healthy anger is feeling angry, letting yourself in on it, honestly letting someone else in on it, accepting the angry feelings, and being able to express the anger.

This will make possible a choice regarding its expression. We have acceptance of feelings plus the freedom to express those feelings or not. We can then see whether we act in anger or in zeal.
     Healthy angry feelings are acceptance, synonymous with respect, confidence, and caring. All expressions of caring or concerned anger will be short and finite. They do not go on and on and become chronic. Expression of warm anger actually has a cleansing effect on a relationship, clearing the air of confusion, hurt feelings, and misunderstandings. The result is improved communication, better relationships, and stronger established interpersonal contact.
     Anger synonymous with zeal is closely linked to love and caring. We usually get angry at those we care about. Frankly, it is better to get angry, see the improper areas of its motivation, and apologize to your self, your neighbor, and God, than it is to bottle up your anger without looking into it. Rebuke, forgive, and apologize is better than simmer, steam, and stew! A recent study showed bottled up emotions occurred in people two years before the onset of cancer. The human tendency is to save up our anger inappropriately, collecting brown stamps, saving it up in a slush fund of poison, to come out at some later date. Rejection on many levels occurs. There is no charity involved; good is not intended to others. There is no action, direct and honest. Yet this is the way the majority handles anger! "Justice delayed is justice denied" was a current slogan. "Anger delayed is anger denied" is the new slogan. Zeal is also a direct action event, akin to caring anger.
     Zeal has good in it. In anger is evil.* Zeal is only possible with one who is in good.** A good man is solely in the . . . zeal of protecting, and rarely in any . . . zeal of attacking.*** Even though a man or woman in the zeal to punish the evil may seem to thunder and flash, he or she may have love and friendship stored up in the internals of his or her zeal.**** The charitable end of their zeal may be to protect the good from being injured, and to lead the wrongdoer to a life of good.*****
     * AC 4164.
     ** AC 4444.
     *** DP 197: 2.
     **** CL 365.
     ***** D. Mm. 4547; AC 8598: 2.
     In zeal "one can be good toward others, and can be good in that moment, but not he who is in anger."* The zeal of an evil love has anger in it, storing up hatred and revenge.** In anger is also persecution from hatred and revenge.*** Being angry rashly means hatred against the neighbor.**** To be angry is also defined as to will evil to another.*****

Finally, anger, storing up in itself hatred and revenge, lasts, and is rarely extinguished.******
     * AC 4164.
     ** CL 365.
     *** AC 8598: 2.
     **** AC 8902.
     ***** AC 10618: 2.
     ****** AE 693.
     In conclusion, we should seek "the zeal of a good love . . . a heavenly flame, which never bursts forth against another, and only defends itself." We must avoid "the zeal of an infernal love which bursts forth and rushes out, and wants to consume another."* We might hope for "a spiritual indignation, and still more a celestial indignation, which does not derive from anger, or even the indignation of anger, but from the interior essence of zeal, which is a certain sadness, with a wish that it were not so."** Whatever level we are on, we must remember healthy anger and zeal is a dynamic process-something to be acted on and worked through. Don't stay angry! It is better to rebuke, forgive, and apologize, than to simmer, steam and stew!
     * CL 365.
     ** AC 3909: 2.

GENERAL REFERENCE: The Angry Book, 1969, by Theodore Rubin, M.D.
NEW CIRCLE 1980

NEW CIRCLE Louis B. KING 1980

     The General Church Group in Connecticut has been officially received as the Connecticut Circle of the General Church.
     Louis B. KING
          Bishop
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1980

GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1980

The Twenty-eighth General Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held at Guelph University, Ontario, Canada, from Wednesday, June 11, to Sunday, June 15, 1980. Divine Worship on Sunday will include the 48th Psalm in the Psalmody. Worshippers are advised to bring their own Liturgies.

ACCOUNT OF THE LORD'S BIRTH AS RELATED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND IN THE NEW 1980

ACCOUNT OF THE LORD'S BIRTH AS RELATED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND IN THE NEW Rev. GEORGE DECHARMS 1980

     We find two accounts of the Lord's birth, one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. They are very different, and it is very important to know how they are related to one another. For instance, according to the New Testament, the Lord was born in Bethlehem of Judea, while in the Old Testament He is said to have been born in Haran, in Asia Minor. How can these two accounts be reconciled?
     The chief difference between them is, that the evangelists could describe only what took place openly in the natural world, or of which they could be told, either by means of an angel, or by means of Joseph and Mary. The Old Testament, on the other hand, reveals things which the Evangelists could not possibly know because they took place only in the womb of Mary, or in the mind of the new-born infant, Jesus Christ.
     The New Testament reveals the paternal heredity of Jesus Christ, that is, of the Father who is in heaven, namely the Word, which was made flesh. The first five verses of the Gospel of John speaks of "the Word" which "was in the beginning":

     In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. . . . All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.*
     * Jn.1: 1-5.

     The Word was given to the most ancient people, and it was perpetuated throughout all the ages of human history, its outward form being modified in accommodation to the capacity of men to receive it. It was present with the angels of all the heavens, even as the light of the spiritual sun. In that light they saw God as a Divine Man, and worshiped Him. But as the race declined in spiritual love and faith, its light was concealed from all who would profane it, wherefore it is said that "the Light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not."*
     * Jn. 1: 5.

     In Matthew we are given the "generation of Jesus Christ," that is, the descent of the Word through the heavens, from the highest to the lowest, as the Divine "seed" from which Jesus Christ was conceived. This descent is represented by the genealogy from Abraham, through all the years of the representative of a church with the Jewish people, even to Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ."* Thus the Word was "made flesh," because it was the "seed" that impregnated the womb of Mary.
     * Matt. 1: 16.
     What was the difference between the conception of Jesus Christ and the conception of every other human being? God is the Creator of all men. His Divine love inflows into a receiving vessel in the mind of an earthly father. Inmostly this vessel is a finite form of love, and because all "influx is according to the form of the receiving vessel," the inflowing life is directed toward the creation of a finite human being, endowed with the capacity to perform a finite use in the kingdom of heaven. But to this is added the dominant love of the human father, whence comes a hereditary tendency to evil which further conditions the action of the inflowing life. Thence arises the "paternal inheritance." In the case of Jesus Christ, there was no such heredity. As a result, He was not born for a specific place and use in heaven, but as the Redeemer, born to overcome the power of hell, and restore all men to spiritual freedom. There was with Him no interior tendency to evil. He was born therefore "a spiritual celestial Man," His soul being the Divine love of the salvation of the entire human race.
     In Luke we are told about the miraculous birth of John the Baptist. He it is of whom it is prophesied by Malachi:

     Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.*
     * Matt. 4: 5, 6.

     He was to call the Jewish people to repentance, urging them to observe the commandments of Moses which had long been neglected, and so open the way for the angels to inflow, to protect them from the denial of the Lord.*
     * Lu. 1: 5-25.
     Then follows the annunciation to Mary, preparing her to become the mother of Jesus Christ. The angel Gabriel said,

     The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.*
     * Lu. 1: 35.

Mary's humble and willing acceptance of this Divine commission is indicated by her reply,

     Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word.*
     * Lu. 1:38.

She was confirmed in her faith by her visit to Elizabeth and the testimony from heaven that what the angel had said would indeed be fulfilled; and Mary was inspired to speak the "Magnificat."* There follows the birth of John the Baptist, and prophecy of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.**
     * Lu 1:46-55.
     ** Lu. 1:68-79.
     There follows the appearance of the angel to Joseph,* reassuring him concerning the miraculous nature of her pregnancy:

     Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn Son: and he called His name Jesus.**
     * Matt 1:18-25.
     ** Matt. 1:24, 25.

     We return then to the second chapter of Luke for the account of the decree by Caesar Augustus that caused Joseph and Mary to journey to Bethlehem where the infant Jesus was born. There we learn of the appearance of the angels to the shepherds, and their coming to worship the infant, "wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger."* And finally we learn of the circumcision of the Child when He was eight days old.**
     * Lu. 2:1-20.
     ** Lu. 2:21.
     Such was the story of the Lord's birth as recorded in the Gospels; but while all this was being enacted openly, something else was taking place secretly, of which the evangelists knew nothing.
     Turning to the eleventh chapter of Genesis, we learn of the descendants of Shem, the eldest son of Noah. His descendants are traced through Arphaxad, Salah and Eber, who, we are told, was the first historic character to be mentioned in the Old Testament. He effected a reformation in the Ancient Church, and established a new form of worship by means of animal sacrifices, in accordance with the ancient law of correspondences which had elsewhere been forgotten. This sect was called the Hebrew Church, and in the Writings it is referred to as "the second Ancient Church," because it perpetuated for a time the knowledge of correspondences which had been the most precious possession of the "first Ancient Church." But the genealogy continues through five generations, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor and Tera."*
     * Gen. 11: 17-25.

     These were actual leaders of the church who succeeded one another, and under whom the Church receded more and more from genuine faith and charity, until, under Terah, it became wholly idolatrous. All knowledge of spiritual things was lost, and the worship of idols became universal. Terab had come to live in Ur of the Chaldees, on the banks of the Euphrates River. There he begat three sons, Abram, Nahor, and Haran. But Haran died, leaving a son Lot, who was adopted by Abram as his own son. Abram married Sarai, and Nahor married Milcah. And then it is said:

     Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldecs, to go into the land of Canaan, and they came unto Haran and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terab died in Haran.*
     * Gen. 11: 31, 32.

     What is the meaning of all this? It is the ancestry of Abram, who is said to represent the Lord. Thus it is the ancestry of the Lord. We are told that when Haran, the third son of Terah, died, "Interior worship was blotted out and became merely idolatrous."* That Abram and Nahor took them wives "signifies evil and falsity in idolatrous worship. By the husbands are signified evils, and by the wives, falsities."** It is further said that "Sarai was barren, she had no offspring," by which is signified that evil and falsity produced itself no further.*** Finally it is said, "And Terah took Abram his son; and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan and they came even unto Haran and stayed there." These words signify: "That those who had been in idolatrous worship were instructed in the celestial and spiritual things of faith in order that a representative church might come forth from that source."****
     * AC 1366.
     ** AC 1373.
     *** AC 1371.
     **** AC 1373.
     This is a remarkable thing! -that Terah with his two sons and their wives should depart from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. Yet they did not go there, but came instead to Haran, and dwelt there. The fact that they started out to go to Canaan, means that they were "being instructed in celestial and spiritual things." We take this to mean that they were led in Providence in the direction of Canaan, although they were not prepared to go thither. They were being prepared to have a part in the new representative Church which the Lord was about to establish.

     "And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran." * Concerning this we read:

     (This) signifies the duration and state of the idolatrous worship meant by Terah. And Terah died in Haran, signifies the end of idolatry, and the beginning of a representative church through Abram.**
     * Gen. 11: 32.
     ** AC 1375.

     With the death of Terah, the representation passed from him to Abram. Terah had been the head of an idolatrous church, but Abram now became the founder of the Jewish representative church, and so came to represent the Lord. All that has gone before reveals the ancestry of Abram. It reveals the fact that his ancestors had been in worship by means of animal sacrifices, and therefore this was the only way in which worship could be established with Abram and his descendants. It shows that in him there was a strong tendency toward human sacrifices, from which he could be withheld only by the sacrifice of animals. It shows also that in him there was an almost irresistible tendency toward idolatry, from which he and his descendants could be withheld only by the constant performance of miracles. It demonstrates why Abram and his descendants were unwilling to believe in anything spiritual, and were therefore incapable of understanding the internal sense of the Word. Such was the character of Abram, and yet He was to represent the Lord!
     This can mean nothing else than that these evil tendencies were inherited through the mother Mary. They were the maternal heredity by means of which alone the hells could draw near to tempt the Lord. They did not belong to the Lord, but were adjoined to Him, as a window through which He could perceive the evils of the human race, and could fight against them, from the Divine love which was His soul.
     The death of Terah obviously represents the birth of the Lord, when "the representation passed to Abram." That He was born in Haran means that like all infants He was born into total ignorance. Haran was a land of darkness, in the midst of which the Divine Providence was working secretly to establish the representative of a Church. From that land of darkness the Lord was to journey to the land of Canaan, and by slow stages advance into the perception of celestial and spiritual things. In that land, in the course of time, a wife was raised up for Isaac, and later still, the two wives of Jacob, whence came the twelve tribes of Israel, and there Jehovah appeared to Abram, saying:

     Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing.

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.*
     * Gen. 12: 1-3.

     This is called in the Writings "the first animadversion" or the first conscious awakening of the Lord after He was born. There was with the Lord, as with all infants, a period after birth when physical sensations were pouring in upon the mind from the environment. These were being stored in the memory, but they made no distinct impression because there was no focusing of attention upon them. What was being experienced was a sort of dream-life, the significance of which was quite unknown. This period is represented in the New Testament by the vision of angels seen by the shepherds, and their coming to Bethlehem to worship the new-born Jesus, "wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger." The same period includes the ceremony of circumcision which took place on the eighth day after the Lord was born. But,

     When the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord: (as it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord); and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.*

This marked "the first animadvertence" on the part of the infant Jesus. It means the same as the "call" of Abraham as recorded in the Old Testament. That this is the case is evident from all that is related concerning that visit to Jerusalem. It was the beginning of the Lord's glorification of His Human. This is involved in the prophecy of the aged Simeon who "took Him up in his arms and blessed God." Also by what is said of "one Anna the prophetess," who "gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." That this represents the beginning of the Lord's conscious life is indicated by the saying: "And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him."**
     * Lu. 2: 22-24.
     ** Lu. 2: 40.

     To see the two accounts of the Lord's birth in relation to one another and to have the one in mind while reading of the other, brings added meaning to both of them.

LITERAL AND SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD 1980

LITERAL AND SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD Rev. NORMAN H. REUTER 1980

     The account of the miraculous draught of fishes* illustrates certain principles of exposition revealed in the Writings by which we are now able to enter into a fuller understanding and use of Scripture.
     * Lu. 5: 1-11.
     The Heavenly Doctrines teach that there are distinct series within the Word; the series of the literal sense, and the more interior series of its spiritual and celestial contents. The literal sense is natural, and by itself only teaches the natural man; yet it derives its quality of holiness and divinity from the Divine truth which is contained within it, as a kernel is within its shell. For each historical statement, each prophetical utterance, each moral and civil law, indeed every phrase and word, clothes in correspondential form some spiritual teaching for the spiritual instruction and salvation of man.
     Since the Lord is interiorly present in the Word-for it is His Word, the Word of His mouth, the accommodated manifestation of His Divine mind; and since He is in the human form-indeed, is the source from whom is derived the human form-therefore it is revealed that the Word interiorly considered is in the human form. Consequently the most perfect physical thing to which we can liken it is the human shape, which is the ultimate portrayal and embodiment of that spiritual characteristic which is called the human form.
     When the Word is represented by the human shape, the spiritual sense, with all its wonderful arrangement of truths, is likened to the body, within which dwells the Divine as a soul. The literal sense on the other hand is compared to the clothing upon that body. This literal sense, like clothing, of itself is dead, material, and of and for this earth. It serves as a covering for all the internal senses, a protection to man lest he venture prematurely into their wonders and instead of appreciating them, because of his cupidities, surround them with foul thoughts and evil interactions, and thereby profane them, which is to reject and pollute the things of the Lord. For a similar reason men themselves are now clothed and not naked, and providentially much of their delight is shifted to the external beauty of garments, rather than the deeper, and therefore more easily pervertible, beauty of the human shape.

     Since the literal sense in every respect is like a garment, covering the body of internal things, there are some portions where this body of internal truths shines forth to be seen even as the face and hands are seen when the body is clothed. The nature of these genuine truths thus exposed even to the natural mind is indicated by the use of the face and the hands. The face portrays the essential characteristic of a man, for therein we see the mind imaged forth. So also the essential truths of religion are plainly set forth in certain places in the literal sense of the Word, that from them we may see the basic quality of God-Man and His heavenly kingdom. These truths constitute those essential for salvation, those that have the power of saving men, which fact is represented by the hands, as they are the means by which man has the power of doing things.*
     * AE 778: 6; SS 855.
     There are those of little perception who are deceived by the clothes of a person. They judge one's character from his clothes, instead of seeing the qualities which are characteristic of him confirmed by the way he clothes himself. Between those two attitudes there is a great difference. So it is with people of little perception in their attitude toward the Word. They think from the literal sense about the internal sense, instead of seeing from interior truth how the literal sense is but a garment drawn from things of this world to cover and accommodate a purely spiritual thing. It should be realized that the imperfections and inconsistencies of the literal sense are but an evidence of the imperfections of the earthly instruments of revelation and the inadequacies of human language. Perfection can only be found when we search more deeply for what is heavenly and Divine.
     In general it may be said that the spiritual sense is not so deeply clothed or hidden in the New Testament as in the Old. There the face of Divine truth is more often and more readily revealed to the natural man. For the New Churchman, to whom it is not only permitted, but also enjoined to enter more deeply into the interior things of the Word, ways and means are now provided for him to perceive more and more clearly the spiritual sense, if he is but in the affection of truth and the desire to live that which truth teaches. If he will learn the genuine doctrine of truth revealed in the literal sense of the Word; also something of the nature and operation of correspondences, according to which all revelation is composed; and if he is in the spiritual love of truth; then the Lord will enlighten him more and more with the interior truths of the Word in the degree that he advances in the aforementioned essentials.

Of these essentials for the opening and understanding of the spiritual sense the spiritual love of truth is the most important, for knowledge of the doctrine of genuine truth and the knowledge of correspondences are but means, while the love of truth is the active through which the Lord inflows.
     It is not always understood that these three things: a knowledge of the doctrine of genuine truth, some understanding of correspondences, and a love of truth (plus the consequent enlightenment which comes from the Lord when these are present), are necessary both on the part of those who teach and those who are taught, with this difference only, that with the teacher they are active in giving and with the receiver they are reactive in receiving. It is a law of life that there must be action and reaction in order that there may be reception.
     Among the principles which aid in leading the mind from the literal to the spiritual sense are the following. Every group of verses which treat of one subject in the literal sense teaches a single general truth in the spiritual sense. The leading spiritual idea has reference to man, imparting some lesson directly bearing upon his regeneration. Because it is the leading idea, all other truths in the passage are arranged in order under it as a head. However, prior to this leading idea, this general truth having reference to man's regeneration, is a universal truth having reference to the Lord, which stands as an axiom, a basis, on which the topic of spiritual teaching rests. This universal, which is taken for granted throughout the passage, may be determined by correspondence from the first things said in the literal account; for always a universal idea about the Lord must prefix the thought concerning every truth taught in any passage, or the truth will not be seen in heavenly light. Finally, in the last verse of any given series may be found, by correspondence, the purpose for which the teaching is given-the end of love and use toward which the interior doctrine leads.
     In addition to these three most important principles, which act as aids in guiding the mind to the spiritual sense, the following may be briefly mentioned. Note should be taken of the time and place of action; of the person speaking or acting or being spoken to or acted upon; of the names used in the passage, especially the name of the Lord; and other like things; for all these are so many indications of the spiritual state under consideration, and will confirm and enlarge the general spiritual teaching discovered.
     Now with these ideas in mind, let us review the account of the miraculous draught of fishes, and then endeavor to see how spiritual treasures are contained therein.

     And it came to pass, that as the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, (Jesus) stood by the lake of Gennesarat, and saw two ships standing by the lake; but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And He entered one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And He sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto Him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes; and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me: for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of fishes which they had taken, and so was also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed Him.*
     * Lu. 5: 1-11.

     In this passage, in the literal sense, the leading idea is that of fishing; all others are related and subordinated to it. From the Heavenly Doctrine we learn that correspondentially "fishing" signifies "the instruction and conversion of men who are in external and natural good."* For "fish" signify memory knowledges which spring from the things of the senses,** that is, knowledges which come to our attention by way of the senses, through sight, hearing, touch, and so forth, and which when gathered together for use are represented in the Word by the act of catching fish. "A fisherman, in the spiritual sense of the Word, signifies a man who investigates ... natural truths, and afterwards spiritual truths, rationally."*** Now "fish," it was said, represent memory knowledges, which means the knowledge of any truth, whether treating of natural, spiritual, or celestial things, when it is merely a thing retained in the memory. It may be the knowledge that a house has a roof, rooms, windows, and foundations. It may be the knowledge that a bird flies, a man walks, or a fish swims. These refer to natural things. But memory knowledges also may refer to spiritual things-as that a man must shun evils as sins, learn truths and do goods, to live the life that leads to heaven. These and like things may be stored in the memory. And so we find that the leading idea of our passage has to do with things stored up in the memory, sometimes called "memory knowledges," sometimes called "scientifics," sometimes called "sensuous truths," (because learned through the senses) and in a limited sense often referred to by modern writers as facts.

We can expect to find in this passage teachings as to what part these memory knowledges are to play in the spiritual life of man, as to what use they are Divinely intended to perform. But before doing so let us see what the universal idea concerning the Lord is in the passage, for it should prefix our thought about the things there taught.
     * AE 600: 7.
     ** AC 991.
     *** I 20.
     In the first verse we read: "And it came to pass that as the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, He stood by the lake of Gennesaret." The spiritual teaching contained here is that the Lord can be present in the natural of man through the Divine Human which He assumed while on earth. This teaching is to be discovered from these things. The time when this account took place was when the Lord was on earth, making Divine the natural which He had assumed. The place of action, in general, is Galilee, which represents the natural of man, upon which and in which the Lord can now operate and teach as He did in Galilee. More specifically, the place was "by the lake of Gennesaret." A sea or a lake represents the memory. For the memory contains the knowledges of truth as the seas contain fishes. And Gennesaret represents the natural memory because it is in the land of Galilee, which stands for the natural mind.
     Thus we learn that the Lord through the Divine Human is present with power to teach even from the lowest things of the memory-He ever is standing by the lake of Gennesaret. But in order to receive the benefits of this presence of the Lord we must be like the people of Galilee who "pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God." We must be moved by an affection for hearing the Word of God, for the things of the memory to be put to their proper use.
     Now let us discover what this use is, which will be indicated in the last verse of the series. There we read: "And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed Him."* This verse follows the Lord's promise to Simon that "from henceforth thou shalt catch men." To catch men means to gather, arrange and understand spiritual rational truths-not only sensuous scientific truths; for men are spiritual beings whose proper realm is that of the spiritual world, and therefore they represent such spiritual and everlasting truths, while fish are material and natural beings, creatures of this earth alone, who perish with death, and do not live in the other world, even as the things of the material memory are left behind in this world.
     * Lu. 5: 11.
     "And they forsook all and followed Him."

When those who would be the Lord's disciples have been taught by Him out of the Word, and have as it were miraculously seen spiritual things divinely prepared for them, even to the gathering of knowledges in the memory, they turn their attention away from these external things-from mere memory knowledges alone; they forsake their trade of fishing to follow the Lord into the realm of spiritual rational truths. From fishers of fishes, they became fishers of men. Spiritually this means that from investigating and paying attention to natural truths, they now begin investigating spiritual truths rationally. They see then that the use of all external knowledge is only to lead to spiritual truth, that one may follow the Lord in the good of life. They see that natural men-fishermen-dwell in the externals of truth; in the sense of the letter of the Word, in the appearances of life and nature which clothe the realities within them, in the fallacies of the senses; but that a spiritual man-a disciple of the Lord's-puts these things off as a primary occupation, and thus forsakes them, turning to the essentials on which he fixes his attention, and so becomes a fisher of men-a man who gathers principles and doctrines to guide him to the Lord.
He becomes one who recognizes that all the knowledges of the world, all the wisdom of men, are but a thing to be used as a stepping stone to the knowledge of eternal things. He sees that he is not to remain immersed in these literal things-these things of this world-but is to use them as servants which shall lead to the Divine Master, thus entering into interior things which endure to eternity. For if he does not so view externals, that is rise above them and fix his attention primarily on the spiritual things which are eternal, death itself will strip him of the externals, and he will find himself in the other world without anything, because all that had made life worthwhile to him had been of this earth, and so had perished with his death. Hence he becomes a spiritually dead man-a spirit unable to dwell in heaven because he is prepared to sense nothing of its joys, has never learned to care for that which constitutes its whole life. Yea, what is marvelous, he cannot even find heaven; his eyes have not been formed to see it, for while on earth, when his character was being developed and fixed to eternity, he could not, or rather he would not, see the things of heaven; that is, he could not see their use; in fact, in the last analysis he did not believe that they had any use, for in reality he did not believe that heaven existed. The truth is that each one makes his own eternal life, and if he confirms himself in the notion that there is no heaven, there will be no heaven for him. Therefore there is nothing left for such a person save to enter into his hell of constantly yearning to return to this world, with its earthly pleasures, now forever cut off by death.

     In conclusion let us connect these few teachings drawn from the account of the miraculous draught of fishes with our first thoughts concerning the literal and internal senses of the Word. In a general way the literal sense of the Word is also meant by the "fishes"; and the "men" whom the Lord said the disciples would "catch," that is, gather into the church, represent the truths of the internal sense. Hence we see herein involved the teaching often given in the Writings that when men begin to regenerate they are to put off the literal sense, meant by the disciples "forsaking all," and to enter into the spiritual sense in order to follow the Lord. For spiritual things alone conjoin man with the Lord.
     Our reverence for the Word is not to be for the letter, but for the Divine things that are contained within. We do not observe a certain propriety of behavior when within a church building because of its external form, but because of its use. If a man seems to think much of the holiness of the Word, but ignores its teaching in regulating his life, he is like one who, with great eloquence, talks about the architectural beauty of the building, but never enters its walls for the sake of instruction and worship.
     A true disciple of the Lord is not such. He forsakes lower things for higher ones, yet in putting off lower things he does not ignore their use. He really does not put them off, except as the center of his attention; rather he places them under the government of spiritual things. To such a man the architectural beauties of a church are even more apparent, we might say transparent, because through them he sees all the regenerative uses which the Lord performs for men, of which uses the building is but a natural symbol. Likewise a true disciple loves and reveres the letter of the Word more than a mere natural man, although not for its own sake, but because, and only because, in it, and through it, he can be led to the Lord by means of the spiritual things contained within. Such a person truly understands the Lord's teaching that the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

ELDRIC S. KLEIN 1980

ELDRIC S. KLEIN Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh 1980

     A Memorial Address

     One of the confirmations that a man lives to eternity is that he has the ability to become wise. This was the conclusion of the ancient sages who said, "How can the soul or mind of man die, when it has the faculty of - growing wise?" They perceived that such wisdom was from God Himself who is immortal, and that man's immortality results from his ability to receive wisdom from God. This is what is meant by the Lord's words to His disciples: "Because I live, ye shall live also."*
     * Jn. 14: 19.
     The Writings teach that we are born in total ignorance, but with an ability to learn and become wise. At birth, we are potential angels, but we become angelic by a life of development on earth. This is the whole purpose of our brief and varied existence. Through all of life's experiences the Lord's providence is leading us to a wisdom that He alone imparts. As we grow in rational wisdom we take on the image and likeness of God and become "sons of God," but this is a life-long process. "A man from his infancy even to childhood is merely sensuous," the Writings reveal, "for he then receives only earthly, bodily and worldly things through the senses of the body, and from these things his ideas and thoughts are then formed.. . ."* This, we are told, forms a "foundation" upon which the intellectual or rational faculty which is proper to man can be built. "From childhood to early youth communication is opened with the interior natural (degree of the mind)" we read, "by learning what is becoming, what the civil laws require, and what is honorable, both by instructions from parents and teachers and by studies. And from youth to early manhood communication is opened between the natural and rational by learning the truths and goods of civil and moral life, and especially the truths and goods of spiritual life. . . ."**
     * AC 5126: 3.
     ** AC 5126: 2.
     These teachings show us the importance of a right education, and the purpose for which the founders of our Church established a distinctive educational system. Certainly, it is not necessary for a child to attend
     New Church schools to become an angel, nor do any who attend have a guaranteed place in heaven, for the mind is made heavenly only so far as what we learn is applied.

But an education which not only provides knowledges from the many fields of learning, but also organizes, evaluates and gives spiritual perspective to natural knowledge, provides a kind of freedom for our students which other students do not enjoy. Here, in its true sense is what is meant by the often quoted passage, "The truth shall make you free."* It is the truth of the Word penetrating and illuminating the fields of natural knowledge that frees us from the misconceptions and misinterpretations of life's experiences and learning, and gives us the ability to see Divine purpose and use in everything natural. This is the key to understanding the real distinction between New Church education and secular education. Secular education is concerned with all knowledge, and with men's ideas concerning knowledge. New Church education is concerned with all knowledge seen in the light of the Word.
     * Jn. 8: 32.
     We speak of New Church education on this occasion because this was the essential and abiding concern of him whose life we note today. We are privileged to pause and reflect on the first day of this new decade of history on the character and work of a New Churchman known for his keen sense of history and his dedication for five decades to the cause of New Church education.
     Eldric Klein was a patient scholar, a strict but fair teacher, a life-long liberal, an effective and just administrator, a painstaking archivist, but eminently a committed New Church educator. This is evident from his published papers and addresses, many of which appear in the pages of New Church Life. Even the listing of some titles provides insight to Eldric Klein's unmistakable interest: "Habits," an address at school opening; "Science and Humanities," an address to the Educational Council; "Chivalry," an address at a special winter commencement during World War II, on which occasion several students were graduated early to allow them to enter the armed forces, "The General Church and the Academy"; and "The Mature Mind."
     Selected quotations from these addresses further illustrate the thrust of Eldric Klein's career: "It is because of our common knowledge that the Lord has made His Second Coming in the Writings that we are here today," he wrote. "It was in order that coming generations might be better prepared to make this knowledge a living reality in their hearts that this school was founded. . . . You are not here solely to acquire knowledges, but also to learn to apply them to life. . . ."* Concerning the Liberal Arts he wrote: "these studies provide the means whereby men can form a truly rational mind. . . . The primary function of the Liberal Arts is to illustrate the presence of the Divine in nature, among men, and in the heavens, thus to provide a basis for the formation of truly rational minds."**

"In the spiritual warfare of regeneration the virtues of knight- hood are still required. Humility, honor, courage, endurance, and strength will also distinguish the man of the spiritual church."*** "A simple definition of the work of the Academy is, that it exists to assist parents in fulfilling their covenant with the Lord, to furnish the child the opportunity to obtain the knowledges, affections, and skills that are essential to the formation of his rational mind and necessary to his salvation. . . . Thus the Academy regards spiritual and eternal ends in the work which it does in cooperation with the parents."**** "The mature minds of the Church must be formed in the image of the Writings; not of the minds of men. A primary function of the College is to raise questions . . . to encourage students to form for themselves standards of value based on spiritual, moral, and natural scientifics, in that order."*****
     * NCL 1938: 64, 71.
     ** NCL 1943: 444.
     *** NCL 1944: 154.
     **** NCL 1946: 445,448.
     ***** NCL 1952: 126.
     From these and other statements in his papers and addresses it is clear that Eldric Klein had a vision of the unique mission of the Academy and an unflagging zeal to forward its vital work for the Church.
     He joined the teaching staff only a few years after his own graduation from the Academy College, serving his Alma Mater in a variety of teaching and administrative positions for 44 years from 1925 to 1969. During this time he served as Dean of the College in the period of rapid growth and development following World War II, and later as Dean of Faculties with responsibility for the curriculum and extensive studies related to the accreditation of the institution by the Middle States Association. Following retirement from active teaching in 1969, Eldric Klein undertook the awesome task as Archivist, of sorting and organizing the long- neglected accumulation of materials in the Academy Archives, making valuable notes and records more readily available for use in New Church scholarship and research. When he retired from this position, due to failing health, in 1976, his service to the Academy and the Church had spanned half a century, a record for distinguished service attained by few others.
     During this same period of time, Eldric Klein was active in civil affairs in the Borough of Bryn Athyn, serving as a Councilman for extended periods, and as Mayor from 1957 to 1962. In connection with his involvement in Borough affairs, he also served in County and State Associations. These offices were an indication of his interest in the arena of civil and political activity. He was steadfast in his political views and position in spite of the fact that his was the minority position in the Borough.

Yet, it was characteristic that he stood up for what he believed regardless of the consequences of holding the unpopular view.
     While Eldric Klein's angular demeanor and curled lip may have seemed intimidating to some, and may have struck fear in the hearts of unprepared students, those who came to know him found him a sympathetic and fair teacher, a sensitive and just administrator; a warm colleague and a cultured and gentle man.
     He had an approachable human side to his character that enabled him to excel as an administrator. He was not only respected for his scholarship and learning, he was admired for his principles and dedication to his work. Those who knew him best found a warm and friendly spirit within.
     He remembered fondly his part in Academy football and his undergraduate days in the dormitory. Later, he enjoyed lengthy hiking trips with good companions who have already preceded him to the spiritual world, as well as annual trips with Academy leaders to the Lake with the opportunity these provided for informal discussions of the work of the Academy which was so close to their hearts.
     Perhaps no better illustration of his inner warmth can be found than his constant devotion to his wife, Mabel, whose companionship as a partner has extended more than 53 years. He cherished her affection and always addressed her with gentle fondness. They shared a tender inmost friendship and seemed happiest in each other's company.
     The glad promise of the Writings is that death does not end these things; that those human qualities which we have acquired and made our own on earth continue unchanged after the death of the physical body. We carry everything of our character and its confirmed loves into our life in the spiritual world, and there, in delights corresponding to those we enjoyed in our uses on earth, we find new life awaiting us.
     The use of education exists in the spiritual world, a primary use in preparing those who have died for their eternal life to come. There are infants and children who have died and whose minds yet need maturing before they come into heaven. There are adults of good-will from every religion and creed who are open to receive a knowledge of the truths now revealed for the New Church. We can imagine that there is a ready field for any New Church educator to enter as he takes up life in the Lord's eternal kingdom. How few there are whose minds have focused on this use on earth, and yet how vital is the contribution they have to make. It may be that the qualities we have seen in the life and work of Eldric Klein will find full expression in a similar use in the other world. For his greatest delight was in this use. Can we not picture him surrounded by books in his own study, and with students across the table, sharing in the delight of opening to eager minds the rational understanding of some truth of wisdom.

     We rejoice that Eldric Klein has now been raised by the Lord into eternal life. Today, he awakens in the spiritual world, perhaps in the company of those whom he knew and loved who have gone on before him to that world. Soon, he will be joined by his wife. What a happy day that will be for them both, especially as they realize that bodily infirmities have been left behind forever, and that they are growing young instead of old. In the time remaining before they can be reunited they will yet be together in spirit, even as they were in the weeks when illness forced their separation here on earth. But that time will pass quickly, no doubt, and then they can be reunited, perhaps never more to part.
     As we think of this passing from our midst of a man so dedicated to the work of the Academy, and so clear in his vision of its importance, let us take stock of our own values. Do we cherish the unique opportunity we have as New Church men and women to support and forward the vital use of New Church education? Do we see and appreciate its spiritual and eternal ends, ends which parents and school alike must foster with those children providentially in our care? As Eldric Klein had said, "If either New Church parents or the Academy cease to regard these ends primarily, the Academy will have lost the real justification for its existence."* "The Academy, to hold true to its primary purpose," he warned, "must guard against exalting means into the category of ends. . . . Clear vision and integrity of purpose must guard our primary objectives from alluring byways which contemporary education opens up for us." And, in concluding his address on "The General Church and the Academy," he quoted Bishop W. F. Pendleton who had stated on the 50th anniversary of the Academy: "The fathers and mothers labored, and the sons and daughters have entered into their labors. Let us pray that there will be a continued increase of intelligence and wisdom as the generations pass by, and that the early hope of the fathers and mothers, now in the other world, may never know disappointment, but that the work begun by them will go on with never ending increase."** So be it even now in our generation. Amen.
     * NCL 1946: 448.
     ** NCL 1944: 448.

READINGS:     Deut. 6: 1-13; Matt. 7: 7-11; HH 461 (1, 2); D. Life 12, 13.

MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM 1980

MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM LEON S. RHODES 1980

     Well over two hundred participants agreed that the historic "first" should not be the last-the Academy sponsored Mental Health Symposium over the Thanksgiving weekend. The memorable gathering organized by the Rev. Frank Rose and his behind-the-scenes stalwart, Louise, attracted a remarkable gathering of professionals and interested men and women, including representatives from our other church bodies, with a series of lectures, seminars, discussion groups and task teams as well as delightful social breaks over the three-day period. Opened by the Academy President, the Rev. Alfred Acton, who stressed the uses of such programs bringing together the doctrinal teachings of the New Church and the- expertise of working professionals, the sessions focused on the guidance provided by the Writings in those fields of intense concern throughout today's troubled world.
     There was a skillful balancing of the full gatherings, in worship, for lectures and during the enjoyment of delightful meals (served by Academy students), with the type of exchange best accomplished in small groups - with full participation which included young people, professionals and interested laity. The shared ideas and experiences were, of necessity, an introduction to the many subjects such as "Intervention Techniques in Alcoholism" "The Use of Remains in Therapy," "Family Mental Health," "Ultimates in Marriage" and "Dealing with Death and Bereavement," and as the sessions drew to a close it was clear that this beginning would bear fruit into the future,-in further gatherings, in the circulation of recordings of the sessions and in the publication of a summary,-but especially in the enthusiastic invitation to the Rev. Frank Rose to organize a team for the purpose of scheduling future symposia and programs.
     Among those active in the presentation of subject matter and leading in the discussion, (the Rev.) Dr. Horand Gutfelt, a distinguished scholar with impressive credentials, spoke of the value of sharing these ideas with our sister church bodies, and the Rev. Eric Zacharias, President of the Convention, joined in the hope that the truths of the New Revelation are to be applied to the great needs of modern man.
     LEON S. RHODES

PURE LOVE 1980

PURE LOVE Rev. FRANK S. ROSE 1980

     A DIALOGUE

Angelus:     Humus, my friend, what is wrong? You are looking sad.
Humus:     Things are not going very well. I am very discouraged about
          myself. At times I feel totally worthless and evil.
Angelus:     That is a very common feeling. Just hold on to the fact that
          the Lord loves you.
Humus:     I am not at all sure that that is true. He must be disgusted
          with me. At times I am convinced that He hates me.
Angelus:     It is not possible for Him to hate you. He is pure love.*
     * TCR 43; AC 1419; I John 4: 8, 16; AC 1735, 2343e, 6849.
Humus:     It seems to be misleading to say that. Doesn't the Word tell
          us to do certain things to earn His love? Jesus loved the rich
          young ruler because he kept the commandments. Well, I
          have broken some of the commandments, and so He does not
          love me. Jesus asked us to be "perfect." I am not perfect.
          He said that He would love us if we loved each other, but
          there are many people I dislike. I know many ways in which
          I fall very short of what the Lord expects of me.*
     * Mark 10: 21; Life 66; John 14: 21; Matt. 5: 48; John 15: 9, 10, 12; Deut. 7: 12, 13.
Angelus:     None of those teachings say that you have to earn His love.
          He loves people whether they keep the commandments or not.
          He loves you even when you do not like other people, even
          when you hate yourself.
Humus:     I do not agree. If the Lord loved everyone, regardless of the
          way they lived, what would be the point of making any effort?
Angelus:     I am not saying that there is no use in you making an effort.
          Your striving for perfection is important. What I am saying
          is that if you are doing these things so that you can deserve
          the Lord's love, you will never make it. Do you seriously
          think you can make the Lord change His mind about you by
          being good?
Humus:     No, not just by "being good." I try to read the Word and
          live by it. I make an effort to shun evils as sins. But these
          things don't seem to bring me closer to the Lord. The more
          I try the more I feel like a fraud, and the less lovable I seem.
          I end up discouraged and hopeless.

Angelus:     You have given yourself a hopeless task. No matter what you do you cannot erase that feeling of unworthiness. You might be able to fool other people by looking cheerful, and behaving well, but you can never fool God. You are nothing but dust and ashes. How do you expect to change that?*
     * AC 874, 7550.
Humus:     Let me ask you, if I can't change that, how can I get anywhere? God does not love dust and ashes.
Angelus:     But He does. He does. When He created you, He formed you of the dust of the ground. You will always be finite and imperfect like everyone else, and still He loves you.*
     * Psalm 103: 14; TCR 43; DLW 49.
Humus:     Not me. I believe that He loves some people, but they are different.
Angelus:     Can you give me an example?
Humus:     In the Old Testament He says that He loved Israel and made them a chosen people.*
     * Hosea 11: 1; Jer. 31: 3; Deut. 7: 6, 33: 3; Isaiah 43: 4.
Angelus:     Do you think the Children of Israel were better than the nations around them?
Humus:     No. In many ways they were a lot worse than others.
Angelus:     Do you think that they deserved His love more than other people?
Humus:     I doubt it. But surely He loves the good more than the evil!
Angelus:     He has a different relationship with the good than He does with the evil.* But the love going out from God is the same to everyone, whether they accept that love or not. He loves you, even in your worst moments. He loves the worst devils in hell, the most miserable, selfish, mean, deceitful, adulterous and murderous of them.
     * DP 92.
Humus:     I can see that He must love them somewhat.
Angelus:     More than that, He loves them totally, perfectly, unconditionally.
Humus:     That is really hard to imagine.
Angelus:     I know it is hard. It is beyond our understanding. This is pure love.*
     * AC 5042.
Humus:     I believe, in a general sort of way, that the Lord loves people. I just don't really see how He can love me, at least not in some of my moods.
Angelus:     The beautiful fact is that He loves you wherever you are, whatever you are doing, in your worst and best moments, in heaven or hell. He has loved you from the moment of birth and will go on loving you forever.

Humus:     If that is true, what is the point in striving to be perfect?
Angelus:     Striving is very valuable. But no amount of striving will make God love you, (or stop Him from loving you for that matter). You cannot earn or deserve His love. It is simply there. You are loved whatever you do.
Humus:     Tolerated maybe, but hardly loved.
Angelus:     No, I mean loved absolutely and totally; adored and cherished. His warm, spiritual sun shines on you whether you are good or evil, just or unjust.*
     * Matt. 5: 45; DP 330; AC 6135: 3, 6849; DLW 5.
Humus:     Maybe I am just hiding from the sun. When I am withdrawn and sad, I do not feel good enough to stand in the sunshine. That is when my life is damp, chilly, dark and miserable.
Angelus:     I know what you mean. Just remember that the sun is still shining, and part of you is in touch with its warmth. Otherwise you would not be alive. And of course it is better in the sunshine. Whenever you are ready, just come out and enjoy it.
Humus:     You are making matters worse. Now I feel like an ungrateful wretch for preferring my dark little cave. God must be annoyed with me for not accepting His love.
Angelus:     Do you really think that God, Who is Infinite, is capable of being angry with such a wretched speck of dust as you are? He is pure mercy. When the Word says that God is merciful it means that He loves people who are in miseries. Being miserable, then, does not put you outside of His love.*
     * AC 1093; Jer. 31: 3; AC 1048, 3063, 3875, 9219, 5042.
Humus:     I do not enjoy being called a wretched speck of dust. I have some pride.
Angelus:     I thought this whole conversation began with you being down on yourself. You have obviously become painfully aware of your faults and limitations. That is a useful experience. So now you know the truth about yourself. If you get hung up on your pride you really look foolish, like excrement pretending to be gold, or like a fly on a manure pile thinking it is a bird of paradise. There is something refreshing about reality, the reality of your nothingness, and the reality of the Lord's love of you. He knows you, far better than you know yourself, He loves you more than you love yourself.*
     * AC 1594: 4.

Humus:     This is really hard for me to accept.
Angelus:     I know it is hard, but see how important it is. Just hold on to the fact that you are a creation of God. You are wonderfully made, and have godlike abilities to understand, to love and to serve. The Lord wants you to exist, and to be as near Him as possible. He has already created a place for you in heaven. That is your destiny. Whatever things about your life you regret are forgiven. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, who loved both of his sons, whether at home or away wasting his substance, the Lord loves you, and longs to have you back in His arms. He is even with you now in your discouragement and one day will let you feel His love, and know that He has always loved you and always will.*
     * Deut. 7: 6; Isaiah 43: 4; John 3: 16, 13: 1, 34, 35; 14: 2, 15: 9; AC 1055; AC 1789, 2023, 2034: 3, 6135: 3; DLW 47, 49; DP 27: 2, 324: 2, 330; TCR 43; AC 1799: 2.
Humus:     I like what you are saying. I just still feel discouraged.
Angelus:     That will pass. In the meanwhile hold on to the idea that He loves you until you feel His love once again. Hold fast till He comes.*
     * See Rev. 2: 25.
FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING TRUST 1980

FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING TRUST 1980

* * * * * *
     Application for assistance from the above Fund to enable male Canadian students to attend The Academy of the New Church at Bryn Athyn, Pa., U.S.A., for the school year 1980-81 should be received by one of the pastors listed below as early as possible.
     Before filling their applications, students should first obtain their acceptance by the Academy immediately, as dormitory space is limited.
     Any of the pastors listed below will be happy to give any further information or help that may be necessary.

The Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs
2 Lorraine Gdns.
Islington, Ont. M9B 4Z4

The Rev. Christopher R. J. Smith
16 Bannockburn Rd., R.R.2
Kitchener, Ont. N26 3W5

The Rev. William H. Clifford
1536 94th Ave.
Dawson Creek, B.C. V1G 1H1

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE . . . 1980

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE . . . Editor 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By
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     Readers of this magazine who like to read it in the order presented will have noticed that this issue includes two items having to do with the Mental Health Symposium held in Bryn Athyn on the Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 24-26, 1979: (1) a discussion by Mr. Steve Gladish entitled "Don't Stay Angry," and (2) a brief account of the meetings by Mr. Leon Rhodes.
     The first item is a specific example of the topics discussed in the small- group seminars, about which we make some general comments in the editorial below.
     But before doing so, we would also like to direct your attention to the memorial address for Mr. Eldric S. Klein. The reason for publishing this is quite obvious, for Professor Klein was an outstanding worker in the field of New Church education for more than half a century, or half the life of the Academy of the New Church. But there is another, less obvious reason, which is that, while we could not possibly publish all memorials, it is useful and heartening occasionally to have before us an example of well-loved teachings directed toward the passage and resurrection into life eternal of a personage.

     FIRST REACTION-SECOND THOUGHT

     Many reflections may be stimulated by Mr. Gladish's article on anger. Anger, it may be said, is but one of the numerous sensual emotions, feelings of the lowest part of the natural mind. This sensual, or sensuous, is so called because it is the part of the mind which is closest to the senses. It may be thought of, therefore, as the realm of first reaction or first emotion in response to some sensation.
     In its beginning stages, in childhood and youth, this sensual is subject to the ruling or dominant love of self in the interiors of the natural mind. This is why our first reactions are mostly negative to sensations which threaten that love, and are agreeable to those which soothe and please it.
     We are taught, perhaps surprisingly, that the loves of self and the world were by creation heavenly loves. (DLW 396.) And we can understand this when we see they are necessary for even physical survival, thus for life on earth to prepare us for life in the other world, and finally for the full development of that as-of-self without which we could not be re-born in the image and likeness of God.
     As may be known, in the long descent involved in the Fall, the love of self became dominant; and from that the sensual became by man's choice completely perverted. It is in this sense that it is written that every person is born into evil (tendencies) of every kind.
     The love of self, inmostly considered, is still of heavenly and Divine origin; and this may be seen reflected in its intended uses,-as essential to earthly survival and preparation for heaven, and for a full feeling of as-of-self life. But before regeneration, it is dominant over the recessive, potential love to the Lord; and through the perverted sensual, it arouses violent emotions and evil reactions.
     We cannot here go into the innumerable ramifications of this subject. And we are aware that we have not addressed these remarks directly and specifically to Mr. Gladish's paper. We hope for a further opportunity later.
     For now, it may be added that sensual childhood and youth are a preparation for rational adulthood. And so the child and youth must have sufficient freedom of expression and reaction to reveal these feelings to himself and others, so that he may have living illustrations and confirmations of what he has been taught as to what is good and what is evil, so that he may learn by experience as well as by teaching what reactions are unacceptable, bad news, evils, from the reactions of those he offends.
     So will he learn self-restraint, curiously enough, if only for the sake of self-preservation. And he will begin to come into the plane of "second thought," thus into the life of external order and of the rational, even though it is only the natural-rational.

     These two things-external order and the natural-rational-are essential and are the earthy faculties in which he may be re-born as a spiritual man. Anger, if restrained from good motivations, can be the earthy basis even for spiritual zeal,-just as the appetite for natural food can be a pre-requisite for the formation of a hunger for good and a thirst for truth.
     We never can rid ourselves entirely of the hereditary tendencies of our outmost mind. That is why we continue to be plagued and discouraged by disorderly and unwanted feelings and thoughts; and it is also why, on second thought, we rightly feel guilty over them. ("Why did I ever feel that way and say such a thing?")
     This feeling of guilt, however, can be moderated short of psychopathic intensity by not allowing the feeling to be expressed in action and speech; and even then it can be ameliorated by a genuine repentance which is a shunning of evil as a known sin against God.
     In other words, we have the good news: that we have three things going for us,- (1) the blessing of "second thought"; (2) the ability to feel guilt and to repent; and (3) the freedom to use a self-disciplined restraint against ultimating sensual emotions.
     We have not mentioned the most important element, which is the balancing and moderating influence of the Lord through our remains-another, supreme factor which may be discussed in the future.

     Guest-editorial by
          THE REV. MORLEY D. RICH
SOUND RECORDING 1980

SOUND RECORDING EDNA F. SCHNARR 1980

Dear Editor:

In this age of emphasis on communication, with a broad variety of material available to interested readers, I would suggest the services of the General Church Sound Recording Library as a resource often overlooked.
When situations develop where reading presents problems, the library of tape recordings provides not only wide areas of interest but also a great wealth of supplementary material on subjects to which speakers have addressed themselves over the years.

The catalog is surprisingly comprehensive, covering sermons, classes, special events, music, educational series, and topics of current interest, including much that has not reached our printed pages.
     It is also simple and easy to borrow cassettes without reference to the catalog. Mrs. McDonough, at the Sound Recording Library, is familiar with any subject listed, through her many years of working with recording and cataloguing. She can usually identify anything requested, and does so with enthusiasm and speed.
     There are so often times when ability or concentration needed for visual learning are limited! Think of the possibilities: the harassed mother can listen to voices of her own choosing as she cleans or cooks; weary men can close their eyes, relax and listen; students can do group listening for research or instruction; a solitary person can have company, during commuting, or driving, or at home.
     My own experience, hospitalized and home-bound, led to the discovery of the new world of tapes on all sorts of Church-related subjects. The frustration of not reading can be readily replaced by listening, to nourish both understanding and affections. Many volumes of the Writings are on tape, and familiar Church music is always a special delight.
     I would suggest that there need be no shortage of intellectual or affectional stimulation in our lives, either as isolated, incapacitated, or lacking in a reading library of New Church materials. Write to:

     General Church Sound Recording Library
     Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009
     or phone: 947-1889.

Some folks, even in active societies, have already found their days enriched in this way, either in a group or alone. I would note that this particular use is funded solely by donations from users.
     Sincerely,
     EDNA F. SCHNARR
          Bryn Athyn, PA

CORRECTION 1980

Announcements

In the Report of the Secretary of the General Church under the heading "Dropped from the Rolls," (NCL, p. 509, 1979) Mrs. Harry Joseph White is listed. Mrs. White (France Marcelle Vinet) has not been dropped from the rolls, and is still a member "in good standing."
APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE MIDWESTERN ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1980

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE MIDWESTERN ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1980

Application for admission to the Midwestern Academy of the New Church for the academic year 1980-1981 are being accepted between March 1 and June 1, 1980. Applications should be submitted to Rev. Brian W. Keith, Principal, 74 Park Drive, Glenview, Illinois 60025. The Midwestern Academy prepares 9th and 10th grade students to transfer to the Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa. A limited number of boarding students can be accommodated in homes in the Immanuel Church Society. Catalogues are available on request. The Midwestern Academy does not discriminate against individuals by reason of race or ethnic background.

POSITIVE USES OF THE HOLY SUPPER 1980

POSITIVE USES OF THE HOLY SUPPER Rev. MORLEY D. RICH 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. C
MARCH, 1980
No. 3
     Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father:-so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. This is the, bread which came down from heaven; not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead,-he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.
John 6: S3-58

     The Lord's Supper may be compared to that highest and most salubrious of all social events in the ancient world,-a king's wedding-feast. To use the language of Scripture, it is as the finest and most joyful banquet,-"a feast of fat things, and of wine on the lees well-refined." To such a feast, all came dressed in their best clothing, purified, cleansed, and well-mended if necessary, in a wedding garment of pleasing colors, textures and lines. Lively and courteous and kindly talk flowed freely, while the wine and food passed easily around without stint and without measure, as at the wedding-feast in Cana. And, at the end, all went home refreshed and re-created, with new strength and courage to face the problems, necessities, and monotonies of their daily lives.
     The same was true of the feasts of charity which the early Christians held. For the time, the unrelieved gloom and misery of their persecuted lives were dispelled, held at bay, while they were strengthened by better foods than their ordinary fare, and as they heartened each other with reminiscent and loving conversation about their Lord's deeds and teachings.

     It is well to reflect that the Holy Supper consists of the two most elemental necessities of all living, created things,-namely, food and drink. And, in the bread and wine prescribed by the Lord, it may be seen that here the two basic elements of life are fittingly raised to their highest and most refined materials,-being the best products of human thought and effort.
     When the Lord spoke of His "blood and flesh," and of man's partaking of these, He was adapting His similes to the comprehension and life- experience of a fallen human race. For it was after the fall of mankind that the eating of animal, and sometimes human, flesh began. It was known by the Most Ancients that the various foods,-at that time principally from the vegetable kingdom,-had different correspondences with spiritual things,-and from that cause produced distinctive uses of nourishment to the human body in correspondence thereto. They loved, or learned to like and enjoy, only those foods which were of real use and value to the health of the body, perceptively knowing that a sound mind can function soundly only in a healthy body. Remnants of this knowledge are still found in primitive peoples, and on other earths such as Jupiter.*
     * EU 58.
     When mankind on this earth fell into evil, however, the eating of meat began, together with self-indulgence in foods, flavors, chemicals, etc. which were not of use to a healthy body. Because humanity turned toward the things of this world and away from heaven, one of the results was the glorification of and emphasis on the sense of taste for its own sake; and along with this went a perversion of taste, as the knowledge of the correspondences of foods was lost.
     At last, even the knowledges were perverted. And this was why many primitive peoples had the belief that if you ate the flesh and blood of any kind of animal, you imbibed something of the spirit or quality of that animal,-thus the courage of a lion, the stubbornness of a rhinoceros, the patience of an ox, the fierceness of a wolf, the innocence of a lamb. This, in many tribes and peoples, was carried even into the eating of the flesh and blood of human enemies. Hence came human sacrifice and cannibalism.
     This was what the Lord began to turn mankind away from when He diverted Abraham from sacrificing his son, Isaac, to the ram caught in the thicket. And this was why, when it came to instituting His Holy Supper, He selected the two topmost refinements of food and drink at that time,-bread and wine,-as the purest and most refined symbols of His Love and Wisdom, of His Good and Truth.

     Along with this, however, He also used lower symbols for the sake of human understanding, that is, flesh and blood, as in the words of our text,-and even spoke of man's eating His flesh and drinking His blood,-thus affording men a most vivid and ultimately powerful sense-perception of what He meant interiorly.
     For, by "eating His flesh, and drinking His blood" in the act of the Holy Supper, and in the form of bread and wine, a man signifies his willingness, his choice, wish, desire, and his effort to make the Lord's Spirit and Life, the Lord's Love and Wisdom, his own. For all eating involves appropriation, making one's own. It is the action of taking and digesting good, which then becomes a part of the eater's bodily composition. So with the actions involving the Holy Supper:-to the extent that man is aware of what this represents,-to that extent he appropriates, makes his own, the Spirit and Life of the Lord, Who indeed once said, "My words, they are Spirit, and they are Life." Wherefore, man should come to this royal feast with eagerness and zest, with appetite and relish, with pleasure and gladness,-just as he approaches the Lord's living words with desire to learn and follow them, to become a student and disciple desiring to follow the Lord in spirit and in life, emulating the Spirit and the manner of the Lord's life even in externals, to live even as did the Lord when He was on earth.
     For, in this, as at other feasts, whoever comes to the Lord's table with this attitude and in this spirit, whoever approaches the Holy Supper having properly and reverentially cleansed himself by prayer and self- examination and repentance, and having put on the wedding-garment of a united and coordinated will and understanding, a heart and mind at one in worship,-"he shall bear a blessing from before his Lord." For the king's food becomes his food,-and so he receives and takes on something of the quality of the king himself Who chose, and Who is that food, that manna which cometh down from heaven.
     Foreshadowed first by the incident of Melchizedek setting before Abram and Lot bread and wine in celebration of a victory, crudely represented in the Jewish feast of the passover, fully instituted by the Lord Himself with His disciples 2000 years later, and made the chief sacrament and most holy thing of worship in the first Christian Church, even though perverted into an instrument of domination,-it is little wonder that in His Second Coming the Lord reveals that His Supper is the very gateway or introduction into heaven, that it "contains all things of heaven and the church,"* and that He is wholly present (in it) with His glorified Humanity and Divinity,-and thus with the totality of His redeeming power.**

It is truly as He said, "This is My (very) body and blood."
     * T 711.
     ** T 716.
     Consequently,-the man who approaches the Holy Supper worthily, that is, with dignity and honor, does so according to the measure of his faith in the Lord and charity toward the neighbor.* In that degree, also, he is "in the Lord, and the Lord in him."** And to these the Holy Supper is as a sign and seal that they are "the children of God."*** Hence they partake of the Lord's royalty through His words of spirit and life with respect, with reverence, with relish and desire and appetite,- and also with joy and pleasure and celebration.
     * T 722.
     ** T 725.
     *** T 728.
     We must notice most carefully that it is not the bread and wine by themselves which produce this effect,-for by themselves they are nothing but material,-which cannot affect the spiritual. But it is these materials when combined with the man's spiritual aspirations and perceptions of desires for what is represented thereby. When thus the material and the spiritual are wedded, then indeed, even the taste-buds of man's mouth are activated to sense the bread and the wine with a thrilling sharpness and a deep nourishment not otherwise imparted in ordinary life. And this but follows the well-known physiological observation:- that food and drink of all kinds provide a kind and degree of effective nourishment to the body according to the state of a man's mind and emotions, and according to his own attitude toward it.
     In the light of these things, we can see clearly why the Writings of the New Church so definitely teach us the importance of partaking of this supper at least three or four times a year. For while no one can be fully worthy of it, and while no one can receive the full benefits of it, except the regenerate,-yet each and every one who makes some little preparation, who has some little of faith and charity of their own,- everyone such receives some measure of its benefits.
     And what are these benefits,-with which the Lord surrounds us as in a cloak of His Love and Mercy,-which He is ever extending to us without stint or measure on His part?
     The benefits are, firstly, each time a small addition to our lovingkindness and our wisdom, and a tiny increment of increase in our reserves of spiritual strength for the trials and temptations of life, a renewal in larger measure of our vision and hope of eternal life, a little further encouragement in our better aspirations and ambitions, and finally, a deepening of that sacred and satisfying communion with our brethren and companions in similar faith and life.

     All of these benefits come together in the supper,-and so, many times afterwards, there comes to a man a sense of thorough refreshment, of deep satisfaction, of joyful re-creation. This is not always the result, of course, and for a variety of reasons. Yet it is of reason to suppose that as the New Church comes, through the ages, into the rightful use of this sacrament, and as each man slowly grows into these appropriate attitudes and feelings toward it,-so the first sensations of preparation for it, and the following sensations of eating and drinking of it, and the final feelings of refreshment, satisfaction and re-creation,-these will become more frequent and more sharp. Physical appetite, relish and desire will increase toward it,-pleasure, enjoyment, delight and satisfaction will increasingly come with partaking; and the benefits following will multiply, with the years,-the feelings of refreshment and re-creation from the increase of spiritual strength, love, wisdom, and improved communion with the neighbor.
     It is written that the quality and inner spirit of a church may be perceived from the form and manner in which it administers and partakes of the Holy Supper; and as an illustration, it is said that in Catholicism, the bread is given to the people, but the wine only to the priests,-and that this is an unconscious representation of the fact that the unadulterated truth of the Word is not given directly to the people, but only strained.*
     * AR 795-797.
     But the quality and spirit of a church being represented in its communion,-this means that in time to come in the New Church, the forms and manner of its Holy Supper may change considerably,-finding more fitting expressions in accord with the increasing enlightenment and altered attitudes of people toward it, and from the teachings of the Lord's Second Coming.
     It may increasingly become a real celebration of the Lord's victory over the hells, a joyful remembrance of the redemption,-the chance for eternal life,-which He offers to all. All its forms and manners may therefore become less formal and stereotyped, more gracious and generous, flexible, free and spontaneous,-like a king's wedding-feast.
     The essential, however, is that, as He instructed His disciples, we "this do in remembrance of Him," in memory of His deeds and words, of His Spirit and His Life,-earthly, Human and Divine. Amen.

LESSONS:     Gen. 22: 1014; Jn. 6: 41-58; EU 58, 59

HOLINESS OR WHOLENESS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER 1980

HOLINESS OR WHOLENESS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER Rev. WILLARD L. D. HEINRICHS 1980

     A HOLY SUPPER ADDRESS

     On the eve of His crucifixion the Lord Jesus Christ celebrated the feast of the Passover with His twelve apostles. At its conclusion our Saviour and Redeemer inaugurated a new feast-the Holy Supper-to be observed in the new Church that He was about to establish. It is altogether fitting that we should periodically inquire as to what this feast signifies and what it effects with the humble and repentant communicant.
     In general, by the Holy Supper is signified the conjunction of the Lord with the man who is in love to the Lord and in charity to the neighbor. This conjunction is signified by the Holy Supper because of the particular signification of the two elements that are involved-the bread and wine. As in the sacrifices of the Jewish Church, flesh and blood represented the Lord Himself as to His Divine Human, so the bread and wine in the Holy Supper, there called His flesh and blood, signify the Lord as to His Divine Humanity. The bread, called His flesh, stands for His Divinely Human love, which is infinite love toward the whole human race, and the things which are of this love. It also signifies man's reciprocal love to the Lord and toward the neighbor-in short, all good affections with angels and men. The wine served in the Holy Communion, called the Lord's blood, stands for or signifies the Lord's Divine wisdom or the truths of faith as they are received by men who are in love to the Lord and in charity toward the neighbor. Thus it may be said that the "body" or bread signifies all celestial things-all things relating to love,-and the "blood" or wine, all spiritual things-all things relating to truth or wisdom. Hence the eating and drinking of the elements signifies the appropriation or reception of these by man for the nourishment of his spirit. This is clearly taught in John 6: 27-35, 47-51. What partaking of the Holy Supper signifies, therefore, is the Lord's operation of implanting in the mind of man all the good affections and all the truths of faith that he is capable of receiving. It is because of this comprehensive signification of the "bread" and "wine," because they signify the Lord's Divine love and Divine wisdom and all good affections and all truths of faith from the Word with angels and men that the Holy Supper is the most holy thing of the Church.

     But just to relate what the Holy Supper, the elements in it, and the partaking of it represent and signify does not explain its vital use- what the Holy Communion actually may effect in the person participating. If the latter is not done, New Church people might be left with the thought that the Holy Supper is purely symbolic, merely an acting out in externals of what the Lord effects in the mind or spirit, in internals.
     It is to be known that the sacrament of the Holy Supper carries with it a living correspondence. In other words, those who worthily approach the holy table and partake of the elements served in the natural world, simultaneously partake of the celestial and spiritual things represented by the elements even though such persons may be entirely unaware of this. For the word "correspondence" means an acting together. When a worthy person reverently eats of the unleavened bread and drinks the wine, the spiritual counterparts of these elements-the affection for what is good and the affection for what is true,-are appropriated by his spirit. While nourishing his body, he is nourishing his spirit. The natural food is served by the priest. The spiritual nourishment is given by the Lord through the presence and consociation of angels of heaven. The "bread" and the "wine" in the thought of the man are perceived by the angels. The angels, however, do not give attention to the "bread" and "wine" themselves. The sensations of material things in the minds of men are merely symbols in the speech of angels, in much the same way as the letters of the alphabet are symbols in the words of our speech. When a humble communicant thinks of bread and wine, angelic men immediately perceive or think about the spiritual things which these elements represent. They are stimulated to reflect on the thousands of aspects of the Lord's love toward angels and men, and on all the myriads of things which enter into the life of charity with the neighbor. Finding supreme delight in reflecting on these things, they are moved to draw spiritually close to the person at the communion table. In drawing near they bring with them the sphere of their heavenly affections. This sphere affects the spirit or mind of man, imprinting upon it and infilling it with all the particular loves and delights which this sphere contains. This is accomplished according to the ability of the man to receive the sphere-that is, according to his charity and faith.
     The Writings illustrate this process in the following common teaching. It is there said that the communicant's thoughts may be compared to those of a person who takes a casket in his hand in which are arranged precious stones, pearls, and diadems, and sends it upward to heaven. In its ascent, it opens and its precious contents reach the angels, who are deeply delighted as they examine them. Their delight is communicated to the man, so bringing about association, and interchange of perceptions.

The passage continues:

     For the sake of this association, and at the same time, conjunction with the Lord, the Holy Supper was instituted in which [by correspondence] the bread becomes Divine good, and the wine Divine truth, both from the Lord. Such correspondence exists from creation to the end that the angelic heaven and the church on earth, and in general, the spiritual world and the natural world, may make one, and that the Lord may enter into conjunction with both at the same time.*
     * TCR 238.

     Thus it is that the bread and wine received in the Holy Supper may effect conjunction with heaven, and through heaven, with the Lord. This conjunction is possible, we are told, even where a person in simplicity partakes of the elements, being unaware of their spiritual signification, but yet being in a state of reverence because he knows that the communion is holy and is taken by his Lord's command in remembrance of the Lord's redemption. Nevertheless, the Word teaches us that if a man thought when he is in a holy state,

as when he attends the Holy Supper, and instead of bread perceived love to the Lord, and instead of wine love toward the neighbor, he would be in thought and perception like that of angels, who would then approach nearer to him, till at last they could consociate their thoughts, but only so far as the man was at the same time in good [as to his love and life].*
     * TCR 721.

     It is because of this presence and association of angels which is possible in the Holy Supper, that in the work The True Christian Religion it is stated, that as baptism is the first universal gate, the gate for introduction into the Church, so the Holy Supper is the second universal gate, "by which every man who allows himself to be prepared and led by the Lord is admitted into and introduced into heaven"* It is introduction into heaven because to enter into association with angels, and to perceive their love and something of their wisdom in one's mind, is heaven. Further, it is conjunction with the Lord as to His Divine Human, because heaven in essence is the Lord's Divine love and wisdom or Divine good and truth appearing in a Divinely Human form. Thus when a person through the Holy Supper receives heaven in his mind, he also receives the Divine Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. For this reason the Writings teach that the whole of the Lord's redemption is in the Holy Supper and is given to the worthy recipient. To be redeemed, inwardly considered, is to receive the Divine Human of the Lord, to receive the Lord's love and truth-the risen Lord.
     * AC 3316: 3.

     When the sacrament of the Lord's supper is considered in this light we may understand why the Heavenly Doctrines teach that it is the holiest thing of the Church and of worship. It is so holy because it is a natural ultimate into which all things of the Lord and of heaven are gathered. In short, it is whole, perfect, complete as is no other external thing of the church or of worship.
     In conclusion, it is to be carefully observed that the celestial and spiritual things received by a person in the Holy Supper are by no means all consciously perceived while one is still in the life of the body in this world. All that a person in this world may perceive is a certain obscure feeling of delight, of peace, of contentment, and perhaps also a developing insight into the deeper truths of the Lord's Word as they apply to one's life. Most of the celestial and spiritual treasures received in the communion will be clearly and fully recognized only after - the death of the material body. Then it is that a person will begin to experience with growing clarity and joy all the good affections and thoughts he had formerly received. Then will he begin to understand and delight in all the Divine truths in a heavenly light. Their beauty will be unfolded to him to all eternity as he discovers ever new applications of them in his life among his angelic companions in some heavenly society.
     When we know of the holiness of the Lord's Supper and we worthily, repentantly, enter His church and approach His table, can we not in heart and mind join with the Psalmist who wrote "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is joined together."*
     * Ps. 122: 1-3.

EATING IN COMPANY 1980

EATING IN COMPANY Rev. DONALD L. ROSE 1980

     There is a real difference between eating food alone and eating it in pleasant company. It is a physiological difference. Call it psychosomatic if you wish.
     A person's sphere, although not detectable by scientific measurement, actually affects other people inwardly. This effect of the sphere of one human being upon another takes place "especially at feasts."*
     * TCR 433.
     The Writings point out that your body receives food better when you are in agreeable company.

     Food and drink nourish the body better and more suitably when a man at dinner or at breakfast is at the same time in the delight of conversation with others about such things as he loves, than when he sits at table alone without company. When a man is in this state, the vessels in him that receive the food are constricted; but when he is in the first mentioned state, they are open. Such things are effected by the correspondence of spiritual food and natural food. It is said, "the delight of conversation with others about such things as he loves," because everything of this kind has relation to good and truth.*
     * AC 8352: 3.
     That to understand truth and to will good is spiritual food, may appear to everyone who reflects that when any one is enjoying material food for the nourishment of the body, his food is more nourishing if he is at the same time in cheerful spirits and conversing on agreeable topics, which is a sign that there is a correspondence between spiritual food for the soul and material food for the body.*
     * AC 5576: 3.

     A feeling of delight changes the look on your face (and the sphere is said to proceed somehow through the face),* and it also changes subtle things of your body. "Food without delights conduces but little to nourishment, but together with delights it nourishes. It is the delights that open the passages or ducts which receive the food and convey it into the blood."** More than people have realized, material nourishment is intertwined with nourishment that is not material. A scientific study over three years resulted in the following statement: "Children need both adequate nutrition and emotional stimulation in order to develop normally: deprived of either they lag behind in physical and mental growth.

Now, evidence suggests that the ill effects of these two deficiencies are intertwined to an extent not recognized previously."***
     * TCR 433.
     ** AC 5147.
     *** Science News, Nov. 10, 1979, p. 327.

Both Speaking and Listening

     There should be give and take in table conversation. If a man partakes of food "while he is speaking and listening the vessels which receive the chyle are opened, and he is more fully nourished than if he is alone."* If one person does all the talking there is not that open sense of communication. "One should not bind another to confirm one's own truths, but should hear him and take his answers as they are in himself. For he . . . causes the other not to think and speak from himself, but from him."** Dominating the conversation at the table obviously inhibits the speaker from getting much to eat (unless he talks with his mouth full). But it also detracts from the sphere of mutual regard that belongs to charitable social life.
     * AC 6078.
     ** AC 9213: 6.
     Of course we do not expect to be equal in their preferences for talking or listening. In that famous and delightful account of people who thought heaven consisted of nothing but conversations we read of some "as though panting to speak, some longing to ask questions and others eager to listen."* Evidently with some people talking is the number one pleasure.** Those who loved conversation were assured, "In the heavens there are most cheerful companionships, which exhilarate the minds of the angels, are pleasing to their animi, delight their breasts and recreate their bodies."*** Others were assured that in heaven there are feasts and banquets and delicious foods "wherewith the animus is exhilarated and recreated."****
     * CL 5.
     ** AC 4803.
     *** CL 5: 4.
     **** CL 6: 5.
     It should be mentioned that conversation does not have to be verbal. At some of our church suppers there is such a lively din that all we can do is exchange smiles and offer friendly glances to those sitting at a distance. But, remember, the sphere is associated with the face. When the face speaks, or the mind through the face, there is angelic speech with man in an ultimate natural form.*
     * See AC 8249.

Eating is a Sign of Agreement

     "It was a custom among the ancients to eat together when they had made an important decision which was confirmed by the rest, by which they signified their approbation."*

We may think of the Holy Supper as a kind of meal of agreement. "It is with the Holy Supper as with a covenant, which after the articles of agreement are settled, is drawn up and finally executed with a seal. . . . The Holy Supper is like a signature, a seal, a badge, or a proof of appointment even to the angels, that those who come to it worthily are sons of God; and it is also like a key to the house in heaven where they are to dwell forever."** It is of the Divine will that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever, and to this end He prepares a table before us even in the presence of our enemies.
     * AC 4245.
     ** TCR 430.
     Conscious of our evils or the enemies of our spiritual life, we are comforted at the thought of the Lord as a friend of publicans and sinners. As Jesus sat to eat "many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and His disciples." Others said, "How is it that He eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?"* The truth is that the Lord will come in and sup with "any man who hears His voice and opens the door."** "The Lord ate with publicans and sinners . . . because the Gentiles that are meant . . . received the Lord, imbibed His precepts, and lived according to them, and by this means the Lord appropriated to them the goods of heaven, and this is signified in the spiritual sense by 'eating with them.'"***
     * Mk 2:15, 16.
     ** Rev. 3: 20.
     *** AE 617: 22.

Welcoming Others

     The one description we have of a wedding in heaven shows that the wedding guests ate and drank afterwards.* This is in keeping with the teaching that "THE WEDDING IS TO BE CELEBRATED WITH FESTIVITY."** The couple does not eat the first meal of married life alone. "It is important that the festivities of their minds be enjoyed in the company of others, and they themselves be thus introduced into the joys of conjugial love." The love that belongs to marriage is one in which the couple looks outward to others, and the love is perfected "according to the uses which each of them with mutual aid performs in society."*** Of course one of the social uses of a couple is to extend hospitality to others, that their table may provide pleasant consociation.
     * CL 20.
     ** CL 309.
     *** CL 137: 3.
     Shunning evils is in a sense an eminent mark of hospitality. It is the first of charity. If you wish your consociation with others to benefit them, you shun the things which are detrimental and dangerous to them.

"One cannot Visit another who keeps a leopard and a panther shut up in his chamber (living safely with them himself because he feeds them), until these wild beasts have been removed."* When evils are shunned by individuals, then social gatherings will not be self-gratifying societies of friendship, but will be truly diversions of charity.
     * TCR 436.

Partaking of Bread From Heaven

     When the Lord had been teaching people, and they had together received His Word, He gave them natural food.

     This miracle was done because previously the Lord had been teaching them, and they had received and appropriated to themselves His doctrine. This is what they ate spiritually; therefore natural eating followed, that is, flowed in out of heaven with them as the manna did with the sons of Israel, unknown to them.*
     * AE 617: 4.

     Concerning this Bishop George de Charms comments:

     If we stop to consider, it becomes evident that "spiritual food" is constantly being turned into natural food by influx from the spiritual world. The "life" within every seed of grain by influx produces the plant, the shoot, the ear, and at last the new grain multiplied a hundredfold. This takes place slowly, silently, without our knowing how, as the Lord taught in the parable of the "tares." So also the production of every ingredient of "bread," occurs by means of the secret influx from the spiritual world. The fact that these aliments can be so combined, by means of heat, to produce bread, is because these ingredients are so created that they may be so combined. If it were otherwise, nothing man could do would avail to make "bread." The part that man plays in this process is very little-just enough, in fact to give him a sense of accomplishment, and to require of him skill and the initiative to act "as of himself." All the rest is the immediate operation of the Divine Providence. it is clear, therefore, that when the Lord produced bread as it were in a moment, from five loaves and two fishes, He did not break the laws of nature, but merely directed them in a special way . . . Spiritual food corresponds to natural food, really produces it, and this by the Lord alone and the laws of His Providence, even when it outwardly appears that man does it."*
     * Commentary on a Harmony of the Four Gospels, p. 325.

     When we receive instruction, does it make a difference whether we are alone or in company? If you are inspired by a sermon, does part of the effect come from the presence of others in the church with you? Obviously, one can enjoy a sermon all by oneself, reading it in the pages of New Church Life. But there does seem to be a definite influence when spiritual food is taken in company. People remember vividly something special they received at an Assembly or perhaps a summer camp.

If there is a sense of delight at such occasions there seems to be a better nourishment. Such occasions might be described as "persuasive states" of elevation, when one is influenced by others beyond one's habitual kind of receptivity. (Is this what is described in no. 3108 of the Spiritual Diary?) If this is so, it is interesting to note that the Lord uses such states for the implantation of remains.*
     * SD 3108.
     Among the diversions of charity we read of banquets and feasts "and various accompanying pleasantries."* We have mentioned the feast following a wedding in heaven. It should be added that marriage feasts attended by many in heaven "differ in different societies."** It is right that church societies should have "DINNERS, SUPPERS, AND SOCIAL GATHERINGS," and it is both delightful and edifying to be told in the Writings of the feasts in the early Christian Church.
     * Char. 189.
     ** HH 383; see also CL 411.
     "At table they conversed on various subjects. . . . And because they were feasts of charity, whatever subject they talked about, charity with its delight and joys was in their speech. The spiritual sphere that prevailed at those feasts was a sphere of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, which cheered the mind of every one, softened the tone of every voice, and from the heart communicated festivity to all the senses. For there emanates from every man a spiritual sphere, which is a sphere of his love's affection and its thought therefrom, and this interiorly affects his associates, especially at feasts."*
     * TCR 433.

EXERCISES IN FREEDOM 1980

EXERCISES IN FREEDOM Rev. ERIK E. SANDSTROM 1980

     Introduction

     When we take up such a large subject as Freedom, it is inevitable that all of it cannot be covered. Hence the title, "Exercises in Freedom." After first discovering of what quality freedom essentially consists, we will illustrate it from the numerous examples of freedom given in the Heavenly Doctrine.
     Questions always come up on this subject,-practical questions such as, How do we leave each other in freedom? How should priests lead their societies in freedom? How should we leave our children in freedom, especially during adolescence?
     Then there are questions on political and national issues of freedom. Invariably, some ask about brain-washing,-does this remove freedom?
     Perhaps the most difficult problem for many Church members, is the question of Providence and Freedom. If the Lord foresees whether we will go to heaven or to hell, how can we be free to choose?
     I hope I will be able to touch on all these areas, and some more. The Doctrines are full of rich details, and the picture that emerges is a grand variation on a central theme: there is freedom absolutely everywhere you look or probe with the understanding. There is freedom manifesting itself in a myriad different ways.

The Image and Likeness, the Two Trees

     So fundamental is freedom as a human quality, that we would expect it referred to in Genesis. Yes, the image and the likeness of God stand for the two human faculties of reason and freedom, or rationality and liberty.* And it is now with the eye of reason that we view the subject of freedom. The Lord has revealed the subject to us. Has He not done so for the purpose that we may experience freedom better, more fully? Does not a knowledge of what true freedom is, invite us to experience it?
     * TCR 466, Cor. 28.
     Man can indeed experience it. First Man was so invited, and his choice was defined as between two trees: the Tree of Life, which was to admit that nothing comes from self, all from the Lord; or the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which was to feel as though everything springs from oneself as a source.*

100

     * DP 43, TCR 466.
     The fallacy by which man is deceived is chiefly from this cause: that he does not know the source of his freedom, and of his faculty of acting as-of-himself.* This was because the Lord has hidden the source of these things, He Himself being the Source, so totally from view, because in this, and in no other way, can man receive the happiness the Lord wills to give. As we read,

     The Divine Love is such that it wills what is its own to belong to another, thus to man or angel.** It is God's will that man should feel (life in himself as his own) in order that man as of himself may live in accordance with the laws of order . . . and thus may dispose himself for the reception of God's love.***
* AE 1148: 3, DP 174.
     ** DP 43.
     *** TCR 504.

     Man's freedom, and ability to act as of himself, is this very gift, providing him with what we now accept as uniquely human qualities, distinct from animals, such as judgment, reflection, and determination. If man did not have this freedom, or these qualities, he would be like a "sponge drawing in plenty of water, but, not being able to empty it out, causing both the water and the sponge to go bad."*
     * Coro 28.
     The secret of the Lord's gift of freedom and reason, is therefore that it is given so that man can act from them. Yet they are the Lord's with man.* But to prove that man can do as he pleases with them, one person acts from freedom but against reason, as when the heart rules the head, or one "loses one's head," and another may act from reason, but contrary to freedom, as when the head tells off the heart,-and then usually regrets it later.**
     * Life 101.
     ** DP 73.

Compulsion and Salvation

     In neither of these cases is anything settled permanently. The head and the heart have to agree, and then it becomes permanent. No compelling factors are tolerated where reason and freedom are concerned. Long and bloody wars have been fought to defend that principle, unfortunately burying it in the process. We will return to wars, disasters, crimes and disease later. But let us ask: what is the best method of removing a compelling force, which is making us feel uncomfortable?

101

Just to buckle under and obey the compelling force is not to be free,-something parents and teachers need to think about.* And using counter-force is no good, for anger also compels, and turns man away from freedom into slavery.** "He who commits sin is a servant of sin."
     * AC 8979, 8987.
      ** AE 409: 10, 836; Jn. 15: 14-16; 8: 34.
     In contrast to counter-force, the best method of removing circumstances compelling one to be good is to compel oneself to do the good. "When anyone compels himself," we read, "he does so from a freedom within."* "In all self-compulsion to what is good there is a certain freedom which is not discerned as such while the person is engaged in self-compulsion; but still it is within."**
     * AC 4031: 4.
     ** AC 1937.
     From this we see that no one can really be compelled as to his spirit. The Lord in fact "perpetually holds His finger on the perpendicular needle above the scales, and moderates man's freedom of choice, but never violates it by compulsion."*
      * TCR 504: 12; Cf. TCR 74.
     We might think that the Lord's finger,-here using metaphor, obviously-violates our freedom. Everyone, if he felt that "finger" keeping his mental scales from tipping, would react furiously against the Lord.
     Even the knowledge of it might irritate some of us. But this very irritation when we are informed that all our lives have been under the auspices of Divine Providence, is all the proof we need to convince us that it is so. For the proprium of man wishes to lead itself. It is the proprium that feels the irritation. The teachings on this subject are therefore clearly set out, in order to allow the members of the New Church to overcome this irritation, and to approach the Lord in true humility, in fact with gratitude, and with a rational view of the real situation. We have to see that, if it weren't for the Lord's Providence over every detail of our lives, we would have no freedom at all, not even the freedom to feel irritated against Providence!
     Therefore, we should feel no irritation when told: "By means of societies (which surround man's spirit), man walks free, as to his mind that is, although he is bound; and the Lord leads him, nor does he take a step into, and out of which, he is not led. The Lord continually grants that man does not know otherwise than that he goes from himself in full freedom.*
     * AE 1174: 2.
     But this still may leave us with a slight feeling of irritation, because we do not wish to be just "pawns" in the hands of Providence. A rational explanation needs to be given why it is so.

102

     The rational answer is given point blank, by eliminating the alternatives: predestination is an execrable heresy," and there is no Providence by necessities.* Predestination we all understand and accept to be a wicked idea, making God the Creator of people destined to hell. It is a heresy, and that's that. But government by necessities, popularly called fatalism, is more subtle. We hear it often in such arguments that, "it was necessary for all those people to die in the air-disaster; their time had come, and there was no escape." This too is a wrong conclusion. "If a person has freedom," we read, "it is not from necessity. All things from the Lord are most essential, but they do not follow in order of necessity, but in a manner applicable to man's freedom." "If there is freedom, there is not necessity, because there are so many contingencies which carry people into opposite situations."**
     * TCR 798: 8.
     ** AC 4692, 6847.
     So let us ban from our thoughts any idea that it was necessary for 200 people to die in the air-crash in Chicago, or 500 in Tenerife. It was not necessary, it was not of the Divine Will. It could have been avoided. By this token, there are probably numerous accidents and disasters which have been, and are avoided every day, through the correct and upright actions of honest God-fearing people. The same can be said for prevention of crimes, and checking diseases.
     When, however, a catastrophe or misfortune is brought upon mankind,-through the reception of evil and falsity from the hells that delight in causing accidents-then the Lord, without "changing gears," if the expression is permissible, turns the laws of Divine Providence (which is to lead into good) into those of permission (which is to lead out of, or deliver, from evil). The premature and disorderly deaths of so many people starts a chain of consequences,-the aftermath,-out of which the Lord does ensure a good outcome in each of these tragic deaths. It may not appear good to many people, even if they could see it. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, mankind's dull-wittedness and bad memory prevents him from seeing how the Lord's Divine Mercy has brought, and does ever bring, the effects of good things from evil misfortunes.
     Evil, and thus all misfortune, including natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis, as well as diseases and malformities of all kinds,-can be laid only at mankind's own door. Of course, the very people who find themselves praying for the first time in their lives, when they are about to crash, or go down with the ship, or are engulfed by lava, are probably the same ones who don't believe in God, because He allows such terrible accidents and disasters to happen to innocent victims like themselves!

103

Many survivors probably forget how earnestly they had prayed, and then advance arguments against God, Providence, and an all Merciful Lord.
     Such scandals need to be answered. The main scandals are, that wicked people are not punished by God, but succeed to honors and riches, while worthy people are trampled underfoot; that wars continue, with such terrible devastation and degradation of human life; that evil triumphs over good, injustice over justice; and wicked designs and plots succeed, etc.*
     * DP 237.
     The answer to these scandals against the Lord's mercy, is amazingly reassuring, and it follows the rule of turning the other cheek, for the answer is the Lord's. It is, that the Lord loves the evil man as much as the good victim of evil. Innocent victims, if they are in any innocence, are saved, whether they die prematurely or in ripe old age. But the Lord wants to save also the wicked ones who do the evil, the ones who invite the influx that also causes accidents. He cannot do this except by allowing them to do the evil, and then to desist from their own evil handiwork in freedom.*
     * AC 8700, 10777.
     Wars occur for the same reason: the Lord cannot prevent them, nor can He send out any direct open force to change the course of events.* To do so, would indeed change the event, and avoid the disaster,-or stop a war, or murder,-but at the expense of sending the wicked men to the hell of profaners, which is worse than hell; and without offering them any chance of repentance.** What could be more unmerciful than this? By this token, the permission of wars, disasters, diseases and crimes is merciful, for it allows evil men to repent, and good men to recognize the evil and combat it.
     * AC 4629.
     ** DP 251.
     Even so, none of these evils needs to happen. They can all be avoided, averted, but by human intervention, not Divine. History need not have happened the way it did. But now we have it, a history of free and independent actions and words of individuals who by their own judgment, reflection and determination decided to do and say exactly what they did. For, each smallest moment is a beginning of consequences that last to eternity. Each moment of man's life involves an eternal series of consequences, and each moment is a new beginning to those that follow.* We see from this how absolute freedom really is. We can break each sequence any time, and start a new one. The eternal consequences are limited only by our use in heaven, for which we are created. That cannot be changed, only advanced.
     * AC 3854, 6490.

104

     Man, therefore, is led every moment, but is free to change the consequences any time. Freedom as to the spirit of man is therefore absolute, guaranteed. Nothing can take it away, even though we try, so no one has to keep silence in order to leave someone in freedom. To be polite and tactful, yes, but these are functions of civil and moral order. But you give your neighbor more freedom by speaking to him than by keeping silence. Spiritual freedom is not passive, but active in uses, and in communication.
     If, for example, you keep silent in order to "leave someone in spiritual freedom," that person will only "take our natural freedom," and in the gap, end up doing harm to you for your consideration. So it is better to employ our freedom from good motives, and to act from freedom, even if we are only using our own way of thinking which we consider to be of reason. The Lord's Providence then employs various means, rational, moral and civil, to withdraw man from evil.* To ensure that no one is compelled, it is a law of Providence that man should arrange all the affairs of his own employment and life, and unless he does so, he cannot be led and disposed by the Divine Providence. As man disposes the externals, the Lord disposes the internals.** Clearly, the Lord inflows according to man's reception. The Lord cannot make man do anything,-and neither can anyone make another do anything, and love to have it so.
     * DP 183.
     ** DP 210, Cf. DP 181, 199.
     The Lord even lets man think that he is saving himself by his own effort,* so long as man is willing to admit that the Lord alone saves him.
     * AC 2946.

Analogues of Freedom

     We turn now to other exercises of freedom.
     All human beings are bent by the Lord in the freedom of their own way of thought; Christians, Mohammedans, Gentiles, the simple, the learned, children, adults, even the evil-doer-all these are turned heavenward differently, and in freedom.*
     * AC 2363.
     Every individual craves freedom. The youth working under a master desires to be his own master; the maid under a mistress desires her own home where she can be mistress herself.*
     * DP 148.
     Since freedom as to the spirit is always safeguarded, no one can really be "brainwashed." Only man's lower thought can be "invaded," but fear can never invade the internal of thought.* So although much of a person's behaviour can be controlled, the spirit of freedom remains untouched and safe deep within man's spirit.

105

Only later does it break out and reassert itself. The brain can be washed, but not the spirit. What enters under compulsion does not remain.
     * TCR 482.
     This absolute freedom of the human spirit is inscribed on man's entire physical constitution as well. First, the beating of the heart is a very activity of freedom. Without freedom of choice in spiritual things, the physical heart would convulse and stop. The breath in the lungs also portrays the free will of the human spirit, for every breath reflects the free thought of the spirit.*
     * TCR 814, 815.
     When the thought descends through the lungs into the mouth, you have the freedom of speech. This is an essential manifestation of spiritual freedom. Nations which have been emancipated and have this freedom, are likened to an eagle soaring on high; whereas nations not yet emancipated have a freedom as of a swan on a river.*
     * TCR 814, 815.
     Through the heavens and the human race, freedom descends also into analogous forms in all created things. For every created subject has something referable to good and truth in man.*
     * DP 74.
     The air, for example, possesses an analogue of freedom. Winds blow where they will. Even stormy weather is governed by an equilibrium from within.* The air gives breath to all creatures, and gives flight to birds, both owls and doves.** Thus the wind seems to act on its own.
     * SD 2717.
     ** TCR 499; AC 3648.
     The sun displays the same freedom, providing heat and light freely, which is received variously by all vegetation, (or human beings) in one way by a fruit tree, in another by a thistle. The sun too seems to act on her own.
     The rain manifests the same apparent independence or freedom,- making England one of the freest countries in the world! Rain falls and administers every tree, shrub, grass and herb, and each takes what it needs.*
     * TCR 491.
     The earth or soil itself is endowed with an analogue of freedom, for it provides of its elements to all vegetation, and for men to extract, and then receives the seeds of all vegetation again. The very germination of seeds in the soil is an activity inflowing from the sphere of freedom.*
     * TCR 499; AC 3648.
     The ocean too, has a freedom, providing a vast abode for hosts of creatures, and affording them nourishment. And if fishes and shell-fish at its bottom had no analogue of freedom, there would be none of them.* But the ocean does not cause one fish to devour another!**
     * TCR 499; AC 3648.
     ** TCR 491.
     Every metal, stone and grain of sand has a semblance of free will.

106

Without this analogy, they would have no existence! The magnetic force springs from the correspondence to human free will, and every metal or element has its own field of action from the same source.*
     * TCR 499; AC 3648.
     Turning to the animal kingdoms, all animals, even insects and worms, and butterflies, display an analogue of human spiritual freedom.* Yet none of them have true freedom or rationality, but instead of freedom they have affection, and instead of rationality they have knowledge.** Thus they are carried along by instinct, which is the combination of affection and knowledge, and have none of the human ability to look above self, but only to look down below self.*** Animals are superior to man only by being in the order of creation. They provide constant examples of the kind of order human lives can attain,-and also the predatory disorders to avoid. And therein lies part of their use to men.
     * TCR 499; AC 3648.
     ** DP 74.
     *** AC 4160: 3,7814, 7821.
     The analogue of freedom causes the mineral kingdom to emulate the vegetable, which is next higher, by forming rock crystals, corals and structures resembling flowers.* The earth also receives the decayed vegetation and animal remains, and returns them in vegetation to nourish animals.** Both animals and vegetation therefore receive the same influx from the spiritual world, so that each kind of animal has a concordant relationship to its own vegetation. In heaven, an animal can be changed into its concordant plant, and a plant into a concordant animal.*** Is not this a marvelous picture of freedom?
     * Cf. DLW 61.
     ** DLW 65.
     *** AE 1212.
     And so every level of creation possesses as it were a freedom to act on its own, making it seem as though all things originate in and from nature,-a simple trick to fall for, but also to see through.

Maturity and Freedom

     Our final exercises in freedom bring us back to the human spirit. Free will in spiritual things is given to man "from the womb to the oldest age he reaches in the world, and afterwards to eternity."* The Lord's minute government over every detail is portrayed in the development of an infant before birth: "Features are continually projected towards those which are to come, so that one feature is always a plane for another, and this without any error, until the embryo is formed."**
     * TCR 499.
     ** AC 6491.
     So perfection is the only outcome of the Lord's work. We know full well that the most heart-rending cries of parents against the Lord and His Mercy, stem from the fact that infants are, malformed or handicapped from birth.

107

But as with wars, crimes and disasters, let no one hold the Lord responsible for what man brings upon the earth. Has He not said, "It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. . . . Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."*
     * Matt. 18: 14, 6.
     Still, offenses do come. They come from the influx of those hells that delight in hurting and destroying our happiness by such malformations. Devils are skilled opportunists. We don't even have to be guilty, yet malformations occur in our children. For all evils are transmitted from parents to offspring. Yet the freedom even of malformed children themselves is never impaired. We read, "It depends on each one in a family whether he will give in to, or withdraw from inherited evil, since everyone is left to his own choice"!*
     * TCR 469.
     Clearly no handicap is so great as to permanently quell the human spirit, although the passing over to the spiritual world may be necessary before the imprisonment in a malformed and twisted body is ended. While imprisoned on earth, such ones can enjoy no real freedom or rationality.* But the suppressed freedom is only withdrawn, not annihilated. And therefore such people, having never experienced or chosen evil, enter heaven after death.
     * DP 98.
     So let us not be offended that handicapped people, in some instances, may have their freedom as it were put in "cold storage." That even happens to us temporarily when we are bed-ridden. How can the spirit be free if the body is confined to bed?*
     * Cf. DP 140-142.
     As soon as a person grows up, new problems arise. It is easy enough to teach truths to children, and to bring them into contact with angelic influence. But, we read, "as soon as they come to the age of early manhood, they suffer themselves to be carried away by the world, and thus go over to the side of infernal spirits, by whom they are gradually so estranged from heaven that they scarcely believe any longer that there is a heaven."*
     * AC 5280:4.
     Although these words are hard on the ears, let us recall that this apparent waywardness is part of freedom. Every young man under a master aspires to become his own master, every young woman aspires to become a governess over her own home.* Considering the fact that parents have passed on their own heredity, is it unreasonable of children to wish to do things their own way, particularly if the parents also had always done things their own way, and had transmitted this very tendency to their offspring?

108

No wonder family arguments occur. But it is equally clear that only the infant and childhood remains from the Lord can save the day. These remains are heavenly, and their effect is to soften the face of ruthless anger, and modify all selfish desires, by considerations for the neighbor's welfare, not least of all one's own parents, or one's own children.
     * DP 148.
     So as soon as childhood is passed, the spiritual mind is greatly opened. Everyone has been given the faculty and power to get a staircase for himself, as it were, and to climb up in the mind to find out what one really thinks and wants; and then to go downstairs and carry out the behests of the mind.* So the abandonment of heaven 'and the Church by young people has to be seen as something to be expected rather than deplored. For everyone as to his spirit, is granted to "think about (any truth) and to consider whether it is so, and to collect reasons, and thus to bring the truth into their own minds rationally."** Thinking for oneself about what one hears, and then choosing it or rejecting it, is therefore the only way that the Lord can make anyone spiritual.*** To see the truth only by remembering it, is to be called the Lord's servant; but to see it for oneself, is to be called His friend.****
     * Coro. 29.
     ** AC 7298.
     *** AE 836.
     **** AE 409: 10; Jn. 45: 14-16.
     If we expect this stage to be reached by young people, perhaps we can more easily tolerate their resistance to the former mere obedience of childhood. It is understandable. Just to obey is not to be free, for it is not yet from the heart. One should perhaps not expect young people to just do what they are told, but to think about what they are asked to do, and then want to do it on their own.
     One factor which puts pressure on adults and young people, even children, is how other people think of them. It has to do with reputation, and, not surprisingly, the love of reputation has to do with freedom. Rational freedom is defined as the love of reputation for the sake of honour and gain, and the love of appearing to be moral and upright.*
     * DP 73.
     Everyone wants to be complimented,-on anything! "Flattery will get you everywhere," we like to misquote. And since it is a necessary step to pass through, we may as well use compliments within the social mores of our community. Young people like to feel they are appreciated, but they can usually tell when flattery is not sincere.
     But maturity brings with it the possibility of spiritual freedom. This springs from a love of eternal life.

109

The temporary delights of a life-time are then seen as mere fleeting shadows compared to the never ending bliss of eternal life. This, we are told, "anyone can think if he so wishes."*
     * DP 73.
     So we do not even have to accept the existence of spiritual freedom. Anyone may remain in rational freedom, and seek an illustrious world- renown if he so wishes. But if a man becomes spiritual, the love of reputation is not left behind. Instead spiritual freedom purifies rational freedom. Consequently a good man also protects his own reputation,-and that of all others. Although he may be upset by false rumour, he pays no heed to gossip,-in fact kills it on the spot if it is about other people. Yet he will defend any serious unjustified slur against his character,-or repent if it is true.
     People will do amazing things just because they are afraid of what people will think. Popularity always has a strong effect on our behavior. Young people also know what spiritual freedom is like, for they are sensitive about accepting things just because their parents accept them. Rational freedom and natural freedom rebel at the restrictions of spiritual freedom. In fact, spiritual freedom seems at first to be slavery,* because it pays no heed to mere physical delights. Someone might say, "How utterly dull and boring." He might be right. And so there has to be entertainment as part of Church activities, not because there is a demand for it, but because it is part of charity, or love of the neighbor. But the recreations of charity are all good clean fun, and show how freedom works.
     * DP 73.

Conjugial Freedom

     Most people, whether young or not, would agree that there is more fun when men and women, boys and girls, are together. The reason is basic: Conjugial Love, which is between one man and one woman, is the "love of loves." Therefore it receives the greatest freedom of all.* The Lord wills that even a single person should feel as though he were master of himself. We read, "The more nearly anyone is conjoined to the Lord, the more distinctly does he appear to himself to be master of himself, and yet the more evidently does he recognize that he is the Lord's"!**
     * CL 257.
     ** DP 42.
     Now that is for a single person. When two people seek the Lord together, and are conjoined to Him, and also to each other, then this distinct feeling of being one's own master must increase almost without limit. This is because love truly conjugial comes from freedom on both sides.

110

"Each partner has freedom when the one loves what the other thinks and wills"!*
     * AC 10173.
     Words like "I told you so," or "Won't you ever learn," clearly have no part of this conjugial friendship. Young people quickly discover the concessions they are willing to make in order to please a dear one of the opposite sex. As budding friendships run into troubled waters, they soon learn to tell themselves off, "I told myself so, won't I ever learn. There I go again." This will ring true for maturer couples as well.
     And as the conjugial freedom is gradually given, the whole of creation stands ready to bow to the love of loves, and add to it each analogue of freedom as the married couple seeks the Lord in His Word. Their hearts beat faster, their lungs breathe more deeply, their movements become more free, graceful and vigorous. The air seems fresher, the sun brighter, even the fresh tang of rain on dry soil or asphalt becomes noticeably more invigorating. The wind beating the ocean brine to froth exhilarates. All creatures, from the dull friendly-faced cows, to the airy indecisive butterflies, illustrate by their independence of movement the true beauty of spiritual freedom, with its judgment, reflection and determination. Even the striations of ancient stones from eons past hold a special beauty, because they too tell of that freedom which the Lord gives to all created subjects and objects, even though as a distant mirror to that freedom of which man's spiritual free will is an image and likeness. Should the Lord's disciples hold their peace, the stones would indeed immediately cry out.*
     * Lu. 19: 40.
     Free as the wind? Free as a bird? Yes, but how about free as a human being, free as to spirit, free as an angel, free as a marriage, and as the conjugial conjunction to the Lord who gives it? As long as we can say to ourselves, "I can do what I will, and I will what I can do; that is, I am in freedom," we may know that freedom comes together with our very life, and can never be taken away from us,* because it is the Lord's own with us.**
     * AE 1138.
     ** Life 101.
     "If the Son (that is, the Lord) therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."*
     * Jn. 8: 36; TCR 106; AC 9586.

111

     THE DOCTRINE OF PERMISSION I

     * AUTHOR'S NOTE. This doctrinal study is presented with a certain note of apology. The form in which it was originally (and is presently) cast was one of written notes designed to be listened to rather than a manuscript to be read in the pages of a formal publication. It had been my intent to revise it considerably, somewhat as to content, but primarily as to writing form. However, due to the serious and sudden illness of the Acting Editor, it became necessary to use this to fill the issue. I therefore consented to the publication of this series of three "as is." D.P.

     BY THE REV. DANDRIDGE PENDLETON

     A passage in the Writings* emphasizes the manner in which a man s states are led, throughout his lifetime on earth, in perfect spiritual equilibrium by the Lord. Emphasis is also laid upon the fact that, for a man to be led in freedom when in a state of evil, it is necessary for that evil state to be utilized as the means through which he will consent to be led. Otherwise, the "as-of-self" could not be maintained with him. For we are taught that unless disorders of both natural and spiritual life were permitted to man, there could be no interior choice, and therefore no interior confirmation of good.**
     * AE 1174: 2.
     ** See AC 6489, 10777.
     The manner in which men are so led, and their freedom thereby sustained is further illustrated:

     Most spirits who come from the world and have lived the life of the Lard's commandments, before they can be uplifted into heaven, and joined to societies there, are infested by the evils and falsities pertaining to them, to -the end that they may be removed;* for there are impurities which they have contracted in the life of the body that in no way agree with heaven. The infestations take place by their being immersed in their evils and falsities; and while they are in them, spirits who are in similar evils and falsities are present, and labor by every means to lead them away from truth and good. But still they are not immersed so deeply . . . that the influx through the angels from the Lord may not prevail; and the balance is maintained with exactness. The purpose of this is that he who is infested may seem to himself to be in freedom, and thus to fight against the evils and falsities of himself, yet with the acknowledgment, if not at the time, yet afterward, that all the power of resisting was from the Lord.** When this is being done, not only are the truths and goods strengthened which had been implanted before, but more are insinuated; this being the result of every spiritual combat in which the combatant is victorious.***
     * AC 6639.
     ** AC 1937, 1947, 2881, 5660.
     *** AC 6663.
     In the other life the Lord permits internal spirits to lead the good into temptation, consequently to pour in evils and falsities; which also they do with all endeavor; for when they are doing this, they are in their life and its delight. But the Lord Himself is then present with those in temptation, both immediately, and mediately by angels, and resists by rebutting the falsities of the infernal spirits, and by dissipating their evil, thus giving refreshment, hope and victory. Thus, with those who are in the truths of good, the truths of faith and the goods of charity are more inwardly implanted and more strongly confirmed.

112

This is the means by which spiritual life is bestowed. . . They who have been alienated from truth and good, as are the spirits who induce temptations, intend nothing but evil, but . . . the Divine turns it into good, and this according to order from eternity, whence comes life to those who are in the truths of good.*
     * AC 6574.

     We observe that this necessity applies equally to a good (regenerating) man as to an evil man. The essential process is the same with both the good and the evil; the outcome is different. In this process, from inmosts to ultimates, and in the least details as well as in leading events, the Lord controls, guides, protects, and fights for each man's spiritual life unceasingly.

     That Jehovah alone . . . combats and overcomes the devil that is with man when he is in the combats of temptations, although it does not so appear to the man, is a constant truth; for not even the smallest thing can be brought upon a man by evil spirits that is not by permission; and nothing, however small, can be averted by angels except from the Lord; so that it is the Lord alone that sustains all the combat, and who overcomes.*
     * AC 1664: 8.

     The means of this Divine operation into the lives of men are the laws of the Divine providence, which operation is continually acting to restore and sustain man's spiritual equilibrium, while man; from himself, endeavors continually to destroy this equilibrium.

     There are no laws of permission by themselves, apart from the laws of the Divine providence, but the two are the same; therefore God is said to permit, which does not mean that He wills, but that on account of the end which is salvation, He cannot avert. Whatever is done for the sake of the end, which is salvation, is according to the laws of the Divine providence. For the Divine providence . . . is constantly moving in a way diverse from and contrary to man's will, continually intent upon its end; and in consequence, at every moment of its operation, or at every step of its progress, where it observes man to be swerving from that end, it guides, bends and directs him according to its laws, by leading him away from evil and leading him to good. That this cannot be done without the permission of evil, will be seen in what follows. Moreover nothing can be permitted without a reason, and the reason can be found only in some law of the Divine providence, which law teaches why it is permitted.*
     * DP 234.

     It is interesting to note that if we would seek reasons for things that have been permitted to occur in our lives, or in the lives of others, we must first of all look to the stated laws of Providence, which in a general, not specific way, teach why things are permitted. Here also we must admit to the possibility of there being things permitted that come under laws of Providence not stated as such in the Writings.

113

This joining and as it were, identifying, of the laws of Providence and the laws of permission is necessary to sustaining human freedom of choice in states of either order, or disorder. The process whereby these laws,-of Providence and of permission, are so joined in the life of each man is always closely guarded, so that benefit may be forthcoming as far as his spiritual welfare is concerned.

     The providence of the Lord has been conjoined with foresight, and the one is impossible without the other; for evils are foreseen, and goods are provided; and the evils which are foreseen are by the provident disposition of the Lord continually bent to good, for the Divine end of good reigns universally. Hence, nothing is permitted except for the end that some good may come out of it; but as man has freedom, in order that he may be reformed, he is bent from evil to good so far as he allows himself to be bent in freedom and (if he cannot be led to heaven) continually from the most atrocious hell, into which he makes every effort to plunge, into a milder one.*
     * AC 6489.

     Here I would speak to a problem of practical application. Iit is a commonly held concept among many New Churchmen that the Lord never permits anything to happen in a man s life that is more than that man has the strength to bear. Yet, nowhere, to my knowledge, do the Writings make this statement. I have looked for such a teaching, partly because I had come to question it, and partly also because I am convinced that a fundamental misconception in this regard has given rise to deep-seated states of spurious conscience, even mental tragedy, in our church body.
     The Writings do teach that nothing is permitted without a reason, that nothing is permitted except for the end that some good may come of it; that not even the smallest thing can be brought upon a man by evil spirits that is not by permission; that the Lord does not permit the hells to bring forth more, or other, evils than can be turned into good that is suited to him who is in spiritual combat; that thus truths and goods are strengthened with a man by means of temptations. It should be well noted that in none of these teachings is it said, nor implied, that a man is to simply endure whatever external circumstances may come upon him during his lifetime, nor that these are the circumstances under which he is necessarily to remain in seeking that spiritual development which the Lord would have him achieve. Too often, the conviction that every external circumstance provides an opportunity for our spiritual development is held in such a way as to mean that whatever the nature or scope of that circumstance, we are to stand and fight, regardless, and that if we feel compelled to remove ourselves from the burden, we are somehow not measuring up to our capabilities.

114

Yet the Writings are not speaking of external or natural circumstances when they refer to those things which the Lord does not permit to overtax a man's strength. They are speaking of internal or spiritual states, which can be, and often are, quite different in both quality and quantity from the natural events in which those internal states are contained.
     There are many material circumstances which can overtax a man s physical and mental-yes, even his spiritual-powers. The Writings give clear evidence of this when they designate certain states of natural disorder on the physical and mental planes which, so long as they prevail, do not allow a man to advance spiritually. For us to misconceive the teachings of the Writings in this regard is to commit a serious blunder-and quite possibly to perpetrate tragic results in our own lives and in the lives of others.
     We should bear in mind that while every natural event, or circumstance, can and should serve our inner development, this inner development does not necessarily come only by surmounting the circumstance. If we are to develop a balanced spiritual perspective, it is just as important that we come to realize our limitations, as it is for us to develop our strengths. The Providential purpose in permitting an insurmountable natural circumstance may well be that we may recognize certain areas of life with which we are not equipped to deal, and from which, therefore, we should remove our hand. There is truth in the saying that "there is a time to fight and a time to run." By analyzing the circumstances of our lives, each one of us must learn when to "fight" and when to "run." In a word, the Writings do not teach that the Lord never permits a man to enter into external circumstances which are beyond his strength to endure. It is true that every such circumstance does provide an opportunity to learn; but what we are intended to learn may just as well be to say "I can't" as "I can."
     Unless disorder on man's part were permitted, he could not interiorly choose good. (as stated earlier).

     The reason why the evil succeed in accordance with their skill is that it is according to order that everyone should do what he does from reason and also from freedom; and therefore unless it were left to man to act in freedom according to his reason, and thus also that the consequent acts succeeded, the man could not possibly be disposed to receive eternal life, because this is insinuated when the man is in freedom, and his reason is enlightened. For no one can be compelled to good, because nothing compulsory cleaves to the man, for it is not his. That becomes the man's own which is done from freedom, for that which is from the will is done from freedom and the will is the man himself; and therefore, unless a man is kept in the freedom to do evil also, good from the Lord cannot be provided for him.*

115

To leave man from his freedom to do evil also, is called permission."**
     * AC 10777-8.
     ** AC 10778.

     Thus it is that the Divine good, through the operating forms of the Divine truth prevails in and undergirds all permission. While there is absolute oneness in the Divine good, directing through Divine truth, yet there is said to be "infinite variety"* in the application of that good in human lives, according to the quality of the receiving vessel.
     * DP 5.
     "All order is from Jehovah, that is, from the Lord, and according to this order are all things directed by Him both in general and in particular, but in many different ways."*
     * AC 2447.
     This order is "most perfect" and while it is an order that is predetermined apart from man's choices as to essential use, it is not so predetermined in its applications, or operations, in man's choices.

     I have heard angels talking together about the Lord's providence; but of what they said, though I understand it, little can be described, because their speech was continually joined to heavenly representatives, but little of which can be expressed. They spoke wisely, saying that the Lord's providence is in the veriest singular of all things, but not according to such an order as man proposes to himself, because things to come are both forseen and provided and that the case is like that of a person building a palace, who first collects materials of every kind, and lays them together in heaps where they lie without order, while the kind of palace to be formed from them exists solely in the understanding of the architect.*
     * AC 6486.
     When I was talking with the angels about the Divine providence of the Lord, there were spirits also present, who had impressed on themselves some notion about fate or absolute necessity. They supposed the Lord to act from this necessity, because He cannot proceed otherwise than according to the most essential things, thus according to the things that belong to the most perfect order. But they were shown that man has freedom, and that if he acts from freedom, it is not from necessity. This was illustrated by the case of houses which are to be built, in that the bricks, mortar, sand and stones serving for foundations and columns, also timber and beams, and the like, are brought together not in that order in which the house is to be constructed, but at pleasure and that the Lord alone knows what kind of a house may be built with these materials. All the things which are from the Lord are most essential; but they do not follow in order from necessity, but in a manner that is applicable to the freedom of man.*
     * AC 6487.

     Divine order, infinitely one in its essence, yet infinitely various in its operations looks to the Divine of use: which use, and therefore which operations,-regardless of the quality of the receiving form, whether it be ordered or disordered,-cannot do anything else than lead to good, either actually or potentially.

116

     It is common in (the) combats (of temptations) for the Lord to turn into good all the evils which the hells intend, wherefore it is not permitted them to bring forth more, or other, evils than can be turned into good that is suited to him who is in combat. The reason of this originates in the fact that the Lord's kingdom is a kingdom of uses, and therefore nothing can be done there that is not a source of good.*
     * AC 6663.
     Not one whit is permitted . . . by the Lord, except to the end that good may come out of it, namely, that truth and good may be brought into shape and strengthened with those who are in temptation. In the universal spiritual world reigns the end which proceeds from the Lord, which is that nothing whatever, not even the least thing, shall arise, except that good may come from it. Hence the Lord's kingdom is called a kingdom of ends and uses.*
     * AC 6574.

     This 'extension' of the Divine of use into the least facets of spiritual and natural life with men is perfect and all-pervading. Its presence cannot be limited by men, although its reception can. For to limit the Divine as to presence would be to place bounds, and, as it were, bonds upon the Divine Itself.
     "The Lord forsees and sees all things in both general and particular, and provides and disposes therefor."*
     * AC 1755.
     The unfailing presence of the Divine with man, while it is not sensed as such, can be perceived, and thence acknowledged, by him.
     To be led to happiness in heaven is . . . not . . . . of man's own sagacity, because it is from the Lord, and is effected from the Divine providence by disposing and continually leading to good.*
     * AC 10779.
     That this is the case a man cannot apprehend from the light of Nature, for from this light he does not know the laws of Divine order.*
     * AC 10780.

     It is futile for us to try to "read" the "indications" of Providence from or on the basis of, natural events; if we are to interpret the operations of Providence with even a partial degree of assurance, we must do so from the light of revealed truth, otherwise our conclusions, even when we suppose them to be of a spiritual nature, or quality, will be materialistic in both basis and outcome. There is potential danger, then, in the effort to determine the inner use, purpose, or 'indications' of natural events. Few of these inner purposes fall within the compass of human understanding; even these few can never be completely separated from the corporeal "shell" in which they are contained.

     Each degree (of influx and reception of the Divine with man) contains innumerable things which are distinct from those which are in every other degree; and these innumerable things are arcana of heaven, a few only of which fail into the human understanding.

117

For instance, to take only those things which take place from permission, which, although they are in the last place, nevertheless on account of the numberless arcana therein cause a man to fall into confusion when he looks at them from the happenings of things in Nature, and from appearances, and still more when from the fallacies of the senses. Yet the arcana of permission are comparatively few as compared with those of the higher degrees.*
     * AC 9940.
     From this we can see how greatly the man is mistaken who believes that the Lord has not foreseen, and does not see, the veriest singulars appertaining to man, and that in these He does not foresee and lead; when the truth is that the Lord's foresight and providence are in the very minutest of these veriest singulars connected with man, in things so very minute that it is impossible by any thought to comprehend as much as one out of a hundred million of them; for every smallest moment of man's life involves a series of consequences extending to eternity, each moment being as a new beginning to those which follow; and so with all and each of the moments of life, both of his understanding and of his will.*
     * AC 3854: 3.

     It is this inner use or purpose which constitutes the true intent and outcome in the Lord's eyes. Relatively speaking, the external forms in which these inner purposes are clothed have no real existence.
     "The Divine providence does not look to that which is fleeting and transitory, and which comes to an end together with the life of man in the world; but . . . it looks to that which remains to eternity, that which has no end. That which has no end is; but that which has an end, relatively is not."*
     * AC 10775.
     With the foregoing teachings as my basis of thought, I will now turn to a more specific consideration of the doctrine of permission. This doctrine-as a doctrine-is truly new and distinctive.
     "Hitherto no one has known what permission is; what is permitted is believed to be done by He who permits, because He permits. The fact. is quite otherwise."*
     * AC 592.

     Not the least of evil is from the Lord, but they (evil spirits) bring it upon themselves; for such is the state and such the equilibrium of all things in the other life that evil returns unto him who does evil, and becomes the evil of punishment, and for the same reason it is inevitable. This is said to be permitted for the sake of the amendment of the evil. But still the Lord turns all the evil of punishment into good; so that there is never anything but good from the Lord.*
     * AC 592.
     How the case is with permission cannot be told in a few wards, but it involves very many arcana. That the wicked are damned and are tormented is not a permission from the Lord as of one who wills it, but as of one who does not will it, but cannot bring a remedy, in view of the urgency and resistance to the end, which is the salvation of the whole human race; for if He were to bring a remedy it would be doing evil, which is quite contrary to the Divine.*
     * AC 7877e.

118

     This last is a startling statement, and the only one I know of which directly asserts that for the Lord to restore order in externals apart from men's own choice would constitute the doing of evil. The importance of this doctrine cannot be overestimated, partly because of its own intrinsic scope, and partly because its laws occupy such a large portion of our day-to-day lives, on both the internal and the ultimate levels.

     The doctrine of permissions is a whole or complete doctrine. He who does not understand permissions or conclude (rightly) concerning them, falls into doubtful and negative things respecting the power of God Messiah over the universe. But this should be known, that without permission, no one can be reformed, for opposites must be induced in order that the forms of truth and good may exist; which forms have, from opposites, their existence, and consequently their perception, and similar states. Hence are temptations, vastations, punishments, persecutions of the faithful and of the faith, and many things beside. In a word, without the permission of evils which must be understood in a proper or wise sense, man can never be regenerated and led to those attainments or faculties, so that he can be bent by God Messiah to good, with some perception (of its nature), consequently with some degree of happiness.*
     * SE 398.

     This is a strong statement: that a lack of understanding with respect to this doctrine will promote constantly recurring doubts concerning the Lord's power to save. The general use of permission, as previously stated, is that man's freedom to regenerate may be preserved. Yet this general use focusses, in its specific effect, upon the removal of men from the sin of interior profanation. Unless the connection between the laws of permission and the danger of interior profanation is seen, the laws of permission cannot be rightly understood.

     The Lord admits man interiorly into the truths of wisdom and at the same time into the goods of love only so far as he can be kept in them even to the end of his life. The demonstration of this must proceed by distinct steps, for two reasons: first, because it concerns human salvation; and secondly, because a knowledge of the laws of permission depends upon a knowledge of this law.*
     * DP 232.
     It is because of this danger (that of interior profanation) that the Lord permits evils of life and many heresies of worship.*
     * DP 233.

119

The permission of evil by the Lord then, has as its specific point and purpose that the man with whom the evil has been permitted shall thereby be protected from entering a far worse state. If this seems negative in its process and effect, let us keep clearly in mind that the laws of permission are designed to meet negative states,-that is, states of disorder, secretly and powerfully entrenched in the human mind. The fact that there are such laws, the purpose of which is to lead man safely out of these disorderly states, gives evidence of the Divine mercy in a way that nothing else can.

(To be continued)

120

ANGER 1980

ANGER Rev. LORENTZ R. SONESON 1980

     There are many statements in the Old and New Testaments that cannot be taken literally, such as "God is angry With the wicked every day."* In fact, it is only occasionally that the spiritual sense shines through and is visible in the sense of the letter. These exposed truths are as the face and hands of the Lord; while the rest of the Word is clothed in historical and vague prophetical stories which protect the internal meaning. The genuine truths appearing on the surface are sufficient for the devoted reader to be guided toward heaven. The essentials of a true religion are visible. Such teachings as there is one God of heaven and earth, that there is a life after death, and that man can enter heaven if he loves and obeys the Lord's Commandments while in charity to his neighbor-all of these can be seen in the literal sense of the Word.
     * Lu. 7: 11.
     Where the internal sense is clothed over in the Word, man needs additional help to see its true meaning. It was for this reason that the Lord revealed Himself again, this time by opening up the inner meaning of previous revelations. This Second Coming of the Lord was made through Emanuel Swedenborg who was permitted to see and record this inner sense of the Word. Similar to previous scribes of the Holy Writ, Swedenborg received what he was to write directly from the Lord Himself. But unlike his predecessors, he was able to view the Word rationally as angels do. This was to comprehend the inner meaning in its continuous internal sense of the Old and New Testaments.
     These doctrines of the New Church permit man to penetrate beneath the letter of Scripture and view a visible Divine Author, Who is comprehensible to the highest level of the human mind. In so doing, the reader can compare the inner meaning with its literal appearance. As a matter of fact, he frequently discovers how the literal sense presents an appearance or facet of the truth within it.

121

     "God is angry with the wicked every day." One's first reaction to the suggestion of anger in God is probably revulsion. How could an all-merciful Creator harbor feelings of wrath? How could He, who alone is Good, feel what we have experienced when enraged? Furthermore, how could these other statements in the Word be literally true as well? Such passages as: The Lord punishes; Jehovah seeks revenge; or, the Lord God curseth?
     These statements need to be viewed in their proper context. Such harsh descriptions of Jehovah God were made by the Jewish Scribes of the Old Testament. In their minds the God they worshiped had all of these human attributes. When the Israelites turned away from their God, they suffered captivity from their enemies. When they obeyed the teachings of Judaism, they enjoyed freedom and abundance. It was their conclusion that Jehovah punished and rewarded, sensed anger and pleasure, just as they did.
     Their view of authority was similar to that of children's conceptions of parents. When youngsters break the rules set by father or mother, they receive punishment, usually administered by an angered authority. Their immaturity prohibits an understanding of why they are being corrected, other than what they see with their eyes. A child fears authority because it punishes when rules are broken. So, too, did the Jewish nation fear Jehovah, in a similar childlike way.
     Thus, the appearance was anger, revenge and punishment. The truth was mercy, justice and compassionate supervision. So the scribes recorded the appearances of truth-not the genuine truth.
     Concerning the words: "God is a righteous judge, a God that is indignant (or angry) all the day; if he turn not back He will whet His sword, He will bend His bow and make it ready, and hath prepared for him the instruments of death, He maketh His arrows burning;"* we read,

It is here attributed to God that He is indignant with the wicked, that He whets His sword, that He bends and makes ready His bow, prepares instruments of death, and makes His arrows burning; but in the spiritual sense it is meant that man does this in respect to himself. These things are attributed to God in the sense of the letter, because that sense is natural and is for the natural man who believes that for these reasons God is to be feared; and with him fear works as love works afterwards, when he becomes spiritual.**
     * Ps 7: 11-13.
     ** AE 357: 23.

122

And again:

Many things in the Word are said according to appearances, and indeed according to the fallacies of the senses, as that the Lord is angry, that He punishes, curses, kills, and many other such things; when yet in the internal sense they mean quite the contrary, namely, that the Lord is in no wise angry and punishes, still less does He curse and kill. And yet to those who from simplicity of heart believe the Word as they apprehend it in the letter, no harm is done while they live in charity. The reason is that the Word teaches nothing else than that every one should live in charity with his neighbor, and love the Lord above all things. They who do this have in themselves the internal things; and therefore with them the fallacies taken from the sense of the letter are easily dispelled.*
     * AC 1408: 3.

     There arises an interesting question concerning this subject of anger:

Does anger always come from hell? One would certainly draw that conclusion from the previous passage, where it explains how anger could never be attributed to the Lord, who provides the affections of those in heaven. The Writings give us this general definition of anger: "Anger is a general affection resulting from whatever is opposed to self-love and its cupidities. This is plainly perceived in the world of evil spirits, for there exists there a general anger against the Lord, in consequences of evil spirits being in no charity, but in hatred, and whatever does not favor self-love and the love of the world, excites opposition, which is manifested by anger."*
     * AC 357.
     Everyone knows from experience what this anger is like. Before regeneration all know the sensation of blind rage and hatred, when a selfish love has been challenged or thwarted. The natural reaction of the natural man is heated rage and revenge. The frustrations of childhood, when tears of anger break forth if certain desires are not satisfied, also find similar outbursts in adults. In such moments, the adult loses all rationality 'and strikes back at the person or object with uncontrolled rage. There is no denying that it is the sphere of hell and not heaven that feeds these emotions.
     Still, human experience seems to question the conclusion that all anger comes from hell. What of the feelings one has when he sees an unjust act performed? What is the sensation experienced when a child is harmed unmercifully? What do we call the emotion when the principles we hold dear are ridiculed or attacked? Is not this anger? Some choose to call it 'righteous indignation' to separate it from hellish anger; but does it not manifest itself in the same way?
     Here it is important to recall the general teaching that the act does not always disclose its source or motive.

123

By way of illustration the Writings say this of an emotion that appears quite the opposite to anger:

If a man wills and does goods before he shuns evils as sins, the goods are not good. For example: If a man gives to the poor, renders aid to the needy, contributes to places of worship, to hospitals, renders good service to the church, his country, and his fellow citizens, teaches the Gospel and makes converts, does justice in his judgments, acts with sincerity in business, and with uprightness in his works; . . . and if he frequents places of worship, listens devoutly to the preaching, reads the Word and books of piety, goes to the sacrament of the Supper; pours forth prayers daily, and even if he thinks much about God and salvation, and yet regards as of no moment the evils which are sins (such as fraud, adultery, hatred, blasphemy, and other like evils), he then cannot do otherwise than think and speak such pious things (that) inwardly are not pious, because the man himself is in them with his evils. At the time indeed he is not aware of them, yet they are present within deeply hidden out of his sight; for he is like a spring the water of which is foul from its source.*
     * Life 24, 25.

     This number makes it evident how deceiving appearances can be. All the acts of what we would expect from an angel on earth could be motivated by the worst of devils. Piety, generosity, charity and benevolence could be the outward acts of an evil heart.
     But then we ask, is it possible the outward manifestation of anger could come from a regenerate man? Can an angel appear enraged? Is there such a thing as 'the wrath of God'? The answer is a qualified "yes." But it must be remembered that it appears as anger or wrath, and yet it is not. Just as an evil man appears to be good, so can the good appear to be evil.
     The wayward Israelites felt what they thought was the wrath of Jehovah, when it was only the punishment accompanying their evil ways. Those in hell have anger continuously toward the Lord, because they are not permitted to practice their evil desires. When they try to harm the good and are punished for it, they sense this as the anger of the Lord. Actually it is the mercy of the Lord protecting the good.
     None in heaven are ever angered, for this emotion stems from hatred and seeks revenge. But they do experience a sensation when any good or truth is attacked or threatened. For lack of a better word, it is called 'zeal', to separate it from anger.

     We read:

They who are in zeal fight, not from any enmity and hostility, but rather from charity, for zeal differs from anger in this, that zeal has in it the good that is of charity, wherefore when zeal fights it only removes those who are in what is false and evil lest they should injure those who are in what is good and true.

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But anger not only removes them, but also persecutes them from hatred and revenge. For from the charity that is in it, zeal wishes well to those also who are in what is evil and false, and also does it to them so far as they do not injure the good; but anger, from the hatred and revenge that are in it, wills evil to all with whom it fights, whether they are good or evil.*
     * AC 8598: 2.

     There is a world of difference between zeal and anger-as different as heaven and hell. But if they appear the same, how does one make the distinction? The clues are subtle, nevertheless they do exist. A nation that attacks another because it is threatening world peace can appear to be thoroughly enraged and angered; yet be fighting with a zeal and indignation that stems from heaven. The proof will come at the time of peace and victory. A zealous nation, fighting from a heavenly indignation, will immediately show mercy when the battle is over. The evil nation will plunder and rape the conquered.
     The same criterion can be used in judging the individual. The wise parent may punish with zeal, but will forgive quickly when there is repentance. Mercy and love is evident as soon as the child sees his error and endeavors to do what is right again.
     But there is a far more subtle evil that threatens the individual. Most men recognize the wrong in an anger that is from blind rage. This emotion seeks revenge on the neighbor, without any mercy. However, this kind of anger is often disguised in a good cause. Some men hate the falsity of another religion with a passion that comes from hell; but they label their evil indignation as "righteous," because it appears to be opposed to falsity. The fury of a political debate can just as easily come from hell, even though the cause be called the common good of all men. The citizen who displays anger at those who oppose his opinion is likely to lack angelic zeal, even though he claims he is on the side of justice.
     Unfortunately, the man who is in anger cannot know what is it to be in zeal. We read:

In regard to the affection of indignation, whoever does not know what the affection of charity is, in consequence of not being in it, can have no other idea than of such indignation as a man has when anything evil is done to him, which is the indignation of anger. The angels however have no such indignation, but an indignation altogether different, which is not of anger, but of zeal, in which there is nothing of evil, and which is as far removed from hatred or revenge, . . . as heaven is from hell. But . . . the nature of this indignation cannot be expressed by any words.*
     * AC 3839: 5.

125

Man's safest approach, then, to this elusive human emotion of anger, is always to be suspect of its origin! Examine our zeal to see if it harbors an evil source, though clothed in a righteous banner. Honest self examination will reveal the cause of our indignation, whether it is a good or an evil love that is being thwarted. If we can acknowledge self as evil; if we sense mercy in our dealings with the neighbor; if we are willing to accept the dispensation of Providence without anger; and, if we can perceive a sense of tranquility and peace from an All-Merciful Creator, then and only then can we be sure our feelings of zeal and indignation are affections flowing from heaven.
REVEREND ORMOND DECHARMS ODHNER 1980

REVEREND ORMOND DECHARMS ODHNER Morley D. Rich 1980

     Following a serious illness of several weeks, the Rev. Ormond Odhner passed away on Feb. 18, 1980, at the age of 67. Justly, faithfully and sincerely, he has served the cause of the New Church for forty years-over 17 of them in the field and more than 22 of his later years in the Academy of the New Church. An Assistant Pastor in Pittsburgh and afterwards in Glenview, he also served as Visiting Pastor to areas of the isolated from those bases-the southern states and the midwest. Following these years, he served in the Academy as an Instructor of Religion and later as a Professor. In the following issue, there will appear a more complete account, together with a picture.
     Mr. Odhner's latest responsibility was as Acting Editor of the New Church Life, which he assumed in the fall of 1978. In this capacity, he enjoyed the satisfactions and endured the anxieties attached thereto. But that he took the duties most seriously is illustrated by the editorial following, written during his first weeks in the hospital.
     Morley D. Rich
     Acting Editor pro tem

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ON DEATH AND ON DYING * 1980

ON DEATH AND ON DYING * Ormond Odhner 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Acting Editor - - Rev. Ormond deCharms Odhner, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager - Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal. Bryn Athyn, Pa.

All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 (U.S.) a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy. 50 cents.
     Or
     The Will Leads the Understanding
     * Ed. Note: This was written from a hospital bed, and therefore contains no references.

     As a Newchurchman, I probably should be happy at the prospect of approaching death. Instead, I often found myself crying at the thought of leaving this lovely world, my family, my friends, and the work that I love.
     That last, of course, is silly. The spiritual world is better, far better, than this world. We are born to die and go to heaven, and as one of my friends in Glenview once said, "You can't get out of this world alive." (Even if I go to hell, I'll like it.)
     I am completely convinced that the universe is a Divine creation. Something with purpose simply cannot come into existence by accident. Nothing with a purpose comes into existence by accident, even if there is an unseen force behind it, and there is an "unseen force" behind it-everything flowing from the Lord through the spiritual sun strives to raise up an image of the human form.
     Divine Providence is the Lord's government of the human race, and its one, sole purpose is to establish a heaven from the human race. Therefore we must die. But first we must be born. The most obvious reason, is that we may choose between good and evil. (In the Most Ancient Church there was no evil.) The more important reason we must be born is that we may become eternal personalities.

127

(That takes a long argument to demonstrate.)
     From one of the epistles of John, TCR quotes, "God is love," and they elaborate, "God is love and wisdom"-Divine Love guided by Divine Wisdom. His love consists of three elements: 1) love directed toward others outside Himself, (therefore creation of others outside Himself); 2) love seeking conjunction with its "objects" (therefore the creation of man being capable of rational, reciprocal, mutual love to God, and therefore revelation); 3) and, finally, giving happiness to others. (That is the reason for the heavens and therefore even the stupid "delights" of hell.)
     That's the final reason for birth on earth, for the death of the body, and for the eternal life of heaven. And so we must die. [Ed. Note: In most ancient times, when there was no evil, no hell, and therefore no diseases; death was a rather pleasant thing-no sickness, no suffering, but just peaceful sleep. Today death is usually accompanied by suffering, and who looks forward to that, even though present-day "experiences of death" have shown that actual death is usually calm and happy?]
     But facing one's own death is a very personal thing. Each person seems to bring an individual reaction. How will you react?
     The will leads the understanding and the innate, inborn will certainly is tied down to earth. That is wrong. "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven"-not the things of earth.
     In the most ancient times men really longed for eternal life in heaven. We today do not, even though our best-loved people are already there, even though a full, human life awaits us, and even though there's a "job" that will be up there into eternity. How wonderful!
     In the most ancient times men did not grieve over the "loss" of someone they loved except for the temporary departure of a friend. I hope that's true in reverse, for even if the people I have loved the most are already in the spiritual world, there are still many I love, respect and admire down here.
     "The will leads the understanding" but the hereditary will leads man down into hell. The Lord, however, gives us another will, built out of the eternal stones of truth-a will given us through our "remains": To understand the truth, to accept the truth, and finally to will it and to live by it. (It takes a bit of self-compulsion, but it's not impossible.) That final acceptance of truth and living by it is what is properly called "conscience," and is known as reformation and regeneration.
     Not that I've been regenerated, but I've finally faced up into the face of death and am intellectually attempting to accept it. It's hard.

128

"The Living Will"

     Many of LIFE'S readers may not already know of the so-called "living will," a copy of which now follows. To me it seems a good thing. (I already have three of these, volunteered by three young men.)

     "To My Family, My Physician, My Lawyer and All Others Whom It May Concern:
     "Death is as much a reality as birth, growth, maturity and old age-it is the one certainty of life. If the time comes when I can no longer take part in decisions for my own future, let this statement stand as an expression of my wishes and directions, while I am still of sound mind.
     "If at such a time the situation should arise in which there is no reasonable expectation of my recovery from extreme physical or mental disability, I direct that I be allowed to die and not be kept alive by medications, artificial means or "heroic measures." I do, however, ask that medication be mercifully administered to me to alleviate suffering even though this may shorten my remaining life.
     "This statement is made after careful consideration and is in accordance with my strong convictions and beliefs. I want the wishes and directions here expressed carried out to the extent permitted by law. Insofar as they are not legally enforceable, I hope that those to whom this Will is addressed will regard themselves as morally bound by these provisions."
Signed:
Date:
Witness:
Witness:
Copies of this request have been given to:

     "The Living Will" can be procured by writing to: Concern for Dying, 250 W. 57th Street, New York, N.Y. 10019. This is a volunteer organization. The document is free, but if you write for it, contribute at least the cost of the mailing-tax deductible.
     "The Living Will," by the way, was drawn up about four or five years ago when "medicine" was striving to keep people alive as vegetables.
     Ed. Note: If a reader wants to reply, respond, or retort to this article, please write "public" or "private." The former will be published; the latter kept private.
     (At least temporary)
     Acting Editor
     Ormond Odhner

129

Church News 1980

Church News MARY S. COOPER 1980

     WASHINGTON, D.C.

     Amidst the steady progression of society activities this past year, several notable events stand out. Last March groundbreaking for the first new home to be built in our Acton Park Community since 1974, took place. Stewart Smith has, with his own and any other available hands, made remarkable progress ever since, and by now it really looks like a house. The Smiths hope to move in this fall. The Phil Zubers also expect to begin excavations for their new home momentarily, weather permitting. We look forward to having two new neighbors.
     Progress has also been made in negotiations between our Acton Park representatives and Golf America Corporation, which is building a huge golf club- residential complex adjacent to our property. We have secured a contract with them, which should lead to sewer connections within five years, if all goes well. This would make it possible to again offer saleable lots to New Church families who wish to build here.
     To facilitate the growing needs of our school, a team of handymen transformed a small, attached garage into a cozy classroom, enabling the Pastor, Rev. Dan Heinrichs, to move out of his coat- closet study to one of the former classrooms, where he can be more visible and available to the school.
     Another reason for this move was to make office space (the coat-closet!) available for our new assistant to the Pastor. We have been most delighted to have with us the Rev. Lawson Smith and his wife Shanon, who joined us during the summer. They were able to purchase a home within walking distance of the church, and we very quickly felt that they belong here. Lawson teaches several courses in the school, ministers regularly in Baltimore, and gives occasional sermons and doctrinal classes in our society.
     As we gained, so also we lost. During the summer, Jim and Pam Cooper and their two children moved to Bryn Athyn, where Jim is carrying on the uses of New Church Education in the Elementary School. He was head teacher in our school here, and we have indeed missed him and his family. The voids Jim left in the teaching schedule required some shuffling of courses among the existing staff, and in addition we welcomed the services of part-time teachers Mr. Scott Daum, and for a time, Miss Charie Pendleton, as well as Mr. Lawson Smith.
     Our Christmas Bazaar is always a festive occasion, and we were not disappointed this year. After eager buying and selling, and a super buffet supper, the highlight of the evening was the drawing for the Raffle of all raffles, on a hand-embroidered quilt made by the ladies of the society. We have been making similar quilts for several years, and have always limited sale of tickets to members of our own society, but this year we decided to try to make it a real fund raiser. With the help of many people both inside and outside our society, the final receipts totaled over $1,400. The lucky winner was Mrs. Donald Merrell, of Bryn Athyn. We are delighted that she should have it, and we warmly appreciate the donations received from near and far.

130

Much-needed repairs on our church building were the most immediate benefits from that money.
     A nutshell account of various other activities includes: several events sponsored by the Social Committee, such as ice-skating sessions, a family film night, and a society game night; dances and dancing lessons for the young people; "The Prince and the Pauper," a musical production at school closing; weekly summer picnics at the Heinrichs; and no less than six new babies baptized!
     It has been, on the whole, a good year, nicely balanced in work and recreation. We trust that 1980 will bring further contentment as we enter into its many uses.
     MARY S. COOPER
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Pittsburgh, Toronto, or Kitchener who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Mrs. James C. Pendleton
815 Fetteramill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (215) 947-1810

Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Ben Hur Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

Mrs. Philip Horigan
50 Park Drive
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (312) 729-5644

TORONTO:
Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave.
Weston, Ont. M9P 2J5

Mrs. Mark Carlson
58 Chapel Hill Drive
R.R. 2
Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5

131

ORDINATION 1980

Announcements

Bown.-At Trumbull, Conn., Dec. 23, 1979, The Rev. Christopher D. Bown into the Second Degree of the Priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.
TRUE CONSCIENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH 1980

TRUE CONSCIENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH Rev. GEOFFREY CHILDS 1980

VOL. C
No. 4
NEW CHURCH LIFE
A
APRIL, 1980
No. 4
     If ye abide in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8: 31, 32

     Restlessness and guilt are pictured in King Saul. After he arrogantly turned against the Lord's commandments, it is said,

an evil spirit . . . troubled him. And Saul's servants said unto him, "Behold now, an evil spirit . . . troubleth thee. Let our Lord now command thy servants to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp; and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit . . . is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well" . . . and David came to Saul and stood before him: and Saul loved David greatly; and he became his armour-bearer . . . And it came to pass when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.*
     * I Sam. 16; excerpts.

     Portrayed here in the internal sense are the states of a reforming man who has violated his conscience: who has broken one of the ten commandments, and who is troubled, as was Saul, by "an evil spirit." There is a melancholy then-a bitterness and hopelessness. This state intensifies, bringing increasing depression. But finally the desire for repentance stirs. With this there is a seeking of deeper truth-truth that will restore orientation to life: that will restore tranquility. Such inner truth is represented by David-and the affection of this truth by the music of the harp. In the stillness of the palace, the magic notes of the harp touched Saul, bringing with it the sphere of quiet trust. Such is the return of hope to the man who feels remorse, and who goes to the Word in innocence: he finds there spiritual truth that touches him, and awakens his heavenly love: that renews his sense of internal peace.

134

He reads then not just to satisfy his intellect; he reads rather for the sake of life: to discover the way of living that will lead him to the Lord: in such reading of the Word, the affection of truth, a pure love, is touched by the Lord: man then hears, in his spirit, the songs of Divine hope and encouragement.
     There is, in the story of Saul and David, a representation of the developing conscience in the regenerating man. Kings represent spiritual truth: in this case Saul and David depict successively higher standards of truth: an ever more interior conscience. Such a developing, perfecting conscience is not a side issue in regeneration: it is rather the core of regeneration; in fact the true conscience is called "man's spiritual life itself."* This teaching puts the conscience in a special place in the life of religion: it makes its importance primary.
     * HD 133.
     But what is the conscience? Is it a gift of the Lord, implanted work-free in every human being? Can man in some way contribute to the upbuilding of his conscience, or is it something too profound spiritually to be added to, or taken away from by man? The Writings note this concerning conscience: many think that conscience is an inner dictate which will warn man when he is about to do wrong, and will automatically flood him with remorse when he gives in to evil. They believe his conscience will also tell him what is right and heavenly, and lead him towards this. Thus it is believed to be an inner spokesman from the Lord or the angels: a spokesman that will always point out to man the right and the wrong paths in every spiritual issue. However, this concept is false and dangerous. For the conscience with every man is simply the leading ideas he believes and loves: he calls these "truth." But often such "truth" which forms the conscience, is not truth entirely: but partly falsity.* In this case there is with man, the Writings warn, a "false conscience" which can lead him into internal agony.
     * AC 7975, 7935.
     If, as New Churchmen, our concept of truth were perfect, this would not be so. But our understanding of the Writings is limited: limited by prejudices we entertain, by our lack of reflective reading, by our early stage of spiritual development, by our emotional or mental blindspots. There is little doubt that -each of us, as New Churchmen, have concepts concerning truth that are wrong. And it is these concepts that are like the foolish vow of Jephthah, which can bring destruction to the spiritual affection which Jephthah's "daughter" represents.

135

In the literal story, Jephthah vowed to the Lord that if only he was given victory against the Ammonites, he would sacrifice whatsoever came out of the doors to meet him on his return. And it was his daughter who came out to greet him with timbrels and dances.* It was a spurious conscience that led Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter. The interior application of Jephthah's vow touches even the sense of duty of the men of the church today: our sense of responsibility in our marriage, in our occupation, in our work for the church. Within our concept of duty or responsibility certain spurious or false standards may be present-false vows-that can harm our usefulness, and destroy our only daughter-our higher affection. How can this be? It is because, primarily, of the subtlety and power of the love of self, which infiltrates our conscience bringing to it false standards.
     * c.f. Jud. ii: 30, 31.
     The Writings reveal that there are three types of conscience: the true, the spurious, and the false. Reflection upon AC 1033, which treats of these three, leads to the conclusion that during reformation and regeneration, an element of each of these types of conscience will be present with man. This because he has true beliefs: but he also has mistaken ideas, and an evil proprium. Reflection too upon the internal sense of the stories of Saul and David shows that gradually with man there can be a perfection of conscience: that what is false and spurious can be more and more removed, and that therecan be a continual ascent to what is true.
     What is false can attack the conscience in many forms. There is even the danger where a depth of sincerity is present, of being over-conscientious-which results in anxiety, and a lessening of uses. There is a remarkable number concerning this; we read: There are

     spirits that raise scruples in matters where there need be none; because they burden the conscience, they are called conscience mongers. What true conscience is, they know not, because they make everything that comes up a matter of conscience: for when any scruple or doubt is suggested, if the mind is anxious and dwells on it, there are never wanting things to strengthen the doubt and make it burdensome.*
     * AC 5386.

     In general, it is said that these spirits inflow with "conscientious scruples in unimportant matters."*
     * Ibid c.f. SD 3847, 3848.
     False principles in his conscience can harm a New Churchman's life in many ways; not only in the danger of being over-conscientious but through living other mistaken concepts-false concepts that have come from misunderstanding the Writings. Such mistaken ideas can come from the appearances of the senses, which obscure the clear light of the Heavenly Doctrine. But more often, they will arise from a false love, which puts forth its falsities in the disguise of truth and duty.

136

Any so-called "truth" we adopt that makes it a duty for us to be over-bearing, dominating, in our use or in our home, or in our marriage is to be carefully re-examined: for nothing causes more harm to uses than the falsities of an evil love-falsities masquerading behind apparent innocence. Such falsities are not easy to detect, for they are part of our proprial nature. They flash out in hot temper and anger-in violence-that we don't want to analyze. Yet if a New Churchman is well meaning, and trying to regenerate, he will slowly become aware of such spurious or false principles in his conscience. This is not just an intellectual thing. It is of the will or affection. Anxieties will come into one's life-unexplained but deeply disturbing; even, as it is said, "an evil spirit" troubles man. Such anxiety 'can be answered-because of our profound privilege of having the Writings. And in one sense such anxiety can even be welcomed: for it is an indication that we are ready to learn new truth, deeper truth, that will expose what is false in our minds; and once this falsity in our mind is exposed, with the Lord's help it can be fought against, and removed.
     However, anxieties and depression may come upon man from an entirely different origin. And it is well to know this, for the sake of one's spiritual and emotional well being. These are the anxieties of mental illness. If they are of a fairly severe nature, the Writings and Scriptures will not be enough to remove or heal them, not by themselves. This is clear from a direct number in the work The Divine Providence; there it is revealed that

     no one is reformed in unhealthy mental states, because these take away rationality, and consequently the freedom to act in accordance with reason. For the mind may be sick and unsound; and while a sound mind is rational, a sick mind is not. Such unhealthy mental states are melancholy, a spurious or false conscience, hallucinations of various kinds, grief of mind from misfortunes, and anxieties and mental suffering from a vitiated condition of the body. These are sometimes regarded as temptations, but are not. For genuine temptations have as their objects things spiritual, and in these the mind is wise; but these unhealthy mental states have as their object natural things, and in these the mind is unhealthy.*
     * DP 141.

     Thus fairly severe mental illness is not a spiritual temptation-and therefore spiritual truths will not be the healing medicines. In such cases, the Writings by themselves will not bring a cure. The Lord is needed, yes. But there is also a kind of healing science-a science that deals with mental illness on the natural plane. This is an age of extensive research into emotional or mental illness, with various theories concerning the origin of such illness, and concerning appropriate cures.

137

Surely in the Divine Providence out of this research will come methods of explanation and healing that are deeply acceptable to New Churchmen; methods that are in harmony with the Writings, that support and strengthen the revealed Word, rather than undermining it.
     How real a problem mental illness is, is self-evident when the problems are severe. The Lord is the Divine physician, the Divine healer. There is not an illness, physical or mental, that is not open to eventual healing. Cures for certain diseases may take centuries to be discovered-even the improvement in the heredity of the human race: but cures will come, as they always come now after death. Wholeness of mind and body is a goal of the Lord's Providence. Therefore in His government of mercy, there must be effective methods of healing mental illness. It could not be otherwise in His compassion. It was such compassion He showed in Gadara, when He cured a man frighteningly possessed by evil spirits-a man insane. The Lord was not afraid; He did not turn His back-rather He turned to that man, and helped him. His action is a pattern for man not to turn away or be afraid of those in mental illness, but rather to show compassion; not a pseudo-compassion or superiority, but rather a genuine caring for another human being. There would be the endeavor to help; and a search for truths that heal.
     Gradually the sciences of psychiatry and psychology, now in their infancy, will reveal pathways in sure harmony with revealed Divine truth. Gradually, delineations will be made between the "spurious and false conscience" of mental illness* and the spurious and false conscience of the misguided spiritual man.** We do know now that in mental illness, the plane that is in sickness is the natural plane,*** where is the love of self. The spurious or false conscience in mental illness will have to do then with a wrong concept of self; very often there is a shattered self- confidence. There is often present a false conscientiousness, an unbalanced perfectionism, and hidden away from his observation, an unbalanced hate. Whereas the spurious or false conscience with the spiritual man will have to do with incorrect spiritual concepts-wrong understanding of spiritual loves.
     * DP 141.
     ** AC 1033.
     *** DP 141.
     It is evident that psychiatry and psychology properly used can bring deep relief and healing to the mentally distressed. In the Arcana Coelestia 8164, it is shown however, that certain temptations have both spiritual and mental disturbances present.

138

It is taught there that in certain kinds of anxiety, both spiritual anxiety and mental illness can be present simultaneously. This would be in cases where the mental illness was less severe than that spoken of in Divine Providence 141. When both spiritual and mental illness elements are present, an holistic approach seems directly called for by the Writings. That is, a healing approach that brings both the revealed Word and true psychology to help heal the sufferer. With a New Churchman who studies the Writings, it will be self-evident that revealed truth, being the Lord directly, is the prior healing source. Divine truth would be applied by the sufferer himself to the spiritual problem he is enduring. Then he would look to genuine psychology for help with his emotional anxiety.
     The guiding principle of the Word is that Divine truth is the first criterion; from which all other sciences and knowledges are evaluated and judged. The sciences of psychiatry and psychology are handmaids of religion-lesser handmaids on the natural or lower plane.* Thus these lower sciences should be evaluated in the light of the Word, in the light of revealed Divine truth. The thinking by the professional or the patient should not, in the final analysis, be reversed. That is, religion and the Word should not be evaluated from psychiatry; but rather psychiatry should be evaluated from genuine religion. The lower science should not lead. For this would be to adopt the negative principle, a method of thinking that analyzes higher Truths from lower sciences, and that has destroyed every church prior to the New Church. Reasoning from what one can naturally feel upwards to Divine truth: this has been the cause of the fall of every church before us.** The negative principle, that leads to all folly and spiritual insanity, is to say one will not believe spiritual things until "convinced by what he can grasp or feel."*** Natural feelings, emotions cannot grasp or feel Divine truth when they look upwards. Spiritual vision or perception comes only from spiritual love. The terrible danger of the mental health sciences is that used wrongly they can destroy the church. Their great promise is that used rightly, they can bring a wonderful healing and release, helping to free human beings to serve the Lord happily and fully. Once the affirmative principle is present, truth of the scientific and psychological plane confirms, strengthens, and illustrates Divine truth. Each plane brings warmth and light to the other! The Lord is present on every level of creation, waiting to be seen and loved. Truth is where one finds it: it can be found in psychology as well as religion.****
     * DP 141.
     ** AC 126-129.
     *** AC 2568.
     **** c.f. SD 5708.

139

     Where deep and disturbing anxiety is present, the first step is to seek help directly from the Lord. Nor is this just a lip gesture, or an intellectual turning that leaves out the heart. Since He glorified His Human, the Lord is directly with us, waiting for us to turn to Him. His glorified Body is the Divine love present with us on earth-Infinitely present to touch and heal. He is a Divine Person, waiting for us to come to Him directly. It is written:

     when the angels become present, love so pours out of them that you would believe them to be nothing but love . . . This being the character of the angels in heaven, what must not the Lord Himself be, from whom the angels have every thing of love, and whose Divine Love appears as a Sun     . . . It is the Lord's
Divine Human which so appears . . . From this it is evident what is meant by the Lord's Divine 'body,' namely, the Divine love . . . Moreover, the Lord's very body when glorified . . . is nothing else (than Divine love).*
     * AC 6135.

     In this glorified body of Divine love, He is present with us, having flesh and bones, waiting for our turning and affection. If we turn to the Lord, we will find Him in His Word, and we will see Him in a way that is new.
     In the Word, this deeper vision is represented by David, who succeeded Saul-David who as a youth had such courage, who spoke of Divine truth as "more to be desired . . . than gold . . . sweeter also than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb."* For whereas Saul represents the affection of external truth, David is the affection of internal truth. The direct teaching on the development of the internal conscience is this: "Conscience is formed by the truths of faith from the Word, and from doctrine out of the Word, according to their reception in the heart. . . . A more perfect conscience can be given with those who are enlightened in the truths of faith more than others."**
     * Ps. 19: 10.
     ** HD 131-2 sel.
     Beyond the reign of David was that of Solomon. We are told "God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. For he was wiser than all men."* Solomon symbolizes the highest development of conscience, a plane of interior guidance called perception. It is the celestial man who is in perception-and for him all need of self-compulsion is gone: he is free in his highest love. Heavenly love puts him into true order. Truths aren't done from duty, but out of love, spontaneously. Perception "consists in seeing what is true and good by influx from the Lord. . . . It is given with those . . . who . . . bring the doctrinals of the church . . . immediately into the life."**
     * I Kings 4: 29-31.
     ** HD 104a.

140

     "They who believe that they know and are wise from themselves, cannot have perception . . . (and) the (egocentric) learned do not comprehend what this perception is."* Such an affectionate, enlightened conscience can come to man, if he is but willing to obey the Lord, and to read and hear His Word. And with this conscience is increasing freedom, for the Lord is more and more near. From interior love which the Lord alone can give, the nature of needs with the heart will become defined. The Word will shed its penetrating warmth, its incisive and wonderful light. Issues of health, spiritual or mental, will become more and more secondary. For true health will be found in the intensity of the Lord's love, where self-concern drops behind and is forgotten. The conscience rather than being bound by the false or spurious, is freed by inmost loves. The loves that especially make free, it is revealed, are conjugial love, and the spiritual love of children,** for these loves are celestial and compassionate beyond others. The interior creativity and peace symbolized by Solomon's glory will come flooding into the human heart.
     * Ibid.
     ** SD 3847-8.
     Then said Jesus to those . . . who believed Him, If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed: and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8: 31, 32. Amen. -

LESSONS:     Judges 11: 1-11, 29-36; I -Samuel 16: 13-23; Divine Providence 141; Spiritual Diary 231 (sel).

141

DOCTRINE OF PERMISSION II 1980

DOCTRINE OF PERMISSION II Rev. DANDRIDGE PENDLETON 1980

     Permissions have as their specific purpose that a man shall not enter into a state of profanation, in order that he may be kept in a salvable state. This is so with men both individually and collectively.

     Of the Lord's providence, the state of this church (the first Ancient church) was changed, so that its internal worship perished, while its external worship remained which is here signified by the statement that Jehovah confounded the lip of all the earth. . . . The reason why it was permitted that internal worship should perish, and external remain, was that what is holy might not be profaned; for the profanation of what is holy is attended with eternal damnation. . . . It is the internal things that can be profaned; for what is holy abides in internal, and not in external things. The case in this respect is the same as it is with a man who does what is evil, but does not intend what is evil. To him the evil that he does cannot be imputed, just as it cannot be imputed to one who does not do it of deliberate intention, or to one who is destitute of reason. Thus a man who does not believe that there is a life after death, and yet performs external worship cannot profane the things that belong to eternal life, because he does not believe that there is any such life; but the case is quite different with those who know and acknowledge these things. And this is the reason why it is permitted a man rather to live in pleasures and cupidities, and by them to remove himself from internal things, than to come into the knowledge and acknowledgment of internal things and profane them. For this reason, the Jews at this day, are permitted to immerse themselves in avarice, that in this way they may be further removed from the acknowledgment of internal things. . . . And the case is the same with many within the church; and it is the same with the Gentiles outside the church.*
     * AC 1327: 2-4.

     This protection is given not only to the men of a fallen church, but to all men, including those who are within a genuine church-indeed, perhaps especially to those who are of a genuine church. For every man, including the regenerating man, enters time and again into his personal "fallen" states-that is, his states of proprium-if only temporarily; and during these states he, too, must be protected from profaning interior things. Yet the fact that the permission of evil protects a man from profaning does not necessarily render him immune to various other damning effects which the permitted evil may have upon his spiritual life. In other words, an evil that is permitted cannot be regarded as being "all right" simply because it has been permitted.

142

     There are many adverse consequences besides interior profanation that may well result.

     The men of the Most Ancient Church were of a totally different genius and native quality from the men of the Ancient Church. . . . The men of the Most Ancient Church were internal men and had no externals of worship. . . . The men of the Ancient Church were external men and had externals of worship. . . . All this shows what was the difference between those represented by Hamor and Shechem (who, being of the remnant of the Most Ancient Church were in internals and not externals) and those signified by the sons of Jacob (who were in externals and not in internals); and it shows further that Hamor and Shechem could not accede to externals and accept those among the sons of Jacob without their internals being closed; thus causing their eternal destruction. . . . This is the secret reason why Hamor and Shechem with their families were slain, which otherwise would not have been permitted. But this does not exculpate the sons of Jacob from having committed an enormous crime. They knew nothing of this secret reason, and it was not the end they had in view. Every one is judged according to his end, or intention . . . and when any such crime is permitted by the Lord, it is evil men and their internal instigators who are the authors of it. Nevertheless all the evil which the evil intend and do to the good is turned by the Lord into good.*
     * AC 4493: 2, 3, 5, 6.

     There are also things permitted which, while not spiritually detrimental in one age, or church, may be spiritually detrimental to men in another age, or church.

     That those ancients had concubines besides a wife . . . was of permission, for the sake of the representation, namely of the celestial church by a wife, and of a spiritual church by a concubine; this was of permission, because they were such that they had no conjugial love, neither was marriage to them marriage, but only a carnal coupling for the sake of procreating offspring. To such there might be permissions without injury to conjugial love and consequently to its covenant; but never to those who are in good and truth, and who are, or can become, internal men; for as soon as man is in good and truth, and in things internal, such things cease.*
     * AC 3246: 4.
     Eating the flesh of animals, regarded in itself is something profane. . . . In process of time, when men began to be as fierce as wild beasts, and even fiercer, they then for the first time began to kill animals and eat their flesh; and because such was man's nature it was permitted him to do this, and is still permitted, to this day; and so far as he does it from conscience, so far it is lawful for him, since conscience is formed of all that he supposed to be true and lawful. No one therefore is at this day condemned because of eating flesh.*
     * AC 1002.

     It is what a man does from conscience that judges whether a permitted evil is spiritually harmful to him or not. And, as noted, "conscience is formed of all that he supposes to be true, and thus lawful"; and therefore, "in so far as a man does (what he does) from conscience, so far it is lawful for him." (Ibid.)

143

This whole concept, which is clearly specified in the Writings,-that many things in themselves disorderly are permissible, and even spiritually "lawful," in so far as they are done from conscience-releases a powerful series of teachings concerning the way in which the human mind, since the original fall of man, must of necessity be led to its development toward the regenerate state. For while conscience is formed of all that a man supposes to be true, and thus lawful, still a great many of the things that men today regard as being right and lawful are in themselves neither right nor lawful in the genuine sense of those terms; and therefore those things are called in the Writings either "apparent" or "mediate" goods and truths. It is by means of these apparent or mediate goods and truths that the Lord first prepares for, and then leads that mind into, and through, spiritual reformation; nor can a man be led spiritually, in a state of freedom, in any other way.
     In so far as the apparent or mediate goods and truths with men partake of evil and falsity-whether that evil and falsity are recognized as such or not-to that extent existence and activity of those appearances is of permission. Yet they are permitted; for to speak to men, and so to lead them, through any other means than what they can understand in a given state and what they suppose to be true would be to cause a total rejection of all sacred things. The necessity in this regard exists, as has been said, with all men; those equally who are born and educated within a genuine religious belief as those who are of a false religious persuasion.

     To speak otherwise than as man apprehends (that is, from appearances, fallacies, and persuasions) would have been to sow seed in the waters, and to say that which would be at once rejected. Nevertheless, such forms of speech are able to serve as general vessels in which spiritual and celestial things may be contained, for into them it may be insinuated that all things are from the Lord; then that the Lord permits, but that the evil is wholly from diabolical spirits; afterwards that the Lord provides and disposes that evils should be turned into goods; and at last that nothing but good is from the Lord. Thus the sense of the letter perishes as it ascends, and becomes spiritual, then celestial, and at last Divine.*
     * AC 1874.
     Every man combats first of all from the goods and truths he has received through knowledges; and from them and by them he judges about evils and falsities. Every man also, when he first begins to combat, supposes that the goods and truths from which he combats are his own; that is, he attributes them to himself, and at the same time attributes to himself the power by which he resists. This also is permitted; for the man cannot then know otherwise. .
When a man is in such a state that he supposes good and truth to be from himself, and that the power of resisting is his own, then the goods and truths from which he combats against evils and falsities are not goods and truths, although they appear so; for there is what is his own in them and he places self-merit in victory, and glorifies as if it were be who had overcome the evil and falsity, when yet it is the Lord alone who combats and overcomes.

144

That this is really the case none can know but they who are being regenerated by means of temptations.*
     * AC 1661.
     These are apparent truths, but are not truths; and because they are not truths that are such in themselves, there is no parallelism and correspondence. Still the Lord leaves them intact in man, and miraculously adapts them by means of charity, so that they can serve celestial things as vessels. . . . For the things that are once implanted in a man's opinion, and are accounted as holy, the Lord leaves intact, provided they are not contrary to Divine order; and although there is no parallelism and correspondence, still He adapts them
and because the things which have been spoken of are not adequately in correspondence, they are obliterated in the other life with those who allow themselves to be instructed, and truths themselves are implanted in their affections of good.*
     * AC 1832: 3, 4.
     That in the spiritual man in the beginning truth has the dominion, is chiefly because in his first state there are delights of the love of self and the world which he believes to be good, and which apply themselves to his truths, and for the most part produce the affection of truth in him; for he then thinks that truths may be serviceable to him either for honor or for gain, or for reputation in the world, or even for merit in the other life. All these things excite this affection of truth in him, and also enkindle it, and yet they are not good, but evil. Nevertheless the Lord permits that such things should influence him in that first time, because otherwise he could not be regenerated. Intelligence and wisdom come in time; and in the meanwhile, through these truths the man is introduced into good, that is, into charity; and when he is in this, then for the first time he perceives what is good, and acts from good, and then judges and draws conclusions from this good concerning truths; and those which do not accord with this good, he calls false and rejects. Thus he rules over truths as a master over his servants.*
     * AC 3330.

     In all of this, the Writings never compromise their fundamental position on the subject: that all permission-whether its effects are imputed to a man as sin or not-whether brought on through ignorance, or as a result of deliberate intent, or whether the thing permitted was once harmful to the race spiritually, but is now no longer so, or the reverse-is in itself the permission of an evil, or a falsity, or both. The things with a man that are said to be "from permission" are never good, nor even "lesser" good. Yet they are always so ordered under the Lord's Providence that they can be utilized as a means leading ultimately to what is good.
     Permission is defined as man's "freedom to do evil."* Also it is said of those who have no conscience and who are wholly contrary to faith, that "they are . . . bent to such things as the Lord grants and permits, so that there shall be nothing which comes from them that is not of pardon (leave) if not evil, and of permission if evil."**
     * AC 10778.
     ** SD 3845e.

145

     In themselves, then, the things of permission are not desirable, let alone ideal. In themselves they are undesirable. They are perhaps the closest thing to what we call necessary evils-necessary, not in the sense of things to be sought out or courted, but in the sense of being unavoidable in, and therefore indispensible to, human regeneration, because of man s perverted hereditary nature. It is important that we draw this distinction and keep it clearly in mind; for when a man, or an entire church, commences to call the things of permission good, or even lesser goods, the "exception" begins to become the "rule" in exploiting that permission by men; and as a result, the spiritual and moral fabric of that church will gradually, but surely, descend into mere sensuality, despite the fact that its members may speak from doctrine and honor it with their intellect.
     A prime example of this consequence is to be seen eroding present-day Christianity with increasing swiftness, in the growing denial of any Divine quality of the command prohibiting divorce and remarriage except for adultery. It should be noted on the other hand, that in giving this command, and in answer to His disciples grumbled retort, "If the case of a man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry," the Lord said, "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. . . . He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."* With some perhaps even in the New Church, the breaking of this Divine command, as in the case of many other Divine precepts, may occur due to a lack of interior strength, or from ignorance, or a lack of ability to acknowledge its true importance, or from a state of "unsound reason,"-and will therefore not be imputed as an evil of sin; or it may occur in full spiritual strength of mind, with full intellectual acknowledgment of its importance, and in a state of perfectly sound reason, and will therefore be imputed as an evil of sin. In either case, imputation (the assigning of spiritual innocence or guilt) belongs to the Lord, not to man. But also, in either case, it is important that we acknowledge the breaking of any Divine command as being in itself a disorder and that this disorder is, at best, a permission. If, on the other hand, the commission of disorder on the part of individuals leads the men of the church to condone the disorders as goods, then inevitably the essential Divine truth within the command will lose its power to communicate with the church, and the men of that church will ultimately be denied the spiritual protection which this command in ultimates interiorly represents and brings to bear.
     * Matt. 19: 10-12.
     In concluding this second part of the series, I would like to extend the subject of permission into a related area of doctrine. In referring to the spiritual states of men before, during, and even after regeneration, the Writings make it clear that there is no such thing ever as a completely pure, or untainted, human love.

146

From birth up to the beginnings of reformation, all of man's loves which are not the result of borrowed angelic affections (or remains), are totally defiled, their only thought being of and for the sake of self. During reformation, by means of self-examination and repentance, these defiled loves of self begin to be loosened, and gradually, by degrees, are set aside, as it were, toward the circumferences of the mind, there to become increasingly inactive; yet they are never completely abolished, or done away with. This setting aside and de-activating of man's selfish loves is proportionate to the degree of his regeneration. Yet, even should he become regenerate to the highest degree possible, his release from his former evils is a relative thing; it is never absolute.

     Neither with men nor with angels can any love ever become pure; . . . But since it is the intention which is of the will that is primarily regarded by the Lord, therefore so far as a man is in this intention, and perseveres therein, so far he is initiated into the purity and holiness of this love, and successively progresses therein.*
     * CL 71. See also AC 4493: 6, Section II.
     It should be known however, that neither with men nor with angels is conjugial love wholly chaste or pure. There is still something not chaste, or not pure, which adjoins or subjoins itself; but this something is of a different nature than that from which comes what is unchaste. With those who are in conjugial love, the chaste is above and the non chaste below, and between the two is interposed by the Lord a hinged door, as it were, which is opened by determination, care being taken that it does not stand open, lest the one should pass over into the other and they should commingle; for man's natural is contaminated and surcharged with evils from birth. Not so his spiritual, because its birth is from the Lord, this birth being regeneration, and regeneration is a successive separation from the evils which are related to the native inclinations.*
     * CL 146.

     We have previously established that everything which is of, or from, permission is in itself either an evil or a falsity,-which however can be so disposed by the Lord as to promote an outcome of spiritual good. If, as the Writings state, there is no pure good with any man or angel, does this not mean that there is something of evil or falsity, and therefore an element of permission, attached to every state of good with men, no matter how regenerate they may become: and this in the heavens to eternity, as well as throughout life on this earth? Arcana Coelestia 3993 might appear to call forth this conclusion; for there man's interior states are categorized under two main divisions: those states of evil and falsity with which good can be mingled, and those states of evil and falsity with which good cannot be mingled.

147

     In man there is no pure good, that is, good with which evil is not mingled; nor pure truth, with which falsity is not mingled. For man's will is nothing but evil, from which there continually flows falsity into his understanding: because, as is well known man receives by inheritance the evil successively accumulated by his ancestors, and from this he produces evil in an actual form, and makes it his own, and adds thereto more evil of himself. But the evils with man are of various kinds; there are evils with which goods cannot be mingled, and there are evils with which they can be mingled; and it is the same with the falsities. Unless this were so, no man could possibly be regenerated. The evils and falsities with which goods and truths cannot be mingled are such as are contrary to love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor. . . . But the evils and falsities with which goods and truths can be mingled are those which are not contrary. . . . The evils with which goods and the falsities with which truths can be mingled are wonderfully disposed into order by the Lord; for they are not conjoined together, still less united into a one; but are adjoined and applied to one another, and this in such a manner that the goods together with the truths are in the middle, and as it were in the center, and by degrees toward the circumferences or circuits are such evils and falsities. Thus the latter are lighted up by the former, and are variegated like things white and black by light from the middle or center. This is heavenly order. (italics added)*
     * AC 3993.

     In the case of a regenerating man, evils and falsities are closely associated with his states of good. And observe that this less-than-perfect condition, as to its process, or procedure, is said to constitute "heavenly order"; not only heavenly order as it pertains to men's spiritual development on this earth, but the order of life in its continuing progression as it is in heaven also. For once a man has been in permitted states of evil and falsity they can never afterward be entirely expelled, but are rather pushed ever further toward the circumferences of his mind, and there are "made quiescent." Thus the teaching that if the angels were not continually withheld by the Lord from their former evils, both hereditary and actual, they would instantly enter into them and plunge headlong into the lowest hell, and also that the angels are being continually perfected-or regenerated-to eternity.
     Our final treatment of the subject of permission will center on the difference between the highest good (those things which are said to be of the Lord's will), lesser good (those things which are of the Lord's good pleasure and leave), and evil (the things that are of his permission).

148

COMMON CAUSE 1980

COMMON CAUSE EDWARD F. ALLEN 1980

     Think of the act of baking a cake. What things are brought together in order to make this action possible? What things are brought together as well as ingredients? Utensils, stove, fuel, light to work by, etc.? What is brought together in the person doing the baking? What elements of muscles and other bodily organs, what mental thoughts, what a will to do so, etc.? What other things come together in baking a cake, for example, laws of physics, chemistry and organic materials?
     Now we ask ourselves, what causes the cake? And yet baking a cake seems to be relatively simple as an effect compared with some things we see in the world: a plant organism, a living animal. And what of man, his body, his mind, his soul? What causes are brought together, what is the common cause of each of these?
     I could select the idea involved in baking a cake. What words seem to describe what is happening? Is it not so that to bake a cake many causes must come together in the process, must cooperate, yes, must concur to become a common cause?
     Swedenborg uses the word "concur" many times to describe how something comes into existence in creation. For example, "We know . . . by the senses, that nearly all things do concur in man."*
     * Inf. 107.
     I had begun to collect references using "concur," but the subject was too complex for a single paper. Then I hit upon the expression "common cause" because although the number of its appearances I happened to come upon were few, yet there were enough to supply a variety of examples applied to different subjects.
     As I understand common cause it is a name for that joining together of a number of individual causes to form a single one devoted to the same end. It has the nature of concurring and of cooperation. The examples are given in the order in which they appear in time in Swedenborg's works, beginning with an example from The Economy of the Animal Kingdom and ending with an example in the Arcana Coelestia. There is no pretension to completeness; an exhaustive search was not attempted.

149

Common Cause in Blood and its Vessels. The tunic or vessel called the "continent" and the blood, collectively, is called a blood-vessel. For unless the tunic or vessel contains blood it is merely a convoluted membrane. These two then, the blood and the vessel, unite as a common cause.

     In order that both the continent and the content may act as one common cause of determination. The continent and the content, taken collectively, are called a blood-vessel; for the vessel without the blood is merely a convoluted membrane and the blood without the membrane is merely an indeterminate fluid. Hence as the vessel thus contemplated is but one thing, so also is the action or one single cause of determination. If therefore the blood and the tunic stand but for one vessel, and thus for one single cause, it follows, that there is a mutual dependence of one upon the other; if there he a mutual dependence, there must be a mutual correspondence, affinity, and relationship between them; for the one gives birth to the other; thus the tunic is the tunic of the blood, and the blood is the blood of the tunic, the two possessing a unanimity, and being most perfectly accommodated to the production of every effect. Hence we see why the tunic of the vessels is, like the blood itself, of a threefold origin, degree, nature, and composition.*
     * EAK 134.

     For example, there is a common cause between each blood, the red blood, purer blood, and spirituous fluid with its tunic in its degree. And we may see that the whole consisting of three degrees of bloods and tunics make common cause according to the doctrine of series and degrees.

Common Cause in the Spiritual Mind and the Natural Mind. In describing the formation of affections of the mind in The Rational Psychology, Swedenborg explains how things come together in the rational mind from the soul above and from the animus and bodily senses from below.

      . . . the loves of the superior mind and those of the animus flow of themselves and spontaneously into the rational mind, and there come together; and since the property of this mind is solely to bend itself to the one side or the other; let us see how the other things in the same rational or properly human mind flow from it, so that it may he said of them that they are its property. . .*
     * RP 304.

     In the newborn human being there is not yet any coming together in the human mind from above and below. Yet it is so created that this can be.

150

When this tender body has been formed and is put forth from the maternal womb or egg, there at once succeeds and is born, as it were, or evolved, from the prior love another love, being the love that it may become a man, or be furnished with a mind of its own which may be called rational, the fact that man is a man being due to his rational mind; as that mind is, such is the man. The pure mind or soul and the mind of the pure intellectory that is, the spiritual mind and the natural mind, then both do their part; and because both engage in a common cause, and desire to pour into this mind their essence, nature, and life, it follows that this mind is called rational, the word rational signifying the spiritual and the natural together or a partaker of both.*
     * RP 307.

Common Cause in the Organs of Taste. The published parts of The Animal Kingdom begin and end with the subject of the tongue and taste. In the tongue there are three different kinds of sense organs called papillae, as well as ordinary sense of touch papillae, added to a profusion of muscles and nerves. All these parts or individual organs must make common cause in order that the tongue may perform its functions, not only of tasting, but of eating, speaking, etc.

     In order that organs with such different functions-namely sensorial, as the papillse villosse; libatorial, as the glandulae lenticulares and capitatae; and motorial, as the muscles-may make common cause, end and use, the fibres of three pairs of nerves approach, enter and connect all the parts, and communicate whatever goes on in one, to the others. Thus the gland is reflectively informed of whatever the papilla feels; and the muscular fibre is conscious of whatever is thus communicated to the gland; consequently, the muscle acts as soon as ever the gland sips, and the papilla tastes. The state of one excites that of the others; the cause calls forth the effect, and the end, the use which the soul intends.*
     * I AK 46.

Common Cause by Means of Correspondence and Representation. In the examples above common cause was applied to organs of the body, the bloods and their tunics, the brains, and the tongue. The Epilogue to Part II of The Animal Kingdom generalizes beyond analyses of experimental anatomy. These generalizations introduce things, about the philosophical doctrines, especially on Correspondence and Representation. There results a conclusion about common cause that is brought about by correspondence and representation.

     . . . if we wish to invite real truths, whether natural, or moral, or spiritual, (-for they all make common cause by means of correspondence and representation) into the sphere of our rational minds, it is necessary that we extinguish the impure fires of the body, and thereby our own delusive lights, and submit and allow our minds, unmolested by the influences of the body, to be illuminated with the rays of the spiritual power: then for the first time truths flow in; for they all emanate from that power as their peculiar fountain.*
     * II AK 463.

151

Common Cause in Membranes of the Body and in Generals. The peritonaeum is a major membrane of the body. It and other major membranes in relation to the subject of common cause, and incidentally of other causes, is described as follows:

     The animal body, which, according to a common mode of speaking, is also a kind of whole, a universe, microcosm or kingdom, is most distinctly divided into integral parts, members, viscera or organs; these again into lesser organic parts; and these ultimately into least parts, simple parts, and unities (a). This whole with its members and parts, is divided as it were into regions, hollow chambers, and cavities. The cerebrum inhabits the highest chamber; the heart and lungs inhabit the middle chamber; the stomach, intestines, liver, etc., the lower, and the genital organs, the lowest chamber. Each chamber is surrounded by a common membrane; the highest or cerebral chamber, by two membranes or meninges; the middle or thoracic chamber, by the pleura; the lower or abdominal, by the peritonaeum; the lowest or scrotal chamber, by its own peculiar sheath or capsule: all together are surrounded by one most general membrane; that is, by the skin. These common membranes or coverings are distinctly separated from each other, and distinctly connected with each other, and communicate, in the exact proportion in which the organs they enclose are dignified in office and act in society. Each of these four coverings also makes common, special, and particular cause, with the viscera and members which it folds in its embrace. But in order to understand the manner whereby the Common or General acts upon the parts of the whole, it is necessary to understand also the order by which the Universal flows into them.*
     * II AK 312.
     The universal is described in The Economy as the first degree of any series, in that it exists and acts in each posterior degree of the series. The words "the Common or General" suggest what acts upon the parts of the whole. There is a relation between a membrane and "common cause." This comes forward when a General is regarded as the final term or degree of a series of particulars. In the case of each region or chamber of the body referred to in the above quotation, its common membrane includes within it the particular organs of that chamber. The connection between a general or a membrane and common cause is explained in the following:

     A GENERAL is the summary and complex of parts and singulars; as a number is the complex of several unities, and an equation, of several analytic ratios. Now in order that singulars may be kept in mutual association in their complex, it is necessary that they have a common bond or tie; and in the living body, the coats, membranes and coverings constitute such bonds. Inasmuch as this bond represents a common or general cause, we, therefore, in the present case, term it a general, and contrast it with a universal, in which sense, a general is what contains and distinguishes a universe, its integers and singulars. . .
A general, therefore, is recognized from its being the complex, limit and nexus of those things which are associated. . . . The Universal gives the essence, and determines it; the Common Bond defines and bounds it.*
     * I AK 316-317.

152

     This is equivalent to saying that all that is in a series of degrees makes common cause with respect to the end of the series. Common causes exist in the final or most posterior degree. So we observe them in final effects. Common Cause in The Senses. The posthumous work THE SENSES, is an outline on sensations in preparation for treatment to be developed in THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. Only the subjects of touch and taste reached completion in THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, because Swedenborg's attention was being directed to uses beyond philosophy, even while THE SENSES were in preparation. When complete, interior as well as exterior sensations would have been treated. In philosophy interior sensation refers to imagination and understanding.
     Swedenborg gives an enumeration of the enormous complexity of the subject of cause. I break into the enumeration:

     5. If only we can take something from the ocean (i.e. about causes) how much we, the learned, may hear. 6. This is the reason why I do not wish to let myself into an abundance of particulars (i.e. of different kinds of causes); it is enough if we explore common causes. 7. Whole centuries are not sufficient for one thing.*
     * Five Senses 178.

     Sensation in the case of each of the senses is described as changes of state in the sense organs, then in the nerves connecting them to the cerebrum, then again in the organic seats of the internal sensations: the imagination, the thought, and the understanding.

     Change of state is by affections arising in harmonies. Such as is the harmony such is the affection, and such as is the affection such is the change of state; in all the organs there are changes of state; in these their perfection consists. 1. Unless (the states) were changes, nothing would be perceived but the one. 2. There would be no variety. 3. Thus nothing could be described as to what kind it is.*
     * Five Senses 179.

     This work was not intended for publication. The enumerators are memoranda to Swedenborg himself for further exposition. As can be seen from the first chapter in The Rational Psychology and the sections on touch and taste expanded upon in THE ANIMAL KINGDOM and especially the chapter Epilogue Concerning the Senses or Sensation in General in THE SENSES, the subject of sensation as treated has only its beginning in the bodily senses, and sensations as we usually think of them. But when the subject is not only these but the whole ascending series of sensations, as named in The Rational Psychology, bodily senses, imagination, mind, intellectum and soul, then when it is said "it is enough if we explore common causes," we begin to obtain something of the ends Swedenborg had in his search for the soul: and in his projected work, My Psychology.

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Common Cause in Society. In the Writings it is taught that the members of a society may vary greatly among themselves, but if they have the same end, there can be unity in the society. Concerning such a society which Swedenborg saw,

     They said . . . that they were men who are unlike; and because it seemed impossible to me that there could be a society in the other life of those who are unlike, I talked with them about it, and said that if a common cause impelled them to unity, they nevertheless could be associated, because they would thus all have one end. They said that their quality was such that each one speaks differently from the others, and yet they all think alike. This they also illustrated by examples, whereby it appeared that the perception of all was one, but that their speech was diverse.*
     * AC 5189.

     There is nothing so unlike as things in the literal sense of THE WORD. But the letter is the most exterior degree of the senses of the Word. Hence it seems that what is in the letter makes common cause when the internal sense is known.

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MEMORIES THAT HURT 1980

MEMORIES THAT HURT Rev. DONALD L. ROSE 1980

     A TALK FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

     A painful kind of memory is the memory of an incident when we had no pity or compassion.
     When we are looking back, we can be detached from the incident and observe that pity was not there at all.
     In the case of king David when he calmly arranged the death of the honest Uriah, it required someone else to show him that pity was absent. David had wanted the wife of Uriah and had therefore sent the man to his death. And so Nathan the prophet told David a story which aroused David's anger against the villain of the story. He wanted "the man" punished severely, "because he hath done this thing, and because he had no pity."*
     * Matt. 18: 33.
     When David had seen the enormity of this absence of pity, Nathan said to him, "Thou are the man." Then he recalled to him the incident in which he was without mercy. David had then been intent only on what he wanted, and charity had no place in him.
     We look on the past, and the Lord says to us, "Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?"*
     * I Sam. 12:6.
     There is a fascinating point in the story of Joseph's brothers selling him into Egypt. When the incident is described, nothing is said to indicate that Joseph cried out or pleaded with his brothers. In Genesis 37 we see the brothers intent on their own interest, and there is no hint whatever of the feelings that Joseph must have had.
     Joseph was sold, and he represents the Lord, and this incident signifies placing more value on what pleases us than on the things of love and concern for others.
     How dramatic it is that although Genesis 37 says nothing about Joseph's feelings or his crying out, the LOOKING BACK in Genesis 42 shows that he did cry out. Reuben (who represents the conscience of seeing what is right) reminds his brothers, "Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear?" They had not heard the voice of conscience nor the pleading words of Joseph, but looking back they said, "We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear.*
     * Gen. 42: 21.
     It is at this point that the Writings show that there is hope for us if when we look back we feel anxiety at having been unresponsive to what is good.
     "If when a man betakes himself to evils, as is the case with many in youth, he feels any anxiety when he reflects upon his having done what is evil, it is a sign that he will still receive influx through the angels from heaven, and it is also a sign that he will afterward suffer himself to be reformed.
     "But if when he reflects upon his having done what is evil, he has no anxious feeling, it is a sign that he is no longer willing to receive influx.
     Here therefore, mention is made of the distress of soul in which Joseph was when alienated from his brethren, and also next that Reuben admonished them, whereby is signified that when this state had preceded, reformation. . . would afterward take place.
     "For with those who are then in anxiety there is an internal acknowledgment of evil, which when recalled by the Lord becomes confession, and finally repentance."*
     * AC 5470.
     A very common example of a painful memory is the memory of how we have in a group made another person feel "left out," or have teased or bullied one person. It was only "having a bit of fun" at someone's expense, and the thought of the real feelings of that person simply did not occur. We were turned off to charity.
     Besides some person of our own age group it could be a teacher we found we could take advantage of and did so without pity. And of course there are other examples. HOW ENCOURAGING IT IS TO KNOW THAT IF SUCH MEMORIES ARE PAINFUL, IT IS A SIGN OF GOOD HOPE.

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RESURECTION ADDRESS FOR THE REVEREND ORMOND DEC. ODHNER 1980

RESURECTION ADDRESS FOR THE REVEREND ORMOND DEC. ODHNER Rev. LOUIS B. KING 1980

     In his 68th year, and in the 40th year of his ministry as a priest of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, the Rev. Ormond de Charms Odhner has been called by the Lord into the spiritual world. Today he awakens into the joy and gladness of that beautiful land, where loved ones reunite and the beauty of spiritual character manifests itself in the countenance of each spiritual being there.
     We rejoice with Ormond as he meets his beloved wife Joan after eleven years of separation, and as he reacquaints himself with family, colleagues and friends with whom he now shares the reality of eternal values. We are grateful for Ormond's present state, and we are grateful for the services he rendered to the priesthood and the Lord's New Church while he labored in behalf of the latter for the last forty years of his life on earth.
     How very important the church and the priesthood are! In the Word of His second advent, the Lord addresses His Divine Truth to the rational minds of men, explaining the necessity of a genuine, specific church on earth, as well as a distinctive and uncompromising priesthood. The Word itself is the conjoining medium between God and man because it alone contains the absolute truth which is not only the form of good, but which alone forms the mind into a human receptacle of love.
     The Word must be understood, seen in the spiritual light. There must be doctrine to serve as a lamp to enlighten our understanding of the Word. Consequently there must be a church in which doctrine may be developed, for the church exists solely where the Word is rightly understood and wherein the Lord is seen and worshiped as a visible God in His Divine Human.
     In order that doctrine out of the Word may exist in the church to be continually developed and maintained in its purity, revelation itself prescribes an ordered priesthood-an ordered priesthood to serve as the Lord's appointed means whereby His Divine good and truth may exist with men. Because the priestly office represents the Divine of the Lord present in His church, and because its responsibility is to lead directly to Him, the priesthood is declared in the Word to be the first of the church.*
     * AE 229; AC 9989, 9809.

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[Full page photograph of THE REVEREND ORMOND DEC. ODHNER]

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[Blank page.]

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     "Priests," we are taught, "ought to teach the truth and lead to the good of life."* The Lord is the good of life to whom the priests are to lead. The means whereby this leading is accomplished is the teaching of truth. Doctrinal instruction, the ministry of worship and blessing, and governance in the ecclesiastical affairs of men are all part of the priestly function and responsibility whereby order, conducive to the performance of spiritual uses, is established and maintained. When such order exists, "the Divine which is called the Holy Spirit passes through men to men, and in the church chiefly through the clergy to the laity."** "The Holy Spirit, that is, the Divine proceeding, never becomes man's but is constantly the Lord with him."*** It should also be noted that, "preachers are able to declare the Word and bring it to the understanding . . . but not to the heart of anyone."**** Only the Lord can touch the heart. Only the Lord can inflow and infill the mind with love or that celestial which conjoins man with God and produces eternal life.
     * HD 318.
     ** Canons, Holy Spirit III-IV.
     *** Ibid. IV: 3.
     **** DP 172: 6.
     First in time, however, is the reception of truth in thought and affection. So must there be a church in which the Heavenly Doctrines are taught that they might lead to a right understanding of the Word. The existence of such a genuine church, in our day, is dependent upon an enlightened and inspired priesthood. If it were not so the Writings would not lay such stress upon the use of the priesthood.
     Again, we are instructed that a priest becomes charity in form if he looks to the Lord, shuns evils as sins, and sincerely, justly, and faithfully performs the work of the ministry. If he is affected by a concern for the salvation of souls, he will then be affected by truths through which the Lord accomplishes salvation.*
     * Char. 86; TCR 442.
     Priests are called pastors because they feed, or instruct their congregation in truths of revelation, leading them thereby to the good of life for the sake of their eternal welfare.*
     * AE 482.
     Historically then, the Lord, with infinite longing for man's eternal happiness, first created him an ordered receptacle of celestial love, that there might be conjunction between God and man from the beginning.

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Indeed, in the beginning God looked upon his creation and behold it was very good. But when in the abuse of his freedom man disordered that receptacle so that the celestial with the human race gradually perished, then the Lord as Redeemer, separated the understanding in man from his will, and later came on earth to unite in Himself the Human Essence and the Divine Essence. Thereafter the understanding in man could be elevated above the perverted will, enabling a new will or receptacle of the celestial to be established in him for the sake of renewed conjunction with the Divine. Now, in His second coming, the Lord has made it possible for men to enter intellectually into these mysteries of faith, rationally to cooperate as-of-self with the Lord in a full and reciprocal conjunction of love.
     Tenderly the Lord cares for His church. With omniscient wisdom He provides for His kingdom of uses on earth even as He provides for His kingdom in the heavens. He it is who calls His priests to that sacred office, and He alone inspires them with a love for the salvation of souls and its companion affection of spiritual truth. Even as the Word itself was in and from the beginning, so down through the ages some form of the church has always been in existence. And the quality of every church-its rise and its fall-has closely paralleled the rise and fall of integrity among its priests. It will ever be so. If the New Church is to fulfill its Divinely intended mission, then its priesthood must faithfully, sincerely, and justly perform the sacred duties of its representative office.
     The priesthood itself, it should be remembered, is not the church. The church is the right understanding of the Word by individual men together with a life according to that understanding. The Lord from within, through the soul immediately, and the heavens mediately, touches man's heart, adjoining to him the love and light necessary to see truth. But doctrines of truth must enter from without through teachings, readings, and preachings so that a knowledge and a basis for a right understanding of the Word may be established in the mind. The priesthood, remember, is not the church, but is the first of the church because it represents the Lord's presence with men, leading and guiding by means of doctrine out of the Word. Teaching and preaching from doctrine, leading thereby to the good of life, and governing the ecclesiastical affairs of the church from principles drawn from doctrine-these are the responsibilities of the priesthood which cause its use to be termed "first of the church."
     In reality, it is the Lord's use. All use is the Lord's for all uses originate in God-Man in whom they are distinctly one.

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But uses proceed from the Lord to men, constantly endeavoring to return through men to the Lord and, in the process of proceeding and returning, uplift and conjoin men to God.
     The miracle of Divine giving is the resulting appearance, on man's part, that what he receives is his own. Truth affects him with the knowledge of use. Good affects him with the love to cooperate with use, and in cooperating identify himself with the use.
     It is the Lord, then, who provides for the uses of His church. Though in appearance the conscientious and prudent judgments of men conduct the affairs of the church and its priesthood, wherever there is genuine acknowledgment of the Lord in His Word, the Lord alone will be recognized as the One who leads and guides in all human affairs. What is essential and a matter of true, human freedom is the willingness, yea, determination to be led by the Lord. In no area of human endeavor is this principle more vital than in the priesthood.
     Consider! If the priesthood fails to teach with conviction the Divine authority of the threefold Word, will not the church flounder in its search for absolutes? If the priesthood softens the teachings given in the Writings concerning the sole Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, will not the church lose the visible presence of the Lord's Divine Humanity? How can the church maintain a genuine, distinctive life of religion if the priesthood willfully or carelessly compromises the clear and so-called "hard teachings" of the Word? Is it not instinctive for all men, priests and laymen alike, to resist complete governance of their minds by Divine Revelation, turning instead to the prudent, more palatable expediencies implicit in modern-day philosophies of pleasant living? How vital, then, becomes the integrity of the priest to uphold, unchanged, the principles of Divine Revelation-to be strong with himself and with others?
     If the priesthood waivers in its conviction concerning the necessity of ecclesiastical government, the need of external rituals of worship drawn from the letter of the Word, of the distinct uses of a threefold priesthood, of the Divine authority of the entire work on conjugial love as a guide to marriage in the church, of the universality of Divine Providence and the reality of the spiritual world-commensurate with such weakness on the part of the priesthood will be the successive and inevitable deterioration of the church-a progressive loss of the Divine of the Lord which, through a faithful ministry, the Lord wills to preserve with men. Such is the importance of the organized church and its priesthood.
     Ormond loved the work of the ministry! In a personal life fraught with frustrations, deprivations and prolonged states of sadness and loneliness, he found comfort and satisfaction in laboring diligently for the establishment of the church and the integrity of its priesthood.

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Ordained into the first degree of the priesthood in 1940, and into the second degree two years later, he ministered to the Wyoming Circle in Ohio, also serving as assistant to the Visiting Pastor in the Midwestern area. In 1941 he became Assistant to the Pastor in Pittsburgh, in 1944 Visiting Pastor to the southern states and the Chicago District, in 1947 Assistant Pastor of the Immanuel Church in Glenview, and in 1957 an instructor in religion and history at the Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn. It was in this latter capacity, as a teacher of religion and history in the Academy schools for the last twenty-three years of his life, from which he derived his greatest and deepest enjoyment.
     Adolescent boys, on the threshold of New Church manhood responded enthusiastically to OdeO's direct and dramatic teaching of absolutes from the Word, displaying spontaneous acceptance of those principles as well as demonstrating a touching affection for their teacher. Approachable by all those who themselves had been in disorder, Ormond was able to help troubled individuals and couples, leading them to abide in the Word that the truth might be known and free them from the bonds of disorder. Having known first-hand the reality of bondage to excess, even to the point of having to withdraw from the work he loved, because of a weakness in himself which he loathed, he battled that self, and with the Lord's help, conquered.
     Having endured real despair he fought back for the life of use, gaining the admiration and support of his colleagues as well as the opportunity to affect profoundly and for good, generations of young men and women who would benefit from his teaching skill and unwavering conviction.
     A man's use can be measured by the good effect he has upon his fellow beings. From experience Ormond knew and openly declared what it is to battle with the conceit of self-intelligence, a questioning and negative temperament. And he taught from strength of character gained through humility and struggle and, especially, through untiring study and reflection upon the Word of the Lord as it is given in its three fold form. His students learned to hear the truth clearly, face situations in their lives with honesty and directness, and value the eternal ideas and ideals which the Writings offer to those who will seek and form His kingdom on earth.
     As a professor of theology, he challenged students of the ministry to strive for clarity and purity of doctrine. Teaching the truth and leading to the good of life by means of that teaching was the central theme of his exhortations to students. Truth is not only the form of good but must qualify any genuine good in the life of the church with man.

163

Furthermore, a man's use (and every man is created to perform a use) depends upon the degree to which he will allow the Lord to regenerate him-that is, to the degree that he will seek the truth and fashion in his mind vessels receptive of good from the Lord. Ormond was impatient with diplomacy, overaccommodation and experiential leading by means of love alone. Quotations used out of context or half-accurate in conveyance were to him anathema.
     We will miss Ormond in the important work of New Church education. We will miss his inspired and effective teaching of the young men of the church-his refreshing approach in providing a capsulated view of the general doctrines for newcomers to higher New Church education-his thorough and clear-sighted sharing of theology and church history with future ministers of the church-and (for his colleagues) his honest and uncomplicated understanding of doctrine, devoid of intellectual pretense or embellishments of self-intelligence.
     Friends and family alike will miss his sometimes gruff countenance and ill-disguised warmth. Congregations will miss his vivid expositions of afterlife places, and dramatic, attention-demanding quotes from the Spiritual Diary. And fellow-members of Alcoholics Anonymous will not soon forget the unselfish and faithful assistance he rendered to so many, so wholeheartedly, at such personally inconvenient times of day and night. We in the New Church are accustomed to thinking in terms of a man's love as being his very life. When a man's love is threatened by burdens of sensual disorder, too great to be borne alone, the assistance, support and affection of one who truly understands and cares enough to give assistance, literally saves a human life. How many sad and threatened lives Ormond helped to turn from the brink of no return to the salvation of the Lord will never be known.
     But a grateful church may now reflect on one more living example of the Lord's all-wise and merciful Providence, namely, that a man who has gone down for the count and fought back to a stature of strength, holding his head and his office high, can become a compassionate and effective teacher of truth, leading our young people-our impressionable young people-to seek and cherish the ideals of order and its use.
     A church that is swift and uncompromising in its judgment of disorder, sincerely cognizant of genuine repentance and amendment of life, and compassionate in its forgiveness and acceptance, will truly become the abode of the Lord's kingdom on earth, wherein all individuals may abide in the Word, know the truth, and by that truth, the truth of good, be made free from the bondage of evil.
     It was this kind of church for which Ormond labored as a good and faithful servant in the office of the priesthood, and into the interior uses of which he will now enter.

164

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for He has visited and redeemed His people. Lord now let thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel. And He showed me a pure river of water of life proceeding out of the throne of God and of the lamb . . . and behold I come quickly and My reward is with Me to give to every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have power in the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city." "Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight." Amen.

LESSONS: Psalm 144; AC 9452; HH 420; SD 2420; HH 395, 396; CL 29.
APPOINTMENT 1980

APPOINTMENT 1980

In response to a request by the Boston Church of the New Jerusalem, Bishop King has appointed the Rev. Harold C. Cranch to serve as interim Pastor for that Society for the church year beginning September 1, 1980 and concluding June 30, 1981. The Massachusetts Circle of the General Church will join with the Boston Church in receiving ministrations from the Rev. Harold Cranch.

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PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 1980

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Editor 1980

166

EDITORIAL NOTES 1980

EDITORIAL NOTES Editor 1980

     As readers of New Church Life know by now, the Acting Editor, the Rev. Ormond Odhner, departed from this world toward the end of February. And since this made necessary some adjustments, perhaps some explanation is due our readers so that they may understand sympathetically any errors or oversights which may have occurred. It seems apparent now that Mr. Odhner had been feeling badly for some time before he first entered the hospital at the New Year.
     He called the former Editor, the Rev. Morley D. Rich, to ask him to take over temporarily, neither one of them thinking that it was a matter of more than a week or two. Accordingly, Ormond turned over to the undersigned the copy he had for the February issue which, together with two last-minute additions and an editorial, you have perused by now. The January issue was already prepared except for the proofing. March is now finalized, and this is your April number. By Assembly time a more permanent arrangement may be possible and announced. Meanwhile, you may be assured that "Life will go on!"

     REV. MORLEY D. RICH
     Acting Editor pro tem

In this Issue . . . .

     The sermon, True Conscience and Mental Health, by the Rev. Geoffrey Childs, was delivered on the Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend when the Mental Health Symposium was held in Bryn Athyn. We thought it not only appropriate, but also expressive of the spirit of the meetings.
     We would also call your attention to the second of the series by the Rev. Dandridge Pendleton on The Doctrine of Permissions.
     For a change of pace, we have included an intriguing article by Professor E. F. Allen Common Cause.
     A new thing is a Talk to Young People by the Rev. Donald Rose entitled Memories that Hurt.
     Finally, you may appreciate the photograph of the Rev. Ormond Odhner and his resurrection address by Bishop Louis B. King.
     Following these notes will be found some stimulating letters, the first of which consists of a fictional and amusing set of letters between John H. Davidson and several others. This was handed to me by Mr. Odhner while he was in hospital, and I would heartily repeat his invitation at the end of his Editorial Comment.

     MDR

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"MY WIFE THINKS THERE'S MEN ON THE MOON" 1980

"MY WIFE THINKS THERE'S MEN ON THE MOON" JOHNAVIDSON 1980

Dear Abby:

     My wife thinks there's men on the moon. Real men, with arms, legs, and souls too, as they allegedly go to heaven when they die. This belief is based on an obscure teaching in the doctrine of the small religion in which she was raised. She's a wonderful girl. She has the heart of an angel and the dedication of a saint, due in no small part to her upbringing in that same religion. I love her very much, but I don't understand why she persists in this belief which is at complete odds with scientific fact. What can I do about this?
     Yours truly,
     FAR OUT

Dear Far,

     Why is it so important that your wife's religion be consistent with scientific fact? If you think mainstream Christianity could pass the same test, then you haven't looked lately at the first chapter of Genesis. Besides, the notion that there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is completely consistent with modern science. You should consider it progressive, not backward, that your wife's church considers such beings as worthy of heaven. After all, many churches-including President Carter's-don't even believe that all the beings right here on earth are fit for heaven. My advice to you is to count your blessings and admit that, as the Lord moves in strange ways, the teachings of your wife's religion may be truer than you think: for she sounds from your description as if she herself is truly out of this world.

     Sincerely,
     ABBY

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California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California 91125
September 12, 1979

Dr. Carl Sagan, Editor
Icarus
Ithaca, New York

Sir:

     My wife thinks there's men on the moon. This supposed fact is contained in an obscure part of the doctrine of the church in which she was raised. I've gotten homilies from Abby and nonsense from Playboy. Since you are deeply involved in the U.S. space program and are a respected professional astronomer, I thought you might be able to help. Could you at least recommend a good reference on exobiology?

     Sincerely,
     JOHN MICHAEL DAVIDSON
     Senior Research Fellow in Physics

Dear Dr. Davidson:

     I regret that we are unable to publish your letter to the editor at this time. The number of submissions we receive is far greater than space permits us to print, and many fine letters must be returned unpublished. Therefore this reply should in no way be construed as a criticism of your work. We thank you for your interest in Icarus and hope that you can find a more suitable journal in which to place your article.

Sincerely,
CARL SAGAN, Editor

P.S. (handwritten)

     Really, old boy, be careful with the frontier-stuff. We've already foisted more on the public than they can take, what with quarks, quasars, pulsars, black holes and more. Why don't you try doing research in some safer (from a PR point of view) area? Perhaps you could measure spins and parities in some nondescript nucleus.

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     Department of Extra Lunar Affairs Office of the Secretary

His Excellency, Ibrius IV
Director-General, Supreme Lunar Council
Sea of Tranquility

Your Excellency:

     The attached articles have been culled from various of the Earthlings publications. I'm sure you will be as alarmed as I was to learn that, in spite of our extensive efforts at concealment during the so-called Apollo program, certain members of the earth's population have somehow become aware of our existence. I am writing to request an emergency meeting of the Supreme Lunar Council at which I will propose that we send agents to earth (incognito, of course) to infiltrate this cult which has apparently sprung up in the wake of our exposure.
     Please reply at once.
          For Luna!

Ed Note: Dr. Davidson married Greta Doering, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Doering now of Mitchellville, Md. They have three children, Rebekah, Amanda, and George. They now live in California.
     John's first reaction to the Writings was quite affirmative. Then he came across The Earths in the Universe, and that just about proved an impossible stumbling block. He was baptized into the New Church just recently. NCL, Feb., 1980.
     John's surface character is funny and humorous; underneath he is quite serious, so read these "letters" seriously. They reveal a lot.

     EDITORIAL COMMENT

     The Earths in the Universe raises quite a problem for those of us who accept the Writings as Divine revelation through (by means of) Swedenborg rather than to Swedenborg. I have no real explanation for the many questions raised by today's "scientific" evidence, though I have heard many explanations that are much too facile, too fragile.

170

However, my faith in the Divine authority of the Writings is absolute. Divine revelation is not given to us as scientific facts. The "scientific knowledges" that exist in the Word come from the minds of the men used as revelators: "Jehovah punishes the evil," "The sun rises," "Ivory comes from camels." . . . There are millions of years ahead of us in which to discover the answers. So let's wait.
Readers' comments are desired. OdeO
HISTORICAL VIEWPOINT 1980

HISTORICAL VIEWPOINT MARGARET WORCESTER BRIGGS 1980

Dear Editor:

     While visiting my son at Christmas, I read your comments in your N.C. Life November issue, on Dr. Kirven's article comparing the General Church and Convention. I have not the issue in front of me, so write from memory.
     I, too, was startled at his mention of Boston's initiative in starting the meetings of Convention-and for the same reasons as you, as well as knowing that Thomas Worcester attended Convention and wanted to be ordained-was refused for seven years, I think, because of his "heresy."
     There are two things that you say that make me want to comment: one, that you as well as other historians make quite a thing about that heresy. And, two, that you feel that Convention has been largely dominated by Boston, and I'm not sure but what you imply that that heresy lasts, or lasted, on.
     Thomas Worcester was not yet an ordained minister when the idea of close and lasting relationship between minister and his society struck him-and the likeness to conjugial relationship due to reciprocal uses. Nor was he ordained until the leaders of Convention were convinced that Thomas realized the idea was not sound, nor had he himself ever dwelt on it. It apparently struck people with a shock and so made quite an impression. Ministers in Maine were also stressing the importance of loyalty-one, minister for one society. It is said that Thomas would not speak from any other pulpit than his own: but that happened many times. The idea did not linger long with Thomas, and, needless to say, was non-existent after him. Thomas thought of the idea in 1819, became Boston pastor 1821, ordained 1828.

171

     Is it the fact that three Worcesters were, at different times, President of Convention that leads you to feel that Convention was, and is, dominated by Boston? Thomas represented Boston proper, John, from Newtonville, Greater Boston, and William, President of the Theological School in Cambridge at the time of his Convention presidency. But I have thought that his twenty five years as assistant minister and minister of the Philadelphia Church were very healthy years in doing away with controversy between New England and Philadelphia-Baltimore. Aside from the Worcesters, there have been Convention presidents from many parts of the country-Philadelphia twice and Washington three of them, Kitchener (a Philadelphia native). And the General Council is deliberately chosen from different Associations, and used to meet regularly in Philadelphia.
     I am not trying to defend a point of view-but being interested in the history of the New Church, wondered where yours came from-the idea that Boston has dominated Convention. Of course, the "heresy" was made a lot of. It is from Mr. Sampson Reed's biography of Thomas that I learned of Thomas's distress in trying to shake it, and of course hearsay in the family. Pp. 48 if Thomas had to write an article in N. J. Magazine (Fan. vol. 19) as late as 1846 because the "heresy" discussion had been revived.
     These are now unimportant matters, the important one being that the General Church and Convention learn to appreciate what the other has to contribute to the New Church as a whole. If we could only grow closer in affection and appreciation! And in the realization that no one on earth can see the whole truth, but that we need to use to the full what we can see. We are some of us unhappy about some of Convention's experiments in implementing (or trying to implement) revelation into world situations but still feel it important to try, hoping that we can be open to the leading of Providence.

Intervale, N.H.

     Sincerely yours,
     MARGARET WORCESTER BRIGGS
     (Wm. Worcester's daughter)

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GOOD NEWS BIBLE 1980

GOOD NEWS BIBLE KURT AND KATHY SIMONS 1980

To the Editor:

     We have been following the discussion on translation of the Word in the Life with interest, from the perspective of parents with little children. In introducing them to the letter of the Word, the need for clarity and readibility pointed out by the Rev. Mark Carlson* is great-at least if, as he also notes, the parent doesn't want to spend his whole time in effect translating complex English rather than just reading the Word! However, as far as child-pertinent readibility is concerned, there seems to us little to choose between the KJV and RSV. Both use far too arcane, archaic-in a word, adult-language for any kind of direct access by early elementary or younger children. (Furthermore, being truthful, we personally find that even as adults we really enjoy KJV/RSV language only in relatively small doses! Keeping up with its narrative thread over novel-length stretches seems to take a more regenerate state than our own!)
     * M. R. Carison, "Reflections on Translation," New Church Life, May 1979, p. 205.
     Dr. Durban Odhner has made a, to us, convincing case for the use of "common and natural"* language in translations, "genuine language"** that people in our day and culture actually use. He points out that,

     . . . the Lord spoke genuine language to fishermen, shepherds, the multitudes, and even the learned; and intends to speak it to us, and for us to speak it to Him, as well as to each other.***
     * J. D. Odhner, "On the Language of Revelation," New Church Home, Nov. 1979, p. 44.
     ** J. D. Odhner, "Toward Genuine Language," New Church Life, June 1979, p. 252.
     *** Ibid., p. 254.
     Our reason for mentioning all this is that we recently had introduced to us (by a minister) a translation of the Word that seems a pretty fair approximation to a "genuine language" version. It's the Good News Bible,* based on the 1966 "Today's English" American Bible Society translation (not to be confused with the Living Bible paraphrase). Using, in the words of its foreword, a "standard, everyday, natural form of English," the Good News is, for one raised on the KJV, so easy to read as to be startling. It presumably has the technical flaws of all translations lacking awareness of the internal sense. But the translation "experts" whose opinion we were most concerned about were unanimous in their verdict: The first time we read from the Good News, our children (aged 3, 5,7, and 9 years) all literally cheered-though the three year old may have just gone along for the ride!

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The enthusiasm has continued. Our 9-year-old easily reads most of the text on her own-something, needless to say, she was unable to do with the KJV. And the 5-year-old follows the story when read to with only a fraction of the "pause and explain" needed for the KJV.
     * Nashville: Thomas Nelson (1976).
     The Good News has a number of other nice features for children (not to mention Mommy and Daddy), some used elsewhere, some not: it uses sense rather than verse paragraphs, quotation marks around speech, and sets prophetic/poetic sections like Jacob's last words (Gen. 49), the Psalms and the Magnificat in a poetry-like text format. Particularly ingenious, we thought, is the Good News' compression of some rather tedious passages into briefer, more comprehensible form. For instance, the census and ordering of the tribes of Israel in Numbers 1 and 2 are given in the form of numeric tables. The genealogy of the Lord given in Matthew 1 is neatly abbreviated into sets of names following non-literal but intelligibility-adding summary statements such as: "From David to the time when the people of Israel were taken into exile in Babylon, the following ancestors are listed: David, Solomon (his mother was the woman who had been Uriah's wife), Rehoboam. . . . "*
     * Matt. 1: 6b-11.
     The Good News is available in large type and with the words of Christ set in red type. Of use to the older student (and grownup) is a full set of footnotes and annotations covering such matters as alternative translations, historical notes, and reference to other passages pertinent to a given passage (e.g. Christ's "You have heard that it was said" teachings are footnoted with citations of the Old Testament passages where these things were stated). Last but far from least in a church as far-flung as our own; there are two English versions of the Good News, one in accord with American English usage and one in accord with British usage.
     Particularly remarkable about the Good News translation is that, despite its clarity and simplicity, its eloquence seemed (to us) frequently on a par with the KJV. Consider the Good News 23rd Psalm:

     The Lord is my shepherd;
     I have everything I need.
     He lets me rest in fields of green grass
     and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water.
     He gives me new strength.
     He guides me in the right paths,
     as he has promised.
     Even If I go through the deepest darkness,
     I will not be afraid, LORD,
     for you are with me.
     Your shepherd's rod and staff protect me.

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     You prepare a banquet for me,
     where all my enemies can see me;
     you welcome me as an honored guest
     and fill my cup to the brim.
     I know that your goodness and love will be
          with me all my life;
     and your house will be my
     home as long as I live.

The Magnificat, Simeon's prayer and the Lord's Prayer receive similar treatment-and, again, these versions will be meaningful to your children as well as to you!
     There are, predictably, flaws in the Good News translation. We looked up a number of the passages detailed in various recent articles in the Life and New Church Home as mistakes to beware of (typically in the RSV). Some of these errors were perpetrated in the Good News, such as in the various phrases referring to bowels (e.g. Luke 1: 78, Gen. 25: 4) and the addition of Cain's statement, "Let's go out in the fields" (Gen. 4: 8).* On the other hand, the Good News is accurate in other places, such as including "firstborn" in "she brought forth her firstborn son" (Matt. 1: 25)** and implying rather than stating that Uzzah laid his hand on the ark ("Uzzah reached out and took hold") (2 Sam. 6: 6)*** Overall, the Good News would seem dependable since it was based on the Masoretic Hebrew text that is apparently the choice for New Church translation.****
     * S. D. Cole, "The Revised Standard Version," New Church Life, Nov. 1978, pp. 514 ff.; J. D. Odhner, New Church Home, op. cit., p. 45.
     ** R. S. Junge, "What text of the Word do we translate?" New Church Life, Nov. 1979, p. 482.
     *** Cole, op. cit., p. 513.
     **** Junge, op. cit.
     In summary, as parents we feel strongly drawn to a translation that our children can hear or read and understand "in the original" with a minimum of our mediation. We certainly wish there were a New Church review of the Good News and a listing of at least its more egregious errors. But even without corrections it seems to us an excellent version for introducing the overall narrative sweep of the sense of the letter to children. In later years their understanding can be infilled with the detailed precision of better, more "grown up" translations, perhaps, but at least there will be something there in the way of basic knowledges of the Word to infill! We have been discovering in uncomfortable detail how limited our own knowledge is in this respect-not that having the Good News available when we were children would necessarily have altered that situation!

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But in view of all the roadblocks there are to young people reading the Word in the first place, from heredity to contemporary social norms, making the Word-in the letter or Writings-as assimilable as possible when you do read it seems a useful goal.
In a wider sense, it also seems worth noting that the New Church is doctrinally heir to a key theme of the Reformation-the desire to take the Word out of the control of councils of men and make it directly available to everyone in their own (genuine) language. In the teachings of the Second Coming especially, language is the means by which there may appear a "visible God." Since doctrine,* Academy experience and simple arithmetic make it clear that most of the growth of the New Church will be among the less educated "gentiles" who comprise the majority of the world's population, the need for simple language forms to truly make the Lord "visible" to them seems equally clear. And "universally" understandable translations are, after all, heavenly!
* Cf. K. Simons, "Evangelization: Making Wise the Simple?" New Church Life, July 1976, p. 276.

KURT AND KATHY SIMONS
Delmar, N.Y.
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

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Church News 1980

Church News Various 1980

     ATLANTA AND DENVER

     You may wonder why these two Circles are put together in one piece of Church News, being some 2,000 miles apart. There are three reasons for this: (1) they are both Circles of the General Church; (2) this account is being written by a former pastor of theirs (at different times, of course) ; and (3) most importantly, they have both taken a big forward step recently, having acquired their own churches.

Atlanta Circle: Resident Pastor, The Rev. Thomas L. Kline.

     From recent issues of The Southern Newsletter, we quote:
     For two years, our circle in Atlanta has been looking into the possibilities for a permanent place of worship. In November, just before our committee went to Bryn Athyn to meet with the Finance Committee, we found a Methodist Church in northeast Atlanta for sale. On Dec. 6th, our contract on this church was accepted. The building is a beautiful brick church in downtown Chamblee, about 12 years old . . . about a mile south of 1-285. It has a sizable sanctuary with pews and wood panelling, nursery rooms, plenty of office and book- room space, and an educational wing for our school. It should serve our uses for years to come.
     It's official-we now own it! On Jan. 30th, we went through the final closing. . . . As owners, we will now lease the building back to its present congregation for the next four to six months, and then take full possession. I (Rev. Kline) will have an office there . . . beginning next week. If anyone has still not seen the interior and would like to do so, please let me know-or just drop by when I am at the office.

Denver Circle-Rev. Erik Sandstrom,
Visiting Pastor.

     And the Circle in and around Denver last September acquired a church property. Situated in a suburb of northwest Denver, it was formerly an evangelical community church. And it was purchased at a very modest cost from a Trust established many years ago for the Denver society by Miss Hilda Hager of that city, and held in trust by the General Church.
     The Property consists of a pleasing white clapboard chapel capable of seating about 75, and looking much like one of those little country churches one sees occasionally. In addition, there is an "annex" building, somewhat smaller, in a rear corner of the property, suitable for Sunday-school, meetings, doctrinal classes, socials and suppers.
     Currently, the Circle is using it, and planning for a dedication in March of this year.
     As one former member remarked, "It's eminently practical" considering the size of the group and fact that they are so widely separated-some by as much as 90 miles. To quote from Mr. Sandstrom a remarks in their local newsletter: "Church buildings-Church organizations too, such as the General Church of the New Jerusalem-are nothing but tools, but a building is a useful tool and an organization a necessary one. The (real) thing itself is the Lord's new kingdom in the world, His New Church, the New Jerusalem that 'comes down from God out of heaven.'
     Let us set our minds on using our new tool for the growth of the New Church within us and its spread among others."
     MORLEY D. RICH

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     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA
     If a Society of the Church on earth may be viewed as one man, there are grounds for believing that the Hurstville Society represents a healthy person, with good prospects for continued well-being. Activity is one sign of health and there has been plenty of that in the past year. it is great to see all the young married couples and all the little children. Seven children were born in 1979, and our pastor might be justified in adding to his visiting card, "Baptisms a Speciality." These children are both a delight and a challenge, something emphasized by the Pastor in his Annual Report. Statistics show a moderate increase in attendance at Sunday services, of both adults and children, since the introduction of a Children's Talk into every service. The lowest Sunday attendance was on Mother's Day!
     On the negative side, we have to report that there seemed little benefit from the missionary effort of distributing leaflets in the district. Some success is met with in following up contacts made by the Rev. Douglas Taylor. With missionary intent also, a radio play was written by Norman Heldon, and after being presented at a Progressive Dinner held by the Society and at an Open Sons Meeting, was hopefully submitted to the Australian Broadcasting Commission, which has already broadcast two programmes about Swedenborg. Those Progressive Dinners are always enjoyed, and usually a New Church theme is selected for the evening, providing food for the mind, the natural food always being delicious.
     There is some fraternising with the Sydney Society (Conference). Ministers have been exchanged for Doctrinal classes, and a doctrinal and social evening at the Sydney Society was attended by some Hurstville members. Young people from both Societies meet sometimes for instruction and recreation together. The New Church Convocation, to be held in Australia in 1981, may have as a by-product closer relations between the two groups of the Church. The Pastor and one of our oldest members, Mrs. Mora Fletcher have been giving some assistance to Mr. Ivan Robinson of Conference who is writing a history of the New Church in Australia, the book to be published in time for the Convocation.
     An opportunity for all to work together is the stall at Roselands Shopping Centre on a day in October. Offered to us again in 1979, it was a very successful day, netting over $500. Money isn't everything, but it helps.
     The 19th June Banquet was memorable because of a good programme and a happy sphere. Slides were shown depicting some of the remarkable imagery of the Book of Revelations, the Pastor giving a commentary, adding to that which was provided with the slides. It would be interesting to know why a sphere is more delightful on one occasion than another.
     The Sunday School Picnic was held in the Church grounds again. After church on a Sunday in November, adults and children stayed for an outdoor lunch. Later the children acted out incidents from stories of the Word; which they did very well.
     Apart from the little children, who came to stay, there were quite a number of visitors in 1979, who added something in their unique ways to the life of the Society. Some keep coming back, the inescapable conclusion being that they like us. The climate is good admittedly. Four visitors were here when the year began, and also when it ended; Don and Endrede Gladish and their daughter Marci, from Cincinnati, and Miss Elizabeth Bartle from New Zealand. From New Zealand also there have come Mrs. Marie Bartle, Miss Ray Tuckey and Mrs. Doris Flood. From South Africa there were Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Anderson, visiting Ray and Mary Smuts. Mary's mother, Mrs. Eleanor Lumsden and her daughter Jane arrived just before Christmas. Bryn Athyn personalities, Mrs. Kay Lockhart and Miss Joyce Cooper paid another visit and also from Bryn Athyn was Peter Taylor, who was once "one of the family." Mr. Douglas Brock spent a couple of happy weeks here also.

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With visitors to swell the volume singing was a very enjoyable feature of the Christmas celebration; and it included two lovely solos from Miss Marci Gladish. The attendance at the Christmas service was over seventy, including children. Something unusual was the presentation of Christmas tableaux by children with adult assistance. They were simply arranged but very effective.
To end the year on an encouraging note, we can say that Brian and Kaye Heldon have decided to move back to Sidney with seven of their children. Also, little Kristen Heldon, daughter of Murray and Lori, was determined to get into the 1979 statistics, (the year of the child), arriving on 29th December.

NORMAN HELDEON
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1980

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1980

     Announcements
     The Annual Joint Meeting of the Faculty and Corporation of the Academy will be held at 7:45 p.m., on Friday, May 16th, 1980 in the Assembly Hall, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     The program for the evening will consist of administrative reports from the Chancellor, the President, and the heads of the four schools.
     All friends of the Academy are cordially invited to attend.
TWENTY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1980

TWENTY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1980

     GUELPH UNIVERSITY, ONTARIO, CANADA, JUNE 11-15, 1980

     Prior Events

Wednesday, June 11
     2:00 p.m.     Registration (Lennox-Addington Hall)
     8:00-10:30 p.m.     Social-Band Music (Addington Lounge)

     Assembly Events

Thursday, June 12
     9:30 a.m.     First Session: (War Memorial) Subject: "Rebirth"
               Speaker: Rev. G. Childs
     10:45 a.m.     Discussion Groups (Arts Bldg.)
     2:00-3:00 p.m.     Second Session: 8 Small Sessions (Arts Bldg. first floor)
     4:00-5:00 p.m.     Concert (War Memorial)
     4:00-5:00 p.m.     Sunday School Teachers Forum (Arts Bldg.)
     5:00-6:30 p.m.     Social Hour (War Memorial, lower level)
     8:00 p.m.     Third Session: (War Memorial), Speaker: Rev. K. Asplundh
     9:15 p.m.     Discussion groups (Arts Bldg.)
     9:30 p.m.     Young People's Social (Addington Lounge)
     10:30 p.m.     Vesper Service (War Memorial)

Friday, June 13

     9:30 a.m.     Fourth Session: (War Memorial) Business Session
     10:35-12:00 N     Academy of the New Church Panel. Moderator: Rev. Alfred
Acton
     2:00 p.m.     Joint Theta Alpha-Sons Meeting (War Memorial). Theta Alpha Tea follows
     4:00-5:30 p.m.     Joint Council of Ministers and Board of General Church (Arts Bldg.)
     4:00-5:00 p.m.     Concert (War Memorial)
     5:00-6:30 p.m.     Social Hour
     8:00 p.m.      Fifth Session: (War Memorial), Episcopal Address: Bishop King
     9:15 p.m.     Discussion Groups (Arts Bldg.)
     9:30 p.m.     Young Peoples' Social (Addington Lounge)
     9:30 p.m.     Psalm/Hymn Sing (War Memorial)
     10:30 p.m.     Vesper Service (War Memorial)

Saturday, June 14
     9:30 a.m.     Sixth Session: Young People Led Session (War Memorial),
               Moderator:     Rev. Peter Buss
     10:15 a.m.     Discussion groups (Arts Bldgs.)
     1:45-2:45 p.m.     Choir rehearsal (War Memorial)
     3:00-4:30 p.m.     Seventh Session: Repeat: Selected Small Sessions
     3:00-4:00 p.m.     Mental Health Symposium (War Memorial)
     4:00-5:30 p.m.     Seminars (Arts)
     3:00-4:30 p.m.     General Church Music Committee (Arts Bldg.)
     4:00-5:00 p.m.     New Church Theatre Group Dance (War Memorial)
     5:30-6:45 p.m.     Social Hour (Creelman)
     7:00 p.m.     Banquet (Field House), Toastmaster: Rev. C. Smith
               Young Peoples Social after banquet (Addington Lounge)

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Sunday, June 15
     6:30 a.m.     Sunrise Service-Please bring Liturgies
     10:00 a.m.     Worship Service (War Memorial)-Please bring Liturgies
     11:00 a.m.     Holy Supper Service (War Memorial)

Evening Services in Caryndale and Toronto
COMMITTEE FOR REVISION OF THE WORD 1980

COMMITTEE FOR REVISION OF THE WORD LOUIS B. KING 1980

     For a number of years, now, there has been growing dissatisfaction with some of the inaccuracies and difficult readings of the King James Version of the Word, which has been the standard translation used in the General Church. In response to a call from the Council of the Clergy, I therefore appointed an ad hoc committee in April, 1979, under my chairmanship, to determine what steps, if any, should be taken in providing copies of the Word for the Church in the future.
     After an extensive exchange of ideas, this committee in remarkable harmony recommended that a permanent committee be formed to undertake a revision of the King James Version, beginning with the more serious inaccuracies and difficulties, and making such changes as can be agreed on by the whole committee. As envisioned, these changes would then be introduced into future editions of the Word published by the Church whenever reprinting becomes necessary.
     Accordingly, in November, 1979, I appointed such a permanent committee for Revision of the Word, under the chairmanship of the Rev. N. Bruce Rogers, who also serves on the committee ex officio as Head of the General Church Translation Committee. Other members include the Rev. Lorentz Soneson, ex officio, as Chairman of the General Church Publication Committee, and the Rev. Messrs. Alfred Acton, Stephen D. Cole, B. David Holm, Martin Pryke, Frederick L. Schnarr, and Mr. Prescott A. Rogers.
     I believe that the appointment of this committee is an important and timely step, and we look forward to the benefits that the church may receive from its labors.
     LOUIS B. KING
     Bishop

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ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS CALENDAR FOR SCHOOL YEAR 1980

     1980-1981

     ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTH SCHOOL YEAR

1980

Sept.     2     Tues.     Dormitory students arrive (Secondary School students before
                7:30 p.m.)
               Registration: Secondary School local students
     3     Wed.     Faculty Meetings
               Registration: Secondary School dormitory students
                    All Theological School & College students
     4     Thurs.     Fall Term begins in all schools following Opening
                    Exercises
               1:00 p.m. All student workers report to respective
                    supervisors or to Benade Hall Auditorium (see notice
                    in dormitories and schools for assignments and
                    locations)
     6     Sat.     Evening: College Program. Secondary School Program.
Oct.     17     Fri.     Charter Day
               11:00 am. Charter Day Service (Cathedral)
               9:00 p.m. President's Reception (Field House)
     18     Sat.     2:30 p.m. Annual Meeting of ANC Corporation (Pitcairn Hall)
               7:00 p.m. Charter Day Banquet (Field House)
Nov.     21     Fri.     Theological School/College Fall Term ends & Thanksgiving
               Recess begins after exams and scheduled student work *
     26     Wed.     Secondary School Fall Term ends & Thanksgiving Recess begins
               after exams and scheduled student work *
     30     Sun.     Dormitory students return (Secondary Schools by 8:00 p.m.)
Dec.     1     Mon.     Winter Term begins in all schools
     19     Fri.     Christmas Recess begins for all schools after completion of
               regularly scheduled classes and scheduled student work *

1981

Jan.     4     Sun.     Dormitory students return (Secondary Schools by 8:00 p.m.)
     5     Mon.     Classes resume in all schools
Feb.     13     Fri.     1981-1982     Preliminary Secondary School Applications due
     16     Mon.     President's Birthday Observance
Mar.     6     Fri.     Secondary Schools Winter Term ends. Spring Recess begins
               for all schools after scheduled exams and student work *
     15     Sun.     Dormitory students return (Secondary Schools by 8:00 p.m.)
     16     Mon.     Spring Term begins in all schools
Apr.     17     Fri.     Good Friday Holiday
May     15     Fri.     Joint Meeting of Faculty & Corporation 7:45 p.m.
               (Assembly Hall)
     16     Sat.     Semi-Annual Meeting of Academy Corporation (Pitcairn Hall)
     25     Mon.     Memorial Day Holiday
June     4     Thurs. Theological School/College Spring Term Ends
     5     Fri.     President's Reception 8:30 p.m. (Field House)
     6     Sat.     Commencement 9:30 a.m. (Field House)

183

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1980

ADMISSIONS

1. The Academy of the New Church is a religious institution dedicated to the establishment of the New Church by means of religious and secular instruction based upon principles drawn from the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.
     Since we believe that the most fruitful field of endeavor is with children of New Church parents, all students who have been baptized into the faith of the New Church are eligible for consideration. The reason for this is that we accept baptism as a sign of faith on the part of the parents, and therefore of their willingness to cooperate with the Academy in the instruction that is given in the Academy Schools.
     We fully recognize, however, that there are others who, because of special circumstances of background and interest, are also deserving of consideration. In such cases the following requirements apply:

     a. The parents or guardians must give satisfactory reasons why they wish to have their child enrolled in the Academy. If the applicant is eighteen years of age he may speak for himself.
     b. The applicant must be recommended by a minister of the General Church of the New Jerusalem.
     c. The applicant must be approved by the President of the Academy.

     The reason for these requirements is not to exclude anyone who seriously desires a New Church education, but to preserve the unique uses of the Academy and to protect the applicant from any misapprehension concerning the purposes of the institution.
     These requirements are in no way intended to be racially discriminatory, and the Academy will not discriminate against applicants and students on the basis of race.

184

ANNUAL COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY MEETINGS 1980

     Caryndale, Canada
     June 8-11, 1980

Sunday, June 8th
     11:00 a.m.     Worship Service (Carmel Church)
     2:00-3:00 p.m.     Traveling Ministers Committee
     3:00-5:00 p.m.     First Session (Meeting room of the Church)
     6:00 p.m.     Society Picnic

Monday, June 9th
     9:00-11:00 a.m.     Second Session (Church Hall)
     12:00 noon     Lunch served
     2:00-4:00 p.m.     Third Session (Church Hall)
     4:00-5:00 p.m.     Pastor's Meeting
     6:00 p.m.     Supper served (Church Hall)
     8:00 p.m.     Fourth Session (Church Hall)

Tuesday, June 10th
     9:00-11:00 a.m.     Fifth Session (Church Hall)
     12:00 noon     Lunch served
     2:00-4:00 p.m.     Sixth Session (Church Hall)
     4:00-5:00 p.m.     Headmasters Meeting
     8:00 p.m.     Seventh Session (Church Hall)

Wednesday, June 11th
     9:00-11.00 am. Eighth (Final) Session (Church Hall)
     11:00-12:00 p.m. Publication Committee

185

THY KINGDOM COME 1980

THY KINGDOM COME Rev. LOUIS B. KING 1980

VOL. C
No. 5
NEW CHURCH LIFE

MAY, 1980
     The Lord God Jesus Christ reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ages and ages. TCR 791

     What is the kingdom of the Lord; and where? The Lord's kingdom is a kingdom of uses; potential and actual. It exists, therefore, both inside man and outside him. Within man the Lord's kingdom is a state of Divine law and order-a state in which his understanding adheres to the law of revealed, Divine truth, and in which his will is ordered by the influx of Divine good.
     When the Divine good and truth are inscribed on man's will and understanding, the Lord's kingdom exists within him-within his mind as a kingdom of potential uses. For all uses, which come forth only from the Lord, exist outside of man. They are never a part of the man himself. He is but the human instrumentality through which the Lord produces ultimate forms of use. Thus when man's love of something good flows through his understanding of what is true, a useful word or deed results. This result is an ultimate form of use which the Lord produces through man. Since all use in its beginning and in its end belongs to the Lord alone, all ultimate forms or expression of it constitute the Lord's kingdom outside of man.
     It should be noted that the production of natural forms of use may or may not require the instrumentality of man. Thus, for example, a tree is a natural form of use created by the Lord without man's help: whereas a house constructed from the wood of the tree is a natural form of use which requires the aid of men. Spiritual forms of use, however, which are not measurable in terms of time and space, cannot possibly come into existence except through the medium of the human mind.

186

     An example of an ultimate, spiritual form of use can be seen in the effect of one good man upon another. The effect itself is finite, limited3 unique from the effects of other men; and yet it is not measurable in any material sense of the word. Nevertheless it is real, substantial, individual, everlasting. It is an ultimate form, corresponding exactly with the state of his love and understanding. And it is just as visible and objective to spiritual sight as are material objects to natural sight.
     So it is that the kingdom of God within man is the presence of law and order from the Word. But the kingdom of God outside of man is the Lord's kingdom of uses, spiritual and natural. What then do we ask when we petition our Heavenly Father, "Thy Kingdom Come"?
     Certainly we do not refer to His kingdom of uses; His creation of the spiritual and natural worlds, His revelation of Divine truth, His judgment upon the hells, or His established church on earth. These uses of His outward kingdom have already been accomplished. In this regard His kingdom has come, and exists in its fullness before the very eyes of our spirit. And since the Lord's second advent, in the Writings of the New Church, the intricacies of His kingdom on earth and in heaven are clearly visible to the interior sight of our rational thought.
     Consequently our request that His 'kingdom come' is confined to the progressive coming of His good and truth into the human will and understanding, so that our every thought and affection may be guided, yea, directed by Divine law and order. There can be no individual, spiritual progress without a foundation of law and order. If we would avoid the eventual fear and confusion of self-intelligence, the frustrations of conceit, the emptiness of falsity, the anxiety of self-confidence, the hateful weariness of impatience, the pain and misery of uncontrolled passion-if we would avoid these inevitable states of unhappiness, we must acknowledge that law and order are to be first in the kingdom of the mind, just as they are first in the kingdom of heaven.
     Yet law and order come only to him in whom truth is king-in whom revealed principles of life rule-in whom there is a knowledge of himself and his relationship to others, to the Lord, and to the two worlds in which he dwells. There is much we must know concerning the Lord's kingdom.
     Strictly speaking, a kingdom is a domain or realm over which one man, called a king, exercises absolute and continuous rule. In fact a king becomes the very symbol of his kingdom, its power and glory, its law and order, its efforts and achievements. In the greatest sense, the Lord's kingdom includes all things which He created and sustains. To ask that this kingdom come, should also imply a request, on our behalf, to learn more about the wonders of His creation and proceeding.
     First and most important to know, is something regarding the Lord Himself, for He is Use Itself.

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All uses, we are told begin in the Lord; and by means of His love and wisdom proceed to the minds of men, where they exist as potential, good works. However, they do not become ultimate uses until they pass through man and are expressed by him in outward finite forms. Now the Lord cannot be seen by the natural eyes, for He is Spirit. But man has spiritual eyes with which to behold his Creator. With the interior eyes of the rational mind, we may see the Lord as to His Essence-as to His Divine love and wisdom. With the eyes of the natural mind we may behold His person, composed of an infinity of virtues and qualities which we term human.
     We see that the whole purpose of the Lord, that is, of His Divine love and wisdom, is to create beings outside of Himself-men who may receive of His life and use it, to all appearances, as their very own; and by the use of this Divine gift, fashion an individual character or spiritual kingdom to house their conscious existence, that they may dwell in freedom and delight to eternity. And because man has complete freedom in forming his character, it may become either a kingdom of heaven or of hell. It is for this reason that the truth is made known to man concerning the delights of heaven, and the frustrations of hell; and it is for this reason also that the Lord instructs us to seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, that it may come to us.
      It is also important for us to understand what part the natural world plays in the establishment of the Lord's kingdom in the individual's mind.
     In this regard the Writings explain that without a fixed, material world,
wherein man might appear to be of one quality while inwardly he is of another,-without this twofold existence no one would be free to be reformed and regenerated by the Lord.
     Without a fixed material world, there could be no finite beings outside of the Lord's person; for there would be no material basis for their individuality. It follows then, that the existence of the spiritual world depends upon the existence of a natural world, for spirits and angels are men who must have a material basis for their individual life.
     This brings us to a consideration of a third aspect of the Lord's kingdom of uses, the spiritual world. First of all, we should realize that there was no objective spiritual world prior to the creation of man. This is because the spiritual world is a world of the human mind. It contains just as many substantial areas of spiritual existence as there are states of human thought and affection. The experiences which we encounter in that eternal world after death are more various and far more real than are the experiences which we sensate in this natural life. This is because the thoughts and affections of the mind are not limited by the confines of time and space as are the productions and experiences of this world.

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     There is no need for us to labor over the question of the reality of the spiritual world. We know that it exists. We have been instructed concerning the cause of appearances there. We have even experienced these causes or thoughts and affections in moments of reflection and meditation. We have also been given to experience what it is like to participate in the activity of a real world where there is no time and space. The world of dreams affords this opportunity. But more important than these considerations, is the confirmation of reason. For reason tells us that because things are not really what they appear to be, nevertheless, they do not cease to be real. Science, for example, demonstrates to us that the objects of this material world, which appear to us fixed and motionless, are in reality composed of highly complex organizations of energy. Yet this knowledge does not destroy our appreciation or belief in the things we actually see with our natural eyes. The fact that we suddenly acquire a knowledge of the dynamic nature of matter, does not in any way change the manner in which we sensate the objects of this natural world.
     Why, then, should it disturb us to be told that the spiritual world, which appears to spirits and angels to be a real world, very similar to the one in which we now dwell,-that this spiritual world does not occupy time and space? Why should it disturb us to be told that appearances there are projections of thoughts and affections existing in the minds of angels and spirits? After all, the objects of this natural world are only appearances, produced by particles of matter. To the angels, the beauties of heaven are far more real and lasting than are the beauties of this world to men. In both instances the objects of sight appear to be similar. The only real difference is to be found in the cause of the appearances. In heaven they are caused by states of the human mind, which are eternal. On earth appearances are caused by forms of material substance, which disintegrate with the passage of time.
     The Lord's kingdom outside of man is indeed a vast and endless study. Yet a knowledge of its reality, its purpose, and its operation ought to be increasingly acquired by the men of the New Church, that in all respects the Lord's kingdom might come.
     But the kingdom of God comes not with observation nor mere prayer. Man must seek it. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all things shall be added unto you." To seek the Lord's kingdom is to compel one's self against all influx from hell which would oppose the acquisition of spiritual truth and the establishment of spiritual conscience. To seek the Lord's kingdom is to enter actively into the uses of the church, the church being the sum total of the kingdom of uses on earth. To seek the Lord's kingdom is to study diligently His Word of revealed truth, to meditate upon the truths of the church, to reflect upon motives of bygone states, to participate in classes of doctrinal instruction and in services of Divine worship.

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Only thus do we genuinely seek the Lord's kingdom; and only in the spirit of such effort will it come to us.
     As our knowledge of the Writings increases we learn much concerning the Lord's kingdom. We learn that it is completely alien to man's state prior to his regeneration. For by heredity and afterwards by confirmation, man's kingdom is that of self and the world. And is it not of common experience to become thoroughly enamoured of the seductive ways of our material environment? And when conscience and reason stand in the way of some immediate, natural pleasure, is not the love of self unscrupulously astute in its effort to justify this indulgence, while at the same time resolving an abundance of good intentions for the future?
     It is a constant and painful effort to order not only the knowledges of the understanding, but the delights and desires of our will as well. Yet how can we honestly ask the Lord to send His kingdom into our minds if we consistently regard other interests and duties more important than the study of His Word, or regular participation in the active uses of His church? And we are warned not to seek His kingdom for the sake of any merit or recompense, but solely for the sake of justice, that is, from a sincere desire to be instructed and led in all things by His holy Word.
     In this let us take heart. The Lord loves us! He created us to be happy forever in His kingdom of usefulness in the heavens. From the moment of our birth His love leads us, and His Word guides us, building His kingdom of love to the Lord and to the neighbor inside us. Remember! There is a greater power for good than for evil governing our lives every moment, bringing the greatest possible good out of our words and deeds (whether selfless or self-centered), restoring equilibrium after each choice, and storing up for our eternal happiness every speck of innocence, good and truth with which we will allow Him to affect us in our lives.
     The Lord loves us! He longs for us to be in His kingdom, and His kingdom in us. Endless opportunities to accomplish this He lays before us. For have we not the exciting opportunity to worship Him as a visible God in the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, now revealed as the Spirit of Truth to the rational minds of men, and the exciting challenge to incorporate these Heavenly Doctrines in our marriages, in the education of our children, in our human relationships which comprise society living, in the exercise of our work-a-day responsibilities, in our civil duties and political interests, and in our pleasant moments of recreation and leisure?
     As the Lord's kingdom of order is established within us, we will recognize its origin in Him and in His Word, its perfect existence in the heavens above, its lesser perfection in the church specific on earth, and its remote but real existence in all those varieties of individuals throughout the whole world, bound together by a love of goodness, who comprise the Lord's universal kingdom or church universal.

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     In the center of all this opportunity for use stands each one of us, the eye of Divine love focused upon us, longing for that positive response which will establish His kingdom in us through our love of Him. "He that doeth My commandments, he it is that loveth Me."
     It may be that we will choose to labor against His great and omnipotent love to save us, insisting upon the kingdom of hell as our eternal inheritance. It we insist upon this He will permit it. But the bright and joyful challenge which He offers to each of us is to allow Him to lead and guide us through a life of usefulness and its delight, seeking first His kingdom in the heavens and its justice. "Our Father who art in the heavens,.
Thy kingdom come!" Amen.

     LESSONS:     Dan. 2: 31-35, 44, 45; John 18: 33-40; 19: 1-11; AE 726(2); TCR 791.
Title Unspecified 1980

Title Unspecified 1980

(I.) The Lord possesses infinite power.-This is evident from the fact that He is the God of heaven and the God of earth; that He has created the universe, so full of stars-which are suns-that they cannot be numbered, and in it so many systems, and earths in these systems, which systems and the earths in them exceed in number many hundreds of thousands; and that He alone continually preserves and sustains the same, because He created them. Moreover, He has created not only natural worlds, but also spiritual worlds above them, and these He perpetually fills with angels and spirits to the number of myriads of myriads, and under them He has placed the hells, which are also as many in number as the heavens. And He alone gives life to everything, both collectively and individually, both in the worlds of nature and in the worlds above nature; and because He alone gives life, no angel, spirit, or man, has the power to move hand or foot, except from Him. The nature of the Lord's infinite power is especially evident from this, that all those who come from such a multitude of earths into the spiritual worlds, numbering from our earth alone several myriads every week, and consequently as many myriads from many thousands of earths in the universe, He alone receives, and by a thousand secret ways of Divine Wisdom leads every one to the place of his life, the faithful to their places in the heavens, and the unfaithful to their places in the hells. Apocalypse Explained 726: 2.

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DIVINE INSPIRATION OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG 1980

DIVINE INSPIRATION OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG Rev. ORMOND DEC ODHNER 1980

     (This is the first of two parts of an article which Mr. Odhner had intended for the May and June issues. Ed.)

     PART I: Biblical Inspiration

     1. THE PROBLEM

     Our body of the New Church, the General Church of the New Jerusalem, has long held that the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg are actually the Word of God. (This, however, is not quite as new an idea as you might think: By as early as 1799, quite a large number of English Newchurchmen apparently held the Writings to be on a plane equal to anything written by Moses or Isaiah, by Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, and at least one had called them "the very Word of the Lord.") However, in order that the Writings may really be the Word, two things must be true of them. First, they must contain nothing but a series of truths continuous from the Lord alone. Second, their very word-order must be Divinely chosen.
     A great deal that is in the Writings makes it look as though neither of these things could be true of them. And yet, if any of their truths is from man, spirit, or angel, then, to that same extent, they are not a completely Divine revelation; they are not the Word of God. And if their word-order was of Swedenborg's own choosing, then, though Divine Truths may be contained interiorly within the Writings, the Writings themselves are not Divine truths in ultimate form. At best, they are what some of our fellow New Church men say that they are-works written by a man who had his spiritual eyes opened, and who then did his best to explain what he had heard and seen; unfortunately, however, under this view, he was quite capable of making mistakes.
     Now, angels, spirits, and occasionally even devils, told Swedenborg much of what he wrote. He often seems to quote them, word for word. Are these things in the Writings, then, from the Lord alone? Furthermore, Swedenborg frequently complained of the difficulty of putting a spiritual revelation into natural words. (Once, in his manuscripts, we find a place where he wavered seven different times between the choice of two prepositions.) Would the Lord have experienced such difficulty? Was the word- order of the Writings, then, Divinely chosen?

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     2. OLD TESTAMENT INSPIRATION

     Before answering these questions, however, it seems good to sketch briefly the nature of the inspiration of the Old and New Testaments.
     Perhaps the most general statement concerning inspiration, since it applies to the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Writings alike, is the following: "Inspiration effects insertion into angelic societies."* The mortal authors of the Word, that is, were Divinely inspired by being inserted into angelic societies.
     * TCR 140.
     Old Testament writers, however, apparently were rarely aware of this. Some of them knew that they had experienced visions-Moses, Amos, Ezekiel; occasionally they even had some slight understanding of the spiritual import of their visions, as, for example, Amos: When he saw, in vision, the Lord measuring the wall of Jerusalem and finding it crooked, he knew that this represented Divine judgment upon the spiritual "crookedness" of the Jewish Church and he said so in a very cleverly planned speech. But for the most part, when Old Testament characters or authors saw visions, they thought that the angels then seen had become incarnate:
Abraham, for example, thought he feasted his angelic visitors on mortal food.
     It is said that they were inserted into angelic societies, but it would appear that they actually were in the world of spirits at the time,* and that angels there spoke to them the things they were to write.** In every case, the angels thus speaking acted as the so-called "Angel of Jehovah." You see, the inmost of every man is the Lord's own possession,*** and acting through this, on occasion, the Lord quieted all of an angel's personality that was really his own, and spoke to the prophet in human words. Such was the "Angel of Jehovah." Hence the Writings say both that angels spoke with the prophets; and that, as we read, "The prophets . . . when they wrote the Word . . . heard from Jehovah Himself the words which they wrote."**** The former is according to the appearance; the latter is the reality.
     * AC 1887.
     ** AC 1925.
     *** AC 1745.
     **** AR 945.
     Now, whenever spirits speak with man, they speak in spiritual language, the language of ideas. This then draws forth from the man's memory suitable words for its mortal clothing. This would be true even with us, should we hear spirits speaking. (Hence the very different styles of writing in the Word.) And in order that these words, for the sake of Scripture, might be Divinely chosen and therefore correspondential, these same angels of Jehovah apparently actually possessed the very bodies of the prophets (as could happen before the Advent), and guided their hands as they wrote.

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"The spirits," we read, "occupied their bodies, so that scarcely anything was left (of their own) except a consciousness that they were still in existence."* Hence it is said that the inspiration of the Old Testament extends even to the curves of the letters of the Hebrew words.**
     * AC 6212.
     ** AC 1736.
     Perhaps this is also the reason why it is said that the prophets sometimes wrote in trance, not even knowing what they wrote until afterwards-a state Swedenborg was once permitted to be in, merely that he might know how the case was.* The more we study the prophets, however, the more are we convinced that the majority of them were fully conscious of what they were doing when they spoke and wrote, at least a majority of the time. Amos certainly planned his tirade against the false worship of Samaria very carefully. Jeremiah, when he heard that the king had burned the scroll on which Jeremiah had written a phillipic against the king, had his scribe or stenographer make out a second copy.
     * WE 7006
     So much, then, for Old Testament inspiration. This part of the Word was, we read, "dictated by the Lord by a living voice."* The Lord, who possesses the inmost of every angel, in order that Divine Truth might be embodied in human words; spoke thus to a mortal man and drew forth from that man s memory suitable words to clothe these truths correspondentially; and through these same angels of Jehovah He also guided the man's hands so that he could not write otherwise than as Jehovah dictated.
     * AR 26.

     3. NEW TESTAMENT INSPIRATION

      The Biblical New Testament contains three distinct types of revelation: that of the Four Gospels; that of the Apocalypse; and that of the Epistles-Paul's., for example.

a. The Four Gospels

     Quite obviously, the Four Gospels were written from the memories of those who wrote them; and yet, to be the Word of God, they, too, must contain nothing but truths continuous from the Lord alone, and they, too, must be written in a Divinely chosen word-order.
     Scripture itself indicates how this first requirement was met. The Lord while on earth promised, "The Holy Spirit . . . shall . . . bring all things to your remembrance." That this was fulfilled, we read as follows: "The apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit . . . and the words which they were speaking were given to them."*

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Again, "The Lord filled them all with His Holy Spirit, but each took thence according to. . . his perception, and followed it up according to his power."**
     * SE 1509.
     ** TCR 154.
     This inspiration must have been through angelic societies, since all inspiration effects insertion into angelic societies,-angels Divinely chosen to recall certain things only to the Evangelists' minds. (After all, there were many other things which the Lord did and said which, as John notes, "are not recorded in this book.") But the Gospel writers surely were not aware of this spirit-association; else they would have mentioned it. Probably, therefore, the angels infilled their internal man with certain perceptions and memories of the truth, and this, as it were spontaneously, drew forth from their external memories suitable correspondential words.
     Nor were they bodily possessed by spirits. That phenomenon had ended with the Glorification. But being good men, sincerely bent on telling the true story of the Lord's life as they remembered it, they freely chose to write the words thus inspired, although without realizing that they were inspired. As we shall see, this was the mode of Divine inspiration usually enjoyed by Swedenborg.

b. The Apocalypse

     When John saw his apocalyptic visions, he was witnessing, in the world of spirits, a representation in the world of spirits of a revelation then being given to the celestial angels concerning the already foreseen end of the Christian Church. He knew he saw and heard spirits, and yet he apparently thought they spoke to him in natural language. Unlike Swedenborg, he seems never to have understood the spiritual meaning of his visions, but wrote them down as a faithful scribe. Evidently, his internal communication with spirits drew forth from his natural mind, when he returned to consciousness therein, suitable words to clothe the things revealed. Note well that with John also this was as it were a spontaneous process.

c. The Epistles

     Paul, too, was inspired. The Lord did appear to him. He was "caught up into the third heaven," as he says, and there he saw and heard "things ineffable." Perhaps you remember that he had been a bitter persecutor of the Christians, and that his conversion to Christianity was utterly miraculous, never affecting his heart at all. Immediately after his conversion, instead of seeking out the disciples to learn of the Lord, he spent three years in Arabia in solitude.

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Perhaps it was there that he figured out his own peculiar brand of Christianity, both from what he had heard from the disciples themselves (for which he hitherto had persecuted them), and especially from his now certain conviction that the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah had been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. (He was clever enough to have been able to do that.)
     Be that as it may, he was inspired. But when he returned to his earth- life state, he was left to himself to speak and write as he willed. Hence, though the Writings call his epistles "good books for the church," they nevertheless teach that they are not the Word of God, for they do not contain the internal sense. Much in them is from Paul himself1 and their word-order was of his own choosing.
     (This, by the way, is what many Christian thinkers today say of all the Word: its general spiritual truths were revealed to its writers-the fact of a creation by God, for example-but that each writer was then left to himself to express those truths as best he could.)

     (To be continued)

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DOCTRINE OF PERMISSION III 1980

DOCTRINE OF PERMISSION III Rev. DANDRIDGE PENDLETON 1980

     With the doctrinal teachings of the previous two parts as a foundation, we are ready to consider the wide spiritual field which lies between the Divine good in its highest state of reception by men and the permission of evil on the other extreme.

     The things which are from the Lord are either nearer to, or more remote from, him; and they are said to be "from His will," "from good pleasure," "from leave," and "from permission." The things which are from will are most nearly from Him; those which are from good pleasure are somewhat more remotely from Him; those which are from leave are still more remotely; and those which are from permission are most remotely from Him. These are the degrees of the influx and reception of the Divine. But each degree contains innumerable things which are distinct from those which are in any other degree; and these innumerable things are arcana of heaven, a few only of which fall into the human understanding. For instance, to take only those things which take place from permission, which, although they are in the last place, nevertheless on account of the numberless arcana therein cause a man to fall into confusion when he looks at them from the happenings of things in Nature, and from appearances, and still more when from the fallacies of the senses. Yet the arcana of permission are comparatively few as compared with those of the higher degrees, which are the things that take place from leave, good pleasure, and from will.*
     * AC 9940.

     We have here a descending series composed of four main degrees of reception and influx with men. This same four-fold series is also given in AC 2447, while in AC 1755 the series is apparently expanded to include five degrees.
     "All order is from Jehovah, that is, from the Lord, and according to this order are all things directed by Him both in general and in particular, but in many different ways, to wit, from Will, from Good-pleasure, from Leave, and from Permission."*
     * AC 2447.
     The Lord foresees and sees all things in both general and particular, and provides and disposes therefor; but some things from permission, some from sufference (admission), some from leave, some from good pleasure, some from will."*
     * AC 1755.
     In each of these numbers, the Divine will always stands first or highest, with permission constituting the final, or lowest, degree of reception and influx.

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     An interesting question here arises:
     That which extends proximately-i.e., most nearly-from the Lord into creation is of His Divine will. Was everything lower than the Divine will in creation an accommodation to human reception, and thus a necessity occasioned by man himself, due to a gradually but steadily diminished capacity on his part to respond to the Divine will? Were there any lesser degrees of that highest good-that is, of the reception and influx of that good-before the actual advent of evil as such and its opposition to the Divine will? And would lesser degrees of good then for the first time have come into existence, as the result of an upbuilding from a prior state of evil? In reference-though not necessarily in direct answer-to this, note what is said:

     When he (the angel) had said this, I was glad at heart that it was granted me to speak with angels of such innocence as to be entirely ignorant of what whoredom is. I therefore opened my mouth and taught them, saying: "Do you not know of the existence of good and evil? and that good is from creation, but not evil? Yet evil, regarded in itself, is not nothing although it is the nullity of good. Good is from creation, both good in its greatest degree and good in its least; and when this least becomes nothing, then from the other side arises evil. There is therefore no relation between them, nor any progression of good to evil, but only a relation and progression of good to greater and less good, and of evil to greater and less evil, the two being opposites at each and every point. And since good and evil are opposites, there is an intermediate between them wherein is an equilibrium in which evil acts against good; but because it does not prevail, it stops in the endeavour. Every man is brought up in this equilibrium. Being between good and evil or, what is the same thing, between heaven and hell, it is a spiritual equilibrium, and for those who are in it, it brings freedom. The Lord draws all men away from this equilibrium to Himself; and the man who from freedom follows Him, He leads from evil into good and so to heaven."*
     * CL 444:3.

     This statement has been interpreted by some of our priests and laymen as defining the process whereby evil first came into existence with men; yet the more I read it over, the more I find myself questioning whether this particular number is definitive of a process. What is said is that good, in its greatest and least degrees, is from creation; and that when this least "becomes nothing, then from the other side evil arises." Nothing is said about men's having followed this gradually descending scale before evil actually came to exist with them, although this has been widely assumed as being implied, if not directly stated. However, I question the assumption.
     The teaching seems clear-and generally agreed upon-that every degree, or level, of good has its opposite evil, either in actuality or in potential.

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Consider then: Actual evil (which prior to this had existed as a potential) came into existence with the fall of the Most Ancient Church; and mention is made of the horribly perverted race which the men of that original fall became as a result-a race of physical giants, corresponding in ultimates to their enormous spiritual self-magnification. These men are in the deepest of the hells, and their influence is so malignant that they must be kept under confinement, lest they take away all power of interior thought from men in both worlds. Subsequent study has led me to question what I have come to call the "cliff-drop" concept in this regard-a concept which I had held largely as a result of a lack of specific and concentrated study on the subject: namely, that the Most Ancient Church- standing at the very height of its celestial state and prowess,-when it fell from its perceptive height, plunged headlong all the way down into the Stygian depths of the deepest hellish perversion. A number of passages would seem to leave this impression. But I have more recently read other numbers which have given a somewhat different impression: namely, that the fall of the Most Ancient Church may not have been as devastatingly and completely precipitous as I had formerly thought: that perhaps the fall of that Church came about gradually, step-by-step as it were, through a lowering series of lesser and lesser goods, until finally the men of that church entered into the least of good, from which their next step was into the first of evil. However, at this point, I cannot speak with "certainty" on either of these sides of the question, as I see two series of teachings bearing on the subject, each of which would appear to "contradict" the other. The necessity of wider study-and (hopefully) enlightenment-is indicated.
What can cause a higher state of reception to be lowered with men, except something in them which stands opposed, thus exerting a downward "pull" upon the higher state? What is it, in other words, that causes the various degrees of influx from the Lord into the human mind to be more "nearly" or "remotely" from Him? Is it a condition inherent in creation itself, as CL 444 would seem to say? Or does the cause have its root in a condition imposed by man himself-by his original and subsequent choices of evil? If the latter is the case, then does the statement of CL 444 as to "lesser" good being "from creation" have reference to the Lord's foresight from the beginning as to the future condition of spiritual life with men? In other words, could the existence of good in both greater and lesser degree "from creation" be referring to the creation in man of all possible degrees of the reception of good from the beginning? Indeed, we may ask, do the Writings ever speak of good in any of its degrees apart from the human mind-indeed, apart from human choice-except when the good referred to is the very Divine Good Itself?

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     If the actual existence of lesser degrees of good did come about as a result of man's choice of evil as it were "weighing down" the Divine Will in its effect upon human life, then do these lesser degrees have existence in themselves-that is, in their own right-or are they a resulting combination of the two extremes-the Divine Will on the one hand and the permission of evil on the other-in varying proportions? Is there any in-between except as a combination of extremes in greater or lesser proportions-before those extremes, standing in opposition to each other, actually exist? In a word, could there have been any lesser good with man before evil had come into actual existence?
     These may seem abstract and highly impractical questions. To me, they are eminently practical; and I believe that study "in depth" of these questions would yield a rich harvest, not only in terms of doctrinal progression, but also in terms of down-to-earth answers to many of the problems concerning the doctrine of regeneration which continue to puzzle thinking New Church men and women.
     The Writings draw a further distinction in the area of lesser good-a distinction which would seem to differentiate between the things that are from the Lord's will and good pleasure on the one side and the things that are from His leave and permission on the other.

     The things that are from His will and good pleasure are from the laws of order as to good, and so also are many of those which are from leave, and some of those which are from permission. But when a man separates himself from good, he casts himself into the rule of the laws of order that are of truth separated from good, which are such that they condemn. . . . The things done from permission are mostly of this nature, as for example, that one devil punishes and torments another; and innumerable other things of this kind. These things are from the laws of order as to truth separated from good; for the devils could not otherwise be held in bonds, and withheld from rushing upon all the well-disposed and good, and eternally destroying them. It is the prevention of this which is the good the Lord has in view. (Italics added)*
     * AC 2447.

     The Writings refer in several places .to a distinction between judgment from good and judgment from truth. A regenerate man is judged from good, because this is his own essential quality and response, and he is thus uplifted from the condemnation of his own proprial evils; while an unregenerate man, because he rejects good, must be left to judgment from truth-the truth concerning his own evil nature, which, apart from the mercy that comes from good, cannot but condemn him to hell. AC 2447 is the only number in which I have found these two different forms of spiritual judgment directly related to the four-fold series of will, good pleasure, leave, and permission. If permission always has to do with states of evil, and never with states of good, or even lesser good, what then can be meant by the statement that "some" of the things which are from permission are "from the laws of order as to good?"

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     In order to understand this, I believe that we must reflect upon the teaching that it is not a man's external acts, but his ruling intentions, which cause his spiritual state to be judged as either good or evil. When the Writings refer to a thing as being "from the laws of order as to good," I believe they are referring to that thing as it exists in man-in his innermost motive at the time; and therefore, the "laws of order as to good" would refer to the reception of the Divine by man, in his desire to do what is right. Most of the things that are of permission with us are not of this nature; that is, most of our evils do not have their seat in a desire to do what is right. Only those evils (thus "some" of them) which we indulge from an actual desire and intent to do good-thus in the innocence of ignorance-can be said to be permissions that are from the laws of order as to good.
     The reason why "many" things that are from leave are said to be from the laws of order as to good would follow logically. For the things that are from leave are the least, or first, things of good with a man; and since enlightenment is given according to the state, or quality, of the good that a man has, his spiritual advance out of the area of things merely permitted, and into the first states of actual good., would bring with it a "minimal" enlightenment as to what is actually good. This enlightenment would, in turn, reveal many unsuspected disorders of inner thought and motive within himself; which disorder, upon being recognized and rejected, and their place taken by new thoughts and motives of good, would cause a proportion of his life's actions to become ordered under a conscious acknowledgment of and desire for that good. This would become still more the case upon his arrival, by further progression, at the level of reception called "good pleasure;" and it would become most perfectly the case when he had regenerated to the point where he was capable of receiving influx on that degree of reception which corresponds to the Divine "will."
     The distinction drawn between the things of permission that are from the laws of order as to good and as to truth may be covered in AC 1755, where (as stated earlier) the series is apparently expanded to include things that are of "sufferance," or "admission." The term "sufferance," or "admission," may here designate specifically those things of permission which are from the laws of order as to good; while the term "permission," as used in this series, may apply to the things of permission which are from the laws of order as to truth.
     Both the regenerating and the non-regenerating man are led by the Lord.

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The non-regenerating man-as long as his state is governed by an active love of evil-can only be led by the things of permission from the laws of order as to truth-which things he utilizes to deepen and compound his disordered delights. The regenerating man must also be led by things of permission, particularly in the beginning; but because his regenerating state enables the Lord to lead him gradually away from the hells, the things of permission by which he is led to see, acknowledge, and shun his own evils are said to be directed from the laws of order as to good; this for the reason that the man's own motives look toward good, and can therefore be led to good. And as his states of spiritual life deepen and broaden, and the ties which had linked him with the societies of hell drop away one by one, it becomes possible for the Lord to lead him less and less by permission and sufferance, and increasingly from those higher degrees of reception that are of His leave, then of His good pleasure, and finally of His Divine will.
     In the New Church we have grown accustomed to a phrase which, carried to an unqualified conclusion and application, could lead to a fallacious concept and application. The phrase referred to is one wherein we designate natural occurrences, or events, as being either of the Lord's will, or of His permission-as if there were no intermediate degrees of human response and reception. To so limit human response to either the highest or the lowest degree of influx is to place ourselves and others under a cruel and impossible burden. No man can respond to the conditions and requirements of the Divine Will until the highest stages of regeneration have been attained. To leave him in the meantime immersed solely in those disorders of evil and falsity that constitute the things of permission is to deny him any possible spiritual achievement; for he is thereby deprived of the necessary intermediate "rungs" whereby he may mount upward on that spiritual ladder the foot of which is set upon the "earth" of his corporeal-sensual life, its top being in the celestial heaven. Only by this latter realization can we strike the necessary balance between an awareness, on the one hand, that we are not capable at a given point in time and state of attaining the highest good, and an acknowledgment, on the other hand, that neither is our life a total and unrelieved mass of disorder.
     There are lesser states of good, elsewhere referred to as states of evil and falsity with which good and truth can be mingled,* also called "mediate" goods and truths-those states which are of the Divine leave and good pleasure-which can be ours to command,-states which, while they are "more remote" from the Lord than are the things that accord with His Divine will, are sufficiently containant of good as to constitute a plane into which the Lord can operate through something of genuine correspondence with us.
     * AC 3993.

202

Who of us will not journey through many states of life-many affections, thoughts and activities-some consciously and deliberately, but many others unrealized and unintended-which are not of the Lord's will, and yet not merely of His permission either: lower than the desires of His Divine will, yet higher than the things of His permission, those affirmative states which accord with His leave and good pleasure, and which constitute the essential area of our progression away from what is of evil and toward what is of good? We must be on our guard, in our own efforts toward regeneration, and especially in educating our children, that we do not allow an emphasis only on the two extremes of this series to place us, and them, in the impossible position of striving toward the highest good available to man, and at the same time virtually removing this good from any possibility of human attainment, by the thought-implicit if not actually expressed-that anything less than this highest good is failure. The Writings simply do not present such a picture to me. To quote a recent sermon on the subject: "for us to do so in our teaching of others would be as irrational as it would be to set up a ladder with only the highest and lowest rungs intact, then say, 'Climb it!'"
We must observe a balance in this regard, however; for the human proprium, whether young or old, is all too glad to take cover in the spurious doctrine of mercy apart from means-the "fiery flying serpent" against which the New Church is specifically warned at the close of the work titled The Divine Providence: to suppose, with contented relief, that it does not matter if our states are disorderly, because somehow, miraculously (miraculous faith!) the Lord will turn (never said!) all the evil and falsity of our disorders to good, that He will do so, if we will allow Him to--that our life's response is one of unalloyed good on the one hand and that it consists of a total and unrelieved mass of disorder on the other. The only proper sense in which I believe the term "good" can be applied to permission, has reference to the end, or outcome, to which all permissions of evil can indeed be turned by the Lord; yet this turning by Him can only be in exact proportion to the degree of our cooperation-which, in turn, is measured precisely by the extent to which we are willing to make interior examination of our thought (wherein alone we can observe the quality of the delights which motivate us), to acknowledge honestly the disorders of those delights as they are revealed in our thoughts, and as a direct result, to undertake the arduous work of repentance and reformation.

203

     Many questions-many challenges-of application are bound to enter into our lives as individuals in this regard-and, therefore, into the life of the Church as an organization. We are too quick to pronounce various external occurrences of human life as "permissions"-things which the Writings themselves may not designate, nor even mention as such. To label a specific human activity, or an event apart from any human source, a "permission" without clear definition as such from the Writings themselves, is too often to relegate the person, or persons adversely affected by that activity or event to the lowest level of salvable life-an aspect or form of spiritual judgment which may well obscure, if not falsify, any genuine insight that one might otherwise have in relation to others, and-most important of all-in relation to ourselves.
     It might be useful here to observe that the Writings do not use the term "permission" to describe ultimate, physical or mental activities, or occurrences. That is to say, it is technically incorrect to designate a natural event or happening as being in itself a permission. It is a thing "of permission," or a thing "permitted." In other words, the use of the term "permission"-and, occasionally, "permissions"-in the Writings always denotes a governing action: a governing act of the Lord's Divine Love and Wisdom, which is His Providence, into and through the natural forms and substances of creation, especially as those forms and substances are molded as receptive vessels in human minds and bodies. The difference in emphasis here can have considerable and unrealized effects upon our thought on the subject and our response to it. Permissions (if we choose to use the term in the plural) should be thought of as permittings; they are not things that can be listed, like so many head of cattle, so many parts of the body, etc. Permission is, and therefore permissions (or permittings) are, so many' varying aspects of the Divine operation into the lives of men- operations which, as we have seen, are infinitely flexible in their adaptability to every possible human state of life, individually, collectively, and to all eternity. But the conditions of our allowance can only be proportionate to the quality of our reaction, whether for or against these disorders, as one of "serious repentance" or self-justification.
     All of this does not mean that we are to refrain from setting before the Church that Perfect Vision of the Divine Good that is the Lord Himself- a Perfect Good, we are told, that no man, nor angel, can ever attain to, and therefore should not be attempting to do. It does mean that in our self examination and in our teaching of others we must remember that this Perfect Vision is the Lord, and that it is from His Divine Perfection that we can be perfected, to eternity. We are called upon as a Church, thus as individual men and women within the Church, to keep before us as a matter of practical, vital, and balanced outlook the teaching given in CL 71:

204

"Neither with men nor with angels can any love ever become pure. But since it is the intention which is of the will that is primarily regarded by the Lord, therefore so jar as a man is in this intention, and perseveres therein, so jar he is initiated into the purity and holiness of this love, and successively progress therein."
LAUREL CAMPS 1980 1980

LAUREL CAMPS 1980 1980

FAMILY LAUREL-July 19-26 with a program of worship, instruction and recreation for all ages looking to the acknowledgment of the Lord in our life.
ADULT LAUREL-August 24-31.
Both camps will be held at Laurel Hill State Park, PA.
For further information write to Mr. John Rose, 6901 Yorkshire Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15208.
MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM 1980

MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM 1980

A special program on subjects related to the Mental Health field will be offered on Saturday, June 14th at the General Assembly in Guelph. There will be an introduction at 3 p.m. and a variety of workshops from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. People may enroll for one of these workshops as they register at the Assembly.
The Journal of the Mental Health Symposium held in Bryn Athyn, Nov. 23-25,1979 is now available at the Book Center at $2.50 per copy. The 80 page Journal contains the text of all addresses, and summaries of the workshops and discussions.

205

"HOW DID YOU DIE?" 1980

"HOW DID YOU DIE?" Rev. ERIK E. SANDSTROM 1980

     This perhaps is a question one can be asked only in the world of spirits, replacing the more usual earthly greeting, "How do you do?"
     In a humourous poem I once memorized, the last lines read:

     "It isn't the fact that you're dead that counts,
     But, 'How did you die, and why?'"

     Dying is a one-time experience, for which there is usually little time to prepare. Perhaps this is one underlying exasperation which contributes to the fear of dying: we feel that we will leave our problems with others for them to solve, or that we will reveal our weakness on the death-bed.
     In the New Church, most of these fears can be laid to rest in good time before the transition to the spiritual world comes about. In fact, people who are able to jest about their own imminent departure-e.g., "I wonder what I am still doing here? "-are examples of how the fear of death is no longer really active.
     The "tradition of dying" in the New Church tells quite a bit about the people whose lives are being commemorated. Death is always sad, yes, but every New Churchman tries to see the point, either before or after the loss of a dear one-that it is a moment of joy also. Only in the loss of young lives, such as children and youths, is there a genuine grief which has to run its orderly course. It cannot and should not be stifled. Overwhelming grief, even over the loss of elderly loved ones, is a good love expressing itself. But in the old age "graduations to a higher use" there is also gratitude that the purpose for which one was created to begin with, has now reaped its fruition: Providence and the individual's spiritual freedom of choice have walked through life hand-in-hand, fulfilling the spiritual sense of the words, "three score years and ten."*
     * Psalm 90.
     This gratitude is nowhere more evident than in the gatherings of relatives and friends in the home of the bereaved following the typical New Church interment (committal) and memorial service. Such gatherings draw together not only the scattered family, but also business associates, and personal acquaintances of the departed. The remarkable mixture at such gatherings shows the departed one's life as still active, though he be "dead and gone."

206

More than one person has remarked, or at least thought, at such gatherings, "Oh, he/she would have enjoyed so much being here!"
     And why not? The whole life of a person is reflected in his family and the company he has kept. When all of one's relatives and friends come together-as sadly only death seems to have the drawing-power to accomplish with anywhere close to 100% efficiency-then the person who is honoured is present in all but body. And that is a use.
     We often discuss in the New Church how the Church should be "in the world, but not of the world." In the New Church societies, circles, groups and scattered membership throughout the world, the business of burying the body is the one 'dead certain event' which necessitates the contact of the New Church with the "outside world." New Church priests have all built up a contingency-plan in their minds, of how to arrange matters at the cemetery or crematorium, so that the New Church sphere of worship or reverence can gain the optimum natural setting, corresponding to the latent gladness of heart at knowing that there is a life after death. Sometimes, the natural settings in funeral homes militate against this sphere.
     Nevertheless, at the gatherings following the service, New Church relatives meet the business associates and personal acquaintances of the departed, often for the first time. Over coffee, sandwiches and cake, the conversations may range from the well-loved and respected characteristics of the departed, to the Doctrines of the New Church-which constitute the most hopeful message conceivable at the time when many expect only somber grief or some vague notion of a Last Judgment.
     So the New Church does meet the world, and is "in but not of the world," on the occasion of each death of a member, with beneficial results. This is perhaps the last service to the Church on earth that each member can render!
     And, too, as the gathering quietly prattles on, taking care "not to speak ill of the dead," the departed one is in point of fact most likely having his or her own gathering in the world of spirits. The resuscitation is over by the third "day" after death occurs (give or take twelve hours, depending on when during the day death occurred). The first state in the world of spirits, is the state in which the newly arrived spirit returns to a life like the one he has just left, and to all appearance, he then seems to have survived his own death, and keeps on living as he used to. Sometime along the way (perhaps as an introduction to this state?), there occurs the "reunion" of relatives and friends who have departed before the newcomer. (Perhaps such reunions occur in providence only once, whenever a sufficient number of friends and relatives have arrived, rather than on every occasion when another member arrives). In any cases all are eventually reunited, only to be separated as they follow their heavenly or infernal loves.

207

But even though "they are thus divided, all that have been friends and acquaintances in the life of the body, especially wives and husbands, and also brothers and sisters, meet and converse together whenever they so desire."*
     * HH 427.

     So all, as soon as they enter the other life, are recognized by their friends, their relatives, and those in any way known to them; and they talk with one another, and afterwards associate in accordance with their friendship in the world. I have often heard that those who have come from the world rejoiced at seeing their friends again, and that their friends in turn rejoiced that they had come. Very commonly husband and wife come together and congratulate each other, and continue together, and this for a shorter or longer time according to their delight in living together in the world.*
     * HH 494.

     So "How did you die?" Although many have thought of it, there is little use in preparing one's "last famous words" ahead of time. The life of charity, the first of which is to shun evils as sins against the Lord God, is the best preparation there is. This has the added benefit of taking the mind off the prospect of one's own death, and focussing it instead on the continuation of all that is good and true from the Lord, to eternity- His throne.
     It would be nice if the departed were here, to join in the gathering following his own memorial service. We say, "They are with us in spirit." How true! But on the other hand, there are plenty of good excuses (anniversaries, birthdays) to have such gatherings for the elderly well before they "graduate." The good humour on such occasions scares away all fear of death. The friendly, spiritual message concealed beneath the congratulations offered to the elderly on passing note-worthy mile-stones in life, is "Good luck to eternity." The assumption beneath genuine charity3 is that we are all in the Lord's hands.
     As for the "graduation" itself, it is the Lord's omnipotence that alone has the power to draw the spirit from the dead body. He formed the body in correspondence to the spirit created in the womb; now finally He lifts up the finished creation, in forming which we ourselves have had a large and free hand.
     "How did you die?"
     With gratitude and good humour, thank You.
     "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing, Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness."*
     * Psalm 30:11.

208

IT HURT, BUT NOW . . . 1980

IT HURT, BUT NOW . . . Rev. KURT P. NEMITZ 1980

     The Divine Providence is infinitely more active in life than we realize. His own family had turned against him. The thanks he had gotten for his sincere effort to be honest was nothing but scornful contempt. And now his whole future seem ruined by their selfish callousness. As he looked round in the gloom all he could see ahead was a future as joyless as night, a lifetime of servitude.
     This is an early page from the life of a man who may be justly called a saint-Joseph, The Slave Who Became the King's Right Hand.
     The bitter pain he must have felt as he lay listless in the pit where his envious brothers had thrown him we can easily imagine. We have felt it too. We too, almost all of us, in the course of our adult years, have at times felt betrayed and hurt by those whom we loved most.
     Joseph's life was nearly ruined by his jealous brothers, and yet what was his reaction when at last reunited with them? He was able to say gently, as they penitently came to him in Egypt, "Do not be afraid, am I in place of God? You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good, so that He might bring it about as it is today-to enable a great people to live."*
     * Gen. 50: 19, 20.
     A truly Divine reaction, we might say. And well it was, for Joseph in this story pictured the Lord Himself* . . . who was despised and rejected of men, who was betrayed by one of His own 'family' of disciples, and who when being crucified said only, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."
     * AC 4963
     Is this anything like our frequent reaction to the mental pain and anguish others have had a part in inflicting on us? Is there any prosecutor more bitterly thorough in his condemnation than the heart of one who has been slashed by criticism or seared by contempt? It is pathetic how the pain of not being appreciated and of being rejected finds relief in the miserable contemplation of the faults of those held responsible for one's hurt.
     Blaming others for the pain we feel when things don't go well between us and them is a very natural tendency. When it is indulged in, however, the positive value in pain is well nigh totally lost.

209

     Pain's great use is that it is a warning signal. It is an urgent call telling that something is wrong with us, something we should quickly do something about. We have, of course, all known this about physical pain since grade school, but what about mental pain, grief of mind?
     We are given a Divine insight into the significance of mental pain from the following teaching of the Heavenly Doctrine concerning the spring from which both the cup of joy and the cup of sorrow are drawn. "All joy and all gladness," we read, "is from love. For everyone rejoices when he is in pursuit of and attains the object of his love. In a word, all man's joy proceeds from his love, and all sadness and grief of mind from antagonism to his love."*
     * AE 660.
     These final words are especially significant to our question about pain. They explain that all sadness and grief of mind arises from what is antagonistic to what a person loves. We hurt because some love we cherish is hurt. Thus it is that through the pain we sometimes experience in our relations with others, the Divine Providence often may be secretly leading us to an awareness of a defect in our own nature, to an awareness of a love within us that is not pure. (Yes, this means that even our petty arguments fall under the wise and meticulous government of the Lord's Divine Providence.)
     But we are quite unaware of this, the Lord's presence in our pain. We are, in fact, carefully kept unaware of it-our life depends on it. "In order that man may not perish," it is explained in the New Revelation,
     "The Divine Providence works so secretly that scarcely anyone knows of its existence. For man's own self, which is his will, in no way acts in unity with the Divine Providence. Man's own self has an inborn enmity against it."
     "In fact," the teaching continues, "man's own self is the serpent that seduced the first parents, of which it is said in Genesis, 'I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head' (Gen. 3.15). The 'serpent' is evil of all kinds; its 'head' is love of self; 'the Seed of woman' is the Lord; the 'enmity' that is put, is between the love belonging to man's own self and the Lord, and thus between man's own prudence and the Lord's Divine providence. For man s own prudence is continually raising its head, and the Divine Providence is continually putting it down."*
     * DP 211.
     This is why the omniscient and omnipotent God allows us-not encourages but allows us-to choose to place the blame on others for the pain we experience in dealing with them, when in reality our pain is frequently the result of our own conflict with and resistance to the gentle direction being exerted by the Divine Providence.

210

"If a person felt that it was the Divine Providence putting his selfhood in place," we are told, "he would be provoked and enraged against God, and would perish; but as long as he does not feel the Divine Providence doing this, he can simply be provoked and enraged against men and with himself, and against fortune too-but this does not destroy him."*
     * Ibid.
     But while our merciful Creator allows us to blame others for the pain we feel so that we will not reject Him, He also allows us to be driven to the edge of despair by this pain so that we may acknowledge Him. Despair is at times the only power that can possibly motivate us to open our minds to the truth. Searing away, as it does, every shred of self-confidence and every fragment of hope that we can make others change, despair can drive us humbly to our knees to ask, Why? What is there about myself that I can and should change to improve my relations with others?
     What a Divine blessing mental pain then is if it moves a person to look penitently into himself and see his faults, and to set about prayerfully correcting them!
     The major cause of conflict between people and of the frustration, irritation, and anguish that often then results is unquestionably the love of self. When kept in its Divinely intended place, self-love is a comfortable and even useful companion in the house of the mind, but what a terror it instantly becomes when no effort is made to direct and moderate it! In those moments-or years--when a person is ruled by self-love, he actually hates any and every one who does not agree with him and do as he wants.* (Is this not the violent testimony of the reports of child and spouse abuse that are being brought grimly before us these days?) We can be profoundly grateful if the frustrations and disappointments others seem to have caused us in life have in time led us-with the Lord's help-to a greater awareness of and mastery over the evil of the love of self within us.
     * AC 760.
     Our success or failure to be worthy of the name human being ultimately hinges on our subordination of the love of self, for it is what stands in the way of our being fully united to Him who is Divine Man Himself. To this end our Lord's Divine Providence is constantly working with us, lifting us up--even through our conflicts and pain-to His love. If we but allow Him to lead us at all times, we will be brought close to Him, and will be imbued with His Divine Humanity.
     His instruction we are to follow is, "If you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled with your brother and then come and offer your gift."*

211

This means, of course, that when others mistreat and hurt us, we must allow the Divine spirit of love to override our feelings of enmity, hatred, and revenge.**
     * Matt. 5: 23, 24.
     ** AC 9293: 2.
     What a tremendous effort this often requires, especially at first! Simply holding one's tongue when one has been criticized or reproached can sometimes seem to require more strength than one is capable of, and a discomfort greater than the cause itself. But if we persist in exercising self- restraint, because the mercy of the Lord requires it, there will come a time when self-control will become a pleasure.
     Then we shall begin to experience what the Lord meant when He said, "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."*
     * Matt. 5: 5-10.
     Then, on those rare occasions when we have been intentionally hurt by others, we will sincerely be able to say with Joseph, "Although you intended evil against me, God intended it for good."

212

CORPORATION 1980

CORPORATION STEPHEN PITCAIRN 1980

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM REPORTS

     CORPORATION
     for the Year Ending

     DECEMBER 31, 1979

     MEMBERSHIP

     During the year 1979 the number of persons comprising the membership of the Corporation increased to 472. The changes in membership consisted of:

20 New Members:

Blair, Brian G.
Boker, William E.
Bowman, Marlow E.
Cooper, Garth
David, Joseph S.
Ebert, Charles H., III
Echols, Charles A.
Fortin, Raymond A.
Glenn, Michael D.
Homer, Ralph 0.
King, Cedric
Lodge, William T.
Morey, Dean C.
Redelinghuys, Douglas
Ritthaler, Kurt
Sanderson, Eric A.
Scott, Robert C.
Show, Richard P.
Smith, Gale W.
Tait, Kenneth W.

5 Deaths of Members:

Klein, Eldric S.
Lyman, Addison F.
Lyman, Payson W.
Price, Archibald E.
Thomas, Joseph A.

DIRECTORS

     The By-Laws of the Corporation provide for election of thirty Directors, ten of whom are elected each year for terms of three years. The Board presently consists of thirty Directors. At the 1979 Annual Meeting, ten Directors were elected for terms expiring in 1982. The present Directors, with the dates their terms expire, are as follows:

1981     Asplundh, E. Boyd
1980     Asplundh, Edward K.
1982     Asplundh, Robert H.
1981     Bellinger, Walter H.
1982     Braden, Robert W.
1980     Bruser, Henry B., Jr.
1981     Buick, William W.
1981     Campbell, David H.
1982     Childs, Alan D.
1981     Cooper, Geoffrey
1981     Cooper, George M.
1981     Fuller, Kent B.
1982     Gyllenhaal, Leonard E.
1980     Hill, Stanley D.
1982     Hyatt, Wynne S.
1980     Junge, James F.
1980     King, Louis B.
1981     Mayer, Paul C. P.
1980     Parker, Richard
1982     Pitcairn, Garth

213

1982     Rose, John W.
1982     Scott, Ivan R.
1980     Sellner, Jerome V.
1981     Simons, S. Brian
1981     Smith, Gordon B.
1980     Smith, Robert A.
1982     Synnestvedt, Ralph, Jr.
1982     Walter, Robert E.
1980     Williamson, Walter L.
1980     Zechner, Robert F.

Lifetime honorary members of the Board:

DeCharms, George
Pendleton, Willard D.

     OFFICERS

     The Corporation has five Officers, each of whom is elected yearly for a term of one year. Those elected at the Board meeting of March 9, 1979 were:
President     King, Louis B.
Vice President     Pendleton, Willard D.
Secretary     Pitcairn, Stephen
Treasurer     Gyllenhaal, Leonard E.
Controller     Fuller, Bruce A.

     CORPORATION MEETINGS

     The 1979 Annual Corporation meeting was held at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, on March 9, this being the only Corporation meeting held during the year. The President, Bishop King, presided, and there were 78 members in attendance. Reports were received from the Nominating Committee, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and the election for Directors was held.

     BOARD MEETINGS

     The Board of Directors held four meetings during 1979, the President presiding at all of them. The average attendance of Directors was 22 with a maximum of 25 and a minimum of 20.
     The regular Board of Directors meeting and the Organization meeting of the Board was held in March, followed later in the year by Board meetings in May and October.
     At each of the Board meetings in 1979, Mr. Gyllenhaal reported on the continuing activities of the Finance and Development Committee. The major development projects for which funds have been approved are the Societies in Detroit, Glenview, Kitchener, and Washington, D.C. The Committee is also working with the San Diego Society, the Atlanta Circle, and the Society in Stockholm. Mr. Gyllenhaal said that the Circle in Americus, Georgia, has asked for assistance in obtaining a small church building which is now on the market and the Kempton Circle in Pennsylvania, has asked for funds to assist in renovating a building to be used for their new school. Mr. Gyllenhaal emphasized that the available funds during 1980 would be limited and some projects would have to be stretched out. Priorities are being developed to enable the proper allocation of funds for existing and future projects.
     During the year, a Budget Manual was prepared by the Treasurer's office and approved by the Board. The 1979 Budget and revisions made in May and September were presented and approved. The final revised Budget, which includes a special transfer to the Assembly Travel Fund to cover the travel costs of ministers' wives, is balanced, however, several of the Reserve Funds, including the Ministers' Moving Reserve, are substantially below normal and additional funds will have to be found to cover anticipated future expenses.

214

     Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh, Chairman of the Pension Committee, reported at the March meeting that the pensions had not been reviewed since 1976. The Board approved a 15% increase in pension payments now being made and further approved retaining an actuarial firm to restructure the Pension Plan and work out solutions to current problems. The Committee plans to work jointly with the Pension Committees of the Academy and the Bryn Athyn Church in working out the restructuring of the Pension Plan. Seven new pensions were approved during the year.
     Mr. Edward K. Asplundh, Chairman of the Investment Committee, made several reports on the condition of the New Church Investment Fund noting its more than satisfactory market performance and income which exceeds the Fund's dividend payout by a comfortable margin.
     At the March meeting, a Mortgage Plan was adopted which established a formula for rates and terms on a uniform basis. The rates would be at a set discount from the established rates of Industrial Valley Bank and Trust Company. Five mortgages were granted to ministers during the year.
     Mr. Gyllenhaal reported at the May meeting that the General Church had received a substantial and generous special donation of Asplundh Tree Expert Company stock from the Asplundh Foundation, which was designed to assure that the General Church would continue to receive an annual income in the future, from the Asplundh family. The Board of Directors expressed their warm appreciation to the Asplundh family with a standing ovation.
     The Board discussed at length the report and recommendations of the Salary Committee. The recommended salary increase for ministers and teachers would be adjusted upward if the response to contribution efforts during the balance of 1979 were positive. There was some concern on the amount of the recommended increase and the formula for the proposed adjustment. The Salary Committee's recommendations were approved as presented.
     A special committee to study a proposal for Expansion of Printing Operations at the General Church office recommended that a print shop manager be hired on a trial basis for two years, that the Board authorize the leasing of a typesetting unit, and that approval be given for the hiring of one full-time and one part-time employee. The Board approved the recommendations of the special committee, subject to an outside source of funds being available to cover all extra costs for the two-year trial period.
     Mr. Gyllenhaal presented financial statements of the General Church as a whole and of the individual Societies, Circles and Districts. He commented in detail and answered questions from the Board members.
     Reports from the Standing Committees were discussed and the necessary proper action taken.
     Respectfully submitted, STEPHEN PITCAIRN, SECRETARY

215

TREASURER'S REPORT 1980

TREASURER'S REPORT L. E. GYLLENHAAL, TREASURER 1980

     The General Church Corporation had an unusually successful year in 1979. As you can see from the accompanying financial statements, total book value of assets increased by an unprecedented $1,633,796. A large part of this came from gifts to capital which were substantially higher than ever before, and included the following:

Asplundh Foundation          $709,200
Glencairn Foundation          193,018
Cairncrest Foundation          117,500
Pitcairn Families               301,623
Estate of Nathan Pitcairn     25,890
Estate of Mildred McQueen     32,564

Total                         $1,379,795

     Operating income also reached a new high, increasing by $105,690, or 12% over the previous year, to nearly a million dollars. For the fourth consecutive year, substantial increases in contributions to operating income have been recorded, last year amounting to over $53,000. During 1979, 731 donors gave a record $311,241, according to the following pattern:

                         1979               1978
     Category     No.          Amount           No.          Amount
$ 1-$     99          475          $ 11,645          511          $ 11,739
$100-$499          171          29,621          171          29,209
$500-$999          19          11,407          24          16,361

     Total          665          52,673          706          57,309
$1,000-$4,999     47          97,587          37          79,264
$5,000-over          19          160,981          18          121,597
     Gorand Total     731          $311,241          759          $258,170

     Along with improved contributions a change in the payout policy of the New Church Investment Fund, together with major gifts to capital received the previous year, resulted in a large gain in endowment income of over $63,800. Despite a difficult investment environment the New Church Investment Fund continues its excellent performance.
     Operating expenses on the other hand rose at a much slower rate last year, increasing by only $43,000, or 5% over 1978, substantially less than budgeted. A number of savings throughout the budget accounted for this improvement.
     Not only were we able to meet all our commitments to the numerous programs funded by the Corporation, but there was a sufficient surplus to allow the annual transfer of $60,000 to the Development Fund; $10,000 to the Moving Reserve that was heavily depleted the previous year; and, another $24,000 to several one-time programs, including equipment and travel to the 1980 Assembly.
     There were other interesting financial developments during the year involving extension work, translation, alterations at Cairncrest, the New Church Press, and others reported in more detail elsewhere.

216

     Worthy of particular note, however, is the growing importance of the Development Fund. During 1979, from gifts, investment income and loan interest, the fund received in excess of $516,000. Over the same period substantial commitments were made to three major projects in Glenview, Detroit, and Atlanta, as well as a number of smaller loans and grants to societies and circles. Over the next ten years the Development Fund will play a significant role in the growth and welfare of the church.
     Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to the many people who gave so generously of their resources, and to those who gave of their time to help make the General Church a vibrant and expanding organization.

     L. E. GYLLENHAAL, TREASURER
     BRUCE FULLER, CONTROLLER

     GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATION

Statement of General Fund Revenues, Expenditures, and Other Changes

Years ended December 31, 1979 and 1978

                              1979                    1978

Gifts and Grants
     Regular               $311,241               $258,170
     Special               37,573      $348,814     24,062     $282,232

     Investment income                    584,268               520,426
     Printing and Publishing               10,226               28,358
     Other Income                    35,299               41,901

TOTAL REVENUES                         $978,607               $872,917

EXPENDITURES

Pastoral and Educational Services
     Salary Support          $202,251               $169,263
     Travel and Office          38,517               38,058
     South African Mission     47,311     $288,079     48,378     $255,699

Facilities                              53,616               45,904
Services and Information
     New Church Life          31,752               29,918
     Printing and Publishing     29,982               49,970
     Moving               29,821               39,847
     Travel to Meetings     9,983                    7,693
     Translation               42,771               32,229
     Miscellaneous          16,886     161,195     24,986     184,643

Administration
     Episcopal Office          58,989               51,430
     Secretary's Office     15,573               11,966
     Financial and Corporate Affairs 66,093          62,029
                                   140,655               125,425

217

Employee Benefits
     Pension Plan          55,158               47,334
     Health Plan               46,497               48,455
     Investment Savings     43,191               38,694
     Social Security          21,512               19,814
     Deferred Compensation     11,421               14,245
     Workmen's Compensation     3,102      181,241     2,415          170,957

Church Extension                         45,039               35,425
Other Expenditures                    23,392               31,864

TOTAL EXPENDITURES                    $893,217               $849,917

Transfer (to) Development Fund          (60,000)               (60,000)
Transfer from Clergy Travel Fund          9,983                    7,693
Transfer (to) from Reserve for Moving     (10,000)               33,847
Transfer (to) Other Funds               (24,000)               (4,000)

Net Increase from Operations               $ 1,373               $ 540

     GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATION

     Balance Sheets

     December 31, 1979 and 1978

     GENERAL FUND
                              1979               1978
Assets
     Cash                         $ 192,909          $ 23,802
     Investments                    669,710          733,154
     Accounts Receivable          98,667          108,992
     Inventory, at lower
          of cost or market          60,765          56,515
     Prepaid Expense               13,165          20,151
     Due from Other Funds          2,563               2,563
     Buildings and Grounds          132,737          85,214
     Equipment                    41,242          40,016
     Accumulated Depreciation     (23,248)          (18,683)
     Loans to Employees          51,676          52,655

          Total Assets          $ 1,240,186          $ 1,104,379

Liabilities and Fund Balances
     Accounts Payable               $ 57,410          $ 14,624
     Agency Accounts               78,415          83,935
     Fund Balances
          Restricted               149,464          98,732
          Unrestricted          954,897          907,088

          Total General Funds     $ 1,240,186          $ 1,104,379

218

     ENDOWMENT AND SIMILAR FUNDS

Assets
     Cash                         $ (35,210)          $ 80,825
     Investments-N.C.I.F.          6,137,599          6,019,672
     Other Securities               1,612,514          1,159,825
     Real Estate                    45,000          -
     Mortgages                    416,494          -

          Total Assets          $ 8,176,397          $ 7,260,322

Liabilities and Fund Balances

Fund Balances
     True endowment-unrestricted     $ 1,585,078          $ 1,495,062
     True endowment-restricted     409,448          402,907
     Term endowment               292,999          270,590
     Quasi endowment-unrestricted     5,456,169          4,677,662
     Quasi endowment-restricted     432,703          414,101

Total Endowment and Similar Funds     $ 8,176,397          $ 7,260,322

     OTHER FUNDS

                              1979               1978
Assets
     Cash                         $ 490,977          $ 222,526
     Investments-N.C.I.F.          2,423,749          2,414,203
          Other                    408,155          155,058
     Loans to Societies          466,659          415,839

          Total Assets          $ 3,789,540          $ 3,207,626

Liabilities and Fund Balances
Fund Balances
     Development Fund               $ 1,511,872          $1,200,677
     Pension Fund               1,379,199          1,276,696
     Investment Savings Fund          446,386          408,617
     Council Meetings Travel Fund     129,570          123,515
     Carmel Church Fund          120,000          80,000
     Miscellaneous Funds          202,513          118,121

          Total Other Funds.     $ 3,789,540          $ 3,207,626

          TOTAL ALL FUNDS          $13,206,123          $11,572,327

219

BREATH OF LIFE 1980

BREATH OF LIFE Editor 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa
Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Acting Editor - - - - Rev. Morley Dyckman Rich, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager - - - - Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.
Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 (U.S.) a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     When we read Genesis 2: 7 and the explanation of the inner meaning of it, we will learn that it refers to how the Lord breathes into man's external, conscious understanding, and through the Word the breath of life, which is the life of faith and love in the process of re-birth.
     And yet, we may still wonder what this means and how it comes about. Firstly, we may see that the life of faith and love is the life of heaven. It is that which the Lord wills for us and which He gives us slowly so that we may be fitted for the permanent life of heaven. It is what will turn our mourning into dancing and joy. As we become "living souls" through life, for example, it does mean that our conscious and natural states of depression will lighten and lessen gradually, that our mere knowledges of religious truths will be filled with light and life, and that our first states of innocent good affection will be greatly warmed by His love coming from the spiritual sun of heaven.
     This "breath of life" now comes to us largely through the Word. The Lord breathes His life and Spirit even through the externals of the written Word and, indeed, through even the negatives of His Word, even through such deep negatives as "despair," "death," "evil," and "sin." And this is what we might think about and what we may hope to demonstrate, perhaps through more pages than this single editorial.

220

     Let's take the common ailment from which virtually every person, even the happiest, suffers at times,-depression, which sometimes deepens into despair,-depression over the human condition and state, and over oneself. When such a state becomes a chronic condition, it is a most serious thing for the person.
     Some people know and can use a variety of means and therapies to change or alleviate this state, physical things such as a change of surroundings, a walk, chopping wood, cleaning a floor, some different activity, a new interest, new or renewed relationships with others, a good book, some exercise of charity toward the neighbor, a strenuous effort in one's use or occupation. And the New Churchman has a blessing in this in that he may know that such changes, because of the different sensations coming to him through them, effect a change of the spirits with him.
     For religious people, the most effective of these means is the reading or hearing of the Word or Bible; for there they are reminded of the all-pervasive Providence of God, of His continuous work with each and every one of His children, of His love for them and of His wisdom watching over them. And again, the New Churchman will know why it is effective,-from his knowledge of the laws of spiritual association, in this case with good spirits and angels. For him, it may be added, most effective will be the reading of the Word of the Lord's Second Coming. But what will he find when he reads that Word?
     Sometimes he will find or notice much that will tend to deepen his depression. There is, as it appears to him, such a mass of material devoted to exposing and describing the manifold evils of the human race. And he may reflect that this is necessary,-that the arcana of judgment had to be fully revealed so that in human minds there could be formed clear and manifest distinctions and hence there could occur separations between good and evil, truth and falsity. Yet there will be, also, and are times, the human spirit being limited and finite, when these arcana become too weighty, just too ponderous and oppressive to be longer endured. It is a little like reading all the bad news in the newspaper. And then a man may take refuge in familiar homilies and in ancient, ultimate wisdoms. He may also reflect that, after all, these are the words of hope and life and breath, despite the appearances of some of them. And again for the New Churchman especially, while the teachings can rightly reveal him to himself most painfully and humiliatingly, at the same time they breathe through these teachings in a most amazing fashion the atmosphere of hope, and can bring to him a consequent faith, love and trust in the Lord beyond and above the uttermost depths of death and hell.
     In another editorial, let's consider two of the most negative words in the Word: evil and sin.

221

We shall find, even in these, strangely enough, the Divine Spirit of hope, life and love breathing through the teachings and distinctions about these most depressing words. If readers would like a preliminary sight, let them read HH 509; DP 77 (1, 2); AC 8925, 10042 (12); CL 348, 349.
Notes on this Issue . . . 1980

Notes on this Issue . . . Editor 1980

     Although it was not in this number, yet with reference to our editorial, we would like to recall to your attention the sermon of the Rev. Geoffrey Childs in the April Life on True Conscience and Mental Health; this is a fine example of the affirmative shining through such seeming negatives as false conscience and spurious conscience, and contrasting them with true conscience, as distinctions clearly taught by the Writings.
     Bishop King's sermon is a helpful preparation for New Church Day.
     For a magazine called New Church Life, and for people who try to see in the word "death" the idea of resurrection and eternal life, we seem to have had, of late, a good deal about death. And now here's another of the same by the Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom of London entitled "How Did You Die?" However, and again, it is really a cheerful one, and again brings out the atmosphere of Divine hope and inspiration which the Lord breathes through His Word.
     It gave us great pleasure to print the first of two parts of a treatise, The Divine Inspiration of Emanuel Swedenborg, by our late Editor, the Rev. Ormond Odhner. He had intended it for the May and June issues.
     Readers will also see in this issue the last of a good series by the Rev. Dandridge Pendleton on Divine Permission.
     Finally, following these notes, we have included excerpts from a correspondence between the Rev. Horand Gutfeldt of the General Convention and the Rev. Alain Nicolier of the General Church in France as a demonstration of New Churchmen, though vigorously disagreeing, yet being able to observe the laws of decorum and gentility which are at least the external bases of charity.

222

     "THE NEW CHURCH IN FRANCE"

     The Rev. Dr. Horand Gutfeldt, chairman of Convention's "Board of Missions," has communicated with LIFE, taking exception to certain statements by (Rev.) Alain Nicolier in his little "history" of the New Church in France. (See New Church Life, July, 1979, pp. 328-331). It seems well to publish the gist of Dr. Gutfeldt's communication here.
     Dr. Gutfeldt had enjoyed an extended visit with the Rev. Claude Bruley in France, last spring, and had then asked M. (Monsieur) Bruley about some of the very points that M. Nicolier would later raise in his report. Dr. Gutfeldt says that he "became increasingly convinced that (M. Bruley) stood strongly upon the foundation of the teachings of our church." Especially, he had "inquired about reincarnation," and had been given "a publication by Mr. Bruley which contained the most outstanding refutation of reincarnation that (he) had ever read."
     Dr. Gutfeldt writes further: "I observed in Paris and at their new center, LaPresle, a number of new approaches to the teachings of our church, including various innovative forms of application of the doctrine of correspondences, and many implementations toward spiritual growth. Much of this I consider unique and leading in the whole New Church; I further saw that many newcomers were attracted to the church by appealing public workshops and interesting activities. Again and again I tried to weigh the evidence, and to regard everything in the framework of the teachings of our church-and increasingly I found the projects valuable and in conformity with the teachings."
     Along the same lines, Dr. Gutfeldt speaks of M. Bruley as a "brother minister of the New Church . . . who has dedicated his whole life to serving the New Advent, and has worked faithfully for many years for the New Church. He adds, "Often missionary outreach has to include comparisons and explanations in a different terminology and framework, which may appear unsatisfactory or even distorted" to a person not similarly engaged in this work.
     Dr. Gutfeldt closes his communication with an appeal for "a new spirit of cooperation" between the various bodies of the New Church, and in support of this quotes the well known AC 1834: ". . . schisms and heresies
     would never be the case, if charity were regnant and alive, for then they would not even call a schism a schism, nor heresy, . . . but a doctrinal matter in accordance with each person's opinion; and this they would leave to each person s conscience, provided such doctrinal matter did not deny first principles, that is, the Lord, Eternal Life, and the Word, and provided this was not contrary to Divine order, that is, the precepts of the Decalogue."

223

     As acting editor of LIFE (and also in private, of course), I whole-heartedly agree: "If charity were regnant and dive"-charity, a love of the good of the spiritual church, that is, a love of ultimating the truths of revelation in the acts of daily life.

     ORMOND ODHNER
     acting editor

     Ed. Note: Rev. Nicolier's reply to Rev. Gutfeldt follows.

Rev. Horand K. Gutfeldt
579 Vincente Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94707
ALAIN NICOLIER 1980

ALAIN NICOLIER 1980

Dear Mr. Gutfeldt:

     I thank you for your good letter of November 29th. I was delighted to discover a real search for complementarity between the different bodies of the Church, as well as an appeal to approach all matters in the sphere of love. I am aware that it is only through mutual love and charity that the Lord can be felt and acknowledged in His Second Coming. It is only through charity that we may all learn from the Lord in each other and that real communication can happen between human beings.
     I am conscious of all this and I want you to know that I did not act towards Claude and Jacqueline Bruley out of a spirit of competition, nor from a spirit of superiority. I respect them and love them regardless of our differences of opinion. Differences of opinion should not separate us. It all depends how it is handled. We read in the Arcana that "a difference in the doctrinal things of faith does not prevent the church from being one, provided there is unanimity as to willing well and doing well." (AC 3451: 2)
     For the church to be one, there must be an acceptance of each other's opinions as to matters of faith and thus also an acceptance and even a desire to have this opinion challenged in search for a greater truth. It is part of charity to search for a purity of doctrine and as you rightly say this can only be done in humility.
     I agree that it is time that we all make our efforts in order to participate together in a complementary manner to the building of the greater New Church. You have all my support in finding a new level of cooperation between different ministers of the New Church on the Continent and pray to the Lord to enlighten us along the way.

     Sincerely,
     ALAIN NICOLIER

224

"PURE LOVE" 1980

"PURE LOVE" Humus's Friend 1980

Dear Editor:

     My friend Humus gave me a copy of your magazine with his conversation with Angelus in it. Quite interesting.
     Humus and I are very close in our feelings of sadness and separation from any nearness to a loving God. Our Lord is far away.
     The concept of holding on to the idea that the Lord loves me is empty because love is not a tangible part of my life. If the Lord loves me, it is an intellectual acknowledgment that this is so.
     An empty heart is not filled by words. Love is only another word, whether pure love or not. It cannot heal through the intellect alone.
     Humus and I have talked a lot about this love which is supposed to exist and to be unending and all encompassing. We have talked about it, but the sense of it has eluded us. The feeling of the truth of love is what we seek and is beyond our grasp.
     Sincerely,
          Humus's Friend
REFLECTIVE NOTES ON Don't Stay Angry, 1980

REFLECTIVE NOTES ON Don't Stay Angry, STEVE GLADISH 1980

NCL Feb., 1980To the Editor:

Expressing anger is better than bottling it up, but a new and better conviction is, "Don't have it at all!" It basically may be defined as wishing the world or people were different, or demanding things be done our way. Anger is just a learned reaction to frustration, a poor choice we make, an inappropriate, bad habit. Psychologically, all too often anger breaks down love relations, interferes with communication, and leads to guilt and depression. It is often destructive. The guilt and depression only prove our anger was wrong in the first place.
We read about the Lord: "He is never angry with anyone,* never leads anyone into temptation, never punishes anyone, and still less does He curse anyone. All this is done by the infernal crew, for such things can never proceed from the fountain of mercy, peace, and goodness." In another passage we read, "The Lord is as far from being angry with anyone as heaven is from earth." It is said that the Lord is "infinitely above all infirmities," and that it is "never possible for the Lord to be angry, or be other than merciful."**

225

Finally, we read that anger signifies "departure from the good of charity," a "turning away" from the neighbor, a broken conjunction.*** In Genesis Chap. 44:18 it is said, "Let not thine anger be kindled," because he who is angry "turns himself away, and no longer thinks as the other does, but thinks against him."****
     * AC 245 (see also AC 1408(3), 1874, 3131: 3, 3425: 4, 3605: 4.)
     ** AC 1093.
     *** AC 5034 (see also AC 5080).
     **** AC 5798.
     From the Writings then, we have a new approach and conclusion. The message is clear: We should naturally follow the Lord, who is never angry, and not follow the infernal crew, who is identified as those who get angry, punish, and curse others. Anger is further identified as an infirmity, also to be avoided. We should strive always to be merciful, as is the Lord. To continue living in charity, we must not get angry, we must keep our conjunction with the neighbor, and not turn away from him, nor think against him.
     Another way of saying it: Anger is the cancer of human relations. Anger is good for nothing.* It does not work in changing others. It is often used to push responsibility off on to someone else. When we are frustrated and can't handle it, and we get angry, it is a way of avoiding a responsibility or use that has been given to us. Again, anger is used to manipulate others, who are smaller or less important than we are. People are to be respected, not manipulated. Anger is good for nothing useful in positive human relations. Anger also can be used to draw attention to us, and makes us feel important. But it is not a useful or orderly way to draw attention to ourselves. A better way, if we must have attention, is through real accomplishments.
     * Your Erroneous Zones, by Dr. Wayne Dyer.
     Anger too, is a means to get our own way-because others don't want to get into a disturbing scene with us.* Anger irresponsibly pushes people away, breaking down personal relations and interfering with communication. Anger is a javelin. Anger is sometimes a way of saying, "Go to hell." Acceptance and encouragement, on the other hand, is a way of wishing people the joys of heaven. The world will never be the way we want it to be. Everyone has a right to be what he or she chooses.** We can also get rid of the compulsive need to meet the expectations of others, which can cause frustration and anger. We can postpone anger as long as possible, until, as Dr. James Pendleton urges, we find the cause of it and discover a real solution to it,*** instead of falling into the learned reaction and deadly habit of anger. Finally, anger is a deciding to be "hurt," which first of all is irrationally absurd, and secondly, is dishonest use of our emotions.

226

Why be angry if we are hurt? Instead, if we are truly hurt, we should then express this hurt.****
     * Ibid.
     ** Ibid.
     *** Health Symposium Address, by Dr. James Pendleton.
     ****      Your Erroneous Zones, by Dr. Wayne Dyer.
     So we have a third approach to the discussion of anger versus zeal: anger is good for nothing. Don't stay angry!-yes. Don't be angry!- yes. Don't get angry in the first place!-BETTER YET! Let not thine anger be kindled.*
     * Gen. 44: 18; AC 8798.
     STEVE GLADISH
"AWAY WITH THE OLD . . ." 1980

"AWAY WITH THE OLD . . ." TIM LIQUORI 1980

To the Editor:

Dear Sir:

     The editorial on "Away with the Old. . ." hit the nail on the head, but perhaps not hard enough. The New Church will take a giant step in evangelization once it begins to recognize more fully the growing numbers of agnostics in America and other "old church" countries. There are those who have already rejected religion as it is offered by old Christian denominations, and have more or less closed their minds to conventional thought about God, fearing that if they were to open up again, they would be assaulted by the same old unexplained cliches.
     Perhaps we are wasting our time trying to present something new to those of the old churches. A Roman Catholic can receive the faith of the New Church more easily. But a former Roman Catholic could do it even more easily. There are also many young and middle-aged people who have lost interest in their Protestant Church before they became familiar with any of its damaging doctrines.
     These people are secretly hungering for a substantial concept of God and some basic answers. If we could focus more of our attention toward that field, I'm sure we would be surprised at the results.
     The disciples of the Lord weren't able to get many results until they presented their message to "the Gentiles." To the Gentiles' ears, theirs was a new message, but to the orthodox Jew it was just a distorted, false version of their own message. Both the orthodox Jew and the orthodox Christian will never be able to accept any other idea of God but their own, not until they first reject their own.
     Today there is a large want of answers in those who have already done "away with the old." Maybe that is where the New Church's future lies.

     TIM LIQUORI
     Fairfield, Calif.

227

SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION 1980

SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION HILARY PITCAIRN 1980

     ANNUAL MEETING

     The eighty-third annual meeting of the Swedenborg Scientific Association will be held on Monday, May 5th, 1980 in the Auditorium of Pendleton Hall, Bryn Athyn, Pa., at 8:00 p.m. A short business meeting will precede the annual address by Mr. Martin M. Echols on the subject: "The Cortical Gland and its Relationship to the Modern Neuron."
     Members of the Association and other interested persons are cordially invited to attend.
     HILARY PITCAIRN, Secretary
BISHOP BENADE BIOGRAPHY 1980

BISHOP BENADE BIOGRAPHY 1980

I am working on a biography of Bishop William H. Benade (1816-1905) and would be grateful for hitherto unpublished information, letters, recollections, photographs, etc., relating to his life and work.

RICHARD R. GLADISH
Box 278
The Academy of the New Church
Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

     Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Pittsburgh, Toronto, or Kitchener who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Mrs. James C. Pendleton
815 Fettersmill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (215) 947-1810

Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Ben Hur Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

TORONTO Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave.
Weston, Ont. M9P 2J5

Mrs. Mark Carison
58 Chapel Hill Drive
R.R. 2
Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5

Mrs. Philip Horigan
50 Park Drive
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (312) 729-5644

228

Church News 1980

Church News Various 1980

     KAINA

[Ed. note: The following excerpts were taken from a small news-sheet put out by the General Church Extension Committee and principally addressed and circulated to members newly in contact with the Church. They may be of general interest to our readers.]

     Assimilation of New Members

     What happens when people join the Church? Some are easily assimilated into the general body of the Church, soon finding their home (their use). They soon become well-known and appreciated.
     Others are not so fortunate. Either they become known only to members of the Epsilon Society and a few others besides, or they remain relatively isolated even in a large society of the Church. They never seem to feel at home; they never seem to find a use to perform for the general body. Even if they do, some still feel a barrier between new and old members.
     To help find ways of solving these problems, a task force has been formed, known as the Assimilation Project Group. Composed of a mixture of new and old members, they have already had a stimulating first meeting. The chairman, the Rev. Douglas Taylor would appreciate any ideas from KAINA readers as to the needs of newcomers and how they are or are not being met at present in the Church.

     Inquirers

     A delightful and encouraging program is represented in the various inquirers classes presently conducted for those who wish to learn more about the doctrines of the New Church. These have grown both in numbers and in popularity since their inception a few years ago. Currently there are three such classes meeting regularly.

     Inquirers Classes

     Inquirers I consists of 10 new inquirers, that is, people who have only just begun to learn about the Heavenly Doctrine. Two of them came as a result of the radio spots in WFLN last spring.
     There are 14 people in Inquirers II. They have all "graduated" from Inquirers I, where they studied the Faith of the New Church (TCR 2, 3). This year the subject so far has been the Doctrine of the Word. Some have become new members of the Church.
     The third group is called the Intermediate Class. Some of its members are graduates of Inquirers II, while others are members of the Bryn Athyn Society who want a course in the basics. For this purpose the work The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine makes a very suitable textbook.
     Inquirers I and II are conducted by the Rev. Douglas Taylor and the Intermediate Class by the Rev. Lorentz Soneson.
TO ALL CORRESPONDENTS: HELP! 1980

TO ALL CORRESPONDENTS: HELP! Editor 1980

In the case of the New Church Life, no news is not good news I This plea is not addressed to the twelve correspondents who contributed 25 pages of local news in 1979, but rather to the thirty societies and larger circles who did not. Isn't anything going on out there? I know there is, because I get your local news-sheets. But it would be nice to hear from you directly. Some dramatic things are going on in the Church, (see your April Life). They could better be reported from the scene rather than by your Editor, who can't be there to catch the full flavor of the happenings. How about it?
MORLEY D. RICH

229

ADDRESSES UNKNOWN 1980

Announcements

Anyone who can supply information as to the whereabouts of the following persons is asked to communicate with the Office of the Secretary, General Church of the New Jerusalem, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Last known addresses are shown.

PRINTED FOR THE FIRST TIME

United States and Canada

Mrs. Phyllis A. Hartford
18 N. 4th St.
Shrums Mobile Home Park
Mishawaka, IN 46544

Mr. Jerry J. Sustar
Apt. 505
333 South Glebe Road
Arlington, VA 22204

Miss Etta L. Rexrode
14 Bridge Street
New Hope, PA 18938

Mr. Lyle Dhuez
1449-3 St. East
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231

WHITE HORSE 1980

WHITE HORSE Rev. KURT H. ASPLUNDH 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. C
JUNE, 1980
No. 6
     And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. Revelation 19: 11

     When we think of the Lord's first coming, the image is clear. We picture the Nativity scene: the stable in Bethlehem, with the shepherds crowding near to see the infant Lord wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
     But what is our picture of the second coming? The images vary. Perhaps we think of the descent of the Holy City New Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Perhaps we think of the woman clothed with the sun who gave birth to a Man Child. Or, do we think of the twelve disciples sent forth throughout the whole spiritual world to preach the gospel that the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns, whose kingdom shall be forever and ever?
     The book of Revelation gives us yet another vision of the Lord's second coming: The Lord riding upon a white horse.
     This is a vision of stirring power, befitting the coming of the Lord. In ancient times there was perhaps no more stirring a sight than that of a king upon a prancing stallion at the head of his army of horsemen. How much more is John's vision of the rider on the white horse a soul-stirring sight? This rider is no earthly king but the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. His eyes are not only clear, they snap as with a flame of fire. His vesture, dipped in blood, from the violence of personal combat with the enemy, is in striking contrast to the whiteness of His steed and the army following upon white horses. He leads forth the heavenly hosts. He has a sharp sword to smite the enemies of His peace and a rod of iron to rule the nations.

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     This is not the first time the Lord has been pictured as a king. Remember the prophecy of the Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem? "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass" (Zech. 9: 9). Thus did the Lord enter Jerusalem to be hailed as King of the Jews at His first coming. In contrast, the Lord in His second coming enters the citadel of our lives as a king, just and having salvation, but not lowly, not riding upon the foal of an ass. He rides in splendor upon a swift and powerful white steed. He rides on, in majesty, not to die, but to reign in a kingdom that is everlasting.
     The Lord has come again as the rider on a white horse. This pictures the Lord's second coming. But the vision is not to be taken literally. It is a spiritual image. - "I saw heaven opened," John wrote, "and behold a white horse" (Rev. 19: 11). When heaven is opened we see spiritual realities pictured representatively. The horse and his rider is a symbolic picture of the spiritual reality of intelligence and understanding. It may seem a strange and wonderful thing that intelligence and understanding is meant when a horse and his rider is mentioned in the Word. But nevertheless it is so and many passages from the Word can be cited to confirm this truth. The source of this representation of a horse and its rider as meaning intelligence and understanding is from the spiritual world. When the angels are talking about what relates to the understanding, then in the world of spirits, beneath the angels, or in the corresponding societies, there appear horses, and these of a size, form, color, attitude, and varied equipment in accordance with the ideas which the angels have concerning the understanding.* Swedenborg often experienced the appearance of this representation. He would see men in the spiritual world riding upon horses but when he asked them whether they were riding they said that they were not, but that they stood meditating upon some subject; "which made clear that riding upon a horse is an appearance representing the operation of their understanding."** He also saw a place in the spiritual world called "the assembly of the intelligent and wise," where spirits gather to meditate on profound subjects. When he approached this place he saw horses of various colors and also chariots with men riding in them. But these men, too, said that they were not actually riding the horses or the chariots, but that they were in profound thought and meditation.***
     * AC 3217.
     ** AE 364: 2.
     *** AE 364: 3.
     It was from this origin of the signification of the horse in the spiritual world, and a knowledge of this signification among the people of the Ancient Churches on earth that the Greeks derived their stories of the Trojan horse, and the winged horse, Pegasus.

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The Trojan horse in which the Greeks were said to have hidden to overthrow the city of Troy represents an artificial contrivance devised by their understanding for the purpose of destroying the walls. The story was not literally descriptive of the destruction of Troy, but symbolizes the successful conquest of the Trojans by the employment of Greek intelligence. So, too, the breaking open of a fountain by the hoof of the winged horse is representative of the truth that the origin of the sciences is from the understanding.*
     * WH 4.
     This information and spiritual experience about the mystical meaning of the horse and his rider helps us to understand what is signified by the horses seen by the prophets and also by the horses mentioned elsewhere in the Word; namely, the things of the understanding.
     Let us turn our thought back now to the vision of the Lord as the rider on the white horse. It is a spiritual image. "I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True . . . and His name is called The Word of God" (Rev. 19: 11, 13). This horse represents the understanding of the Word. Being a "white" horse it represents an understanding of the truth of the Word, or an "interior understanding of the Word."* What is the "interior understanding of the Word" but an understanding of its spiritual sense? This also the Writings state: "'the White Horse' signifies the understanding of the Word as to its spiritual or internal sense."**
     * AR 820, 298.
     ** WH 5.
     To see heaven opened, therefore, and to see the Lord riding upon a white horse is .to see the Word opened by the Lord so that its spiritual sense may be understood. This is the Second Coming of the Lord!*
     * AR 820.
     At His First Coming the Lord "fulfilled the Law and the Prophets." He came on earth in Person and did all those things prophesied about Him in the Old Testament. He lived out in the flesh and acted according to all truths in the Word. Thus John wrote of Him: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1: 14). The Lord is the Word. He came on earth to reveal this to man.
     At His Second Coming the Lord opened the spiritual sense of the Word. That is, He revealed an interior idea of Himself by giving man an interior understanding of the Word.
     What is the Second Coming of the Lord? Seeing His Divine qualities in our understanding. How is this done? By opening to man an interior understanding of the Word through its spiritual sense. How is this represented to us visually? By the image of the Lord riding upon a white horse.

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     A white horse is twice mentioned in John's visions recorded in the Book of Revelation. There is the white horse of our text, whose rider is the Lord Himself. There is also another white horse, one of a series of four horses and riders seen by John as the first seals of the Book Sealed with Seven Seals were opened. The rider of this horse was a valiant warrior with a bow and a crown who went forth conquering and to conquer, but it was not the Lord. And this horse, and its rider, was followed in succession by horses that were red, black, and a deathly pallid color.
     Let us compare what is signified by these horses and their riders and the white horse upon which the Lord was the rider. This may clarify our idea of the Lord's second coming.
     All of these horses signify an understanding of the Word, but with variety according to the colors of -the horses mentioned. The "white" horses signify the understanding of the truth of the Word, or the interior understanding of its letter. What is "white" signifies what is of truth. The red, the black, and the pale horses, on the other hand, signify a perverted, falsified, and destroyed understanding.
     The succession of the four horses first seen by John presents a picture of a succession of states of the Church. In the beginning of the Church there was an understanding of the truth of the Word-the white horse. This understanding enabled the man of the Church to go forth to conquer the evils of life. So it was that the rider on this horse carried a bow and wore a crown of victory, for he went forth "conquering and to conquer."
     In the second state of the Church the understanding of truth that had led the first rider to victory was lost, destroyed by lusts of evil. This state is represented by the dusky red horse whose rider took peace from the earth. So it is that love of evil destroys the blessing of spiritual peace.
     A third state of the Church followed which is pictured by the appearance of a black horse and his rider. In this state truth is turned to the blackness of falsity. The understanding of the Word is falsified, giving man a completely false sense of values. The rider of this horse carried a pair of balances, often the sign of wisdom and justice, but here a mockery of true wisdom and justice. In this state of the Church spiritual truths and principles are esteemed of little value, for they are not sought for application to life. So it was that a voice cried out: "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny" (Rev. 6: 6). The smallest coin was all that was offered for the wheat and barley which are ingredients for the bread of life.
     When the Church has reached a state of lack of good and lack of truth from the Word it is pictured by the fourth and final horse of the series, the pale horse whose rider's name was "Death."

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This signifies the complete profanation of any understanding of the Word. The pale horse is in stark contrast to the first or white horse for it signifies the contrasting spiritual fact. As a lifeless corpse is pale, so the Church without understanding of the Word is pictured by a pale horse. The rider's name was "Death." So does a Church, or an individual, die spiritually when all understanding of the Word is lost.
This succession of horsemen, depicting the successive decline of the Church that departs from the Lord was a prophecy that has been fulfilled with the Christian Churches. These have actually passed through states of decline and have lost all true understanding of the Word. The prophecy is also a personal warning. The successive states may be applied in an individual sense. Our own understanding of the Word may have passed from purity into obscurity, obliterated by a vain trust in the powers of our own understanding. Our understanding of the Word, consequently of religion and of life, may be derived from the Lord, or it may be derived from ourselves, and the light of our own intelligence. Such self-intelligence is also signified in the Word by horses mentioned there. We would recall the fate of the horses and chariots of Egypt as they pursued the hosts of Israel across the Red sea. These horses and chariots of Egypt represent the false reasonings and understandings of the natural man. It was such reasonings and understandings that the Lord meant when he warned that "am horse is a vain thing for safety . . ." (Psalm 33: 17). " . . . neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself" (Amos 2: 15). "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses," wrote David in his Psalm, "but we will remember the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20: 7).
In contrast, the understanding of the Word revealed by the Lord, as the rider on the white horse, stands forever true. Unlike the four horsemen described before, whose reign was brief, and disappointing, the new understanding of the Word which is given by the Lord Himself, cannot fail. This white horse, distinct from the earlier one, is not to be replaced by a red, a black, or a pale horse. When the Lord reveals the interior understanding of the Word, its doctrines of charity and faith are secure. As we read in Revelation: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11: 15). "Thy kingdom, O Lord, is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations" (Psalm 145: 10, 11, 13). The New Church, established by the Lord, through an opening of the spiritual sense of the Word, is to stand forever as the crown of all the churches.

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     The spiritual sense of the Word has been opened by the Lord Himself, and the interior understanding of the Word is disclosed by it. This, the Writings teach, "is the coming of the Lord."* This surpasses all miracles.** Yet it remains for every man of the Church to receive the Lord in His coming. Our understanding of the Word is imperfect, partial, ever prone to error. Much though we would strive to be a rider on a white horse, we fall into states of red and black, and our understanding is dimmed by the intrusion of self-will and self-intelligence. When these states of obscurity occur, which they will, we can yet turn to the Lord in His second coming. As never before, the truth is disclosed in the Word, making the Lord God Jesus Christ a visible and ever-present God.
     * AR 820.
     ** Cor. LI; Inv. 43, et al.
     It is said that the rider on the white horse was followed by a heavenly host upon white horses. By these are signified angels of the New Christian heaven, who are conjoined with the Lord in the interior understanding of the Word, and thus in pure and genuine truths.* If we are to join in this great host to follow the Lord we too must be instructed by the Lord in genuine and pure truths through the Word. Pure truth is not given from any other source, we are told, than from the Lord through the Word. The Lord has opened the way for man to follow. The Word is no longer a closed book. The truth of the Word may be known to all who seek to know it. These, because of their desire for an interior understanding of the Word, are pictured as a great army in heaven. Each rides upon a white horse-a symbol of his interior understanding.
     * AR 826.
     It should be the hope of every one in the New Church to join this heavenly host. The Lord said: "Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand . . . I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and -the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22: 10, 16, 17). Amen.

LESSONS:     Isaiah 66: 5, 12-23. Revelation 6: 1-8; 19: 11-16. Arcana Coelestia 2762: 1-4

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NEW JERUSALEM COMING DOWN 1980

NEW JERUSALEM COMING DOWN Rev. ERIK SANDSTROM 1980

     (Given at Denver Dedication Service, Mar. 23, 1980.)

     AN ADDRESS

     And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away: and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Rev. 21: 1, 2

     There is a prayer in the heart of all here assembled that this building, small and modest and yet dearly loved, may serve as a home for those who worship the Lord God the Saviour Jesus Christ in faith and life, and as an instrument in His hands for bringing others to the same worship. The size of a physical instrument is of smaller moment than the quality and depth of the love, faith, and fortitude that makes use of it. So it is that the worship of the Lord in each heart and soul makes the essence of any ritualistic enactment of worship in a church dedicated to the glory of Him who is the God and Saviour of all.
     The New Jerusalem is to come down into those hearts and souls, and only mediately through them into external forms both of formal worship and of daily life. No act, whether expressed as piety or as charity, is to stand alone without its correspondential source and essence-not in the Church of the New Jerusalem. As the Writings declare: "In this Church there will be no external separate from the internal, because the Lord Himself in His Divine Human, from whom is everything of the Church, is alone approached, worshipped, and adored."*
     * AR 918.
     The holy city is spiritual. It is not a physical colossus, whose length would be somewhat equal to the distance between Denver and Pittsburgh, and whose width, being the same, would reach well into northern Canada, and whose height, again equal, would approach the altitude where our weather satellites are stationed above the earth. Such an impossible physical city it would be if the description of John's vision were to be taken literally.* The holy city is a symbol of divinely given doctrine, and of the worship and life that result from being faithful to that doctrine.

238

Doctrine is likened to a city, because the mind travels along avenues of Divine verities in the same way as the citizen walks the streets of a city; and also because the mind dwells securely in the embrace of sure doctrine, even as a citizen lives in safety in his own home in a well ordered city. Divine doctrine is given, not to enforce rigid concepts on an unwilling soul, but rather so that the lost or disoriented pilgrim may come to know where he is and where he ought to go in order to find peace for his soul. When John saw his vision of the city coming down, he "heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God."**
     * See Rev. 21: 16.
     ** Rev. 21:3.
     Since now the city knows no spatial dimension or limitation, the whole world can be invited into it. The twelve thousand furlongs, which are given as the measure of it, have an altogether spiritual signification; the Writings tell us they stand for "all things good and true of the Lord's New Church. . . The length, breadth, and height of it are said to be equal, to signify that all things of that Church are from the good of love, for length signifies the good of love, and breadth truth from that good, and height good and truth together in every degree, for height is from the highest to the lowest, and the highest descends to the lowest by degrees, which are called degrees of altitude, in which the heavens are, from the highest or third heaven to the ultimate or first."* The measures of the holy city are spiritual and the city is spiritual and heavenly. To enter it is to come into association with angels. Yet while the gates are open continually,** not all will be able to pass through them. The criterion is whether or not the commandments of the Word have been kept. "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."***
     * AR 907.
     ** Rev. 21: 25.
     *** Rev. 22: 14, 15.
     But what of those who do not know the commandments? What of the gentiles? What of the Christians, who from erroneous instruction have believed that faith saves without obedience to these commandments? Yet these too are called; these too may pass through the gates: but not without preparation, not without instruction. To be welcomed into a city assumes a knowledge of the law by which it is governed, and a delight in that law. This is why there came a revelation of the law of heaven, the Doctrine of heaven, before there could be an invitation to enter the city which came down from heaven.

239

Remember that the New Jerusalem is a city of doctrine. It is a heavenly doctrine, and it is to forge a heavenly life among men. That is why it is only at the end of the Book of Revelation that the call is extended: "And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come."* And this too is why the little work, Invitation to the New Church, was added and posthumously published only after the more than thirty expository and doctrinal volumes had been completed and put through the press by him who called himself "Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ." One of the very first theses in that posthumous work is: "Invitation to the New Church, that men should go and meet the Lord."**
     * Rev. 22: 17.
     ** Inv. Syllabus IX.
     Now the heavenly city "was pure gold," and, remarkably, at the same time "like unto clear glass."* "Gold" tells us of love, and here the supreme love to the Lord in His Divine Human-the Lord revealed and become visible, for all to know and approach directly as their very Father who is in heaven; and it tells us of true love of the neighbor also, so that in the exercise of such love His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. This implies knowledge, insight, wisdom; and this is why this gold, this love, is "like clear glass." Transparent gold! Only spiritual gold can be such. And love is as it were transparent when it shines forth through wisdom. True love never was blind! And this heavenly love is to be more seeing, more informed, more discriminating, more wise and therefore at the same time more merciful than human love has ever been since the cradle of mankind. Hence the maxim for the New Christian Church-NUNC LICET! "Now it is permissible!"**
     * Rev.21: 18.
     ** See TCR 508.
     These momentous words signify that "now it is permissible to enter with the understanding into the secrets of faith." With the understanding! Have you contemplated the revolutionary import of the understanding being taken into the confidence of faith? Indeed the Lord began to prepare for this even in His first advent. He said to His disciples at the end of His sojourn among them: "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends."* Yet only moments later He added: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."** So it is now, when He has returned as the Spirit of truth by revealing the internal or spiritual sense of His whole Word, that His age-old longing to tell man, to inform him, to as it were converse with him, is being finally fulfilled.

240

Already in the days of Isaiah He said, "Come now, and let us reason together"***; and as we have seen He invited to friendship with Himself while on earth, saying also, "Have ye understood all these things?"**** But the secrets of faith are in themselves heavenly, for it is in heaven that they are in their own light. This therefore is why the triumphant Nunc Licet could only be spoken as the doctrine of heaven came down from God out of heaven.
     * Jn. 15: 15.
     ** Jn. 16: 12.
     *** Is. 1:18.
     **** Matt. 13: 51.
     Nor is anything less than this adequate for the restoration of the Lord's kingdom among the nations of the earth. Our age will not rise to empty slogans, or sentimental appeals, or antiquated persuasions. Instead, let men understand; let them see for themselves. Truth ever made free, and nothing else ever did. And the Lord said: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."* But full freedom is only when the deepest truth for which the human soul yearns, is known to that soul. Full freedom is heavenly freedom, the freedom that the doctrine of heaven introduces. "Come now, and let us reason together"-these words are now spoken again; and this time in their full meaning, for now is the time of the Lord's second advent.
     * Jn. 8: 32.
     It is therefore the prayer of this little group, not only that this house may be a house of worship of the Lord God the Saviour Jesus Christ; but beyond this, that His New Christian Kingdom may come, to us all and to the many who wait for spiritual deliverance, so that at last His will may be done, as in heaven, so upon the earth. Amen

241

[Editor's Note: On the other side of this page will be found a picture of the Denver, Colo, church, dedicated March 23, 1980. The title below it appears on the top half of the signboard seen in front of the building.]

242

[Photograph.]

CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
DEDICATED TO THE WORSHIP OF THE LORD GOD JESUS CHRIST

243

DEDICATION WEEKEND FOR THE DENVER CIRCLE 1980

DEDICATION WEEKEND FOR THE DENVER CIRCLE PEGGY (KLIPPENSTEIN) ANDREWS 1980

     The determination of many years brought us together this weekend for the dedication of our new church building.
     The weekend started with a reception for Bishop and Mrs. King in the lovely home of Joe and Cecy Orrico. Then on March 23rd, 1980, the Denver Circle had an inspiring and beautiful service led by Bishop King and the Rev. Erik Sandstrom. Bishop King explained the meaning of dedication to the children and adults alike, and showed that in our minds, we too must build a church dedicated to the Lord, just as externally we have worked on preparing our church building for its dedication. Then Mr. Jeffrey Carr, our secretary, presented the key to the church saying, "On behalf of the Denver Circle of the Church of the New Jerusalem, I present the key to this building and declare that this church is now ready to be dedicated to the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ as the one God of heaven and earth." Receiving the key, Bishop King responded and placed the key on the altar, and laying his hand on the open Word, spoke the words of dedication. This was followed by a sermon from our Pastor, Rev. Sandstrom, in which the New Jerusalem was seen coming down from God out of heaven, first as Heavenly Doctrine in the form of written Revelation, and then as a new kingdom built in our hearts and minds by means of the heavenly law given us. A church building is an instrument in the reception and promulgation of that kingdom.
     The beautiful emotions brought forth in the service were shared during our social dinner. Former Pastors sent messages of congratulations and good wishes. We had toasts and encouraging speeches by Bishop King, Mr. Klippenstein, and Mr. Sandstrom, whose love and experience has helped pull our varied and congenial group even closer together. The time seems to be right for growth. We now have a church center and, as Mr. Klippenstein encouraged, it is time to apply the truths that the Lord has given us and be useful, productive people to help our Church grow.
     We welcomed our friends from afar who joined us to celebrate this special weekend. Dr. and Mrs. A. A. Doering from New Mexico,, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cockett (Susan Nickel) from Wyoming, and Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Klippenstein from South Dakota; and of course, Bishop and Mrs. King, whose outgoing loving support was felt by all. We also were pleased to celebrate the engagement of Mara Bostock and Chuck White. Their announcement added a special joy to the weekend. We ended the day with a class by Bishop King in preparation for Easter, showing that the purpose of the Word and the church is to lead people into a true happy state both here and hereafter.

244

     Our search for a church building began again in earnest last summer with a neighbor of Joe and Cecy Orrico. Joanne Barron is a young mother just getting started in real estate. She listened to our needs and went to work. Joanne's patience and persistence found a little old church with an annex which could be used for social dinners and Sunday-school. The location was suitable for all in our widely spread-out group. Bu-t when she first showed it to Leila Caracena and Peggy Andrews, it wasn't for sale. Joanne had to do quite a bit of searching to find the owners. She wrote a letter stating that she knew a church group interested in buying their building. Suddenly, I'm sure providentially, everything began to fall into place. The owners had just decided to sell and the price was very reasonable. The group met to see the buildings and unanimously approved. Mr. Sandstrom flew down and shared our excitement. With Mr. Sandstrom's encouragement and help, the funds were approved from the building fund for the Denver Circle given many years ago by Miss Sarah Hagar.
     Within three days, one day before the church was to be listed, we made our offer and it was accepted. The Denver Circle finally had a church of its own.
     With the many different talents within our group, we went to work. We cleaned, put down new carpets in the church proper and annex, made new drapes for the church and curtains for the dining room, fixed doors, replaced locks, divided a large nursery so we could have a separate vestry, painted, pruned trees, and made many things ready for this weekend-not that all the work is done-but we have made a good start with everyone who could, doing their share.
     The generous donation by Mr. and Mrs. Egmont Vrooman for an organ has helped make our church complete. When Cecy Orrico joined our group two years ago, we were treated to beautiful music for our church services. Any church that has had only recorded music will know just how much we appreciate Cecy and the luxury of our own organ.
     The Denver group has seen many friends come and go. We would love nothing better than to see our group grow in this lovely Rocky Mountain country, grow so much that we will soon be wanting to build a bigger church of our own.
     PEGGY (KLIPPENSTEIN) ANDREWS

245

SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NINETEENTH OF JUNE 1980

SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NINETEENTH OF JUNE Rev. DOUGLAS M. TAYLOR 1980

     A NEW CHURCH DAY ADDRESS

     At Christmas time we celebrate the birth of the Lord from Mary. Our affections, both spiritual and natural, cluster around the Babe born in Bethlehem. The joyousness of the Christmas season arises from the fact that the Deliverer and Redeemer promised in the Old Testament had actually come. The Old Testament prophecies concerning the Lord's first coming had been fulfilled. This is the cause of our rejoicing at Christmas time.
     At Easter time we celebrate and remember the birth of the Divine Human-not the human from Mary, but the Human from God, the Divine Human. We remind ourselves once more that the Lord made His Human Divine; and in so doing, He redeemed mankind from inevitable bondage to hell, and at the same time He established .the Christian Church as the link between heaven and earth.
     On New Church Day, however, we remember and celebrate the revelation of the Lord in His Divine Human. From that revelation we really begin to understand the significance of Easter, and in fact, the significance of the First Coming. The proclaiming of the New Evangel on the 19th Day of June in the year 1770 was not the first step in the formation of the New Heaven-which, in fact was nearing completion by that date; it can be better described as a clearing of the way for the descent of the New Jerusalem and the establishment of the New Church on earth.
     The passage in the Writings on which our thoughts concerning New Church Day are based is the well-known one in True Christian Religion. It reads:

"After this work (True Christian Religion) was finished, the Lord called together His twelve disciples who followed Him in the world; and the next day He sent them all forth throughout the whole spiritual world to preach the gospel that THE LORD GOD JESUS CHRIST reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ages and ages, according to the prediction in Daniel (7: 13, 14),and in the Apocalypse (11: 15).
     "Also, that blessed are those that come to the marriage supper of the Lamb. (Apoc. 19: 9)

246

     "This took place on the nineteenth day of June, 1770. This is what is meant by these words of the Lord: 'He shall send His angels and they shall gather together His elect, from the end of the heavens to the end thereof.' (Matthew 24: 31)."*
     * TCR 791.
     When we think about this passage, several questions arise. For example, why did those in the heavens have to be told that the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns? Surely, they would have known -that already, being angels of heaven. Another question is, What is meant by the "whole spiritual world"? Also, how could the disciples, a group of only twelve men, visit all the societies of the spiritual world? Again, why were the disciples chosen? Were they the highest angels in heaven that they should have this honor conferred upon them? Why was this proclaiming of the New Evangel done only after the work True Chris tin Religion was completed? Why that book in particular?
     Let us look at each of these questions in turn and try to see the answers.

Why did those in heaven have to be told?

     The question arises because of the teaching in Heaven and Hell, and elsewhere in the Writings, that "the God of heaven is the Lord."* It is said that "throughout all heaven no other than the Lord alone is acknowledged as the God of heaven."** If this is the case, why would they need to be told in heaven that the Lord reigns?
     * HH 2-6.
     ** HH 2.
     In the first place, the reference is to the reign of the Lord on earth. This is clear from the fact that His kingdom is said to endure for ages of ages, that it is predicted in the Word, and especially from the allusion to "the marriage supper of the Lamb." The "marriage supper of the Lamb" means the New Church, the New Church on earth (AR 812, 816). The angels in the heavens need to be told about the state of the Church on earth. They are intensely interested in this subject, as is evident from their repeated question, "What news from the earth?" Moreover, the state of the heavens varies according to the state of the Church on earth.* We read in the Coronis that there cannot be "an angelic heaven unless there be a church on the earths. The angels know this; on which account, they bitterly lament when the Church on earth is desolated by falsities and consummated by evils; and, at such times, they compare the state of their life with drowsiness, for then heaven is to them as a seat withdrawn, and like a body deprived of feet; but, when the Church on the earth has been restored by the Lord, they compare the state of their life to wakefulness."** The state of the Church on earth is therefore a matter of intense interest to them. We can imagine that the New Evangel-that the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns in a New Church on the earth-would be for them a cause for great rejoicing.
     * LJ 9,10; TCR 118-121.
     ** Coro. 19: 5, 6.
     Let us remember also that the New Heaven, which had to be formed before the New Church on earth could be established,* was constituted of the good from the Christian world. Many of them were in a very obscure state; some of them had been hidden away in what is called "the lower earth." This was a region below the world of spirits, but above the hells-a place where those from the Christian world who were in simple good were hidden away as a protection against the interiorly evil, who could have led them astray. These spirits from the lower earth needed to be instructed as a preparation for their entrance into the New Heaven. For them the knowledge of the New Evangel was of the utmost importance- as, indeed, it was for the New Church on earth. It is the foundation of the New Heaven and the new earth.
     * TCR 784.
     For these reasons, then, it was necessary that the heavens be told that there was a New Church on earth, in which the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns, and that His kingdom would be for ages of ages.

What is meant by the "whole spiritual world?"

     It is interesting to note that the Latin word translated "whole" is "universum." There seems to be no reason why this should not be translated "universal," although the word universalis is the more usual word. But if the expression "the whole spiritual world" or "the universal spiritual world" means the heavens from other earths, then we can obtain a wider view of the scope of this momentous event. Certain teachings indicate that while the spirits and angels from other earths in the universe do indeed worship God in the Human Form, while it seems to be universally seen that God is Man, yet not all the spirits and angels from other earths know that the Lord was born on our earth. For instance, we read in the Arcana: "Among the inhabitants of the other earths all (who are not idolaters), acknowledge the Lord as the only God; but they do not know, except a very few, that the Lord assumed the Human on this earth, and made it Divine."* The happy effect upon them when this New Evangel is communicated to them is brought out in this passage in Earths In the Universe: "When they are informed by the spirits and angels of our earth that God is actually Man, they receive that word, acknowledge it, and rejoice that it is so."** We are further taught that because the interiors of the mind of the inhabitants of other earths are open, this information can be communicated also to the inhabitants themselves of those earths.***

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In this way the New Evangel can be spread to all the people in the entire universe. This adds a third reason to the two already given for the promulgation of the New Evangel throughout the whole spiritual world.
     * AC 6700; cf. HH 321.
     ** EU 121.
     *** AC 9438.

How could the disciples do it all?

     It is sometimes wondered how the disciples, being only twelve in number, could possibly have traversed the whole spiritual world-especially if they had to visit the heavens from all the other earths in the universe. Even though it is said that each disciple was assigned his own province, still the task seems to be altogether too formidable. When will they ever complete the task?
     This difficulty comes to mind whenever we forget that the laws of the spiritual world are, fortunately, very different from those of the natural world! We are so hemmed in here by time and space concepts that it really is difficult to imagine how different the situation is in the spiritual world, where there is only the appearance of time and space. The laws of the spiritual world are exactly the same as the laws of the mind. The spiritual world is the mind's world. The laws of nature simply do not apply.
     The disciples did not have to go anywhere in order to evangelize the whole spiritual world. That is .the important point to remember. In the spiritual world there is such a thing as "aspect-presence." It is possible to be present in a society distant from one's own by aspect, which seems to be a kind of projection of one's self. "Aspect" is defined as "appearing before the eyes."* Regarding this presence by aspect we read in Heaven and Hell that "it is a common thing in heaven for them to appear as present in the place where their look (or aspect) is fixed, or terminated, although it be very far away from the place were they actually are."** In other words, it is possible to be present by aspect without ever leaving one's own society.
     * AC 9434.
     ** HH 121.
     When this is understood, it is easier to imagine the disciples carrying the New Evangel to every province of the whole spiritual world. There is also the law of the spiritual world that thought brings presence, and thought from affection brings conjunction.* Swedenborg was able to learn this countless times by experience, and reports on it in these words:

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"That the sphere of thoughts and affections extend themselves round about into the spheres of societies that are afar off, was made manifest to me from this, that when I was thinking from affection concerning such things as particularly moved a society at a distance, they instantly discoursed with me on that subject."**
     * AC 1274.
     ** AC 6602.
     In our day and age we are in a much better position to understand "aspect presence" than were the early receivers of the Writings. Since their time there have been several inventions in the natural world which, in a crude way, emulate some of the modes of communication in the spiritual world. First of all, there was the telephone-by which a person could remain in his own home and yet his voice could be heard at a distance. Then came the radio, whereby a person in one location could be heard all round the world simultaneously-as if present. Now we have the television, whereby the President of the United States, while actually in the White House, can not only be heard but seen in all parts of the globe at the same time.
     These natural illustrations may perhaps help us to understand the spiritual laws by which the disciples could be, as it were, "sent forth" throughout the whole spiritual world.

Why were the disciples chosen for this work?

     There is a tendency of the natural man to think that the prophets, the patriarchs, and the disciples, because of their great service to the Lord while they lived on earth, must occupy some exalted positions in heaven. Such an idea of their lot after death is merely an outgrowth of the idea that heaven is a reward, and that one can merit heaven by means of good works.
     But we learn from the work Heaven and Hell that the apostles "were not more esteemed there than others."* In fact, we are assured also that there are many, many others in heaven more worthy than the apostles.** It was not, then, because of anything in themselves that the twelve apostles were chosen to preach the New Evangel.
     * HH 526: 4.
     ** SD 1330.
     This is true even of their selection to preach the gospel in the natural world. They were not chosen at that time because they were better than others, but because they could actually understand matters of faith better than could the learned of the day. The learned were so immersed in trifles that spiritual things were beyond them. For this reason, the Writings reveal, the Lord chose disciples from the unlearned, such as fishermen.*
     * SD 1216.

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     Their labors on behalf of the Lord in the natural world fitted them above all others to preach the New Evangel in the spiritual world when the state was prepared. It is said, in a note inserted in the second draft of True Christian Religion some months after the completion of the first draft, that the apostles were carrying out their task "with all zeal and industry."* The zeal they showed in the natural world remained with them in the spiritual world-and this was one reason why they were chosen.
     * TCR 108.
     But there is a much more important reason. Not only were they instructed by the Lord Himself while on earth-which was a privilege given to very few others-but they actually knew the Lord better than anyone else in all the heavens. Their testimony throughout the spiritual world carried the authority of eye-witnesses! They had seen the Lord in the flesh. The sound-waves and vibrations of His voice had actually impinged on their ears in a most ultimate way. For three years they had lived with the Lord and traveled with Him, sharing in His experiences. Who else in the whole spiritual world was better equipped than they to proclaim the truth that the God of heaven and earth, the Creator and Redeemer of the universe, had lived on this earth and that He was the Lord God Jesus Christ. The idea of God as Divine Man was written into their memories in a much more ultimate way than was possible with anyone else in the spiritual world. For .they had seen and known Him on the most ultimate plane of life.
     In connection with this it is most enlightening to read again number 339 in True Christian Religion-in the chapter on Faith. The number speaks of the absolute necessity of believing in a visible God within whom is the invisible. It stresses that faith in a visible God, who is at once Man and God, enters into a man; an4 it gives the reason: "For faith in its essence is spiritual but in its form is natural; consequently with man such a faith becomes spiritual-natural. For anything spiritual, in order to be anything with man, must have a recipient in the natural. The naked spiritual does indeed enter into man, but is not received."*
     * TCR 339.
     The number goes on to contrast this with faith in an invisible God, which is actually blind faith, "since the human mind fails to see its God." "What follows," the number continues, "but that man regards God as he does the ether? Consequently he seeks God in the universe; and when he does not find Him there, he believes the nature of the universe to be God. This is the origin of the prevailing naturalism of the day."*
     * TCR 339: 2.

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     The number then refers again to faith in the visible God. "But faith in the Lord God the Saviour is different; He, being God and Man, can be approached and be seen in thought. Faith in Him is not indeterminate but has an object from which and to which it proceeds and when once received is permanent."* Then it gives an illustration of this that helps us see why the disciples were chosen. The illustration is the case where one "has seen an emperor or king," in which case "as often as the fact is recalled the image returns" (ibid.).
     * TCR 339: 3.
     The number concludes with one of those simple matter-of-fact statements of truth in the Writings that are so full of meaning as to take the breath away. The concluding sentence reads: "The foregoing was written in the presence of the Lord's twelve apostles, who were sent to me by the Lord while I was writing it."*
     * TCR 339e.
     The Lord's eye-witnesses! Those who had seen the Lord and been instructed from His very mouth, only they, of all the angels of heaven, were fully equipped to preach the New Evangel to the whole spiritual world.
     But it is said in True Christian Religion 108 that "to each apostle was assigned a particular province." This again suggests a further reason for their being chosen. We know from the Writings that each of the apostles represented some quality of the Church; that Simon Peter represented faith from charity, that his brother Andrew represented obedience, that James represented the good of charity, while his brother John (the beloved disciple) represented the good works of charity and love to the Lord. It is similar with the remaining disciples-they each represented some quality of the Church.
     Each therefore had his own particular province, his own particular group of societies who would hear the New Evangel in a way similar to the disciple who proclaimed it. Those societies where there was a great emphasis on faith from charity would receive the sublime message through Simon Peter. Those who emphasized the good works of charity would hear it from John, and so on. They communicated with those societies that had the same predominant affections as they themselves did-for the disciples not only represented certain qualities of the Church but, we are taught, had them to a very large degree themselves. This was the reason why each one was chosen particularly to be a disciple and later an apostle.
     It was, then, because of their zeal, because they had seen and known the Lord in Person, and because they represented the various qualities of the Church or provinces of the Lord's kingdom that they were chosen to be the first preachers of the New Evangel.

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Why was this done only after TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION was completed?

     In order to understand the relationship between the New Evangel and the work True Christian Religion, we need first to see the significance of certain events in the spiritual world prior to 1770.
     The first of these was the General Judgment on the Christian Church that took place in the spiritual world in the year 1757. We are taught that this was essentially the separation of the interiorly evil from the interiorly good in the world of spirits. At that time there were false heavens composed of those who were interiorly evil but outwardly wore the garb of Christians and deceived those who were interiorly good but were not well instructed. These false or imaginary heavens were like a great cloud interposed between the heavens and the minds of men on earth. They are what are meant by the heavens that passed away, as prophesied in the Book of Revelation.
     The separation of the good from the evil in the world of spirits was done very simply and easily-by an increase in the intensity of the influx of the sphere of heaven into the world of spirits. The good were prepared to receive this without discomfort. But the evil, whose minds were interiorly turned against this sphere, experienced great discomfort and fled away.
     From the good who were left behind the Lord began to form the New Heaven. It was composed, we read, "of such Christians as acknowledged in the world, or after their departure from the world were able to acknowledge, that (the Lord) is the God, of heaven and earth, according to His words in Matthew 28: 18."* Of all such people in the spiritual world who really believed in the Lord God the Saviour, and who approached Him directly the New Angelic Heaven was formed.** These, it might be added, are meant in Matthew 24 by "the elect."
     * TCR 781.
     ** TCR 108.
     The Last Judgment on the Christian Church had taken place., then, and the New Heaven (or, if you like, the New Church in the spiritual world) was in process of formation, but a New Church on the earth, which was the whole end and purpose of the Lord's Second Coming, could not begin to be established until two further events took place: first, the New Heaven had to be instructed and organized; and secondly, light from that New Heaven had to be able to flow in and enlighten the minds of men on earth.
     The soul must always come before the body. The New Heaven had to be established before the New Church on earth could be formed.

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Hence we read: "It is in accordance with Divine Order that a New Heaven should be formed before a New Church is established on earth, for the Church is both internal and external, and the internal Church makes one with the Church in heaven, thus with heaven itself; and what is internal must be formed before its external, what is external being formed afterwards by means of its internal."*
     * TCR 784.
     Then this same passage from the work True Christian Religion goes on to state a principle that carries practical implications for us all. It continues: "Just so far as this New Heaven, which makes the internal of the Church with man increases, so far does the New Jerusalem, that is, the New Church, descend from it; consequently, this cannot take place in a moment, but it takes place to the extent that the falsities of the former Church are set aside. For where falsities have already been implanted what is new cannot enter until the falsities have been rooted out." (ibid.)
     We have seen that the New Heaven was prepared to become the soul of the New Church on earth by means of the promulgation of the New Evangel. But it was of no use for that New Heaven to be a center for the dissemination of the Divine love and wisdom unless there was also at the same time a recipient vessel on earth that could receive the new light from the New Heaven. It was necessary for there to be a new form of the Word on earth-a new form that was more interior than the previous revelation of the Word, a new form that cut through and dissipated the mistaken ideas of the Divine Doctrine that had prevailed at the end of the Christian Church, a new form of the Word that would be a concordant receptacle for the light from the New Heaven. This was being provided in what we call the Writings. They were, after all, the "Heavenly Doctrine." As we read in the introduction to the work The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, it is to be called Heavenly Doctrine because it was revealed to Swedenborg from heaven.*
     * HD 7.
     The work True Christian Religion was the last book of the Writings, the compendium of the whole system, the last thing said which contained all that had gone before-or, as its sub-title reads: "Containing The Universal Theology of the New Church." With the writing of that crowning book in the crown of revelations the stage was set for the establishment of the New Church on earth.
     There were other features of the work True Christian Religion-besides the fact that it was the last of the Writings-that required it to be written down before the New Evangel could be given in the heavens.

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It stresses the Divinity of the Lord, the Lord's kingdom, and a New Church on earth in place of the former Church. The opening chapters treat of the Lord; the middle chapters are about the Lord's kingdom; and the final chapter is about the Consummation of the Age, the Second Coming of the Lord, and the New Church in heaven and on earth.
     This can be confirmed by the chapter headings of the work itself. They read: God the Creator, The Lord the Redeemer, The Holy Spirit and the Divine Operation. These three opening chapters summarize what had previously been revealed about the Lord. In the chapter on the Lord the Redeemer there occurs this significant statement: "To show that the Divine Trinity is united in the Lord is the chief object of this work."* That statement is followed immediately by one of the references to the apostles' preaching of what is distinctly said to be "this Gospel."
     * TCR 108.
     The next two chapters are a kind of transition to the subject of the Lord's kingdom. They are on the Sacred Scripture or the Word of the Lord and the Decalogue or Ten Commandments. The Word sets forth the laws of the Lord's kingdom; the Ten Commandments, being an epitome of the Word, set forth our duty to the Lord and to the neighbor. This chapter turns our thoughts both back to the Lord and forward to the ideals of His kingdom.
     Then follow a series of chapters which present various aspects of His kingdom-Faith, Charity or Love towards the Neighbor, Freedom of Choice, Repentance, Reformation and Regeneration, Imputation, Baptism, and the Holy Supper.
     Again, those last two chapters provide a transition from the idea of the Lord's kingdom to the Church. They are sacraments of the Church depicting the universals of the Lord's kingdom.
     The final chapter, as was said, has to do with the setting up of the New Church as a result of the coming of the Lord in the Heavenly Doctrine at the end of the Christian Church.
     Who cannot see that the work True Christian Religion is an elaboration of the New Evangel? The three subjects of the New Evangel are: the Lord God Jesus Christ; His kingdom-that it will be forever; and the "marriage-supper of the Lamb."
     We read in the Apocalypse Revealed the explanation of these latter words, as follows: "'Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb', signifies that those have eternal life who receive those things which are of the New Church. They are called 'blessed', who have eternal life.

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By 'the marriage of the Lamb' the New Church is signified, which is in conjunction with the Lord."*
     * AR 816.
     The three subjects of the New Evangel (the Lord, His kingdom, and the New Church) are also the subjects of the work True Christian Religion. These three themes weave their way through every section of that work. But in every chapter, no matter which main theme is being discussed, the doctrine is presented in such a way as to make a contrast with the falsities of the Christian Church. The whole book is the most penetrating analysis ever written of the false dogmas of the consummated Christian Church. It is demonstrated very clearly and unmistakably that the doctrines of the New Church can never be together with those of the Christian Church. In other words, the work True Christian Religion, in pointing out the need for separation and distinctiveness, performs a kind of Last Judgment on earth-leading to the establishment of a distinctly New Church on the earth.
     It was only after it was completed in ultimate form and existed as a basis and recipient vessel for the light and warmth of the New Heaven, that everything was in order for the Apostles to begin preaching the gospel that "THE LORD GOD JESUS CHRIST reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ages and ages ... also THAT BLESSED ARE THOSE THAT COME TO THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB (Apocalypse 19: 9). This took place on the 19th Day of June, 1770."*
     * TCR 791.

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DIVINE INSPIRATION OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG 1980

DIVINE INSPIRATION OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG Rev. ORMOND DEC. ODHNER 1980

     PART II: The Writings as the Word of God

     Let us now consider Swedenborg's inspiration-how he received his revelation, and how he wrote it-to see how the Writings, apparently his, are really the Word of God.

1. Intromission into Heaven

     Swedenborg was, of course, inserted into angelic societies. His inspiration in this regard was, however, unique: He was granted consciousness on the plane of the spirit, as many other men before him; but he at the same time retained consciousness on the plane of the body. Thus, for example, he tells how he was talking to a spirit in the other world, while at the same time on this earth he was walking in that spirit's funeral procession. Not even John on the isle of Patmos nor Abraham feasting the angels enjoyed consciousness in both worlds at once, nor, apparently, did the men of the Most Ancient Church, although they enjoyed open intercourse with angels. Swedenborg alone, of all men, was granted to be in spiritual light and in natural light at one and the same time, he says.
     Being thus conscious in both worlds at once, he was able to compare the two worlds with each other, and thus could learn both the similarities and the differences between the two. He did not receive his revelation by dictation, remember; rather did he, for himself and as of himself, learn the things he revealed, through observation, study, inquiry, and conversation, and then, apparently, proceeded to express these spiritual truths in his own words. (Hence it is that all the speeches of the angels, wherever recorded in the Writings, are phrased in Swedenborg's own peculiar, dry style.)

2.     His Method of Learning

     Now, the Writings are a rational revelation, as we say. But this implies more than that they contain Divine Truths in rational form. It implies also that they were revealed in a rational manner to a man who rationally understood them. Indeed it is mainly because Swedenborg was able to comprehend rationally the things he wrote-because, that is, he studied his spiritual observations and drew conclusions from them-that the Writings are a rational revelation.

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Only an adult who had studied and understood science, for example, could give a rational explanation of the apparent rising and setting of the sun.
     He was, of course, Divinely led to his rational conclusions, but he formulated them as it were of his own free will. In this there is no contradiction. Some months from now, were I to show you a hoe, a rake, and a packet of seeds, you of your own free will would think of a certain thing. Actually, however, I would have led you to that thought. Thus, in spiritual things, Swedenborg often said that it was "of the Divine auspices of the Lord" that he was led to such and such a place in the other world, where a particular discussion was being held at that time.
     Swedenborg had long been searching for spiritual truths in nature, hoping to prove thereby the existence of God and the reality of an eternal soul in human form. Then, in 1743, or 44, when he was fifty-five or fifty-six years old, he saw the Lord, he began to undergo peculiar spiritual experiences, his spiritual eyes were opened, and finally, in 1745 he saw the Lord again, twice the same day, and was told that he had been chosen to explain the spiritual meaning of Scripture to men. He did not rush and publish this news at once, however; a lifetime of experience had taught him to keep silent until he understood his subject. And so, instead, he immediately turned to an exhaustive study of the source of all theology, the Word of God.
     Already he had completed a short index to the Bible, but now he began another one, far more extensive. He did this, I conclude, in order that through a comparison of passages wherein any one word is used, he might understand its real significance. And this leads to the further conclusion that he began to see, from his experiences in heaven, that the whole Word contains an inner meaning, a spiritual sense, and that each word of the letter is therefore of great importance.
     About three years later he began to study Hebrew, so that he might know the true basic meaning of the words of the Old Testament. (He already knew Greek.) This, again, he must have done for the sake of learning the exact internal sense.
     His spiritual experiences may be compared with those of a man who visits a new country and decides to tell others about it. He used his senses and his sense so that he might recount the phenomena of that spiritual country and explain them to his fellow men. He saw, heard, touched, tasted, and smelled, and drew conclusions from his experiences. Also, of course, he discussed these things with spirits and angels and learned much from such conversations.

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     Practically everything he revealed he learned this way. When he read the Word in its letter, he saw that angels then drew forth a spiritual meaning from it. So also did he learn the particulars of correspondences: He observed that different types of spirits were surrounded by different types of scenery, the component parts of which were mentioned in the Word. He rightly concluded from such observations what particular quality in these spirits such things corresponded to.
     So also did he learn that heaven is in the form of a Gorand Man. He noted in his Diary, November 24, 1747, that the removal of certain spirits from him caused an apparently physical sensation, as though something were being withdrawn from his head. Spirits, he then concluded, are within man, as well as outside him. Some are in the head, he wrote.* Four days late he wrote, "I have been taught by a very lively, sensible experience, that the spheres . . . where human souls dwell after death . . . entirely correspond to the members of the human frame." And after much similar experience, he noted on January 18, 1748, "The universal heaven is so formed as entirely to correspond to man in the universal and in the minutest detail."** And here, for the first time, he calls this universal form of heaven a Gorand Man. Thus also, of course, he learned the particular correspondences of the human body.
     * SD 266.
     * SD 498.
     How did he learn that every spirit is in complete human form? He saw them as such. How, that marriages of conjugial love endure to eternity? He saw all the angels of heaven living in such blessed marriages. How, that man is raised from the dead within three days of death? He saw his own friends wake from death within that time. He saw children who died grow up and become angels. He learned from observation and conversation that all angels work daily at their employments and consider this the only external thing necessary to the existence of charity. He saw evil spirits rush headlong into hell, and drew the obvious conclusion that the Lord casts no one thither. He could rationalize concerning the interrelationship of the two worlds, because he sensed them both at once; and when, for example, he noted certain Abyssinian spirits with him become ineffably happy when he, on earth, heard a certain psalm being sung, he could conclude that .the spiritual world rests upon the natural.
     Only gradually, however, did he come to understand the real meaning of the things he thus observed. His progress in this is illustrated in the Word Explained and the Spiritual Diary. (The Word Explained, incidentally, while rarely regarded as part of the canon of the Heavenly Doctrines, nevertheless was written after his spiritual eyes were opened and contains his first attempts to draw forth a spiritual meaning from the Word.)

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In the Word Explained he writes, "What has been written . . . I am not yet able to confirm so that I can call God to witness concerning it."* Again, that he does not yet know if certain things are God's truths.** Later he perceives that his mental obscurity in some matters came from evil spirits.*** Later, he wonders whether certain things should be published at all: "See how this is to be set forth, that it may be stated prudently," he writes.**** In the Diary he writes in October, 1747, that his understanding of spiritual things had often been taken away; later he said that slips and errors had crept into his writings from evil spirits.***** About a year later he wrote, "I do not yet know this for certain."******
* WE 475.
** WE 1530.
*** WE 2876.
**** Adv.3: 5021.
***** SD 2873.
****** SD 3812.
     He learned the facts of his revelation, the spiritual facts, from observation and experience, and from conversation with spirits and angels. These facts he then studied and pondered over, in order that he might perceive their true significance. And it was not until he himself came to such an understanding of them, that he published them for all the world to read.

3. His Method of Writing

     When he wrote down his conclusions, he was, apparently, in freedom to choose his own words. Often he found it difficult-nay, almost impossible
-to express spiritual truths in natural language, even as we find it difficult to put our thought into words.
     Here we read again a passage just quoted: "See how this is .to be set forth, that it may be stated prudently." He had just learned that spirits in the other life can impersonate other spirits and men, and he wondered how he should state this fact, so that it would cause no disturbance.
     Hear now a passage from the Arcana:

When I have been elevated into the light (of heaven), I have seemed to myself to understand all the angels said there; but when I have been let down into the light of the external man, and in this light have wanted to recollect things, . . . I could neither express them by words, nor even comprehend them by ideas of thought, except a few, and these . . . in obscurity.*
     * AC 9094.

     Swedenborg alone of all revelators had the privilege of apparently selecting his own natural words to phrase the spiritual truths taught him in heaven.

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But this also was necessary, in order that the Writings may be a revelation of rational truths, rationally revealed, and rationally understood by the medium of their revelation.

4. Learning Through Spirits?

     We said at the start that for any inspired writing to be the Word of God, it must contain naught but truths from the Lord alone, and must also be written in a Divinely chosen word-order. But have we not just said that everything in the Writings is the result of Swedenborg's own meditations upon his spiritual experiences? That he learned innumerable things directly from spirits and angels? That the words he used to express these things were of his own choice? How, then, are the Writings really the Word of God?
     Angels, spirits, and devils told him many things, of course. Angels, for example, told him that only from the Lord and through conjunction with Him can anyone reach wisdom.* "Spirits," he writes, "said that I had been protected by the Lord through the whole night."* Again, "Certain spirits . . . ascended from hell, and said, . . . 'Write that every spirit, whether good or evil, is in his own delight; a good spirit in the delight of his good, and an evil spirit in the delight of his evil'."***
* DP 36.
** SD 3871.
*** DP 340e.
     And yet, in spite of these and countless similar passages, we must and can conclude that none of these things was from the angel or spirit himself, but all from the Lord alone through him. Thus we read,

The things which I have learned in representations, visions, and speech with spirits and angels are solely from the Lord. Whenever there has been any (such thing), I have been held interiorly and inmostly in reflection upon it, as to what was useful or good from it, thus as to what I might learn. . . . Sometimes (the spirits) were indignant when they perceived that I was reflecting. Thus have I been instructed, consequently by no spirit nor angel, but by the Lord alone.*
     * SD 1647.

     Again, "No spirit has dared, nor any angel wished, to tell me anything, still less to instruct me about any matter in the Word, . . . but I have been taught by the Lord alone."* Again, "I have not received anything whatever pertaining to the doctrines of the church from any angel., but from the Lord alone while I have read the Word."**
     * TCR 779.
     ** DP 135.
     Again, "I have been allowed to say only those things which inflowed from God Messiah alone, mediately through (spirits), and also immediately."*

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Again, "I observed . . . that evil spirits are kept in speaking those things which are to be observed by me. . . . A perception then also was given as to what was to be observed. . . . From which it is evident that the things . . . I have learned through evil spirits, I have learned from the Lord alone, although the spirits spoke."** Yet again, "It was of the Divine auspices of the Lord that I came to those houses (in heaven), and that they then deliberated concerning those matters."*** And again, "Although spirits have spoken with me almost continually for so long a time, ... while it was being written they were silent."****
     * WE 1894.
     ** SD 5464.
     *** AR 484e.
     **** Adv. 3: 7167e.
     Spirits and angels, then, told him many things. But he was led by the Lord to reflect upon their discourse, and given a perception by the Lord as to what he should record. And even their conversations with him were Divinely guided, according, I suppose, to the revealed truth that, we read, "Man and spirit can or is compelled to think and speak only that which the Lord permits or allows."* This Divine control over man's thought and speech is, I suppose, exercised according to the laws that all of man's thoughts are simply forms of his affections; that the Lord alone knows all of a man's ruling love, from which his affections and consequent thoughts inflow; and that the Lord guides these affections and thoughts, permitting only those to come to man's consciousness which can serve a use.**
     * SD 2099.
     ** DP 198.
     What spirits and angels told Swedenborg, then, really was of and from the Lord through them. It is somewhat along the line of the teaching that when any man really learns a Divine Truth, he has been taught by the Lord alone, even if mediately through the preaching of some minister.

5. Learning From Himself?

     But what of Swedenborg's own conclusions? Are not the Writings nothing but his own conclusions? Are they not completely filled with what is Swedenborg's own?
     He himself expresses horror at such an idea, as in the following: His writings, he says are "not my work, but the Lord's."* "Do not believe that I have taken anything from myself, nor from any angel, but from the Lord alone."** "I sacredly confess that not a syllable . . . is from me."***

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"Only what has come from the Lord has been written."**** "I could not produce one single idea by my own effort."*****
     * SD 6101.
     ** AR Pref.
     *** Adv. 3: 3764.
     **** AE 1182: 3.
     ***** Adv 943.
     Nothing in the Writings, then, is from Swedenborg himself; all is from the Lord alone. And yet all that is in the Writings is Swedenborg's own rational conclusions concerning his spiritual experiences. Nor is there any contradiction herein.
     As we read earlier, whenever he saw or heard anything in the spiritual world, he was interiorly and inmostly held in reflection upon it. This was the Lord's doing, Swedenborg freely co-operating. And while he was thus reflecting, the Lord gave him a perception of what was true, and what should therefore be written. Often Swedenborg writes such things as "A perception was then . . . given of what was to be observed."* "I have clearly perceived that. . . "** "It was given me to perceive."***
     * SD 5464.
     ** AE 1147: 3.
     *** SD 4222, et al.
     "Perception," the Writings say, "consists of seeing what is true and good by influx from the Lord."* And it was by perception that Swedenborg was able to draw true conclusions from what he saw. And since all truth in its essence is Divine, it was by perception, therefore, that he came to a rational understanding of the Divine truths he published in the Writings.
     * AC 202.
     But, we read further, "Perception exists only with those who are in the good of love from the Lord to the Lord."* It is given, that is, only to the regenerate. Was Swedenborg, then, regenerate? Very definitely, we believe that he was. He never boasts of the fact; in fact, quite the opposite; but in many places those things he says concerning himself, merely in passing, are predicates of a regenerate man.
     * AC 371.
     Notable, since the book quite obviously was never intended for publication, his Journal of Dreams is filled with confessions of sin, with abject prayers for forgiveness, and with utter abasement of himself as nothing in the sight of God. His horror that men might think his writing his own, rather than the Lord's work, must have come from true spiritual humility. In the Diary he records that he perceived that he was withheld from evil by spiritual bonds,* and it is by spiritual bonds that every angel of heaven is withheld from evil. Again he writes that he has learned, we quote "from experience that evil does not reign with me."** Again, that he was granted a perception like that of "the celestial angels."***

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Again, that the Lord has "granted me to love truths in a spiritual manner that is, for the sake of the truths themselves; for he who loves truths for the sake of truths sees them from the Lord."**** Again, that he was prepared by the Lord to "receive the things that are of spiritual wisdom."***** And finally, that he has been "filled with the spirit of the Lord to teach the doctrines of the New Church from the Word."******
     * SD 2739.
     ** SD 4109.
     *** DP 158.
     **** Letter to Oetinger.
     ***** CL 39.
     ****** TCR 779.
     His own regeneration, then, gave him the ability to perceive from the Lord what was true and should be written. And, of course, being a man actively trying to co-operate with the Lord, and able, as he says, to perceive what inflowed from the Lord and what through the hells,* he wrote down those things only which he perceived to be true, those things only, that is, which were from the mouth of the Lord alone.
     * Adv. 3: 2056e.
     In no way, however, did the degree of his regeneration limit .the amount of Truth contained in his Writings, any more than a minister's personal regeneration determines the amount of truth he embodies in his sermons. In Swedenborg as an individual, truth was indeed limited by the degree of his regeneration; but not in his writings. He had to be regenerating, in order that he might have any perception of truth at all; but this did not determine the amount of truth interiorly contained within his works.
     What Swedenborg learned from his own rational studies and thought, then, was not really from himself at all, but rather from a perception of truth in him from the Lord. This is the fact, no matter what the appearance.

6. His Choice of Words

     So also does the fact overrule the appearance in regard to the words he chose in writing down the Heavenly Doctrines. He did not really choose them of his own free will at all, but only as it were of his own free will. Usually he felt himself to be free to write as he wished; but occasionally he was permitted sensibly to experience such things as to prove that his very words were Divinely inspired, and this reality he himself proclaims as such.
     Thus he writes, "The very words, although not dictated, have still been sensibly inspired."* Again, "These things which have been written . . . have been inspired in me by an angel who was with me. . . . The words themselves came spontaneously upon the paper, but without dictation."** Again, "it was dictated, but in a wonderful way, in the thought, and the thought was led to the understanding of these words, being as it were held down with a heavenly force.

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Thus this revelation was effected sensibly."***
     * Adv. 3: 3764.
     ** Adv. 3: 5394.
     *** AC 6474.
     Thus we see that although his writings apparently contain his own conclusions, phrased in words seemingly of his own choice, they nevertheless actually are Divinely given perceptions of truth phrased in Divinely chosen words. His words came to him spontaneously; his ideas were held down with a heavenly force, in the several words; his choice of words was sensibly inspired, and this so completely that, as he says, "I could not in any wise wander into other thoughts, which was even allowed me to attempt, but to no purpose."*
     * AC 6474.
     We have already seen how this could have been done. Words correspond to the thoughts they express. Thoughts are the forms of affections; they are affections taking form.* The Lord alone knows all of a man's ruling love and the affections springing from it; and these He so guides that only those may come to a man s consciousness, and take form in his thoughts, as can serve a use. As Swedenborg notes, "From manifold and daily experience now . . . it is given me to know that man and spirit is compelled to think and speak that which the Lord permits or allows."** Thought and speech, that is, are ruled and controlled by the Lord for the sake of use. And in Swedenborg's case, of course, the use thus served was the clothing, in a Divinely chosen word-order, of Divine Truths continuous from the Lord alone.
     * DP 198.
     ** SD 2099.

7. Conclusion

     Thus it is that the Writings meet these two requirements of Divine Revelation. Nothing in them is from any man, spirit, or angel, but all is from the mouth of the Lord alone. And the very words used to express them are not of a man's own choice, but are the choice of the Lord Himself. But because their mortal author, the instrument of their revelation, learned all that is in them by observation and study, pondered over it, and then expressed it in words as it were of his own choosing, the Writings are not only the veritable Word of God, but are Divine Truths in rational form, Divine Truths in their very letter, the Word of the Lord in His Second Coming, and the Crown of Revelations.

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HOW MANY "LAST JUDGMENTS" HAVE THERE BEEN? 1980

HOW MANY "LAST JUDGMENTS" HAVE THERE BEEN? Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS 1980

     An Apparent Contradiction

     In certain numbers of the Writings we are told that there have been three "Last Judgments in the history of the world; while in other numbers it is said that there have been four. Both statements are unequivocal. How can we understand this seeming contradiction?
     The three judgments were those effected on the Most Ancient Church, on the Ancient Church, and on the Christian Church, as stated in AC 931:

The Last Judgment of the Most Ancient Church was when it perished, as in its last posterity before the "flood." The Last Judgment on the Jewish Church was when the Lord came into the world. There will also be a Last Judgment when the Lord shall come in glory. (See also U 46, 67)

     On the other hand, we are told in AC 2118 that:

As regards the last time of the church, it was the last time of the Most Ancient Church which was before the flood, when their posterity perished, whose destruction is described by the flood. The Last Judgment of the Ancient Church which was after the flood was when almost all who were of that church became idolaters, and were dispersed. The Last Judgment of the representative church which succeeded among the posterity of Jacob, was when the ten tribes were carried into captivity, and were dispersed among the nations; and when later, after the Lord's coming, the Jews were driven out of the Land of Canaan, and were scattered throughout the world. The Last Judgment of the present church, which is called the Christian Church, is what is meant by John in the Apocalypse by the New Heaven and the New Earth. (See also AC 1343, AC 1335, 1850, 4333, Cor. 36)

     A clue to the solution of this seeming paradox is found in AC 3353:

The Last Judgment is nothing else than the end of the church with one nation, and its beginning with another, which end and beginning occur when there is no longer any acknowledgment of the Lord, or what is the same, when there is no faith. There is no acknowledgment or no faith when there is no charity; for faith is impossible except with those who are in charity. That at such time there is an end of the church, and a transference of it to others, is plainly evident from all the things the Lord Himself taught and foretold in the Evangelists concerning the last day, or the consummation of the age.

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     According to this definition, a judgment is effected whenever faith in the Lord, or in Jehovah, is lost by those who belong to one nation. When this happens genuine charity also ceases with the nation, and therefore the church as a living, spiritual organism, comes to an end. External worship is continued, but the spirit within it is dead, and therefore the basis for communication between heaven and earth comes to an end. This happened to the many nations which had descended from the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth, and Canaan. All this came to pass in pre-historic times, in the early days of the Ancient Church. Nearly all these nations fell into idolatry and became spiritually corrupt. Every nation worshipped a local god. Many practiced various forms of magic, and some adopted human sacrifices. To prevent the spread of this abominable practice, it was permitted men to substitute animal sacrifices, and this form of worship became well-nigh universal.
     But Eber, a descendant of Shem, was inspired from heaven to institute a system of animal sacrifices which, unlike the others, was truly representative. Thus Eber introduced a new form of worship. He reformed the last remnants of the Ancient Church, and established what was in effect a new church. In this church the worship of Jehovah was restored, and the spiritual meaning of the rituals was understood, so that they became the means of genuine worship. So was formed what is called in the Writings "the second Ancient Church" or the "Hebrew Church." It spread through ancient Syria, which included the Euphrates valley, and much of modern Asia Minor. From Eber descended in succession, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, and Abram. In the course of time, however, it deteriorated. The name of Jehovah was forgotten. The spiritual meaning of its rituals was no longer remembered.
     At the time of Abram, there was no longer any understanding of spiritual things, and Abram and his descendants lost, not only all knowledge, but all interest in anything beyond the ken of the physical senses. They were therefore more completely external than any other nation on earth. They were however, unlike others, willing to be led by Divine dictate. Although without understanding, they were willing to follow instructions received in visions and dreams. Because of this the Lord could establish with them the representative of a church. This is what is called in the Writings the "third Ancient Church." The Last Judgment upon this Jewish Church was effected by the Lord when He was in the world.
     When the Lord performed this Last Judgment on the Jewish Church, it is said that He judged all who had lived on the earth since the time of the flood. Thus He judged the first, second, and third Ancient Churches.

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This can only mean that the judgment on the first Ancient Church, which was performed at the time of Eber, must have been a partial Judgment, and one that had to be completed by the Lord when he came. Just what is meant by a "partial judgment" we cannot say. The language of the Writings would seem to imply that it was total, and was truly a "Last Judgment." Yet if all the teachings were taken into consideration, it becomes evident that this could not be the case.
There could be only three "Last Judgments" in the history of the world: one at the time of the flood, another when the Lord came into the world, and a third when He made His Second Coming. At this time He judged "all those who had lived on earth since His first Advent." The fact that the Church Eber, or the Hebrew Church, is called "the second Ancient Church" and that the Jewish Church is called "the third Ancient Church" makes it clear that a New Church was not really established either with the Hebrews, or with the Jews. The Hebrew Church was clearly a reformation within the Ancient Church; and the Jewish Church was not even this, but was only a representative of a Church, established to preserve some communication between heaven and earth until the time of the Lord's Advent. Nevertheless, the first Ancient Church did come to an end at the time of Eber. What followed was a much more external form of worship in which the spiritual correspondences of the rituals were known, but not interiorly understood. The name of Jehovah was remembered, but His Divine qualities were not fully realized. Even these memories were gradually dissipated, and at last totally lost. At the time of Abram, the god of the Hebrews was the local god Shaddai, and the rituals had become purely traditional, perpetuated by custom, but not understood. Because of this the Lord was able to establish by dictation from heaven a new system of worship, meticulously ordered to represent spiritual and celestial things; and the descendants of Jacob could be induced to follow these Divine commands from a sense of obedience, and in hope of earthly rewards. This until the Lord, at His coming, could awaken with a remnant of those in simple faith, a new perception and understanding of spiritual things.
As it appears to us there is really only one Advent of the Lord, namely His coming in the flesh. This was the fulfillment of all ancient prophecy. His coming to judge the Most Ancient Church which took place at the time of the flood, was after all a preview of His birth into the world, and a necessary preparation for it. His coming at the time of Eber was merely the means of continuing the work of Redemption already begun. The "call" of Abraham, and the establishment of a representative of a church with his descendants, was only His Divine way of protecting the Church and the heavens until it might be possible for Him to come in the flesh.

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And His Second Advent is after all the necessary completion of the work already begun, the work that could not be completed when He was on the earth because the human race was not yet prepared to understand and love the things of His heavenly kingdom. All these Divine Advents are bound together by a single, undeviating purpose, to reveal His glorified Divine Human, that men at last might see Him and know Him as He truly is, the One infinitely Human God of heaven and earth.

AT EVENTIDE 1980

AT EVENTIDE Rev. CLAYTON PRIESTNAL 1980

Those who have never sought a sanctuary from the distractions and disquietudes of the strident world by taking a solitary walk at twilight along the seashore, in the woods, or in verdant pastures, have missed a most rewarding experience. There is a balm oftentimes needed by the human spirit which cannot be found in crowded streets, in the restrictive canyons of towering buildings, or along monotonous pavements. There is a peace, a serenity, a quieting influence in the enchanting world of nature-in a realm unspoiled by human hands, an environment which remains as God made it. Memorable moments of meditation have been spent by discriminating souls while the unhurried eye wanders from green shrub to cloudless sky, and while the ear listens to sounds not made by raucous men, but by the rapturous music of birds, or the soft rustle of the wind through tree-tops.
Wherein lies the subtle power of nature to subdue the discontent and lawlessness of the spirit, to bring a calm and sanity to a man's restless soul? Why is it that so often we can find once again that inner harmony which became discordant somewhere along the thronged highways of life? The secret is that nature always retains her proper order in the Divine scheme of creation. Each flower is content to bring a touch of beauty to the landscape and to fill the air with a pleasing aroma, and to do no more than that; each tree is satisfied to spread its branches like protective arms over the earth. Each blade of grass, each shrub, each bee and blossom fulfills its assigned use and then is satisfied. In nature there is harmony because nature retains her designated purpose in the process of creation.

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In nature there is reciprocity which serves for the benefit of all. The tree makes a home for the squirrel and the squirrel in turn aids in the propagation of the tree. In the field, in the stream, in the forest, there is a give and take rarely found in human relationships.
     Then, too, the wonderful world of nature is a vast mirror which reflects the moods and mental states of mankind. Nature, whether turbulent or peaceful, can be compared to the restlessness or tranquility of the human spirit. To walk at the close of day among the quiet scenes of nature is to be surrounded by a setting which can be representative of repose and harmony.
     Isaac was among those who sought quietness and peace in the fields. Temperamentally he was of a reflective nature, avoiding whenever possible the turbulent elements of life. Once he retreated rather than come into conflict with the aggressive, quarrelsome Philistines. Because of his preference for the serene and secluded life of the hills and meadows, Isaac never became a great warrior; he never led armies into battle; he was not the instigator of great ventures, commercial or political. Isaac is known for his humility, piety and love for the contemplative life. These characteristics make him a perfect representative of the spiritual-rational in man-that ability of the mind to take hold of moral and ethical ideas and evaluate them, the capacity to think and reason about heavenly truths.
     This son of Abraham had arrived at a momentous period in his life-the time for taking unto himself a wife. His father had already sent forth a trusted servant to search for a suitable bride among the women of Abraham's former homeland. She was not to be chosen from the Canaanites. While waiting for some word from the emissary, Isaac walked in the twilight across the fields and meditated. His reflections were interrupted when he observed the approach of a beautiful damsel seated on the back of a camel. Rebekah's and Isaac's eyes met and they knew at once that they belonged to each other.
     This beautiful, romantic episode of Isaac's meeting for the first time his future wife has a counterpart in the growth of the human spirit. In the development of the soul there must be achieved before one can acquire a balanced life, a life of repose, a life relatively free of emotional turbulence, a marriage within the mind. Good affections must be united with their corresponding truths.
     Each stage reached in the progress of the soul along the road of regeneration requires a different quality of love and consequently a higher degree of truth to go with it. Thus growth towards the heavenly life is marked by a constant exchange of values-the giving up of relatively external impulses and desires and replacing them with a higher degree of spiritual motivation.

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When viewed in this light, life can be thought of as a series of nuptials within the soul or spirit of man. A good wedded to a truth procreates other goods and truths, thus preparing for a marriage of a higher degree.
     An understanding of the spiritual significance of the meeting between Isaac and Rebekah can awaken the mind to a new concept of life. This Biblical narrative reminds us that marriage should be according to the very highest possible ideal. Wedlock should be of such a quality that it will promote the most favorable development of husband and wife. It can bring out the noblest impulses, the purest thoughts of the contracting parties. Thus there is a profound and universal lesson found in Abraham's earnest words of advice to his son not to take a wife from among the daughters of the Canaanites-for they signify affection for falsity and evil.
     But the broader view which the spiritual sense makes possible enables us to see that everything which applies to the marriage between a man and a woman also is relevant to the union of good and truth in the mind of the individual. The sacredness and dignity of the human personality have their origin in this marriage of good and truth in the soul. All of man's vast potential for spiritual growth is to be found in the prospect of such a union. And in this ancient idyll describing the love of Isaac and Rebekah we have a beautiful symbolic picture of the state of the mind when there is a genuine love of charity, justice, peace and good-will and that love is united with clear thoughts as to how these states are to be attained. Just as Isaac and Rebekah united in wedlock and each helped to make the other a more rounded person, so the union of good and truth in the individual makes for a better balanced life.
     Rebekah came to Isaac as he walked in the field at the close of day. Twilight, the setting of the sun, brings the day to an end. There is an eventide in the ever-changing states of the human spirit; there is a time when the mind is in a state of relative obscurity in respect to a spiritual enlightenment; in the soft twilight of the day's end Isaac discovered Rebekah. When in a state of a dearth of truth the soul waits for the dawn of new light. Rebekah provided the incentive, the impetus, needed to bring Isaac to the dawn of a new day. She came to the son of Abraham riding on the back of a camel. A camel in the Scripture signifies knowledges which enter the mind through the gateway of sense experience. Here lies the mystery of nature's power over the spirit of man.

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     The troubled, bewildered soul, distraught by the unpredictable vicissitudes of life, retreats to the world of nature to find repose and renewed strength. He listens to the muffled roar of the waves, watches the white foam being carried out by the ebbing tide, harkens to the soft sighing of the wind-there are subtle words of hope and encouragement in the voice of the wind. The birds sing a song of transcendent joy; the evening star gives a new horizon to the imagination. All of these "wondrous works of God" found in the great out-of-doors bring knowledge through the eyes, ears and sense of touch. Thus surrounded by the beauty and order of nature the disturbed soul finds a source of hope and vigor. The beauty, the truth, the perfect order of the world of nature enters the mind from without, through the senses. The soul, hungry for something which reveals or affirms the true nature of God, something alien to the crushing crowds of men seeking preeminence, looks upon lush meadows, distant hills and quiet waters and then something happens to the spirit. These truths revealed in nature become united to the love of beauty and thereby establishes a strength, a harmony, a serenity in the soul.
     And it is quite proper for man to use natural facts, scientific data, providing he uses them to confirm the reality of the inner world of the spirit which is reflected in nature. If one can see within the wonderous movements of nature the pulse of the Great Creator, his faith will be strengthened; if one can think of the out-of-doors as a casement through which he catches a glimpse of the Divine, then it is proper for truth to come to him on the back of a camel. For in the twilight, in a state of spiritual darkness, this truth meets and unites with the longings of the soul and the way is prepared for the birth of a new state of the spirit.
     In these times when religious enlightenment is more readily available there are far lovelier fields over which the spirit can roam than ever Isaac knew. Today the vast accomplishments of science can bring to us added evidence of the presence of the Divine in the every-day world. Think what is going to happen when the truth of atomic power becomes the bride of the desire to do good, to be useful. The already well-exercised imagination of man cannot yet picture the great transformation which will take place in the world. There will be greater prosperity, and far greater leisure to enjoy and appreciate the realm of nature, more time to walk in the fields at eventide, more time to listen to the myriad voices of nature as they speak of the goodness, mercy and wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Creator and Sustainer of life.

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Following up the Rev. Ormond Odhner's projection for the 100th Volume of New Church Life, we re-print on the next few pages two items of historic interest; the first is a statement by the Editor in 1900, the Rev. George G. Starkey, as to the aims and purposes, also a brief account of its short history-this from the 1900 LIFE, p. 37. Mr. Starkey had then been the editor for some five years. The second is a short item, part of the discussion of his report at the 4th General Assembly of 1900-the remarks of the Rev. C. Th. Odhner as contained in the Assembly minutes, (p. 429) and as approved by the Rt. Rev. W. F. Pendleton, Chairman.
In a future issue we shall be re-printing excerpts from the Council of the Clergy in 1901 of a discussion of what the Life should be ideally, this on the occasion of Mr. Starkey's resignation, and the appointment of the Rev. Carl Th. Odhner as Chief Editor and of the Rev. Alfred Acton as Assistant-all in the history-repeats-itself theme.
Editorial Department. 1980

Editorial Department. Editor 1980

     NEW CHURCH LIFE AS A MAGAZINE.

     WITH the present year and current number this periodical assumes the magazine form, a departure which, though involving no material change of purpose or conduct, seems to give occasion for somewhat of retrospect as well as for a definition or re-statement of policy.
     The publication of New Church Life began in 1881, just nineteen years ago, when it was decided to continue in that form a manuscript paper called "The Social Monthly," which two years before had been started by the Young Folks' Social Club, of the Advent Society, of Philadelphia.
     In its first issues the contents of the printed paper exhibited a miscellaneous character, natural in a young-people's organ, including subjects that ranged all the way from theology to humor. But as a logical result of its pronouncement for New Church distinctiveness the Life early began to meet the growing need for a periodical devoted to upholding the standard of the Divine Authority of the Writings of Swedenborg.

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This standard had been raised about the year 1876, by the then newly-formed "Academy of the New Church," and when the Life came upon the scene, this issue, with others allied to it,-such as "The Second Coming effected in the Writings," "The Writings the Internal Sense of the Word," "The Vastated State of the Old Church," etc.,-were confronting the indifference, the mistaken "liberality," and the self-intelligence, which had invaded the New Church and threatened its integrity and very life. To the oft- raised cry of "Peace, Peace," the Academy answered that there was no peace, and could be none until these issues had been faced and settled. Into the struggle went New Church Life, with the enthusiasm of youth, and soon was in the thick of the fray, fighting in the shadow of that doughty champion, the Academy's serial, Words for the New Church.
     With the discontinuance of the serial, in s886, the Life became the sole journalistic exponent of the Academy position, and about that time the then-editors offered it to the Corporation of the Academy. For a few years the offer was not acted upon, but in s8go the Council of the Academy decided to accept it, and assumed charge; making no change, however, in the editorial management.
This was at the time when the Academy, as a result of the distinctive church life which grew up from its teachings and uses, was developing an ecclesiastical tendency which soon after took form in the "Church of the Academy." But when the movement finally crystallized into the "General Church of the New Jerusalem" the Academy, which had become, as a corporate body, greatly reduced in size with the voluntary withdrawal of most of its members,-contented itself with the especial use of conducting schools, theological and secular; and, subordinately, the uses of publication and formation of a library. The scope of its protege, however,-the Life,-had meanwhile grown until it included general ecclesiastical uses; and in recognition of this the Academy, in the early part of s8gg, offered the paper to the "General Church;" which offer was accepted.
     New Church Life is now, therefore, the official organ and mouthpiece of the General Church of the New Jerusalem. Its principles and its objects, which are set forth briefly upon the second page of the cover, are such as look to the establishing upon earth of a faith and life which shall fittingly and consistently embody the acknowledgment of Divine Authority in the Doctrines of the New Church. The work of the Life is therefore at once constructive and destructive; for the coming of the New necessitates the removal of the Old; and to the falses of an effete theology and the evils of a vastate Church the LORD comes not with the olive branch but with the sword. But even here the Divine work is seen to be really constructive; for the sword of truth slays only evil and the false, and this but liberates from death those in whom is any love of good and truth. In this sense alone, and with such a weapon, does this journal wish to wage war.
     The watchword of New Church Life is,-Distinctiveness of the New Church; since therein lies the journal's sole reason for being. For in the world the field of journalism is already crowded and most highly cultivated,-but in worldly things.

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To examine and re-classify worldly things in the light of the new Revelation, and to make them wholly subserve heavenly things,-this constitutes a field in which only pioneer work-and scantily at that-is being done.
Finally, to further this work it is thought desirable that the pages of the Life become not merely a channel for ministerial instruction but also a sort of mental meeting ground for its readers, for the interchange of ideas, the introduction of suggestions, questions and answers, on topics no matter how practical so that they are capable of being regarded from something of a New Church view-point. No suggestion is so humble that it may not contribute something to the rounding out of the subject concerned. If the importance of this contributing to the common fund of thought is once realized we think that there will be more who will be impelled to say "right out in meeting" some of the things which they have been in the habit of keeping to themselves or their private circle.
And now, with these notes and suggestions,-with a thought to the past, an aspiration for the future, and for the present an appeal to kind friends for support and for co-operation in a common cause,-we wish all our readers a very Happy New Year. EDITOR.
Title Unspecified 1980

Title Unspecified 1980

Rev. Mr. Odhner: "I would like to add a word as to the desirability of having one man give his entire time to this use. I may say that the Life is the only journal in the New Church which has an editor who gives his undivided time to the use of the paper, and I think the Life bears the marks of it. It used to be that the Life was edited by one of the professors in the school, but as he had other uses to attend to, he could not bring to bear his entire attention and thought to the management of the paper. I think that the excellence in quality which the paper shows at present is very largely due to the fact that the editor is able to devote his whole time to it, and I can give testimony to the zeal and undivided devotion which the present editor has given to his use during the past year."

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BREATH OF LIFE II 1980

BREATH OF LIFE II Editor 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Acting Editor - - - - Rev. Morley Dyckman Rich, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager - - - - Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

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     As we said at the end of our May editorial, two of the most negative and depressing words in the Word are evil and sin. Even in these, strangely enough, the Divine Spirit of hope, of life and love breathe through the teachings and distinctions about them.
     Let us first notice the differences between them, which we can define in this way:
     Anything contrary to the Lord's commandments and teachings is an evil or falsity-whether conscious with the person or not.
     Anything knowingly and intentionally contrary to the Word is a sin against God for that person.
     This is a definition and distinction which may be familiar to us. But how often do we recall it when contemplating the human scene?
     Many passages speak of evils which are not to be imputed to the person as sins: such as those done from ignorance, from unawaredness, from unconscious hereditary tendencies, from the physical and mental habits absorbed from environment and upbringing; indeed, so many of these factors are enumerated that we may conclude that a very small percentage of those in evils are actually sinners-fully aware of what they are doing, and therefore in a state of sin or directly imputable evil.
     To lend point to these observations, let us examine just three of these passages which clearly make these distinctions.

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And we might observe two very intriguing points in connection with them: (1) the difference between evil and sin become ever clearer and sharper as the Writings proceed-from the latter part of the Arcana Coelestia through the rest of the Heavenly Doctrine following the Last Judgment; (2) A look at these two words in the Swedenborg Concordance will show us that while there are 72 pages of material on "evil," there are only 4 pages on "sin."
     First, then, as to evil:

When evil spirits are in this second state, as they rush into evils of every kind, they are subjected to frequent and grievous punishments. In the world of spirits there are many kinds of punishment; and there is no regard for the person, whether he had been in the world a king or a servant. Every evil carries its punishment with it, the two making one. And yet no one in the other world suffers punishment on account of the evils that he had done in the world, but only on account of the evil that he then does . . . But good spirits, although they had done evils in the world, are never punished, because their evils do not return. Moreover, I have learned that the evils they did were of a different kind or nature, not being done purposely in opposition to the truth, or from any other badness of heart than that which they received by inheritance from their parents, and that they were borne into this by a blind delight when they were in externals separate from internals. (HH 509; DP 77: 1, 2)

Secondly, as to sins:

To sin is to do what is evil and false intentionally and from the will, for the things which are done intentionally and from the will are such as come forth from the heart and defile the man. (Matt. 15: 17-19; AC 8925)

"If a man hath sinned through error, he shall bring his guilt to Jehovah, a rain without blemish out of the flock." (Lev. 5: 15, 18) By the sacrifice of a ram is signified the purification of the internal man, and the implanting of the good of innocence therein; for sin through error is sin from ignorance wherein there is innocence, and the innocence of ignorance is that of the internal man. (AC 10,042: 12; CL 348, 349.)

     Perhaps these passages are not unfamiliar to us. But how often have we seen by reflection some of the deeper ramifications and implications of them?
On the one hand, the teachings enable us to call an evil an evil firmly and unequivocally. We do not have to resort to such a spuriously charitable evasion or euphemism as calling it a disease or a psychopathic condition or a hereditary weakness which the individual is helpless to change.
     At the same time, on the other hand, it removes us from spiritual judgment; for in saying that what a person or a group or the human race is doing is evil in itself, we are not imputing sin to them.

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Thus we approach the angelic attitude which looks only to the good in another, and if it sees what is not good, excuses it because of the possible ignorance or many other things for which he is not spiritually responsible.
     Inwardly, as we may see, this attitude contains the acknowledgment of the truth that of and by ourselves we are all evils, and yet that the Lord works hiddenly with each and every one of His children-bending gently, leading us to heaven, saving us from hell, so far as we will allow ourselves to be saved.
     Reflect momentarily on what a marvelous change in our spirit such teachings can effect, slowly turning us from the unhappiness and harshness of negative judgment to the happiness of affirmative and realistic hope and trust, enabling us to view the human condition and ourselves with realism as to evil, but with hope of amendment as to sin. It illuminates and breathes goodness through the Lord's words, "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (Jn. 3: 17.) And, "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." (Jn. 9: 42.)
     So also, in looking out upon the human condition, we see millions of people committing evils of every kind. Yet in the light of Revelation, we can feel compassion for their blindness and spiritual slavery rather than rage over their evils. We can say, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." We can feel love for the inward innocence of ignorance and good-will of the spirit which prevail in the vast majority-rather than a burning resentment and impatience with their outwardly bad behaviours and stupidities, including our own.
     By the world which the Lord came to save is meant the whole universe, including this small planet. We cannot suppose that this Divine purpose could ever be thwarted. Its work continues and grows, despite the many, the massive and oft-times depressing appearances to the contrary.
     Our problem in this is caused by our hereditary tendencies and environmental influences. That is why our first reactions to the sight of evils are negative and condemnatory and, if allowed to continue, become depressive and psychopathic. We make judgments from the protestant, puritan ethic. And it is not easy to enter into the second-thought level of the rational, to remind ourselves of this distinction between evil and sin.
     But we may see and feel increasingly the Lord's Spirit breathing Love and Wisdom through His Word, even in the most negative subjects, breathing into our nostrils the very "breath of lives," and we can become living, human souls therefrom.

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NOTE OF CLARIFICATION 1980

NOTE OF CLARIFICATION MARK CARLSON 1980

Dear Editor:

     The Rev. Robert Junge's article on What Text of the Word do We Translate?, (Nov. NCL, p. 473), prompts me to write a note of clarification concerning the RSV. I whole-heartedly support Mr. Junge's study and warnings concerning the omissions of the RSV. However, I am not convinced that the argument in favor of the unamended Textus Receptus as a basis for New Church translations is quite as simple as he presents it.
     Also, to be fair, it should be pointed out that all but four of the passages which Mr. Junge brings to our attention as missing from RSV are in fact not missing, but rather are removed to footnotes at the bottom of the page in which they occur, along with other variant readings. Would that KJV were so helpful in keeping us informed in regard to its translators' decisions when ambiguities in the text arise.
     Both KJV and RSV are far from totally acceptable translations for the New Church, but at least RSV is a translation still in process. Thus we observe that the three longest, and perhaps most significant omissions of the first edition RSV, as pointed out by Mr. Junge (i.e. Mark 16: 9-20, John 8: 1-11, John 21: 25) are now fully included in the second edition New Testament of the RSV as of 1971. These passages have been fully restored to the main body of the text because the most ancient texts now available include them.
     For me, it is much easier to correct RSV by observing footnotes and returning orphaned passages to their rightful home than it is to correct KJV's archaisms which require more frequent attention and more facility with the original languages than I possess.
     MARK CARLSON

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VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

Announcements

Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Pittsburgh, Toronto, or Kitchener who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Mrs. James C. Pendleton
815 Fettersmill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (215) 947-1810

Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Ben Hur Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

Mrs. Philip Horigan
SO Park Drive
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (312) 729-5644

TORONTO
Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave.
Weston, Ont. M9P 2J5

Mrs. Mark Carlson
58 Chapel Hill Drive
R.R. 2
Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5

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MINISTERIAL CHANGES 1980

     The Rev. Donald L. Rose will be nominated at the General Assembly as Editor of New Church Life, effective July 1,1980. He will continue to serve as Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society for another year.

     The Rev. Eric Carswell will serve as a full-time assistant to the Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society, giving up his present assignment as Visiting Minister to the North Ohio Circle.

     The Rev. Louis Synnestvedt has been appointed to serve as an Assistant to the Rev. Thomas Kline. Mr. Synnestvedt will reside in Americus, Georgia during the Rev. Bill Burke's attendance at the theological school of the Academy.

     The Rev. Kenneth Alden has been appointed to serve as an Assistant to the Rev. Walter Orthwein. Mr. Alden will reside in Detroit and also serve the North Ohio Circle.

     The Rev. John Odhner has been appointed as an Assistant to the Rev. Glenn Alden. Mr. Odhner will reside in Lake Helen, Fla. and will serve that Circle as its first resident minister.

Candidate Authorization

     As of April 1, 1980, the following men have been recognized as Candidates for the priesthood of the New Church: Messrs. Wendell Barnett, Bill Burke, Grant Odhner, Arthur Schnarr.

Summer Placements of Candidates

     Bill Burke-Americus, Georgia
     Grant Odhner-Detroit, Michigan
     Wendell Barnett-Atlanta, Georgia
     Arthur Schnarr-Washington, D.C.

LOUIS B. KING
Bishop

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WALK WHILE YE HAVE THE LIGHT 1980

WALK WHILE YE HAVE THE LIGHT Rev. NORBERT H. ROGERS 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. C
July, 1980
No. 7
     Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. John 12: 35.

     These words were spoken by the Lord during the last week of His earthly life. They are a part of the instruction He was giving his followers at that time to prepare them for His crucifixion and resurrection very soon to take place, and, at the same time, to enable them to come into a clearer perception and understanding of His Divinity and of the heavenly quality of His Kingdom.
     What the Lord said at this time was not new. They were things about which He had spoken before on many different occasions and in many different ways. And from His teachings, and parables and miracles as well, His followers, especially the twelve disciples, had been led to perceive that the Lord was not as other men, and that His Kingdom was unlike earthly realms; they had been led to see that the Lord's wisdom and power were Divine, and that His was the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. These and other essential truths they had been given to know and to perceive; and because the Lord had revealed them, they acknowledged them. But they had little or no understanding of them. Like all unregenerate natural men they had difficulty elevating their minds from the light of the world, and so they interpreted all things in terms of natural time and space concepts, and according to traditional formulas. This invariably obscures and confuses the mind in respect to Divine and spiritual things,, causing any perception of them to be but glimpses of truth, as it were, isolated and disconnected in the mind, and so incapable of producing a comprehensive concept of what the truths signify.

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Such was the case with the disciples and other followers of the Lord. Nevertheless, though obscured, confused and not understood, the perceptions they had were perceptions of genuine truths, forming the beginnings and bases for developing a clear rational understanding of the truth concerning the Lord and His Kingdom.
     At the time the Lord spoke the words of the text, the development of such an understanding with the disciples had been interrupted, as it were, and even set back, by the triumphant entry into Jerusalem the Lord had but recently made. This triumphant entry had been an outward representation of the Lord's successful completion of His work on earth-of the subjugation of the hells and of the glorification of His Human, thus of His redemption and salvation of the human race. As such it was, and continues to be, a valuable external enabling human minds better to grasp and understand the Divine and spiritual things the Lord came on earth to accomplish. But at the time of their occurrence, the dramatic events themselves powerfully held people's minds down to earthly things to the exclusion of aught else; they strongly stimulated natural thoughts and expectations, vividly recalling to mind traditional and natural interpretations of the Messianic prophecies, and appearing to confirm them. At this time, then, even the disciples in acknowledging Him as the Christ thought of His Kingdom and of His Power as pertaining to this world.
     Once again the people's thoughts had to be turned away from merely natural concepts and faith. And so the Lord spoke to them of the Son of Man's being about to be glorified, of the judgment that would then take place, of His being lifted up, and of His drawing all men to Him. His hearers, who had come to believe Him to be the Christ, perceived that by the Son of Man the Lord was referring to Himself. They knew from the Law that Christ was eternal, and that He would abide forever; and they wondered how this teaching of revelation could agree with what the Lord said about the Son of Man's being lifted up. The people were thus led to ask of the Lord Who this Son of Man might be? It was in answer to this question that the Lord said in the words of the text: "Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth." And He added, "While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light." (John 12:36.) And soon afterwards, in another discourse, the Lord identified Himself with the Light even more clearly, saying, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me. should not abide in darkness." (John 12: 46.)
     The Lord speaks of Himself as being the Light, giving light to dispel man's darkness, so often and in so many places, that it is very evident that this is an essential truth, and that it is vital for man to recognize it and have confidence in it.

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     The light of the Lord does not enlighten man's natural eyes, but his spiritual sight; for the light that is from the Lord, that the Lord's presence gives, is spiritual light; and this is the Divine truth which goes forth from the Lord. Truth from the Lord is the very light of heaven. It is this light that enables angels and spirits to perceive Divine and heavenly things, to understand them, and to be gifted with faith, and with intelligence and wisdom. This light serves the same use for men on earth too; for man as to his spirit is in the spiritual world, and can be affected by spiritual light. By no other light can the human mind be endowed with genuine faith, intelligence and wisdom. And that light is from no other source than the Lord. This is why it is so important for men to know clearly that the Lord is Light, that they may look to Him for that Light and believe in it, and so become the children of Light.
     It is to be noted that the words of our text were spoken in answer to the question, "Who is this Son of Man?" (John 12:34.) It is thus the Son of Man that is identified as the Light, and not the Son of God nor of Mary. All three terms refer to the Lord's Human, each to a distinct aspect of it. By the son of Mary is meant the merely human which the Lord assumed and put off again during His life on earth.
     This Mary human is merely natural, and from it there can come no spiritual light to enlighten man s. mind and to gift him with faith, intelligence and wisdom. By the Son of God is meant the Lord's Human as to its Divine essence as it is in itself, that is, as to the Divine good.* Though all spiritual light proceeds from it, the Divine good itself does not enlighten human minds. It is above the plane of conscious thoughts so that man can have no concept of it, nor be illustrated by it. What man does have some concept of is what proceeds from the Divine good. This is the Divine truth, which is the light of heaven, and which is the Word. The Lord's Human as .to this Divine truth or Word is what is meant by the Son of Man. It is thus the Son of Man that is identified as the Light.
     * AC 1733, 2159, 2813; TCR 92; Ath 132.
     We are taught in the Writings that the Divine good is above all temptation.* For this reason, when speaking of temptations, the Lord is never referred to in the Word as the Son of God, but very frequently as the Son of Man. For, since man can have some concept of Divine truth, he can cast doubts upon it, distort it, abuse it, and reject it, subjecting it to all the conflict of temptation states.

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Since the Church no longer acknowledged the Divine truth of the Word when the Lord came into the world, it was as to that truth, thus as the Son of Man, that He underwent temptations. The last and most grievous of these was His passion of the cross. It was in reference to the near approach of his last temptation that the Lord, in speaking of the Son of Man, said, "Yet a little while is the Light with you. Walk while ye have the Light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth."
     * AC 2813.
     To the disciples these words had to do with the Lord's physical presence with them, making known that they would soon be bereft of it, and exhorting them to take full advantage of His remaining presence to go forward in the way of His Leading. The import is similar for all men; for though His physical presence is no longer needed, the Lord is present with all in the truths of His Word. And all vitally need the light of that presence to fulfill their true destiny.
     To walk is to live*; and to walk in the way of heaven is to live the life of regeneration. For this every man was born into the world; and for this light from the Lord is essential. For life, both spiritual and natural, is active; it is never inert. It goes forward or backward, as it were; it ascends and is perfected, or it descends and deteriorates. In whatever direction it may take, the course of life is fraught with problems to be solved, pitfalls to be avoided, obstacles to be overcome, and choices to be made, all requiring the making of decisions and the exercise of judgment. For this knowledges are essential: knowledges to recognize what the problem, obstacle or choice is, and knowledges to know how to dispose of each one. To cope with the demands of natural life, natural knowledges in abundance are required; but for the judgments pertaining to spiritual life and to regeneration, the light of spiritual and Divine truth is needed.
     * AR 167
     The Lord is present with man in the Word-not in the Word outside man, but in the Word in him; that is, in the truths of the Word in the man s mind, particularly those in the thoughts of his understanding and in the affections of his will, and not so much in the knowledges of his memory. By these truths man has spiritual light from the Lord; and in that light he can see the way of regeneration in which he should go. He is enabled to recognize the falsities and evils standing in his way and to know how to overcome them, and he is enabled to perceive the truths of faith and the goods of life he is to make his own to enter into a heavenly state. Without the light of truth from the Word man is in spiritual darkness, and could not know his spiritual destination, nor the way to it; without the light of truth from the Word, man could not shun the falsities and evils that beset him, nor appropriate the truths and goods which make the life of heaven.

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Man thus is exhorted to walk while he has the light, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
     Spiritual darkness may be due only to ignorance of truth. Such dark-ness is relatively mild; for though a man in ignorance cannot follow the way of regeneration, his ignorance readily yields to knowledge so far as there is affection for truth and desire to see in light. But the absence of truth may also be due to the active presence of falsity and evil. Man's darkness then is more serious and difficult to disperse. For falsities and evils are antagonistic to truths and goods, and so far as they are actively present with man they repel goods and truths so that .the man may not benefit from them in his efforts to regenerate. The absence of truth and good, and the active presence of evil and falsity, pertain to temptation states. Such states, together with all the confusion and distress belonging to them, are also meant by "darkness." This, too, is involved in the Lord's exhortation to "walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth."
     Implicit in these words is that regeneration cannot go forward in temptation states. This appears even more plainly in another place in John where the Lord said, "I must work the works of Him that sent Me while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." (John 9: 4.) Indeed, when we consider the Writings' description of temptation states, we can see that there can be no advance in regeneration, but only the danger of taking the wrong turn. In all the intense activity of falsity and evil, in the concentration of attention upon self and the world, in all the confusion, obscurity and anxiety characteristic of temptation states, it is impossible for man to distinguish truth and good, much less to evaluate them; consequently, it is then impossible for man to make the rational judgments necessary for regeneration. Yet in such states particularly man is apt to feel an urgent need to make major decisions of life without delay.
     It is a characteristic of temptation states for the tempting crew to strive to panic man into making choices he is then not capable of making, that by his wrong choices they might gain dominance over his soul and induce him to reject the Lord and all that is from Him. In temptation states, thus, it is of importance that man not give way to panic; that he resist the urge to make hard and fast decisions affecting his faith and life; that he hold fast to the principles of truth he has from previous states until the temptation subsides as it inevitably must, and the Lord with his Light becomes once more present, enabling the man to resume his regenerative course.

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     That the Lord departs from man, and returns to him, is, however, but an appearance. The Writings assure us that the Lord is never absent from man, but is always present, and never more so than in the depths of temptations. It is at such that man most clearly recognizes his need of the Lord's presence and help, yet it is then that he feels most abandoned by the Lord and most alone. This appearance is one of the most distressing aspects of temptations, yet it is necessary that man may be led to resist the temptation as of himself, and determine for himself to what principle he shall hold fast.
     The course of life is characterized by alternations of state. As day and night succeed one another, so do states of light in life alternate with states of shade; and on earth, before regeneration is completed, the alternating states are those of light and darkness, of regeneration and of temptation. Man is to be aware of this, that in the darkness of temptation he may hold fast without despair, knowing that in due course the temptation states will pass; and that, especially, when the temptation is passed, he might look to the Lord in His Word, seeking to renew and to increase the light that he has, that he might walk in that light seeing clearly the way in which to go. By walking in that way while in light man becomes regenerated. He then ceases to be afflicted with states of spiritual dark-ness and night. For the regenerated man as to his spirit is in heaven where there is no night.
     Of this we read in the Writings that "the man of the Church advances from morning to day to the end that he may be reformed and regenerated by means of the light of reason, which is effected only by a life according to the precepts of the Lord in the Word. If this does not take place, his light becomes darkness, and the darkness thick darkness; that is, the truths of light with him are turned into falsities, and the falsities into unseen evils. It is otherwise with the man who suffers himself to be regenerated: night does not overtake him, for he walks with God, and hence is continually in the days into which also he fully enters after death when he is associated with angels in heaven."* Amen.
     * Coro. 5.

     LESSONS:     John 12: 23-36; AC 6000: 1-8. Prayers: 58, 153.

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DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP 1980

DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR 1980

     Part I; Introduction.

     Dreams and visions have formed a part of the life of man since the time when he first began to inhabit this planet that we call 'Earth.' And indeed, we need not limit ourselves to earth, for the peoples of other planets are essentially the same as the humans of our earth. They have the same basic faculties and capacities from the Lord, and they are influenced and formed by the same general environment as we have. Truly, they are in a variety of different states, ranging from what is relatively pure and heavenly, to what is impure and hellish. In the history of the church on our earth we see reflected something of the many different states that man can enter; think of the multitude of states there are then, when we think of the history of the natural universe. And yet, no matter what the state of man, there are certain things which are common to all men in all states. All men in the natural universe are inhabitants of two worlds at the same time, the natural and the spiritual. As to their bodies all men live in the world of nature, are sustained by the world of nature. Through the sensory organs of the body all men are influenced from without, from their external environment, from the world of fixed form, matter,, space, and time.
     As to their spirits, however, all men live in the spiritual world. Through their souls and minds they receive from within the life, the love, the affection, the delight, and the sensation of the spiritual world. This is the world which, although removed from the sight of man's natural vision, flows into him, and gives life and purpose to the movement and use of the natural body. The influx of the spiritual world into man begins with the Lord, since He alone is the source of life, and flows through the heavens, through the world of spirits, and through the hells, so that when it enters man it is literally filled with all the life and activity,, and with all the various qualities of the loves and affections of the inhabitants of the spiritual world.
     The truth, that the qualities and affections of angels, spirits, and devils flow into each man and affect him, has been long lost. Back in the most ancient days of man's life on this earth such knowledge of the influence of spiritual companions was precious to them.

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In the dreams and visions of sweet sleep they saw the life of heaven unfolded, they knew their spiritual companions as dear friends, and delighted in the joys and happinesses of heaven that they received through them. In dreams and visions they received the instruction that guided their natural life in Divine order and according to Divine purpose. All forms of nature lived, for each was seen as the representative of some heavenly love and affection. To such people there was none of the loneliness and emptiness that so often accompanies the states of our life on earth today, for if all else failed, the presence of spiritual companions in dreams and visions filled all states with the joy of spiritual friendship.
What a sad day it was for man, when through his fall into evils, he could no longer remain in such open communication with the spiritual world. At first, the knowledge that such communication had actually existed, served to keep man in something of the acknowledgment of a spiritual world, and of the communication of spirits with men. Dreams and visions still existed with them to confirm this knowledge, but more and more such dreams and visions bore the stamp also of hell. The awesome and horrifying perversions of hell were presented to man in dreams and visions, and the sweet sleep of the most ancients was torn apart with nightmares induced from hell. Knowing that dreams and visions were significant and representative, man began to examine his dreams and visions of night to read their meaning and their signs of blessing or fore-boding. And as he fell away from the true knowledge of heaven, naturally the means he employed to examine his dreams and visions became more and more confused with falsities, superstitions, mystic and magical thoughts and practices. In the mythology of the Greeks, the Romans, and the Norse peoples, to name but a few, we find ample evidence of this strange state wherein the passing knowledge of correspondence was mingled with falsities and perversions. The soothsayer, the oracle, the witch, and the wizard all found a suitable climate in which to develop their nefarious practices. Think what an important place is given in mythology to .the interpretation of dreams and visions; they are in the forefront of almost every story.
With the advent of Christianity, and then on through the stagnant period of the Dark Ages, less and less attention was given to the actual interpretation of dreams and visions. Dreams and visions became the arena in which the awesome forms of the mysterious world of the dead arose to plague and haunt, to warn and punish, to cast magical spells and instill fear. Elves, goblins, fairies, phantoms without substantial form, ghosts, macabre scenes and spirits in horrible form-all filled the night watches of man's sleep.

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The appearance of angels and good fairies had their part, but it was a minor role and largely suffocated in the pervading presence of evil, falsity, superstition, and ignorance. Nor did the state of man's dreams and visions suddenly change with the close of the Dark Ages. The opening door of scientific study and the gradual development of a natural rationalism did much to sweep away the stark superstition and mysticism of past ages. And yet that much of it remained is evident from the literature up through the middle of the 19th century. Goethe, Milton, Shakespeare, Dickens, and countless other literary lights all leaned heavily on the use of dreams and visions tinged with attitudes from the Dark Ages.
     Scientific research into the field of dreams and visions did not begin until the approach of the 20th century. In 1861 an analysis of dreams and visions was published by A. Maury. But it was not until 1900, when Sigmund Freud published his book on The Interpretation of Dreams that any consistent effort was made to pursue this subject. Freud saw in dreams a possible means of approaching the realm of man's unconscious thought. Can we see in man's dreams, he asked, something of his unconscious longings, desires, wishes and passions? Are not his dreams images, symbols, and combinations of symbols, which can lead us into the inner motivations of the mind? Herein we see Freud bordering on an important truth concerning dreams and visions-a truth which we will discuss in following classes. Freud's work on the interpretation of dreams paved the way for a whole new field of study and research on the subject. There have been many changes and variations of Freud's theories and conclusions. Psychology, psychoanalysis, and psychiatry, all have fields of study bearing on the use and interpretation of dreams. And while such men as Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, William Stekel, Otto Rank, and others, have all wandered far afield from Freud's original interpretations, still it is true that almost all modern studies in this field are based on Freud's work.
     We do not feel it is useful to our consideration of this subject, nor for that matter do we feel we are properly equipped, to enter into the various theories and practices currently extant on the psychoanalytical findings of modern psychology. But that we do not throw out the wheat with the chaff, we would note that much of the work being done is extremely useful and can serve as confirmatory and illustrative material.
     We would list some of the questions being considered in modern research on this subject:

     1) What is the relationship of dreams to the memory?
     2) How do dreams differ from day-dreams and creative thinking?

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     3) How does the depth of sleep affect the incidence of dreaming?
     4) Do dreams reveal conscious and unconscious desires and personal conflicts, etc.?
     5) What effect do external stimuli have upon dreams? (Touches, clothing, electric shocks, etc.)
     6) What effect do internal stimuli have upon dreams? (Drugs, hypnotic suggestions)
     7) Are hypnotic dreams different from normal dreams?
     8) Do the dreams of the blind and deaf differ from those of normal people?
     9) Do dreams change with age?
     10) Can the duration of dreams be measured?
     11) Do we see color in dreams, do we taste, smell, hear, etc.?
     12) Can dreams be interpreted accurately enough to serve any real purpose? (This, naturally, is one of the key questions still being considered.)
     13) Does the process of dreaming serve any use? (Another key question)

     We can see from such studies, that whatever may be missing from the work being done, and there is plenty, much that is useful and enlightening is being brought forth. We can be thankful that the Lord has given the man of the New Church the means of seeing the wheat and the chaff separately. A half truth need not be swallowed as a whole truth. The wheat can be seen and used; the chaff can be seen and rejected. Now what of the chaff?
     A mere cursive examination of the studies done on the subject of dreams and visions from Freud to the present day, will show a dumb-founding thing-there is little or no mention of a spiritual world. With the exception of some recent spiritists and visionaries, like Edgar Casey, and a host of imaginative gothic horror authors, there is no consideration even of the possibility that man's dreams and visions might be induced or at least activated by spirits from another world. For many years studies have been done on spiritistic phenomena at Duke University, and elsewhere. Laboratories have been established to study mental telepathy, extrasensory perception, clairvoyancy, materializations, etc. (Materializations: moving flowers, and chairs, rapping, playing instruments, touching bodies, and even being photographed, etc.) All of this has been in the form of empirical experiment and research; religion has little or no consideration therein. To say the least, psychologists have regarded such efforts with scepticism, and mostly have ignored them.

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     Dreams and visions concerning angels, phantoms, and ghosts, and the various frightening apparitions of satan and the devil, have all been relegated to the closet of phantasy and darkness. As man's religion has departed, his belief in another world has also departed. And the presence of angels, spirits, and devils, is no more, except as fodder for literary drama (fiction, myth, etc.). What then of the prophetic dreams and visions of the Word; must they too depart to the realm of mere myth? Yes. For 'dream content is' declared 'to be the product of the dreamer's past and not a foreshadowing of events to come, as the ancient oneirologists asserted.' (Enc. Brit. 1956) (Oneirologist-dream interpreter)
     Man's dreams and visions today are made the product of self and the influences of natural environment upon self. Dreams have been analyzed and classified according to 'The Bipartite Theory.' This theory expounds that dreams may be envisaged as a product of two sets of factors: 1) the stream of sensory impulses that chance to spill over the heightened sensory thresholds of the sleeping person; and 2) motivational tensions which, figuratively speaking, are clamouring for expression. In the light of this bipartite theory then, dreams are products of tension- release and of trial perception (ibid).
     Perhaps it is not immediately clear how very much chaff is involved in this concept of man's dreams and visions. We would trust that after we have examined the teachings in the Writings on the subject, you will see chaff in such proportion that finding the wheat may seem a herculean task. For here man is made a lonely wanderer in a world where his only companions are those of his natural environment. He receives nothing beautiful, clean, and decent from heaven. His delights arise from chance combinations of forms in himself, rather than from spiritual companions. The symbolism of his dreams and visions has no source in the Divine nor in heaven and hell, nor in good and evil. For what is symbolic in his dreams and visions is all taken from the world of nature, and man living in nature.
     That we may gather from the Writings a true understanding of the nature of dreams and visions, it is necessary that we learn what the source and use of dreams has been with man throughout the ages of his life on earth. Then we can examine what our dreams and visions are at this day, and how we are to regard and use them. It may appear when first thinking about the subject of dreams and visions that this is a field of information, nice to know, yes-but not particularly enlightening as to doctrine, and of questionable use as to application to life. But my friends, let us be careful of the self-determined conclusion that there is any part of Divine revelation which is merely nice to know.

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What is revealed is there for a purpose. That we may not be able to see its purpose depends on our individual states. And as to application, let us remember that very few truths that we learn do we consciously apply-the application is not so simple. With a law or a commandment, yes. With an effort to uphold specific ideals and virtues, yes. But have you recently applied the truth that God is infinite, that He glorified His Human, that there is a spiritual sun in heaven, that there are discrete degrees, that the people of Mars use the gum of a certain tree to make glue. Probably you have not consciously employed these truths. But if you know them, and understand something about them, and have delighted in seeing something more of the Lord's love, and wisdom, and operation through them, then the truths have been employed and applied. For from our conception of the Lord, and our delight in truth, we unconsciously act all the time. In this sense the Lord is the one that has applied the truth when we have granted Him the freedom to do so by approaching Him in His Word. We only mention this here, so that in the subject matter that comes before us we will not partially blind ourselves to its over-all use in looking for specifics that can be consciously applied. This treatment, in other words, is not devoted to the means of interpreting our individual dreams as the end product. It is devoted to seeing another aspect of the Lord in the order of His creation-in seeing the form of His presence with man, the purpose and use of that presence through visions and dreams; the function of the heavens that the Lord employs in moderating and adapting His Divine presence to the changing states of man on earth; the function of the hells which the Lord permits to influence the adapted proceeding of His presence and so affect the life of man on earth. When we have seen the Lord's purpose and intention, and the means that He is able to employ, then we will be prepared to examine how we can best co-operate with that purpose and means, that the order of heaven, and its life and affection, may once again descend through visions and dreams and contribute in building something of the Lord's heavenly kingdom on earth.

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ADDITIONS TO THE SWEDENBORG CONCORDANCE 1980

ADDITIONS TO THE SWEDENBORG CONCORDANCE Rev. DONALD L. ROSE 1980

     SOME REMARKS BY THE COMPILER

     This summer sees the publication of something I have been involved with for almost twenty years. In mentioning the span of years I do not in any way intend to compare the work done on this to the work which J. F. Potts did on The Swedenborg Concordance. Four score years ago Potts completed a monumental task and gave us what has continued to be by far the most valuable aid to study that a student of the Writings can have. The work occupied his time for a quarter of a century. Those years were devoted primarily to this work. The additions published this year, although gathered over a period of years, were done in spare moments, usually in the course of preparing sermons and classes.
     The Swedenborg Concordance first became available at the turn of the century, the change for the student of the Writings was very marked. No one alive can remember what it was like to do a study from the Writings before the six volumes of the Concordance became available. Here is the way Potts described it.
     "At present no one can feel sure that he knows or can find everything that is contained in the Writings on any given subject. And even when we are sure of the existence of some passage that we desire to find, how often, having none but the existing works of reference to aid us, are we overwhelmed and deterred from making an investigation by the dreary prospect of a search through from forty to fifty volumes of compact matter! A reader's attention may also be arrested by some statement which appears to be at variance with one or more other statements he has met with elsewhere in the Writings. Yet he has frequently no means of referring back; and even if he should find the passage or passages he remembers to have read, the apparent discrepancy may after all be explicable only by reference to another passage, which forms the connecting link, but on which he cannot lay his hands, and of the very existence of which he may indeed be ignorant." (Introduction to the Concordance p. v.)
     It is so important to a minister, when he undertakes a study, to be confident that he has virtually all that the Writings say on the subject. Probably many ministers in the eighty years since the publication of the Concordance have discovered references that Potts did not include. Pencilled additions have been found in copies of the Concordance that were owned by scholars of the past.

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Perhaps some of them felt that a concerted effort should be made to collect such additions and make them generally available. I began to feel that way early in my ministry.
     By telling a little of the story, I hope to give an idea of the nature of the additions now published. Some readers may otherwise wonder whether there is much value in this. After all, what does it matter whether we have a hundred references to a given word or a hundred and one, or two hundred? How can one feel strongly that something must be done?
     It was in 1963 that I began to feel this strongly enough to begin writing to colleagues about it. But let us go back a few years earlier, and in telling the story let us use examples of things that have appeared in New Church Life.
     Ministers tend to remember vividly the first study they undertook- not at the bidding of theological professors, but with the idea of contributing to the thought of the church. For me the first such study was on the subject of heresy. It took place in Australia during my first year as a pastor. Someone asked me about the subject of heresy. Very little indeed could be found on this matter in back issues of church periodicals. I was thousands of miles away from any colleagues at the time and had no opportunity to discuss it. A thorough study seemed called for. In the Concordance almost seventy references were to be found on the word "heresy." But by the time I had prepared an article for New Church Life I had discovered more than a dozen additional passages.
     The article, entitled Guarding Against Heresy appeared in the Life in June of 1958. An example of the passages not included in Potts was TCR 759.
     "Does not every church, even the most heretical, when once adopted, fill the country and city with the cry that it alone is orthodox and ecumenical, and that it possesses the gospel . . ."
     Another passage, not to be found in the Concordance, is TCR 228.
     "Those who read the Word without doctrine are in obscurity respecting all truth; and their minds are wavering and uncertain; prone to error and open to heresies, which they embrace when favor or authority encourages and reputation is not endangered."
     I pencilled in a few additions over the next couple of years, but it was not until 1963 that it began to seem important. I had been working on a study of atheism. That year I sent to New Church Life two articles entitled Russia and Atheism. (New Church Life, 1963, pp. 75, 258). I had begun by doing a careful study of "all" the passages on atheism.

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I believed that there were less than twenty of them, because that is how many there were in the Concordance, and Potts clearly intended his work to be "exhaustive and complete" (page v. Introduction to Concordance). However, in the course of study I began to find other passages, until at last I had almost doubled the number of references. For example, there was added Divine Providence no. 318 which says that "it is confirmed by atheists that God is not the Creator of the universe, but that nature is the creator of itself." Surely, another person studying atheism ought to have access to these additional passages.
     The first time I made the journey to the United States for the Clergy Meetings I gave a short and proper talk on the need to gather additions to the Concordance. There is a great difference, however, between the feeling that something ought to be done and the willingness to undertake the doing of it. For some years I contented myself with using Concordance additions as a conversation piece, but then, while living in London, I was invited to serve on the Advisory and Revision Board of the Swedenborg Society. Prior to one of the meetings I decided to type out all the additions so that I could give carbon copies to my fellow workers on the Board. Although this list was small, it is what really got things started. There was something tangible to which I and others could add. I named it the "NIC FILE" from the letters Not In Concordance.
     When you start to do something, you often get suggestions and information. I learned of the existence of the set of the Concordance owned by Potts himself. At first it was thought to have been lost in a fire, but I finally got my hands on it and copied many references which he had pencilled in.
     It was once pointed out that there have been virtually no studies in New Church journals on the subject of reincarnation, although the subject comes up in "many passages in the Writings" (New Church Life, 1972, p. 385). The Concordance deals with words and not subjects, and so it only has two such references under the word "metempsychosis." I thought it useful to put in the NIC FILE twenty passages under "reincarnation" which came largely from a study I did for the New Philosophy.
     By 1972 the NIC FILE was quite a respectable collection. The Swedenborg Society (which published and which continues to publish the Concordance itself) undertook to produce a full list under the title Additions to the Potts' Swedenborg Concordance. It came to sixty-four pages beginning with the words Abel and ending with the word Zwinglian. Partly to underline the importance of this collection I sent an article to New Church Life entitled Five Warnings. The article began as follows: "There are ten references in the SWEDENBORG CONCORDANCE of J. F. Potts to the word 'beware' or 'take care' (cavere).

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I have found thirty more in the Writings." (New Church Life, 1972, p. 461) The article gave striking examples of warnings. Surely, we ought to be aware of the places in the Writings in which specific warnings are given. The article told of the existence of the sixty-four pages of Additions and invited readers to send any additions they might have to the Swedenborg Society or to me.
     There was response from various quarters. One of the references collected was under the word "nothing." The reference, not found in the Concordance, reads: "Things that really exist they suppose to be nothing, and things that are nothing they suppose to be everything." (AC 210) This interesting passage formed the basis for an article in New Church Life in 1974 entitled Nothing and You. The Nic File contained ten references to the subject of the hour of death. This helped in the preparation of an article for the Life in 1976 entitled The Hour of Death. So much for examples from New Church Life.
     By 1977 a new list was produced under the title Nic 77. This collection consisted of thirty pages of references and one page of information about the status of the Nic File at that time. It pointed out that in a few particular instances the Nic File had more references than the CON-CORDANCE did, for example, the words Experience, Laughter, New Testament, Old Testament, Meditation, Latin.
     At the end of these remarks in Nic 77 I wrote: "Obviously we look forward to a grand list combining (1) Additions of 1972, (2) Nic 77, (3) Further references and (4) the Appendix on pages 771-792 of the Potts Concordance. Another goal is a list fully written in the way Potts did his Concordance."
     Little did I know how quickly those goals would be attained. Thanks to the Rev. Frank Rose and his talented son Jeremy, each passage was checked and an appropriate part of it typed out. The new printing facilities of the General Church made the production possible of what I privately call Super-Nic but which is now being made available under the title Additions to the Swedenborg Concordance. What a pleasure it is now to reminisce a little about the story and to see the product ready for use.

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EXTENSION COMMITTEE 1980

EXTENSION COMMITTEE DOUGLAS M. TAYLOR 1980

     GENERAL CHURCH ANNUAL REPORTS

     (Continued from May issue, p. 212)

     EXTENSION COMMITTEE

     We have continued to co-ordinate the evangelization activities of the local Epsilon Societies, acting as a consultant, preparing advertisements, and, in general preparing the tools of evangelization and increasing the Church's awareness of the Divine command to evangelize-that is, to proclaim the news of the Lord.
     To this end we have continued supplying local societies with the paperback editions of the Writings published by the Swedenborg Foundation with a view to having them placed in local bookstores. Likewise, we have advised and encouraged local societies to make sure that there are copies of the Writings in local libraries. The expertise developed in the Bryn Athyn Epsilon Society has resulted in a speedier and more efficient distribution of our literature to libraries.
     The sub-committee on Ghana has been greatly helped by a most useful report by Mr. Jeremy Simons, a candidate for the ministry, who made a private visit to Togo and Ghana last summer, visiting, on behalf of the Swedenborg Foundation, distributars of the Writings in Ghana. We now feel confident that we know the reliable receivers of the Writings in that country.
     The New Word Speakers' Bureau and the Committee for the Blind and Handicapped have continued their activities, reporting a slow but steady expansion of their influence. The Film Library, administered by the New Church Theatre Project, continues to report progress.
     It is pleasing to report that the Missionary Memo, our newsletter and repository of evangelization information, now comes out every other month. In the six issues published each year there are reports and suggestions of both priests and laymen active in the work of disseminating the truths of the Heavenly Doctrine. We all recognize that we must learn from each other's experiences. A free subscription to this valuable publication is obtainable from the Committee.
     In the past year, with the help of Mr. Hugh Gyllenhaal, a project group worked on developing a training program on answering questions about the Church-particularly on a one-to-one basis. This course was based on the landmark article by the Rev. Robert Junge, Towards a Philosophy of Missionary Work (New Church Life, October 1965).
     The sudden transition of Hugh Gyllenhaal was a great loss to our work. He had come to the Committee's rescue in 1977 when it was faced with the awesome prospect of all the work needing to be done. He explained the "Project Group" or "Action Team" approach, convinced us of its usefulness, and organized six such groups in early 1978. In co-operation with the Chairman he designed and carried out a series of role-plays as part of the training program on answering questions about the Church. He had just completed the material for the final session a week before his sudden transition to the spiritual world on March 14.
     The Extension Committee wishes to acknowledge its great indebtedness to Hugh, and its gratitude to him for his willing cheerful help, the extent of which will not be fully known for many years yet.

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     This training course has been given to several groups during the year: first, to a group of five College students as a non-credit course; then over a six-week period to a group of some twenty members of the Bryn Athyn Church; next, to a group of sixteen West Coast people at Mariposa, California-a concentrated, one day work-shop. This concentrated version of the course was given to the graduating theological students for two days during their last week in school. At rather short notice, it was repeated for the benefit of pastors and laymen visiting Bryn Athyn for the Academy Commencement Exercises. Two ministers, one layman and one laywoman accepted the invitation. In general, all these sessions of the role-play course proved to be a two-way learning process, as a result of which the course has improved. Our hope is that it may be exported to other societies of the Church. In fact, this has already begun. In addition to the California visit, I gave the course in Connecticut and Bath, Maine.
     Other centers of the Church visited were: Atlanta, Georgia; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Caryndale and Toronto, Ontario; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Detroit, Mich. In every case there was a talk on some aspect of evangelization.
     There have been some opportunities to speak to audiences other than New Church people. In May I appeared on Channel 10 in Philadelphia to make a one-minute reply to an Editorial on Death that had been broadcast some time before. There was a repeat visit to a religion class at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey and a similar opportunity at Gettysburg College. To judge by the animated question and answer session following the 25-minute presentation, these visits are very successful. There was also an invitation to speak at Jefferson Medical College in Phila. to a "spiritual discussion group." These speaking engagements are being incorporated with the New Word Speakers' Bureau, which has had a steady increase in repeat engagements-a good sign.
     The past year has seen the beginning of an organized form of follow-up-mailing introductory sermons to interested readers of the Writings or visitors to the Cathedral. This was inspired by the Rev. Harold Cranch's efforts in Glenview, in which he sent out a sample sermon to anyone who had even shown any interest whatsoever in the Writings or in the Church. From over 1300 names he gathered 104, who are now regularly receiving sermons. The Bryn Athyn Epsilon Society was encouraged to do the same thing, achieving exactly the same percentage of responses; from about 650 names we found 52 wishing to receive the sermons, that is, an 8% response in both cases. Other societies were invited to join in this project-with the Extension Committee providing the printed-up sermons.
     As a result of the report of the project group on literature, we formed a standing committee on literature, which has met monthly with a view to producing a series of graded pieces of literature on various subjects, such as the Spiritual Sense of the Word, the Lord, the life after death, Providence, Marriage. The idea is for the introductory in each series to answer a popular question, and lead thereby to successively more elaborate explanations until the reader is prepared for a book of the Writings on the subject. This is an enormous task, and we are some discouraged by the slow rate of progress. However, we have produced or found some suitable materials for the subject of the spiritual sense within the Word. Probably, no great rate of progress will be achieved until we have the services of paid professional writers in the Church.
     Towards the end of this year we began to address the question of how best to assimilate new members of the Church, so that they find a home (that is, a use) in the Church organization and feel welcome.

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A committee composed of some who have come into the Church in adult life either recently or some years ago and some who have been raised in the Church plans to produce a report on this matter, sending it to the pastors who, we hope, will appoint a standing committee in their society to keep under constant review the needs of new members of the Church.
     In Glenview the emphasis on evangelization begun last year has continued under the direction of the Revs. Peter Buss and Harold Cranch. We are now hearing encouraging news about the first New Church radio station in the world. This promises to be a very exciting medium for the transmission of the Doctrines. Mr. Cranch has been devoting half his time to evangelization work in Glenview.
     But the most exciting development has been the placing of a minister to work full-time on evangelization in Toronto. The Rev. Allison Nicholson moved there out of Theological School in September, and has already gathered an impressive list of contacts from his various activities. This is a most significant step forward; it is likely to become the pattern in the future to have someone working full-time in each society trying to reach the public.
     In Detroit, the Rev. Walter Orthwein was invited by the editor of a local news-paper with a large circulation to write a weekly column on religion. It took many months before readers began to communicate with him about the excellence of his column. This, too, is a most encouraging development, which we hope will be duplicated in other societies.
     A very pleasing feature of the past year was the increase in local publicity obtained by pastors-free. More and more pastors are being added to the list of those willing to send in news releases concerning their activities to newspapers and radio stations. We hope to be able to report such an increase each year; it all helps to make the name of the Church much more familiar.
     We are encouraged also by other signs of increased interest in evangelization in the local societies, a practical interest showing itself in various ways; by an increase in the number of inquirers classes actually operating, by efforts to produce a brochure about the local church for distribution throughout the neighborhood, and by efforts to introduce or upgrade a program to distribute books to book stores and libraries.

     DOUGLAS M. TAYLOR
          Chairman

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NEW CHURCH LIFE 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE MORLEY D. RICH 1980

     As of Jan. 1,1980, the undersigned has been serving as Acting Editor, due to the illness and death of the Rev. Ormond Odhner. This, therefore, is really a report of Mr. Odhner's work for the year 1979.
     We have included the statistics for 1978 in the comparative table below, since none were given in the report for that year. It may be observed that not much meaningful change in the number of pages per classification has occurred since 1950. But perhaps it is worth remarking that in that thirty years, the Circulation figures have doubled.

                                   Pages

                    1979     1978     1977     1970     1960

Articles               295     313     370.5     362     306
Sermons               66     73     65.5     66     74
Reports               52     64     51.5     55     43
Communications          26     31     43.5     6     7
Announcements          33     30     25.5     27     27
Church News               24     36     35     25     52
Editorials               38     29     23     36     34
Reviews               8     9     6     16     9
Directories               10     7     8     8     8
Children's Talks          0     0     3     10     7
Memorials               4     4     0     -     -
Miscellaneous          24     9     16.6     7     9

     TOTALS          580     605     638     612     576

Contributors, Number of

     Priests          36     34     38     33     21

     Laity
          Men          12     15     20     9     9
          Women          2     2     2     1     2

     Total Lay Contributors
                    14     17     22     10     11

          TOTALS     50     51     60     43     32

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     Circulation

     Figures as of Dec. 31, 1979 supplied by the Business Manager show a net gain (from 1977) of 48. Total circulation was as follows:

                         1979     1977     1970     1960     1950

     Paid Subscriptions

By subscriber               1,074     1,029     921     986     761
By gifts                    370     362     303     -     -

                         1,444     1,291     1,224     986     761

Free to clergy, libraries, etc.
                         350     355     215     162     128

Total Circulation               1,794     1.746     1,439     1,148     889

     Respectfully submitted,
          MORLEY D. RICH
               Acting Editor
TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1980

TRANSLATION COMMITTEE BRUCE ROGERS 1980

     The work of the Translation Committee continues to progress, and much has been accomplished. We were fortunate to be able to retain the services of Miss Lisa Hyatt throughout the year and to increase the employment of Dr. J. Durban Odhner to about the same extent as that of Miss Hyatt. As a result, the work of preparing a new Latin edition of the Spiritual Diary has taken a great leap forward. In addition, one other project was completed, two others brought to near completion, and another project begun.
     De Telluribus in Universo in three versions. This project, known informally as the Earths-in-the-Universe project, was finally completed. Edited by Miss Lisa Hyatt, with Dr. J. Durban Odhner as consultant, it presents a detailed comparison and alignment of the Latin text of The Earths in the Universe with similar material published in Arcana Coelestia and their forerunners in the Spiritual Diary. This work was sent out for preview to representatives of sister organizations of the Church in February, and on the basis of their critical comments and suggestions, Miss Hyatt made her final emendations in September in preparation for publication. Miss Hyatt notes that she received her fullest response from the Dr. George Dole of Convention, who made a number of useful suggestions.
     I am happy to report that this typescript (prepared by Mrs. Donna Carswell) has been accepted for publication by the Academy of the New Church Publication Committee. Future editors and translators of the material on the Earths in the Universe will find in this work a valuable aid, and so also will all scholars interested in Swedenborg's modus operandi.
     New Latin edition of Spiritual Diary. Dr. J. Durban Odhner continued as editor of this work, with Miss Lisa Hyatt as his consultant. Having largely completed work on what was planned as the first volume (up to no. 1789) in 1978, in January Dr. Odhner began the editing of what they then supposed would be the second volume of this new edition of the Diary, nos. 1790 to 3427, or the rest of Tome I of the autograph. This was completed in June.

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     In July, however, while studying the total project in preparation for writing the preface, Dr. Odhner came to the realization that many experiences contained in the text of The Word Explained should probably also be included in the Diary text, as Swedenborg included them as well in his index to the Diary. This realization in turn led to the discovery of other evidence supporting two conclusions: first, that the indented paragraphs of The Word Explained were intended as an integral part of the Diary; and second, that Swedenborg had in mind a title for this work and actually referred to it as such in the expression, "Experientiae Spirituales." (The title Diarium Spiritual or Spiritual Diary was an invention of Dr. J.F.I. Tafel, who was unable to find or failed to recognize Swedenborg's own way of referring to the work. The title page, if there was a title page, is missing along with nos. 1-148.)
     This new view of the Diary materials brought with it an alteration of plans. Rather than having completed the first and second volumes of the new edition, it now appeared that Dr. Odhner and Miss Hyatt had in fact completed the second and third, with the first still ahead of them. Moreover, the title would have to be changed. Instead of proceeding to publication, therefore, Dr. Odhner instead directed his efforts from August on to editing and assembling the material that would now make up the first volume of what would now be called Experientiae Spirituales or Spiritual Experiences. As planned, this first volume will include:

     1) a preface to the new Latin edition as a whole;
     2) a preface to the first volume;
     3) the indented paragraphs from the four Tomes of Explicatio in Verbum Veteris Testamenti (The Word Explained);
     4) a reconstruction, from Swedenborg's index, of the missing numbers, 1-148;
     5) the "Bath Fragment," considered to be part of the missing numbers 28-29;
     6) three statements from the beginning of Swedenborg's Bible Index of Isaiah and Jeremiah.

     In order to speed work on this first volume, in the summer months Dr. Odhner was given the assistance of Mr. B. Erikson Odhner, who devoted most of this time to locating and extracting from Swedenborg's index all references to the missing numbers, 1-148, and to locating and listing the indented paragraphs in Explicatio. Mr. Odhner's painstaking work enabled Dr. Odhner to move at a still faster rate.
     As a result, at the end of the year, Dr. Odhner and Miss Hyatt had almost ready for preview by other language scholars of the Church a package containing most of the items listed above, with the indented paragraphs of Explicatio vols. II-IV edited but as yet not revised in presentable form. Work on the last should be completed by the middle of 1980.
     I am pleased to report such progress on so large a work, thanks to the conscientious, capable, and unrelenting efforts of Dr. Odhner, Miss Hyatt, and Mr. B. E. Odhner; and we look forward to being able to offer this material, or most of it, for preview and publication in the next year or so. We are fortunate to have working on it the team that we do.

     New Latin edition of De Verbo. This work, begun in 1978, was very nearly completed by the end of the summer under the continuing editorship of the Rev. N. Bruce Rogers, with Miss Lisa Hyatt and Dr. J. Durban Odhner as consultants. It is mainly the preface that still has to be finished before it can be offered for preview and publication.

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     New Latin edition of The Last Judgment (posthumous). Mr. Prescott A. Rogers continued as editor of this work during the summer months, and about 70% of the text is now ready for the consultant, still to be appointed. Like the other works in progress, this new edition is also being prepared with full critical apparatus.
     One problem in preparing editions of this work has been the ordering of the pages of the autograph. The pages of Codex 12, containing De Verbo, De Ultimo Judicio and De Praeceptis Decalogi, were originally found unbound-indeed, they probably were originally loose leaf sheets-and Swedenborg's pagination of them has never been completely understood. As a result, when they were bound, they were not all put in proper order. In preparing to write his preface to De Verbo this past summer, the Rev. N. Bruce Rogers, assisted by Mr. Prescott Rogers, discovered the key to the pagination of these sheets, and their proper order is consequently now known. This in turn is going to require a modification in the traditional order of some of the De Ultimo Judicio material.
     The Old and New Testaments in Latin according to the Writings. In the latter half of the last century, Messrs. Stephanus Le Boys des Guays and Augustus Harle began publishing the Word of the Old and New Testaments in Latin according to Scriptural quotations found in the Writings, together with additions from Schmidius and explanations of the spiritual sense. Called Scriptura Sacra seu Verbum Domini, this work was cut short by the death of M. Le Boys des Guays. M. Harle continued for a on his own, but in the end they had covered only the prophets, Psalms, and Gospels, leaving Leviticus through II Kinds as yet undone (Genesis, Exodus, and the Apocalypse being considered to have been already produced by Swedenborg himself in Arcana Coelestia and the two works on the Apocalypsis).
     One reason Messrs. Le Boys de Guays and Harle produced their compilation was to serve as an ,aid to translators. For the same purpose a committee of the General Convention undertook to continue the work in the early part of this century, and though their aim was never brought to completion, their labors did result in a large collection of Scriptural quotations from the Writings recorded on slips of paper filling many file boxes. Some of these boxes were subsequently misplaced and lost, but the majority of them remains.
      Because interest in translation of the Old and New Testaments has been recently growing in the General Church, in May Miss Lisa Hyatt was commissioned to investigate the Convention collection, preserved in the library of the Swedenborg School of Religion in Newton, Massachusetts. As a result of her report, we requested and were graciously granted permission to borrow this collection on indefinite loan under specific but very generous terms, and in June the collection was transferred to the Academy's Swedenborgiana Library. Mr. Timothy Rose was then employed during the summer to begin work on studying the collection and doing what might be necessary to complete it. Using A. H. Searle's General Index and its precursor compiled by Le Boys des Guays, Mr. Rose worked his way through The Apocalypse and a large part of Matthew, adding missing references and filling in missing notes on variant readings. We hope to be able to continue this work in coming years until we may arrive at a complete collection of these Scriptural passages as they are rendered in the Latin of the Writings. It should prove a valuable aid not only to future translators, but also to other New Church students of the Old and New Testaments as well.
     Coronis, and Invitation to the New Church. Preliminary study of the Latin texts of these works was begun in 1978. Nothing more has been done since due to the lack of an available editor.

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The manuscripts of these posthumously published works present a peculiar problem inasmuch as neither is in Swedenborg's own hand, but are copies made by others. We plan to continue with this project as soon as an editor can be made available.

     Parallel Passages to Spiritual Diary numbers. Development of a list of these passages was continued in the summer months by Miss Marcia Smith, assisted by Miss Cathy Cole and Miss Cara Simonetti. So far the work has progressed through no. 4544. Special thanks are due the Rev. Norbert H. Rogers for having checked the list for accuracy, and for acting as consultant in general on the work. The list has been typed by Mrs. Donna Carswell, and is now in process of a final revision before submission for publication.

     Translators' newsletter. In May the Executive Board of the Translation Committee decided to publish an annual or semi-annual 6ewsletter as a vehicle for an exchange of articles bearing directly on the work of editing and translating the Writings and Sacred Scriptures. Due to pressures of time, however, the proposed editor, Dr. J. Durban Odhner, found himself unable to implement the idea. He has since reported that The New Philosophy, official organ of the Swedenborg Scientific Association, has agreed to include from time to time or as often as necessary a special feature, tentatively called "Translators Corner," where such articles may appear.

     Other activities. Besides the projects reported above, several members of the Translation Committee have entered into other related activities as well. The Rev. N. Bruce Rogers has accepted the Chairmanship of the new General Church Committee for Revision of the Word (KJV), and Mr. Prescott A. Rogers will serve on that committee also. Dr. J. Durban Odhner has had several articles on the subject of translation published in several New Church periodicals. Miss Lisa Hyatt has agreed to act as consultant to the Rev. Dr. George Dole in his new translation of Divine Love and Wisdom; and she reports having contributed a number of items to Dr. John Chadwick of Great Britain for use in his preparation of his Lexicon to the Latin Text of the The Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg (in process of publication by The Swedenborg Society).

     Conclusion. I wish to conclude this report with an expression of my personal excitement over the work that is being accomplished. The work is by nature slow because of the painstaking scholarship it requires, yet it is at the same time scholarship that will serve the Church well in future years. This is particularly true of editing work, of which it may be said that it may be expected to serve the Church even for centuries to come. Much more remains to be accomplished, but much has already been done. We have learned much in these past three or four years. A number of projects have been undertaken, Including the ambitious new edition of the Spiritual Diary, or better, Spiritual Experiences. One of these projects has been completed, and several others are nearing completion. We have laid a foundation from which to proceed; we are maintaining our enthusiasm and improving our knowledge and skills; and we look forward to the increasing benefit our work may be to the Church as each undertaking is brought to realization.

     Respectfully submitted,
          BRUCE ROGERS, Chairman

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PUBLICATION COMMITTEE 1980

PUBLICATION COMMITTEE LORENTZ R. SONESON 1980

     The General Church Publication Committee, appointed by the Bishop, is made up of the following members: The Rev. Messrs. Harold C. Cranch, Daniel W. Heinrichs, B. David Holm, Erik Sandstrom, Frederick L. Schnarr, Douglas M. Taylor; Messrs. Lennart Alfelt and Bruce Fuller; Mrs. Clyde K. Smith, Secretary; and the Rev. Lorentz S. Soneson, Chairman.
     The purpose of this committee is to review the inventory at the General Church Book Center, making sure there is an adequate supply of our church publications on hand for the public, solicit, edit and publish pamphlets on a variety of doctrinal subjects; review manuscripts submitted for possible publication, etc.
     Working in conjunction with the Academy Publication Committee a list of areas of responsibility were analyzed and printed in NEW CHURCH LIFE (August, 1979, pp. 365-366).
     This committee saw through the press 500 copies of a new pastoral pamphlet on the subject of Baptism, by the Rev. Douglas M. Taylor. Efforts are being made to reprint, after revision by the author, Foundations of New Church Education. It is hoped that the Rt. Rev. W. D. Pendleton will complete his revisions on this important work. At a joint meeting with the Academy Publication Committee, it was agreed that the General Church would be responsible for a New Church version of the Old and New Testaments and that the Academy Publication Committee would publish the Spiritual Diary in Latin when ready for the press.
     A compilation of additions to the Concordance (N IC. File), a ten year project compiled by the Rev. Donald L. Rose has been typeset at the General Church Press and should be ready for publication early in 1980. A pamphlet entitled How I Would Help the World written by Helen Keller, formerly printed as an introduction to True Christian Religion has been typeset and will be published this spring. Five other manuscripts were reviewed by this committee, including fictional stories for children and adults, as well as a doctrinal study, but were not approved for publication.
     This committee continues to encourage authors to submit manuscripts for review, especially in the area of children's stories.
     Respectfully submitted,
          LORENTZ R. SONESON

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     RELIGION LESSONS

     Having completed the first full year as Director of the General Church Religion lessons program, there is an even greater appreciation for this remarkable service to the Church at large. Letters from grateful parents continue to come in, expressing their appreciation for this important service to the isolated New Church family. Their task is a difficult one: instructing their children in the letter of the Word without benefit of a New Church school; and extra time and motivation on the part of both parents and children to complete these studies. A correspondence course lacks something if compared to a New Church classroom. Completing these lessons from year to year and submitting them to teachers for comments and correction is a sizable accomplishment. These dedicated parents striving to meet their baptism commitments deserve recognition for their efforts. The 14 Counselors and nearly 60 Teachers, who serve year after year as volunteers in this program, appreciate the challenge facing the isolated parent. They are most supportive with encouraging letters, as they see each student through religious training. The General Church takes delight in offering its contribution to this important use by preparing and mailing out the lessons for each of these grades.
     The total enrollment in 1979-1980 stayed around 550 students, including our pre-school program and those enrolled as high-school pupils and adults. The Director is the corresponding teacher for the 36 students above the 8th grade. Some pastors act as teachers for children in their area. The enrollment by grade and subject matter is as follows:

Pre-School          2-year olds          69
               3-year olds          52
               4-year olds          62
Kindergarten     Scattered stories     50
First Grade          Scattered stories     32
Second Grade     Genesis          34
Third Grade          Exodus          33
Fourth Grade     Joshua and Judges     27
Fifth Grade          I Samuel          18
Sixth Grade          II Samuel and Kings     30
Seventh Grade     Life of the Lord I     22
Eighth Grade     Life of the Lord II     23
Ninth Grade          City of God          20
Tenth Grade          New Jerusalem and Its
                    Heavenly Doctrine     9
Eleventh and
     Twelfth Grades     Heaven and Hell     4
Adults          Divine Love and Wisdom     3

                    TOTAL               488

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     Adults, who because of their geographic location receive only occasional doctrinal instruction, should be encouraged to enroll in our correspondence school. In addition to the comprehensive courses on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, Heaven and Hell and Divine Love and Wisdom, challenging courses are also now available on the Doctrine of God and the Doctrine of the Spiritual World. New courses on Providence and True Christian Religion will be available soon. Therefore adult New Church men and women are urged to try this program. The Director is also working on the revision of the second grade lessons.

     CASSETTE TAPES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN

     Mrs. Douglas Taylor, Chairman of the General Church Music Committee, continues to prepare tapes for little children that are distributed through the Religion Lessons program. Many parents of pre-school children are enjoying Christine Taylor's efforts which offer stories from the Word as well as simple songs on tape.

     NEW CHURCH HOME

     This monthly publication continues to provide material and encouragement for our isolated New Church families. The articles and children's talks are designed as an aid for those striving to maintain the sphere of religious education and worship in the home. Each issue includes something for the parents, doctrine instruction tailored for the young, and children's talks. In addition, the editor solicits articles from qualified laymen on the subject of marriage and parenthood. Theta Alpha International continued to sponsor the "Explorer" insert, which includes articles, poetry, and drawings for and from the children. Its editor, Mrs. Ralph Brown, encourages parents to submit material for these pages each month. Through the facilities of the expanded General Church Press, the staff of NEW CHURCH HOME strives to improve its format and readability each issue. New Church parents not yet subscribing to this, Church publication are encouraged to do so by writing the Editor. Subscription rates are $3.00 annually.

     VISUAL EDUCATION

The Religion Lessons program also offers a sizable inventory of 35 mm slides, available to all in the Church. Besides the service to pastors in the field, especially on festival occasions, these slides are sent to isolated parents, assisting them in religious training in the home. The following statistics explain our circulation:

                    1977     1978     1979

Slide Sets               37     62     82
Total of Slides          1,230     1,412     2,377
Number of Borrowers     34     24     30

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SUNDAY SCHOOL COMMITTEE 1980

SUNDAY SCHOOL COMMITTEE LOERNTZ R. SONESON 1980

     By decision of the Council of the Clergy, this important committee is now open to laymen as well as priests. An ever-expanding inventory of resource material and supplies is being collected and distributed by Mrs. Boyd Asplundh, an active volunteer on this committee. Monthly newsletters, including new material, are being sent out to pastors and Sunday School teachers as a valuable aid to this important function of the Church. Sunday School projects and creative ideas are now on file, arranged consecutively by chapters from the Old and New Testaments. Pastors and Sunday School teachers are encouraged to submit their successful projects to Myra Asplundh so that they can be shared with other church centers

     CONCLUSION

     These varied services provided by the General Church are the result of many volunteer hours, and creative talents from dedicated people who recognize the importance of New Church education is appreciated. They ask only in return that parents take advantage of the services available to them. The Director invites all scattered New Church families to utilize this vast collection of resources awaiting them at our General Church offices at Cairncrest, and hopes that many will visit our headquarters in the months ahead.
     Respectfully submitted,
     LOERNTZ R. SONESON
     Director
SCHOOLS COMMITTEE 1980

SCHOOLS COMMITTEE FREDERICK L. SCHNARR 1980

     The General Church Schools Committee has now been in existence two years. Its membership consists of senior teachers and specialists from the General Church, as well as teachers from the Education Dept. of the Academy.
     The committee was formed to assist General Church schools. New schools, and those still in developmental stages, have many different needs and problems which require the experience and expertise of senior teachers. Older schools have different needs, including some the need of new vision and dedication.
During this past year visits have been made by senior teachers to Detroit, Kempton, Toronto, and Washington to assist in various ways.
     Because the members of the committee all have full-time teaching responsibilities there is a limitation on the extent of the committee's ability to respond to needs. But perhaps this is best, because it will take a number of years to ascertain the nature of uses and needs that are to be served. With an evident desire in the church for New Church education, it seems clear that there will be a continued growth of new schools in the near future, and an increasing demand on the work of this committee.
     Sincerely,
     FREDERICK L. SCHNARR
     Chairman

COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Carol Buss, Donald C. Fitzpatrick, Marion Gyllenhaal, Yorvar Synnestvedt, Nancy Woodard.

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SOUND RECORDING COMMITTEE 1980

SOUND RECORDING COMMITTEE DOUGLAS M. TAYLOR 1980

     At our annual meeting in November, the election of officers produced one change; whereas Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh was re-elected as Secretary, and Miss Elizabeth Hayes as Treasurer, Mr. Norwin Synnestvedt was elected Vice-Chairman, after Mr. Cedric Lee asked to be relieved of this position. Our warmest thanks go to Mr. Lee for several years of dedicated service to the work of the Committee, and thereby to the Church at large. We are also very much indebted to the other office bearers for their willingness to continue their valued work.
Our treasurer reported that at September 30, 1979, our net worth had increased by $439.15 to $30,273.26. It was hardly surprising that our expenses once again increased, but we were not prepared for the amount-$111l.201 Contributions by users of our tapes remained about the same; but special contributions were down by $3,340.89. However, we did manage to make a small profit for the year- $439.15, down by $3,903.41 compared with the previous year.
     This is a matter of some concern. Since we make no charge for borrowing tapes, we are completely dependent on the financial contributions of users and special contributors. The message from the figures given above is quite clear-we need more money. The same message comes through loud and clear when we contemplate some recent trends; rampant inflation continues to escalate our costs-especially for tapes; and we are using more tapes, not only because we are doing more of what we have customarily done but also because we have lately embarked upon some new activities. We can only hope that we can continue to make our usual contribution to the work of the Church, and that cut-backs will not be necessary. Only once in our entire history have we been obliged to call upon the General Church for additional funding. Let us hope that in the coming year we will not be forced to take the same course.
     An important change in policy was decided upon with regard to the work of archiving the works of priests now retired or in the spiritual world. The Academy archivist, Mr. Lennart Alfelt, gave us some valuable advice on the requirements of archiving, which has caused us to re-examine our past practices. Mrs. Anne Finkelday has devoted a very considerable amount of time and talent to this particular aspect of our work. She, together with Messrs. Rey Cooper and Robert Klein, have done the bulk of the technical work, producing usable tapes from which to make copies. To them the Committee-and the Church as a whole-owes a deep debt of gratitude. Without the help of these and many other volunteer helpers throughout the Church we simply could not do what we have been doing for the Church for over 30 years.
     There was one new activity in the past year that can be reported; some members of the Committee were invited by the Cathedral Sound Committee to give of their skills and advice in a project to improve the sound system in the Cathedral.

     Respectfully submitted,
     DOUGLAS M. TAYLOR, Chairman

312

ORPHANAGE COMMITTEE 1980

ORPHANAGE COMMITTEE ROBERT F. ZECHER 1980

     The Orphanage Committee responded to the needs of only one recipient of funds during 1979. This marks only the 3rd year of distribution (all to the same recipient) during the last dozen or more years.
     With local societies and individuals assuming more responsibility toward hardship cases, the General Church Orphanage Committee has not been very active of late. However, its uses, when required, are very important and the committee should continue to function.
     With true "orphans" almost disappearing from the scene today, the committee will more surely face the needs of older people more than young. Perhaps a change in the committee's title and a re-examination of its operating procedure (last done in 1939) would be appropriate.

     Respectfully submitted,
          ROBERT F. ZECHER
               Chairman
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN, GLENVIEW, PITTSBURGH, TORONTO, AND KITCHENER 1980

Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Pittsburgh, Toronto, or Kitchener who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Mrs. James C. Pendleton
815 Fetteramill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (215) 947-1810

Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Ben Hur Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

Mrs. Philip Horigan
50 Park Drive
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (312) 729-5644

TORONTO
Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave
Weston, Ont. M9P 2J5

Mrs. Mark Carlson
58 Chapel Hill
R.R. 2
Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5

313

AFFIRMATION OPENS THE MIND 1980

AFFIRMATION OPENS THE MIND Editor 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa
Published Monthly By
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Acting Editor . . . Rev. Morley Dyckman Rich, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager . . . Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should he sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION

$5.00 (U.S.) a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     A number of passages in the Writings treat of the uses of the affirmative principle or attitude, contrasting this with the negative principle or attitude. They principally treat of these attitudes in relation to the things of religion or Divine truths. Both principles have their place and use. And we may say that affirmation opens the mind, whereas negation closes the mind.
     For example, if we adopt the affirmative idea that the Writings are a revelation of Divine Truth through a man, or more explicitly, that they are part of the Word, this opens our minds to a better understanding of their teachings, and even more, brings us to a further illumination as to how they are the Word. We may see some faults and obscurities in our former understanding of the idea. But we may also see how we have been led even by means of that first, simple affirmation.
     A worldly parallel to this process may be seen operating in ordinary literature. If we begin to read an author's works with an affirmative, or at least open-minded, attitude, we find that we are much better able to understand his inner spirit, and in what way he means what he is saying.
     On the contrary, if we begin with a negative skepticism toward the Word and the things of religion, we will never see the Lord's truth shining through and within the words; we will never see how true they are, and in what way they are to be understood. The mind is closed to the influx of light and warmth. We see only the apparent contradictions, inconsistencies; and we are quick to see what appear as errors.

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     The same principles and processes may be observed operating in any one subject of Divine Revelation. And it may be illustrated by the subject of the habitations of man.
     Thus, if we begin, from childhood teaching, with such simple affirmations as that the Lord created the universe with earths or planets upon which He placed life-forms and human beings to be prepared for eternal life in the heavens, we can then be led to see what the essential human is, and how the soul forms the body with wisdom so that it can live in the atmosphere of its particular earth. From this, again, we may be led to the further thought that the external conditions which exist on our earth, such as dimension, amino acids, chemical constitution, atmospheric and environmental conditions, even sight and hearing ranges, have no real meaning so far as the earthly life and existence of the human itself. We may see the innumerable possibilities involved, and the infinite Wisdom and operation of the Divine in creating numberless different life-forms and humans adapted to the particular conditions and characteristics of their particular planets and solar systems and galaxies-with infinite variety according to use.
     So will we glorify the Lord and His universe-"the works of Thy fingers."
     Furthermore, this may be powerfully confirmed when we learn that the material about the earths in the universe is first given in the Spiritual Diary, substantially repeated in the Arcana Coelestia, and a third time in the work of that name, published alter The Last judgment. These three works involved from one to three or more selective processes, guided, of course, in each case by influx and illumination from the Divine.
     One of the blessings in being led by the affirmative in this is that we may thereby be saved from the negative conclusions of part of the scientific world. This does not mean that all of that world are atheistic or agnostic. It simply means that, as in all the fields of human thought, effort and life, there will be and are some who are negative to any form of religious truth. And unless we have true understanding and some little wisdom from the affirmative, we may be unduly troubled by their conclusions from the negative, and the apparent conflict with the oft-repeated literal statements and descriptions of the Writings regarding life on other earths.
     To the closed minds of some scientists the universe becomes a terrifying thing, full of mischances and dire threats to life. They talk of "anti-matter" without any idea of its possible use as a balancing factor which prevents the collision of galaxies, thus without any thought of it in relation to the omnipotent and omiscient Creator, infinitely wise and infinitely loving and merciful.

315

They see the ecology of this earth as so fragile that a mere hair could destroy it.
Every person wavers for years between these two states of affirmation and negation. But the purpose of the Lord is to lead him to an open, affirmative mind toward Him, and to a negative attitude and thus a closed mind toward evil and hell. As always, in this the Lord guards man's own freedom of choice. Indeed, this purpose of the Lord is reflected in the fact that one of the first things taught to little children in heaven is the idea of the negative, that is, how to say "no!"
Finally, the teachings of the Writings can also guard us against be-coming apologists and moderate our over-anxious and too hasty efforts to explain away or evade the generally plain statements of the Word about such scientifically troublesome subjects as the habitations of man in the Universe.
CHANGES, CHANGES 1980

CHANGES, CHANGES Editor 1980

     The New Church Life has, in the last six years, gone through a number of changes of editors. We could say that it has suffered a number of vicissitudes; but still, and without meaning any reflection on its workers, we would say that it has survived very nicely, thank you. Perhaps you have enjoyed the stimulation of variety. And certainly you have become more acquainted with the thoughts and styles of the four editors who have served in that time than you might have otherwise. It may be remarked as a matter of interest that all four were in the same generation of six theologs (1938-41), that is to say, the Revs. Norbert Rogers, Martin Pryke, Morley D. Rich and Ormond Odhner.
     The average age of these men is now 67. But by the time this issue comes to you, the Assembly will have confirmed the nomination of one who is comparatively young-49. I refer to the Rev. Donald L. Rose, who comes to this work with the commendation of a number of us, including this writer. We hope that he will be in this position for a number of years. And though, believe me, there will be no "Stuff and Non-sense" about or in the Life, perhaps a bit of gleam and sparkle will come through to refresh the serious nature of its principal purpose! The reason why this magazine will continue to survive and to benefit from any new editors and workers stems from its stated purpose, and from the devotion and conscientious efforts of its past editors and workers. Perhaps we could say that change is fitting in connection with its centennial. Long live the New Church Life!
     MDR

316

"HISTORICAL VIEWPOINT" 1980

"HISTORICAL VIEWPOINT" NORBERT H. ROGERS 1980

Dear Editor:

     Mrs. Briggs' Communication in your April issue touched me. It reflected a sincere love for the New Church of a kind that is to be admired and respected. Particularly affecting was her final paragraph, especially the statement: "(If we can only grow) in the realization that no one on earth can see the whole truth, but that we need to use to the full what we can see."
     I too want to see the several organizations of the New Church dwelling together in amity despite their differences. My contribution to this goal is a decision, admittedly arrived at after many years of doing the opposite, to avoid as much as possible trying to explain to others just how another New Church organization differs from my concept of the General Church position. My effort is to content myself with explaining the basic General Church principles and applications. The decision was reached when I came to notice that I'd never seen or heard an explanation of the General Church made by someone not of the General Church that was adequate and fair. Always one or more of our principles and ways appeared cast in poor light and therefore as inferior. Reflecting on this, it became clear that a person who did not agree with our principles would have difficulty regarding them objectively, and so could scarcely be expected to avoid conveying the impression that our principles are not as good as the ones he subscribes to. It was obvious that the same difficulty would be encountered by me in trying to explain someone else's principles and applications.
     I'm not an authority as to New Church history. But I am quite sure that the Rev. Chauncey Giles was President of the General Convention during many years when the Academy controversy was being actively debated. As far as I know Mr. Giles was not from Boston, and he certainly was not an exponent of doctrine though I have no quarrel with the quality of his New Churchmanship. In the difficult years of that controversy, most of the doctrinal positions with which the Academy people disagreed came from the Boston area and the Worcesters were their principal exponents. I imagine this is why Boston (area) and the Worcesters loom so large in our views of New Church history.

     NORBERT H. ROGERS
          Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

317

EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE 1980

EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE ERIK E. SANDSTROM 1980

Dear Editor:

     I wish to respond to your request for comments re. The Earths in the Universe, and I hope my views do not stray far from the way you now see it.
     The New Church has, as was stated, millions of years ahead of it, and by then the problem of inhabited planets will not seem worth having left the Church over. But if anyone wants a "custom-made" excuse to leave the New Church, or not to join, he at least cannot complain that the Church has not obliged.
     But the E.U. is in fact a thoroughly theological work, engaging the mind in a vast maneuver involving all other doctrines. Being thus an exercise of spiritual doctrines, the E.U. can be seen as a 'travellogue' in the World of Spirits. For Swedenborg spoke mostly with spirits (sometimes angels) who had come from their respective planets. Spirits are in their respective world of spirits. (cf. EU 1; HH 294, 431)
     Since this is a doctrinal fact, we need to keep in mind that all the information which we have ascribed, perhaps a bit naively, to inhabitants on planets, may in fact at times have more to do with conditions of spirits in the world of spirits. And as we know, after some time after death, the outward appearances of the first state in the World of Spirits, which are largely the same as those on the earth one has left, are altered to conform with the spiritual quality of the newly arrived individual. (cf. HH 507, 485)
     But the simple nature of most spirits coming from other planets of the inhabited universe, may have prevented them from differentiating between their earthly conditions of the first state, and their new correspondential conditions in the second state in the world of spirits.
     Furthermore, Swedenborg was inspired to write the EU before the HH (cf. HH 417) so that only in the HH are we informed of the three states in the World of Spirits. Swedenborg could therefore not separate these states in the evidence the spirits presented to him;-of course the Lord, one might argue, could have revealed this distinction; but the Last Judgment was at hand,-which of course took place in the World of Spirits.
     It is indeed revealed in EU 160: "All spirits know about their earths when their natural . . . memory is opened by the Lord . . . but it is not opened except by the good pleasure of the Lord."
     This makes clear that: i) spirits can at times describe their planetary surface conditions; ii) this takes place at the Lord's good pleasure, and is thus revealed; iii) EU 160 applies to the fourth earth in the starry heaven, the surface conditions of which are scientifically unverifiable.

318

     We are then left with the sobering possibility, that at no juncture is any set of 'evidence' from the Heavenly Doctrines given so as to overlap with the evidence of science. All spiritual phenomena belong to the (in this case) World of Spirits (part of the Spiritual World); and all natural phenomena (e.g. space probes etc.) belong to the natural world. Even where "scientific evidence" is given in the Doctrines, it is given in an unverifiable, and thus undisprovable, format, as is all revelation.
     We do not, therefore, face any need to play "SNAP" with Science and its findings (which change from year to year), tempting though it is.
     Sincerely,
     ERIK E. SANDSTROM

London
SPIRITUAL IDEAS 1980

SPIRITUAL IDEAS 1980

Spiritual ideas, concerning which see above [nos. 1487, 1498], can make it known that the men of this earth will judge variously concerning these matters, namely; that there are such planets, which, however, can by no means be denied, and that [their inhabitants] are of such a nature, and especially, that it could be possible for men to converse with them; since men judge from the external sense and from each one's phantasy and love. But this is of no consequence, for these things have been seen and heard as sensibly as in human society, therefore I care nothing for their judgments. I am persuaded that when they become spirits, and still more in the case of those who become angels, they will clearly see the truth, as perhaps also will some of the human race, if it is well pleasing to the Lord. Let them only consider that in the spiritual world, as they call it, the distance of a place matters so little that what is remote appears near by; so that the souls who spoke with me and were heard near me, yea close to my ear, might yet have been hundreds of miles distant from me, as I some told them. Since the distance between places appears so small to the eye when looking at the sun and stars, how much less must it appear to the internal sight. It is the fallacies of the senses which mislead the inhabitants of this earth, who are of the corporeal sense, and who extend their ideas scarcely beyond the senses of the body. 1748, Mar. 18. Spiritual Diary 1532

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Church News 1980

Church News Various 1980

     SOUTHERN PASTORAL VISIT

     To escape winter weather and still be useful to the church, Jean and I decided this year not to go so far from home. We settled on a trip through the southern states of Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana. The Bishop approved the plan and commissioned me to do some ministerial work en route. So on Thursday, December 28th, we began our trip, arriving at the home of Rev. and Mrs. Tom Kline on Saturday afternoon. A class had been arranged for that evening and the films, Swedenborg the Man Who Had to Know, and The Water of Life, and The Animals of the Bible, were shown to the group that gathered at the Kline's home. This was followed by a talk on the antiquities and articles of Jewish worship that had been collected in the Holy Land on my previous trip. There was a lively discussion which made a very interesting meeting.
     The next day I preached at the Atlanta circle's place of worship. The children's talk was illustrated by the use of the Jewish phylacteries, and the sermon dealt with the open doors of opportunity which are exemplified by the beginning of a new year. This was especially appropriate for the Atlanta circle as they are in the process of purchasing a beautiful church that will serve their needs for some time, a church that will provide for worship, Sunday school, and the social requirements of the group, as well as a General Church center for the whole district. Following the service we again showed the film on Swedenborg for those who had not had the opportunity to see it the night before. Then many of the members went to visit the new church building to examine it and to enjoy the prospect for the increased uses of the group.
     The following evening was New Year's eve and this was celebrated at the home of Randy and Terry Warley, the brother-in-law and sister of Mrs. Tom Kline. Several of the church people were there and the party centered around several spontaneous acts put on by various groups of the people present. Young and old mixed in these presentations which showed much originality. As the New Year began we toasted the church and the future with cold, bubbly champagne and punch. And we left the party shortly after midnight in high spirits, looking forward to the wonderful developments that lay in store in the new year.
     The next day Jean and I again took up our travels. We drove to Americus, Georgia, arriving there in the dark, hunting for Brother Bill's church, and the home of Mr. and Mrs. Terry Schnarr. We had been given a very precise description by Tom Kline before we left Atlanta, so with only one stop to check the highway, and make sure we were going in the right direction, we drove directly to the church. It is a beautiful building set on a very large lot. It is wonderfully equipped to provide both the pastor's residence, and a beautiful small chapel which will care for the needs of the people until they grow large enough to build a full church next to the house. After a pleasant visit with Terry and Gretchen, the members of the group began to arrive for the evening class. Again the films were shown and the articles from the Holy Land, and we had an active discussion including the subject of missionary work and church development. We thoroughly enjoyed the people of this group, and Terry and Gretchen's very dedicated service to the members. We were very much impressed by Terry's devotion to the work that he is doing there for these General Church members.

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     The following day we continued our journey to go to Lake Helen, one of the newest churches of the General Church. As we approached the town, we called Mrs. Kay Morrison who arranged to meet us at a nearby point to lead us to her home where we were to stay during the next few days. Kay has a beautiful home quite near the church building. I had known the Schnarr family in Bryn Athyn many years before, and had been Kay's pastor when she lived in Seattle, so it was pleasant to see her again and visit in her home. While there, we also visited her sister, Mrs. Elaine Carleton, and her mother, Mrs. Vida Schnarr. On Saturday evening we held a class at Kay's home and I met more members of the circle. There again I showed the movies and the artifacts and we discussed many aspects of the work of the church. And the next day we met at the chapel for a service which included a talk to the children and a sermon on the Leading of Providence. (It is interesting to note that the church is called "The Morley D. Rich Chapel" in commemoration of the excellent work done by our acting editor in building up the General Church in Florida.) After the service, many of the members gathered for refreshments at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Lattin. Before the church building had been given by the Stems, the members had met at the Lattin home. He had built an addition which was one large beautiful room with a fireplace, and this had become the center for the church work. It again served that purpose on this occasion when all present honored toasts to the church and to the future development of the Lake Helen circle. On that occasion there were present several of the more distant members who had driven in to take part in the service and the social activities.
     In the social period there was some discussion of the future developments of the church there, and in addition, having learned of the death of professor Klein, I spoke of his great contribution to the church and to the work of the Academy, and my personal gratitude for his influence in my earlier years.
     On Monday we again took to the road to go to Crystal Springs near Okawa in central Florida to visit the Horace Brewer family. We had been given a good map to help us find his home and with good fortune we came to their farm just as the family gathered at noon after working hard on a new home on the far side of their property. This was to be the home of their daughter Susan and her husband, Mr. Dan Knechtel. We had a good visit. Horace is experimenting with the growing of blueberries in this central Florida location. There is only one other farm where blueberries are grown, as a special hardy strain of blueberries must be developed to adapt to the hot, humid weather of central Florida's spring and summer. The problems seem to have been solved and gradually a larger area of the farm is being cultivated for the successful strain of blueberries that resulted. We brought news of mutual friends in Glenview and discussed earlier days, for many years ago I had taught in Glenview, and Horace and his wife, Beverly, were among my students at that time.
     The next day we left Lake Helen to go down the eastern coast of Florida. The sun shone brightly and we had beautiful weather to enjoy. We had brought a loaf of Mary Nicholson's wonderful home baked bread to deliver to her son and daughter-in-law, and we were on the lookout for the proper turn-off. They live in a very new section, Palm Bay, only partially developed at this time, and we were afraid it might be difficult to find. However, we only drove by the house once, and by marvelous deduction, figured it was the right one. Our deduction was helped when we realized it was the only house on the block. Stuart was away, but his wife, Cathy, greeted us warmly and was glad to get a taste of Mary's bread again, and she knew her husband would be delighted. Several photographs later, we regret-fully went on our way. Florida is a large state and our stops many, and our time very limited.
     Late that same afternoon we arrived at Jensen Beach where we looked up our sister, Alice Gladish, who has a very comfortable trailer home in the well-kept park, "Palm Circle."

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We visited over dinner, and then we all went to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Don Lipps, Alice's daughter and son-in-law, There, after meeting the family and visiting for a time, we arranged to come the following night to show the films and to have a little church discussion. The next day we visited in the area, and did some shopping, and telephoned ahead to Miami to arrange for a class and the following Sunday's service. That evening we again met to view the films and discuss many things.
     The next day we continued further south on the eastern shore of Florida. At lunch time we met with T. and Amy Brickman (who had just arrived from Glenview for their winter stay) and with Mr. and Mrs. Otho Brickman who live in Jupiter. After lunch we visited in the lovely home of the Brickmans, who then guided us to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Richter. Years ago Paul had played in the same dance orchestra with me, and we had had many contacts through the years, so we had an enjoy-able renewal of our old friendship.
     On the way to Miami we had our first difficulty with the car. About 30 miles away from the home of the Glen Alden family the alternator belt broke, and we continued the journey on battery power alone. However, we made it to the Alden home without difficulty. And there after dinner we settled in the church apartment for a few minutes, only to take off with the Aldens for class at Ft. Lauderdale in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rennie Doering. Again the movies and the artifacts from Israel were shown and discussed, and I emphasized the teachings of the Writings concerning their representation in the ancient Jewish church and their back-grounds for our modern Christian worship, and what they represented in the individual's spiritual development.
     On Friday we divided forces. I took my motion picture and still cameras, and with the Glenn Alden family drove to the very tip of the Everglades to the park headquarters at Flamingo, stopping at several observation points to photograph the wildlife, particularly the birds. Jean did not want to visit the Ever-glades and she used the time to write post cards while the car was being fixed at a local garage. The next day was comparatively idle. While Jean enjoyed the chance to rest and relax and just be a housewife in the church apartment, I prepared the material for the service the next day. In the evening we went over the music, for Jean had agreed to play for the church.
     On Sunday morning members and friends gathered from many distant points to take part in the service. As usual this included a talk to the children and a sermon. I was glad that my being there made it possible for the Rev. Glenn Alden to be part of the congregation so he could be with his wife and family. I can well remember the years of serving in a district far from the center of the church where visits by other ministers were rare and the opportunity to be with one's wife during the service was rare indeed. After the service coffee or punch was served so the members and friends could visit for a bit, and I was asked to show the movie for those who had been unable to see it at the meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, and to permit the children to view it. So it was shown together with the shorter films that I had brought. In the evening we visited with the Aldens and went back to the church apartment fairly early, to catch up a little bit on the many hours of lost sleeping time.
     In fact, every minute that we weren't occupied with classes or sermons or visiting people in the Miami area, we de-voted to discussing the development of the local church. Glenn has great ambitions for the group and is working hard to bring them to reality. He has a very extensive territory and he covers it conscientiously almost every month.
     In the early afternoon Jean and I went visiting in the Ft. Lauderdale area. Our son-in-law Bert Racik's parents, live in that area and we found them at home and had a short but interesting visit with them. We then continued on our way to look up Mr. and Mrs. Morel Leonard.

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I had known Morel and Louise quite well when I was in theological school in Bryn Athyn, and I was glad to have this opportunity to see them again. They are in a very attractive home in Ft. Lauderdale, and their daughter Emily is living with them and making sure that their needs are met. Later, Glenn and Mary, Jean and I had a relaxed social evening going out to the beautiful restaurant, "The Rusty Pelican," which is located at Biscayne Bay. The restaurant was crowded, and before our table was ready, we had a few moments to enjoy a glass of wine at the very edge of the water on a lovely patio. From our table we had a beautiful view of the bay with the twinkling lights in the distance and the occasional lights from one of the yachts as the ships returned to port. It was indeed a beautiful and memorable evening, made the more enjoyable by the visit with our good friends.
     The next day we again took up our journeys, traveling across the Tamiami Trail which skirts the Everglades on our way to Naples and Ft. Myers. The wild-life was present in abundance all along this trail and we stopped many times to photograph the great white herons, the Egrets, and other beautiful birds that were everywhere in evidence. In the early afternoon we arrived at Naples and looked up our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kitzelman. They divide their time between Florida in late fall and winter, and Chicago in the late spring and summer. And they enjoy a beautiful condominium with a marina on the water side. After a very pleasant visit with Ed and Eleanor, we had to move on to get to our destination for that evening.
     Late in the afternoon we came to the home of Major Art Schnarr in north Ft. Myers. Here we received a very warm welcome, and we had much to talk about as I had known Art for many years and he and his wife had visited our home in California several times. I could also bring them news of their son and daughter-in-law, Terry and Gretchen whom we had visited in Americus, Georgia. That evening we had dinner in a local restaurant located in a remodeled antebellum mansion. The food was excellent, and the surroundings very attractive. But best of all, we had an opportunity to renew our friendship. That evening we viewed the films and the artifacts and discussed the development of the church. As is so often the case when there is active discussion with good friends, the time passed much too rapidly, and we had to give up for the night despite there being so much more to talk about and enjoy. However, before we retired, we did have the opportunity to call B.J. and Annette, the daughter and son-in-law of Art and Marge. And it was arranged that we would stay with them at Ft. Walton Beach on our way out of Florida toward Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The next day we left reluctantly to continue our trip along the western coast of Florida. The main roads were very full of traffic, and that section is extensively built up with small towns and businesses lining the highway for a good part of the trip; We went through Tampa and drove to the northern side of St. Petersburg to Dunedin where there were other friends to visit.
     Dunedin is a beautiful little town about 30 miles north of St. Petersburg and there Vivian Curtis has made her home. Vivian had been a member of my congregation in Chicago, my first charge. For many years she had faith-fully played the organ for every service, and about two years ago she retired and moved to Florida to live in a more hospitable climate. She would attend the services at St. Petersburg when it was possible to get there, but it required the use of a car and Vivian does not drive. About a year ago the other family in Dunedin moved away, so that now she is rather isolated from the other New Church people. However, she does have some relatives in the vicinity, and her good friend Muriel Sturnfield Kirk, another member of Sharon Church also lives in the area. So they get together for some activities during the week. On this occasion Vivian and Muriel, Jean and I, had dinner together, and then returned to Muriel's trailer home where the movies were shown and there was much visiting and discussion of the earlier days at Sharon Church.

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That evening Jean and I stayed at Muriel's home, and we set off the next day to make further contacts with our former Sharon Church friends.
     Our next stop was at St. Petersburg Beach, the home of Gunnar Nilson. Mrs. Nilson, the former Nell Barnitz, was home and had prepared a luncheon for us. There we admired her art work and that by her brother, Downing, and the many pictures that she had from her grandfather's work. Mr. Barnitz was a very talented and capable artist who had produced many fine works. And he had passed on his talents and abilities to his children and grandchildren. Nell had been connected with Sharon Church many years before when Henry and Bippy, her mother and father, had lived in the Chicago area.
     After returning to Dunedin to take Muriel back to her home, Jean and I drove on to Lakeland, Florida where we visited the Downing Barnitz family. Downing is Nell's brother. He had early shown a great aptitude in art work, and now he is a professor teaching various aspects of art to college students. His home is filled with beautiful examples of his work, pictures which demonstrate a variety of techniques and through which he had analyzed various art forms. It was fascinating to me to see how his talent had blossomed over the years from the time when I had seen its first flowering, to the technical perfection, and the beauty of vision, which was displayed in his work. The Barnitz family made us very welcome and we enjoyed our dinner together and I had an opportunity to show the films and talk the development of the church with them. The next morning one of their sons showed me some of his pets. He had a very good rapport with the animals that he kept, particularly with a beautiful fox squirrel. When he took it out of the cage, the squirrel ran all over him, his back, his head, up and down his arms and legs and played just as a puppy would. It was the first time I had ever seen a squirrel run, and jump, and attack in play, the hand and arm of his ownermaster. It was a charming sight and one could feel the real sympathy and understanding between the trainer and his charge.
     On the following day we left Lakeland and traveled back to Lake Helen. On the way we passed many of the attractions that bring visitors to Florida from all over the country, indeed from all over the world. The winter head-quarters of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus was there and the entrance to Walt Disney World, but we bravely drove by them all, and going through Orlando we returned to Lake Helen. The next morning we had our second service at the Lake Helen church, meeting again the friends we had made on our last visit. In the afternoon we looked up Mr. Stein, the donor of the church building. He is in a convalescent home recuperating from a severe fall, and it was evident that he got along very well with the nursing staff.
     On the previous visit we had had the opportunity to meet the Convention minister at De Land which is only four or five miles away from Lake Helen. The Convention has a very beautiful Swedenborg center in De Land, situated on about ten acres of orange orchard, the home itself being landscaped with many tropical or semi-tropical plants. Rev. Frederick, the Minister, has been a world traveler and was very cordial. He showed us the chapel where the Convention group meets every Sunday and the Convention center where the member-ship gathers at least once a year to plan the work of the church in Florida. The Rev. Frederick's home is filled with beautiful antique furniture and many lovely mementos of his stay in the Orient and in other parts of the world.
     We stayed a few days to see the local area around Lake Helen. One day we drove over to Daytona Beach where we were amazed to find that heavy traffic was permitted on the beach itself. Signs directed the cars, telling them where they could park, the speed limits, and so forth. The beach was solid and smooth, better than almost any high-way. It is easy to see why it could be used for the speed trials of many record-setting cars.

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We also drove up to St. Augustine where we saw some of the very earliest homes and public buildings in America. There is a strong effort to preserve the old part of St. Augustine in the spirit of those early days and the remnant of that period is most interesting. On the way back we also stopped at the development Whispering Pines where a number of our Sharon Church members have purchased homes for their retirement. It is a lovely setting, and we saw the homes that had just been completed for three of our Chicago families. We will look forward to an opportunity to visit them in the future after they are settled. We certainly hope they have a very happy and enjoyable retirement.
     Leaving Lake Helen, we traveled over to the west side of Florida and continued north along the Gulf Coast. At Ft. Walton Beach we stayed with Lt. Col. and Mrs. B. J. Bjornson. Mrs. Bjornson is one of the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Art Schnarr. They made us very welcome and we enjoyed a very happy visit with them. I again showed the films, and we caught up with the news of the various groups and friends on our Florida visit and brought word of some of her friends from her days at the Academy.
     On Friday morning we traveled on to Baton Rouge to meet in the lovely home of the Henry Brusers. After a very pleasant dinner the films were shown and a class was given centering around the artifacts and articles of worship brought back from Israel, and we discussed many aspects of church growth and development. The next morning Mr. Bruser led me through the streets of Baton Rouge to take my car to a garage for necessary repairs and adjustment, but we returned in time for an early church service including a talk to the children. An informal dinner for all the members and friends followed immediately after the service. We hated to leave, but time is a cruel taskmaster and we had a long drive to get to Pineville, a suburb of Alexandria where we had arranged to have a service with the Hank Bruser family. That evening we showed the films to Hank and his wife and their three children, and we talked about and examined the artifacts and discussed many religious questions.
     On Sunday, before church we walked around their estate. They have a beautiful home set far back from the road in the midst of a large plot of land. Some of the flowering shrubs were in full bloom, while others gave promise of a beautiful blossoming in the near future. And behind a small wood they had a pasture where they kept a riding horse. A little later in the morning the living room was rearranged and we had an informal service for the children, and then lessons and a sermon for the adults. Hank's two sisters, Stephanie and Janet, arrived from Baton Rouge shortly after the service. I had met them at their father's home the day before. Their presence added to the festivities.
     The next morning we all had breakfast together after the children had left for school. This meal was punctuated by a very interesting discussion on the authority of the Writings, the problems raised by the space exploration, and the failure to find life as we know it on the moon or on Mars. However, it was pointed out that the exploration there in both cases, was very limited. Conclusions as to the whole of the moon or Mars had to be very tentative. There are many places on earth today where limited exploration by machine or human beings would also show no signs of life, as in the uninhabited and sterile arctic or parts of the Sahara desert, and similar deserts in many parts of the world. The moon explorers were limited to the one crater where they made their landings so that it is too soon to make final conclusions. In any event, this does not invalidate the moral and spiritual teachings of the Writings. Their applications are clear, and their truth is well established by both the Old and New Testaments and the very laws of order in nature itself. Perhaps we must gain in understanding and wisdom before we can perceive fully the purpose and meaning of this part of the Writings.
     Following our discussion Jean and I set out for home. We had enjoyed our many contacts with New Church people and their circles and groups throughout our trip.

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I had preached and given children's talks in seven places, and had shown the motion pictures 18 times, and had shown the artifacts and discussed the ritual of the Jewish Church, and its meaning to New Churchmen today, an equal number of times. I had also had several doctrinal classes on the growth and development of the church, and we had had numerous doctrinal discussions with the friends we visited. It was an inspiring and heartening experience to see the growth of the circles and groups that we visited, both the larger groups in Atlanta and Miami, and the very promising smaller circles in Americus, Lake Helen, and Baton Rouge, and the interest and potential that exists in many other parts of Florida and the southern states. The ministers who are serving these areas are to be congratulated both on their faithful performance of their duties and the lively interest and inspiration that they have given to their members. And wherever we went, we found friends, old friends and new, friends with whom we had shared an Academy education, or whom I had served in former pastorates, or members whose activities we had read about in the news notes of New Church Life. Jean and I are very grateful for the warm welcome that we received on our trip, and we look forward to other opportunities to renew these friendships in the future.
     HAROLD C. CRANCH

     GLENVIEW

     The alternation of school and vacation time affects the Society program here, as well as that of the school. The use of these alternations brings to mind a couple of lines:

     "There is no music in a rest,
     But there is in it the making of music."

     At the end of the summer, the Educational Council, with members and visitors, met in Glenview. They shared with us the social occasions and three of the open meetings. An "Over-View of Literature," given by E. B. Glenn, showed that internal ideas must needs be expressed in suitable external form to be communicated. The next evening Aubrey C. Odhner emphasized how the "Remains of the Race have been kept alive in Mythology." Such concepts as the Hero, Eternal Life and the vital importance of good loves are in the back-grounds of many people. Donald Fitzpatrick entertained us the third evening with a reading from "Wind in the Willows." Here the audience sensed in the performance by animal characters, the expression of human feelings and a challenge to the mind to distinguish what is animal and what is really human.
     Many thanks to Rev. Fred Schnarr and the many others, who helped bring the Educational meetings here. They left us a certain grasp of how New Church Education is able to work as a one-what teachers do in "vacation" time, and how efficiently a flock of vans can transport a crowd. And of course we were happy to have Bishop King here in person.
     The activities of the Church and School in June had been held early enough to allow Mr. Buss, our pastor, to attend, as the Bishop's Representative, the British Assembly. Mrs. Buss accompanied her husband on their well-earned vacation.
     The golden wedding of the Hubert Nelsons, and the birthdays of two nonagenarians, Mrs. William Junge and Mrs. Jesse Stevens, were celebrated by their families and by the society. Our good wishes go out to this year's newly married couples, who are finding their fortunes here, and in other places.
     Travellers and visitors coming here have let us feel the variety, yet similarity among New Church people around the world.
     Two of our good friends have died this year, Mrs. Percy Brown (Else Junge) and Mr. Archibald Price. "Miss Else" taught school here and in Pittsburgh, and in recent years we have had her friendly sphere with us again. Archie began the Park News many years ago, and also, as a civil service, he gave classes in Horticulture to inmates in prison. Many people have benefitted from the friendly and devoted work of these church members.

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The News Notes in advance of the Canadian Assembly this June were sent out by Rev. Geoffrey Childs. They included a group picture from the last General Assembly in Canada (1926), which recalled many old friends. In this year's Assembly in Guelph, one of the sessions will be led by the Young People. We may hope for a new point of view and the expression of it in tune with their life style. The subject will be, "Our Relationship in Charity with People who are not Members of our Church."
     It has been stimulating to read in the Swedenborg Society's "Logos" of the interesting ways in which they are bringing to public awareness a knowledge of the Writings and of their value.
     The Epsilon Society chapter here in Glenview, under direction of Rev. Harold Cranch, has promoted a series of special Sundays for visitors, well planned and carried out. The subject of the sermons would be presented in the radio pro-grams the week before, and members were urged to invite a number of their friends who might be interested. The results of the first two of these Sundays are encouraging, but they also showed us how much we need to learn to fulfill our part well.
     A new plan of communication between the Pastor and the adult congregation has been set up. Chosen leaders would invite harmonious groups, to include all the adults, to their homes. Free discussion of topics concerned with church affairs would be summed up by the secretary of each group, and relayed to the Pastor. We might be given "Home work" in the form of a collection of passages to prepare our ideas on some subject to be considered.
     There have been several changes in the teaching personnel of the school, in the loss of the services of Mrs. Kenneth Holmes, Dr. Charles Ebert, and Mrs. Conrad Iungerich. Fortunately, replacements have come to continue the school's work, in the persons of Miss Lori Soneson, Mrs. Richard Acton and Mr. Gordon McClarren. Mr. McClarren has accepted the post of Assistant Principal of the ICS.
     The Midwestern Academy is a separate entity from the ICS. Dr. Charles Ebert's resignation as Principal was followed by the appointment of Rev. Brian Keith. The M.A.N.C. program includes visits by students to other Church centers, the completion of a concrete project and the basic academic courses to continue their education in Bryn Athyn.
     The annual report of the Immanuel Church recalled certain events of the year in photographs and details of the other uses in printed form. The pastor reported on the essential uses of worship and instruction, and especially on the adult education program. He touched on the work of the Radio Station, with its potential for telling others about the New Word, and its special use to shut- ins; and of the work of Park Dwellings Inc., in opening up Burnham Court, the new sub-division, and preparing to build a condominium. There are, of course hundreds of other uses carried out in our society by volunteers, all of which are truly appreciated.
     Free voluntary response needs states of contentment, where "rests" can prepare for the making of "music," be it Contemporary, Easy Listening or Classical, such as the Radio Station "WMWA" brings it to us-daily.
     SUSAN S. HOLM
SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION 1980

SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION JEROME V. SELLNER 1980

     On Monday evening, May 5,1980, the SSA held its annual meeting in Bryn Athyn, Pa. Prof. Charles S. Cole, Jr. was re-elected President. Other officers include: Mr. Prescott A. Rogers, Vice-President, Miss Hilary Pitcairn, Secretary, Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh, Treasurer, and Mr. Lennart O. Alfelt, Editor of The New Philosophy.
     One of the purposes of the SSA is the promotion of principles taught in the Scientific and Philosophical works of Emanuel Swedenborg, having in view their relation to the science and philosophy of the present day. In this regard. members and friends were privileged to hear a most interesting address which was illustrated by slides and overhead projections. The paper was presented by Mr. Martin Echols, a graduate biologist who is currently employed as a research technician in a cancer research institute.
     Mr. Echols' paper was entitled, The Cortical Gland and Its Relationship to the Modern Neuron. He explored recent scientific findings and demonstrated their agreement with Swedenborg's concept of the cortical gland and its function, as follows: In his philosophical works Swedenborg devoted many pages to anatomical and physiological descriptions of what he termed 'the cortical glands.' The cortical glands are minute organs, billions of which make up the grey matter of the brain. It is within these glands that the mind first associates with the natural body. Swedenborg's ancient descriptions of the these glands are finding new life and meaning in the light of modern research into the brain. In modern terms, the grey matter is composed of billions of minute organs now termed neurons.
     A primary relationship may be seen between the cortical gland and the neuron in that they both possess a vast number of tiny helical filaments. Swedenborg attached great importance to these filaments, for they are the means by which both form and activity are imparted to the brain. In the work entitled Animal Kingdom, The Fibre #249, Swedenborg writes: 'The surface of the cortical gland consists of fibrils, the most delicate of all, co-ordinated together in the most exact manner.' In the Rational Psychology, #126, he writes: 'simple fibers arise from the simple cortex (within the cortical gland) and arrange, or form, the gland itself by their own determinations.' It is this fibrous arrangement that makes the gland.
     In modern scientific journals similar statements are appearing, such as: "Filaments are a universal structure found in all cells. Their structure is, however, more striking in neurons than in other cells." (J. Cell Biology, Vol. 43); also: "There exists a most perfect and orderly arrangement of filaments and fascicles of filaments within the neuron." (J. Cell Biology, Vol. 61); and finally: "Helical bundles of filaments extend into the finest processes of the neuron." (J. de Microscope et de Biol. Cell, Vol. 24).
     Further, statements such as the following are also found in modern literature: "The axon (equivalent to the medullary fiber of the cortical gland) when cut, retracts into a short piece and is curled into a helical shape."; and also: "A (filamentous) network of this type may produce a torque in the cell body." (J. Cell Biol. vol. 61) These statements and others lead to the possibility that neurons may, just as Swedenborg postulates for the cortical gland, experience a helical or spiral motion which collectively would constitute a motion of the brain; a motion which, while of central importance in Swedenborg's philosophy, has remained in the shadow of doubt, and in many cases denial, to this day.
     The complete text of the above will be carried in a forthcoming issue of The New Philosophy.
     JEROME V. SELLNER

328

Title Unspecified 1980

     Announcements

C-100     Below will be seen a re-print of the editorial masthead for the New Church Life, October, 1881, p. 4. It may be observed that back then there was an Editorial Board.
     And on the next page we have included, from the same issue one of those amusing fables with lots of possible meanings, for which Mr. E. P. Anschutz became well-known in the church.

     NEW CHURCH LIFE.

     A MONTHLY JOURNAL FOR THE

     YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE NEW CHURCH.

     Board of Editors.

ANDREW OZERNY,     CHARLES P. STUART,     E. J. E. SCHRECK,

GEO. G. STARKEY,     E. P. ANSHUTZ.

TERMS-One Dollar per annum. payable in advance.

All communications must be addressed to the Business Manager.

E. P. ANSHUTZ,

No. 1802 Mount Vernon St., Philadelphia, Pa.

PHILADELPHIA, OCTOBER, 1881.

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     THE BOILER AND THE TEA-KETTLE

     The boiler was large and strong; a flaming furnace was under it, and a powerful engine was connected with it by strong iron pipes.
     The tea-kettle was a good one and faithfully performed its allotted use, singing merrily as it poured forth quite a little cloud of steam. Having a rather limited capacity, it had some peculiar ideas of the uses of steam and a somewhat exalted idea of its personal power in the world. One day it went to see the boiler, and said: "I do not like your style of life; with all that fire you ought to produce plenty of useful steam, but I see no evidences of it."
     Silently and uninterruptedly the boiler and engine continued their work of driving the machinery of the great establishment depending upon them. The teakettle continued: "Now I send forth clouds of steam for all who come in my presence. You know this is the age of steam, and I consider it every steam generator's duty to give it freely to all the world. I think you make a great mistake in keeping your steam (if you have any)" it added, sotto voce,-"so bound up and trammelled in those small iron pipes; it looks to me selfish, narrow and egotistical. The world needs steam, so why not give it, not in iron-bound, narrow channels, but diffused everywhere, as free for all as the sunlight and air."
     Still the boiler and engine continued their work. Then the tea-kettle, somewhat nettled, said: "Very well, brother, I have given you good advice and shown you your duty, but I cannot force you to follow it. I am sorry that you are satisfied to be so bound up by mere--" At this moment the safety valve of the boiler was slightly raised, and such a roar of steam followed that the tea-kettle hastily and nervously went home.

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GUILT 1980

GUILT Rev. PETER M. BUSS 1980

VOL. C

No. 8

NEW CHURCH LIFE

AUGUST, 1980

     I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord: and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32: 5

     The subject of guilt is a difficult one, for guilt arouses all sorts of emotions in different people, and there are extreme opinions on the extent to which human beings ought to count themselves to blame for the things they have done, or said, or thought, or felt. We are prone to strong opinions on one side or the other, and anger against an extreme in one direction often drives us to the other extreme.
     There are so many teachings in the Old and New Testaments, and in the Writings, which speak of the inherent and actual evil of man, and of his need for repentance, that the church is tempted to stress these teachings all the time. It catches the attention to speak of evil. People listen, and are affected. If they have a conscience, they are likely to respond. They feel that they must change, they sense the truth of the teachings about guilt and repentance and the Lord's mercy.
     But to stress guilt too strongly is to make it an overwhelming thing. Churches in the past, and the New Church too, can look for blame where there is not blame, and encourage people to feel guilty where the Lord would not have it so. They can create a spirit in which people are overly judgmental of themselves and others, and in that sphere the happy advance of the church's uses is threatened.
     On the other hand, there is a strong movement in our world to do away with guilt. All guilt is seen as wrong in itself, and the sovereign cure for guilt is to realize that you are merely misunderstanding the situation! You are not to blame. If you can understand and accept your feelings for what they are, and realize that many of them were not your fault at all, then you will feel re-assured, and can go on behaving in the way in which you have been.

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When a person feels himself to blame therefore, the efforts of those who care for him are bent towards making him feel better, not towards finding out whether there is some cause for guilt.
     We can see easily that there is imbalance in both these attitudes, yet there are strong forces at work, in this world and in the next, to make us adopt one or the other at various times in our lives. And there is a middle path, so rational and so obviously in accord with the Lord's mercy and His laws, that we wonder why we should ever have trouble seeing it.
     What is the result of an overly strong feeling of guilt, taught through stressing the evil of man more than the Word itself does? The Writings are also strong in saying that there are many things which we do which are not imputed to us. A person is not guilty of evils done when he was ignorant of them, or in times of passion, as long as he does not justify them afterwards. Some evils are light, and some are serious, depending on the intention from which we do them. We are told that a man's evils which come from heredity are not imputed to him until from knowledge and set purpose he makes them his own. The basic selfishness of man is the source of many unhappinesses, and yet the Lord doesn't impute these things to a person because he or she cannot cast off in a moment the heredity for which we are not to blame. Impatience, anger, ambition, and many other things, lead us unconsciously, and we have no power to banish them all in a moment.
     Yet the hells would love us to feel guilty about them, and when we reflect too much on our evils, spirits come to us who can keep our minds on them, and continually make us have a feeling of condemnation. The Writings call some of these spirits "conscience-mongers," because they make things a matter of conscience which are not so, and accuse and condemn the person on any matter at all. So they make us feel guilty about unimportant things. Their delight is to blame, and if they gain control over someone, he will be a very unhappy person. He will feel guilty about all sorts of things, and feel hopeless about his chances of happiness and salvation. There are other types of spirits also who can fix on something in our minds upon which we worry too much, or think too much, and give us a feeling of sadness or guilt about it.
     The trouble is that feeling to blame about things which are not important makes us unable to tackle the real problems of life! Guilt is a crippling feeling if it is too strong. It saps our vitality, takes away the joy of life, and induces a lethargy in our uses. We are born by the Lord to be happy, and to perform useful and joyous tasks for those we love or care for. Life should not be harsh or sad, to the man who honestly tries to follow his Maker. There will be trials, there will be regrets.

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There will be some faults and evils we will deeply regret, and wish they had never happened. But the balance of life should be happy. Unnecessary guilt, because of those who are with us in it, robs us of that joy, and cripples our attempts to do what we ought to do about our real faults!
     On the other hand, what is the result of trying to remove all guilt? The Lord has revealed a tremendous tendency in all people to avoid the simple and necessary step of salvation-to shun evils. He says that many groups in this world have almost a horror of examining themselves to find if they have faults or evils (TCR 567). Why? Because the normal person likes himself or herself as he is, and does not want to change. People grow up, the Writings say, and hear about the ideals of heaven, and they want heaven. But the price is not right. They don't want to feel that they must give up something in order to get it. So they avoid responsibility for their evils, in various ways.
     There are many ways. We all know of people who run a dishonest business, yet are generous to some organisation, or charity. They will pay a portion of the money they made dishonestly to some good cause, and to them that "evens the score." They are avoiding responsibility for the people they have not treated fairly. A man may not be true to his wife, and, feeling guilty, buy her an expensive gift. Somehow in his mind that attones for the deeper way in which he has stolen from her. Even in little ways we try to avoid responsibility for our evils. A person might be late for an appointment, through some neglect. He makes an excuse, which is not true, shifting the blame onto the traffic, or an imaginary telephone call. He may even blame some absent person, saying he or she forgot to remind him.
     The wish to avoid responsibility for our faults, and our evils, is instinctive. We would like to cover them up. Sometimes we feel that doing so is to protect ourselves, so that people cannot pick on our faults. More often we simply don't want to be in the wrong. And in the silence of our minds, we work similar deceptions, trying to avoid facing our evils. A truth is taught, and we know it applies to us. But subtle spirits with us lead us to think about how it applies to someone else, or turn our minds to other thoughts, and the opportunity for improvement is gone.
     And these feelings find philosophic expression in the condemnation of guilt. We know that excessive guilt is crippling, so we try to make all guilt so. We make guilt the evil, which must be shunned.
     Yet a person is born with the tendency to evil, and if he or she does not cast out those evils, they stay. They stay. It is so basic and simple.

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Repentance is said to be the way, and the only way, from hell to heaven. Penance-trying to pay for a fault by doing some compensating good-is no way to heaven. Avoiding the truth is certainly no way. Time and again the Writings bemoan the fact that the simplest of truths is not accepted. Man is born with a tendency to evil. And if he doesn't do something about it, it stays with him. He confirms that tendency and becomes selfish of choice.
     What then do the Writings teach about guilt? More than anything, they present the amazing idea that it is a positive feeling! It is not a negative, crippling emotion, which saps our vital forces, and makes us feel the burden of guilt too heavily. "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light," the Lord says, and that is absolutely true.
     The Writings say we are to blame if we do what is wrong, when we know that it is wrong! We have freedom, we feel life as if it were our own; if we make a conscious choice, we have sinned.
     They do make exceptions. If we have not known it was wrong, we are not to blame. If we have been taught it was evil, but have not seen it truly for ourselves, we are not to blame (AC 9069). "To see and understand that a thing is evil, and still do it, makes a man guilty" (AC 9069; cf. AC 9132). "If ye were blind, ye should have no sin but now ye say, We see, therefore your sin remaineth."
     We are to blame if we know it is wrong and do it or desire to do it. That is so obvious. And then the Writings ask us, urge us, to take responsibility when we have done what is wrong. We are responsible, let us admit it.
     They describe true repentance as being to examine ourselves, to see and acknowledge our evils, to make ourselves guilty of them, and confess them to the Lord, and ask His help, and then to turn from them and start a new life, and then when the evils of which we have made ourselves guilty recur, to say, "I will not do this because it is a sin against God" (TCR 567). We are to make ourselves guilty of them. We are to take responsibility for them. Why? Because it is the only way that we can ever get rid of them. In no other way will they leave us than if we ourselves determine to resist them. "This is the way, and the only way, from hell to heaven."
     Guilt is so clearly put as part of a positive set of steps to heaven. And the other important thing is that the Lord removes that guilt the moment the man repents. He himself may have regrets, and remorse, but the Lord forgives him. "Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more." When we acknowledge our wrong, that is simply what He says to all of us. "I have acknowledged my sin unto the Lord, and mine iniquity have I not hid.

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I said, I will confess my transgression unto the Lord: and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin."
     If we do not admit our wrongs, then our guilt remains. When we do admit them, and determine to change, the guilt departs. For the Lord removes it. He gives us two positive alternatives. If we have hurt another through our evils, then we ought, as a part of our repentance, to make it up to him if we possibly can. "First be reconciled with thy brother, and then come, and offer thy gift." The Writings speak of repentance through confession and restitution-making good the wrong we have done. But if that is not possible-and many times it is not- then we are to determine that we will not sin again, and ask the Lord's help for that. Either way, the guilt is taken away, after repentance.
     Taking responsibility for our evils is a positive strong step. It is strong, because when we admit our evils, and ask the Lord's help, His almighty power is with us. And He does not hold past evils against us. We know very well that if we went to a person we love and admitted we were wrong, he would say, "Fine, just don't do it again." And of course that is what the Lord says. The past is done. Don't do it again.
     Perhaps we will do it again. Then again we must take full responsibility, and ask again for help. And eventually we will have to come to the point of never doing it again. But the power of the Lord never leaves us, if we want it. All we have to do is bear the burden He insists we bear-of admitting our wrong.
     "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." If ever, guilt stops us from repenting, it is wrong. We are not turning to the Lord. We are letting the 'hells condemn us. Come unto Me. Let the Lord take the major share of our evils, as He does, by removing them, and' planting good within. But a burden He does lay on us. A meek, and lowly burden-responsibility, confession, and repentance. A happy burden too, because then the Lord performs the miracle that takes away the cause of guilt. "After those days, said the Lord, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people . . . for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (Jer. 31: 33, 34). Amen.

LESSONS:     Psalm 32;Luke 19: 1-10; Arcana Coelestia 9069

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IDEALISM AND THE RITES OF THE CHURCH 1980

IDEALISM AND THE RITES OF THE CHURCH Rev. LOUIS B. KING 1980

     (The first part of an Episcopal Address to the 28th General Church Assembly, June 13, 1980. The full text was summarized by Bishop King for the Fifth Session.)

     Idealism is the desire to cultivate the very highest ideas, (individually or collectively drawn from and confirmed by the Word of God,) in our thoughts, affections, and actions. In the New Church, it is the desire to bring to life what the Writings themselves teach; and our ideals will therefore come into sharper focus as our understanding of the Word for the New Church improves.
     From its origin, the word ideal is related both to the word wisdom and the word vision. Its deepest sense involves a looking at, an attending to or turning toward something, as one is turned by means of the Word to the Lord, in response to some deep child-like awareness, and then begins to see His Form or Shape. This seeing is a true idea, and an ideal is anything pertaining to or conforming with that idea.
     Although the word "ideal" is not used by Swedenborg in the modern sense of "ideals," the conception is expressed by the Latin word fines-"ends,"-which, in many cases, could be elucidated by being translated "ideals." For one's ideals are one's goals, objectives, ideas of what is most to be desired, most perfect and final.
     Inasmuch as the New Church will be set apart from other churches by its worship of the visible God, so will this vision of the Divine Human of the Lord Jesus Christ play some part in the formation of every ideal in the New Church. From this will spring the ideal of a heaven from the human race, of the marriage of good and truth, of an eternal marriage of conjugial love, and of the Lord's Kingdom on earth comprising both the church universal and the church specific.

Idealism and the New Church

     So far as we humbly seek truth and live it, we are pursuing what is ideal, that is we are working towards a heaven-from the human-race this heaven being the final end and goal of creation.
     "Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven . . . even so, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."*

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An inward willingness to be led by the Lord is Innocence. As such this is the first state into which a child enters, which fixes the plane for everything following that will make him worthy of the kingdom of heaven. It is not the will of our Father in heaven that any state of innocence should perish.
     * Matt. 18: 4, 14.
     If the New Church is to be strong, the vital heart and lungs for the universal kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, then there must be idealism, born from innocence or a willingness to be led by the Lord Himself, and formed directly from the teachings of Divine Revelation treasured up in the hearts of an enlightened laity and priesthood. There will be the ideal of love to the Lord expressed in an eternal life of use as a light to enlighten our way: and the ideal of love toward the neighbor, of seeking and longing to promote the good in others-in the family, in the community, in the church, in the nation, and the world, wherever it may be found. The ideals of honesty; truthfulness, modesty and morality will become foundation-stones for love truly conjugial and the love of offspring, coupled with a determination to achieve those orderly and preparatory states and stages described so definitively as essential in the Word for the New Church.
     The quality of idealism gives courage to stand firm in the face of doubt, to be strong and disciplined in times of loneliness, to husband wisely the good and true things of the Church during states of plenty, then, wisely to administer these same God-given riches to sustain spiritual life during states of famine, when regenerative confrontations are upon us. The function of idealism in this regard is pictured well in the story of Joseph in Egypt, storing up grain during the seven years of plenty, and wisely administering this produce to a starving population during seven subsequent years of famine. The idealism which can be sought, cherished and achieved within the New Church is the very quality of life in which the ends of the Divine Providence come to fruition, drawing us closer to those we love and causing us to reach out to those we can best serve. Through this spiritually heroic idealism, the New Church will serve the world as the heart and lungs of a new culture and civilization and form a firm foundation for the Lord's kingdom in the heavens. "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.*
     * Joel 2: 28.

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The Rites of the Church

     An embracing of the ideals of the Church is brought to ultimate expression in its rites. The word "rite" (Latin ritus) comes from an ancient root meaning "to fit or join together," which is also the forefather of the English words "arm," "harmony," "art," "articulation," "rational," "arithmetic," and possibly "order." Ritus or "rite" therefore signals what is fitting and proper, in accordance with order and reason or good counsel, well-considered and confirmed; or what fits in its place and thus provides a connection with its origin. So a "rite" is a formality which relates (or joins) a given state to the Church, thus to Heaven and the Lord.
     The two rites that are Divinely commanded are Baptism and the Holy Supper.* (All others are prescribed by the Church according to its understanding of the Word and sense of "what is fitting and proper.") These two rites alone are called "Sacraments," because they dedicate man to the ideal of conjunction with the Lord through repentance and regeneration.
     * Matt. 28: 19; Luke 22: 19.
     The rite of confirmation or confession of faith serves as a confirmation of the Sacrament of Baptism; thus an affirmation of the ideal of conjunction with the Lord through repentance and regeneration. Betrothal and Marriage rites dedicate the couple to the ideal of a heavenly, eternal marriage. Inauguration or Ordination dedicate the priest to the ideal of the salvation of the human race and thus of Heaven and eternal life. Burial, also traditionally called a rite, dedicates the bereaved to the acceptance of bodily death and a reaffirmation of the ultimate ideal we are born to fulfill: eternal life in Heaven.
     Ritual, being the substantivized adjective form of "rite," is broader in meaning, encompassing liturgically prescribed procedures of worship or any formality which would seek to relate the participant to things Divine: thus it includes all the orderly arrangement of various parts of external worship. "Through the interior things of worship, the man of the Church communicates with the heavens, to which the external serves as a plane upon which the interior things may subsist, as a house upon its foundation; and when it so subsists it is complete and firm, and the whole man is directed by the Divine."*
     * AC 10, 436.

The Sacraments-Baptism and the Holy Supper

     The sacrifices and burnt offerings of the Jewish Church described throughout the Old Testament, represent the glorification of the Lord's Human and, in its image and likeness, the regeneration of man.

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When the Lord came into the world He abolished these ornate rituals, replacing them with two sacraments in which, because they are purely correspondential, heaven and the world meet. In them the Lord is present simultaneously in things first and last, effecting the power to conjoin man with Himself through the heavens.
     Because of their correspondential nature, Baptism and the Holy Supper are called most holy acts of worship. Great care is taken to preserve the true form of these sacraments, since they are the universal gates for entrance into the Church and Heaven.

Worthiness

     We are taught that those who approach the sacraments of the Lord's supper worthily, are by its means conjoined with the Lord. Yet obviously no person is truly worthy or merits the Lord's mercy! . . . certainly not one who feels worthy of it. For this reason the sacraments and rites of the church often present a problem for those who strongly feel themselves, or are felt by others, to be unworthy.
     In what follows, I would like to discuss these rites in regard to their intent and meaning, in regard to their order as representing and conjoining with eternal ideals, and in relation to problems that exist where there is disorder or a falling short of those ideals.
     Is the New Church as we experience it, in the General Church of the New Jerusalem too idealistic in approach? Does it set standards too high for its people in the important areas of personal regeneration, preparation for marriage, active participation in the life 0r the organized Church, or other areas?
     Why have many applicants for membership in the General Church omitted the rite of confession of faith, or confirmation? Why is there such a substantial number of first marriages performed without a preceding betrothal ceremony?
     Why are some ministers ordained and received as priests when they have not had what we believe to be the full and ideal training for the priesthood offered in the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church?
     Should the rites of our Church, as some are prone to conceive of them, be reserved for those only who have been prepared according to what the Writings appear to teach as the ideal preparation?
     Where open marital disorders have occurred on the part of individuals and appropriate external judgment by the Church has been executed, are the ones who have been drawn into disorder to be so rejected and stigmatized that their repentance, and particularly the Church's recognition of it, is virtually impossible?

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Or, putting the question more positively, is not the Church equally responsible for encouraging and recognizing symptoms of repentance as it is for judgment upon disorder when it arises and continues?
     In the case of repeated marriages or of first marriages following some kind of manifest disorder, the priest customarily decides whether or not he can perform a subsequent ceremony, depending upon what he considers to be greater or lesser deviations from the ideal. Does this not produce an ambiguous situation for the priesthood?
     This address is not intended to give definitive answers to specific difficult questions facing the Church, but to direct our thought and affection to the ideals or ends of the New Church, and to those rites of the Church which minister to or serve those ideals by representing them in worship. "The Church is . . . representative when the internal holy things of love and faith from the Lord and to the Lord are presented to view by means of forms visible in the world."*
     * AC 9457: 4.

Confession of Faith or Confirmation

     The whole concept of individual freedom, based upon the appearance and use of the as-of-self, enters into the rite of confession of faith or confirmation. Without the exercise of the as-of-self there is no reciprocal whereby conjunction with the Lord is established. Implicit in the instruction that goes along with the rite of confession of faith, is reference to the affirmative principle so essential to the Church. To acknowledge truth to be true because clearly stated in the Word of Revelation, is the foundation of true rationality. Proprial inclination to consult the rational as to the authority of truth stands as a constant threat to the authority of the Word of God. The rite of confirmation recognizes the affirmative principle as the only appropriate attitude towards Divine Revelation. It also stresses the importance of checking the validity of the doctrine of the Church by returning to Divine Revelation itself, confirming the truth of the doctrine of the Church by all knowledges and experiences which have entered into the conscious memory.
     That the first duty of charity is to shun evils as sins is corroborated in the rite of confirmation, but it is added that before evils can be shunned, there must be knowledge concerning truth in the light of which evils are recognized and opposed. All genuine good in the Church must be structured by means of truth which will give real meaning to the confession of faith for our young people.

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     But who is eligible for this rite? Though no fixed age limits have been set, it is generally accepted that it is an adult state which the rite addresses. As a confirmation of baptism, there is a tendency to enter into the rite at an earlier age, as early as graduation from high school with some. As a confession of faith, the rite is often put off because of a feeling on the part of the individual that he understands the doctrines insufficiently to make a sincere confessions.
     Membership in the General Church requires a young lady to be eighteen years of age and a young man to be twenty-one years of age. So there have been cases where confirmation has preceded membership in the General Church by several years. At the other end of the spectrum we find individuals who have delayed their confirmation service past the point where they feel it is relevant, requesting membership in the organization without having been confirmed. Here we would observe that whereas it may be rather late for an individual to confirm his baptism, it is always appropriate for him to confess his faith. (in such cases references in the instruction given to the candidate concerning the shunning of evils from one's self, rather than from one's parents, could be omitted.)
     A recent study and presentation in the Council of the Clergy stressed the teachings of the Writings concerning the age of twenty being the time of maturity. There are those who would like to change the membership requisites for the General Church to the age of twenty for both men and women.

Inauguration and Ordination into the Priesthood

     That the office of the priesthood is the Divinely appointed means for maintenance of the Divine with men of the Church, is clearly taught in the Writings. Inauguration into the use of the priesthood is accomplished by prayer and the laying on of hands. Through anointment and filling of the hand* in addition to this, are other impelling representatives that might be considered in the future.) Once inaugurated into the priesthood, the individual priest can be ordained into one of the three degrees which the doctrine of the Church recognizes as the ministry of teaching (first degree), the ministry of worship (the pastoral or second degree), and the ministry of government (the episcopal or third degree). The priesthood as a use and office represents the celestial kingdom or the love of saving souls. The function of the priesthood which is the ministry involves the affection to teach the truth and lead thereby to the good of life.

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Derivation of doctrine and the protection of its purity is a major, but not exclusive, responsibility of the priesthood.
     * AC 10,076: 7.

Memorial Service

     Both impressive and distinctive is our memorial or resurrection service conducted on the third day following the death of the body. When the angels hear the words "death" and "burial" they think only of resurrection into the conscious life of the spiritual world and eternal life there. These two elements, awakening into new life and the beginning of eternal use in the Lord's heavenly kingdom, are everywhere present in the memorial service.
     The memorial service is a time and occasion to reflect upon the Lord, that We is gracious and full of compassion. It is a time to reflect upon the wonderful way in which the Divine Providence has led and guided the individual towards that heavenly home which the Lord alone provides.
     "In my Father's house are many mansions . . . I go to prepare a place for you." The mansion or dwelling place for the Lord in the human mind is fashioned by the Divine love and wisdom in the man's interiors throughout his whole life on earth.
     The most appropriate order seems to be the burial or interment of the body prior to the resurrection service. (The same thing is true if cremation is preferred or if the body is donated to science.) A cemetery then becomes an ultimate expression of our belief that the body is dissipated, never again to be taken up by the spirit, a visit to the cemetery providing a powerful occasion for turning our thoughts to the reality of that spiritual world of active uses in unending variety, which the spirit of the departed loved one has just entered.

Betrothal

     The essence of marriage is consent. Consent is progressive. It is first given during the courtship period, being at first a tentative consent. As courtship continues and the couple gains a growing knowledge of each other's affections, the consent becomes more interior. A period of betrothal follows after courtship, the betrothal ceremony confirming or establishing an interior consent which is a marriage of spirits or minds, in order that the interior affections may be mutually known, and, by applications may be conjoined in the inward cheerfulness of love."*

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By this solemn act the man becomes a bridegroom and the woman a bride, this state continuing until the wedding ceremony when the two become husband and wife. Thus do two spirits become united in growing intimacy and understanding, conjugial love proceeding from its spiritual origin in just order. So we are taught that conjugial love both ascends and descends. Such as it is in the height to which it ascends, such is its quality in its descent. "From this it may be seen that the minds of the two are prepared by betrothal for conjugial love, although each in a different way according to their affections."**
     * CL 301.
     ** CL 302.
     What is vital to the Church is to see the importance of the ideal to which betrothal looks. Unfortunately, many first marriages are solemnized without a preceding betrothal ceremony. Although this does not preclude the orderly progression of conjugial love leading up to the wedding ceremony, yet a powerful opportunity to mark and enter into the delights of this progression has been missed if the betrothal is omitted.
     Although the Writings do not speak of engagement per se, there is room for the use of this term and its accompanying concept to mark a point at which the couple desires that their consent be known publicly. Such an announcement of engagement, particularly if made in the presence and with the consent of the girl's parents, is a powerful expression of the use involved in the exhortation of the Writings that the young lady should first consult her parents before giving consent to the one courting her. It is also said that pledges may be given before the betrothal ceremony. The display of an engagement ring confirms that such a pledge has been given prior to the betrothal ceremony. Whether or not a couple wishes to observe the custom of engagement, or wait until the betrothal ceremony can be announced as the first public declaration that consent has been given, they should not undervalue the importance of betrothal. In heaven a priest is present for betrothal, but not for the wedding ceremony. (However, the Writings do speak of the need for a priest to be present at marriage on earth.)
     Let us remember, that consent is the essential of marriage. In this sense a couple marry each other in the giving of consent. The state legalizes the procedure with a license, the priest is present to bless the couple and to solemnly confirm that state in which they are before the Church.
     The ideal, then, after a period of courtship, is expressed and embodied in a betrothal ceremony to mark confirmation of consent, to effect a marriage of the spirit before there is a marriage of the body, and to establish the name and state of bridegroom and bride.

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The wedding ceremony culminates with a festive celebration in the presence of witnesses, that the blessing of the Church may be added.
     Concerning this ideal or orderly progression and recognition of consent it is said "It is not lawful to enter the marriage of the body during the betrothal period";* "for the order of conjugial love thereby perishes. Betrothals should not be too long, neither made mere matters of form by shortening them unduly."**
     * CL 305; SD 6110: 48.
     ** CL 305.
     In Conjugial Love 313, we are warned that states of cold in marriage may arise from unchastity or disorderly progressions during the period when consent is given prior to marriage. "Conjugial love, precipitated without order and its modes, burns out the marrows and is consumed."* "If a man and woman precipitate marriage, without order, not looking to the Lord nor consulting reason, throwing aside betrothal and yielding only to the flesh," the love becomes purely external and cannot be called conjugial love.
     * CL 312.
     The ideal betrothal ceremony, then, is that one which most closely follows and expresses the teachings concerning betrothal given in the Writings. But what of the individual who falls short of the ideal? What of the one who disregards the teachings on betrothal and enters into bodily or unlawful conjunction with a partner prior to marriage? Is the hope of conjugial love destroyed forever with that person? That is not the teaching of the Writings. In striving to pattern our rites and subsequent lives according to what the Writings say, and thus according to the ideal, let us beware that we do not include in that rite or our understanding of it, that which the Writings do not say. Yes! With those who precipitate conjunction of the bodies during the betrothal period, conjugial love is burned out in its marrows. Yes! the act of adultery closes the mind of the individual to heaven. But what these two teachings do not say is that the marrows of conjugial love are burnt out forever in the first case and that heaven can never again be opened in the second case. Hear what the Arcana Coelestia 9182 has to say concerning unlawful conjunctions.

     Unlawful conjunction is that which is not made from conjugial affection, but from some other affection, as the affection of beauty, the affection of gain, or the affection of personal rank; and also which is made from lasciviousness. In the beginning these conjunctions are unlawful, because that which conjoins is external and not at the same time internal. Nevertheless, a lawful conjunction may afterward be effected from them as means, which takes place when the minds are conjoined; and on the other hand no conjunction may result from them, as is the case when the minds disjoined.

345

     Lawful conjunction, which is that of minds, is effected when both are in the like good and truth; for good and truth make a man's life; moral and civil good and truth, the life of the external man; and spiritual good and truth, the life of the internal man. Be it known that a man's life is from no other source than good and truth, for all that a man loves is called good, and all that he believes is called truth; or, what is the same, all that a man wills is called good and all that he understands is called truth. From this it is evident that a lawful conjunction is effected when the husband is in truth, and the wife is in the corresponding good, for in this way the heavenly marriage, which is that of good and truth, is represented in the pair. From this it is that conjugial love descends from this marriage. (See AC 2717-2759, 2803, 3132, 4434.)

     What is to be stressed here is the fact that the ideal is for all individuals. The Word of God is to lead and guide all individuals towards that marriage of good and truth which is a state of heaven and which produces in husband and wife love truly conjugial. There is a just order prescribed in the Writings for entrance into this love-a series of ideal steps whereby the ideal itself is achieved. But if the individual should fall by the way, the Lord does not abandon him, neither should the Church and its priesthood. There must be external judgment so long as disorder is in evidence, even separation for a time; but within this judgment there should be an interior longing and desire to uplift and to lead those who have strayed from the ideal into states of genuine repentance, wherein order may return and the ideal may once again be striven for. While a strong and living church will make swift judgments upon external disorder, a living and merciful church will seek and provide opportunity for the repentance of the individual, gratefully receiving an acknowledging that repentance throughout acceptance and support.
     What then is the Church to do in the case of manifest disorder even to scandal on the part of a couple prior to marriage? Surely the betrothal ceremony is not appropriate, nor a church wedding, so long as they are in that state. Even as their mutual consent caused them to be married partners, so their bodily conjunction has effectively made them husband and wife.
     But supposing they have a change of mind and heart? Supposing they profoundly regret the disorderly way in which they have entered their marriage relationship, are they to be rejected and stigmatized? Can they not return to an appropriate order and seek the Lord's help through serious repentance? That they should and can do this the Word of the Lord teaches throughout. Ought not the Church to recognize this and enable the couple to receive and rejoice, in the blessing of the Lord on their state of new resolve with joyful confidence that they still may seek and receive the ideal of conjugial love?

346

     The rites of the Church must be protected so that the ideal is preserved for generations to come. But the Church must offer appropriate services in lieu of rites which may no longer be appropriate, so that there can be a recognition that the Church and its ideals are the Lord's, to given to all men who seek them in truth.

Marriage

     Idealism is most beautifully expressed and represented in the marriage relationship which looks to conjugial love. Into this relationship are gathered all delights from firsts to lasts, since the first and last end in creation are manifest therein. Heaven itself, which is described in Divine Revelation as the end and purpose of creation, is a state of conjugial love. In the individual mind, whether masculine or feminine, heaven is the marriage of good and truth, a state of the Church, or the essential conjugial itself. The social unit of heaven is a married couple in each of whom there is this essential marriage of good and truth. Only husband and wife together constitute the true human, the full image and likeness of God into which man is created.
     Conjugial love is holy, pure and clean above every love which is with the angels of heaven and the men of the church on earth. In its mutual approach to the Lord it becomes with each partner a longing to enter into and become a part of the very life of the other. Divine in origin and eternal in its purpose, conjugial love is provided for all those who, from early youth will seek it of the Lord, and who, after marriage will look to the Lord acknowledging Him as the one God of heaven and earth, will shun evils as sins from an acknowledgment of the truths of the Church, and will subsequently do the goods or perform the uses of the Church.
     In a very real sense the purpose of the New Church is to reestablish conjugial love on earth. Even as the New Jerusalem is to be the crown of all churches that have hitherto existed, so is this love in the New Church to be established in a fullness which has only been prefigured in the conjugial relationships of the Most Ancient Church.
     When one reflects upon the awesome responsibility of the Church specific, to serve as a heart and lungs for the Church universal, how profound should be our attitude towards the obligation to preserve conjugial love with the few until it can be with the many.
     If the ideal is to be fashioned from the direct teachings of Divine Revelation then we must attend well to the position of the General Church that the Writings are the Word of the Lord, the absolute Divine doctrine from which the faith and life of the Church is to be drawn.

347

The formative states of true marriage and the order for its attainment are described for the New Church, therefore, in the work entitled Conjugial Love.
     It is the responsibility of the Church to preserve this order, through the leadership of the office of the priesthood. "Religion with married partners," - we read, "makes their chastity."* Yet we should recognize that "conjugial love is never entirely pure with either men women or angels; there is still something not chaste and not pure which adjoins and subjoins itself to it."** We must continually defend against evil by shunning it and renouncing it, holding ourselves guilty on account of it, and endeavoring to do better. If the conjugial life is valued as the first essential in society, so far will the church be a Church, and the masculine and feminine respectively will attain their intended potentials. Unfortunately, there is a kind of blind morality which seeks to ignore the differences in the minds and uses of the opposite sexes. Rationality and intelligence with women, and love and perception with men are not negated by the Writings, but shown to be essentially different in form with each. It is true that affection and perception dominate with women, whereas rationality and intellect dominate with men, but this is only so that the ultimate and eternal relationship can be one of conjugial love, where the complementary and interdependent natures of the masculine and the feminine are wedded into one perfect image and likeness of the Lord.
     * CL 152.
     ** CL 146.
     The sad tendency to make identical the character and functions of men and women, as well as insisting that both should have the "double standard of morality" which once was assigned to men, has resulted only in lowering the morality of women to the least requirement for men. This amounts to a standard of IMMORALITY for everyone. Contrast with this what is said in the work on Conjugial Love that young men are loved for their morality in heaven, while maidens are loved for their true beauty.* The joy and happiness of heaven are from conjugial love, women there constituting the native forms of that love. For this reason they are lovable.**
     * CL 442.
     ** CL 222.
     What is said concerning the relationship of conjugial love to the love of offspring becomes an integral part of our ideal concerning marriage. The first end of conjugial love is the procreation of offspring.* For there are' two universal spheres for the preservation of the universe in the state created, which proceed from the Lord, called the sphere of procreating and the sphere of protecting that which is procreated.**

348

Further, the sphere of procreating is said to make one with the sphere of conjugial love, while the sphere of the love of infants makes one with the sphere of protecting that which is procreated.
     * CL 385.
     ** CL 387.
     One of the difficulties in coming to understand what the Writings mean by conjugial love making one with the sphere of procreation, is our tendency to think of offspring only in terms of natural children. In reality, the time and state when we are subject to the laws of order in relation to natural offspring are relatively brief; but the time and state in which we are subject to the laws of order with regard to spiritual offspring commences with marriage and continues to eternity.
     Spiritual offspring consist of new states of affection and perception, of love and wisdom, which bind husband and wife together as to their souls. Such offspring are procreated continually with angelic partners in heaven.* So the ultimate act of marriage continues with beauty and perfection to eternity, uniting the spirits of husband and wife with ever new conception of states of love and wisdom. Angel wives are formed into the love of their husband's wisdom by receiving the propagations of the husband's soul.**
     * CL 44; De Conj. 22;SD 6110: 40.
     ** CL 355: 6, 115: 5.
     Because of the many ramifications in the subject of deviations from the order of marriage, we will consider it under a separate heading.
     Because the Writings are the Word of God they are not blind to the problems of the world, today or tomorrow, but recognize with calm realism the human frailty to which mankind is heir. As the Lord never rejects man or withdraws from him in times of need, so the Word of the Lord provides Divine truth which addresses states of disorder, so that out of disorder, affection by affection, those who have erred may be led back to order.

349

DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP 1980

DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR 1980

     Part II. The Dreams and Visions of the Most Ancients

     We now turn our attention to the nature and use of dreams and visions in the churches prior to the Lord's First Advent. We will not here go into all the uses of such a study of dreams and visions; but we would note that the Lord used dreams and visions in giving a great part of the Sacred Scriptures. Indeed, we find upon examination that about one-half of the Word is composed of dreams and visions. Swedenborg was prepared, largely through dreams and visions for his work as revelator of the Lord's Second Coming. And we find in the Writings themselves, countless experiences recorded wherein dreams and visions play a part, or where they are actually part of the doctrine on a certain subject. From these considerations alone, it is evident that the understanding of dreams and visions, is important, if not essential, to the understanding of the form and nature of the Word Itself.
     The Writings tell us that revelation was made in many different ways, and while it is not our purpose to examine here all these different ways, it is useful that we have them in mind before proceeding to the particulars of our subject. Six modes of giving revelation are listed:
1)     by dreams.
2)     by night-visions.
3)     by day-visions.
4)     by speech within a man.
5)     by speech outside man from angels that were seen.
6)     by speech outside man from angels that were not seen.*
     * AC 6000, 4682.
     These are the general modes employed by the Lord in giving revelation, and we will in this series, consider some examples of each from the Word. But we would note that each of these methods has many varieties within itself; for example, there are many kinds of dreams- prophetic, instructive, representative, and fantastic.
     Before commencing our look at the Most Ancient Church we would also note the general distinction which the Writings make between dreams and visions. Dreams occur when the corporeal, the body, is asleep, and visions when the body is awake.* We will not comment here on further distinctions since these will become evident as we proceed.
     * AC 1975.

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     In Most Ancient times the Lord taught man entirely through speech with angels, dreams, and visions. There was no written Word. And there was no need of one, for the state of man's life on earth was in such a Divine order that the angels could be closely present with him in everything. The goods and truths of heaven were received by him with delight. . . He desired them as the most precious and important things of his life, and in so doing granted freedom for the Lord to approach and lead him through the media of the heavens. It is true that the children and young adults received instruction from those who were older and more fully in the sphere of heaven, and in this sense were not immediately and always instructed through dreams and visions, or by conversations with angels. But even so, all the knowledge of the Lord and of heaven which the elders had, came through dreams and visions, of such conversations. The dreams and visions of the younger people would confirm the instruction they had received. Undoubtedly at times, particularly when the Most Ancient Church began to fall, the instruction given, because deliberately false, would not be confirmed through the dreams and visions received by the younger people. (We will speak of this again later.)
     There are two things that must be kept in mind in understanding the great difference in the use of dreams and visions in the most ancient times, and that of succeeding times. In most ancient times instructive and confirming dreams and visions were received by everyone. The sleep of night was filled with importance and beauty therefore, and dreams and visions were cherished as the intimate presence of the Lord and His angels. In succeeding ages this was not to be true. Instructive dreams and visions would be received by few, and then only for the purpose of giving a Divine Revelation in permanent written form to man. Certainly everyone would still receive dreams and visions from heaven, but their instruction or representative form would not be understood. Evil and falsity, ignorance and externalism, would obscure and becloud this means of heaven being present with man.
     The difference in how the Most Ancients received revelation through dreams and visions from that of succeeding ages is made clear in the following passage from the Arcana Coelestia:

     In regard to revelations being either from perception, or from speech with angels through whom the Lord speaks, it is to be known that they who are in good and thence in truth, and especially they who are in the good of love to the Lord, have revelation from perception; whereas they who are not in good and thence in truth, can indeed have revelations, yet not from perception, but through a living voice heard within them, and thus through angels from the Lord. This revelation is external, but the former is internal.

351

The angels, especially the celestial, have revelation from perception, as also had the men of the Most Ancient Church, and some too of the Ancient Church, but scarcely any one at this day; whereas very many, even those who have not been in good, have had revelations from speech without perception, and also by means of visions and dreams. Such were most of the revelations of the prophets in the Jewish Church; they heard a voice, they saw a vision, and they dreamed a dream; but as they had no perception, these were merely verbal or visual revelations without any perception of what they signified. For genuine perception comes through heaven from the Lord; affects the intellect spiritually, and leads it perceptibly to think as the thing really is, together with internal assent, the source of which it knows not. It supposes that it is in itself, and that it flows from the connection of things; whereas it is a dictate through heaven from the Lord, following into the interiors of the thought, about such things as are of the spiritual world or of heaven.*
     * AC 5121.

     This passage does not mean that the Lord did not also speak with the Most Ancients through angels, for He did; and indeed angels instructed men openly through speech, but the speech was not in the form of a fixed word-for-word revelation as with the prophets, and it was according to the state of the man, for the interiors of their minds were open to the Lord. Thus we read concerning the men of the Golden Age that because they "acknowledged the Divine under a human form, that is, the Lord, they talked with the angels of heaven as with their friends, and angels of heaven talked with them as with their friends; and in them heaven and the world made one."* Concerning how this mode of speech took place with them we read: "The speech of an angel or spirit with man is heard by him as audibly as the speech of man with man, yet by himself only, and not by others who stand near; and for the reason, that the speech of an 'angel or spirit flows first into a man's thought, and by an inner way into his organ of hearing, and moves it from without. Evidently, then, the speech of 'an angel or spirit with man is heard within him; but as the organs of hearing are thus equally moved, the speech is equally audible."**
     * HH 252.
     ** HH 248.
     Can we say that the most ancients were in a state of vision when their conversations with angels took place? Under the widest possible use, such form of speaking with angels might be classified under the term 'vision.' Normally, however, the Writings do not use the term vision in this sense, and neither will be in this study.
     We have noted that conversations with angels, visions, and dreams, all formed part of the means whereby the Most Ancients received instruction from heaven. How knowledges were ordered with them, and what kind of instruction they received is made clear also. Through these means we have mentioned, they were first given "a general knowledge of what was good and true; and after they had acquired a general knowledge, these general leading principles . . . were confirmed by things innumerable, by means of perceptions; and these innumerable things were the particulars or individual things of the general principles to which they related.

352

Thus were the general leading principles corroborated day by day; whatever was not in agreement with the general principles they perceived not to be so; and whatever was in agreement with them they perceived to be so. Such also is the state of the celestial angels. The general principles of the Most Ancient Church were heavenly and eternal truths,-as that the Lord governs the universe, and all good and truth is from the Lord, that all life is from the Lord, that man's own is nothing but evil, and in itself is dead; with many others of similar character. And they received from the Lord a perception of countless things that confirmed and supported these truths."*
     * AC 579; cf. AC 125.
     Dreams and visions were the main means whereby the general truths they learned were infilled and confirmed. With the churches following the Most Ancient, this use and function of dreams and visions in confirming truths was to perish. Today, there is scarcely the least vestige of it remaining.
     In speaking of the nature of the dreams and visions of peoples in the Golden Age the Writings seem to make no clear distinction between visions and dreams. Certainly there is not the clear distinction present as is the case in the time of the Israelitish and Jewish Churches.* But this comparison we will consider later.
     * AC 1975.
     Both the dreams and the visions of the most ancients were significative and representative. Everything they saw in their dreams and visions had a meaning, and they knew the meaning from perception. The beautiful paradisal scenes which they saw in their dreams where actual views of the forms of heavenly life, the trees, the flowers, the animals, the mountains, rivers, etc. They were seeing in their dreams the true representative appearances of heaven. You will recall the teaching that every angel is surrounded in heaven by those forms that correspond to and represent the nature of one's inmost love and all its associate lesser loves and affections. In one's surrounding therefore one sees his character and quality represented. And these representations are called the real appearance of heavenly forms; they are substantial and do not change. They do not change, that is, in some sudden and mysterious manner. They change somewhat as man's loves are more and more perfected. There are certain societies in heaven and in the world of spirits, who love to introduce these paradisal dreams into man even now, even though they know that man will not be aware of anything significative or representative therein.

353

Swedenborg was allowed to experience how these angels (probably from the first heaven) introduce such dreams into man.

     I was put to sleep, and I dreamed that a ship came laden with delicacies and savory food of every kind. The things in the ship were not seen, but were stowed away. Upon the ship stood two armed guards, besides a third who was its captain. The ship passed into a kind of arched dock. So I awoke and thought about the dream. The angelic spirits, who were above in front to the right, then addressed me, and told me that they had introduced this dream; and in order that I might know with certainty that it was from them, I was put into a state as of sleep and at the same time of wakefulness; and they introduced in the same way various things that were pleasant and delightful; for instance, an unknown little animal which was dispersed in a likeness of blackish and shining rays, that darted with marvelous quickness into my left eye. They also presented men and also little children adorned in various ways; and other things besides, with inexpressible pleasantness, about which I also spoke with them. . . . The angelic spirits who are at the entrance to the paradisal scenes, are they who insinuate such dreams; and to them is also intrusted the duty of watching over certain men when they sleep, lest they should then be infested by evil spirits. They perform this duty with the greatest delight, so that there is rivalry among them as to who shall be present, and they love to affect the man with the enjoyable and delight things which they see in his affection and genius. . . . They said that they do not know whence such things, and representatives so beautiful and pleasant, come to them in a moment; but it was said that it was from heaven. They belong to the province of the cerebellum; for, as I have been informed, the cerebellum is awake in time of sleep, when the cerebrum sleeps. From this source the men of the Most Ancient Church had their dreams, together with a perception of what they signified.*
     * AC 1977; cf. SD 3380-3382.

     Besides these dreams of the scenery and activity of the spiritual world, there seemed to be also dreams or visions, I know not which, which were purely representative and significative; that is, dreams or visions of those forms and activities which are not a normal or regular part of the paradisal scene. Such were the kind of representations seen also by the prophets when their spiritual eyes were open; Daniel's sight of the four beasts rising from the sea; John's sight of the woman clothed with the sun, and of the holy city, and so on. These were temporary representations in the heavens and in the world of spirits, the purpose of which was instruction. Concerning the source of such representative temporary visions a great deal of instruction is given in the Writings. Every heaven has such visions, although they most commonly appear in the natural heaven and the world of spirits.

     In the world of spirits various representatives are presented to view, and withal animals are often presented before the eyes of the spirits there, such as horses variously caparisoned (in different trappings), oxen, sheep, lambs, with other animals of various kinds, sometimes such as are never seen on the earth, but are only representative.

354

Such animals were also seen by the prophets, as described in the Word, and were from the same source. The animals that appear in the world of spirits are representative of affections of good and truth, and also of evil and falsity. Good spirits know perfectly well what they signify, and thus also gather from them what the angels are conversing about; for the speech of angels, passing down into the world of spirits, is sometimes presented in this way. For example, when horses appear, they know that the speech of the angel is about the things of the understanding; when oxen and bullocks, that it is about natural goods; when sheep, that it is about rational goods, and integrity; when lambs, that it is about goods still more internal and innocence; and so on.*
     * AC 2179.

     Much of the same might be said about the representative appearances in the natural heaven; this is where many of the beautiful representations Swedenborg saw appeared.* In the beginning the purpose of the appearance of such representative scenes was not only as a means of delighting and instructing good spirits and angels in the lower heavens, but also of instructing men. Through their dreams and visions the Most Ancients also saw these things, and knew their meaning. This was the marvelous way in which the science of correspondences and the knowledge of representatives was given to man on earth.** From this knowledge the Most Ancients saw all the forms of nature in symbolism, every animal, plant, mineral, and other form, signified something of the goods and truths of heaven. So keen was this knowledge with them, we are taught, that they paid scarcely any attention to earthly and worldly things as mere objects of external sensation. Their delight in nature was in seeing the things of nature as ultimate images and reflections of heavenly things.***
     * AC 9457, 1790; AE 369.
     ** AC 2179, 1977.
     *** AC 1122.
     When we look at the churches following the Most Ancient Church, we see the use of dreams and visions changing from that of instruction and confirmation with the individual to that of prophecy with a few. Instruction was still part of the use, but it too was given to individuals. Indeed so much does prophecy form a part of the dreams and visions of man after the Most Ancient Church, that we wonder whether there were prophetic implications in the dreams and visions of the Most Ancients as well. Not too much is said concerning this. Certainly we would believe that when the Most Ancient Church was in a state of integrity there was little need for a prophetic use to dreams and visions. There might have been some minor prophetic things, as there is, for example, with the inhabitants of Jupiter who are in something of the same state as was the Most Ancient Church on our earth. There we learn, that they have a vision or dream of a particular kind of bald head, and that this is a sign to them that they will die within a year.*
     * AC 8850.

355

     The appearance of prophecy as a major function of dreams and visions seems to have arisen when the Most Ancient Church began to fall. Concerning this period we read, that "as soon as that Church began to fail, the Lord foresaw that the Celestial Church would completely perish from the world, and therefore a prediction was at once made concerning the Advent of the Lord into the world."* We learn from the revelation concerning the people of other planets, that they receive warnings through visions and dreams as to their general states. All of these are of course first representatively given in the world of spirits and in heaven, before they are received from the spiritual world by man on earth. In any case, by the time the Most Ancient Church had fallen, dreams and visions had become the main means of prophecy, and usually carried awesome warnings of judgments to come, mixed with veiled and obscure messages of hope, of mercy, and salvation to the good.
     * AC 2661: 2.
     The Lord in the fall did everything He could to preserve the means of instructing man through visions and dreams in the things of heaven. When states of evil had arisen to mingle with the good, and when the hells had been formed and were pouring out horrid dreams of phantasy and evil, the Lord gave signs as to whether the dreams and visions of night were to be accepted as true or not. We are not told in detail what signs the Lord used, but undoubtedly they were similar to those used on other planets where similar states exist. For example, on the sixth earth in the starry heaven an angel in white garments appears at the bedside just before the time of full wakefulness from sleep, if the instruction in the dreams and visions is true. If not, the angel does not appear.*
     * AC 10833.
     It seems terrible that the conscious companionship of spirits and angels with man, with their warmth, their joy and happiness, should not be scarcely more than a lovely story of far gone ages. It seems terrible that the delightful and peaceful paradisal scenes and activities of heaven should no longer bring to man the sweet and beautiful sleep that the Lord willed to accompany him through the watches of the night. And yet, although we can not now enjoy those provisions of the Lord's love, we can see in them something of the Lord's great desire and mercy, to lead, comfort, and protect man. We can, too, more fully understand His promise that He will bring us dreams and visions of Divine order, of comfort, beauty and delight, when we have given Him the freedom to do so in the life of heaven.

356

INNOCENCE VS. THE PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING 1980

INNOCENCE VS. THE PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING Rev. STEPHEN D. COLE 1980

The Attack on Innocence

     The twelfth chapter of the book of Revelation tells us that the New Church, represented by the woman clothed with the sun, stands threatened by a great red dragon. How real does this danger seem to us? Do we dread this fiery serpent furying before the woman, ready to devour the man child that the woman is about to bring forth, the doctrine to be born in the New Church? The church in each of us faces mortal danger. We must identify the enemy, we must learn his tactics, for the hells stand ever ready to make their work look harmless, to make their most direful traps seem like minor problems.
     The Writings tell us that the red dragon represents those in the Reformed Church who divide the Godhead and make faith alone saving.* The diabolical forces will do their best to cause us to suppose that this is talking about people other than ourselves, about problems that are far away and abstract. They are anxious that we not realize that the dragon is the old serpent that has plagued man since the fall,** the inclination to draw conclusions about spiritual matters, about our values, from things of sense, of memory-knowledge, and of philosophy, our disposition to guide ourselves, rather than to be guided by the Lord.*** The hells do not want us to realize that this is the issue. They endeavor to have us regard the Lord's way as idealistic, impractical, naive, and abstract-all well and good, but not having much bearing on real life, on the things we are doing day to day. Certainly we believe in the Lord's providence (they whisper in our ears), but it is the job of our prudence to get us through the day. The diabolical crew wishes us to suppose that trusting providence means doing what the Lord teaches when it is convenient. When obeying the Lord's law seems like it will lead to hardship and difficulty, the devils encourage us to turn to prudence to find an easier way: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."****
     * AR 537.
     ** AC 251.
     *** AC 196.
     **** Matt. 7:13-14.

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     The attack of the dragon is an attack on our willingness to be led by the Lord, an attack against innocence. That innocence is the specific target of the dragon is betrayed by his warring against a woman about to bring forth. Although the child to be born represents the doctrine of the New Church, the representation of being yet in the womb is that this doctrine is the doctrine born of the good of innocence.* And innocence the dragon hates with a special fury. For innocence is the key to entering heaven: "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."** The hells realize that they can destroy man if they can destroy his innocence. And so there is a threat to innocence at the beginning of the New Church represented by the fiery red dragon, just as there was a threat to innocence at the beginning of the Christian Church represented in the slaughter of the infants of Bethlehem in Herod's attempt to destroy the baby Jesus.
     * AE 710.
     ** Matt. 18: 3.
     All of the infernal powers will try to persuade us to be self-intelligent and knowing, to shun innocence, as the disciples of the Lord who rebuked those who tried to bring little children to Him, the disciples with whom the Lord pleaded: "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."*
     * Matt. 19: 14.

     The attack on innocence is unceasing. The hells perpetually pressure man to trust himself and not the Lord. The attack on innocence extends through every aspect of life, every area in which we must seek to follow the Lord's will rather than our own. But clearly there must be a special assault on conjugial love, on the love of procreation, the highest dwelling place of innocence in man.

The Principles of the Academy

     From its beginning the spirit of the Academy movement was the spirit of innocence. The organizing essential was a common acknowledgment of the Divine authority of the Writings as the Word of God and the desire to be led by the Lord's teachings therein and not by human reasonings.
     The Rt. Rev. W. F. Pendleton, the first executive bishop of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, delivered to the 1899 Assembly an address entitled "The Principles of the Academy." This address was an attempt to summarize twelve specific issues in which the Academy people had felt that their effort to be led by the teachings of the Writings separated them from the positions of the other bodies of the New Church.*

358

It was not intended to state an official position, nor to bind the future-neither of which would accord with the eleventh principle itself, which is that we cannot legislate concerning Divine revelation. The principles were simply a statement of the consensus of those who founded the General Church. As late as 1958, though, the Rt. Rev. George deCharms said of this statement: "It still reflects the doctrinal position of that body . . . it was because they were seen to be in accord with the plain teaching of the Writings that the principles of the Academy were accepted."**
     * The Principles of the Academy, Bryn Athyn: 1958, pp. 1-3.
     ** Ibid. p. 3.

The Seventh Principle

     The principles, generally, are an expression of innocence, a desire to be led by the Lord through the teachings of the Writings. The seventh principle represents an especial defense of innocence: "Any interference on the part of man with the law of offspring in marriage is an abomination."* W. F. Pendleton explained:

Marriage is the seminary of the human race; in it is fulfilled the end of the creation of the universe, which is the angelic heaven. Marriage is the means provided by the Lord that the end of creation may be brought into effect; that men may exist and be multiplied upon earth and heaven with angels; that what is created may be preserved and perpetuated. Anything that operates against the end of creation is a sin against God, against heaven, and against society upon earth. Such a sin is the prevention of birth in marriage. It is furthermore a sin against the conjugial itself; it is thus an abomination that is to be removed from the church for its safety and preservation.**
     * Ibid., p. 6.
     ** Ibid. p. 11 f.

The seventh principle, like the others, represented a stand that the Academy had been taking for many years already.* Five years before W. F. Pendleton's formulation of the principles, the editor of New Church Life wrote:

The exalted self-intelligence of man would limit the number of human beings, where the LORD has not set a limit. . . For men to limit the number of their children is to assume the role of Providence, which belongs to Infinite wisdom alone, and is a transgression of the commandment, 'Thou shalt not have other gods before My faces' . . . The apparent prudence, therefore, which is conveyed in the saying 'Let New Church parents beware how they bring little children into the world whom they cannot support and educate,' strikes a blow at conjugial love; for to imagine the conjunction of husband and wife, and at the same time an attempt to prevent conception, is too horrible and murderous and anti-conjugial to be entertained by a mind that is in possession of its spiritual free judgment."**

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In the years immediately following the address on the principles there was much editorial comment in New Church Life on the subject of "prevention," including the following:

     In nothing is the utter vastation of the Christian world so plainly to be seen as in the destruction of conjugial love; and in nothing is the destruction of conjugial love so manifest as in the well-nigh universal crime of Prevention of Offspring. Even the lusts and licentiousness which so markedly distinguish this age do not so interiorly destroy conjugial love, for Prevention makes a profanation of marriage itself, using it for the satisfaction of the lusts of the flesh and -the defeat of the Divine End in creation, a heaven from the human race. The evil is a secret one; it is, moreover, excused by specious arguments which to the natural man seem all sufficient, and it receives almost universal though tacit approval.***
     * NCL 1903: 88.
     ** NCL 1894: 160.
     *** NCL 1902: 294.

In the early days of the Academy the interference with the law of offspring in marriage was plainly seen as the furious attack of the great serpent.
     As late as 1952 we find strong statements on the subject in an article by Rev. Elmo Acton. He did, however, observe: "This principle has been questioned above all others. It affects man's ultimate life and comfort so strongly that great faith and spiritual strength are required to uphold it in the Church and individual practice."* He also warned of two dangers in considering this principle: 1) arguing about the statement itself without asking whether it agrees with the Writings and 2) thinking about it from experience. "Hard cases make bad laws," he reminded, and pleaded that the consideration of the principle begin not from the hard cases where one imagines that it might be allowable, but first from the light of the Writings. The prevention of offspring is abominable, he contended, though we must not think that those who practice it are necessarily abominable themselves.**
     * NCL 1952: 454.
     ** Ibid., p. 476.
     The questioning of the seventh principle has continued and although no one has suggested that the General Church has abandoned the principle, it is now subject to substantial qualification in the minds of many. Has there been a change in the understanding of the teachings that bear upon the principle, or has the subtle influence of the dragon, from the world without and from our native inclinations within, effected a widespread destruction of innocence in the Church?

Trusting the Lord

     The consideration of the prevention of offspring must not begin, as the Rev. Elmo Acton so wisely observed, from reflections on cases where it seems like it might be a good idea. The consideration must begin with such teachings of the Writings as may have bearing on the subject.

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Only in this way can the proper relationship exist between human prudence and Divine providence. For the natural man is capable of observing countless cases or situations from experience that seem to justify acting from prudence. He is very talented at multiplying thought for the morrow and making trust in the Lord seem hopelessly impractical.
     It is easy to acknowledge with the lips that one believes that the Lord's providence governs all things. But this trust is put into practice only if man first seeks to know the Lord's will and then tries to live it, regardless of how impossible handling the consequences seems: "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass."*
     * Psalm 37: 4-5.

The Sphere of Procreation

     What teachings of the Writings pertain to the issue of prevention? Key passages come in the chapter of Conjugial Love, "The Conjunction of Conjugial Love with the Love of Infants." This chapter begins by observing that there are two universal spheres proceeding from the Lord: the sphere of procreating and the sphere of protecting what is procreated.* The Lord's love of man, His desire that there be a heaven from the human race, gives rise to the constant endeavor to create more men. The conjugial love which descends from the heavenly marriage of good and truth in the Lord is a mediate cause that carries out this Divine end.** This propagation of the human race and thence of the angelic heaven is said to be the highest of all uses.*** Add to this those teachings that directly condemn entering into marriage without the desire to procreate children,**** and it is clear that the effort to separate conjugial love from the love of procreation emanates from hell.
     * CL 386.
     ** CL 387.
     *** CL 68,AE 991: 2.
     **** SD 1282, CL 212.
     Most of those who consider the prevention of offspring, however, are not denying all love of procreation. For them the question is not whether to have children but when to have children and how many to have. Is this altogether different though? It does not totally remove the love of procreating but it does introduce a definite desire not to have children at certain times, a desire never present with those who do not try to "plan" their families (nor is it present in the case of conjunction where there is no expectation of conception-in pregnancy, after childbearing years, etc-states which could not involve fear of conception).

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The sphere of procreation from the Lord is universal and perpetual. Desire not to have children at any given time sets man in opposition to this endeavor of the Lord. How can anyone suppose that this is not a grievous disorder? "Children are an heritage of the LORD." "Except the LORD build the house they labor in vain that build it."* This is not speaking of those that want no house at all but of those who would build the house according to their own plan rather than the Lord's. "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones."**
     * Psalm 127: 3, 1.
     ** Matt. 18: 10.

Justification of Prevention?

     There are no passages in the Writings that teach that human prudence should enter this realm. Heaven and Hell 332(= CL 410) is sometimes supposed to offer some such suggestion. Speaking of angel mothers it says: "There are as many infants in each one's care as she desires from spiritual storge." To apply this to mothers in this world requires that we assume that they can know their spiritual affections and that knowing them they might sometimes desire less that the Lord wishes to give them. Note, however, that the passage does not say that the angel mothers request, take, or accept only as many as they desire but only that there are with them as many as they desire. We might as easily suppose that the Lord, knowing their spiritual storge, gives them as many as they desire. If this suggests any application to the natural world it would be that the Lord likewise gives natural mothers as many children as they would desire if their spiritual storge ruled.
     Divine Providence 180: 8 is another passage sometimes thought to suggest the exercise of prudence in propagation:

If a man were to have the ordering of the interiors of the eye for seeing, of the ear for hearing, the interiors of the tongue for tasting, of the skin for feeling, of the interiors of the mesentery in distributing the chyle, of the interiors of the kidneys interiors of the heart in its beating, of the lungs in breathing, of the interiors of the mesentery in distributing the chyle, of the interiors of the kidneys in their work of secretion, of the interiors of the organs of generation in propagating, of the interiors of the womb in perfecting the embryo, and so on, would he not in numberless ways pervert and destroy in them the order of the course of Divine providence? Everyone knows that man is in externals; that is, he sees with the eye, hears with the ear, tastes with the tongue, feels with the skin, breathes with the lungs, impregnates the wife, and so on. Is it not sufficient for him to know the externals, and to order them for the health of body and mind?

This passage clearly distinguishes functions of the body which are subject to man's voluntary control from those that are not.

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Among the things not subject to voluntary control, among those in which providence would be perverted and destroyed in numberless ways if man did have voluntary control, is the work of the organs of generation in propagating, while those things over which man does have voluntary control is impregnating the wife. The latter is thus also among the things which man may order for the health of body and mind. But since it pertains only to that over which there is voluntary control it suggests no more than the practice of continence absolute or periodic, if it goes even that far. It may imply nothing beyond moderation of the frequency of bodily conjunction in states of sickness, weakness, etc. Perhaps the general application of the words "to order them for the health of the mind and body" does not even apply to all the specific externals listed. How much ordering of the hearing with the ear can one do for the health of mind and body, for instance? On the other hand, the first part of the passage implies a serious warning about what man is in danger of doing to the organs and functions over which there is no voluntary control, now that there are artificial means of interfering.
     Since the Writings give no justification for the attempt to prevent conception, there is a temptation to fall back on the argument that the Writings only tell us about ideal circumstances, that since the fall Divine providence can no longer be trusted to take care of the man who holds firm to the Lord's teachings and that therefore one must put one's faith in prudence instead (when yet it is not the Lord, but man, who is not to be trusted since the fall).
     If one acts from the conviction that the Writings say nothing to condone interference in the law of offspring in marriage and much to condemn it and if one accepts willingly all the children that the Lord sends, one need not worry about the consequences for the matter is under the Lord's government: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."*
     * Matt. 6: 31-32.

The Prevention of Offspring

     Those who speak of using prudence in procreating sometimes make it sound as if one simply decides not to have a child and that then one will not be sent. If one has reason from doctrine to suppose that prevention is a disorder, one needs only to consider the actual meaning of preventing offspring to find confirmation. As soon as one begins to talk about methods there is a loss of innocence, there is a trespass on holy ground.

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Here, then, we will consider methods commonly used today in their general categories:
     1) Preventing the seed from entering the wife or destroying it after it enters, robs marriage of one of the essential communications of husband with wife: "The wife is conjoined to the husband by the appropriation of the forces of his manhood. . . . The wife thus receives into herself the image of her husband, and hence perceives, sees, and feels his affections."*
     * CL 172-173
     2) Prevention of the formation of the ovum sounds very much like what is warned against in a passage quoted earlier: "If man were to have the ordering of the interiors of . . . the organs of generation in propagating, of the womb in perfecting the embryo . . . would he not in numberless ways pervert and destroy in them the order of the course of Divine providence?" Furthermore, the methods which attempt to prevent the formation of the ovum will usually, if an ovum nevertheless does form and becomes an embryo, bring about an abortion.
     3) Several methods of preventing offspring are direct attempts to destroy the newly-conceived embryo. These relate specifically to the perversion of the interiors of the womb in perfecting the embryo. They constitute a much more ultimate and specific destruction of an endeavor proceeding directly from the Lord.*
     * Wis. iii. 6.
     When a husband and wife have to consider these seamy details, what has become of innocence? Where is the childlike playfulness that should exist in marriage?* How far from what the Lord intended, when couples come together with fear of conception in the back of their minds! Has the serpent succeeded in calling forth human prudence to destroy the child about to be brought forth?
     * AE 996: 2.

The Protection of Innocence
     Innocence requires that we look to the Lord as our Father and seek the guidance of his Word. The priest must teach what he believes the Word to require of man. If he believes that it indicates that any interference on the part of man in the law of offspring in marriage is an abomination, then he does evil if he does not so teach. The layman then must consult the Word to form his own conscience. Otherwise the Church could be led by a sphere of persuasion or compulsion-just another way that innocence is destroyed. Innocence is to follow the dictates of a conscience formed from genuine study and reflection on the Word and not from subtle self-justification. The man child will be born and flourish if the men of the New Church study the doctrines carefully and faithfully, if they follow the Lord's leading through their consciences and respect others who act from conscience. This will be our protection from the destruction of innocence.

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DECLARATION OF FAITH AND PURPOSES 1980

DECLARATION OF FAITH AND PURPOSES Various 1980

     (The three declarations above were made by these men during their inauguration into the priesthood of the New Church, at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1980.)

     I believe that there is One God in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is at the same time Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that is, Creator, Redeemer and Regenerator. All things were created by Him. All men were made salvable by Him. And all are actually brought into heaven by Him.
     I believe that the Lord reveals all things necessary for our salvation and eternal happiness in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Revelation given through Emanuel Swedenborg. These revelations are the sole source of doctrine for the guidance of the New Church.
     I believe the life of religion consists in shunning evils as sins against God and doing goods because they are of God and from God. These things must be done by man as of himself while acknowledging the evils are shunned and goods are done by the Lord working in and through man. In this way people may be brought into the eternal happiness and life of heaven for which they were created.
     I believe that, with the restoration of the marriage of the Lord and the Church through the revelation of the visible Divine Human God, love truly conjugial has been restored to be the receptacle of its uses and delights, and that therefore it is not to be violated in any manner.
     I believe that the priestly function is the Lord's alone, but that its uses require the participation of men to administer the things of Divine law and worship. The priestly office is to teach truths and to lead thereby to the good of life, that is, to the Lord. This must be done with a love and a zeal for the spiritual freedom and eternal welfare of all men.
     It is my hope to serve the Lord in this His sacred office. I pray that the Lord will show me the evils and falsities which hinder this service, and that He will give me the strength to shun them. I pray that He will grant me the enlightenment, the wisdom, the zeal, and the love that are needed for a right performance of the duties of the priestly office, and that He will guide me in all things to lead His flock to Him alone.

     KENNETH J. ALDEN

     I believe that the Lord from eternity who is Jehovah, came into the world to subjugate the hells and to glorify His Human; and without this no mortal could have been saved. (TCR 2) "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is Jehovah; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." (Isa. 25: 9)

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     I believe that it is through the Word that the Lord is present with a man and is conjoined with him, for the Lord is the Word, and as it were speaks with the man in it. (SS 78) "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matt. 4: 4)
     I believe that "all religion is of life, and the life of religion is to do what is good." (Life 1) "Evils should not be done because they are of the devil and from the devil. Goods should be done because they are of God and from God. These should be done by man as if from himself, but it should be believed that they are done by the Lord in man and through man." (TCR 3) As the Lord said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing." (John 15: 5)
     I believe that a heaven from the human race is the very end of creation. (DP 332) "Heaven is present with all, both angels and men, who receive love and faith from the Lord; and therefore those come into heaven after death who have heaven in them during their life in the world." (AC 10717) "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18: 3)
     I believe that the New Church is the crown of all the churches that have hitherto existed on the earth, because it is to worship one visible God in whom is the invisible like the soul in the body. (TCR 787) The New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, is being formed from those who approach the Lord alone, and at the same time do repentance from evil works. (AR 69) The sole end of God's Divine Love, when He created the world, was to conjoin man to Himself and Himself to man that He might thus dwell with man. (TCR 786) From now on there may be a full marriage of the Lord and the Church when His Human is acknowledged to be Divine. (AR 812) "Let us be glad and rejoice and give glory unto Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready." (Rev. 19: 7)
     I believe that man is led and taught by the Lord alone. (DP 154) I pray that the Lord may be with me continually, and that He may teach, enlighten, and lead me (AE 1148: 4) to shun evils as sins and to do sincerely, justly, and faithfully the work of the ministry. (Char. 160) O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy Praise. (Ps. 51:15)

     JOHN L. ODHNER

     I believe in the Gospel proclaimed by the Lord's disciples on June 19, 1770 that the LORD GOD JESUS CHRIST reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ages and ages. I believe that the Lord, Who is the Creator and Preserver of the universe, came into the world to subjugate the hells and glorify His Human. By so doing He redeemed and saved all who suffer themselves to be regenerated by a life according to the precepts of faith and charity from the Word (AC 10152).
     I believe in the Gospel that the Lord has come again, not in Person, but in the Word which is from Him and is Himself visible, thereby making possible conjunction with the human race (TCR 776). I believe that the Lord is at this day establishing His New Church which is the crown of all the churches which have existed in the world because it worships a visible God.
     I believe in the Gospel proclaimed by the disciples in the spiritual world that "Blessed are they who come to the marriage supper of the Lamb" (TCR 791). I believe that this Gospel is an invitation to enter with the thought and will into the New Church. The Lamb is the Lord from whom is all innocence and truth, wisdom and love. To come to the marriage supper is to approach the Lord, receive these gifts from Him and so be conjoined with Him. I believe that the Lord wills this conjunction in order that the end of creation may be fulfilled, that is, in order to make man happy and to bless him to eternity,
     As I enter into the work of the priesthood, it is my prayer that I will be affected by the salvation of souls. When the salvation of souls affects a priest, truths also affect him because by means of them he leads souls to heaven, thus to the Lord. It is my purpose, then, to look to the Lord, shun evils as sins, and honestly, justly and faithfully do the work of the ministry I am charged with (see Char. 160). "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, o LORD, my rock and my redeemer" (Psalm 19: 14).

     LOUIS D. SYNNESTVEDT

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HELEN AND THE SAINTS 1980

HELEN AND THE SAINTS Editor 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.
Editor . . . Rev. Donald L. Rose, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Associate Editor . . . Rev. Morley D. Rich, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager . . . Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 (U.S.) a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     A welcome eruption of publicity has arisen from the media on the subject of Helen Keller. While a mountain in the American Northwest still rumbles and clamors for attention, we note that the 18th of this month is the Feast Day for one St. Helen (or St. Helena). This Helen and a pivotal date in ecclesiastical history we shall speak of below. Our interest first is in the remarkable saga and achievement of Helen Keller.

     Eureka

     When you find something that brings you joy, you tell others. "Eureka is the Greek word for 'I have found.'" It is the word used in the parable of the woman who found a coin and called her friends together exclaiming about her find and saying, "Rejoice with me." It is the word used when one disciple told his own brother, "We have found the Messiah," and when another disciple told a friend, "We have found Him, of whom Moses . . . did write."
     It is so natural. A woman who finds calls her friends and shares her joy. Helen Keller had friends and admirers throughout the world. She was, therefore, in position to accomplish in far greater measure than others, that wish which is so often a concommittant of finding the Writings. "I wish I might be able to radiate the spiritual illumination that came to me when I read with by own fingers Heaven and Hell."

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     Her message in the introduction she wrote for an edition of True Christian Religion is simply this: "Won't you rejoice with me? For I have found." Put in the Greek (or Hellenistic) way, this is eureka. With earnest eloquence she proclaimed in her book, My Religion, that in the Writings she found light where before there was darkness.

     The Contribution of the Famous

     The cause of the New Church in the world has been furthered by individuals who have contributed their talent and energy, and also by individuals who have given generous financial support. On occasion the spread of the church has been enhanced by the fame or reputation of individuals. How do we feel about this? Should the spread of truth be promoted by the use of a famous name such as that of Helen Keller?
     One may wonder at the outset whether the recommendation of a famous person is irrelevant. Our intelligence seems to be insulted when we are enticed to buy a product by the linking of that product with the name of some person. Does the celebrity really like the product that is being endorsed? And if so, is this really significant anyway? Even if Galli-Curci was one of the best sopranos who ever lived does that make her religious preference important? Perhaps other fine singers might disagree with her. Galli-Curci's statement about the Writings has an intrinsic appeal. "I have read Swedenborg's works continually for many years and find them a never-ending source of inspiration and happiness.
     It is an explanation of life-its meaning and purpose-which satisfies that something within us which we know is only appealed to by the truth."
     Helen Keller's endorsements of the Writings have their own significance. Surely she is an authority on overcoming limitations. Perhaps, therefore, her most cogent endorsement is the passage in which she says, "Swedenborg's message had . . . exalted my idea of love, truth and usefulness; it has been my strongest incitement to overcome limitations." (!)
     The fact is that in our world with its myriad appeals for our attention, we are influenced by recommendations. This is particularly true of what we read. Will you, for example, undertake to read the new 800 page biography of Helen Keller? The answer to that question may well depend on whether some other person recommends it to you. When it comes to the recommendations of the famous, we must point out what is said in one of those passages in the Writings which praise the English people. It says that their appreciation of what they read is often directly related to the approval given it by famous or authoritative people! (L.J. Cont. 40).

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     Whether you begin to read something is frequently dependent on the recommendations of others, but once you begin reading for yourself, the views or the tastes of someone else become less relevant.

     NOT BECAUSE OF THY SAYING

     An eminent example of the use of the testimony of an individual is given to us in the 4th chapter of John. We are told that many people believed on the Lord" for the saying of the woman who testified, "He told me all that ever I did." She had come into a city and said, "Come, see, a man who told me all things that ever I did; is not this the Christ?" We are told that many more believed because of His own word and that they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of thy saying; for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."
     Helen Keller felt strongly about the cause of making the Writings known. To the degree that she was successful in her lifetime and also in the resurgence of interest in this her centennial year, let us rejoice with her. She wrote: "It would be such a joy to me, if I might be the instrument of bringing Swedenborg to a world that is spiritually deaf and blind." Indeed, she said that if she could convey to others something of what she found in the Writings she would help them more than she was likely to do in any other way.
     It is for this kind of helping that Helen Keller is being feted in the New Church. With special care not to be misunderstood some have spoken of her as a kind of New Church saint.

     The Saints

     The word "saint" occurs many times in the Word, being a rendition of more than one Hebrew word and also of the Greek word for "holy" as it is used particularly in the Book of Revelation. We are accustomed to seeing "St. Matthew" and "St. Mark": at the top of the pages in our copies of the Word (although this is not part of the original text).
     The unfortunate implication of the word "Saint" comes from the practice of canonization in which an individual is set apart as one who can be invoked as if he or she had special influence in the other world.
     The Writings tell us that those good people who have been sainted are now quite happily unaware of this fact. As part of his work as servant of the Lord Swedenborg met saints by the dozens. The best known example is that incident in which Mary was seen dressed in white. The few words she spoke are markedly humble.

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     Was St. Helen (whose feast day is August 18th) among those Swedenborg met? We do not know. She was a woman who was converted to Christianity in 313 A.D. and who exercised considerable influence on her son-none other than Constantine the Great! The year of Helen's conversion was the year that Constantine, himself not yet a Christian, issued his famous Edict of Toleration. This put and end to the persecution of Christians.
     Constantine had more than fame and authority. He had clout, and he used this to spread Christianity as no one else had done. To what extent his mother was behind this is a most interesting question. The Writings point out that of the Lord's Divine Providence the Emperor Constantine had dominion extending "not only over many kingdoms of Europe . . . but also over the neighboring countries outside of Europe. (TCR 636). He convoked the Nicence Council to refute the doctrine of Anus "who denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ. This took place in the year of our Lord 325." (TCR 632).
     Our readers in Colchester, England, are aware of the place names in honor of Constantine's mother. (For he traveled to Colchester.) A chapel dedicated to St. Helen before the Norman Conquest still stands in Colchester today. It was pointed out in this journal a half century ago that the beginnings of the New Church in Colchester can be traced to a building on St. Helen's Lane, (NCL 1928 p 300) a street named after a woman who found Christianity so many centuries ago and who was called a saint for what she did for the spread of that religion.
Title Unspecified 1980

Title Unspecified 1980

Note: We hope in the next issue to take note of some of the things that have been done this year to promote a knowledge of the Writings through the commemoration of Helen Keller.
"HOW MANY LAST JUDGMENTS?" 1980

"HOW MANY LAST JUDGMENTS?" PATRICIA ROSE 1980

Dear Editor:

I read with great interest Bishop deCharms' article on how many last judgments there have been (June 1980 issue). Having pondered the question myself, I would like to discuss it from a different perspective.

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     My particular interest was in what heavens were formed after each last judgment. The Writings make it clear that a last judgment is necessary only on good and evil people that are bound together in the other world. The judgment not only separates them in an orderly manner but makes possible the establishment of a new heaven and a new hell from those spirits after the separation. Then, after a new heaven is established, a new church can descend to earth.
     There are some specific statements about which new heaven was formed at a last judgment. Arcana Coelestia 6854 states that the spiritual heaven was formed as a result of the Lord's First Advent. Apocalypse Explained 624 reveals that the natural or ultimate heaven was established after the last judgment in 1757. The other major last judgment was the flood at the end of the Most Ancient Church. The people who had died before the "flood" must have been collecting in the spiritual world but, as with the other heavens, there needed to be specific steps taken by the Lord to organize them into heavenly societies. As Coronis 34 states, "The fifth state of [the Most Ancient] Church was the separation of the good from the evil, which was the last judgment on all who were of that church." The heading of No. 36 adds, "The sixth state of the men of this church, which was the elevation of the faithful to God after the last judgment, from whom a new heaven was formed, and the removal of the unfaithful from God from whom a new hell was formed." Descending from the new heaven was the Ancient Church.
     Arcana 1850 lists five last judgments. Besides the three just mentioned, there are two more between the flood and the Lord's first advent, that is, between the establishment of the celestial and spiritual heavens.
     Heaven and Hell 27 explains that there is no communication between the celestial and spiritual heavens except through intermediate angels, called the celestial-spiritual angels. Apocalypse Explained 322 adds another necessary intermediate society, the spiritual-celestial angels. These societies are represented by the veil of the tabernacle (which is explained in Arcana 9670 ff). Arcana 9673 makes the direct statement that "Neither are these goods conjoined in these angelic societies; but they are distinct from one another." The celestial-spiritual and spiritual- celestial angels are two distinct groups.
     In order for the celestial and spiritual kingdoms to be separate and distinct, as they became after the Lord's advent,* those intermediate societies had to be established first. Can it be that those two special conjoining societies were organized at the two extra last judgments (at the time of Eber and when the Hebrew Church became idolatrous)?
     * See AC 6371 and 6372.

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     I think the idea has possibilities. Perhaps someone else would be interested in pursuing it.

     PATRICIA ROSE
     Bryn Athyn, PA
HUMUS'S FRIEND 1980

HUMUS'S FRIEND Your Friend 1980

Dear Humus's Friend:

     My heart ached for you when I read your letter. I once felt the same as you-that my heart was a cold stone-incapable of giving or receiving the Lord's love. I felt a great sorrow over this condition, and I sense that sorrow in your letter too. I know now that this is a silent cry and prayer for Him to enter your will and change it.
     Be patient and rest assured that if you seek Him, He surely will come and fill your empty heart with such joy as you have never known before. Ask and you shall receive. Keep trying each day to do what you believe is right, read His Word, and reach out to help others. Then one day you will suddenly know that the Lord is with you, and has been all along. You will feel it in your heart, and may then live in the joyous surety that the Lord loves and leads you all your days.

     Sincerely,
          Your Friend
THINKING ABOUT MOON-DWELLERS 1980

THINKING ABOUT MOON-DWELLERS NORMAN J. BERRIDGE 1980

To the Editor

In response to that delightfully-written item in the April issue, "My Wife Thinks There's Men on the Moon," I would like to offer the following comments and quotations.
Many of those who believe that there are people in the moon believe also that the Writings are the Word of the Lord, and they may like to apply to the Writings themselves what the Writings teach about the Word. This of course has already been the subject of much study (see eg. The Crown of Revelations by Alfred Acton) and it is necessary here to quote only a few examples to point the well-known teaching about the literal sense, for it is in the literal sense of the Writings that we read "I was told by the angels that they were from the Moon" (AC 9233) and other things to similar effect.

373

I have selected the following passages concerning the literal sense of the Word.
     "The truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, are, in part, not naked truths, but appearances of truth, and as it were similitudes and comparisons taken from such things as are in nature; thus, they are accommodated and adapted to the capacity of the simple, and also of children. . . . They are also like the scientifics of the natural man . . . " (SS 4O)
     "The Word was spoken according to appearances with man" (AC 589)
     " . . . the sense of the letter of the Word, where it speaks according to the apprehension of man, and therefore according to the fallacies of his senses" (AC 735)
     "The language of the Word is adapted to the apprehension of the simple in heart who scarcely go beyond the cognitions that are derived from things of sense" (AC 926).
     "I said that in the Word many things, even more than one can believe are said according to appearances and according to the fallacies of the senses . . . for to speak otherwise than as man apprehends would have been to sow seed in the waters, and to say that which would be at once rejected. . . . Thus the sense of the letter perishes as it ascends and becomes spiritual then celestial, and at last Divine." (AC 1874)
     Some of the passages from the Old Testament to which these quotations refer (see eg. AC 588) show that the literal sense is sometimes the opposite of the genuine truth of the internal sense (as, for example where it is said that God is angry or that He repents). From this one might imagine that the literal sense of the Writings could perhaps be different from the genuine truth within.
     It seems to me that a simple belief about people in the moon, in agreement with the idea that the Lord would not make a satellite unless He wanted to put people on it, has something in common with those passages in the Old Testament where anger, revenge, repentance, and such like are attributed to the Lord in order to enable the simple to believe in Him as a first step towards a more enlightened belief in the future. With more knowledge one may think that the acts of creation and the uses of created matter involve far more than an arbitrary decision to have one earth here with one satellite and another over there with nine and so on.

374

     If we wish to speculate about the possibility of other meanings for the account of the moon-dwellers it is easy to remember that the moon signifies faith, and we can think that those whose life is confined to faith are small in spiritual stature and tend to carry each other about, for, lacking the inspiration of charity some invent doctrine which the rest then rely upon. (This we learn for example from Apocalypse Revealed). This case of men and spirits also lack genuine understanding, (the lungs; DLW 382) and perception (the bronchia; DLW 405) so that there is no reception of air (the Divine wind or spirit). Indeed common intuition speaks of some people living in a mental vacuum. For their pronouncements such men must rely upon a substitute for air ie. for the spirit and this substitute could be a gas formed from the decomposition of food by bacteria, ie. the breakdown of good by the activity of evil and falsity. Moreover they like to pretend that their utterances are from the Divine, Hence they try to produce a noise like thunder. (Voices of thunder signify truths Divine; AC 7573).
     It will be clear to readers of AC 9232-9237 that the ideas suggested above do not seem to tally perfectly with every particular in the account in Arcana Coelestia. For example the representation by moon-dwellers of even only a tiny cartilage in the Gorand Man suggests that they are in heaven and could not be in faith alone. On the other hand, evil ones are sometimes related to the Gorand Man, as in AC 8593 where we read "In the Gorand Man these genii belong to the province of the cerebellum.
     Returning to the account in AC 9232, we note that the simpler spirits with Swedenborg laughed at the moon-dwellers. This suggests that perhaps we should not take these matters too seriously, and that the light-hearted approach in "My wife thinks there's men on the moon" is the right one. All the same laughter signifies the affection of truth (AC 2072) and of course it is the love of truth which is the basis of our interest in this matter.

     NORMAN J. BERRIDGE
          Reading, England

375

ORDINATIONS 1980

     Announcements
     Alden-At Bryn Athyn, Pa., June 7, 1980, the Rev. Kenneth James Alden into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.
     Odhner.-At Bryn Athyn, Pa., June 7, 1980, the Rev. John Llewellyn Odhner into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating
     Synnestvedt.-At Bryn Athyn, Pa., June 7, 1980, the Rev. Louis Daniel Synnestvedt into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.
Title Unspecified 1980

Title Unspecified 1980

CORRECTION of date of birth (from NCL, July, 1980, p. 328)-Silverman.-At Bryn Athyn, Pa., May 3, 1980, Sasha Beth (born Dec. 1, 1978), daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Raymond J. Silverman (Starlet Lee Bruner), the Rev. Daniel W. Goodenough officiating.
MINISTERIAL CHANGES 1980

MINISTERIAL CHANGES Louis B. KING 1980

     The Rev. George D. McCurdy was received as a second degree priest of the General Church and a member of the Council of the Clergy by the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King at the Council of the Clergy meetings in Caryndale, on June 7, 1980.
     The Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson was elected Secretary of the General Church at the General Assembly on June 13, 1980.
     The Rev. Donald L. Rose was confirmed as Editor of New Church Life, as of July 1, 1980, by the General Assembly on June 13, 1980.
     Louis B. KING
          Bishop

378

VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES 1980

     Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Kitchener, London, Pittsburgh, or Toronto, who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Bryn Athyn, Penna.
Mrs. James C. Pendleton
815 Fettersmill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (413) 947-1810

Kitchener, Ont., Canada
Mrs. Mark Carlson
58 Chapel Hill Dr
RR 1, Kitchener,
Ont. N2G 3W5

Pittsburgh, Penna.
Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Ben Hur St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

Glenview, Illinois
Mrs. Philip Horigan
50 Park Dr.
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (512) 729-5644

London, England
Mrs. Nancy Dawson
28 Parklands Rd.
Streathan, London, SW 16
Phone: 1-769-7922

Toronto, Ont., Canada
Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave.
Weston, Ont. M9P 2J5

379

STRENGTH IN COURAGE 1980

STRENGTH IN COURAGE Rev. WALTER E. ORTHWEIN 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. C
SEPTEMBER, 1980
No. 9
     Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:
for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9

     Their great leader Moses, whom they had followed for forty years in the wilderness, was dead, and the children of Israel were about to cross the Jordan river and enter the land of Canaan. A new stage in the life of their nation was about to begin.
     In our lives, we often stand on the brink of some new state: a new school, a new job; on the verge of adulthood, of leaving home and setting out on our own, perhaps about to enter the armed services; about to be married, or about to become a parent; on the verge of old age, or approaching the end of life in this world.
     In a sense, we are continually "crossing the Jordan," coming into a new state of life, and we need the words of encouragement which the Lord spoke to Joshua: "Be strong, and of a good courage." For each new state brings new challenges, new fears: fear of the unknown. Will we be equal to the test?
     We have a tendency to seek security, to shrink back from new states of life about which we feel uncertain. But in Divine Providence, we cannot remain static. Changes come; new responsibilities, new challenges, come. The world itself is ever changing; there's no stopping it. We can't stick in "the good old days." If the future seems uncertain-and it always does-the good thing about this is that it causes us, if we are wise, to look to the Lord and trust in His Providence. It seems, in a sense, that we are meant to be kept slightly off balance in this world, or always having to cope with something new. We aren't sure what awaits us, but we must "go forward," as the Lord commanded the children of Israel.

380

     The commandment to be strong and courageous is repeated four times in the first chapter of Joshua. Obviously, it is an important instruction. The words of our text are well worth memorizing; they are words we will want to call to mind many times in our lives.
     But when life seems threatening, and the prospect ahead strikes fear into your heart, simply being told to have courage may not be enough. It is, therefore, important to reflect upon the nature of courage and how we can come into it. The Lord does not simply say "be courageous," but He tells us how we can be.
     First of all, if we were never to know fear, then the words of our text would be unnecessary. But the Lord knows that we will experience doubts and fears, that at times our resolve will weaken to the point of despair and surrender. Lack of courage is not an unusual thing. In the face of trials and temptations, anyone is likely to feel a profound sense of helplessness and discouragement. This is why the commandment to have courage is emphasized so strongly; it is repeated four times to Joshua as he was about to lead his people into Canaan.
     Fear is simply a fact of life. The question is: what are we going to do with our fear? It can have different effects on us. The children of Israel learned, through long and bitter experience, that they got nowhere by trying to avoid conflict. Neither do we. Some trials cannot be avoided, some can; but it wouldn't be much of a life if we avoided every challenge we could.
     Realization of our own lack of strength can cause us to turn to the Lord, in which case fear has served a good purpose. Our weakness is God's strength, if it leads us to seek His help.
     The only source of genuine strength is the Lord, and He is "a very present help in trouble." Acknowledging our need of His strength is the first thing we need to do to gain courage. Having the sense to feel afraid, to feel need of help from the Lord, is a useful thing.
     Courage is not absence of fear, but determination to act well in the face of fear. This we can do with the Lord's help. Again and again, people are surprised to find how brave they can be in times of sickness and sorrow when they think to ask the Lord to help them.
     Let's think about the nature of fear and courage. Fear results when some love is assaulted, and as there are different kinds of love, so there are different kinds of fear. Jealousy, for example, is a kind of fear. It is described in the Writings as a "fire blazing against those who molest their conjugial love. ... It is also a dreadful fear, because the intention of their love is that they may be a one, and if there exists a falling away, or if an appearance of separation occurs, there comes fear. . ." (CL 368)

381

     This is speaking of spiritual jealousy; there is a different kind of jealousy with those whose love is not spiritual. Spiritual jealousy is called "zeal," which appears outwardly as anger, but inwardly is love; it is love going forth to defend itself. (This is why in the Old Testament the Lord is called a "jealous God." It is because of His desire to be one with His people and opposition to anything that threatens that oneness).
     The Writings note that courage is one of the moral virtues, and that spiritual virtues-namely love of the Lord and the neighbor-flow into moral virtues. The word "virtue" means "strength." Courage is the effect of love of the Lord and the neighbor; it is the strength of that love.
     Courage results when an even stronger love overcomes the fear of another love being damaged. For instance, a soldier may fear for his life. His love of his own life produces that fear. But he may love his reputation even more than he loves his life; he then fears being thought a coward more than he fears risking death. And so he behaves bravely.
     But there are higher loves than love of reputation which produce courage. Love of country, for example, could also give a soldier courage in the face of the enemy. Love of a child in need of protection, or of a husband or wife, would give one courage. Thus courage is, in a sense, simply a different form of fear-fear of harm to spiritual things as opposed to fear of external harm.
     As a general rule, then, we could say that courage results when the focus of the attack is removed from self to something outside self. When we are more concerned with the state of our spirit than with the state of the body, then a firm resolve to do what is required of us overcomes fear and self. To regenerate (overcome self) requires courage.
     Thus the Lord said: "Don't be afraid of those who can kill only your bodies-but are not able to kill your souls. Fear only him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt. 10:28) (This is an appearance of the truth, of course-God destroys nothing, but evil destroys the souls of those who are in evil).
     "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." We need to learn to fear the right things. Holy fear-fear of doing anything against the Lord-is also the beginning of courage. When this internal fear replaces external fear-courage is the result. This fear produces the moral strength we need to stand up to and combat our evils. And this courage in the will should also produce even physical courage, or determination even in the face of physical danger.
     Courage is primarily love. This is the spiritual basis and origin of courage. This produces moral virtue. As for courage in the face of physical harm, it may seem we seldom face that necessity as a religious matter.

382

In our society, we are not required to "defend the faith" physically, as a general rule. Yet if the spiritual love that produces courage is present, we will be prepared if such a necessity should ever arise.
     Courage on the physical level-and this is important, for ultimates are the foundation of spiritual things-is not simply recklessness or being careless of injury. It doesn't always involve danger. It is needed in the case of illness, for instance. This is a kind of physical courage most of us will need at one time or another. Courage on the moral plane (or spiritual) is to resist and overcome the loves of self and the world.
     It might be asked: why is courage an important virtue? Surely the angels in heaven have no need of courage, do they? They are safe in a state of peace and tranquility, removed from attacks by evil. But still, the kind of character of which courage is a part is needed in heaven. In other words, even in times of peace, when no threats are being made, there is a difference between the person who has courage and one who does not. Outwardly this may not be very apparent when there is no cause for exhibiting courage. But inwardly what we call "courage" is still present in the angels-it is the essence of courage, namely love of the Lord and the neighbor, love of spiritual things. In heaven those loves are not exercised in the way we call "courage," but they are, of course, essential heavenly loves.
     These loves are developed during our lives on earth, and they are developed by being tested. Love is purified and made strong through temptation combats. Resolve and determination to forge ahead, spiritually, to combat the enemies who would keep us out of the promised land; this tries and strengthens the loves which make heaven in us.
     Crossing the Jordan river, spiritually, represents the end of the state of reformation and the beginning of the state of regeneration. Reformation involves setting the external life in order, while regeneration has to do primarily with the will. Reforming conduct and changing our feelings are two distinct things.
     We "leave the wilderness and cross the Jordan" when we are ready to face the evils and falsities in our hearts and minds and fight against them. Then we begin to use the truth willingly because we have proved it and found that it led us to where we really wanted to go all the time.
     Moses represents the law as it appears to us when we obey it through hope of reward or fear of consequences. This type of obedience serves to set our outward loves in order and leads us to the border of the holy land, but it cannot cross the border. Moses was told by the Lord that he would not be allowed to enter the land, though he would have an opportunity to see it before he died. This is because self-praise is present in the kind of obedience represented by Moses.

383

In fact, the Writings note that in the first stage of reformation a man does not believe that he is being reformed by the Lord but by himself.
     Joshua represents the truth fighting. Conquering the land under Joshua represents that stage of our regeneration when we are no longer obeying the truth as something outside ourselves, apparently by our own power; but are now actively combating the evils and falsities within ourselves by means of the truth.
     The truth is now entering into the will; it is becoming good or love in the will. It is giving us a new quality, a new name, which will enable us to overcome fear and defeat the enemies of spiritual life.
     In this we can see an answer to the question, "Why learn the doctrines of the New Church?" Perhaps some seem irrelevant, especially the teachings concerning the afterlife. But these truths lead us to a heavenly state, and they remain with us, and are transformed in us, when we enter that heavenly state. Then they become matters of the heart; instead of mere knowledges, they become an order which is loved. And then they become a source of courage which we need to combat the evils and falsities still present with us, before we can settle down peacefully in the land.
     The Lord did not reveal what heaven and hell are like just for the sake of our having the information, but that we might learn to love the order of heaven, and recognize and combat the disorders of hell. It is the same with all the doctrines-they are for no other purpose than for the sake of changing our lives. Before we can love them, we must know them, but when they are known and loved, they then become the source of courage with us.. Joshua is "truth fighting." Truth fights against evil from love. Truth has its power from love, and love exercises its power by means of truth. Love is the source, truth the means. Love is the cause, courage the effect.
     It is through the battle itself that truth is perfected with us, and that love grows and is made firm. The more we live according to the truth-use it to combat evils and falsities-the more we will perceive how actually true it is. That is, the more we will perceive the love of which it is the form, the love from which it has its power.
     As this love grows within us, so will courage grow. As John wrote:
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear." (I John 4:
18) The Lord is present with us in love.
     Therefore . . . "Be strong and of a good courage . . . for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Amen.

LESSONS: Joshua 1; Matthew 10: 16-28; Apocalypse Explained 696: 23

384

DIVINE PROMISE: ABRAHAM TO JOSEPH 1980

DIVINE PROMISE: ABRAHAM TO JOSEPH Rev. GEOFFREY S. CHILDS 1980

     (Address to General Assembly, June 12, 1980.)

     "We know what we are, but we know not what we may be".* That is, we have some idea of our subjective states, our limitations and our joys, but we know not what we may be. For the Lord would give us things that are wondrous and deeply moving. He has a promise for us, that is unfolded in the life stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The inmost joys of these men, the direct promises to them by Jehovah, and their struggles and discoveries have direct application to each of our lives.
     * Shakespeare-Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5.
     For in the spiritual sense, the life of Abraham, from his call out of Haran until his old age represents all of childhood. Abraham depicts the whole span from infancy until the beginning of adult life.* Whereas Isaac represents adult life from its beginnings, rational faith is born, until that time when faith is deeply and fully established, and man begins to turn to application, to life's direct challenges.**
     * A.     1414, 1433, 5095, 1741, 1785, 1460, 1461, 1675, 1690, 5342: 2; 7193; T. 241: 2; A. 4524e, 2636, 6098.
     ** A. 1025, 1404, 1893, 1950, 2066, 2194, 2072: 3, 2083, 2632, 2666, 3141, 3230, 3245, A. 10225.
     Thus Jacob depicts the endeavor to apply ideals to life. That is, Jacob represents the regeneration of the natural: when man tries to bring his rational ideals and faith into his work and home. He struggles, from the Lord, to be reborn in the very natural.*
     * A. 3245: 2, 6216: 2, 4009e, 3314, 3525, 3563: 4, et alia.
     Joseph represents the last part of human life on earth: the last of rebirth, and the deepest fulfillments. Joseph ushers in, on the highest level, the discovery of celestial states, and in ultimates he depicts the rebirth of the sensuous itself. Thus Joseph is the wonder child who promises so much.*
     * A. 4971, 3969, 4286, 4585: 5, 4592, 4675, 4687, 4963, 5191, 5113-5125.
     This unfolding of spiritual states, from Abraham to Joseph, is not forced upon man. There is no unyielding predestination within it. What the Lord offers in the spiritual sense of the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are promises of inmost delights, and deep visions. No states are compelled: they are offered as wonderful gifts. They unfold in a natural Divine order, but in adult age, man may reject this order, never discovering the interior joys offered in the Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph stories.

385

There is a universal theme or sphere about each patriarch, that sums up what the Lord offers us in human life. With Abram, there is innocence: a willingness to leave Haran at the call of the Lord, and go into Canaan, the land of celestial love, a pastoral land. Here are the groves of trees where Jehovah is met, and the mountains of Judah, where celestial love is discovered. These are the eternal hills. There is the promise of Egypt, and then the later visions in Canaan stretching to all eternity, given by Jehovah to Abraham. For childhood remains are eternal with the good, the Father of all to come.
     With Isaac, there is laughter: not mocking laughter, but the sheer joy of the discovery of Divine truth. There is the conjugial, Isaac's discovery of Rebekah, and Rebekah's discovery of him. Constantly in his life he dwells by wells of water, where he finds oases of delight.
     With Jacob there is struggle: even at his birth, but there is the birthright and the blessing by his father. The Divine dream appears to Jacob at Beth-el, with the ladder stretching up to the Lord in heaven, and the
     angels of God ascending and descending upon it. In Padan-aram he finds Rachel, and marries first Leah, and then Rachel. Gradually there is a mellowing with Jacob. He changes and becomes much different. Then he sees that Laban is no longer with him. Jacob returns home to meet and wrestle the angel, and to have his name changed to Israel.
     Finally there is Joseph: "behold that dreamer cometh!" His life is the story of the celestial in man's older age: the celestial that was thought to be dead, killed by a wild beast, but is protected by the Lord. This is the celestial quality that can marvelously explain dreams, and is raised to leadership. This celestial is finally recognized and loved by all his spiritual brothers. In the end, Joseph is inmost love released: the deepest reality and wonder of human life.

     At first the state of an infant is very obscure. With the Spirit of God protecting, innocence is everywhere-the key to this beginning of life. Innocence is the very esse of all good, and it is the first quality of human life. Here, at the beginning of lifetime to eternity, a golden thread is given. This thread would lead throughout life on earth to the innocence of wisdom and to eternal life in innocence in the new heaven.*
     * Cf. "The Gifted Child", G. Childs, N.C. Life 1979.
     There is a gradual leaving of obscurity, even as Abram, Sarai and Lot left Haran. "And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. And into the land of Canaan they came".* Canaan represents heaven, and also "celestial things of love".**

386

It is the celestial angels that are with a tiny baby, working gently through innocence to instill the celestial things of love. There is no state more potent in human life, not until and if man again becomes a little child after complete regeneration. It is said that "the celestial things of love are the very essential; the rest come from them".*** The celestial is to love others more than oneself.
     * Gen. 12: 5.
     ** A 1438.
     *** A 1438.
     Here is an intense inmost love of the mother and father, who are symbols of the Lord Himself. These are the inmost of remains, felt with an intensity and depth beyond our present comprehension. They inflow from the third degree of the Divine proceeding, high above our usual source of influx.* It is said, "Jehovah was seen of Abram", so secretly, an infant sees the Lord.**
     * A 8443.
     ** Gen. 12: 7; A 1445.
     Externally, there are all the needs, wants and innocence of babyhood. Internally, the infant dwells on a mountain of love, with the celestial angels. He is above knowledges, above any turmoil, completely trusting. It is the most intense state of love conceivable; the very heart of remains. The Lord is present, seemingly a lamb and helpless. He is nevertheless the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
     After the state has its completion, Abram, who represents the infant, journeyed traveling toward the south.* From inmost love there is a state of light, which leads in time to a real desire to learn, to gain knowledge.**
     * Gen. 12:9.
     ** A. 1456-7.
     "There was a famine in the land."* There is a scarcity of knowledges; the child begins to hunger desperately for more knowledges. A part of being human is wishing to know, and this is now the focus: curiosity.
     * Gen. 12: 10.
     And so "Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn".* This represents instruction in knowledges, but for the instruction to be true, for it to bring in the new age upon earth, "the knowledges must be from the Word"."** "Knowledges from the Word are such that they are open from the Lord Himself; for the Word itself is from the Lord through heaven, and the Lord's life is in all things of the Word . . . Hence it may be seen that in His childhood, the Lord did not will to imbue Himself with any other knowledges than those of the Word."***
     * Gen. 12: 10.
     ** A. 1461.
     *** Ibid.

387

     It is Genesis 15 that treats of youth in its beginnings, and of the key states that should guide and lead. In this time of youth there is a clear perception of the horror of hereditary evil, the evil that waits to attack openly in adult life. This is depicted by a "terror of great darkness" falling upon Abram as he was in sleep. But the Lord gave him then the deepest assurance, promising a future security, and the giving of Canaan to his future descendants.* The evil that particularly strikes is lust from evil, and pandering only to its sense of gratification. There is some form of yielding to this, if only in the mind, followed by a sense of horror at the innocence that is threatened with loss.
     * A. 1838-57; Gen. 15: 12, 15, 16.
     Therefore, in Genesis 17, in the spiritual sense, circumcision is commanded by the Lord for Abraham and his male children. This corresponds to the shunning of lust, the removal of those things that defile celestial love.* This is the willingness to circumcise the heart, to shun what opposes conjugial love. Even though there are failures, it is this shunning in intention and act that ushers in true rationality, and an idealism that is genuine, and not counterfeit or sentimental.
     * A 2039.
     The covenant between the Lord and Abram is a crucial state in human life. It comes toward the end of the entire period of childhood (including adolescence) and at the beginning of adult life. The covenant is a nexus between the remains of childhood, and the adventure of adult life. This nexus is the promise of conjugial love.* Through this love, which is "above every love"** received by man (homo), the Lord conjoins Himself to the human race; through it He leads from childhood to true adult states to the deepest humanity. Man's part, to make this covenant deep and eternal, is to circumcise his heart; to shun those lusts and evils that oppose conjugial love. There is a time in youth when nothing is sweeter, in true states, than the promise of love, of the deepest falling in love. This is the nexus state between childhood and coming adult life.
     * A 2034; 2039.
     ** CL. 64.
     Adult life is approaching: the birth of Ishmael, born to Hagar and Abram, is a major step towards adult life. Ishmael is the first rational, the lower rational.* It consists of an ability to reason, a love of reasoning, which comes in youth. In itself, to reason is a genuine ability and faculty, and it can be used genuinely at this time. But innocence is lessening also, and self-love, a strong egotism, is surfacing. In this context, it is said of Ishmael; "he will be a wild man",** or as is translated in the Arcana: "he will be a wild-ass man; his hand against all, and the hand of all against him; and he shall dwell against the faces of all his brethren".***
     * Cf. "The Man Child and the Serpent" by G. Childs, N.C. Life, Dec. 1960 p. 136.
     ** King James Version.
     *** Gen. 16: 12; A. 3264, 2652, 1964, 2669, 1893: 2, 1911: 3 et alia.

388

     Isaac is the second or spiritual rational. Isaac was named from "laughter".* This is not the mocking laughter of Ishmael. It is completely different, for the origin of Isaac is Abraham and Sarah, celestial love and inmost truth. "The origin and essence of laughter . . . is . . . the affection of truth . . . from which comes the gladness and merriment that in laughter display themselves in the face".** This innocent laughter is one that has its origin in remains, and it is simply sheer joy at spiritual reality.*** Wonderfully, Divine truth is perceived as true!
     * Cf. A. 2083.
     ** A 2072.
     *** Cf. A. 2083; cf. A. 2066, 1899, 2063, et alia.
     In the beginning of adult life, when youth is coming to an end, this first perceptive faith is fragile. It is as an infant, like Isaac at birth. Ishmael is older and stronger. He mocked Isaac at the feast marking Isaac's weaning. For this he was cast out with his mother, Hagar. But the Lord did protect them, for Ishmael in his good correspondence serves a great use; the lower rational will be a great nation and a prince. This is true, as long as he is subordinate to higher, Divine truth. Isaac himself grows, comes to maturity, and is prepared to become the leading patriarch.
     In the state that follows with Isaac, the Lord gives life's sweetest gift to the spiritual man, to the human race since the fall, burdened with hereditary evil. "And Abraham was old and well stricken in age . . . And Abraham said unto his eldest servant .. . thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac ... The Lord shall send His angel before thee".*
     * Gen. 24: 1, 2, 4, 7.
     The servant traveled to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. Rebekah came out to the well of water at evening time, and the Lord revealed to the servant, through Providence, that this was to be Isaac's wife. As the servant's story unfolds, Laban and Bethuel, Rebekah's closest relatives, said: "This thing proceedeth from the Lord."* Rebekah herself chose to consent, to follow the servant freely. She met Isaac back in Canaan in a field at eventide, and in time, they fell most deeply in love. "And Isaac took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death".**
     * Gen. 24: 50.
     ** Gen. 24: 67.
     The Lord sending His angel represents the Divine Providence leading with special power toward love truly conjugial. If a young man or woman prays to the Lord for this love, and shuns wandering lusts as sins against the Lord, He will lead them to find a potential conjugial partner. In the marvel of Providence, they can fall in love. This gift comes from the soul, from the conjugial written on it in the heaven of human internals.

389

The remains of childhood reinforce this love, and it comes fully to a virgin state. This would come, in the highest order, not just in adult age, but after Isaac has grown up and is ready to marry. That is, when a sure rational faith is established, and can stand freely on its own feet.
     Isaac's lifetime, as it then unfolds, is one of vision, of taking in truth fully and deeply. So often in the literal story, Isaac camps by wells of water, for the rational loves the living waters of Divine truth. The Writings especially open up an interior world of insights and delights. "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him . . . And Isaac digged again the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham".* "And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water."**
     * Gen. 26: 12, 18.
     ** Gen. 26: 19.
     Lower than the rational is the natural, and below this the sensual. These also should be heaven-made, or reborn. So the time comes when there is to be a passage away from the rational focus of life, into the more practical and applied area of religion. The natural plane is to be reborn. When it is time for this state to commence, it is said in the Word: "And it came to pass. . . Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see".* Rational faith begins to lose its vision. To regain clear insight, the natural now must be reborn, or regenerated.
     * Gen 27: 1.
     There is a natural step in human life, in adult age, when the focus shifts from inner idealism and vision of rational goals, to a focus on day to day living. The passage then is into living our ideals in our home, in our work, in the nitty-gritty challenges of earth life. Our spontaneous wish then is that Esau rule, Esau the first-born. For Esau corresponds to spontaneous good in the natural.* Within it are the remains of childhood, and man's yearning to have this good of the natural spontaneously inflow and govern in one's work, one's home, one's marriage. Who does not wish good to come so easily into natural life? It was so once in Most Ancient times, and it will be so again, when the human race gradually is reborn. In the meantime, the spiritual man cannot be reborn so easily. His natural cannot so easily find heaven on earth, but tries anyway.
     * A 3508, 3518.
     This would explain all those who hope to find heaven on earth spontaneously, by living in the order of creation and God. It is seen perhaps in the philosophy of Rousseau, or Thoreau, even of some of the existentialists. But after trying this method through a number of states, if man is honest, he sees that it won't work.

390

Something is wrong, and the problem is that hereditary evil in the natural stands in the way. It undermines the spontaneous good so that gradually, and even sadly, man sees that Jacob must take priority; for a time, Jacob must come first.*
     * A 3576: 2.
     Jacob represents self-compulsion, compelling oneself in the natural to obey Divine truth. Man finally perceives that this is what he must do, compel himself to obey truth, if his natural plane is to change deeply and be reborn from the Lord. Because of the fall of mankind, it is the only route to heaven. But in itself it is not the ideal order. This is represented by the way Jacob got the birth-right, and then stole the blessing of Isaac.
     Jacob had left his home behind, and traveled a long day's journey. When the sun was set, he camped, using stones as a pillow. "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it".* Jehovah then promised that Jacob would return, and would be given the land of Canaan, and that his posterity would be numberless.
     * Gen. 28: 12.
     This vision of the ladder corresponds to an uplifting to the Lord, a state of illustration and vision, and of deep hope. At the beginning of a new state the Lord gives a gift: an ascent into a heavenly state, to prepare for what follows. Jacob then travels to Padan-aram, and finds Laban, and his daughters, Rachel and Leah.
     In the beginning of the rebirth of the natural, Jacob would seek marriage with an advanced quality. The affection of internal truth is represented by Rachel, "beautiful in form and beautiful in look". But after the wedding feast and the first marriage night, Jacob discovers he has been given Leah as a wife, not Rachel. When Jacob is indignant, Laban explains that in Haran the oldest daughter is always given first in marriage.
     In initial states, man's vision of the Word is not deep. It is, like Leah, "weak-eyed"; limited by hereditary evil in the natural. What he sees in the Writings then is not the deepest, most piercing truths, but those that are most general and less perceptive. This is of order, for it takes time to progress.
     It is said that "Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they were in his eyes as a few days, for the love he had to her".* When he found he had been given Leah, and Laban explained the reason, he was willing "to serve yet seven other years" to be worthy of Rachel. And he did in time marry her; Rachel, the affection of internal truth. After many states of shunning evil in the natural, changes do come. The natural is progressively reborn.

391

There is state after state of rebirth: Jacob has son after son. He is ascending that ladder to the Lord. And when he is ready, he marries Rachel, the delightful affection of internal truth.
     * Gen. 29: 20.
     Finally, Joseph is born. Joseph is the beginning of a whole new state: the final major state in regeneration. He is the celestial of the spiritual.
     He is the love of the Lord truly born and alive in man. When he is born, changes begin to occur at once. He is the first child of the deeply loved wife. Jacob sees that he must depart from Laban, that Laban "was not at all with him as yesterday and the day before".*
     * Gen. 31: 2.
     Laban represents mediate good. This is a good that has within it both selfishness and innocence. It combines strong ambition for self with a sincere love of the church.* In this strange state, man has dual motivations. These motivations are selfish and unselfish. But when the natural is being reborn, the state comes when he is ready to leave strong self-oriented ambition behind, and ready to see his own prior selfishness. Then Jacob beholds the faces of Laban, and Laban is not at all with him as yesterday and the day before. Man awakens, for the first time, to his selfishness. He sees its quality; it is not with him as yesterday and the day before, and he wishes to leave it behind.**
     * Cf. A. 3993: 9-11.
     ** A 4062-4071.
     So Jacob, with his wives and children, departs from Laban, to return home. As he nears Canaan, he wrestles with an angel. And the angel changes Jacob's name to Israel. The name Israel represents the regenerate natural; the natural when reborn.* There is such peace in this; such a wonderful conjunction with the angels of the spiritual heaven. In this state Esau and Jacob are again brothers, closest of friends. And Esau has priority, for love now rules.**
     * A. 4286, 4292.
     ** A. 4336-4373.
     It is time for a whole new state, the final state of rebirth! "Behold that dreamer cometh".* But before the focus shifts to Joseph, Jacob or Israel and Rachel have their last child, Benjamin. He is born hard by Ephrath, or Bethlehem. Rachel dies with his birth. To die spiritually is to find new life. Benjamin, the last of the twelve sons of Israel, is new truth. He represents wonderful new celestial truths, seen from the love Joseph represents. Joseph and Benjamin are together. Benjamin is also a medium a quality that leads to the celestial heaven, the medium or conjoiner of the spiritual and celestial. He is also a medium between Joseph and his brothers.**
     * Gen.37: 19.
     ** A. 4592, 5411, 5413; D. 4640; AE. 449 et alia.
     Joseph is the wonder child. He is the dreamer in the sense of true, eternal dreams. He leads the way, to the arms and heart of the Lord.

392

     Joseph then is that coming of the warmth of life which man has always prayed for inmostly. This state is a re-awakening of the remains of innocence from infancy conjoined now to a new quality: innocent celestial love in older age.
     In Joseph's dreams, the sheaves of the field bowed before him, and then the sun, moon, and eleven stars. But these dreams do not seem to come true. The brethren mock: "Behold this dreamer cometh".* They took Joseph, stripped off his coat of many colours, and cast him into the pit. Then they sold him into Egypt.
     * Gen. 37: 19.
     Egypt (rather certain persons there) represents, in this series, the sensual.* The sensual is the last to be reborn. Man's feeling of self-life lies in his senses, and the proprium especially makes its home in the sensual. The resistance to the celestial there is terrible; frighteningly strong. The unregenerate/sensuous hates the Lord and hates the celestial. This is seen in the betrayal by Joseph's brethren. The hatred of Potiphar's wife is the hatred of evil within the sensuous itself. First this evil would kill by adultery, then by utter deceit. The baker too is evil in the sensuous.
     * A 4788, 5072, 5077.
     Life often causes us to feel that dreams of infancy, wonderful as they are, are untrue. The beautiful dreams of a celestial heaven, of the conjugial and inmost love of the Lord, don't seem to stand up before harsh reality. Joseph is dead. So it seems, and so Israel felt, smitten by the evidence. But actually, there is a force with Joseph that nothing in creation can resist. In Egypt, in the sensual, it is at work. And this force is the Divine, the Lord. Joseph is guarded in prison. He tells the dreams of the butler and baker. In time this knower of secrets reveals even the meaning of Pharoah's dreams.
     Joseph is not only made the ruler under Pharaoh, but Joseph's plan to preserve Egypt is put into effect. Food is stored up in the seven years of plenty, and when the famine comes, when the sensual puts up its last strong rebellion, all the near-by world comes to Joseph. His ten brothers come, and finally Benjamin, the medium.
     As they kneel before Joseph, fulfilling his dreams when 17 years of age, Joseph cannot help weeping. This is the weeping of love so deeply moved that it cannot help but weep, and Joseph makes himself known to his brothers in one of the most powerful scenes in the whole Word.
     This is the culmination of regeneration, the goal of life from infancy. The Lord would lead man from the innocence of infancy to the innocence of wisdom: by means of the one, He would lead to the other. There is a golden thread of life, that leads to Joseph, celestial love, being known and loved by his eleven brothers.*
     * Cf. A 5078, 5326, 5869, 5877-5885, 5926-5931.

393

     Man comes into a heavenly life, a heavenly proprium, he had never realized possible. Former feelings of identity, of self, are either left behind or are wonderfully integrated. The false self of hereditary evil is gone, subordinated and held forever subservient by the Lord. Mediate good states that have served as means are also left behind. The innocence of infancy, and all other remains of childhood, are integrated into a one, a unity. This final state is symbolized by Joseph, and the blessing Israel gave to Joseph his son.
     "A son of a fruitful one is Joseph, a son of a fruitful one by a fountain; . . . the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob . . . the God of your father . . . will help you, and . . . Shaddai who will bless you, with blessings from heaven above, blessings from the deep that lieth beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb; the blessings shall prevail beyond the blessings of my ancestors, to the desire of the everlasting hills; they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of the one who was separated from his brothers."*
     * Gen. 49: 22-26 sel.
VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES 1980

VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES 1980

Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Kitchener, London, Pittsburgh, or Toronto, who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Bryn Athyn, Penna.
Mrs. James L. Pendleton
815 Fettersmill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (215) 947-1810

Kitchener, Ont., Canada
Mrs. Mark Carlson
58 Chapel Hill Dr.
RR 1, Kitchener,
Ont. N2G 3W5

Pittsburgh, Penna.
Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Ben Hur St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

Glenview, Illinois
Mrs. Philip Horigan
50 Park Dr.
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (312) 729-5644

London, England
Mrs. Nancy Dawson
28 Parklands Rd.
Streathan, London, SW 16
Phone: 1-769-7922

Toronto, Oat., Canada
Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave.
Weston, Ont. M9P 2J5

394

IDEALISM AND THE RITES OF THE CHURCH 1980

IDEALISM AND THE RITES OF THE CHURCH Rev. LOUIS B. KING 1980

     (Part Two of episcopal address to the General Assembly, June 13, 1980.)

     Perhaps the greatest contribution to be made to the world by the organized New Jerusalem is its idealism. As the highest affection and thought, word and deed drawn from the Word on any subject, idealism will grow in perfection and beauty commensurately with the growth of our understanding and living of the Word. The rites of the Church provide formal expression of this idealism in worship and life, giving strength and permanence to the idealism for generations yet to come.
     My plea is that this idealism be extended to include the teachings of the Writings concerning the repentance, forgiveness, and acceptance of those who have deviated from the ideal, so that they may return to the Lord, finding in the Church encouragement and strength to do so. Idealism is not only to facilitate an orderly turning to the Lord, but a returning to Him from disorder.

Should the Church Forgive?

     As a struggling church we strive to fulfill and exemplify the ideal society pictured to us in the new revelation: a human form founded on genuine love to the Lord and the neighbor, and heavenly marriages. We seek a society properly ordered and harmonious, conscientiously devoted to the performance of uses, steadfastly resisting and shunning all those things which disturb the image and likeness of heaven.
     Through the priesthood we strive to provide for an enlightened instruction and guidance of men, looking to ideals of evangelization and worship that acknowledge a visible God. We administer the sacraments and rites of the Church as signs and confirmations of the will to be led to the fulfillment of these ideals by the Lord in His Divine Human.
     New Church idealism is from the Word. If our concept of this idealism is to grow in perfection it must be accompanied with just judgment, mercy and forgiveness.
     Let us remember that God is love and His love is life. Love to the Lord, which Idealism would have us seek, is not man's own love going out to the Lord; it is the Lord's love in him received and reciprocated. The Lord's love goes forth to all men without measure, never ceasing.

395

Never does the Lord withhold His love from any man. He never ceases loving the man who continually trespasses against Him. He never wearies of forgiving the sinner. He never turns His back on the penitent or stops up His ears to man's earnest prayers. Divine love never seeks revenge or retaliation for the cursings and trespasses which an angry man flings in the Lord's face. But the Lord holds out His arms, tenderly inviting all men into His kingdom. He stands at the door and knocks. Yea, "the Lord is good to all and His tender mercies are over all His works." "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, that ye have love one for another."
     In our effort to exercise mercy and forgiveness, however, let us not compromise the clear and strong teachings of the Writings concerning the true order wherein true mercy lies. To preserve this order, our rites and sacraments have been designed to represent the ideal as expressed in the Word itself. Conjugial love and the love of parents for their children are specifically from the Lord's mercy, for the sake of society, and the arrangement of societies in heaven.* Notice here that the Lord's mercy is particularly concerned with marriage and with the rearing of children, that there may be a Church on earth and subsequently a heaven from the human race. "The mercy of the Lord is pure love, by the strong force of which He draws man to Himself,"** Mercy is not just a force going outward, it is the Lord's love reaching out and then drawing into Himself. If we really regard our fellow men with mercy, we will want the Lord's mercy to reach them and touch them, that they may be drawn to Him. "Mercy is predicated of the Lord when His mercy is received, because He is constantly merciful."*** Like the sun, His mercy shines upon the just and the unjust. The deficiencies do not lie in His giving, not in His mercy, but in the manner in which it is received. "The mercy of the Lord is towards everyone who abstains from evils and wills good, but it cannot be received until evils of life are removed."**** If we have love towards our fellow men if we have true mercy toward others, we will work for the removal of the mote from our own eye as well as the neighbor's in order that the Lord's mercy may truly touch them.
     * AC 686.
     ** AC 1735, 3875.
     *** AC 6851.
     **** AC 7051.
     No one can be changed or admitted into heaven by an act of immediate mercy but only by regeneration, by a life according to the Lord's precepts.* Finally, we are instructed that it is of mercy to be punished for there is charity in punishment in that it restores order and makes man receptive to the mercy of the Lord.**
     * AC 10659, 5057, 7051.
     * AC 2417; 17.

396

Man's Hereditary Inclination

     If we are to promote Their repentance and give support in their spiritual need, we must begin from a premise that acknowledges the state of all men at birth. Thus we read:
     "Man, when born, is the lowest of all living things."*
     * AC 987: 2; CL 350; TCR 417.
     "What causes man to be born (into no knowledges) is hereditary evil from the father and the mother, for thus all his faculties are turned the wrong way about."*
     * AC 1982; Cf. AC 10318; HH 202.
     "Man when born has not one whit of good of itself, but is completely defiled with hereditary evil."*
     * 1906.
     "Every man is born into the evils of the love of self and of the world from his parents."*
     * AC 8550; HH 296; Life 68, 110; DP 83; CL 94.
     "Man when born, as to hereditary evils is a hell in least form."*
     * AC 9336: 2.
     "Man is lower than a beast; of himself he does not know the laws of order and of society, but learns them, and he seizes upon falsities as truths, unlike beasts; wherefore he must be regenerated."*
     * SD 39, 40.
     "Every man is in evil, and must be withdrawn from evil in order to be reformed . . . with man there is nothing whole, but evil makes up the entire man."*
     * DP 277.
     "Because (the love of self) regards (others) of so little account it thinks nothing of doing evil to them; and this is the source of hatred and revenge, adultery and whoredom, theft and fraud, lying and defamation, violence and cruelty, and other such evils. These are the evils in which man is from birth."*
     * DP 276: 2.
     When we reflect on these statements concerning what man is from birth we come to appreciate how desperately we all depend upon the Lord to regenerate us. We also may recognize in our own perverse nature, inclinations to all those evils of disorder which we observe outwardly in our fellow men. To have some perspective about the difference between our nature before regeneration and what the Writings hold out as the ideal of regeneration, we can come to appreciate why cumulative society is such on earth when compared to angelic society in the spiritual world. In church society we see as many varying states of the people who compose the society, from the lowest to the highest, good and evil alike, as there are counterparts in the heavens and the hells. This is a necessary experience for us, that we may see and acknowledge our evils and thus allow the Lord to reform us.

397

Unless Evils Appear They cannot be Removed

     As it is with the individual, so with the society, evils must appear if they are to be shunned and new life and motivation received from the Lord in their place. So in the marriage relationship between husband and wife, if manifestation of a failing state of the Church in each did not show itself, husbands and wives would not be able to work individually and mutually in the effort to establish the Church in their lives, that conjugial love may be given. As individuals looking to regeneration, we do not give up on ourselves just because we are discouraged with evils which plague us. Neither should we become impatient in our marriage relationship when those evils that would preclude conjugial love appear in our outward human relationships, offering opportunity not only to recognize and shun them, but to seek new life from the Lord in their place.
     We read: "Evil cannot be taken away from anyone, unless it appears, is seen, and is acknowledged; it is like a wound which is not healed unless it is opened."*
     * DP 183: 3.
     "No one can be withdrawn from his evil unless he has first been brought into it; otherwise the evil hides itself away, and defiles the interiors of the mind, and spreads like a pestilence, and then bursts the barriers, and wastes the externals which are of the body."*
     * CL 510.
     "Evils cannot be removed unless they appear."* However, we are warned that "it is not meant that a man should do evils in order that they may appear, but that he must explore himself, not only his deeds, but also his thoughts, and what he would do if he did not fear the laws and disgrace."**
     * DP 251, 278.
     ** DP 278.

Outbreak of Evil

     Though we are not to seek evil in order that it may appear, we should realize that there are many evils which cannot be seen unless they do break out. In such a case, the Lord will permit them to break out.
     "Unless evils were permitted to break out, the man would not see them, thus would not acknowledge them, and thus could not be led to resist them. Hence it is that evils cannot be repressed through any providence."*
     * DP 251.
     "Leading man away from evil, and to good . . . cannot be done without the permission of evil."*
     * DP 234.

398

     "Man from birth is like a little hell, between which and heaven there is a perpetual discordance. No man can be withdrawn from his hell by the Lord unless he sees that he is in hell and wishes to be led out; and this cannot be done without permissions, the causes of which are the laws of the Divine Providence."*
     * DP 251: 3.

An Eye for an Eye-Returning Evil for Evil

     He who harbors a harsh attitude, even one of condemnation and rejection, toward the outbreak of evils in others, or anything which is regarded as a trespass against the ideals of society, is very often one who mistakenly supposes that he himself is free of such evils. However, this is a symptom of the fact that such evils have not as yet broken out, and not that they are internally absent.
     "There are many who do not know that they are in evils because they do not commit them in externals."*
     * DP 117.
     "The evils of the spirit must be explored in order for anyone to be reformed . . . unless these are seen and acknowledged, man is still in evils, however little he may have committed them in externals."* An angel spoke thus, "you have said that you have lived morally . . . but I ask, have you ever explored your internal man and perceived any desires of revenge even to death, of lusting even to adultery, or depraving even to theft, of lying even to false witness . . . do you believe that in these things your internal man has been like your external? For if you do, you are perhaps mistaken. . . ."**
     * DP 152.
     ** TCR 568: 3.
     "It is wonderful, that everyone can chide another who intends evil, and say, do not do this because it is a sin; and yet it is with difficulty he can say the same thing to himself."
     "All those who do good from religion avoid actual evil; but they very rarely reflect upon the interiors of the will, believing that they are not in evils because they are in goods; yea, that goods cover over the evils."*
     * TCR 535: 2.
     "A merely natural man can see the evils and goods in others, and can also reprove them; but . . . he does not see any evil in himself."*
     * TCR 564: 3.

399

Disorder the Order of the Day

     As we in the New Church instruct marriage, the life of use and the way people, as well as the rest of us, are being exposed to brutally frank revelations of disorder and perversions in relation to the ideals we would teach; the morality and modesty of idealism is practically a thing of the past.
     The unwelcome problems of non-marital and pre-marital relationships, consequent pregnancies, abortion, homosexuality, adultery and no-fault divorce run rampant in our generation.
     We are forced into a position of speaking openly about these things that they may be recognized and shunned. We must also acknowledge their presence in our midst, exercising swift judgment upon the acts themselves, but extending immediate and wholehearted support and a spirit of forgiveness to those who would return to order and seek once again the ideal.
     The danger in harsh judgment and rejection, untempered by the justice of mercy and acceptance, is that of driving the persons involved in these disorders into an appropriation of evil.
     "If man believes . . . that all evil and falsity are from hell . . . he would not appropriate to himself evil, and make himself guilty of it."*
     * DP 320.
     "If evil thinks or speaks, it is not mine, but of evil spirits, so that it is not appropriated to me; if I should believe it to be from me, the evil would be appropriated to me, and thus I would add actual evil to actual evil."*
     * SD 4228.

     When there is an evil that takes place, then the person is not in the evil with those spirits, because he was stirred up by them to doing evil, and indeed in such a way, as has sometimes happened, that they drove me, as they do others, to speaking, feeling and committing it for the purpose of blaming (the person) of their own (evil), which has happened very often; wherefore when spirits are able to drive anyone to thinking, speaking, or doing evilly, then they not only attribute the evil to him, but also because of it wish to chastize, punish, torment; therefore when it is true that it only seems that it is he, because thus driven by others, and he is in the truth, then it is not imputed to him; but he cannot be in that truth, unless he is in faith in the Lord.*
     * SD 2944, 2945.

     With our own children we struggle to avoid instilling in them a sense of guilt that will make their own, the evil thoughts and deeds which inflow. When it comes to the neighbor, however, who has been led into disorders of life, are we equally anxious for his repentance?
     It we are to give counsel and guidance to those who look to us for help and support in recovery from disorder, we cannot approach from a stance of condemnation and rejection. And we should remember, as Swedenborg relates of his own experiences, any man at any time may become victim of evil spirits:
     "The like happened to me: when I was let go, I also at once rushed into evil; so that there is nothing but evil in the nature of man. . ."*
     * SD 2560.

400

     "Thus it is the Lord alone who withholds from evil, heaven, the world of spirits, and mankind; and in fact so, that if there were a relaxing (of the reins), everyone would rush into enormous evil."*
     * SD 2737.
     "Among the cognitions known in heaven is this, that evils can be inspired into the good, but not good into the evil; the reason is, that everyone is in evils from birth."*
     * TCR 448.
     In strengthening others in the ideals of the New Church, and encouraging the affection to return to order, it is helpful to remember that:
     "Nothing is permitted, except to the end that something of good may come of it."*
     * AC 6489, 6574e.
     "The things permitted to (evil spirits) are only those which are conducive to the emendation of man, souls and spirits; other things are not permitted."*
     * SD 401.

The Ideal is for All Individuals

     If idealism is the highest thought and affection on any subject which we can derive from the Word of God, then surely the ideal is for all men. The Lord created all men in His image and likeness, and seeks to recreate or regenerate them to become angels of heaven, sharing that state of conjugial love which is the full image and likeness of the Divine Human. Heaven is for all men, and the Word is the sole medium of preparing them for that eternal goal.
     So the rites and sacraments of the Church are to express the ideal in order that those of the Church may demonstrate their desire for reciprocal conjunction with the Lord in His Divine Human in a living representation having the power of ultimates. As designed, our sacraments and rites provide an orderly approach to the life of heaven and the Church. Where manifest disorder exists, the sacraments and rites may not be appropriate, depending upon the kind and degree of the disorder. Nevertheless, it is always appropriate for individuals, whether or not they are in disorder, to seek the Lord's aid in coming out of the disorder and seeking the ideal. This may involve a long series of permissions; nevertheless, the ideal is for all and so must be the sacraments. As for the rites, they may be modified so as to accommodate to the state of the individual who seeks the ideal out of a state of disorder.
     In illustration of this we have the work on Conjugial Love. That work is written in two distinct parts, the first dealing with degrees of good from the inmost celestial to the outmost natural in which conjugial love terminates. All of these degrees are separate and apart from those opposite degrees of evil, the former never crossing over into the latter by any continuity.

401

It is from the light shining forth from the first part of Conjugial Love that we can appreciate by contrast the opposite states described in the second part of the work. The regenerating man can progress from a worse evil to a lesser evil, until he systematically is elevated to the very least evil. From that least evil he cannot come into good, unless from Divine Revelation of what is good he rejects and thus rids himself of the evil. So are all degrees of good related to each other, but they cannot and should not be confounded for they are opposites. Unless good and evil were kept separate in our minds and lives, no moral judgments would be possible, civil law would fall to nothing, and there would be no framework of order in which the Lord might regenerate man. - We read at the beginning of the second part:

     At this threshold, it must first be explained what in the present chapter is meant by scortatory love. The fornicatory love which precedes marriage is not meant; nor that which follows it after the death of the married partners; nor concubinage when entered into for legitimate, just and weighty reasons. Nor are the mild kinds of adultery meant, nor the grievous kinds of which a man actually repents; for the latter do not become the opposite to conjugial love, and the former are not the opposite; that they are not the opposite will be seen in what follows when each comes to be treated of. By scortatory love opposite to conjugial love is here meant the love of adultery when it is such that it is reputed not as a sin or as wicked and dishonorable, opposed to reason, but as allowed by reason. Opposites are not relative to each other but contrary.*
     * CL 423, 425.

     So we have the first part of Conjugial Love which outlines the ideal of love truly conjugial, as well as those appropriate and orderly steps for its attainment. But what of those who fall short of the ideal? Does the Lord abandon them? Are they to be cast out of the Church, permanently rejected as second class individuals? Certainly not!
     The second part of Conjugial Love deals with all of those disorders to which each one of us instinctively inclines. And when these inclinations become actual evils, and conjugial love is momentarily cut off, the Lord is there to lead and guide us, by means of His Word, to recognize the disorders of our life, seeking His help to be led back to that stance of equilibrium in and from which we may once again strive for the ideal.

Society Depends Upon Just Judgment

We read:

     Who does not see that were it not lawful for a man to judge as to the moral life of his fellow inhabitants in the world, society would fall? What would society be if there were no public judgment, or if one did not form his own judgment concerning another?

402

What is not lawful, is judgment as to the quality of the interior mind or soul within the man, thus as to what his spiritual state is and hence his lot after death. This is known to the Lord only.*
     * CL 523, see AE 629: 14; AC 2884: 3; SS 51: 5; DeVerbo 15: 3; SD 4425, 4426, 1220.

     There are two things with men which ought to be kept in order, namely the things that belong to heaven and the things that belong to the world. . . . If this be not done, the human race will perish.*
     * AC 10789-10791.

     And now, from the above comes the final sentence: "Conclusion as to whether a person has or has not conjugial love must not be made from the appearance of marriage or of scortation. Therefore, 'judge not that ye be not condemned'."*
     * Matt. 7: 1; CL 531.
     "After death . . . imputations are made according to the nature of the person's will and understanding. It is the same with scortation, whether it be fornication or keeping a mistress, or concubinage, or adultery, these being imputed to the person, not according to his deeds but according to the state of his mind in the deeds. The deeds follow the body into the tomb, but the mind rises again.*
     * CL 530.
     These are the closing statements in the work entitled Conjugial Love. This is most significant, that the closing of the work on marriage, and therefore the main source of our idealism, should refer to the "state of the mind in the deed." We must never cease to observe the importance of this reference to "the state of the mind in deed." We simply cannot know the nature of the drives that urge some into fornication, concubinage, adultery, precipitation of divorce or repeated marriages. While we must recognize and judge deeds, we can never determine the degree of culpability involved. This is for the Lord alone.
     "He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her. . . Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, no man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."*
     * JM 8: 7, 10-11.
     Are our judgments just? Hear the following teachings:
("Those who are in charity scarcely see the evil of another, but observe all his goods and truths, and put a good interpretation on what is evil and false. Such are the angels, which they have from the Lord, who bends all evil into good."*
     * AC 1079.

403

     "'And laid it upon the shoulder.' That this signifies that they did this that is, interpreted for good and excused . . . with all their might, is evident from the signification of 'shoulder' as being all power."*
     * AC 1085.
     "The evil spirits excite nothing but what is evil and false in man, and condemn him; but the angels excite nothing but what is good and true, and excuse what is evil and false."*
     * AC 1088.
     The putting of a good interpretation upon what is evil and false and thus excusing, has reference to attributing evil to evil spirits, to their influence and excitation, which produce a state not unlike one of drunkenness. Perhaps the essence of just judgments is excusing evils and falsities as inflowing from hell. It does not mean judging that a person is good; for none is good, save One. The wisdom to believe that all are susceptible to evil and prone to errors enables us to reaffirm, the ideals of the Word, recognizing that without the Lord's help we can do nothing.

All Things New

     The New Church is to make all things new. Strictly speaking the New Church is the heavenly doctrine or the right understanding of the Word of God. When the Word is rightly understood the Lord is seen as to His Divine Human in every least part of it. Bringing that idea or vision of the Lord into ever-new aspects of life is what renews the ideal, by letting the Word form and structure our lives in harmony with our Heavenly Father who is in heaven.
     May the rites and sacraments of the Church ever serve to promote that renewal of idealism within the New Church. When we fall into states of disorder, and heaven is closed to us for a time because we no longer receive from heaven the influx of faith and charity, then let us seek and give mutual support, so as to return to the Lord-realizing that His laws of
"""providence and permission are the same laws-and structure our response to His truth in such a way that we may be led by Him. The Church is the Lord's; He has loaned it to us to lead and guide, to comfort and sustain us in all our states.

404

DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP 1980

DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR 1980

     III.     Old and New Testament Dreams.

     In our last treatment we learned of how dreams and visions were used by the Lord in Most Ancient times, primarily as a means of giving instruction concerning the life of heaven. We saw how some dreams served to convey doctrinal knowledges to them, how other dreams let them see the life and activity of the societies of heaven with their beautiful paradisal surroundings, and how still other dreams served as means of confirming their instruction by presenting representative scenes in which they knew the significance of every animal, plant, mineral, and so forth. We noted that during the fall of the Most Ancient Church the primary use of dreams and visions changed from that of instruction directly to the individual, to that of instruction mixed with prophesy to the few.
     In the first ages of the Ancient Church something of the former use of dreams seems to have briefly endured, but only with the good remnant from the Most Ancient Church; not with everybody. But now the dreams and visions were no longer crystal clear. General truths passed on by word of mouth could still be confirmed through dreams and visions, because the knowledge of correspondences had not yet been lost. But the open communication with the nature and quality of heaven was gone. This was the time in which the Lord began to provide that there should be a written form of revelation with man. Since man could no longer be led and taught through dreams and visions from within, he would have to be taught the knowledge of good and truth from without. As long as there was a memory of the meaning of correspondences, a written Word could be formed by collecting together the symbolic and representative stories from the Most Ancient times. This was done under Divine guidance, and what we know as the Ancient Word came into being.
     But the use and function of the Ancient Word depended upon men remembering the meaning of correspondences and representatives. Once this began to fail, as it did in the succeeding times prior to the Hebrew Church, the Lord then had to form a new Word.

405

     We are taught that in giving the Old Testament the Lord employed three different means, internal speech, visions, and dreams.* These means were not in themselves new, as we have seen, but the manner in which they were used was new. For now the purpose could not be that of open instruction; the essential purpose would be that of preserving communication between heaven and earth so that man would not completely destroy himself from off the face of the earth. Dreams and visions taken from the representative appearances of heaven and the world of spirits at the Lord's direction, would be given through men specially chosen, and written down by them. When these were read by men on earth, the angels and spirits present with man would see their internal meaning, and something of the life of heaven could thereby be communicated to man. This is how the Lord preserved something of heaven with man all through the hundreds of years of the external and perverted states of the Hebrew, Israelitish and Jewish Churches. Certainly the dreams and visions served to provide a means whereby essential Divine truths were revealed; such as the Ten Commandments. But most of the writing would remain for ages a closed and mystical work, as far as the comprehension of man was concerned.
     * AC 4682.
     We noted previously six ways whereby revelation was given: by dreams, by night-visions, by day-visions, by speech within man, by speech with man from angels that were seen, and by speech without man from angels that were not seen.* We noted above, however, the teaching that revelation was only given in three ways, through internal speech, through dreams, and through visions. These teachings are not contrary-one is giving a general statement, while the other has simply given a more particular explanation. It will be seen when we examine examples from the Scriptures, that some of the six modes include a combination of these six ways; for example, vision with internal speech.
     * AC 6000.
     All dreams take place when the conscious mind of man is sleeping. The activity of the cerebrum is lulled, whether from fatigue, from sickness, from drugs, or what have you.* There are different kinds of dreams, some from heaven and some from hell. What kind of a dream a man has at one time depends upon many things. What he should think of his dreams, how or if he should interpret them, and what use dreams serve we will consider in a later class. Here we are concerned only with the dreams the Lord used in giving Divine revelation.**
     * AC 1975: AE 706: 3.
     ** AC 1976, 1977.
     The Writings tell us there are three types of dreams which are genuine, that is, three types that are according to Divine order. We have already seen in our last class how paradisal dreams of heavenly life and scenery were common in Most Ancient times.

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With the possible exception of Swedenborg's preparation for giving the Writings, we know of nowhere such dreams were used in giving Divine revelation. Then there are dreams which are from the activities of associate spirits with the things of our memory. These are our own dreams, and they are significative-that is, they have a meaning if they are from good spirits, even though we cannot tell what their signification is. Swedenborg shows how such dreams work. This, too we will consider in a later class. These common dreams are not the kind used in Divine Revelation.*
     * Ibid.
     The type of dreams which the Lord employed in giving revelation are representative and prophetic dreams. They pictured the representative appearance in the spiritual world, but at the same time were Divinely organized and ordered so that they foretold future things hidden in the wisdom of the Lord's Divine foresight.* Because no angel has foresight of future things, but the Lord alone, it is said of these dreams in distinction to others, that "they flow in immediately through heaven from the Lord."** The dreamer was instructed and stirred up to doing things by representatives "which flowed into the affection of the dreamer, and from that into the sight of the thought, for when a man dreams his natural understanding is laid asleep and his spiritual sight is opened, which draws its all from the affection."***
     * AC 5113: 3.
     ** AC 5091.
     *** AE 706: 3.
     There are many examples in the Word of prophetic dreams, and we will only list some of those that will be more easily recalled to mind:

     Jacob and the Ladder: "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not." (Gen. 28: 12-16)
     Joseph's dream of his brother's sheaves bowing down to his sheaf. (Gen. 37: 5-8)
     Joseph's dream of the sun, moon, and stars bowing down to him. (Gen. 37:
9-10) The dreams of Pharaoh's butler and baker. (Gen. 40) Pharaoh's dreams of seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean cows, and seven good ears of grain being eaten by seven lean ears. (Gen. 41)

407

     Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a great tree that was hewn down. (Dan. 4)
     Joseph is told of Mary conceiving from the Holy Spirit in a dream. (Matt. 1: 20)
     The Wise men are warned in a dream not to return to Herod. (Matt. 2: 12)

     Many other examples could be found of the use of representative- prophetic dreams in the Word. From the Writings we can see that such dreams also contain within them a great storehouse of Divine instruction which is to serve mankind forever. Naturally the dreamers of such dreams had no idea of the Divine content of their dreams and interpretations other than the immediate natural concerns involved; such as that Nebuchadnezzar would for a time lose his kingdom, and so on. Little did he realize that through this dream the Lord not only foretold events of the Last Judgment, but also revealed details concerning the vastation and judgment of every individual.
     Many perversions concerning the use and interpretation of representative-prophetic dreams sprang up all over the world of the Ancient Church, and continued throughout the ages. Only in the last few centuries indeed, have many of the perversions ceased or taken new forms. It was common knowledge with the ancients that there were Divine representative- prophetic dreams, and the man who received such dreams became known as a prophet, a seer, or a dreamer of dreams. How easy it was for those in the lust of power, dominion, reputation, fame, self-glory, and other such evils to set themselves up as prophets and dreamers of Divine things as a means of seeking their evil ambitions. And as the knowledge of the Lord and heaven were lost or destroyed, who could tell when the prophet spoke from God or from self. And so in the ancient world, soothsayers, diviners, oracles, magicians, sorcerers, astrologers, priests of every god and goddess, filled the centers of learning and culture. They were respected and feared, even though many of them were caught from time to time in open lies and evil works. Even the prophets and dreamers of the Jewish Church, through whom the Lord was trying to keep alive the knowledge of Jehovah and His Divine laws, often abused and falsified their revelations from the Divine. Here indeed was a strange state, for the Writings tell us that part of their message, the prophecy or prediction, was actually from the Divine but that the prophet would then apply it in such a way as to persuade the people to do some evil, such as to worship another god.* Even in the days of Moses, before the era of the great prophets, the Lord warned the people of the possibility of such a state existing with the prophets where they could speak both from the Lord and from self. "If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams; for Jehovah your God trieth you." (Deut. 13:1-3)
     * AC 3698.

408

As the state of the Church degenerated towards its last perversion and decay, the Divine warnings concerning prophets and dreamers became more and more frequent, and the message stood forth clearly. In the days of the captivity in Babylon, the Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah: "Both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in My house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord. . . I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing; they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evil-doers, that none doth return his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah . . . Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. . . . I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran:. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied . . . I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in My name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? Yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; which think to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten My name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord. Is not My word like a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal My words every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:11-32)
We have quoted this reference in Jeremiah rather fully because it helps to make clear, even in the literal sense, why the days of prophecy through dreams came to an end. So much had prophets and dreamers perverted the function of their office, and so questionable had become their influence with the people in general, that their words would no longer be heeded in the least-not so as to lead to anything good.

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Their works were filled with magic and superstition, and had further Divine prophesies been given, these would have been completely mingled with falsities and evils. As Divine messages, they would not enter the mind and be retained, and so would no longer serve even as a means of keeping alive a communication with heaven through representatives. All of this is the reason why nothing of Divine revelation was given in the five hundred years preceeding the Lord's First Advent. From Malachi, the last of the prophets, writing around 500 B.C., to the Advent, the voice of the Lord through dream and vision was silent.
     If we compare the dreams of the Old Testament with the dreams of the New Testament, we will notice a striking difference. All were Divine dreams in the sense that they were brought about from the Divine foresight, and all were inspired immediately from the Lord through the heavens. But we note that in the Old Testament all the prophetic dreams are couched in the imagery and symbolism of correspondence and representation. Notice that Jacob dreamed of a ladder (actually a stairway) reaching into heaven; Joseph dreamed of sheaves, sun, moon, and stars; Pharaoh's butler dreamed of a vine, gripes, and a cup, while his baker dreamed of baskets and birds; Pharaoh dreamed of cows and ears of grain; Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a great image of gold, silver, brass, iron, and clay, and a great stone, that smashed the statute; he dreamed of a great tree that was hewn down; and so on with all the Old Testament dreams, they all were prophetic, but prophetic in representatives and correspondences. In New Testament dreams, even though there are not many, we see plain warnings and prophesies without the same use of representatives or correspondences. The words used in New Testament dream still have an internal sense, but they are significative of that sense, not representative or correspondential.
     When the angel of the Lord appeared unto Joseph in a dream, he said:
"Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins." (Matt. 1:19-21) Similarly when the wise men are warned not to return to Herod, and when Joseph is warned to take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, the message is prophetic, but not couched at all in representative imagery. Now, remember, we are talking about dreams here, and not about visions.
     Why should there be such a change in the use of dreams in the giving of Divine revelation? Is it indeed worthy of attention; for did not the Lord use something of representative dreams in preparing Swedenborg later for giving the revelation of the Second Coming?

410

To answer the last question first, we will note when we come to consider the use of dreams in the Second Coming, that while representatives were employed in certain dreams, the manner and purpose of their use was different from that of Old Testament times. Obviously, since we have drawn a distinction between Old and New Testament dreams, we believe there is an importance in seeing the reasons for that distinction. But we would note, that they are not quickly or easily seen. At this time we would merely draw to your remembrance the fact that when the Lord made His Advent into the world, the whole nature of influx from the spiritual world to the natural world changed. Communication between heaven and man on earth, and hell and man on earth, changed. Many states of man on earth changed dramatically; external obsession, and the power of magic ended. The use of representatives changed.* The nature of Divine revelation itself changed.
     * TCR 670; AC 8972.
     All of these changes had an effect upon the nature and life of man. Understanding something of these changes, and those effected in the Second Coming, makes it possible for us to examine and understand our own states, and those of society in general, in the light of Divine revelation. And in this, understanding the history of dreams and visions plays an important part.
     And more important than this, is the importance of understanding the nature and quality of the Lord, which we see primarily from doctrine and which we confirm primarily from the story of the Sacred Scriptures, the history and order of its formation, and the beauty and Divine intelligence of its internal senses.
MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM-GLENVIEW 1980

MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM-GLENVIEW 1980

     The Academy of the New Church is sponsoring a Mental Health Symposium over Thanksgiving Week End, 1980, to be held in Glenview, Illinois.
     The Symposium will be open to all who are interested and will begin on Friday Evening, November 28th. The week end will include speeches, workshops, discussion groups, and worship, on various aspects of mental health.
     Registrar: Audrey Grant, 2344 Dewes St., Glenview, Illinois 60025, Phone (312) 729-0180.

411

LEADERSHIP IN NEW CHURCH EDUCATION 1980

LEADERSHIP IN NEW CHURCH EDUCATION Rev. ERIC H. CARSWELL 1980

A question that arises from time to time is whether the headmaster of a New Church school should be a priest or a layman. With the variety of schools and priests in the General Church no single answer to this question seems possible. The past has often seen the role of headmaster filled by a priest, but there are several notable exceptions to this general practice. While there is something pleasing about having the headmaster give opening worship and also there is possibility for important pastoral contact between parents and the headmaster, these two areas are only parts of the headmaster's job. A concern for the proper fulfillment of the other aspects of the job has caused some people to question seriously why we have linked the priesthood with leadership in New Church schools. A number of people have argued against this practice with Statements such as, "A pastor is much too busy to be able to run a school adequately," or, "The priesthood is insufficiently trained to be able to run a school properly." Both of these statements present legitimate but not insurmountable problems. An essential issue is, what does New Church education have to do with the priestly office?
If we consider the purpose of New Church education, it should become clear that the development and maintenance of its forms are functions closely related to those of the priesthood even when performed by a layman. Do we not hope that our education looks toward the end of a heaven from the human race? While it is true that education is also deeply involved in preparation for life in the natural world, the quality of the life it looks to will have eternal consequences. Would it not also be correct to say that we hope that the instruction the students receive will guide them toward the good of life? While most people would acknowledge these fundamental principles, they might still assert that they are remote from most decisions that have to be made by a headmaster. Some people seem to envision formal New Church education as little more than a collection of children from New Church homes, being taught a regular education by New Church teachers, with the exception that there are opening worship and a few religion classes each week. This vision of New Church education scarcely resembles its real potential.

412

     A true idea of the possibilities for New Church education can be gained if one examines what secular educators say about decision-making in the formation of a curriculum. Many educators define curriculum in a very broad manner these days. Ronald C. Doll, in his book, Curriculum improvement: Decision-Making and Process, presents the following technical definition of curriculum:

     "The curriculum of a school is the formal and informal content and process by which learners gain knowledge and understanding, develop skills, and alter attitudes, appreciations and values under the auspices of that school." (Doll, p. 6)

The important thing to notice in this definition is that the competent educator should be concerned with a very broad range of formal and informal experiences that make up the school life of any student. Decisions have to be made concerning many more things than merely what is to be taught.
     In developing his idea of decision-making for curriculum improvement, Doll points out several foundation areas that will influence all decisions. The first of these areas is the philosophic outlook of the educator. In the secular world this outlook is considered to be primarily a matter of personal beliefs gained from experience. In contrast, the Writings present a wealth of principles that should form the basis for a New Church philosophy. We are given definite teachings concerning what is true (epistomology), concerning the nature of reality-both natural and spiritual-(metaphysics), and concerning values or the relative importance of various aspects of life (ethics). Our understanding of these areas is not merely a matter of personal preference. The degree to which we have uniquely New Church beliefs is bound to influence the forms our education will assume.
     A second foundation area that Doll discusses in his book is psychology. This area includes both the process of human development and the process by which people learn. Again, the Writings provide us with a considerable amount of doctrine concerning these. There is much that we know that will never be found by empirical study. We are given teachings concerning our spiritual associations at various ages. We are told about the basic source of the motivation that leads a student to learn what is taught. Whereas we may turn to secular research in psychology for some illustration, our principles should have their source in the Writings. These principles enter into many curriculum decisions and consequently affect many aspects of school life.
     Secular educators lay heavy stress on the nature of the fundamental ideas that underlie any particular decision in education. The more clearly these fundamentals are seen, the more perfectly decisions can be made that support them, and the more cohesive will be the school. Given this idea, the distinctive doctrine presented in the Writings can do nothing else than produce a distinctive form of education.

413

All its forms or applications will to some degree rest on and proceed from the fundamental teachings of the Writings. This vision of New Church education cannot come to pass without intensive study in the Writings. This study must be pursued by those who have a desire to see fundamental principles for education in the teachings they find. It must be pursued by those who have clearly in mind the fundamental goals of a true education. However, merely finding the principles apart from particular application is not enough. Leaders in New Church education must not only seek the foundations for that education, but must also present the truths that have been found; then, by guiding the application of these truths, the educational leader should see that the end, or good, is achieved.
Sometimes when the basis for New Church education in the Writings is stressed, it will be suggested that the ultimate implication is that every teacher should be a priest. But there is much specialized information that is required of the regular classroom teacher that need not be linked with exhaustive knowledge of the Writings. New Church education does not require that a priest make every least decision. The leadership of principles from the Writings should, however, enter into all aspects of the school's operation. This leadership can be provided, in part, by the work of an enlightened headmaster. He is the one who is responsible for the formation of the general policies of the school. It is also his responsibility to guide the individual teachers to a sight of the principles that they should employ in their own work.
The leadership provided by the headmaster can extend even to the organization and representation of secular subjects. We can speak of three uses accomplished by the study of these subjects. One use is specific preparation for life in the natural world (occupation, civic duty, etc.). A second use is the development of rational thought. This ability to think clearly and correctly also looks to the performance of many occupations, but it is not approached directly as is the acquisition of facts or specific skills. Both these uses of education are recognized by secular educators, but since our concept of use and of true rationality differs from that common to the world, our presentation of knowledge looking to these ends will also differ. Even more distinctively New Church forms of organization and instruction will arise from the third use of secular knowledge, which is to confirm and illustrate spiritual principles. In many subject areas, the headmaster will not have the specific knowledge needed to accomplish the necessary ordering of information or to devise the best modes of presentation to accomplish these uses. He can, however, work with the teacher, leading him or her to recognize the principles that would underlie the ordering and presentation of a particular subject area.

414

     As the definition of curriculum supplied by Doll indicates, the selection, organization and presentation of subject matter are not the only areas of decision-making that are involved in the operation of a school. The results of the headmaster's study and enlightenment should be involved in the formation of many other policies that are integral to the functioning of the school and the accomplishment of the goals of New Church education.
     An obvious example of a policy that the headmaster should help to develop is discipline. The disciplinary system of a New Church school should arise from a study of the relevant principles in the Writings. The Writings do speak of certain types of compulsion that are destructive, but they also make it abundantly clear that external order must be maintained by rewards (honor, reputation, and gain) and also by punishments.* The teachings that describe the gradual opening of the mind also underline the importance of maintaining boundaries for the student's actions, rather than granting them more freedom and responsibility than they can handle.**
     * Eg. AC 10790, 10791, 2258: 3.
     ** Eg. AC 10225: 4.
     Educational leadership in all its possible areas is not easy, even when one is not trying to develop a system that has some fundamental differences from much of the secular world of education. There is no clear cut answer as to who is more qualified for the job of headmaster in New Church schools, layman or priest. Laymen with strong education backgrounds sometimes feel inadequate in their doctrinal background even though they may have many 6f the fundamental doctrines related to education more clearly in mind than a priest who hasn't studied and reflected on the subject for years. Developing a sound knowledge of doctrine requires a concerted effort on the part of the lay teacher. On the other hand, the formulation of policy and knowledgeable guidance of teachers can tax the training of many priests. However, it is not unusual for the priest headmaster, who is over his head when he first starts, to find that concerted effort and a few years experience teach him more than he could ever get from a secular program in educational administration.
     If New Church education is ever to approach its true promise, it will need the leadership of dedicated headmasters. Its leaders must have a desire to bring together the many principles drawn from the Writings to form a cohesive, all-pervading philosophy that will underlie every decision in the school. This leadership cannot be merely a matter of study when a problem arises. The headmaster should have an affection for the goals of New Church education which will guide him to recognize where principles should be applied even when there is no apparent problem. Whether priest or layman, it would seem that the leadership of a New Church school could be best accomplished by someone who recognized the scope and importance of the job and was willing and able to put in the work to lead the school towards its true potential.

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While the role of headmaster has most often been filled by a priest, there certainly have been and probably will continue to be successful lay headmasters who are avid readers of the Writings. This fact merely underscores the essential source for the foundation of New Church education. It is this source that should provide the basis of leadership in our schools.
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1980

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1980

     Studia Swedenborgiana

     Students of Swedenborg will find much food for thought in the long and thorough study that appears in the June issue of Studia Swedenborgiana (Vol. 3 Number 4). Dr. Stephen Larsen has presented an unusual and informative study entitled SWEDENBORG AND THE VISIONARY TRADITION. This was prepared for the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, but it holds considerable interest for our own scholars. The editor, Dr. W. R. Woofenden is to be congratulated on his decision to print the entire study in a single issue in spite of its length.
     The subject of Swedenborg's visions and dreams will be taken up in Part V of the Seven Part Study we are now publishing. Rev. Schnarr's series began in the July issue and will be concluded in the January issue.

     The New Philosophy

     The April-June issue of The New Philosophy concludes an outstanding article by Dr. Gregory L. Baker entitled TOWARD THE BEGINNING OF TIME. Highly informed people are contemplating the evidence that the universe had a beginning. Dr. Baker gives us the opportunity to consider just what type of evidence this is. A far more simple approach to this subject may be found in the July Reader's Digest. The lead article is entitled HAVE ASTRONOMERS FOUND GOD?

     New Church Home

     The September issue of New Church Home features an interview with Mr. Yorvar Synnestvedt, the principal of the New Church Elementary School in Kempton, Pa. The circulation of New Church Home is up more than 30% since June!

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JOURNAL OF THE TWENTY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 1980

JOURNAL OF THE TWENTY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM LORENTZ R. SONESON 1980

     Held at University of Guelph
     Guelph, Ontario, Canada

     June 11-15, 1980.

FIRST SESSION-Thursday, June 12, 9:30 a.m.
     1. After hymn #81 had been sung, Bishop Louis B. King conducted a short worship with lessons from Genesis 12, verses 1 through 5; Genesis 37, verses 1 through 11.
     2. Bishop King then extended greetings and welcome to all attending this Assembly reminding us that true worship is not only external forms that include glorification to the Lord and humility of self, but also evangelization or announcing that the Lord Jesus Christ reigns. He then passed on greetings from our sister bodies via Great Britain and the Convention. He passed on Bishop Emeritus George de Charms' greetings to this Assembly and welcomed Bishop Emeritus W. D. Pendleton, who was in attendance. Bishop King also announced the four new members of the Council of the Clergy, the Rev. Messrs. Kenneth Alden, George McCurdy, John Odhner and Louis Synnestvedt.
     3. Bishop King then introduced the speaker, the Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs, whose address was on the subject of Abraham to Joseph: Man's Spiritual Promise (for the address and the discussion following it see this issue of
NEW CHURCH LIFE.)
     4. The session adjourned at 10:20 and was followed by group discussions held in three rooms in the Arts Building.

SECOND SESSION-Thursday, June 12, 2:00 p.m.
     5. This session consisted of eight small sessions as follows:
          a. The General Church Mission in South Africa
          Speakers: The Rev. Messrs. Norman E. Riley & Peter Nkabinde

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          b. Conjugial Love
          Speakers: The Rev. Messrs. Daniel W. Heinrichs, Douglas M. Taylor and Christopher Bown
          c. Working with the Young People of the Church
          Speaker: The Rev. B. David Holm
          d. Training New Church Priests
          Speaker: The Rev. Robert S. Junge
          e. Academy of the New Church Museum
          A Tool for Distinctive New Church Education
          Speaker: The Rev. Martin Pryke
          f. Serving Other Bodies of the Church
          Speakers: The Rev. Messrs. Kurt P. Nemitz & Walter E. Orthwein
          g. What Do Angels Do?
          Speaker: The Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom
          h. Translation.
          Speaker: The Rev. N. Bruce Rogers.

THIRD SESSION-Thursday, June 12, 8:00 p.m.
     6. After singing the second anthem, page 580, a short service was conducted by the Rev. Erik Sandstrom with lessons from Exodus 16. The speaker, the Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh, was then introduced, and gave an address on the subject of Delight. (SEE NEW CHURCH LIFE, October issue). The session adjourned and was followed by three group discussions in the Arts Building.

FOURTH SESSION-Thursday, June 12, 8:00 p.m.
     7. After the singing of a hymn and a short opening service conducted by the Rev. Mark Carlson with Lessons from John 15 and 16, Bishop King opened the business session of the General Church of the New Jerusalem. He asked for approval of the minutes of the previous Journal, and the Secretary of the General Church moved that they be accepted as printed in NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1976, p. 333. The minutes were approved.
     Bishop King then placed the name of the Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson in nomination as Secretary of the General Church. It was moved, seconded and approved by voice ballot.
     Bishop King then presented the name of the Rev. Donald L. Rose as Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE. This motion was then moved, seconded and approved by a voice ballot.
     Professor Richard Gladish, speaking from the floor, requested we show our appreciation to the Rev. Morley Rich, who acted as interim editor to NEW CHURCH LIFE, following the passing into the spiritual world of Acting Editor, the Rev. Ormond Odhner.

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Mr. Rich's work was acknowledged with applause.
     8. Bishop King introduced the Rev. Douglas M. Taylor, Director of the Extension-Evangelization Committee, who reported on the work being accomplished in this area since the last Assembly. Mr. Taylor then introduced the Rev. Harold C. Cranch who gave a report on the Glen- view Radio Station and his mailing list of sermons; also the Rev. Allison L. Nicholson (Toronto) who described his evangelization program, started last year in the Toronto Society. This portion of the session adjourned at 10:45 a.m. and was followed by speeches on the subject of The Uses of New Church Education. The panel consisted of the Rev. Messrs. Alfred Acton, II, (Moderator), N. Bruce Rogers and Frederick L. Schnarr. The session adjourned at 11:45 a.m.

FIFTH SESSION-Friday, June 13, 8:00 p.m.
     9. The session began with the singing of hymn 34 and a short service conducted by the Rev. Harold C. Cranch. Lessons were taken from Genesis 45 and 50. Mr. Cranch then introduced the speaker, Bishop Louis B. King, who addressed the Assembly on the subject of Idealism and the Rites of the Church. (This address, begun in the August issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE, is concluded in the present issue.)
     The session adjourned at 9:00 p.m. and was followed by gathering of three groups in the Arts Building to discuss the paper.

SIXTH SESSION-Saturday, June 14, 9:30 a.m.
     10. Following the singing of a hymn and a short worship service conducted by the Rev. Ragnar Boyesen, lessons from Luke 10, the Rev. Peter M. Buss was introduced. The subject of this session was Our Relationship in Charity with People Who are not in the Church. Following a brief review of the handout that included questions and quotations on this subject, the Assembly broke up and attended thirty different discussion groups led by young people with ministers as resource persons. This session adjourned at 11:30 a.m.

     Respectfully submitted,

     LORENTZ R. SONESON,
          Secretary

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ASSEMBLY IMPRESSIONS AND N0TES 1980

ASSEMBLY IMPRESSIONS AND N0TES MORLEY D. RICH 1980

     We resist the temptation to indulge in superlatives in describing the Twenty-eighth Assembly of the General Church, held at Guelph University in Canada, June 11-15, 1980. By the time this appears in print, everyone will have heard enough about it-enough to make the non-attenders envious.
     So we will be content to say that it was one of the best (really an understatement), and to make some comments on outstanding features, for the sake of the record.
     The comfortably cool weather, good management by the societies of Caryndale and Toronto as well as by the staff of the university, healthful exercise (mostly consisting in walking between meeting-places on the campus), and excellent fare on all levels, providing nourishment to soul and body, and serving adequately diet fans of most every persuasion, even our vegetarians-all these factors, and more, combined to make this a memorable assembly. Delight was a frequently recurring subject of the meetings; and since one humorist has already used that word pun-wise during the assembly, we feel free to remark that nobody turned off de light, and nobody objected to the bill (of fare)!
     The seven full sessions of the Assembly provided a fine blend of the affectional and instructional, a nice balance of doctrine and life, and of faith and charity, and a stimulating mix of the old and new. This was certainly true of the three addresses, two of which, by Bishop King and the Rev. Geoffrey Childs, have now appeared in this and the August issue, and the third of which, on the specific subject of "Delight", by the Rev. Kurt Asplundh, will be published soon.
     An outstanding feature of the meetings were the numerous group discussions, well-organized and scheduled to follow each session. These provided enjoyable opportunities for everyone, not only to exchange thoughts as to specific subjects, but also to meet and know fellow New Churchmen whom they might not have known otherwise. Besides the informal group discussions following the three addresses, there were other seminars and presentations of many topics and kinds. There was, for example, one session provided by the young people, guided and started by the Rev. Peter Buss, which consisted of several groups discussing the presented subject of "Our Relationship in Charity with People who are not Members of our Church."

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We hope to publish the stimulating brochure which was distributed for the guidance of these discussions.
     Then there were the small sessions provided in one major session, too numerous to mention here. One could go to the one of his choice; and they were all so attractive as to subject that your reporter only wished he could have been at all of them simultaneously!
     Amid all of this, we even managed to work in a Business Session! A remarkable report of the Extension Committee by its chairman, the Rev. Douglas Taylor, and by members, the Rev. Harold Cranch and the Rev. Alison Nicholson left this writer out of breath over the amount of work and projects described.
     This was followed by a panel presentation on "The Uses of New Church Education." Introduced and moderated by the Rev. Alfred Acton, the specific subjects presented were "The Importance of Affection," by the Rev. N. Bruce Rogers, and "Our Strengths and Weaknesses" by the Rev. Frederick Schnarr.
     Banquet. An account of this "festive occasion" is furnished by the Rev. Martin Pryke as follows:
     With nearly eight hundred people present, the Assembly Banquet must surely have been the largest gathering of General Church people ever held outside Bryn Athyn. It was a festive occasion, held in the gymnasium where an excellent meal was served. The Reverend Christopher R. J. Smith was the capable toastmaster whose theme was "Distinct Delights of the New Church." The opening toast to the church was proposed by Mr. Reginald Law, of London, England, who spoke movingly and powerfully so as to bring us firmly into the sphere of the occasion.
     The first speaker on the subject of the evening was Miss Sarah J. Headsten, of Bryn Athyn, who treated of the delights for a single woman in the church. She gave a charming personal account of her own recognition that, whereas marriage is the more desirable state, yet delights are available to the single woman who recognizes that she has a potential to fulfill and who has a keen awareness of the working of Divine providence. The address was a love story of her own relationship to the New Church which made it possible for her to find delight in her work for people- both within the church (for example, serving as co-editor of the Theta Alpha Journal) and outside (where she is a social worker placing foster children).
     Dr. Christopher Clark (an educational psychiatrist) provided an interlude between the two principal addresses by noting the relationship between the subject of the banquet program and the emerging theme of the whole assembly.

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He then spoke of the road by which he had entered the church. The second principal speaker was the Rev. Donald L. Rose (pastor of the Pittsburgh Society and newly appointed editor of New Church Life). His topic was "Tears, Laughter and Song." The tears were tears of joy felt when old and new friends met in the sphere of the assembly. Laughter is never absent from our gatherings-laughter of happiness, not of derision. Song had powerfully opened the assembly as we sang "Great and Wonderful"; throughout it appropriately expressed our affections right to the close as we sang "The Lord God Jesus Christ Doth Reign."
     The evening ended with closing remarks by the Bishop (the Right Reverend Louis B. King). The Bishop pulled the program together by reviewing what had been said and then pointing out that delights are the result of man so forming the substances of the mind that the Lord's life can inflow in the fullest sense. The Bishop then pronounced the benediction in closing the program.

Worship Services

     To end the day's activities appropriately, Vesper Services were held at 10:30 p.m. the one on Thursday being conducted by the Rev. Geoffrey Childs, the Friday service by the Rev. Frank Rose.
     The Assembly Service to close the Assembly was a powerfully affecting and impressive one, combining a fine sermon by Bishop King and the administration of the Holy Supper. All the days' joy, delights and exalting reflections seemed to come together and coalesce in the singing of the Psalm, and in the partaking of the communion.
     So ended what we feel will be regarded in future as an historic Assembly, long held in memory by its participants.

     MORLEY D. RICH

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BACK TO SCHOOL 1980

BACK TO SCHOOL Editor 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

BRYN ATHYN, PA.
Editor . . . Rev. Donald L. Rose, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Associate Editor . . . Rev. Morley D. Rich, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager . . . Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager. Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
     $5.00 (U.S.) a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     In September there is something in the air. It is the return to school. September's ambiance and purlieu, its hustle and verve, are largely related to this fact of our life: we are going back to school. The anticipation may be mingled with reluctance (and in this connection consider the opening paragraphs of the sermon on courage in this issue), but the anticipation is, nonetheless, pervasive.
     You may rightly say that September stirrings owe much to merely social considerations, for the assemblage or reassemblage of persons for whatever purpose generates a degree of excitement. But the return to school has its peculiar objectives both practical and profound. What is more, it symbolizes and embodies fundamental goals of our Church. (See in this connection an article in this issue about leadership in education.) The return to school stands for something vital in this life and even in the life to come. Part of our humanity is curiosity, the love of knowing, the love of understanding and of growing wise.
     The surface reality has its own immediate appeal. Dear reader, someone you know is back in school this month. Is he (or she) in elementary school? Sitting perhaps in formal classes for the first time? Who needs to tell you this is a month of momentous things? This month little hands earnestly form letters and numbers on lined paper. Or they stretch and strain towards the ceiling, thereby declaring to the teacher (and, it would seem, to all the world) that a question is urgent to be heard or that a comment cannot much longer remain repressed.

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     Older children enter new grades ready to confront new concepts and new disciplines. Graduates of elementary school find themselves at the bottom again-lowly freshmen. It is back to school again, but it is all new.
     Enrollment expectations at the Academy College are being exceeded this September. The final figure may be the second highest on record, and there is evident reason for encouragement.
     Formal schooling does come to an end. (It really does, although those in graduate school may sometimes wonder.) But learning goes on. If learning were to come to an end we would all feel old. The church for us would no longer be "new." "If there were any end to wisdom in a wise man the delight of his wisdom, which consists in its perpetual multiplication
     and fructification, would perish . . . Then the wise man no longer becomes like a youth but like a man, old and at length decrepit." (DP 335)
     We can never "graduate" in the sense of completing the process of learning. If we matriculate, as it were, into heaven we will sense even more vividly that we stand on the threshold of new learning. What we know is as but a drop to a great ocean when compared to what we do not as yet know.
     Without exception we are all at some beginning stage in the endless flow of learning. It is our good fortune to be recipients of the Lord's new revelation. Let us enjoy the spirit of angels who love learning, and let us be partakers of the spirit of the young who this month are back to school.

     THERE IS A BEAUTIFUL PALACE IN HEAVEN
     IT IS CALLED "THE TEMPLE OF WISDOM."
     THOSE WHO HAVE A KEEN SENSE OF THEIR
     OWN IGNORANCE ARE ABLE TO SEE THAT PALACE

     "There is a palace here, which we call the Temple of Wisdom. But no one can see it who believes himself to be very wise, still less one who believes that he is wise enough, and less yet one who believes himself to be wise from himself. This is because such are not in a state to receive the light of heaven from a love of genuine wisdom.
     "It is genuine wisdom for a man to see from the light of heaven that what he knows, understands, and is wise in, is so little in comparison with what he does not know and understand, and in which he is not wise, as to be like a drop to the ocean, consequently as almost nothing."

     True Christian Religion 387

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Church News 1980

Church News Various 1980

     BRYN ATHYN

     The closing exercises for our local elementary school were enhanced this June by a new emblem on a colorful banner, and also on the printed programs. Combined with ideas submitted by all the pupils, it is a skillful pattern of the Tree of Life, a lamb, a crown and a rainbow. Its final form was polished by Mr. Robert Glenn, commencement speaker, who also had the distinction of having both a son and a grandson in the graduating class.
     Almost every year, the society has the pleasure of witnessing the inauguration into the priesthood of one or more young men, a General Church rite which this year included three theological school graduates: Messrs. Kenneth Alden, John Odhner and Louis Synnestvedt. Because of the Council of the Clergy meetings beginning so soon in Guelph, Canada, the service had to be scheduled early in the morning of Saturday, June 7th, and a large gathering was present at 8 am.
     Bishop King's selection of lessons began with John 15, containing the powerful messages appropriate to the occasion-"Without me ye can do nothing" and "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you;" and they concluded with the teachings of Arcana Coelestia 1728 as to how the Lord calls men to be His disciples. The three declarations of the candidates, published in the August issue of New Church Life, eloquently expressed the zeal and dedication which inspired our new priests.
     The service was followed by a festive gathering in the cathedral undercroft-a use envisioned many years ago-and the early hour made appropriate the words, "toast-and-coffee," as friends saluted the new ministers and their partners with songs and speeches. The bishop spoke of the significance of this event to the Church beyond Bryn Athyn's borders, and reminded us that this occasion represented the earliest dreams of those who organized the Academy in its beginning. He noted that the Lord, on June 19, 1770, sent forth the disciples to preach His Second Coming. The Rev. Kurt Asplundh, Dean of the Bryn Athyn church, expressed the delight of having these three young men participate in uses during their education here. The Rev. Robert Junge, Dean of the theological school, responded to the toast to "our Friends" by describing the ideas of the angels concerning the New Church-the spiritual angels seeing the vision of a Holy City descending, the higher angels seeing the beauty and affection of a bride. This representation in which the heavenly marriage is recognized is starkly contrasted with the falsities rampant in the world around us, and he spoke of the need for courage as our priests defend the beautiful vision given to us in the Writings.
     The delightful but crowded June calendar for the community, with more than nine weddings in a four-week period, was marked by a hiatus, as many from Bryn Athyn traveled north for the Twenty-eighth General Assembly, returning for the festivities of New Church Day and the centenary celebration honoring Helen Keller. There are those in the borough who will find delight, too, in doing practically nothing for a while.

     LEON S. RHODES

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     COMMENCEMENT, 1980

     The June festivities marking the end of the school year at the Academy are of interest to Church centers all over the world, and many parents are able to travel to the colorful and delightful ceremonies as "Our Own Academy" measures another milestone. Those unable to be present in person turn their thoughts to the commencement exercises which, in many cases, signal the readiness of young New Church men and women to assume active roles in the Church, especially those graduates of the Theological School attaining their Bachelor of Theology degrees preceding their inauguration into the priesthood. Continuing the recent trend, the Theological School-with less demanding scholastic requirements and greater emphasis on the pastoral needs-has grown to a point where, this year, there were 14 students; and the closing exercises were climaxed as three young men received their degrees in Theology.
     In addition to these three, it was a most special day for 119 young men and women granted degrees and diplomas by their alma mater, with beaming parents and friends, ninety-two banners, and perfect weather. Chancellor King's closing words in response to the fine valedictories was, "Let us love the life of use;" and the commencement speaker, Mr. Hyland Johns, stressed the New Church concept of use in describing the mind as "a renewable resource."
     The formal graduations, with students from foreign lands and many states, with special citations and honors, was a thrilling experience for the audience, and probably for the teachers as well. For the young people, the graduates and underclassmen, it was a climax to a whirlwind series of events which included an evening of honors and academic awards, the All-sports Banquet, the President's Reception, graduate luncheons and dinners and farewells to classmates and friends.
     Clearly, this was a fine school year, with an outstanding student body and a year of notable achievement and great enjoyment.

AWARDS-1980

     The following were the degrees, diplomas, honors and awards granted by the Academy of the New Church at this years commencement exercises:

     THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL

Bachelor of Theology: Kenneth James Alden, John Llewellyn Odhner, Louis Daniel Synnestvedt.

     COLLEGE

Bachelor of Science: Martha Hyatt Brown. Roxanne McQueen, cum laude, Thomas Hartley Rose.

Bachelor of Arts: Robin Waelchli Childs, Thomas Marfarlan Cole, Daniel Fitzpatrick, cum laude, Ingrid Andrea Hansen, cum laude, Wynne Thomas Hyatt, cum laude, Nathaniel Dean Pendleton, cum laude, Timothy Grant Rose, cum laude, Grant Donald Schnarr, Paul Edward Schorran, Sarah Louise Waters, Lynn Zimmerman Woofenden.

Associate in Arts: Randall Lee Adams, *Thomas William Arrington, *David Wayne Ayers**, Sandra Ashley Brathwaite, Frederick Merle Chapin, *Chara Cooper, Carl Acton Engelke, Aaron Allan Gladish, *Doris Jane Greer, Kristin Jeannette Gurney, *Freya Heinrichs, Marguerite Henderson, *Karen Ann Jorgenson, Brandon Junge, Steven Alvin Lindrooth, Cedric Alexander Mark Lumsden, M. Jamie Magro, *Sara Marion Morley**, *Suzanne Adams Nelson, Calvin Acton Odhner, Dorothy Posey Jewell, Donald Glenn Rose, *Elizabeth Rose, *Jeremy Harold Rose, Jonathan Searle Rose, Keith Howard Roth, Hubert Keith Rydstrom, Patricia Lynn Starkey, Timothy Dean Stein, Jennifer Glen Synnestvedt, *Lee Strath Woofenden.
     * With Distinction
     **David Wayne Ayers received the

Sons of the Academy Award.
     **Sara Marion Morley received the Theta Alpha Junior College Award.

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GIRLS SCHOOL

     Diploma with Honors: Karin Alfelt*, Susan Gay Cooper, Julie David, Anne Faulkner Goerwitz, Kimberly Anne Heinrichs, Sharon Anne Himmelstein, Charlotte Odhner, Barbara Alison Smith, Shannon Smith*.

     Diploma or Certificate: Suzanne Deborah Brecht, Suzanne Rebecca Brewer, Nancy Jean Brueckman, Suzanne Burnham, Carolyn Ann Childs, Deborah Ann Farrington, Linda Frazier, Sara Kay Fuller, Lisa Ann Glenn, Daina Paige Gunther, Paige Gunther, Emily Jane Gyllenhaal, Laurel Halterman, Janet Susan Hasen, Elsa Horigan, Sherry Johns, Lorna Marion Lee, Cynthia Ann Leese, Joyce Caroline Lemky, Karla Odhner, Star Pitcairn, Alison Pryke, Natalie Rose, Karen Michelle Roth, Kathleen Hope Smith, Kaia Lynn Synnestvedt, Louise van Zyverden, Mary Willis.

     *Theta Alpha Award.

BOYS SCHOOL

Diplomas with Honors: Barry Wayne Allen, Stewart Lindsay Asplundh, Rudolph Andrew Damm, Brent Genzlinger, Blair Stuart Hyatt, Bradley King, Eric Nicholas Smith, Thomas Edward Stebbing.

Diplomas or Certificates: Robert McDonald Alden, Joel Edward Allen, Brent David Asplundh, John Bradley Austin, Jeffrey Vernon Bonser, Peter David Bostock, Willard Glenn Bostock, Timothy Daniel Brock, Stuart Tracy Burke, James Sebastian Cole, Kenneth Harry Coy, Todd Norton Elder, Kenneth Ruben Frost, Kevin George Givens, James Elder Graham, Daniel Francis Griffin, Brian Paul Gunther, Stephen James Heilman, Robert Daniel Heinrichs, Nicholas David Holm, Carl Robert Hunsaker, Dwight Garrison Moore III, Matthew Donald Olson, Wayne David Pendleton, Phillip Eugene Ring, Peter Drew Schoenberger, Eric James Stein, Blake Synnestvedt, William James Yaple.

The Sons of the Academy gold medal was awarded to Brent Genzlinger.
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1980

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH T. Dudley Davis 1980

     Each year the Academy Boys' and Girls' schools invite 9th and 10th grade students from other areas to visit the Academy for a few days. These visits have been useful in interesting students in Academy education and preparing them for it.
     In order to facilitate planning for the visits we invite the students from different areas on a rotating basis. This fall (probably November) we invite students from the New York, New Jersey, Washington and Southeastern United States areas. In April, 1981, we will invite those from Canada and the Northeastern United States. In the fall of 1981 it will be the Glenview students and in the spring of 1982 Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania students.
     Those who wish to participate in one of these visits may contact me, or their pastor, for further information.
     In addition to these group visits, individual students, parents, and others are welcome to visit at any time. Just write or give me a call.
     T. Dudley Davis
     Director of Student Services

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Title Unspecified 1980

Announcements

Correction: The birth date of Normandy Kay Alden is January 31, 1980. It is not Jan. 1, as was reported in the May issue (p. 229). [Corrected in the electronic text.]
CHARTER DAY 1980

1980

     All-ex-students, members of the General Church, and friends of the Academy are invited to attend the 64th Charter Day exercises, to be held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., Friday and Saturday, October 17th and 18th, 1980. The Program: Friday, 11 am-Cathedral Service with an address by the Rev. Christopher Smith. Friday, 9:00 p.m.-dance. Saturday, 7 p.m.-Banquet, Toastmaster: Mr. Edward K. Asplundh.

     CHARTER DAY BANQUET TICKETS

     In order to avoid confusion and embarrassment, those who will be guests in Bryn Athyn homes for the Charter Day weekend, should order their banquet tickets in advance, by mail, unless they have made other specific arrangements with their hostesses.

     The date for the banquet is Oct. 18th. The regular price is $6.00-the same as last year. For all students, including those not presently attending the Academy, the price is only $3.00-also the same as last year. Checks should be made payable to the Academy of the New Church.
     Orders should be sent to the attention of Mrs. R. Frazier, The Academy of the New Church, P.O. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009, before Oct. 6th. Please mark clearly on envelopes, "Banquet Tickets." Tickets will be carefully held at the switchboard in Benade Hall for pick-up either by you or your hosts. No tickets can be sold at the door because of the need for advance arrangements with the caterer.

     THE ASSEMBLY ADDRESSES IN PRINT AND ON TAPE

     Many of the Assembly sessions and services are now available on cassette tapes from The Sound Recording Committee, Bryn Athyn, Pa. In some cases the tapes will differ from the printed address, a case in point being the Episcopal Address which we began in the August issue, and which we conclude this month.
COMING IN THE NOVEMBER ISSUE 1980

COMING IN THE NOVEMBER ISSUE 1980

     AUSTRALIAN NEW CHURCH CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

     This celebration will take place in the Australian state of Victoria in the town of Merricks about forty miles southeast of Melbourne. The lectures and discussions will begin on January 5th, 1981. The program, including planned trips, will continue until January 14th.

     ADDITIONS TO THE SWEDENBORG CONCORDANCE

     Additions to the Swedenborg Concordance, discussed in the July issue, is now available through the General Church Book Center. The cost is $6.00. It is bound in a hard cover matching the cover of the six volumes of the Swedenborg Concordance. This production of the General Church Press is a useful aid for any student of the Writings.

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LORD GOD JESUS CHRIST DOTH REIGN 1980

LORD GOD JESUS CHRIST DOTH REIGN Rev. LOUIS B. KING 1980

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NEW CHURCH LIFE

VOL. C

OCTOBER, 1980

No. 10
     (Delivered on June 15, 1980 at the 28th General Assembly.)

     "In that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in Me, and I in you." (John 14:20)

     "After this work was finished, the Lord called together His twelve disciples, who had followed Him in the world; and . . . He sent them forth into the whole spiritual world to preach the Gospel that the Lord God Jesus Christ doth reign, whose kingdom shall be from ages to ages . . . and blessed are they that are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." (TCR 791)

     "In that day," said the Lord. That day is the day of the Lord's second coming. It was a prophecy of the time when He, as the Spirit of Truth, would lead men into all truth; when He would show us plainly of the Father. "There are many things which ye cannot bear," said the Lord to His disciples, "but wait until He, the Spirit of Truth cometh, in that day." That day has come. "I am in my Father." The Father is the Divine love which before the Lord's coming was invisible, unknowable, unapproachable, because men had removed themselves so far from the Divine love that they had closed their minds to the tenderness of it. They had shut out the light of His Word, and it had become a dead letter. The Lord reached out to men, but He could not touch them. So Divine love came down. Divine love as the incarnation seed entered the womb of Mary and wove for itself a body-a finite, human body. When that body was born into the world the Divine love was inmostly present as its soul, so that it could be called the Son of God. As the child grew He willed to be imbued with knowledges from His Word. He learned other knowledges from nature-scientifics-but all things that He learned were ordered according to the truth of His Word, which He loved from an inmost desire to save men.

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This inmost love gradually became visible in the words and deeds of the Lord Jesus Christ. The love to save men was now near to them in a human form that was tangible, a human mind which could communicate with other minds, a human mind that could become gradually Divine truth itself.
     The truths of the Word which other men could no longer understand, the Lord took into His own mind and, from his love to save men, organized those truths and accommodated them in a new way, so that He could be called the Son of Man-the Word made flesh.
     But because His human mind was at first finite and limited, it was subject to human appearances of truth. There were limitations to those thoughts which the Lord had in His human consciousness. And because there was adjoined to or touching that human nature, hereditary inclinations to evil taken from Mary, the hells could flow in through those inclinations and excite and stir up doubts, human appearances of truth such as that the human race could not be saved; or that the human nature which the Lord had put on could not be glorified and retained. The hells fought against everything that Divine love had come to accomplish.
     But the Lord in His human, as if from the human, in appearance separated entirely from the power of Divine love, endured grievous doubts. "For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counselor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word" (Isaiah 41.28). "He is despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). "And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore' His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him" (Isaiah 59:16). But the Lord alone, in the human essence, sustained these doubts.
     It was necessary that He be alone in a very real appearance in the human, that He could fight against the hells from His own truth in the human, and open His human to the Divine, calling to the Father as if His infinite love were somebody outside of Him; that that love might descend into and become one with the human; that it might be humanized, knowable, lovable, touchable, and also that the human whereby He drew near to men-that whole plane of natural thought and feeling-could be glorified. The human was not done away with, but glorified, made Divine, lifted up to be the very form of the Divine love. For indeed, the Divine Human of the Lord is the Divine love now in human form, accommodated so it can be loved and perceived by all in whom the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns.

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     Good so formed that it may be intellectually perceived is truth. Love so formed that it can be felt and touched as a human quality is the Divine Human. How is this present with us? How important become the Lord's words, then, before He glorified His human, when He said, "in that day ye shall know that I am in My Father"; that the humanity He put on is now the very form and approach to His infinite love to save. Because of this He said, "and ye are in Me, and I in you."
     Even as the Lord Jesus Christ entered into and became one with the Father or the Divine love-that is, into full union-so in image and likeness are we to be regenerated by the Lord, that is, open our minds to His Divine Human that he may lift us up into conjunction with Himself, and it may be said according to reception that we are in the Lord. We could not be in the Lord if He did not come down, and if His humanity had not entered into the Father.
     And when we enter into the Lord by opening our lives and receiving Him, He is in us in the fullest sense. It is His Divine, then, that makes everything that is good and true with us.
     Hear the Word of the Lord as it is written in the Apocalypse Explained:

     There is nothing pertaining to any angel, which makes heaven in him, nor anything in man pertaining to any man, which makes the church in him, but the Divine proceeding from the Lord; for that all the truth of faith and all the good of love is from the Lord, and nothing of them from man, is a known thing. From these considerations it is evident that the Lord is all in all of heaven and the church. That we are in the Lord and He in us, He Himself teaches this . . . 'In that day ye shall know that ye are in Me, and I in you.' All the angels of heaven and all the men of the true Church are in the Lord, when they are in the Gorand Man or the heavenly form. Angels and men in such case are in the Lord, because they are recipients of life from Him, thus in His Divine, and the Lord is in them, because He is the very life, the very good and truth in the recipients."*
     * AE 1225

     The second part of our text is from the True Christian Religion (791). "After this work was finished, the lord called together His twelve disciples . . . and sent them forth into the whole spiritual world to preach the Gospel that the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns . . . (and) blessed are those that come unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."
     It is significant that the Lord at the time of His second coming sent out His disciples. Disciples represent truths which clothe the Divine Human in the Writings-appearances in rational form that bring the Divine good and the Divine truth of the Divine Human to us. This Divine must be accommodated. And so the Lord sent out His disciples to preach this wonderful Gospel.

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And in order that that truth-that accommodation or clothing for His Divine Human-might be given, the Lord raised up Emanuel Swedenborg, and prepared him, utilizing in the Divine Providence the rational ideas of Swedenborg's mind to clothe this wonderful proceeding of the Divine, so that when we look to the Writings we see the Lord God Jesus Christ, shining forth in the glory of His Divine Human, visible, the all in all of life, of heaven and the church.
     Only in this portion of the threefold Word (The True Christian Religion) is that full and wonderful name of the Lord used. Lord God Jesus Christ! The name Lord refers to the Divine love which is unchangeable-always was, is and always will be, but has not always been felt and seen in its own form. God is the Divine Word, the first standing forth of that love which was in the beginning from which all things were created, but which also is above our comprehension. But the name Jesus Christ refers to the Divine Human, the Divine love and the Divine wisdom proceeding now in human form, to be with men and to save them, even on the plane of natural life.
     Blessed are they that are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. Who is the Lamb? When John, baptizing in the Jordan River, beheld the Lord standing by the banks, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world."
     And when another John, on the Isle of Patmos, saw into the spiritual world, and the heavens were opened and a book seen, sealed with seven seals, who was worthy to open the book? The Lamb that was slain. Now we are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The Lamb is a special name for the Divine Human, and the Divine Human is the Lord's name for the New Church. A name has within it quality. In the other world a name can only be mentioned if the quality of the name is written on the heart of the one who speaks. Swedenborg describes many from the clergy of the Christian world, and many from the laity, who were asked to say Jesus Christ, or one God, or Divine Human, and their lips were paralyzed. In the spiritual world it is not the memory or the mouth that speaks, it is the heart. Upon the hearts of those there the quality of that name was not written, so they could not speak it. When we, as New Churchmen, enter the spiritual world, will we be able to say the Lord God Jesus Christ doth reign? Yes, if His name-if the quality of His love and wisdom are not only etched in the contents of our understanding, but are written upon our hearts and manifest in the works and deeds of our life.
     The Lord God Jesus Christ reigns. When we read His Word and know of Him, and begin to understand His teachings, our minds are open to the influx of Divine truth, the living Word within. This is the Lord's love now visible in its glory.

435

This love and wisdom-good and truth-the living Word then descends from within and illumines those knowledges taken into the memory from the written word, which define the nature of God. The Lord stands forth in bold vision in our minds as a Divine Man, the Infinite God of love and mercy.
     Blessed indeed are they that are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. The bread and the wine of the Holy Supper represent that Divine good and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human to sustain man in all of the uses of life in this world and in the next.
     Therefore John saw an angel standing in the sun of heaven-the Divine Human imaged in its glory, calling forth with an invitation to all of the fowls of the heaven, that is, to all of the variety of affections of truth of which we are capable. Come, gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God!
     May the Lord lead us to fashion in our minds a picture of His Human, and may we be able to say always, from living faith, His precious name. Blessed indeed are they that are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. Amen.
LESSONS:     John 14; AC 2034(2-3); TCR 791.
BEING ABLE TO SAY "JESUS" 1980

BEING ABLE TO SAY "JESUS" 1980

     No one can approach the Lord and in heart acknowledge Him as the God of heaven and earth if he does not live according to His precepts. In the spiritual world, where everyone is obliged to speak as he thinks, no one can even mention the name Jesus if he has not lived in the world as a Christian. This is of His Divine Providence, lest His name should be profaned.
     Divine Providence 262

     Those who had confirmed their belief in faith separate from charity were asked to pronounce the name 'Jesus'; but they could not, yet they were all able to say 'Christ' and also 'God the Father.' They wondered at this, and on enquiry they discovered the reason to be that they prayed to God the Father for the sake of the Son, and not to the Savior Himself; and Jesus means Savior. . . . To them it was said, Put away the idea of three Gods, and believe that in the Lord dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and that the Father and He are one as the soul and body are one, and that God is not wind or ether, but is Man. Then will you be conjoined with heaven, and from the Lord will be able to name Jesus, and to say, 'Divine Human.'
     True Christian Religion 111

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IMPORTANCE OF DELIGHT 1980

IMPORTANCE OF DELIGHT Rev. KURT H. ASPLUNDH 1980

     ASSEMBLY ADDRESS

     Have you ever noticed how New Churchmen react when you ask them if they expect to make it into heaven? A lot of them will answer that they will be happy if they can just squeak through the gate, or make it to the outskirts. This answer has to be a little disappointing to us ministers. How do you laymen think we feel after all our sermons and coaching and you think you'll be lucky to make it into the basement? You wouldn't be happy if the local professional team were to end up at the bottom of the league year after year. Come on, now, we'd like to see some champions!
     New Churchmen I know are not only modest in their spiritual ambitions, but even seem a little nervous about them. So we hear, "I'd like to get to heaven provided I can take a Saturday off now and then to join my less regenerate friends for a lively party you know where."
     While this idea is seldom suggested in all seriousness, it does hint at a lingering fallacy that nice guys miss at least some of the fun. It also demonstrates a human hunger for delight. We want something good in life, something enjoyable, and I mean really enjoyable, not just harp playing.
     "What is life without delight and pleasure?" the Writings ask. "It is not something living but lifeless. If you reduce delight and pleasure you will grow cold and torpid; and if you take them away you will certainly die".* As this passage shows, the loss of delight is life-threatening. No wonder we cling to it. At least, we cling to the only delights we know, the sensual and self-centered delights of the natural man which we have from birth.
     * DP 195.
     But regeneration calls for a change. We must shed a way of life that means everything to us to make place for a life we have never experienced and which we can hardly imagine. We must give up a sure thing for a hope of something which seems remote, if not possible. The Writings give two lines of doctrine: one, that delights make our very life; the other, that we must give up the delights we love.
     There are other delights of life, but we don't feel them. We can't, yet. They are completely hidden by the gross delights we now enjoy. We cannot enjoy a delicate and sweet fragrance when it is masked by a foul odor.

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The delicious taste of good food is lost when it is encrusted with rancid grease. So, too, heavenly delights are lost when we wallow in the delights of evil.
     While we are in an unregenerate state, therefore, the delights of spiritual good cannot be sensed. We doubt that they exist at all, when yet the fact is that they exceed in perfection by a thousand times the so-called "delights" of unregenerate loves.
     Our subject is delight; particularly, how we move from one set of delights to their opposite. The Writings declare that we can do it, but how? In this address, I hope to show something of the mercy of the Lord as He leads us from the delights of hell to the delights of heaven. Our prayer to the Lord in this and our trust is expressed in the prayer of David: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell . . . Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."*
     * Psalm 16.
     I wish to concentrate on an aspect of the doctrine which I think is unique to the Church and vital to our spiritual well-being. We might call it "legitimate" delight, but the term "legitimate" formalizes the subject too much, carrying the connotation of specific do's and don'ts, an approved list of pleasures for the respectable New Churchman.
     There are, certainly, "legitimate" delights as distinguished from "illegitimate" ones, yet on the surface they are often indistinguishable. "Each is called delight," the Writings say in reference to these opposites, "and each is felt as delight, but there is the greatest possible difference between them".*
     * AC 8452.
     What I wish to emphasize is the importance of delight in nourishing spiritual life. We can't live without it. Yet during the period of reformation, when a change is taking place, it appears that we must give up our delights. But more of this later. First, we must lay the groundwork for our subject.
     The universal teaching is that all delight pertains to love.* Such as is the love, such is the delight.** If this seems abstract, think of soul and body. Love is the soul, delight is the body. Just as a body is dead apart from its soul, so there are no delights without an active love. In fact, the teaching is given that "the activity of love is what makes the sensation of delight".*** This accounts for the fact that delights are individual to everyone. What delights me will not delight you in the same way because our loves are not the same. Take as an example to illustrate this, the arrival in the mail of a $1,000.00 tax refund check.

438

Who would not be delighted at this? Yet, the miser, in his love of money will sense one kind of delight, the thief who has succeeded in cheating the government by falsifying his tax return will feel another, a greater delight than he would feel if it had been a legitimate refund; and the honest man who loves money as a means to perform uses will feel still another delight, indeed, a heavenly one. Delight has its quality from the love. The delight is according to the love. On the other hand, love manifests itself in delights.**** Delights are the body in which love exists and makes itself felt. We sometimes talk about loves as if they could be distinguished and identified. Actually we can be conscious of them only through the sensation of delight. This is a key to the doctrine of self-examination. If we wish to know our loves, we must pay attention to our delights. We can explore our own delights but cannot judge another's because we don't know the love within it.
     * CL 461:5.
     ** AC 2718: 4, 3539: 4.
     *** CL 461: 5.
     **** CL 68.
     Another way to relate loves to our delights is in the familiar series of end, cause, and effect. Nothing can exist which is not composed of this trine. This is true of our life. Our life's love is the end, our affections the cause, and our delights the effect.* All the ends of life are brought together and expressed in the effect, thus in the delights we feel.
     * DP 108.
     Here is another essential idea. Life inflows, and delights flow into what the Writings call the "Natural."* By the "Natural" is meant the natural degree of the mind. Here, we feel delights. This natural itself is composed of degrees, and so the delights we feel fall into different forms: natural delights, sensual delights, and bodily pleasures. Don't measure the quality of the delight according to the degree where it is felt, but from the quality of the love which inspires it. For example, a physical pleasure is not an evil delight simply because it is physical. It could have its source of delight from a heavenly love of inmost innocence. For example, infants have such delights when caressed and nursed by their mothers. "Pleasures are only ultimate effects . . . All pleasures are such as are the affections that are more and more interior in order, and they receive from these all their essence and quality".**
     * AC 3293, 2781, 3519.
     ** AC 994: 3.
     When we speak of delights, then, we include in our idea the various forms which delights take, as feelings of happiness and pleasure as well as delight: in a word, what we call "good." This is a universal term for delight.* We say something is "good" when we mean it gives delight, as in good food," "a good show," or "having a good time."
     * CL 461: 6.

439

     These examples help us see what the Writings mean when they define delight as "the good of the natural".*
     * AC 8462.
     With these general teachings in mind, let us return to our consideration of the importance of delight. The subject can be related to two accounts given in the Word concerning the Israelites and the quail or "sea-birds" the Lord sent to their camp in the wilderness. One account was the reading this evening. This told how the Lord gave the sons of Israel manna and quail. We all remember the story of the manna which was found every morning when the dew evaporated; how the Israelites gathered it and ground it for bread. Not so well remembered, but equally important, was the appearance of quail in the camp each evening. This was a daily occurrence. Manna each morning, quail each evening; bread from heaven, then natural flesh. Spiritually speaking, this is a recurrent cycle of life: morning state and evening state, day by day. It signifies a progression.
     Recall that the sons of Israel were at this time on their journey to the promised land, forty years in the wilderness. This signifies our spiritual journey, our states of progress toward a heavenly life. The cycle is important. The manna signifies the good of charity which is to nourish our spiritual life. It is a gift from the Lord "begotten through the truth of faith," we are told.*
     * AC 8462.
     The word "Manna" is not a name. It is an expression which means "what is it?" The Israelites asked, "What is it?" when they saw manna because it was new to them, something unknown in their experience. So the good of charity, which manna signifies, is new to us. It is a kind of good we've never felt, yet it is the real "bread of heaven" or "angels' food" which feeds spiritual life. It is what we inwardly seek when we pray, "Give us . . . our daily bread." At first, "this good is quite unknown to man," we read.* We have no sense of delight in it. All our delight in first states is from self-centered and worldly loves which banish heavenly delight. Because it was an unknown and unfamiliar food, the manna did not appeal to the sons of Israel. They complained about it saying, "our soul loatheth this light bread."** And because the people longed for flesh, the Lord provided the quail.
     * Ibid.
     ** Num. 21.
     The quail, described in the Writings as a "sea-bird," signifies natural delight or the good of the external or natural man. Such delight is a necessary complement to the good of charity in the regenerating man.

440

     The Writings summarize the significations in this way: "By 'the manna' is signified the good of the internal or spiritual man, but by 'the quail' the good of the external or natural man, which is called delight."*
     * AC 8431.
     We come, then, to the key teaching concerning the importance of delight: The teaching is that the good of the internal or spiritual man, which is the good of charity from the Lord, must find its place in the natural man. The natural degree of the mind must be brought into a state of accommodation and is made a receptacle or resting place for good from the Lord. "This is effected by means of delights."*
     * AC 8452.
     "The pure good of truth cannot long abide with man", we are taught, "but is tempered by the Lord by means of the delights of the love which had belonged to his previous life; for unless this good were so tempered, it would become undelightful to him, and thus would be loathed but it is otherwise when it is tempered by means of natural delights . . . "*
     * AC 8487.
     We are told that this is true even of good spirits and angels. They continue in cycles of progression, sometimes being "remitted into the state of the natural affections in which they had been when in the world, consequently into the delights of their natural man."* The reason is that they may be continually perfected to eternity.
     * AC 8452, 8426.
     When Israel found only manna for nourishment they complained that it was "dry . . . and vile food."* This signifies that the goods of heavenly love become as it were dry and regarded as of no value unless introduced and tempered by means of familiar delights.
     * AC 8487: 4.
     This is an intriguing doctrine. So often, we think only of the struggles of regeneration. Who ever heard of the delights of regenerating? The struggles are there, don't worry, and the temptations, but there will also be delights. The Lord leads through alternating states: morning and evening, interior states and exterior states, and even through these changes we are sustained by delights, things we call "good."
     Well, don't expect life to be a succession of uninterrupted delights. There are and must be states when we act from self-compulsion in shunning the delights of evil which are contrary to the delights of charity which are to be implanted. The opposites cannot be together. "The delight of the pleasures which had made the natural life is removed, but when this delight is removed, spiritual delight, or good, is insinuated by the Lord in its place."*
     * AC 8413: 2, 6391.
     Yet, it is also true that a man's life cannot be changed suddenly. We recede gradually from the delights into which we are born.

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And, what is a wonder, the Lord uses these very delights to bridge the change. We are taught that "the Lord permits that such things should influence him in that first time, because otherwise he could not be regenerated."* And, again, we are taught, "evil spirits are suffered to continue with him for a long time, that they may excite his cupidities, and that these may thus be loosened, in innumerable ways, even to such a degree that they can be inclined by the Lord to good, and the man be thus reformed."**
     * AC 3330.
     ** AC 59.
     Many illustrations of the importance of delight come to mind. Perhaps most familiar is the application of the principle in the learning process. Learning takes place only when the student finds some delight that motivates his learning. Many passages show that nothing enters the mind without affection, or, if it does, it does not stick.* At first, a child's motive for learning is self-centered. He feels no delight from a genuine affection for the subject but from a simple desire to excel, to gain approval, or for some other similar end. The same is true of the beginning states of our reformation and regeneration. Because we cannot sense the delights of the good of charity we must be motivated by less regenerate delights such as the hope of eternal reward or the glory of greatness in heaven. In our day to day life ambition, praise, concern for reputation or honor long remain to stimulate a sense of satisfaction in our sincere efforts to follow the Lord.
     * AC 4205: 2, 35O2e.
     Before considering further applications of this doctrine, we should return to the second account of the quail mentioned in the Word, for here we are given an entirely different picture of the subject of delight. We should be well aware of the dangers of undisciplined concupiscence which this story portrays.
     Apparently, the quail were sent daily for only a short time during the years of wandering. Since the birds came from the sea they would be plentiful only while the sons of Israel journeyed by the Red Sea on their way to Mount Sinai. When they entered the desert more remote from the sea, after the year's sojourn at Sinai, they were sustained only by manna. Then the people began to complain and yearn for the good things they remembered in Egypt. "Who shall give us flesh to eat?" they cried.* Because they lusted for flesh, the Lord gave it. "There went forth a wind from the Lord," we are told, "and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp."** There was an incredible abundance of the birds. Edible quail had fallen on every side of the camp as far as the eye could see, and the people rushed out to gather food.

442

Two days and a night they gathered, their appetites and greed driving them to gross excess. "And while the flesh was between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague."***
     * Num. 11: 4.
     ** Num. 11: 31.
     *** Num. 11: 33.
     Why did the Lord do this? Was it just to provide this plenty only to punish those who flew upon the flesh in their hunger? The Writings teach that this plague was not sent upon the people on account of their lusting after flesh.* The explanation for this Divine punishment cannot be found in the literal account but lies hidden in the spiritual sense of the Word. The lust for which the people died was not from simply bodily appetite but from an inner appetite of evil which the Writings term "concupisence." These two accounts of the quail present a clear contrast. In both accounts the quail signify natural delights. In the first, when they were given to complement the morning manna, they signify the delights and pleasures of the natural man that embody interior affections that are of order and use. In the second account, the quail signify the delights of the natural man that embody perverted affections. The delights in each case are called delights and are also equally felt as delightful though there is the greatest possible difference between them.**
     * AC 999: 2.
     ** AC 8452: 2.
     We can derive this principle concerning delights. When they are from a heavenly love, a love of use, they are good. When they are from an evil love, they are evil. "Delights follow use . . ."* we read. "The more noble the use, the greater the delight."** This is the reason the greatest delights man can enjoy spring from love truly conjugial, for the uses of this love as the seminary of heaven are the greatest of all human uses.
     * CL 68.
     ** AC 997.
     Because delights can be perverted, and indeed, seem largely perverted in the present state of the world, some are of the opinion that all delights should be renounced.* Not so, the Writings declare. A sense of delight has a vital use in our life. And while the abuse of the sense of delight is possible, this does not diminish its use, except with those in the abuse.** Therefore, we are taught that "no one is forbidden to enjoy the pleasures of the body and its senses."*** Again, we read, "that the man who is being regenerated is not deprived of the delight of the pleasures of the body and lower mind. . . . Before regeneration the delight of pleasures was everything of his life; but after regeneration, the good of charity becomes every thing of his life; and then the delight of pleasures serves as a means and as an ultimate plane, in which spiritual good with its happiness and blessedness terminates."****

443

     * AC 995.
     ** DLW 331.
     *** AC 995.
     **** AC 8413: 3.
     We have described delights as the ultimate sense of both good and evil loves and have seen this represented in the letter of the Word in the accounts of the quail provided for the sons of Israel during their wilderness journey. Let us now return to the question of delight in spiritual development.
     The interesting idea in the doctrine is that evil as well as good delights serve in promoting spiritual progress. We have already referred to the necessity of our long-continued association with the spirits of hell even while we strive to change. "A man cannot live without communication with the hells through spirits from them," the Writings declare.* This is because we are born into hereditary evils and confirm many of them in ourselves. Therefore, "unless spirits of a like nature were applied to these evils," we are told, "(and such spirits must be from hell), and unless the man were led by them in accordance with the delights of his life, he could not possibly be bent toward heaven."** The surprising twist to the doctrine is that man not only lives from hereditary delights, but by means of these delights he can be "bent toward heaven." "At first he is bent by means of his delights themselves," the passage adds; "and by these is also set in freedom, thus at last in the faculty of exercising choice."***
     * AC 5993: 2.
     ** AC 5993: 2.
     *** AC 5993e.
     What does this mean? How are we bent toward heaven by delights arising from the love of self and the world? How are we "set in freedom" by such delights? "This is effected by innumerable means, which are known to the Lord alone," we are told, "and many of which have also been made known by the Lord to angels; but few if any to man . . . Seeing, therefore, that the man's states of life have to be so greatly changed, it must needs be that he is long kept in 'a kind of mediate good; that is, in a good which partakes both of the affections of the world and of the affections of heaven. And unless he is kept in this mediate good he in no wise admits heavenly goods and truths."* Some examples of this so-called "mediate good" are given: "He who is being regenerated believes at first that the good which he thinks and does is from himself, and that he also merits something . . . Unless at first he believed this, he would never do any good."**
     * AC 4063: 3.
     ** AC 4145: 2.

444

     Speaking of the evening states of spirits and angels, the Writings state that "the concupiscences into which they . . . are remitted when it is evening with them, are not concupiscences that are opposite to heavenly good, but those which in some measure agree with this good",* for example, a love of glory, in which there is nevertheless the study to be of service, is mentioned.
     * AC 8487: 4.
     The Writings also cite the example of conjugial love. "The good which precedes and initiates is beauty, or agreement of manners, or an outward adaptation of the one to the other, or equality of condition, or a desired condition. . . Afterwards comes conjunction of minds, wherein the one wills as the other, and perceives delight in doing that which pleases the other... Finally there follows a unition. . . When this state comes, both are together in the heavenly marriage . . . and the Lord then flows into the affections of both as into one affection. This is the good that flows in directly; but the former goods, which flowed in indirectly, served as means of introduction to this."*
     * AC 4145: 3.
     Another clue to this remarkable use of hereditary delights may be found in what is taught concerning Jacob when he deceived his father, Issac, and stole the blessing intended for Esau. Jacob brought meat from the flock to offer his father in place of Esau's "hunting." Notice here, again, that the Word refers to a food, signifying, as did the quail, natural delight. The good signified by the meat Jacob brought is to be distinguished from that sought by Esau. It signifies hereditary good, "natural domestic good," or simply, "natural good." This good is contaminated with hereditary evil and yet serves in the reformation of man. "By means of it are introduced as by what is pleasurable and delightful, first, memory-knowledges, and afterwards the knowledges of truth; but when it has served as a means for this use it is separated from these; and then spiritual good comes forth and manifests itself."* It is this "natural good" which leads a child, as he grows up, to be affected with the desire of knowing for the sake of some end, as that he may excel others, or his rivals. Later, these ends with their delights "are separated little by little, and to them succeeds interior good from the Lord, which manifests itself in his affection . . . " The former delights had served as means. "Such successions of means," we are told, "are continual."**
     * AC 3518: 2.
     ** Ibid.
     A further teaching concerns "rational good" which is between spiritual and natural good. It has in it "much from worldly delights, for it is formed . . . from the delights of sensuous things, and from many of the delights that are in the world.

445

Into these delights (when the man is being reformed and regenerated) spiritual good is insinuated by the Lord; and thereby what is worldly is then tempered, and thus afterwards has its happiness therein."*
     * AC 2204.
     Delights and continual successions of states of natural delight are important to our spiritual well-being. Note that even the manna, which at first was little esteemed by the sons of Israel, who thought it dry and vile, had the taste of honey. By "honey" is signified external delight.* In time, then, as we separate' the delights which have their origin in evil loves and affections, we come to sense the truer and more exquisite delights of love to the Lord and to the neighbor. The daily bread which the Lord feeds us becomes sweet and good to us and no longer is loathed as "bread of affliction."**
     * AC 5620: 15.
     ** Deut. 16: 3.
     The manna is mentioned again in the book of Revelation. Here, the Lord has promised: "To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the hidden manna"* (Rev. 2: 17). Hidden manna signifies the delight of heavenly love, a delight wholly unknown until we overcome or conquer in temptations. This gift is from the Lord Himself.** So He taught, "I am that bread of life . . . Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. . . "***
     * Rev. 2: 17.
     ** AE 146: 3.
     *** John 6:48-51.
     We have examined the doctrine of delight. What applications may we make of this? Here are a few suggestions which you may wish to discuss. We are faced with many challenges as New Churchmen. There is, first and foremost, the challenge of our own regeneration. What delights may be active in our lives by which we may be bent toward heaven? Have we stifled ourselves with a faulty attitude about taking pleasure in life? Perhaps we have been too hard on ourselves, too pessimistic about our spiritual destiny.
     Here's a specific problem. What if we find no delight in reading the Writings? The consequence is that we ignore this means of instruction, or, if we compel ourselves in it, it makes little or no impression on our memory. I believe many New Churchmen become shy of reading and discussing doctrine because they have the guilty feeling they should have done more and are now afraid to admit how little they know. I see this in school children all the time. No one wants to appear ignorant or stupid in front of peers. But this is a self-defeating cycle.

446

If we fear to ask questions or enter into discussion we fall further behind. Let's not waste our energy in covering up our ignorance. Let's use it to create a climate of learning, and let's explore ways to make it delightful.
     When we think of the church organization, other challenges come to mind. Why are we apparently losing the interest of some of our young people? Are there delights to which we can appeal legitimately to stimulate their renewed interest in the Church? This is something to discuss. What about our evangelization program? Again, we must learn to appeal through accommodation to the states of delight in those to whom we seek to carry the new evangel.
     Another point for discussion might be delights of worship and delights of instruction in our forms of worship and our approach in teaching doctrine.
     I will mention one more thing before closing. It is the challenge we face in the institutions of marriage and family life. The world has made inroads into these institutions. In the Writings we have not only the reason for preserving them as basic to the strength of the Church, but we also have the truths to show us how. I believe there is a greater power than we think in the marriage relationship for the development of our spiritual life and the return of sanity to the Church and the world. We are plainly taught that progress in marriage and regeneration go hand in hand. There are innumerable delights in the relationship of marriage, also outside of marriage, in the interplay of distinctly masculine and feminine delights, which have this regenerative effect. By these delights we are surely "bent toward heaven" and brought into its true essence. Here is a special field of study and application for the New Church and it will undoubtedly be a most fruitful one. In one of the delightful Memorable Relations in Conjugial Love Swedenborg visited angel wives in a rose garden, an occasion where the discussion centered on the delights of conjugial love. At the end of this discussion, a little boy came with a paper for Swedenborg to read. Swedenborg then read these words: "Know that the delights of conjugial love ascend to the highest heaven, and on the way and when there, they conjoin themselves with the delights of all heavenly loves, and thus enter into their happiness which endures to eternity. The reason is because the delights of that love are also the delights of wisdom.
     "After this," Swedenborg reports, "the husbands with their wives departed (the scene of their discussion) and accompanied the little boy as far as the path of his ascent into heaven. They knew the society from which he was sent, that it was a society of the new heaven with which the New Church on earth will be conjoined."*

447

Here is a special source of delight for us-therefore, in the words of John in the Apocalypse- "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready . . Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."**
* CL 294: 8.
** Rev. 19: 7, 9.
DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP 1980

DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR 1980

     IV. Visions of the Old and New Testaments

     We have discussed the nature and use of the dreams employed by the Lord in preparing the revelations of the Old and the New Testaments. We noted that dreams could only take place when man's corporeal, and his conscious mind, were asleep. We learned that all the dreams forming part of the revelation of the two testaments were prophetic and that their predictions came to fulfillment in immediate or near events. Finally we observed the distinction between the form of the dream used in the Old Testament and the form used in the New Testament; we saw that the dreams of the Old Testament all were presented in representative and symbolic imagery, while those of the New Testament took the form of open, clear messages.
     Having considered dreams, we would turn our attention to the nature and use of the visions of the Old and New Testaments.
     We noted in a prior class the distinction made in an Arcana passage between dreams and visions; we read in A. C. 1975 that "dreams occur when the corporeal is asleep, and visions when it is not asleep." This seems clear until we read in Divine Providence 134 that visions cannot appear to anyone in the waking states of the body. What are we to understand from these seemingly contradictory statements? We would suggest from our overall studies of the subject of dreams and visions that when the Arcana speaks of man's corporeal being asleep in states of dreams, the reference is to the conscious thought of man in his body; therefore that his whole consciousness of mind and body is asleep during dreams.

448

Now many teachings concerning visions make it clear that man's conscious thought in the state of vision is definitely not asleep, but fully awake. It is awake however, not in his natural body but in his spiritual body. This is the clarifying teaching, concerning which we read: "As man's spirit means his mind, therefore 'Being in the spirit' . . . means a state of mind separate from the body; and because in that state the prophets saw such things as exist in the spiritual world it is called 'a vision of God.' The prophets were then in a state like that of spirits and angels themselves in that world. In that state man's spirit like his mind in regard to sight, may be transferred from place to place, the body remaining meanwhile in its own place. This is the state in which I have now been for twenty-six years, with the difference, that I am in the spirit and in the body at the same time, and only at times out of the body."* In our next class we will consider some of the particulars concerning Swedenborg's special states in dreams and visions. Here, we would just make it clear, that in visions, the prophets were in their spiritual bodies and not their natural bodies. It was their spiritual body that sensed, saw, heard, tasted, smelled, and touched-and their conscious mind, fully awake, received all of this spiritual sensation. In this state the natural body was not awake; its senses were closed as far as communication with the consciousness was concerned. And so in both dreams and visions we could say that the natural body was asleep; in one instance it was asleep together with the consciousness, in dreams, and in visions asleep without the consciousness. If this distinction is not clear, perhaps it will become more evident as we consider further teachings concerning the nature of visions.
     * TCR 157; cf. Lord 52; AE 1037.
     The Writings tell us there were two kinds of visions, Divine visions used in the giving of revelation, and diabolical visions induced by enthusiastic and visionary spirits in the world of spirits, using the magic powers of hell. Diabolical visions, because they have some relationship to the present state of man, we will consider at a later time. Here we would concentrate on what is revealed concerning Divine visions.
     There are many kinds of Divine visions.* We will shortly consider various examples of those most commonly used. But first we would note general teachings that apply to all Divine visions.
     * AC 1973.
     The formation of the representatives used in Divine visions followed much the same order as the formation of the representatives used in representative-prophetic dreams. When the angels in a higher heaven are discussing and meditating upon a certain subject, the affections of those angels relating to that subject, flow into the lower heavens and into the world of spirits and appear there in representative forms.*

449

We noted in a previous class that when horses appear in the lower heavens or to the good spirits in the world of spirits the discussion of the angels in the higher heavens is about the things of the understanding; when oxen or bullocks appear it is about natural good; when sheep appear, it is about rational good; when lambs appear it is about innocence; and so on with all representative appearances.** Now, we understand that many of these things, horses, sheep, trees of different kinds, flowers, or what have you, might be a permanent part of the scenery of an angel. All things that appear to an angel in his permanent home and society are representative of his particular affections and thoughts-but these are permanent representations. With visions, the Writings are talking about those things that appear in an angel's environment that are not permanent-they are temporary appearances or representations. And they come into his presence and to his attention from the specific activity and thought of a higher heaven. Swedenborg saw many such temporary representations; and these too, are what the prophets saw in their visions.
     * AC 2179, 9457, AE 369.
     ** Ibid.
     So we read, "that real visions are visions of such things as really appear in the spiritual world corresponding altogether with the thoughts and affections of the angels."* That "all things seen by the prophets are such as appear before the angels in heaven."**
     * AE 575.
     ** AC 10042.

     In the state of vision the eyes of their spirit were opened, and the eyes of their body shut; and then they heard what the angels spoke: or what Jehovah spake through the angels, and they also saw the things which were represented to them in heaven . . . . In this state the disciples were when they saw the Lord after His resurrection, wherefore it is said that: Their eyes were opened.* Abraham was in a similar state when he saw the three angels, and spoke with them. So were Hagar, Gideon, Joshua, and others, when they saw the angels of Jehovah; and in like manner, the boy servant of Elisha, when he saw the mountain full of chariots and horses of fire round about Elisha.** In this state, at times, were Ezekiel, Zechariah, Daniel, and John when he wrote the Revelation; and it is then said that they were "in vision," or "in the spirit."***
     * Luke 24: 30, 31.
     ** AR 360.
     *** Lord 52; see also AC 1970, 1532, 1619.
     There are two kinds of visions that are not of the ordinary kind, into which I have been let solely that I might know their nature, and what is meant by its being said in the Word that men were "withdrawn from the body," and that they were carried by the spirit into another place. As regards the first, namely, being withdrawn from the body, the case is this. The man is brought into a certain state that is midway between sleep and wakefulness, and when he is in this state he cannot know but that he is wholly awake.

450

All his senses are as fully awake as in the highest wakefulness of the body: the sight, the hearing, and wonderful to say, the touch, which is then more exquisite than it can ever be in the wakefulness of the body. In this state also spirits and angels have been seen to the very life, and also heard, and wonderful to say, have been touched, and almost nothing of the body then intervened This is the state of which it is said that they are withdrawn from the body, and that they do not know whether they are in the body or out of it.
     I have been let into this state only three or four times, merely that I might know how the case is with it, and that spirits and angels are in the enjoyment of every sense, even touch in a form more delicate and more exquisite than that of the body. As regards the other kind of vision-being carried away by the spirit into another place-it has been shown me by living experience what it is, and how it is done, but only two or three times. One single experience I may mention. Walking through the streets of the city and through the country, and being at the same time also in conversation with spirits, I did not know but that I was wide awake and saw as at other times, so that I walked on without mistake, and all the time being in vision, seeing groves, rivers, palaces, houses, men, and many other things. But after I had thus walked for hours, suddenly I was in the sight of the body, and became aware that I was in another place. Greatly amazed at this, I perceived that I had been in such a state as they were in of whom it is said that they were led away by the spirit into another place; for while this state lasts there is no reflection concerning the way, even if it be many miles; nor is there reflection concerning the time, even if it be many hours or days; nor is there any feeling of fatigue. Moreover the person is led through ways of which he has no knowledge, even to the appointed place. This took place that I might know that a man can be led by the Lord without his knowing whence and whither. These two kinds of visions, however, are extraordinary, and were shown me merely to the end that I might know their nature. But the things I have habitually seen (as mentioned in the title to this work) are all those which of the Lord's Divine mercy you may see related in this First Part, and which are placed at the beginning and end of the several chapters. These are not visions, but things seen in the highest wakefulness of the body, and this for several years.*
     * AC 1882-1885.

     There is no question that the representations seen in visions were organized and presented from the Divine foresight, for all visions were prophetic-some more obviously than others. And as we have noted before, all true prophesy must come from the Divine foresight alone. No angel, spirit, or devil can foresee anything from himself.*
     * AC 3698.
     But still, the Lord could not organize and present the forms of prophetic visions without employing the media of angelic states. And this in turn meant that the internal truths and goods represented in a vision had also to be in the thought and meditation of at least the celestial angels, before any instructive visions could come into being in a lower heaven or in the world of spirits. This is an important teaching to remember, because it makes clear the whole order and progression of how a great part of Divine revelation was given by the Lord, received by angels, presented to man on earth, and written down in ultimate form by the prophets.

451

     Recall from the Book of Revelation John's vision of the opening of the book sealed with seven seals; how with the opening of the first four seals, different colored horses came forth, white, red, black, and pale. The Writings in explaining the significance of this vision, also show how such visions were made possible.
     This and the following chapter [meaning the 6th and 7th chapters of the Book of Revelation] treat of the state of the Christian Church, or the church where the Word is, from its beginning to its end, or from the time of the Lord down to the Last Judgment. For the new church that is called the Christian Church, and that was begun by the Lord when He was in the world, and afterwards propagated, has successively decreased down to this time, which is its last time, in which is the judgment. Predictions respecting these successive states of the church are here brought forth, as from a book, by various representatives; but it is to be known that such predictions were not seen and read in a book when its seals were opened, but were made manifest through the heavens from the Lord before the angels of the inmost heaven; and were represented in the ultimates of heaven by such things as are related in this chapter, namely, by horses of various colors, and afterwards by earthquakes, by the darkenings of the sun and moon, and by the falling of the stars to the earth. These however were appearances before the angels of the ultimate heaven, signifying such things as were heard and perceived in the inmost heaven where there were not such appearances; for whatever is heard, thought, and perceived in the inmost heaven from the Lord, when it descends through the middle heaven to the ultimate, is turned into such appearances. In this way are the arcana of Divine wisdom made known before the angels of the ultimate heaven. Those there who are intelligent perceive these arcana by the correspondences; but the lowest of them do not perceive, but only know that there are arcana therein, nor do they inquire further; John was with these when "in the spirit" or in vision.*
     * AE 369.

     The teaching concerning the formation of temporary representative visions in the natural heaven and the world of spirits not only sheds light on the formation of the Word, but also on the formation of the church; that is, the states necessary for the reception of the Word in the hearts and minds of angels and men. Since this is not immediately pertinent to our subject we will not go into this aspect of the teachings in any detail. We would simply observe that in the establishment by the Lord of any true new church, whether the Ancient, the Christian, or now the New Church, the reception of the new truths and goods of that church had to take place by stages. It had to begin each time in the celestial heaven and gradually descend from there through the other heavens. It had to be born in the world of spirits from the heavens. With the New Church, it was this establishment of the goods and truths of the Second Coming that brought about the Last Judgment in the world of spirits.

452

Only after such an establishment of the church in all the higher degrees could the New Church then be born upon earth and gradually grow. And so also with the other true churches.*
     * AC 1887, 2026; AR 558; TCR 135. The New Church on earth grows according to its growth in the world of spirits. AE 732.

     The prophetic visions of the Old and New Testaments not only came forth through and from the reception of new truths and goods with the celestial angels, but when the visions were in written form and read by men on earth this in turn would act as a stimulant to the angels to cause them to delight again in the thought and affection of those truths and goods. Thus we see a beautiful circle of the Divine proceeding coming down through the heavens to man on earth, and then through man on earth returning through the heavens again to the Lord.
     And we note something further concerning the state and life of the interior heavens. Since they understood the inmost truths which made representative visions possible, they knew from this the future states of the church and what the Lord would do to save man. The angels of the celestial heaven knew of the coming Last Judgment and the birth of the New Church hundreds of years before these events would occur. They had to know, because the visions seen by John of the judgment and the New Church, came forth from their thought and affection of these truths. We say the interior heavens knew this; obviously the natural heavens and the good spirits bound in the world of spirits had only a general idea. Had they had the knowledge of particular truths they would not have been confused and bound by falsities.
     What the Lord could reveal to man through visions, partly depended upon the state that man was in or even that the individual prophet was in. We are taught that visions take place in accordance with man's state.

     To those whose interiors are closed a vision is very different from those whose interiors are open. For example, when the Lord appeared to the whole congregation in Mount Sinai, the appearing was a vision that was different to the people from what it was to Aaron, and that was different to Aaron from what it was to Moses; and again, visions were different to the prophets from what they were to Moses . . . . The more interior the visions, the more perfect they are. With the Lord they were the most perfect of all; because He then had perception of all things in the world of spirits and in the heavens.*
     * AC 1786.

     It would seem that certain kinds of visions could appear to men who were wicked; certainly they were in evils of life. So Balaam, the prophet of Midian sought to curse the children of Israel for wealth and was warned of his intent by seeing an angel standing in the path of his donkey. Belshazzar the Chaldean king while using the vessels of the tabernacle at a drunken party saw a hand write on the wall.

453

With evil men however, their visions were mostly brief representations, or angelic beings, giving a warning or prophesying near states of judgment.
     With many, the natural and external state of mind they were in made it almost impossible for them to even recognize a state of vision. Lot, Abraham, and Gideon, to mention only a few, spoke to angels as though they were men and did not realize they were not men until near the end of the vision. This too is the reason why many of the visions given through the prophets seem crude, and certainly obscure as to any meaning. Such are many of the visions to the Judges, the Prophets and the Kings of Israel and Judah. Jeremiah could see in a vision "a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north."* Ezekiel could see living creatures with wings turning great wheels, "As for their wings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their wings were full of eyes round about them, four."** Daniel could see four beasts rising out of the sea.***
     * Jer. 1:13.
     ** Ezek. 1:18.
     *** Dan. 7: 30.
     And yet with others, their interior state seems to have been such that they could see more openly. Moses saw the Lord face to face, and when he came down from Mt. Sinai his face did shine with light. Isaiah could see a vision of the Lord in glory: "I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with two He covered His face, and with two He covered His feet, and with two He did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory."* Peter, James and John could see the Lord transfigured before them, "and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light."** John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, could see the whole representative panorama of the visitation and judgment of the Christian Church, and the beautiful symbolic image of the New Church-a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet; a bride adorned for her husband descending from God out of heaven; and the glorious city, the New Jerusalem, sparkling with light and glowing from the radiance of precious stones and jewels. The Writings indicate that all of these men who saw such open visions of the representatives of the Lord and His heavenly kingdom were good men.
     * Isa. 6: 1-3.
     ** Matt. 17: 2.

454

     In some respects we note no great distinction between the visions of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament. Certainly there is not the distinction there was with dreams, where we noted that in the New Testament representative dreams were not to be found. Representative visions we find in abundance in the New Testament, especially in the Book of Revelation, which is nothing but a series of visions. We do note, however, that the visions of the New Testament are more open and connected; the spiritual sense shines through much more clearly than it does in the visions of the Old Testament. This is significant because it shows the gradual development of Divine revelation from its most external form to a more internal form. When we come to the visions revealed in the Second Coming to Swedenborg, we see completely open internal visions, visions that portray the very life of the spiritual world in all detail.
     We have not considered any difference between day visions and night visions. Both are listed as means whereby revelation was given, but we can find nothing in the Writings to show how they differed. The Writings do tell us not to confuse the revelation given through dreams and visions with that given through an internal dictate from within. In many places when the prophet was not in vision it will say, "the word of the Lord came unto me, saying," or words to that effect. This was the more common mode of giving revelation, and seems indeed to be involved in everything that was finally written down, even where visions and dreams were involved. In other words, through visions and dreams the prophet was prepared as to impressions upon his memory so that afterwards he could be led to write down at Divine direction, as from a voice from within, the experience of the vision or dream. This is the only way we know of that the following statement in the Apocalypse Revealed can be satisfactorily explained. It reads, "as to the Word, it was not revealed in a state of the spirit or vision, but was dictated to the prophets by the Lord 'by a living voice'."*
     * AR 36. See also Lord 52.

455

MEN UPON THE PLANET, MOON 1980

MEN UPON THE PLANET, MOON JAMES S. BRUSH 1980

     The revelatory theological writings of Swedenborg are singular in making very few predictions of natural events or assertion of facts that were unknown in his day. However, there is one unique and amazing exception to this generalization. This is the particularized and detailed account of men (and from the spirits in the spiritual world) living on other planets in the universe given in the work, Earths In The Universe. Until the moon probe program begun by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), there were only earth-based telescopic data from which to test Swedenborg's prediction about one of the earths he discussed, namely, our moon. The latter type of data, although fascinating, did not have the force of the closeup television pictures, photographs, and testimony produced by the astronauts who orbited and landed on the moon. However, the public pronouncements concerning that immense undertaking have never mentioned the possibility of men upon the planet. The spirit and tenor of those papers and statements, moreover, have followed the general conclusion arrived at before the program began-that the moon is a "dead and airless planet". In none of the investigations carried out by the astronauts when they visited the moon was there ever included one whose aim was to detect biological life, let alone men upon the moon. The negative results of the analysis of the original moon rocks for chemical compounds associated with living organisms was presumed to rule out such a possibility.
     Yet the logic of an introductory passage to Earths In The Universe (n. 3) is irrefutable.
     ..... For it is an inference of reason that such huge bodies as the planets are, some of which exceed this earth in magnitude, are not empty bodies, created only to be carried to rotate around the sun and to shine with their scanty light for the benefit of one earth only; but that they must needs have a nobler use than this. He who believes, as everyone ought to believe, that the Divine created the universe for no other end than the existence of the human race, and of a heaven from it (for the human race is the seminary of heaven), cannot but believe that wherever there is an earth, there are human beings."
     To paraphrase many passages from the Writings, 'the Divine created the universe not from nothing, but from Himself.

456

Since He is the veriest Man, the highest beings which He creates are in form men who can receive His Life directly. Therefore, all of the rest of the created universe are mediate forms meant to support the life of men. The latter through the auspices and leading of the Divine Providence are free to choose a life to eternity in heaven.
     Why then, the question inevitably follows, have no men been seen on the moon? The introduction to the answer to the question is first to ask another: "Is the moon truly a dead and airless planet?" By "dead" is meant geologically dead, i.e., there are no surface modifying processes occurring. But, since recording instruments have been placed upon the moon, it has been found that the moon is by no means geologically dead.
     There are frequent earthquakes which seem to be correlated with its gravitational interaction with the earth. Yet there has been photographed on the far side of the moon the dry bed of what must have been at one time an enormous river. It is the considered opinion of NASA scientists that it undoubtedly had flowing water within it for a long time in the past. There has been detected by another of the instruments placed upon the moon a very large fountain of water which flowed for over an hour and which was interpreted to be a geyser. On earth of course geysers are generated by water coming in contact with molten rock deep within the earth. It is due to the existence of such a hot fluid interior that surface- changes in structure such as earthquakes, volcanoes and the formation of mountains, occur.
     Also bearing upon the question of the "deadness" of the moon is a large class of unexplained phenomena which NASA scientists have grouped together and given the abbreviation, LTP, for Lunar Transient Phenomena. These consist of a variety of events of which NASA has catalogued more than a thousand since the NASA program began. They have occurred in over 90 separate sites. One class of them can be designated obscurations. Thus, parts of a crater or sometimes the entire floor will become obscured for up to several hours when viewed through a telescope while all of the surrounding features are clear and distinct. Some are like hovering clouds which extend over large areas of the surface. One of the pictures taken by the Apollo 16 spacecraft (No. 72-H-i 113) shows a streaming cloud several miles long seeming to glow with its own light flowing over the surface and down into a crater.
     Such phenomena are intriguing from the fact that they should not be able to exist. The surface of the moon is generally presumed to exist in a nearly total vacuum. Clouds of any sort require a suspending medium like those of our earth, which are for the most part droplets of liquid water or ice suspended in the mixture of oxygen and nitrogen gases that comprizes our atmosphere.

457

In a vacuum they would either immediately become an invisible gas or, if cold enough, particles of ice which would immediately fall to the surface. Dust in a vacuum clings very tightly to every surface as it did to the spacesuits of the astronauts when they walked on the moon. It cannot remain as a cloud of dispersed particles unless there is a suspending gaseous medium. Yet emissions of gases have been observed occurring at various points on the moon. The astrophysicist, V. A. Firsoff, has concluded ". . . that large quantities of volatiles (gases) remain locked inside the Moon in a vast system of underground caves at a moderate depth below the surface. . . . on the Moon the permafrost seal helps to bar the escape of water to the surface."* The Russian astronomer, N. A. Kozyrev, in another example of LTP, saw red glows and an emission of gas of high temperature on 3 November 1958 and 23 October 1959 in the center of the bulwark-plain of Alphonsus.** A. Greenacre and B. Barr at the Lowell Observatory, U.S.A. on 30 October 1963 noticed reddish-orange glows declining to ruby-red in the mountain ring, Aristarchus. The glows endured for 25 minutes and reappeared on 28 November 1963. On the latter date they were succeeded by a blue haze which lasted more than an hour. The size of these light sources has been estimated to vary between 1/2 and 2 miles in diameter.** Sporadic venting of what are called radio-genic gases (gases derived from the disintegration of radioactive elements) containing argon, helium and radioactive radon have been detected from the moon's surface in very large amounts (15 tons total/year).*** It is believed that these products arise from the decay of the elements uranium-238, potassium-40 and thorium-222.
     * The Solar Planets by V. A. Firsoff (Crane, Russak and Co., New York NY, 1977), p. 73.
     ** ibid., p. 71.
     *** Nature, Vol. 278, pp. 152-153, 1979.
     The above examples are but a few of a multitude indicating that the moon is by no means dead, and that though it may be relatively airless on its surface it must contain vast quantities of gases from some source below its surface.
     But the most important question remains to be examined, "Is there any evidence for the existence of the men who were predicted to live in the moon."* The author, George Leonard,** has examined several thousand of the more than 100,000 photographs which have been taken during the course of the various NASA missions sent to the moon.

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He has published 35 of them which he believes very definitely show signs of intelligent activity upon the surface of the moon as well as huge constructions of apparently purposeful design. Towers or spires taller than the tallest building on earth appear in certain of the mission photographs. The latter are described as being "whitish," and "gleam in the sunlight." They are constructed of material different from the surrounding moonscape. However, none of the lunar landings came close enough to obtain surface pictures of the spires.***
     * Earths in the Universe, n. 112.
     ** Someone Else is On The Moon, by George Leonard (Pocket Books-Div. of Simon and Shuster, 1230 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY, 1977).
     *** Ibid. p. 167.
     There are seen in various of the lunar photographs a number of larger objects in the shape of an X. They are found primarily on the edges of craters and on terraces immediately adjoining the edges. The lines forming the X are mostly straight, but sometimes curved, and are from one to three miles in length. They are often in areas where there is apparent excavation or remolding of a crater wall or terrace. Leonard proposes that many objects seen in the pictures are sculptured into artistic forms of intelligent design. The obtaining of some of the photographs discussed-they are available to the public-has confirmed that the objects are visible upon close examination with the aid of an ordinary hand magnifying lens. Most of the photographs have been taken from the space capsules which orbited the moon and the minimum distance from the objects is several miles. Though the photographs are of excellent quality, the perceiving of objects with distinct forms require patient study. Leonard has commented only on the more obvious ones for there are many unusual details the meaning of which is obscure.
     Leonard's book is therefore very useful in its demonstration in the lunar photographs of the presence of intelligent design in the structures appearing there. Since man is the only creature through whom intelligence in designed and manufactured objects is manifested it follows that the existence of such objects on the moon is evidence that men are there. The book, though, is not without flaws. It was written to be sold and thus incorporates elements of the more extreme of the UFO literature as the basis for some interpretations in order, apparently, to appear to a wider audience.
     A large number of the UFO sightings are indeed real as the collected evidence of the Air Force Project Blue Book has amply demonstrated. There is extensive evidence for intelligent activity in many of those sightings, and it cannot, therefore, be other than of human origin. The deriving of a relationship between UFO, moon data and extremist UFO speculations is a theory with little support.

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In this regard, though, the author admits that it is not an objective scientific work (though there are a considerable number of points that are quite analytical and rational). Yet Leonard has originated a type of analysis that would be extremely useful if it were extended carefully and analytically.
     But there remains a question of great importance; thus, why have NASA and its large staff of highly trained experts not concluded that there is evidence of intelligently directed activity in and on the moon, and why does it continue to be maintained that it is a "dead and airless planet"? Certainly their analysis of the moon photos is much more thorough than that of one professional writer (Leonard), for NASA employs many professionals whose combined expertise far exceeds his.
     The answer lies in the traditions of scientific analysis. As pointed out in a previous article by this writer,* modern science arose in an atmosphere of reaction to the excesses of philosophic speculation and ecclesiastical suppression. It incorporated from its beginning a tradition that theories and hypotheses were to be extremely limited in scope and even then always supported by data and observations capable of reproduction by others. Especially to be avoided were any aspects having religious implications. Even the incorporation of the phrase, "the appearance of intelligent design" in describing the form of an object seen in a photograph of the surface of the, moon would prevent its acceptance for publication in a scientific journal. Individual scientists can speculate upon the theological significance of scientific findings in public, but never in the pages of their professional publications. This tradition, however, discourages the few who might draw such conclusions from making them broadly known. In addition the military has been a very large element in the space program. Its penchant for secrecy may be a factor, but it is probably a minor one.
     * New Philosophy
     The other lesser question is why, in spite of a large amount of evidence to the contrary, is the moon still considered to be 'dead' geologically? The answer is that this conclusion is being challenged in professional discussions, but the debate has not made its way as yet into public awareness. In the chapter on the moon of Firsoff's The Solar Planets, reference is made to the differing and contending positions in the matter, and he places himself on the side of a 'living' moon.
     Thus accepting as we must from rational imperatives the necessity of there being men on an active 'living' moon the important question arises as to how they came into being. No direct answer is given in Earths In The Universe.

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     It has been theorized and widely accepted since the time of the publication of Charles Darwin's book, Origin Of The Species (1859) that all living creatures on our earth have arisen by the gradual evolutionary development of the species (including man) each one of which is ever so slowly, but constantly, changing through the random processes of mutation into new ones. Challenging these concepts, however, are the Creationists, who argue very effectively and persuasively that the evidence of the fossil record is in complete disagreement with evolutionary theory. There it is seen that new species have arisen in discrete steps with no evidence of transitional forms. Once a new species appears it persists often without change in form for eons of time. If a species disappears there are no transitional forms between it and the species which replace it. They argue also that the many species of plants and animals have truly been 'created', for their development has occurred in a manner exactly opposite to a random process. Thus, forms of ever greater complexity have appeared with time, whereas the reverse would be predicted by the random mutation theory. Creationists have debated with evolutionists so effectively before public forums that the latter are no longer willing to participate in such debates.
     Therefore, in answer to the question, how were they formed?, men upon the moon, like men on this earth, have simply been created by the Divine. The sequence of events occurring in the creation of the species are still mysteries that are unexplored by the natural sciences. A binding tradition holds them back from that exploration.
     In conclusion we can see in this analysis that the pronouncements of NASA in their seeming rejection of the possibility of there being life on the moon are mistakenly negative; and further that the photographs taken on the various missions to the moon yield many indications of there being intelligent activity, and therefore human beings, created by the Lord, in and on that planet. It is hoped that this brief study is only a beginning and that others will greatly expand and pursue it with an affirmative, but careful, attitude into the many avenues of research on the topic which are available.

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DELIGHT IN THE NEW CHURCH 1980

DELIGHT IN THE NEW CHURCH SARAH J. HEADSTEN 1980

     (OR REFLECTIONS ON BEING OVER 50 AND SINGLE)

     With a title like that, you may be wondering what you are about to hear-a hard luck story? No, indeed. Instead, what I am going to tell you is a love story-not the love of a person for a person, but of a person for a religion.
     When Christopher Smith telephoned me last February to ask whether I would talk tonight, I was not at home to take the phone call, but I did receive the message-Would I speak at the Assembly Banquet on 'Distinct Delights of the Church?' I had 24 hours to think about the question before the next telephone call and during that interval of time what came to me was, "Of course, I'd like to. I can talk about Divine Providence and use, those wonderful doctrines!" How delightful to think about the Lord's government, Divine Providence, how it protects and guides us, and to consider the doctrine of use, how it requires us to think of others while putting aside self-concerns. These are especially satisfying truths for a person like myself who has had to develop ways of coping with being single.
     To know that ". . . angels from the Lord lead and protect a man and this every moment, and every moment of a moment," (AC 5992) is a balm to my spirit in times of troubles and a truth I take joy in.
     From the Writings we learn that Providence is in the most minute singulars with man, from the first thread of his life to eternity (AC 5894). The Arcana Coelestia states, "More things of Providence concur in each moment (like this one) with every man than can be comprehended by any number," (AC 5894) and we cannot speak or think except it be from the power of the Lord (SD 2099). Human prudence is nothing, an empty phrase (DP 70). Though men may speak of fortune and accidents, they speak from appearances, and in reality all happenings are provided by the Lord for man's eternal welfare; there is no such thing as fate or accident. In times of anxieties and concerns, it is a great relief to know that the Lord is in charge, and that He will bring good out of whatever happens. The state of being single, married, or widowed, for example, are all under His government and are provided or permitted by Him for our eternal welfare, and I have wondered how I can make being single work for me, not against me? What use is there for me in this?

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     Attempting to answer this question in total is like trying to read the mind of the Lord-an unfathomable proposition and the Writings assure us that Divine Providence works in secret, invisible ways which save us from openly fighting the Lord's will and thereby insisting on hell. Yet, there are truths upon which I have tried to anchor my life, truths related to use and purpose, truths that guide and can lead me to the Lord. Being useful and making others as important as I make myself is a task I would have whether married or single, but the form is different.
     My main use is my job, of course, and I can see some of the ways that the Lord led me to the social work profession, and I am grateful that the focus of my work day is on people, not things. It feels like the salvation of my natural life, if not my spiritual; and I find that there is no better antidote or remedy to loneliness than being involved with others, looking toward common service ends.
     In my career I have always worked with and for children, so I have the added pleasure of being in close contact with them-seeing, hearing, touching them, and there isn't a work day that I don't talk about a particular child with another staff person, together doing our best to assess the child's needs and then figuring out how we, the social agency, can meet them. It makes life worthwhile.
     Aside from my profession, which is a big part of my life, there are other formal and informal ways to be useful to others. What opportunities exist in the church? Looking at this question objectively, it would. seem that single women are on the bottom rung of the ladder in the church organization in the United States. As women, we can vote men into office but cannot hold office, and as single persons earning a living, we are urged to contribute money from our paychecks for the running of the church, but our ideas as to how the money should be spent are not solicited.
     But what about other kinds of opportunities for women, to contribute to the uses of the church? Of course, there are many-beautiful ways that we, married or single, can be useful in the church; and, in fact, society life would self-destruct without us.
     One use that played an important part in my life was the responsibility I had while still living in Glenview of being Head of Chancel Guild. This use brought me into close association with Bishop Elmo Acton and the Rev. Ormond Odhner which added depth to my life then and which lives with me still. Their unswerving dedication to truth is an ideal I hold on to, and I am amazed at how often they still come into my thoughts when I reflect quietly by myself.
     A more recent opportunity came to me four years ago when I was asked to be editor of the Theta Alpha Journal. Being editor has added a bright spot to my life, as it brings me into contact with all women and men of the church, not just of one society.

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In addition, I have, as editor, the great pleasure of belonging to the Executive Committee of Theta Alpha International which meets bi-monthly. I wish I could describe to you the intense enjoyment I receive in belonging to such a group of dedicated, hard-working, intelligent, creative women who spend hours and hours, and hours and hours serving the church. It is probably all the more notable to me because I spend the major portion of my work life in meetings in which the talk is about the needs of children, their physical, social and psychological needs, but not their spiritual needs. It is so rewarding to be in a group where we can talk about the children's spiritual needs, the really important part of life.
     Have you ever had a sore on your body which you touched or rubbed to see if it still hurt? Sometimes I do that-I press the wound that says, "You aren't married!" just to see if it hurts. It does. Following that pain, I receive thoughts relating to Divine Providence-thoughts which tell me that the Lord is available to me, that life on earth is fleeting compared to eternal life, that nothing is permitted by the Lord but what He will turn into good, that He leads man, that His faces are good, mercy and peace.
     The Writings tell us that the married state is more desirable than the single, and one needs only to look within oneself to confirm this truth; yet, is a single person different than a married person? I doubt it. Each can regenerate, can give and receive love, can be useful and be of value to others. All can strive to do the Lord's will, a task requiring a lifetime, and all can aspire to the ideal set forth in the Writings-to totally trust the Lord. The Arcana describes it beautifully as follows:

"Unruffled in spirit whether they obtain the objects of their desire, or not, they do not grieve over the loss of them, being content with their lot. If they become rich, they do not set their heart on riches; if they are raised to honors they do not regard themselves as more worthy than others; if they are made poor, they are not made sad; if their circumstances are mean, they are not dejected. They know that for those who trust in the Divine, all things advance toward a happy state to eternity, and that whatever befalls them in time is conducive thereto" (AC 8478).

     SARAH J. HEADSTEN

(Speech to the Assembly banquet.)

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DIRECTORY 1980

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

     Officials and Councils

     Bishop: Right Rev. Louis B. King
     Bishops Emeriti: Right Rev. George de Charms
               Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton
     Secretary:     Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson

     CONSISTORY

     Bishop Louis B. King

     Rt. Rev. George de Charms; Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton; the Rev. Messrs.
Alfred Acton, Kurt H. Asplundh, Peter M. Buss, Geoffrey S. Childs, Daniel W.
Goodenough, B. David Holm, Geoffrey H. Howard, Robert S. Junge, Dandridge
Pendleton, Donald L. Rose, Frank S. Rose, Frederick L. Schnarr.

     "General Church of the New Jerusalem"

     (A Corporation of Pennsylvania)

     OFFICERS OF THE CORPORATION

     Right Rev. Louis B. King, President
     Right Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, Vice President
     Mr. Stephen Pitcairn, Secretary
     Mr. Leonard E. Gyllenhaal, Treasurer
     Mr. Bruce Fuller, Controller

     BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION

     Rt. Rev. Louis B. King; Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh; Mr. Edward K. Asplundh; Mr. Robert H. Asplundh; Mr. Walter H. Bellinger; Mr. Robert W. Bradin; Mr. Theodore W. Brickman, Jr.; Mr. Henry B. Bruser, Jr.; Mr. William W. Buick; Mr. David H. Campbell; Mr. Alan D. Childs; Mr. Geoffrey Cooper; Mr. George M. Cooper; Mr. Kent B. Fuller; Mr. Leonard E. Gyllenhaal; Mr. W. Lee Horigan; Mr. Wynne S. Hyatt; Mr. James F. Junge; Mr. Paul C. P. Mayer; Mr. Richard M. Parker; Mr. Kirk P. Pendleton; Mr. Garth Pitcairn; Mr. Stephen Pitcairn; Mr. John W. Rose; Mr. Ivan R. Scott; Mr. S. Brian Simons; Mr. Gordon B. Smith; Mr. Ralph Synnestvedt; Mr. Robert E. Walter; Mr. Philip A. Waters.

     Honorary Life Members:
The Rt. Rev. George de Charms; the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton.

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     Council of the Clergy

     Bishops

KING, Louis BLAIR. Ordained June 19, 1951; 2nd Degree, April 19, 1953; 3rd Degree, November 5, 1972. Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church. Bishop of the General Church. Chancellor of the Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

DE CHARMS, GEORGE. Ordained June 28, 1913; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1916; 3rd Degree, March 11, 1928. Bishop Emeritus of the General Church. President Emeritus of the Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 247, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

PENDLETON, WILLARD DANDRIDGE. Ordained June 18, 1933; 2nd Degree, September 12, 1934; 3rd Degree, June 19, 1946. Bishop Emeritus of the General Church. Chancellor Emeritus of the Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 338,
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

     Pastors

ACTON, ALFRED. Ordained June 19, 1964; 2nd Degree, October 30, 1966. President of the Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

ALDEN, GLENN GRAHAM. Ordained June 19, 1974; 2nd Degree, June 6, 1976. Pastor to Florida District, resident in Miami, Florida. Address: 15101 N.W. 5th Avenue, Miami, FL 33169.

ASPLUNDH, KURT HORIGAN. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1962. Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church. Address: Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

BAU-MADSEN, ARNE. Ordained June 6, 1976; 2nd Degree, June 11, 1978. Pastor to the Kempton, Pennsylvania Circle and Visiting Pastor to the Wilmington, Delaware Group. Address: Box 527, Rt. 1, Lenhartsville, PA 19534.

BOWN, CHRISTOPHER DUNCAN. Ordained June 18, 1978; 2nd Degree, December 23, 1979. Resident Pastor of the Connecticut Circle. Visiting Pastor to the North Jersey-New York Circle. Address: 145 Shadyside Lane, Milford, CT 06460.

BOYESEN, BJORN ADOLPH HILDEMAR. Ordained June 19, 1939; 2nd Degree, March 30, 1941. Resident Assistant to the Pastor Jonkoping, Sweden, engaged in translation work for the General Church. Address: Bruksater, Furusjo, S-S66 00, Habo, Sweden.

BOYESEN, RAGNAR. Ordained June 19, 1972; 2nd Degree, June 17, 1973. Pastor of the Stockholm Society. Visiting Pastor of the Copenhagen and Oslo Circles. Editor of Nova Ecclesia. Address: Aladdinavagen 27, 16138 Bromma, Sweden.

BUSS, PETER MARTIN. Ordained June 19, 1964; 2nd Degree, May 16, 1965. Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois. Bishop's Representative in the Midwestern and Central Western Districts. Address: 73 Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025.

CARLSON, MARK ROBERT. Ordained June 10, 1973; 2nd Degree, March 6,1977. Assistant Pastor of the Carmel Church. Address: 58 Chapel Hill Drive, R.R. 2, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 3W5, Canada.

CHILDS, GEOFFREY STATFORO. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1954. Pastor of the Olivet Church. Bishop's Representative in Canada. Address: 2 Lorraine Gardens, Islington, Ontario, Canada M9B 4Z4.

CLIFFORD, WILLIAM HARRISON. Ordained June 6, 1976; 2nd Degree, October 8, 1978. Visiting Pastor to Central and Western Canada, resident in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada. Address: 1536 94th Avenue, Dawson Creek, B.C., Canada V1G lH1.

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COLE, ROBERT HUDSON PENDLETON. Ordained June 16, 1963; 2nd Degree, October 30, 1966. Unassigned. Address: Box 345, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

COLE, STEPHEN DANDRIDGE. Ordained June 19, 1977; 2nd Degree, October 15, 1978. Pastor of the South Ohio District, resident in Cincinnati, and Visiting Pastor to Louisville, Kentucky. Address: 6431 Mayflower Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45237.

CRANCH, HAROLD COVERT. Ordained June 19, 1941; 2nd Degree, October 25, 1942. Interim Pastor to the Boston Church (Convention). Address: 140 Bowdoin Street, Boston, MA 02108.

ECHOLS, JOHN CLARK, JR. Ordained August 6, 1978; 2nd Degree, March 30, 1980. Assistant to Pastor in Glenview. Address: 73A Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025.

FRANSON, Roy. Ordained June 19, 1953; 2nd Degree, January 29, 1956. Pastor of Southwest District, resident in Tucson, AZ. Address: 8416 East Kenyon Drive, Tucson, AZ 85710.

GLADISH, MICHAEL DAVID. Ordained June 10, 1973; 2nd Degree, June 30, 1974. Pastor of the Hurstville Society. Visiting Pastor to Auckland, New Zealand Circle. Address: 22 Dudley Street, Penshurst, New South Wales, Australia 2222.

GLADISH, VICTOR JEREMIAH. Ordained June 17, 1928; 2nd Degree, August 5, 1928. Address: 1015 Gladish Lane, Glenview, IL 60025.

GOODENOUGH, DANIEL WEBSTER. Ordained June 19, 1965; 2nd Degree, December 10, 1967. Associate Professor of Religion and History, Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

HEINRICHS, DANIEL WINTHROP. Ordained June 19, 1957; 2nd Degree, April 6, 1958. Pastor of the Washington, D.C. Society, Visiting Pastor to circles in Virginia. Address: 3809 Enterprise Road, Mitchellville, MD 20716.

HEINRICHS, HENRY. Ordained June 24, 1923; 2nd Degree, February 8, 1925. Address: 63 Chapel Hill Drive, R.R. 2, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 3W5.

HEINRICHS, WILLARD LEWIS DAVENPORT. Ordained June 19, 1965; 2nd Degree, January 26, 1969. Instructor in Religion, Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

HOLM, BERNHARD DAVID. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd Degree, January 27, 1957. Assistant Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church. Instructor in Religion in the Academy of the New Church. Secretary of the Council of the Clergy. Address: Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

HOWARD, GEOFFREY HORACE. Ordained June 18, 1961; 2nd Degree, June 2, 1963. Pastor of the Durban Society. Bishop's Representative in South Africa. Address: 30 Perth Road, Westville 3630, Natal, Republic of South Africa.

JUNGE, ROBERT SCHILL. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd Degree, August 11, 1957. Dean of the Theological School, Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

KEITH, BRIAN WALTER. Ordained June 6,1976; 2nd Degree, June 4, 1978. Assistant Pastor of the Immanuel Church, and Principal of Midwestern Academy. Address: 2712 Brassie Drive, Glenview, IL 60025.

KLINE, THOMAS LEROY. Ordained June 10, 1973; 2nd Degree, June 15, 1975. Pastor to the Atlanta Circle. Visiting Pastor to the Southeastern District. Address: 3795 Montford Drive, Chamblee, GA 30341.

LARSEN, OTTAR TROSVIK. Ordained June 19, 1974; 2nd Degree, February 2, 1977. Visiting Pastor to the isolated in Great Britain, occasional visits to Denmark. Address: 183 Norbury Crescent, London, 5W16 4JX, England.

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MCCURDY, GEORGE DANIEL. Ordained June 15, 1967. Recognized as a Priest of the New Church, in the 2nd Degree, July 5, 1979. Received into the priesthood of the General Church June 9,1980. Principal of the Boys School, Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

NEMITZ, KURT PAUL. Ordained June 16, 1963; 2nd Degree, March 27, 1966. Pastor of the Bath Society of the New Jerusalem Church, Bath, Maine. Address: 887 Middle Street, Bath, ME 04530.

ORTHWEIN, WALTER EDWARD III. Ordained July 22, 1973; 2nd Degree, June 12, 1977. Pastor of the Detroit Society, Visiting Pastor to the Gorand Rapids Circle, Michigan. Address: 132 Kirk Lane, Troy, MI 48084.

PENDLETON, DANDRIDGE. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd Degree, June 12, 1954. Associate Professor of Religion, Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

PRYKE, MARTIN. Ordained June 19, 1940; 2nd Degree, March 1, 1942. Instructor in Religion, Academy of the New Church. Director of Academy Museum. Chaplain to Academy Secondary Schools. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

REUTER, NORMAN HAROLD. Ordained June 17, 1928; 2nd Degree, October 13, 1930. Address: 566 Anne Street, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.

RICH, MORLEY DYCKMAN. Ordained June 19, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 13, 1940. Address: 2919 Cherry Lane, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.

RILEY, NORMAN EDWARD. Recognized as Priest of the General Church, January, 1978. Superintendent of the General Church of the New Jerusalem Mission in South Africa and Assistant to the Pastor of the Durban Society. Address: 42 Pitlochry Road, Westville 3630, Natal, Republic of South Africa.

ROGERS, NORBERT HENRY. Ordained June 19, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 13, 1940. Address: 3375 Baldwin Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.

ROSE, DONALD LESLIE. Ordained June 16, 1957; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1963. Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society. Editor of New Church Life. Address: 7420 Ben Hur Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208.

ROSE, FRANK SHIRLEY. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd Degree, August 2, 1953. Assistant Professor of Religion in the Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

ROSE, PATRICK ALAN. Ordained June 19, 1975; 2nd Degree, September 5, 1977. Pastor of the Colchester Society in Colchester, England. Address: 43 Atheistan Road, Colchester C03 3TW, England.

SANDSTROM, ERIK. Ordained June 10, 1934; 2nd Degree, August 4, 1935. Retired. Part-time Pastor of the Hot Springs Group, South Dakota, and visiting Pastor of the Denver Circle, Colorado. Address: R.R. 1, Box 101-M, Hot Springs, SD 57747.

SANDSTROM, ERIK EMANUEL. Ordained May 23, 1971; 2nd Degree, May 21, 1972. Pastor of Michael Church, London, England. Visiting Pastor to the Circle in The Hague. Address: 13S Mantilla Road, Tooting, London, 5W17 8DX, England.

SCHNARR, FREDERICK LAURIER. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd Degree, May 12, 1957. Principal, Bryn Athyn Church Elementary School. Address: Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

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SIMONS, DAVID RESTYN. Ordained June 19, 1948; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1950. Pastor of the Los Angeles Society and Visiting Pastor to San Francisco Circle. Address: 4615 Briggs Avenue, La Crescenta, CA 91214.

SMITH, CHRISTOPHER RONALD JACK. Ordained June 19, 1969; 2nd Degree, May 9, 1971. Pastor of the Carmel Church. Address: 16 Bannockburn Road, R.R. 2, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 3W5.

SONESON, LORENTZ RAY. Ordained June 16, 1963; 2nd Degree, May 16, 1965. Secretary of the General Church, Director of the General Church Religion Lessons, Editor of New Church Home, Chairman of the Sunday School Committee. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

STROH, KENNETH OLIVER. Ordained June 19, 1948; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1950. Director of Music, Bryn Athyn Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

TAYLOR, DOUGLAS MCLEOD. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd Degree, June 19, 1962. Chairman of the General Church Extension Committee. Address: Bag C, Cairncrest, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

WEISS, JAN HUGO. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd Degree, May 12, 1957. Unassigned. Address: 2650 Del Vista Drive, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745.

Ministers

ALDEN, KENNETH JAMES. Ordained June 6, 1980. Assistant Minister to the Detroit Circle, Visiting Minister to the North Ohio Circle. Address: 131 A West Maple, 105A Clawson, MI 48017.

ALDEN, MARK EDWARD. Ordained June 10, 1979. Assistant to the Pastor of the Glenview Society. Address: 32 Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025.

CARSWELL, ERIC HUGH. Ordained June 10, 1979. Assistant to the Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society. Visiting Pastor to Erie, Pennsylvania. Address: 510 Lloyd Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208.

FIGUEIREDO, JOSE LOPES DE. Ordained October 24, 1965. Assistant Minister to the Rio de Janeiro Society, Brazil. Address: Rua Des. Isidro 155, Apt. 202, Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro 20521 RJ, Brazil.

HEILMAN, ANDREW JAMES. Ordained June 18, 1978. Minister of the Rio de Janeiro Society, Brazil. Address: Rua Ferreira de Sampaio 58, Apt. 101, Abolicao, Rio de Janeiro 20750, Brazil.

JUNGE, KENT. Ordained June 10, 1979. Minister to the Northwestern District of the United States, resident in Seattle. Address: 14323C 123rd Road N.E., Kirkland, WA 98033.

KING, CEDRIC. Ordained June 10, 1979. Assistant to the Pastor of the Southwest District, resident minister to San Diego Circle. Address: 7911 Canary Way, San Diego, CA 92123.

MCMASTER, ROBERT DAVID. Ordained June 18, 1978. Assistant to the Pastor of the Olivet Church. Address: #56-1370 Silver Spear, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L4Y 2X2.

NICHOLSON, ALLISON LA MARR. Ordained September 9, 1979. Assistant to the Pastor of the Olivet Church. Address: 170 Martin Grove Road, Islington, Ontario, Canada M9B 4L1.

ODHNER, JOHN LLEWELLYN. Ordained June 6, 1980. Assistant to the Pastor of the Florida District, resident in Lake Helen, Florida. Address: #8 Seminole St., Box 187, Cassadaga, FL 32706.

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ROGERS, NORBERT BRUCE. Ordained January 12, 1969. Associate Professor of Religion, Latin and Hebrew, Academy of the New Church. Head of the Division of Religion and Sacred Languages in the College. Chairman of the General Church Translation Committee. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

SMITH, LAWSON MERRELL. Ordained June 10, 1979. Assistant to the Pastor of the Washington Society and Visiting Pastor to the Baltimore Society. Resident in Washington, D.C. Address: 11721 Whittier Road, Mitchellville, MD 20716.

SYNNESTVEDT, LOUIS DANIEL. Ordained June 6, 1980. Assistant to the Visiting Pastor to the Southeastern District, resident in Americus, Georgia. Address: The Church of the Open Door, Plains Road, Rt. 3. Box 136, Americus, GA 31709.

     Authorized Candidates

BURKE, WILLIAM. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

BARNETT, WENDEL RYAN. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

ODHNER, Grant HUGO. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

SCHNARR, ARTHUR WILLARD. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

     Associate Minister

NICOLIER, ALAIN. Ordained May 31, 1979 into the first degree of the New Church. Minister of the New Church in France. Address: Bourguignon-Meursanges, 21200 Beaune, France.

     South African Mission

     Pastors

MBROZI, PAULUS. Ordained March 23, 1958; 2nd Degree, March 14, 1965. Resident Pastor of the Hambrook Society, Visiting Pastor of the Balfour Society, the Greylingstad Society and the Rietfontain Group. Address: Hambrook Bantu School, P. B. 9912, Ladysmith, Natal 3370.

MBATHA, BHEKUYISE ALFRED. Ordained June 27, 1971; 2nd Degree, June 23, 1974. Resident Pastor of the Kwa Mashu Society, Visiting Pastor of the Impaphala Society and the Dondotha Group. Address: P.O. Box 11, Kwa Mashu, Natal 4360.

NKARINDE, PETER PIET. Ordained June 23, 1974; 2nd Degree, November 13, 1977. Resident Pastor of the Alexandra Society. Visiting Pastor of the Mofolo Society, the Quthing Society, and the Tembisa Group. Address: 159-11th Avenue, Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, Transvaal, 2001.

NZIMANDE, BENJAMIN ISHMAEL. Ordained August 21, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 3, 1948. Assistant Superintendent, Resident Pastor of the Clermont Society, Visiting Pastor of the Enkumba Society. Pastor in charge of the Alexandra Society, the Mofolo Society and the Tembisa Group. Address: 1701-31st Avenue, Clermont Township, P.O. Clernaville, Natal 3602.

ZUNGU, AARON. Ordained August 21, 1938; 2nd Degree, October 3, 1948. Mission Translator. Visiting Pastor of the Umlazi Group. Address: 2102 Main Avenue, Clermont Township, P.O. Clernaville, Natal.

     Authorized Candidates

BUTELEZ, ISHBORN: Address: 36 Perth Road Westville, Natal, R. S. A. 3630
MASEKO, MICHAEL: Address: 36 Perth Road Westville, Natal, R. S. A. 3630

470

     SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES
     Societies and Circles

     Societies/Pastor

BRYN ATHYN CHURCH
     Rt. Rev. Louis B. King
     Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh (Dean)
     Rev. B. David Holm (Asst. Dean)
BALTIMORE CHURCH, MARYLAND
     Rev. Lawson M. Smith
CARMEL CHURCH, KITCHENER, ONTARIO
     Rev. Christopher R. J. Smith
     Rev. Mark R. Carson, Assistant Pastor
COLCHESTER SOCIETY, ENGLAND
     Rev. Patrick A. Rose
DETROIT SOCIETY, MICHIGAN
     Rev. Walter E. Orthwein, III
     Rev. Kenneth J. Alden, Asst. to the Pastor
DURBAN SOCIETY, NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA
     Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard
     Rev. Norman E. Riley, Asst. to the Pastor
HURSTYILLE SOCIETY, N.S.W., AUSTRALIA
     Rev. Michael D. Gladish
IMMANUEL CHURCH, GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS
     Rev. Peter M. Buss
     Rev. Brian W. Keith, Assistant Pastor
     Rev. Messrs. Mark E. Alden and J. Clark Echols, Assistants to the Pastor
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
     Rev. David R. Simons
MICHAEL CHURCH, LONDON, ENGLAND
     Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom
OLIVET CHURCH, TORONTO, ONTARIO
     Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs
     Rev. Messrs. Robert D. McMaster and Allison Nicholson, Assistants to the Pastor
PITTSSURGH SOCIETY, PENNSYLVANIA
     Rev. Donald L. Rose
     Rev. Eric H. Carswell, Asst. to the Pastor
RIO DE JANEIRO SOCIETY, BRAZIL
     Rev. Andrew J. Heilman, Minister
     Rev. Jose Lopes de Figueiredo, Asst. to the Minister
STOCKHOLM SOCIETY, SWEDEN
     Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
WASHINGTON SOCIETY, D.C.
     Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs
     Rev. Lawson M. Smith, Asst. to the Pastor

     Circles/Visiting Pastor or Minister

AMERICUS, GEORGIA
     Rev. Thomas L. Kline
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
     Rev. Thomas L. Kline (Resident)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
     Rev. Michael D. Gladish
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (SHARON CHURCH)
     Rev. Peter M. Buss
CONNECTICUT
     Rev. Christopher D. Bown

471

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
     Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
DAWWSN CREEK, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
     Rev. William H. Clifford (Resident)
DENVER, COLORADO
     Rev. Erik Sandstrom
ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA
     Rev. Eric H. Carswell
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
     Rev. Peter M. Buss, Supervisor
GORAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
     Rev. Walter E. Orthwein
THE HAGUE, HOLLAND
     Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom
JONKOPING, SWEDEN
Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen (Resident)
KEMPTON, PENNSYLVANIA
     Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen (Resident)
LAKE HELEN, FLORIDA
     Rev. John D. Odhner
LETCH WORTH, ENGLAND
     Rev. Ottar T. Larsen
MADISON, WISCONSIN
     Rev. J. Clark Echols
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
     Rev. Ottar T. Larsen
MIAMI, FLORIDA
     Rev. Glenn G. Alden
MASSACHUSETTS
     Rev. Harold C. Cranch
MONTREAL, CANADA
     Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz
NORTH JERSEY-NEW YORK
     Rev. Christopher D. Bown
NORTH OHIO
     Rev. Kenneth J. Alden
OSLO, NORWAY
     Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
ST. PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
     Rev. Brian W. Keith
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
     Rev. Cedric King
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
     Rev. David R. Simons
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
     Rev. Kent Junge (Resident)
SOUTH OHIO
     Rev. Stephen D. Cole (Resident)
TRANSVAAL, REP. OF SOUTH AFRICA
     Rev. Norman E. Riley
TUCSON, ARIZONA
     Rev. Roy Franson (Resident)

     In order to avoid confusion, it seems well to observe, in the official records and the official journal of the General Church, the recognized distinctions between a "Society," a "Circle," and a "Group."
     A "Group" consists of all interested receivers of the Heavenly Doctrine in any locality who meet together for worship and instruction under the general supervision of pastors who visit them from time to time.
     A "Circle" consists of members of the General Church in any locality, who are under the leadership of a regular visiting pastor appointed by the Bishop, and who are organized by their pastor to take responsibility for their local uses in the interim between his visits. A Group may become a Circle when, on the recommendation of the visiting pastor, it is formally recognized as such by the Bishop.
     A "Society" or local "Church" consists of the members of the General Church in any locality who have been organized under the leadership of a resident pastor to maintain the uses of regular worship, instruction and social life. A Circle may become a Society by application to the Bishop and formal recognition by him.
     LOUIS B. KING
          Bishop

     Committees of the General Church/Chairman

General Church Extension Committee
     Rev. Douglas M. Taylor
General Church Publication Committee
     Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson

472

General Church Religion Lessons Committee
     Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson
General Church Schools Committee
     Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr
Music Committee
     Mrs. Douglas M. Taylor
Orphanage Committee
     Mr. Henry B. Bruser, Jr.
Pension Committee
     Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh
Finance and Development Fund Committee
     Mr. Leonard E. Gyllenhaal
Salary Committee
     Mr. Theodore W. Brickman, Jr.
Sound Recording Committee
     Rev. Douglas M. Taylor
Sunday School Committee
     Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson
Translation Committee
     Rev. N. Bruce Rogers

Address all committees, Bryn Athyn, Pa. 19009, except the following:
Mr. Theodore W. Brickman, Jr.
1211 Gladish Lane, Glenview, III. 60025

Mr. Henry B. Bruser, Jr.
1652 Ormandy Drive, Baton Rouge, La. 70808

     VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES

     Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Kitchener, London, Pittsburgh, or Toronto, who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Bryn Athyn, Penna.
Mrs. James L. Pendleton
815 Fettersmill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (215) 947-1810

Kitchener, Ont., Canada
Mrs. Warren Stewart
69 Evenstone Ave.
Kitchener,
Ont. N2G 3W5

Pittsburgh, Penna.
Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Ben Hur St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

Glenview, Illinois
Mrs. Philip Horigan
50 Park Dr.
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (312) 729-5644

London, England
Mrs. Nancy Dawson
28 Parklands Rd.
Streathan, London, SW 16
Phone: 1-769-7922

Toronto, Ont., Canada
Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave.
Weston, Ont. M9P 2J5
MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM-GLENVIEW 1980

MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM-GLENVIEW 1980

473

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1980

     Keller Centennial

     The June issue of Lifeline, a British journal of the New Church, is largely devoted to Helen Keller. The editor has done an outstanding job, aided by the provocative pen of Brian Kingslake (whose book For Heaven's Sake sold so well in this country), the historic deftness of other English writers, and by the winning contribution of Africa's redoubtable Obed Mooki.
     Mr. Mooki tells what happened when on official national business he disclosed to Helen Keller that he happened to be New Church.
     "After formal introductions, I mentioned, to Polly Thompson that I was a New Church minister. She herself seemed thrilled at the information, and flashed the words, 'Swedenborg' and 'New Church' on to Helen's fingers quicker than I would have thought possible. Helen literally jumped from her seat with excitement, and ... embraced me!
     "Just imagine! A white woman (and such a woman) embracing an African! And before witnesses too! A shock went through the whole company, white and black. The police escort did not know how to react, never having been faced with such a situation before, so they did nothing. They just scowled-which Helen could not see, but I certainly could! It didn't even get into the newspapers; but it was one of the most memorable moments of my life."
     Brian Kingslake, who met Helen Keller on several occasions, makes this observation:
     "Teachers of the deaf and blind sometimes complain that Helen Keller's writings are disappointingly unhelpful, as far as understanding the psychology of deaf and blind people is concerned. She herself had overcome her own handicaps so well that she didn't seem to have any! She put up a facade of normality which could be rather irritating. You find her describing the beautiful countryside-the sparkling waves in the lake, the laughing streams, the air joyous with bird-songs, the deep blue sky-which all seem rather phoney, as she is obviously passing on cliches second-hand from other people. Well, of course, all handicapped folk do this to some extent. But there is surprisingly little of this kind of thing in My Religion. Here she comes clean, confining herself more or less entirely to her own observations, thoughts and feelings. She actually takes the reader into the dark, silent world into which she was born, where she reveals to us something of her agonies, struggles and frustrations, and also her triumphs and joys."

474

     Mr. Kingslake informs us that to help raise money for the Mooki Memorial College Miss Keller autographed a hundred copies of her portrait and wrote on each, in pencil and braille, GOD IS LIGHT. "When we told Polly Thompson this, she was cross, and said, 'You should not have allowed Helen to do such a thing. You've no idea how much effort it takes her to write her name!'
     From this issue of Lifeline we learn that for some months after the publication of My Religion Helen Keller received many communications, a number of them registering displeasure that the famous lady should endorse the New Church. One disgruntled correspondent wrote: "I do not find the New Church which embodies the teachings of Christ so powerfully elucidated by Swedenborg leading any movement for world betterment."

     Helen Keller Centenary Committee

     Under the Chairmanship of Norman Reuter this subcommittee of the Extension Committee has produced more useful things than we have space to mention. Three pamphlets, beautifully printed, are among the items that have been made available. It is not too late to inquire about these attractive and informative things.

     Old Secretary's Corner

     The Bryn Athyn Post, which boasts many readers far beyond Bryn Athyn's borders, ran several interesting pieces about Helen Keller vividly written by Viola Ridgway in her "Old Secretary's Corner."
     The summer edition of LOGOS, the Swedenborg Foundation Newsletter, has well presented material on Helen Keller to compliment the 1980 Date Book which was so well done this year. The biggest bouquets however, ought to go to the Messenger. The new biography by Joseph P. Lash had not yet been published, and yet its cover design was reproduced on the cover of the June issue of the Messenger. But what we admire most was the production by the Messenger of a sixteen page insert about Helen Keller. The photographs and the material are excellent. These, we understand, are still available in quantity, and we highly recommend it to anyone who has not as yet seen it. All in all it may be said that this centennial has been handled thoroughly and well in our contemporaries.

475

YOU ARE ONE OF THE HANDICAPPED 1980

YOU ARE ONE OF THE HANDICAPPED Editor 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.
Editor . . . Rev. Donald L. Rose, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Associate Editor . . .Rev. Morley D. Rich, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager . . .Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.
Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

TEIRMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 (U.S.) a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy. 50 cents.
     It is no wonder the angels are so much wiser and more useful than you. You are at a considerable disadvantage. In making this point we have no wish to promote self-pity and fatalism nor to foster those excuses which are part of the games that people play. There are enough variations already on the game that goes: "If only I didn't have this problem, why then . . ." Although the Writings do show severe limitations in the earthly life, the total message is hopeful and inspiring, not only in the promise of the life to come but in incentive for life here and now.
     The physical body, even when all its systems are in tune, is as Shakespeare said, but a mortal coil. Life in the material world is hampered with necessities and their attendant worries. "While in the body, man is in worldly cares and consequent anxieties." (AC 3938). It is hard to bring forth fruit in such an environment. As another passage puts it, the seed from the Lord can multiply "in the other life to an incredible degree; for so long as a man is living in the body the seed is in corporeal ground, and is there in the midst of jungles and thickets" (AC 1941).
     Of course the angels are wiser than you. The chapter in Heaven And Hell about their wisdom lists a number of handicaps that prevent you from attaining to their wisdom. There we are told that angelic wisdom exceeds human wisdom by a myriad to one.

476

     Yet One Reason More

     Having listed some of our limitations the chapter in Heaven and Hell adds, "There is a still further reasons and this is in heaven the primary reason why the angels are able to receive so great wisdom, namely, that they are without the love of self; for to the extent that any one is without the love of self he can become wise in Divine things. It is that love that closes up the interiors against the Lord and heaven,.., and in consequence all in whom that love rules are in thick darkness . .quot;
     What power there is in the simple realization that your love of self is a handicap which on occasion so robs you of insight that you are in effect blinded. Remember the message to the Laodiceans who knew not that they were miserable and poor and blind. Remember the men in the Gospel who asked the Lord defiantly, "Are we blind also?" They obviously did not think that they were.
     How realistic and affecting are the words so often used in prayer at our wedding services. "Open their eyes upon their relations and duties; sustain them in the trials of life, and confirm them more and more in every good word and work." Open their eyes! He who knows that he is handicapped with blindness and is able to confess this to the Lord is blessed indeed. He is like the man to whom the Lord said, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" That man was able to answer, "Lord, that I might receive my sight."
     What is the primary reason for wanting to receive sight? Is it not because we are so useless without it? One of the hardest things for a human being to bear is a sense of uselessness. John Milton is among the revered poets in part because he was blind and because he was able to convey the deep feeling of one soul-bent to serve his Maker and yet sensing that his talent was lodged with him useless. When we read his lament on his blindness, we do not feel different from him. We know what the handicapped love of use feels like.
     The news in the Writings about the prospects for our potentialities is good news indeed. In one passage in Heaven And Hell we see certain individuals standing in glum wonderment at that unselfish love which motivates angels in their uses. They seemed more discouraged than cheered. "But they were told that every good increases immeasurably in the other life and that while they cannot go further in the life of the body than to love the neighbor as themselves, because they are immersed in what concerns the body, yet when this is set aside their love becomes more pure, and finally becomes angelic, which is to love the neighbor more than themselves."

477

     This part of the good news of the Writings profoundly affected Helen Keller. As you read the following excerpt from Out of the Dark published by her in 1913 can you sense this? And can you also sense as you read it, that you are one with and one of the handicapped?

     Out of the Dark

     "The difficulties which blindness throws across our path are grievous. We encounter a thousand restraints, and like all human beings, we seem at times to be accidents and whims of fate. The thwarting of our deep- rooted instincts makes us feel with special poignancy the limitations that beset mankind. Swedenborg teaches us that love makes us free, and I can bear witness to its power of lifting us out of the isolation to which we seem to be condemned. When the idea of an active, all-controlling love lays hold of us, we become masters, creators of good, helpers of our kind. It is as if the dark has sent forth a star to draw us to Heaven. We discover in ourselves many undeveloped resources of will and thought. Checked, hampered, failing and failing again, we yet rise above the barriers that bound and confine us; our lives put on serenity and order. In love we find our release from the evils of physical and mental blindness. Our lack of sight forbids our hands to engage in many of the noblest human acts, but love is open to us, and as Swedenborg shows, love teaches us the highest of all arts-the art of loving. From his Writings we learn how to foster, direct, and practice this restoring love, this constructive, fertile faith, which is the yearning of man towards God."

     MISS KELLER AMONG NEW CHURCH FRIENDS

     In the summer of 1932 Helen Keller had an eventful stay in Great Britain. She was received by the Royal Family. She met with celebrities. She was honored by a fine old university.
     What interests us is a memorable evening she spent with New Church people in London. It was the eighth of July, a Friday evening. She had consented to meet with a gathering of church members. Should it be with a selected few? "Invite whom you like," was her response to this question. And so it was that when she and Polly Thompson arrived, there was not an empty seat at Swedenborg Hall. This was on Hart Street, for the Swedenborg Society had not yet moved to Bboomsbury Way.
     The people present that evening said that they would never forget it. Among the names of those in attendance were Chadwick, Buss, Dicks, Drummond, Friend, Mongredien, Presland, Prince, Tilson. (These names will be familiar to those who have visited London.)

478

     Miss Keller spoke to the audience both formally and informally. She acknowledged their tributes. She enjoyed music with them. She showed how she could identify flowers. She answered a number of questions from the floor. One of the questions was: "What are your favorite authors?" Her response: "Of course Emanuel Swedenborg." Then she mentioned the poets and her friend Mark Twain. She told them that she had just had a meeting with George Bernard Shaw and that he had "a twinkle in his hand-shake." She gave no indication that her encounter with Shaw had been a little prickly. This she later described in a newspaper article as follows: "I held out my hand. He took it indifferently. I could scarcely believe my sensations. Here was a hand bristling with egotism as a Scotch thistle with thorns."
     One of her questioners at Swedenborg Hall asked if she could see colors. First she evoked laughter by answering, "Yes, when I get mad." But then, answering seriously, she said, "No, but I like to imagine what colors must be like from the poets and from the way my friends describe colors." Readers will recall that she writes of color occasionally, and says that the Writings gave "color" to her thought of the life to come.
     Miss Keller told her audience, "I had a delightful evening with my New-Church friends in Glasgow; and I felt very much at home with them, as I do here to-night." Her meetings with New Church people were really quite rare. If ever there was an "isolated" New Church person she was one. Once she wrote: "Now I am a Swedenborgian. For many years I had only one friend of that faith near me, and he was always most anxious for me to be independent in my religious views. Now there is no one near me who takes the slightest interest in the New Church." When she addressed the enthusiastic gathering in London she could feel the vibrations of frequent loud applause and cheering. Sensing the warmth of this assemblage, she said (through Polly Thompson), "Need I tell you how happy I am to be with my New Church friends in London." Then she extended her arms and with the brightest of smiles went on to say, "It is like a home-coming, for wherever our faith is fostered there is where my heart country is. I may wander far through many lands of thought, but always I return full of gratitude for what the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg have meant to me in my life. As I stand here I remember with a thrill how vitally important the discovery of deep truths in the Bible as interpreted by Swedenborg has been to me. It has opened to me a new earth and heaven."

     (Much of the above is taken from the New-Church Herald of July 23, 1932 and New Church Life, 1932, p. 476.)

479

WILLIAM COOKWORTHY

     On the 17th of this month two hundred years ago there died a most remarkable gentleman. He was a brilliant scientist as well as a man of language and letters, and he was considered to be one of the great conversationalists of his time. Several of England's leading figures enjoyed his hospitality. These included Thomas Pitt, Admiral Jervis of the Royal Navy and the renowned navigator, Captain James Cook. Indeed just before setting out on the voyage in which he discovered Australia, Captain Cook visited at the seaside home of this gentleman, William Cookworthy. (One wonders if it can be ascertained whether Cookworthy's famous guest took books of the Writings with him on that historic voyage.)
     As Cookworthy's death drew near in October of 1780 his attitude greatly impressed those around him. Death, he told them, was just like putting off an old coat and putting on a new one. He had by that time become a real student of the Writings.
     As a young man he had never heard of the Writings, which is not surprising since the Writings did not exist when Cookworthy was a young man. The first advertisement of the Writings appeared in 1749 when Cookworthy was 44 years old. This was the advertisement that attracted the attention of the first known reader of the Writings, Mr. Stephen Penny. Penny wrote to the London bookseller and obtained the advertised book, the first volume of the Arcana Coelestia (in Latin). Penny's interest continued and deepened, and it is believed that it was he who directed the attention of William Cookworthy to the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.
     Cookworthy's first encounter with the Writings (around 1760) was by no means favorable. This devout Quaker in his mid fifties appeared to reject the Writings as untrue. Something brought him back to them, however, and when he tried to read them for the second time he was on his way to becoming an ardent student of the doctrines and, in the view of some, "the first active promoter of the Doctrine of the New Church in England, or anywhere else in the world." (New Church Life 1895 p. 86.)
     One could call Cookworthy the first New Church translator. The first man actually to translate any work of the Writings was one John Marchant, but he was not a receiver of the doctrines. He was simply employed to do some translation work. Apparently he did not do it very well. For when, at Swedenborg's suggestion, an English doctor sent copies of one of Marchant's translations to university professors, the doctor included in his covering letter an apology for the poor quality of the translation. (See Documents II p. 525). Cookworthy undertook translating work purely from a desire to bring the Writings to more people.

480

He received no remuneration; in fact, he undertook the expense of publication himself.
     Collaborating with Cookworthy in the first translation of Heaven and Hell was Thomas Hartley. Before these two men actually met they corresponded with each other at length, and it is believed that Cookworthy was the one who first told Hartley about the Writings. If this is true, it is fascinating to trace the chain of results of that first newspaper advertisement in 1749.
     When Cookworthy had been reading the Writings for about nine years an opportunity came his way that quite thrilled him. Emanuel Swedenborg came to London, and Cookworthy together with Hartley had a personal visit with him lasting for about two hours. Cookworthy could not resist mentioning this in his preface to the translation of Doctrine of Life. He wrote:

The translator is not ashamed to acknowledge an intellectual friendship for the worthy author; which was greatly increased by a personal conversation with him last year in London; and having observed that his works have the character of a good friend, that is, to be liked and loved better the more we are acquainted with them, so he advises the serious reader not to pass hasty judgment, but as it is a small piece, to give it several readings . . . (New Church Magazine, 1885, p. 375)

     Cookworthy wrote the above words in 1770, the year Captain Cook visited him before setting out on his historic ocean voyage. It was also the year that in the spiritual world the Lord's disciples were sent forth to preach the gospel that the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns.
     A letter written by Cookworthy in 1777 to his eldest daughter gives us a valuable insight. He had in his life known a particular sorrow. Fifteen years before he began to read the Writings his wife had died, and he had been so shaken that for several months the normally gregarious and hospitable man had gone into virtual seclusion. Now the old widower, visiting a cousin, was struck by the tender way the man spoke of his wife. Moved by this, he wrote to his daughter. "Theirs, I am fully satisfied, is the very conjugal union that Swedenborg speaks so much of; they are united in the eternal principle of pure love, and are partners forever." Less than three years later this accomplished and devoted man put off the old coat of the material body. His donning the new garments of eternal life we commemorate in the month of October, 1980.

481

Church News 1980

Church News Various 1980

     ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

     For years I have been involved with the arrival of newborn infants into this world, but this birth was a unique and thrilling experience for me. Julia and I had stopped in Hot Springs, S.D., to visit an old friend, the Rev. Erik Sandstrom, on our way to make our home in Albuquerque. About a month later he called to ask if he and his wife would be welcome in October. The reply was "Yes! but would he mind if I got together any New Church folks in the Albuquerque area?" Naturally he said yes, so in October 1979 the first formal New Church service was held in Albuquerque. After it, our little group of 4 families, A. Doerings, Richard Doerings, John Reids and Francie Goodman, decided to meet every 2 weeks for taped services. All went well. In Jan., 1980, we were joined by the David Norman family. With this augmentation of our numbers, after correspondence with Bishop King we were named an official Group of the General Church with regular bimonthly visits by the Rev. Roy Franson. Our biweekly taped services continue. Our attendance is irregularly increased by those from outlying areas, Dan and Gideon Alden coming from as far as northwestern New Mexico. We have even had a wedding, another first, when Ginny Norman and Harris Campbell were married by Rev. Franson on the mountain slopes nearby. Our numbers just recently grew with the arrival of Lucy (Norman) and Ken Moretz from Jersey, Roger Echols from Tennessee; and shortly Beth Fuller will come from San Diego. All in all our new child is growing rapidly and we would welcome any and all additions that would help it grow.

     ANDREW A. DOERING

     TWO DEDICATIONS

     Among the rites of the Church conducted in a sphere of prayer for the Lord's blessing, that of dedication symbolizes our awareness that unless the Lord builds the house all our efforts are but vanity.
     Two historic services of dedication were administered by Bishop King in this spirit during September. On September 8th the Hillside Chapel of the Baltimore New Church was re-dedicated in a celebration welcoming its members as a new society of the General Church with the Reverend Lawson Smith as its acting minister. The New Church in Baltimore traces its history back to the 1800s when the names of the Reverend John Hargrove and those of our nation's founders were linked.
     Two weeks later the Bishop conducted a service of dedication for the Atlanta, Georgia Society's new house of worship, with Pastor Thomas Kline sharing the chancel and the administration of the Holy Supper.
     Both dedications included social festivities and the establishment of new friendships in a sphere of rejoicing, with visitors from other societies happily traveling to join their southern friends.

482

\
NEW GENERAL CHURCH GROUP 1980

NEW GENERAL CHURCH GROUP Louis B. KING 1980

     Announcements

     In July of this year a new group of the General Church was recognized. It is to be known as the Kent Manor Group of the General Church of the New Jerusalem. Situated in Zululand, South Africa, this group receives pastoral visits from the Reverend Norman E. Riley.
     Louis B. KING
     Bishop

483

LAUGHTER 1980

LAUGHTER Rev. CEDRIC KING 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. C
NOVEMBER, 1980
No. 11
     And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am grown old shall I have pleasure? and my lord old? (Gen. 18:21)

     We can appreciate Sarah's sentiments expressed in these words. Here was an old woman, far beyond the child-bearing years; for the Divine narrative states: "It had ceased to be with Sarah in the way as of women." Abraham himself was ninety-nine years of age, and yet the incredible message of the three visitors was that Sarah would conceive, and within a year would bear a son. The contrast between this unbelievable prediction and what appeared to be the reality at hand, evoked a most common human response from Sarah--she laughed. A year later, when the child was born, the elderly parents named him "Isaac", a derivitive of the Hebrew verb, meaning "to laugh". Sarah then rejoiced, saying: "God hath made laughter for me, every one that heareth will laugh with me" (Gen. 21:6).
     Of all living creatures, human beings alone possess the ability to laugh. This is because the human mind alone can perceive the contrast between the true and the absurd. It is the perception of such a contrast which produces laughter. An ape can be trained to mimic the sound of laughter, but it will never be able to perceive the humor in a joke. It will never sense the incongruity between what should be, and what is. Consequently, it will never be able to laugh spontaneously of itself.
     The essence of laughter, therefore, resides in a uniquely human affection or state of mind. "Its origin", we read, "is nothing but the affection of truth; or else the affection of what is false, from which come the gladness and merriment that in laughter display themselves in the face, which shows that the essence of laughter is nothing else" (AC 2072).

484

     Now if we were to ask where in the mind that affection of truth which produces laughter resides, we would have to answer, on the plane of the rational. It is the rational, or highest level of man's natural mind, that enables him to see ratios or relationships among the vast number of impressions which come to him through his five senses. By means of the power of rational analysis man's soul interprets all the sensations which flood into his mind from the world around him. By means of rationality we sort out and distinguish the true from the apparent, and the apparent from the false.
     Take an example. It is reason that tells us that the sun remains still and that it only appears to circle the earth. Consequently, if another person should insist that the sun really does rise and set, as is the appearance, we regard him as unreasonable. His blind adherence to a false belief might even strike us as funny. We have experienced this type of humor while studying scientific beliefs held by men of the past. The reason is that we are affected by the modern scientific truths we do know and the contrast between these truths and the false ideas men once held strikes us as humorous.
     If laughter is a natural human response, however, it is also one which is full of human evil, and therefore one which is in need of much spiritual purification. This is evident from the fact that most of the humor we delight in is usually at the expense of another person's feelings or reputation. Why is it that every good joke must have a scapegoat-an individual or whole race which comes out on the bottom, looking comparatively stupid and foolish? There is in most laughter at least something of contempt for others, and therefore something of the glorification of self by comparison. To return to our example of laughing at previously-held scientific beliefs, there may be lurking in such laughter a subtle contempt for those stupid enough to hold such erroneous ideas.
     This evil, contemptuous, side of laughter is described in the Writings as follows: "As long as there is in the rational such an affection as displays itself in laughter, so long there is in it something bodily and worldly, and thus merely human. Celestial good and spiritual good do not laugh, but express their delight and cheerfulness in the face, the speech, and the gesture, in another way; for there are very many things in laughter, for the most part something of contempt, which, even if it does not appear, nevertheless lies concealed; and laughter is easily distinguished from cheerfulness of mind" (AC 2216).
     All men possess the human faculty of rationality, and thence the ability to be affected by truth. As with every thing the Lord creates, however, true rationality partakes of good or love, as well as of truth.

485

Moreover all men may benefit from the truth side of reason, and this, even before they have begun to regenerate. To be affected by the good of the rational, however, a man must be regenerated. The reason is that before regeneration, a man's evil loves of self and the world drive away the good that is flowing into his rational mind from the Lord. The result is that the man is in truth, but truth which is separated from its good and thence from its life. Thus before regeneration man is affected by truth, not for the sake of others or uses, but for his own sake. It is this cold and indifferent sight of truth that causes a man to laugh at others and their hardships. A genuine love would not find so many unfortunate people and events in life so amusing.
     Throughout the regenerative process good, inflowing from the Lord, is being more and more closely conjoined with the truths which a man is trying to live, that is, with those truths which he uses to shun his own evils. As good and truth are conjoined in the rational in this manner it takes on a spiritual quality. Consequently, man's sense of humor also receives a new dimension spiritually speaking-it becomes loving. He is still affected by the incongruous, but not at another's expense. Certain situations which he once thought were funny, now only sadden him. He is affected more by that humor which holds lasting values forth, than by the mere hilarity of the moment. The change in him is as the difference between mere wit and genuine wisdom.
     Does this mean that all humor goes out of life as one is regenerated? Certainly not! The genuine rational and its affection for truth is still named in the Word for laughter-Isaac. Yet, this laughter is very different from that which precedes regeneration. It is the spontaneous merriment that is produced by a genuine affection for the truth, a love of the truth not for the sake of self, but for its own beauty and rightness. In short, it is a love of truth for the good or use to which it inevitably leads.
     Have we not all experienced something of this happy delight in a sight of the truth? For example, when we read a passage from the Writings and it fits in with our own personal experience, then, suddenly we find ourselves laughing inside because the statement is so true. Such humor is not directed at others, but is rather a comment on our own feeble nature, and testifies to the importance of the Divine truth in our lives. It is a healthy humor, to be enjoyed and shared with others; and it can be a means of turning us more fully towards the Lord, and of appreciating the infinite wisdom of His truth.

486

     All humor in the heavens is such, and is illustrated in a conversation that Swedenborg had with an angel husband. "I know that you are a wise man," Swedenborg said, "but what has a wise man or wisdom to do with woman?" At this the host (the angel husband), with some indignation, changed expression. He then stretched out his hand and, lo, from neighboring houses other wise men were present. To these, he said jestingly, "Our new-comer here, for the purpose of learning, asks what a wise man or wisdom has to do with woman?" At this they all laughed and said, "What is a wise man or wisdom without woman, that is, without love? The wife is the love of a wise man's wisdom" (CL 56:2).
     There is, indeed, merriment and laughter in heaven, and there ought to be the same here on earth. Let us only admit that there is much in earthly laughter that is not so good, and which is therefore in need of much spiritual purification. This need is also represented in the fact that the first time she laughed, Sarah was rebuked; for it is written: "Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I indeed truly bear, and I am become old?" Here, Sarah's laughter represents that merely human affection of truth which is characteristic of man's first rational before it has been regenerated by the Lord. With the regenerative process, however, the Lord can remove those evils from us which continually drive away His inflowing good. As a result, our reason can take on a loving, heavenly quality.
     This new heavenly rational is what is represented by the birth of Isaac from the union of Sarah and Abraham. It is as much a miracle as was the natural birth of Isaac long ago. And, like Sarah, we can take hope for our salvation in the sure acknowledgment that with the Lord, all things are possible. "Shall anything be wonderful for Jehovah?" Cannot the Lord impart to all those who suffer themselves to receive it, that celestial affection of truth which is the essence of all heavenly cheerfulness? "And Sarah said, God hath made laughter for me; every one that heareth will laugh with me" (Gen. 21:16). Amen.

     LESSONS:     Genesis 18: 1-15; 21: 1-7; AC 2216.

487

DREAMS, VISIONS, AND SLEEP 1980

DREAMS, VISIONS, AND SLEEP Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR 1980

     V. The Use of Dreams and Visions in Preparing for the Lord's Second Coming

     When we examine the organized Writings of the second coming-and by that we mean those works which were specifically written and prepared for publication, thus excluding the "Journal of Dreams" and such works as The Word Explained and the Spiritual Diary-we find that visions and dreams have very little place. We do not mean by this that there is no instruction in the Writings concerning visions and dreams, for there is a great deal; but it is instruction rather than accounts of Swedenborg's experiences.
     It is not our intent here to consider what the Writings teach about the use and nature of visions and dreams in the past or the present. We would merely note that if one is to have any understanding of how the Word of the Lord was formed through the ages, he must study and understand the nature and function of visions and dreams. Visions and dreams were the principal means of revelation in the Most Ancient Church. How important they have been in the formation of revelation since that time is evident from both the Old and the New Testaments. Much of the Old Testament consists of visions and dreams or stories relating to them, and in a lesser degree the same is true of the New Testament.
     Now before we enter into our subject, we would just point out the general difference between a dream and a vision as given in the Writings. Dreams occur while the corporeal of man is asleep, that is, his body with its natural senses. Visions occur when the body is awake,* not only the natural body, but the spiritual body as well, so that man sees and hears things relating to the spiritual world.** Please understand, this is only a general definition; there are many types of dreams and visions, and many various states relating thereto. But this will have to suffice for our purposes here.
     * AC 1882-84, 600; DP 134; Lord 52; AR 36.
     ** AC 1975.

488

     When we think of the style of the Writings, of the many descriptions of the life after death-of Swedenborg talking with spirits, angels and devils; of representations seen; of episodes witnessed, such as the Last Judgment-we might think of the Writings as being filled with dreams and visions. And yet the Writings are explicit in their distinction between the nature of dreams and visions, and the nature of Swedenborg's experience in the spiritual world. We read in Continuation Concerning the Last Judgment:
     "It has pleased the Lord to open for me the eyes of my spirit, and to keep them open now for nineteen years; it has been given me to see the things which are in the spiritual world, and also to describe them. I can affirm that they are not visions, but things seen in all wakefulness."*
     * CLJ 35.
     Even from 1745 to 1747, when Swedenborg was being introduced into the things of the spiritual world, he was clearly aware that he was in a state different from that of previous prophets and scribes of Divine revelation. He wrote at this time in the Word Explained, "In a certain manner I have been intromitted into heaven itself, not merely as to the mind, but also as it were with the whole body, or with the sense of the body, and that too when I was awake."*
     * WE 475.
     Throughout the later Writings we find the same teaching repeated. "Whenever I have talked with angels face to face, I have been with them in their abodes. . . This occurred when my inner sight was opened, and I was fully awake."*
     * HH 184.
     "All things which I have seen in the heavens have been seen by the sight of the spirit; and I was then in a similar state of wakefulness to that in which I was when they were not seen."*
     * AE 53.
     "These things which I saw and heard, I saw and heard in the wakefulness of my body, and at the same time of my spirit; for the Lord has so united my spirit to my body, that I am in both at the same time."*
     * AR 484; cf. CL 1, TCR 851.
     Finally, we would quote from an experience Swedenborg had with an angelic instructor. A general discussion had just concluded in an angelic society concerning the nature of the soul. The group then broke up into little informal gatherings and continued their discourse on the subject.

     Seeing them from my lodging I came into the spirit, and in the spirit I went out to them; and I approached the chief teacher, who lately had proposed the question concerning the soul.
     When he saw me he said, "Who are you?

489

I wondered, when I saw you approaching in the way, that now you came into my sight and the next moment passed out of sight, or that at one moment you were visible to me and suddenly became invisible. You certainly are not in our state of life."
     To this I answered, smiling, "I am not a player of tricks, nor one who changes himself; but am an alternate, now in your light, now in your shade, and thus foreign and also native."
     At this the chief teacher looked at me and said, "You say strange and amazing things. Tell me who you are."
     I said, "I am in the world in which you were, and from which you departed, which is called the natural world; and I also am in the world to which you came and in which you are, which is called the spiritual world. I am therefore in a natural state, and at the same time in a spiritual state; in the natural state with men on earth, and in the spiritual state with you; and when I am in the natural state I am not visible to you, but when in the spiritual state I am visible. That I am so has been given by the Lord. To you, O enlightened man, it is known that the man of the natural world does not see the man of the spiritual world, nor the reverse; therefore when I let my spirit down into the body, I was not visible to you, and when I raised it out of the body I became visible."*
     * CL 326.

     That Swedenborg was prepared to be in this dual state for the purpose of serving the Lord in the giving of a new revelation, was called by the angels "a miracle of miracles."*
     * AC 1880:3.
     We have spoken at some length of the fact that Swedenborg's experiences in the spiritual world were not in a state of vision or dream but in full wakefulness of mind and body, because this is pertinent to seeing how utterly different was his state and use as a revelator from that of all prophets, scribes, and disciples of past revelations. This, as well as Swedenborg's special preparation through science and philosophy, is what made it possible for Swedenborg to receive the teachings of the second coming with rational understanding.
     Only against this background of instruction concerning Swedenborg's special state can we see in proper focus the place and nature of Swedenborg's dreams and visions; and let us be clear, he did have dreams and visions. They served a special use at a particular time in his preparation. But let us regard their historic development with Swedenborg.
     While it is true that Swedenborg was prepared for his mission from infancy by the Lord, he was not aware of this preparation until he was in his middle fifties. Before this time no unusual dreams or visions are recorded. His political, economic, scientific, and early philosophic writings speak little of religious topics. Later, after his spiritual eyes had been opened, Swedenborg did refer to the early preparation he had had for developing a special tacit breathing, which was to make possible his early dreams and visions, and finally his full wakefulness in the spiritual world.

490

Of this he writes in the Spiritual Diary,

     I was thus during many years, from the period of childhood, introduced into such respirations, especially by means of absorbing speculations, in which the breathing seems to become quiescent, as otherwise the intense study of truth is scarcely possible. Afterwards, when heaven was opened to me, and I was enabled to converse with spirits, I sometimes scarcely breathed by inspiration at all for the space of a short hour, and merely drew in enough of air to keep up the process of thinking. Thus was I introduced by the Lord into interior respirations. I have also observed again and again, that when I was passing into a state of sleep, my respiration was almost taken away, so that I would awake and catch my breath. When I observe nothing of the kind, I continue to write and think, and am not aware of my respiration being arrested, unless I reflect upon it. This I may say has happened in instances innumerable. Nor was I at such times able to observe the various changes, because I did not reflect upon them. The design of all this was, that every kind of state, every kind of sphere, and every kind of society, particularly the more interior, might find in my own a fit representation, which should come into play without any reflection on my part, and that thus a medium of intercourse might be afforded with spirits and angels.*
     * SD 3464.

     It was not until 1736 when Swedenborg was on a trip in Europe that he began to have his first unusual experiences. As he was in Amsterdam beginning his work, The Economy of the Animal Kingdom, he fell into a brief swoon. Following this time, he began to have vague and confused dreams. What these dreams were we do not know. (Swedenborg's heirs wrote that a manuscript volume containing "descriptions of Swedenborg's dreams during the years 1736, 1737 . . . were removed from the volume and in the safekeeping of the family.") We do not know how important Swedenborg considered them. For seven years, from 1736 to 1743, nothing of unusual import is described by Swedenborg. (While this statement is true there is one sentence written in 1740 that might lead to various interpretations. It is the last sentence at the end of an essay of two pages, Corpuscular Philosophy in Brief. He says, "These things are true because I have the sign.") During this time he was engaged in his studies and writings on anatomy and psychology. He wrote his works on the Cerebrum (Codex 65), The Economy of the Animal Kingdom, The Fibre, the Rational Psychology, and most of The Brain. During this time Swedenborg traveled much and kept a journal of his travels-the places he visited and the people and things he saw.
     In 1739 Swedenborg's Itinerarium stops. His heirs removed for "safekeeping" some leaves at the end of his journal, and it is presumed that these dealt with some dreams he might have experienced.*

491

He later notes that while occupied with the writing of a certain work (probably one of the series of The Animal Kingdom on which he was engaged in 1742-1743) . . . "hardly a day passed by for several months, in which a flame was not seen by me, as visibly as the flame of a household hearth; at the same time, this was a sign of approbation." (WE 6905)
     * Docu. II, p. 130.
     The sign of a flame Swedenborg mentions a number of times; it seems to have been an introductory vision."*
     * SD 2951.
     From late in 1743, Swedenborg's dreams became so regular that he commenced to be disturbed. He started his record-what is now called the Journal of Dreams-at the close of 1743, but the first dream actually recorded occurred in March, 1744. Two leaves are torn from the journal. This was probably done by Swedenborg himself because, before resuming his journal in March of 1744, he listed brief, one-sentence references to what they had been. A few examples of the references to this missing section read:
     "In Venice, concerning the beautiful palace."
     "In Leipzig, concerning him who lay in boiling water."
     "Concerning the manservant who wanted to go off on a journey."
     "My joys in the night. I wondered at myself at not having any longer anything of the working of my own honor, so that I found a sensation thereof; at not being inclined to the sex as I had been in all my days."*
     * Docu. II, p. 147, 148.

     Obviously, Swedenborg at this time had no clear idea of the use of these dreams, unless they referred to the books he was preparing for publication. But in December of 1743 Swedenborg had another vision. In letters to friends in later years he wrote:
     " . . [the Lord] manifested Himself in Person before me, His servant, and sent me to do this work. This took place in the year 1743; and afterwards He opened the sight of my spirit, and thus introduced me into the spiritual world, granting me.. . to speak with angels and spirits . . . "*
     * Docu. II, p. 387.
     In another letter Swedenborg says it was sometime after this appearance that his spiritual sight was opened. And this is so obvious from Swedenborg's experiences in his dreams recorded during 1744. For there we see the man being prepared for his high office through many, various temptations. However, certainly after 1743, when the Lord appeared to him, Swedenborg thought of everything that happened to him as being in some way preparatory for some unusual Divine work, although he was not yet clear as to what that work would be. In April of 1744 he writes: "I perceive that I had received a talent for the promotion of God's glory: I saw that all had worked together to this end; and that the Spirit had been with me from my youth for this very purpose."*

492

     * Docu II, p. 187.
     At this time Swedenborg saw that he would have to leave off the study of natural things and turn his attention to spiritual things. He wrote:

     All this represents that I must employ my remaining time in writing upon higher subjects, and not upon worldly things, which are far below; indeed, that I must write about what concerns the very centre of all, and what concerns Christ. May God be so gracious as to enlighten me respecting my duty; for I am still in some obscurity as to the direction whither I am to turn.*
     * Docu II, p. 191.

     Swedenborg's dreams which he recorded in his Journal throughout the year 1744 indicate the various uses these dreams served in Swedenborg's preparation. They were a means of causing Swedenborg to examine himself, and to shun and order those things present with him from the loves of self and the world. They were a means of establishing communication with the states and spheres of the spiritual world. And finally, they were a means of introducing him to the knowledge of representatives and significatives.
     Up to this time, Swedenborg had been wonderfully prepared through the study of science and philosophy to receive and understand truths concerning higher things. Swedenborg thought of himself as a learned man. He had great concern for his reputation in learned society, and he was plagued with many disorderly and interior passions such as undue pride, self-intelligence, and conceit. Before Swedenborg could serve as a complete and trusted servant of the Lord, he had to be led to reject and repel those inclinations of his character which would make it impossible for him to fulfill the use of revelator. He had to come to place himself fully under the Lord's protection and look to the Lord as the only source of all truly good and heavenly things. Unlike the prophets and disciples of old, the servant of the Lord's second coming could not serve the Lord as a means of conveying Divine truths unless he freely saw and willed to serve such a use. In the dreams that Swedenborg experienced at this time we see the means whereby he was so prepared.
     In the Journal of Dreams we find Swedenborg's soul laid bare. We see him wrestling with his temptations. In one dream he states:

     I saw a bookshop, and immediately the thought struck me that my work would have more effect than that of others; yet I checked myself at once; for one serves another, and our Lord has more than a thousand ways by which to prepare a man, so that each and every book must be left to its own merits, as a means near or remote, according to the rational condition of every man. Still arrogance at once crops up; may God control it, for the power is in His hands.*
     * Docu II, p. 166.

493

     Earlier in the Journal he could write of his state:

     While I was in the spirit, I thought and strove by thought to attain a knowledge of how to avoid all that was impure; I noticed, however, that this intruded itself from the ground of the love of self, on all occasions whenever anything was reflected upon; as, for instance, when anyone did not regard me according to my own estimation of myself, I thought, Oh, if you only knew what grace I have, you would act differently; this then was not only impure, but originated in the love of self. At last I found this out, and entreated God's forgiveness, and I then wished that others also might have the same grace, as they perhaps either have had or will have. From this I observed clearly that there was still in me that same pernicious apple which has not yet been converted, and which is Adam's root and his hereditary sin. Yes, and an infinite number of other roots of sin remain in me.*
     * Docu II, p. 165.

     Sometimes Swedenborg would reflect upon a subject, and then later dream of it in a representative dream. Sometimes he would dream first, and then with some obscure idea of its meaning, he would reflect upon the signification of the dream. At this time Swedenborg was just coming into the idea that his dreams were significative. As yet he saw nothing clearly relating to the heavens or any part of the spiritual world. This would not commence for three more years-and when it did, it would not be in dreams, but in open and waking presence in the spiritual world.
     During the period of his Journal dreams, Swedenborg also had many visions, besides the two we have already mentioned. Sometimes he would fall into a dream, then awake from the dream, and remain in a vision. Or sometimes a vision would come without the presence of a dream, but as it were in a trance or swoon of the body. At such times Swedenborg would see spirits as men, sometimes doing different things, sometimes talking.
     It is clear that the dreams and visions, such as Swedenborg had at this time, served the use of introducing him into foreign states that were new to him, or of changing a state. Indeed, this use, particularly of dreams, continued up through the time of the writing of the early Arcana Coelestia in 1748 and 1749. Knowledge of certain societies of hell, for example, could not be given to Swedenborg through open communication, because their state was far removed from Swedenborg's conscious life; also at this time, they could have caused Swedenborg harm. Such was the case, for example, with the antediluvian hells-to know the nature of these hells, Swedenborg was caused to fall asleep, and in his sleep as in a dream he felt the horrible sphere of their presence and the nature of their desires to destroy him.* Upon awakening he saw them, but then they fled. This was not a representative dream, such as we have mentioned before; it was a real dream of actual states. In most ancient times, such dreams were common-but then, of course, they were mostly of angelic societies.

494

However, this use of dreams with Swedenborg was unusual, and became unnecessary after Swedenborg had become a full-time inhabitant of both worlds.
     * AC 1270.
     Towards the end of 1744 Swedenborg experienced his first open, waking discourse with inhabitants of the spiritual world. At this time he was writing his concluding anatomical study The Five Senses, and beginning his work, the Worship and Love of God. As he worked on writing about the senses he noticed that he began to be aware of the sensations of the other world. For example, he dreamt of wine in a dream, and upon awakening actually smelled wine. Or, once while writing he saw a fly walking across the page, the fly being not of this world.* The first time a spirit addressed him while he was fully conscious came, he notes, in September of 1744 in the following manner: "Before I slept, I was strongly in thoughts concerning that which I had in hand to write; then it was said to me, 'Shut thy mouth or I strike thee!' I saw then one sitting on a piece of ice, and I was afraid."**
     * Docu. II, p. 206 Sens. 492.
     ** Docu. II, p. 207.
     Writing about this in 1749 Swedenborg says:

     Before it was opened to me to speak with spirits, I had been in the opinion that no spirit or angel could ever understand and perceive my thought, these being within me. . . Then it once happened that a spirit knew what I was thinking, for he spoke with me in a few words, at which I was amazed, especially at the fact that spirits could know my thoughts.*
     * SD 4390.
     After this time the use of dreams and visions decreased, while that of open discourse with spiritual beings increased. In April of 1745, when the Lord appeared to Swedenborg and told him that he was to be the servant of the Lord's second coming, Swedenborg entered from the preparatory state in reference to his character to the preparatory state in reference to instruction-the instruction in heavenly doctrines and spiritual truths which were to form the context of the second advent. Swedenborg settled down at once to study the Old Testament and the New Testament in their original languages, and gradually began an exposition of the Scriptures, called the Word Explained. At this time he writes: "The kingdom of God was first shown me in the repose of sleep, but afterwards sometimes in the middle of the day, or in a time of wakefulness, so that I perceived it most clearly with the very sense itself."*
     * WE 541.

495

     While working on the Word Explained, wherein Swedenborg grasps only
if occasionally the spiritual sense of a part of the Scriptures, he also commences to record his waking experiences in the spiritual world. This record is the Spiritual Diary, begun as inserts in the Word Explained in November, 1745. It records the experiences which were to constitute the final preparation for Swedenborg's office of revelator. The nature of the Spiritual Diary is utterly different from that of the Journal of Dreams- although the two are often confused. In the Journal of Dreams we find Swedenborg experiencing certain terrorizing and incomprehensible, or dimly comprehensible, visions and dreams. We see Swedenborg constantly reflecting on his own state and upon his ability or shortcomings. In the Diary we find Swedenborg recording the events and states of the spiritual world more as a traveler in a foreign country. Truly, some of the things he witnesses and records are not clear to Swedenborg, and many of them are unpleasant, depicting states of evil. But still they are utterly different; they are no longer dreams and visions. Swedenborg not only sees and hears spirits, but speaks with them. And we see nothing of Swedenborg's personal trials and tribulations therein. When writing the Diary he starts a section by saying "When I was in the company of spirits," or "This morning it was shown to me how," or "I was conducted into" such and such a place, or "It was told me from heaven by a living voice," and soon.
     With the beginning of the writing of the Arcana Coelestia in 1748, questions of uncertainty, and all the preparatory use of dreams and visions, came to an end. As we noted, the dreams and visions which Swedenborg experienced while serving as a revelator were of a different nature; they were not preparatory. The few which the Writings describe were used to allow Swedenborg to experience the state of the prophets of old, for example, so that those states could be revealed. The same was true when he experienced the kind of dreams they had in the Most Ancient Church.
     Indeed, these teachings also confirm how completely different and distinct was Swedenborg's state as a revelator from that of all former prophets and revelators.
     Dreams and visions were a means, and a necessary means, of preparing Swedenborg for his great use. But let us be clear, they are not the means whereby the second coming was made. The clarity of Swedenborg's wakeful state may be seen all through the Writings. In preparing to describe something about heaven, for example, he will say, "On a certain morning I looked up into heaven,"* or "As I was going home from the school of wisdom I saw in the way an angel."**

496

The same thing is true of the descriptions of hell, such as "It has been granted me to enter some of the infernal workhouses";*** no dreams, no visions, but full wakefulness of mind and body living in both worlds at the same time.
     * CL 42.
     ** CL 151.
     *** AR 153.
     We would close with the following statement made by Swedenborg a few months before his death in 1772, and after he had lived twenty-seven years of such experience in both worlds at the same time: "The manifestation of the Lord, and intromission into the spiritual world, surpasses all miracles. This has not been granted to any one since the creation, as it has been to me. The men of the golden age, indeed, conversed with the angels; but it was not granted to them in any other than natural light; but to me it is granted to be in both spiritual and natural light at the same time. By this means it has been granted to me to see the wonderful things of heaven, to be together with the angels like one of them, and at the same time to draw forth truths in light, and thus to perceive and teach them; consequently to be led by the Lord."*
     * Inv. 52.
SOME COMMENTS ON THE GIRLS' SCHOOL 1980

SOME COMMENTS ON THE GIRLS' SCHOOL Rev. WILLARD D. PENDLETON 1980

I understand that there is a movement within the General Church to merge the Secondary Schools of the Academy. The reason given for this is that educational segregation of the sexes is not only an outmoded practice, but is in itself undesirable. What is more, it is claimed that the traditional position of the Academy in regard to this practice is based on derived doctrine and there is no reason why the church should be committed to it.
In reflecting on this I am also reminded that the entire concept of New Church education stems from a derived doctrine. Nowhere in the Writings is it said that New Church schools are needed. This familiar phrase was coined some forty years before the actual establishment of the Academy when men were seeking for a more durable means of promoting the New Church than was provided at the time by the local societies. As a matter of fact, there have been many New Church men and women over the years who have rejected New Church education as an untenable thesis.

497

     The question before us, however, is not whether New Church schools are needed, but what schools are needed? In seeking the answer to this question I am not impressed by arguments that stress the social and economical advantages which would accrue from the merger of our two Secondary Schools.
     My only interest is what bearing, if any, do the direct teachings of the Writings concerning the two sexes have upon our approach to the educational process? Time and time again we have been told by our priesthood that if we are to succeed in the work of New Church education we must repeatedly return to the Writings in order to chart our course. Surely, these are not just empty words. But in returning to the Writings I have yet to come across one teaching which provides any doctrinal support for the merger of the two schools.
     To arrive at the heart of the question we must bear in mind that the concept of New Church education is derived out of certain basic doctrines which directly concern the educational process. These doctrines are: the doctrine of the Lord, the doctrine of the Word, the doctrine of knowledges, the doctrine of remains, and the doctrine of Conjugial Love. In this case it is the last mentioned doctrine that directly applies. Note well, that the work on Conjugial Love is structured on the fundamental distinction between the masculine and feminine mind. This difference, we are told, originates in the soul and is ultimated in the body. Theoretically we all agree to this, but in practice we tend to lose sight of it. We are not immune to the thought of the day, and there are times when, without reflection, we are prone to accept those socially derived assumptions which are the hallmark of modern education. One of these is that apart from biological function there is no essential difference between men and women. But there is an essential difference, and it is one which must be carefully cherished and cultivated.
     When thought of in this way I cannot regard the Girls' School as a misguided effort from the beginning, nor, as suggested, an unnatural environment for our girls at this day. To my mind the reasons for the perpetuation of the Girls' School go far beyond any sociological or economical reasons for its discontinuance. After all, if the Writings teach the distinction between the sexes, should not this distinction be ultimated in the very structure of our educational system? Certainly, in speaking of the duties that are proper to the husband, and of those which are proper to the wife, the Writings specifically assign the care and education of girls to the wife
     (CL 176). The question is: Does this, or does this not, carry over to the education of girls outside the home? I believe that it does and, try as I have, I cannot understand it in any other way.

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I know that there are those who believe that this use can be adequately served by a woman counselor within the framework of a co-educational system, but helpful as counseling may be I do not believe that it is a substitute for what the Writings mean by "the care and education of girls." Education is a far more comprehensive process than is generally appreciated and, as considered in the Writings, it is the way in which a woman enters progressively into what is truly feminine.
In making these remarks I am fully mindful of the argument that since boys and girls are raised together in the home, are we not creating artificial distinctions by separating them in school? As far as little children are concerned, this is true, but once the love of the sex is awakened, boys and girls come into a very different relationship than that which exists between brothers and sisters. This change of state is not merely a biological phenomenon; it has profound impact upon the mind. As this state develops, new affections are aroused. According to the Writings, these changes of state "are of one kind with men, and of another kind with women" (CL 187). Were this not so, there would be no essential difference between men and women, but only the biological difference that is found in animals.
It is my hope that those who are responsible for making the decision in regard to the Girls School will carefully weigh the reasons for its perpetuation. For ninety-eight years this school has served the Church well. Despite the many criticisms which have been leveled against it in recent years, there are, in my opinion, important reasons why it should be perpetuated. Considering the drift of the times and the increasing obscurity in the world around us in regard to the real distinction between the sexes, the need for the Girls' School is more urgent than ever. True, this is but one man's opinion, but I have reason to believe that there are many who share my concern.

(For a more detailed consideration of the subject see Foundations of New Church Education, Revised Edition, Nov., 1960, Chapter 10, p. 156.)

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[Map of Africa with Ghana highlighted.]
GHANA 1980

GHANA 1980

     Formerly known as the Gold Coast, Ghana is a country of 92,000 square miles (roughly twice the area of Pennsylvania) on the west coast of Africa. The country gained its independence in 1957. It has a population of nearly ten million. Because of the spread of the Writings in that country Mr. Jeremy Simons has produced for the Extension Committee an occasional sheet under the title The Ghana Memo.
     From the sixth number of this Memo we gather the following.
     1) A letter from Mr. Ron Rhodes, who recently lived in Ghana speaks of a deteriorating economic situation, but he speaks of increasing interest in the Writings. He writes, "As a point of interest-when I went to Accra to buy my air ticket, I took a cup of coffee at one of the biggest and most important hotels in Ghana, and I saw in display in a bookshop inside the hotel copies of the Swedenborg Foundation publications . . . It's a good sign that the Writings are getting around-and available-in Ghana."

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2) A letter from Mr. Basil Lazer of Australia tells about the studies of John Akoto of Accra. Mr. Lazer hopes that Mr. Akoto will become a minister of the New Church. Hundreds and hundreds of copies of the New Church booklets written by Mr. Lazer are now circulating in various parts of Ghana and other African countries.
3) Mr. Simons says, "Some statistics might be of interest to those wanting to compare Ghana with other countries in trying to answer the question of why the Writings are being accepted in Ghana more than in any other African country." He then gives samplings of the statistical factors "which may or may not help to explain the acceptance of the Writings in Ghana." Following the statistics is his comment that Ghana scores consistently "well" in each category. "Other individual countries may have a higher literacy rate, a higher percentage of children in school, a lower percentage of labor force engaged in agriculture, or a high percentage of Christians, but Ghana is one of the few English-speaking countries showing a high level of development in all these areas." He notes further that "Ghana was well ahead of most African countries in primary and secondary school enrollments in the 1960s. However, since that time they have declined while other countries, particularly the French speaking ones, have improved tremendously."
RECEPTION OF THE NEW CHURCH IN GHANA 1980

RECEPTION OF THE NEW CHURCH IN GHANA Rev. GEOFFREY H. HOWARD 1980

     REFLECTIONS ON A VISIT

     In the west African country of Ghana some remarkable developments have taken place recently which should be of interest to all New Churchmen. During the past 20 years the Swedenborg Foundation Inc., of New York, has sent well over 100,000 copies of the Writings to Ghana. Requests for these books were received in such record numbers that in 1974 the Swedenborg Foundation decided to send one of its Board members, Dr. Sig T. Synnestvedt, to investigate the situation. Dr. Synnestvedt undertook this journey, and, after some initial difficulty, managed to establish contact with a number of people who had received and read the Writings. At that time it appeared that most of these people were reading them independently of each other, because they did not know that there were others with a similar interest. In Dr. Synnestvedt's report no mention is made of any formalized organization of the New Church in Ghana at that time.
     Since his visit in 1974 thousands of copies of the Writings have continued to flow into Ghana, and the Foundation receives further requests daily.

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The effect of their efforts comprizes a very interesting story.
     One receiver of the Writings was Pastor Benjamin Garna. He met Dr. Synnestvedt in 1974. At that time however he was the Pastor of a small Pentacostal Church. Subsequently Pastor Garna began a successful attempt to organize the New Church into a meaningful structure. He succeeded in converting the majority of his own congregation, and called his new organization The Assembly of the New Church-Ghana.
     In recent years Pastor Garna has advertised copies of the Writings, as well as making known the existence of his organization. As a result he has discovered many people who manifest much more than just a casual interest in the New Church. They appear to be keenly receptive of the new truth.
     Pastor Garna is a man highly respected and loved by his own people. He travels extensively throughout the country trying to visit and make the acquaintance of every person interested in the New Church. He is most anxious that the work of the Church should flourish. He has emerged as one of the principal leaders of the New Church in Ghana.
     A few months ago Pastor Garna wrote to Bishop King requesting the services of a Minister who could help him establish a theological school in which Ghanaian candidates could be trained for the New Church ministry.
     This would obviously be quite an undertaking and a completely new venture. Before coming to any serious decision, Bishop King wanted to know more. He therefore asked me if I would be willing to visit Ghana on my way from South Africa to Canada prior to the Ministers' Meetings and the General Assembly. I consented to go, and I spent three memorable days in Ghana at the end of May.
     Before I left I received some detailed letters, and a file of pertinent information from Mr. Jeremy Simons, now a theological student in Bryn Athyn. Mr. Simons had spent two years in the neighboring country of Togo while serving in the United States Peace Corps. He made frequent visits to Ghana during that time, and he came to know many New Church people there. The information which he supplied to me was invaluable.
     On the 24th of May I left South Africa for Ghana. Several weeks before, I had written two separate letters to Pastor Garna notifying him of my intended visit. At the time of my departure I had received no reply.
     I went ahead anyway, not knowing whether my letters had arrived or not. As it turned out, one of them was received. So when I arrived in Accra, to my great surprise, there were at least twelve men who had come to meet me. Some had journeyed a great distance, some two hundred and forty miles, to see me. Needless to say, I felt very honoured by this reception and also by the warm welcome they extended to me. I immediately felt among friends.

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I was taken to my hotel where we had a brief visit together. Pastor Garna presented me with a file containing a suggested schedule of visits to occupy me during my stay. The file also contained various letters and other information that would help me understand the growth potential for the New Church. I studied this file carefully before retiring that night.
     The next day was a Sunday and the schedule called for me to attend two church services as well as a visit to an adult school called "The Amen Amen Institute of Theosophy."
     Early in the morning Pastor Garna came to my hotel and escorted me to the industrial city of Tema, which lies 18 miles to the east of Accra. There I attended my first church service in Ghana. In visiting a country like Ghana one should be prepared for the cultural change that is immediately apparent. To a person coming from the western world, the external conditions of life may seem simple and undeveloped. However, beyond this one becomes aware of being in the presence of a sincere, earnest and warm-hearted people who have a tremendous thirst for New Church doctrine. Their form of service bears something of a resemblance to the Pentecostal style. This form of ritual seems quite appropriate and natural to the native Ghanaians. They are a very feeling people. When they are interiorly moved, they desire to express their feelings of internal joy through some external gestures. One cannot help but feel a powerful sense of sincerity and innocence throughout the whole service. Once one becomes accustomed to their style of singing, it is appealing and moving. Included in their ritual is group singing, chanting, drum-beating, clapping, and moving in circular configurations. These people love their rhythmical music. In this particular context these rituals have a certain appeal, for they seem natural and sincere.
     The service begins with considerable singing. It is interspersed with announcements, and matters of importance. On this particular occasion Pastor Garna explained the reason for my presence, and also extended a very warm welcome to me on behalf of the whole congregation present. After a further singing interlude, Pastor Garna read the lessons from the Word. The theme of his sermon was centered upon the story of Cain and Abel. In elucidating upon this story, he presented a clear and accurate interpretation of the internal sense, clearly showing its application to life. He quoted from the Gospels, and from the Book of Revelation, showing that the Lord Himself clearly taught the importance of the life of charity, and that our faith must be expressed in the works of charity, if we are to be spared from falling into faith alone. There was no doubt that this sermon was a true New Church sermon.

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     At this point Pastor Garna turned to me and invited me to give a commentary on the sermon. Perhaps I should explain that the service was conducted in two languages, in the native Ghanaian tongue and also for my benefit it was translated into English sequentially, sentence by sentence. In my commentary, which was likewise translated, I elaborated upon the dangers of faith alone, represented by Cain killing Abel, using other stories from the Word which illustrate this same powerful warning. I stressed to them how much we need the Writings in order to understand and interpret the correspondential language of the Old and New Testaments. I spoke of the fact that the Writings constitute the Lord in His second coming. I explained why it was necessary for Him to come again and how He did so.
     I felt that I was very graciously received. I was sincerely thanked. Although none of these people were wealthy a special collection was taken to help defray some of the transportation costs that Pastor Garna had borne on my behalf. After the service was over I asked the whole group to please assemble outside so that I could take a photograph of them. They were quite thrilled at having their group picture taken.
     Everywhere I went I was given to feel that I was a very special guest in their eyes. They had never before met a General Church minister and they made me feel that this was a very special occasion. I will relate one brief incident which I believe rather typified the spirit of these lovely people. After the service a complete stranger came over to our group and detected that something rather special was happening that day. He came to me and pressed me to come to his house. He wanted me to meet his wife and his children. He was not a wealthy man, but he reached into his pocket and gave quite a considerable amount of money to Pastor Garna, because he believed that the work of the Church was important. I questioned Pastor Garna as to why a complete stranger would act in such a generous manner. He replied it was quite a typical gesture which the Ghanaian people manifest. It was quite apparent to me on this occasion and on others that the natural disposition of these people is kind, charitable, and extremely generous.
     We could not stay longer with this congregation, because I was scheduled to speak to a group of New Church students in a school in the north of Accra. We hailed a taxi and made our way to Mataheko, a suburb of Accra. When we arrived there I was led along various pathways between numerous houses to the school. As we rounded our final corner, I saw a sign which read "The Amen Amen Institute of Theosophy (Swedenborgian)." The story of the establishment and emergence of this school is quite an interesting one.

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     The existence of this school was unknown to Pastor Garna until September of last year. It began through the initiative of two men. A certain distributor of the Writings by the name of Hans A. Attubbi had formed quite a group of followers who would meet regularly to discuss New Church theology. In the course of time Mr. Attubbi discovered another person who had likewise discovered the Writings and who also had a following of students. The leader of this other group was named Ekow Nyan. He was also known by an English name Mr. E. D. N. Reynolds. These two young men decided that they would merge their groups to form one school. This is a school which meets for two hours every evening from 6:00-8:00 P.M. after the working day, for the purpose of developing a greater depth of understanding of New Church doctrine. It was a thrilling experience to meet with these students and to field the many intelligent questions that they asked me. After I was introduced to everybody, the floor was given to me. I spoke briefly about the three-fold revelation which the Lord had given. My remarks were designed to simply set the stage for the input of questions. When I called for questions they really poured forth, and I was impressed with the depth of understanding which these questions manifested. These students had obviously studied the Writings and furthermore had understood what they had read. They manifested a depth of enquiry which I have seldom found before in my ministry. I will never forget the expressions that came upon their faces as I offered answers. Their eyes were intent. Their faces became illumined with a glow of sincere delight. I have never sensed a more pleasing reception of the Lord's truth than I did with those lovely people of Ghana.
     Unfortunately our time was again limited. I would have liked to spend many hours with these students, but I was scheduled to be present at another service in a different section of Accra. This service was held in a chapel beside a large house. When I arrived the congregation had gathered. There were about 75 men and women present, but there was a clear majority of men. I was told that this congregation had for the most part only recently been introduced to New Church doctrine. When, therefore, it became my turn to offer a commentary on Pastor Garna's sermon I directed my remarks to a fairly basic level. Here again, I was impressed by the facial expressions which registered a rather spontaneous affirmation to the truth when it was heard. Several times one could hear the expression "amen" whispered, accompanied by a warm smile of affirmation.
     After this fulfilling day I was taken to my hotel. That evening as I sat down to make some notes and reflected upon the happy proceedings of the day, I felt within myself a sense of incredulity concerning what I had seen and heard. I reflected upon the fact that these people had all received the Writings within a comparatively short span of time.

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Some of them were able to converse about their content with a depth of understanding that seemed quite incredible. I further mused upon the fact that many had done this without help and direction from the New Church organizations in the western world. Little did I know that during the next two days, my sense of incredulity was to be even further fed.
On Monday and Tuesday Pastor Garna had arranged for me to visit several other groups in factories and office buildings. What transpires within these buildings is also quite an amazing story. What has happened is that a number of people who have received the Writings meet together regularly during their lunch break and discuss doctrinal topics of common interest. Pastor Garna had arranged for me to visit several of these groups. They were purely discussion sessions which afforded opportunity for a very meaningful interchange of ideas. Some of these people with whom I conversed manifested an even greater depth of understanding than what I had seen previously. Some had studied the Arcana Coelestia and could converse with understanding about the internal sense of some of its stories. It was clear that some understood the representation of Ishmael and Isaac and the representation of some of the twelve sons of Jacob. We discussed such matters as polygamy and I found that there was a clear acknowledgment on their part that monogamy constituted the Divine order in marriage. They claimed that polygamous customs would be abandoned with comparative ease once the truth of the Lord was known and acknowledged by their people. I was asked many more questions. I will give a brief sample of some of those questions, for they reflect the depth of thinking of these people.
I was asked about baptism: how we baptize and what is the relationship between the sacrament of baptism as a ritual and the second baptism, the baptism of fire or the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I was questioned about speaking in tongues and how this was to be understood in the New Church. I pursued this question at some length to determine if there was any inclination to spiritism with these people. They seem to be aware of the dangers of spiritism and in no way do they seek to attract enthusiastic spirits. I was asked several questions about the Lord's glorification and they seem to have no trouble in comprehending this profound doctrine. I received other questions about the last judgment. Others asked about the judgment that awaits us in the spiritual world. Is there reincarnation? Why did the Lord choose to be born to the Jews? Was the betrayal of Judas planned by the Lord? Concerning the Second Coming I was asked about how we know that Swedenborg's Writings are in fact the truth? What is the relationship of the Writings to the Old and New Testaments?

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Another stated that in the Book of Acts it says that the Lord will come again as He ascended. He asked how we understand that in the New Church. Another made reference to the Lord's promise that He would continue to come as the "Comforter, the Holy Spirit" in the Gospel of John. He asked how that was true.
     The questions simply would not stop coming. Towards the end of one session I asked several people about their understanding of the Writings. I said: "Did you not find the terminology and the ideas expressed in the Writings to be very difficult to comprehend in the beginning?" I received the answer: "Yes, in the beginning it was quite difficult to master the terminology. However, with a little persistence we found that it became more and more easy, for we loved the heavenly ideas which the Writings unfold."
     To me it was a sheer delight to be part of such a remarkable experience. During the course of my visit I had several opportunities to speak to Pastor Garna alone. I shared with him my sense of amazement at the depth of spiritual understanding manifested in some of his people. I asked him why he thought this was. His answer to me was most revealing.
     He gave me a brief history of his people's background and the nature of their belief in their primitive state prior to British colonization. In their pagan state the people of Ghana worshiped one God, and one God only. They represented that one God in the form of idols. They never, however, worshipped the idol itself as a deity. It was simply the means of giving some tangible form to the Deity. Beyond this, God was universally worshipped as one supreme Being. That was the first cardinal point of belief. The second most important aspect of their belief was an absolute conviction concerning the reality of the life to come. They had no doubt that the spirit was released from the body at the time of death and that it entered the spiritual world. The third point explained to me was the fact that the people in this region of Africa had a rather natural disposition towards charity. In explaining this, Pastor Garna used several examples showing how this people treat each other under somewhat adverse conditions. He spoke of two people having a severe disagreement, yet no signs of animosity would be registered in any external way. They would treat their enemies with kindness and respect, even to the point of inviting them home for a meal. His description almost sounded like a paraphrase of the Lord's words addressed to this state in the Sermon on the Mount. From my experience I can also vouch for the spirit of charity that was manifested in these people. They are gentle, peace-loving, and nonviolent. I felt very safe throughout my stay in Ghana. I asked Pastor Garna what was the name of the God worshipped by his people in their primitive state.

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He told me that they called their God, Kwa-Mee Nya-Me. Translated, this means "Saturday God." Just reflect on that beautiful meaning! Saturday is the seventh day of the week, the day of rest, the Sabbath of rest. They worshipped a God in whose peace they could rest content. All of these things constituted the essential aspects of this people's belief prior to colonization.
     With colonization by the British came the introduction of Christianity to Ghana, or the Gold Coast as it was then called. With Christianity came a certain sophistication and theological discipline, and this expanded and modified their religious thoughts. In many of its aspects, Christianity was accepted by the Ghanaians. However, one of the beliefs which was never accepted deeply, was the Christian doctrine of the Trinity of persons in the Godhead. Then, within the last 20 years the Writings of the New Church found their way to that country. Within these Books these people found a corrected and thoroughly modified version of Christianity. The Lord Jesus Christ was shown to be the one God of Heaven and earth. There was a detailed and explicit picture of the spiritual world given. The life that led to heaven was based on faith in the Lord in conjunction with the responsibility of living the principles that He taught in life. In the hearts of these people this new message rang true. From the vestiges of their primitive faith, which had never been completely lost, they could now come to understand intellectually things which in their hearts they felt to be true. I believe this is the real reason why the Writings have received such acclaim in Ghana.
     The prospects for the future seem ripe and fertile. They welcome sound instruction and they are looking for help. They also need the means for spreading the message of the New Church to other centers. They would love to be in possession of a bus in which a team of evangelists could travel and literally broadcast New Church teachings in remote country centers.
     They feel that once they can really launch the New Church into a sound and viable organization that it will be self-supporting financially. They all speak of the work as having hardly begun. Some smiled at me and said: "Come back in a few years time and you will see that the majority of Ghanaians will be converted into the New Church." I looked at these people intently, for they meant what they said. I almost feel convinced that this could really happen.

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ANOTHER TRIP TO GHANA, AUGUST 3-SEPTEMBER 6, 1980 1980

ANOTHER TRIP TO GHANA, AUGUST 3-SEPTEMBER 6, 1980 JEREMY SIMONS 1980

     Almost three months after Rev. Howard's trip Philip Heilman, from Pittsburgh, and I spent five weeks of our summer vacation travelling in Ghana and neighboring Togo, from August 3 to September 6. In Ghana we stayed with Pastor Garna and visited with most of the same people that Rev. Howard saw. They were all highly delighted with Rev. Howard's visit. One girl wrote and said, "Rev. Geoffrey's sermon made me feel as though I was in heaven as I sat with the members at the Holy Supper with the Lord present."
     We also had a very happy visit, and I am glad to say that the church has made a fair amount of progress since the last time that I stayed with Pastor Garna, in July, 1979. The number of those who are remaining faithful to the organised church and who have a good understanding of its teachings is growing steadily. The official membership of the ASSEMBLY OF THE NEW CHURCH is 1,247. This is remarkable considering that as yet there is not one single person in all Ghana who is trained in the teachings of the New Church. There are about ten groups of church members in different parts of Ghana, which vary considerably in their understanding of the Doctrines.
     On our visit we spent every day with groups in Tema and Accra, and made short stops in Asamankese and Ho. We witnessed a New Church evangelization rally in downtown Accra. For three or four hours a group headed by New Church leader Daniel Asare preached, sang and acted out religious skits in front of a crowd of one or two hundred people, who gathered on the sidewalk to watch. The crowd smiled, shouted and applauded at what was being said. Six people wanted to join the church right then and there, many asked for more information, and virtually everyone gave money. If they had been in possession of any books they could have sold hundreds of copies.
     At the headquarters of the GHANA PUBLISHING CORPORATION, in Tema, we spoke to a group of about fifty editors and executives, all of whom were readers of the Writings, and then we answered questions and discussed with them for over an hour.

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Everywhere we went in Ghana, whether it was at the immigration office where we got our visas, or standing in line waiting to catch a lorry, we talked with scores of people who wanted to know about the New Church and who wanted to buy New Church books.
The most encouraging thing to me is that Pastor Garna is cultivating a number of sincere and intelligent men who really seem to have the capacity to be ministers and leaders of the church. A few years ago there was hardly anyone like this.
We had many interesting experiences on our visit, most of them similar to what Rev. Howard describes concerning his visit. We left Ghana a little dismayed by its impoverished condition, but encouraged by the real progress of the church despite the lack of ministers, means of transportation, places of worship, and books. The Ghanaians have almost nothing, due to their failing economy, and this has caused a stressful situation which is not helping the church. Even the different New Church groups may disagree over who will receive books of the Writings and aid if the organizations in America and Europe decide to send any. The overall picture, however, when compared to the way the New Church as being received in other parts of the world, is extremely bright. The New Church organization under Pastor Garna will certainly prosper. As the Writings simply state, "The Africans are more receptive of the Heavenly Doctrines than any others on this earth." (LJ pos 118; SD 4783)
TEN YEARS OF LAUREL LEAF ACADEMY 1980

TEN YEARS OF LAUREL LEAF ACADEMY JACK ROSE 1980

Two splendid New Church Summer Camps were held at Laurel Hill State Park in the summer of 1980. A total of 250 persons attended the camps in a beautiful large State Park in Western Pennsylvania. Both camps enjoyed the finest weather in the history of Laurel Leaf Academy.
These camps were the culmination of ten years of development, starting with the first in August of 1971. All of the camps included a series of lectures each morning by several ministers and often one lay person. Several worship services were held each day and there was a variety of other activities.

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     On Wednesday afternoon nothing is scheduled and the entire camp is free to visit any of the numerous attractions in the area. Some visit the Church areas in Pittsburgh or Freeport. Others visit the famous "Fallingwater" home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Brave souls get in rafts loaned by Pittsburgh Society members and experience the well known white water of the Youghiogheny River thirty minutes from the camp.
     "College Age and Up" are eligible for the camp. Early camps included mostly young people but with a few older members of the church including several octogenarians. Some married couples brought small children and the total attendance moved up towards the one hundred mark as more people learned of the camp.
     At one camp meeting in 1974 several students remarked that although they were surrounded by almost 100 persons, they felt alone and on the outside of the activity. This led to the development of the "family" system.
     Before each camp begins, all campers are divided into seven or eight "families" consisting of eight to sixteen persons. Each family performs one major use for the camp such as first aid, entertainment, sports or altar preparation. In the evening each family has a one or two hour group meeting where the members have an opportunity to get to know each other much better than is possible in the daily camp life. Each family is led by a trained leader, and it's hard to feel lonely now at Laurel Leaf Academy.
     Each family spent one complete day in the kitchen which was a good experience for them and for the cook. The family system worked very well, but still did not accomplish all the work which is needed for such a large camp. So in recent years daily "chore" time was added to the schedule when everyone in the camp works for thirty minutes each day.
     Early camps were planned by a small group, but in 1978 a Laurel Planning Committee was formed with the objective of planning each year's camp. The committee consists of different people each year, and anyone is invited to belong.
     By 1978 the enrollment had reached the camp maximum of 148 persons, including children. Over the years campers debated the pros and cons of having children present in the camp. Their spheres were appreciated by some and not by others. And the small children required baby sitters and special cabin assignments.
     In 1979 the staff took a bold step and scheduled two summer camps, a "family" Laurel at the end of July where children would be welcomed, and an "adult" Laurel at the end of August where no children would be allowed. There was much concern about whether there was enough interest to fill two camps, but the decision proved to be a good one. Ninety persons attended each camp.

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     Encouraged by the good turnout in 1979, the Laurel Planning Committee put in many hours scheduling two different types of camps for 1980. The family camp was designed for families, rather than being an adult camp with children welcome. The adult camp was designed for adults only. Although the theme of the two camps is the same each year, the schedule is different, the activities are different and the use of the buildings is different.
     Ten years of evolution plus lots of planning in early 1980 paid off. One hundred and fifty one persons attended the family camp, including eighty- two children! But a full staff of twenty-five persons was ready with five simultaneous programs for different age groups, a variety of afternoon programs and seventy boxes of breakfast cereal. Average full-time attendance was 141 persons and it appears that in future years enrollments will have to be closed after 148 names are received.
     One hundred persons attended the adult Laurel one month later, including seven ministers. Some students attended both camps, and many campers are repeaters of earlier years. But each year sees many new faces (25% new in 1980) that assure repeat camps for many years to come. Much of the assurance comes from the fact that early students have come to enjoy participation as a member of the working staff.
     One feature of the Adult Laurel is "lay electives." Any camper can offer an elective on any subject. These are scheduled in the late afternoon and several are going at the same time. This gives all the campers lots of opportunities to talk, to listen or to relax instead.
     Although Laurel Leaf Academy is a New Church camp with lots of doctrine and worship throughout the week, people from outside of the Church are also invited. Each year sees one or two brave souls spend a week surrounded by Swedenborgians and survive.
     Those interested in learning more about Laurel Leaf Academy can attend a slide show which was produced after the 1979 Adult Laurel. A page of student reactions to the 1980 adult camp is also available.
     Total cost of the two 1980 camps was $7,000. For ten years all costs have been covered by fees charged to students plus contributions from students and members of the staff.
     The 1981 Family Laurel will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 18th and continue until 11:30 a.m. the following Saturday. The adult Laurel, being the last camp of the season, has an extra setup day starting at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, August 22nd, with formal camp starting Sunday afternoon and continuing one week until 1:30 p.m. the Sunday before Labor Day.

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     Readers who would like a list of attendees and a schedule for either of the 1980 camps can get them by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to the editor, New Church Life.
     JACK ROSE
     Treasurer
NEW GENERAL CHURCH SOCIETY IN BALTIMORE 1980

NEW GENERAL CHURCH SOCIETY IN BALTIMORE LOUIS B. KING 1980

     The first New Church society in America was located in Baltimore, Maryland, under the leadership of the Rev. John Hargrove. Today, the Baltimore Society (The Hillside Chapel) is located at Lenten Avenue and Dartmouth Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21212.
     After seeking and receiving ministerial assistance from the General Church of the New Jerusalem for the past three years, on June 7, 1980, the Baltimore Society severed all ties with the General Convention and, on June 28, 1980, was received officially by the Bishop as a society of the General Church of the New Jerusalem.
     This historic event transpired in the home of Mr. Milton Honemann of Baltimore at a legal meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Baltimore Society to which the Bishop of the General Church was invited.
     LOUIS B. KING
          Bishop

     THE FIRST CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM IN THE UNITED STATES

     Introduction

     I have been asked to write a brief history of the Baltimore Church. Having living memory of only about one quarter of the nearly two centuries of that history it is necessary that I rely heavily on two previous compilations by the late George Pausch, who in turn quotes from other records.
     What follows, then, includes some of the highlights I have excerpted and some that I remember.

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     The Baltimore Society 1800-1980

     Records show that the first building dedicated as a "New Church Temple" was situated in downtown Baltimore on the southwest corner of Baltimore and Exeter Streets. This was early in 1800.
     Our first minister, the Reverend John Hargrove, was the pastor. Mr. Hargrove made many influential friends, and his sincerity led to his preaching to congress on two different occasions as well as to some correspondence with President George Washington. Mr. Washington's reply to one of his letters hangs in the minister's study at the Hillside Chapel today.
     It is recorded that Mr. Hargrove preached without recompense from 1798 to 1835 and further that he published a pamphlet, The Temple of Truth, at a loss. There is no doubt in this writer's mind that the Hargrove influence still permeates our efforts today.
     Again, history tells us that the Baltimore Society was at one time three separate churches consisting of one German speaking and two English speaking congregations. The circumstances of and reasons for these divisions are clouded, but in 1874 they came together under one roof. This church building (still standing) is located on the west side of Calvert Street just north of Chase Street. It is here that the society united and for eighty-five years held regular Sunday services. It is here that this writer's earliest memories of church life begin.
     Toward the end of this period there was a feeling among our people that several factors (limited space, deteriorating neighborhood) necessitated a further move.
     The sale of the old building and the completion of our present one were accomplished late in 1959, and on November 22nd of that year the Hillside Chapel was dedicated.
     Our first full-time minister was the Reverend Thomas A. Reed, but when he left, and until just recently, we have been without any regular minister. The inevitable result, despite the efforts of a devoted group of laymen, was the demise of our Sunday-school and a steady decline in attendance at Sunday service.
     Beginning in the latter years at Calvert Street and continuing up to the present, there has been a growing feeling that the direction that General Convention was taking was at wide variance with our ideas. Then one day, a little over three years ago, our small group paid a visit to the General Church at Mitchellville. This set in motion a series of events which has culminated in the Baltimore Society's asking for, and being granted, admission to the General Church of the New Jerusalem.

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We now find ourselves beginning a new chapter in our history. This one is beginning on a note of optimism, excitement, and hope among our membership, and this writer feels that we have unbounded potential for growth, expansion and use. We give thanks to the Lord and pray for His blessing on all of our future endeavors.
RECEIVING THE LORD'S FORGIVENESS 1980

RECEIVING THE LORD'S FORGIVENESS Rev. DANIEL GOODENOUGH 1980

     (adapted from a College Chapel Talk)

     It is sometimes said that the New Church is an internal church, and that there should be no external in it without its corresponding internal. (AR 918) What this means is that the New Church is a church within man, not outside of him. It is what is inside of us that makes the church, and worship, prayer, doctrinal learning, even the Lord's will, make the church with us only so far as our internal will and understanding are affected by them. Not what is outside us, but what we receive within is what makes the church.
     Take, for example, the forgiveness of sins. Any believer in God who has done evil must wonder about this question: will I be forgiven of my sins? Or will they always count against me?
     In the New Church the answer is clear: the determining factor will be something within ourselves, ultimately in our own free will. Our internal will decides if we are forgiven. There are no rituals or other externals we can go through that by themselves will get rid of our sins. In fact not even God's will can by itself free us of the burden of our evils. If God, without our co-operation, could remove our evils by His will, then everyone would be saved.
     This is not because God refuses to forgive. As a matter of fact He forgives completely, freely, immediately, automatically. As soon as anyone sins at once God forgives him and urges, I love you; follow Me. As He told Peter to forgive until seventy times seven, the Lord forgives everyone immediately and unconditionally and completely (TCR 539). We cannot earn the Lord's forgiveness because He has already forgiven us. It is His nature to will evil away from us. This truth the Protestant movement has seen, and consequently Protestants have believed that God's decision to forgive man, by grace, is the one only thing that saves him.

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     But God's will is outside of man. It is external to us. Unless we receive it in ourselves, His forgiveness doesn't affect us in the slightest. For it is not what happens outside us that makes our life, but what we receive within.
     Thus the same passage that tells us the Lord immediately forgives sinners, saying, "They know not what they do"-this same passage at once adds that sins "are not on that account abolished" (TCR 539). Or as another passage puts it, "the Lord forgives everyone his sins, because He is mercy itself. Nevertheless they are not thereby forgiven unless the man performs serious repentance and desists from evils, and afterwards lives a life of faith and charity. . . . When from this new life the man views the evils of his former life, and turns away from them, and regards them with horror, then for the first time are the evils forgiven, for then the man is held in truths and goods by the Lord, and is withheld from evils. From this it is plain what is the forgiveness of sins, and that it cannot be granted within an hour, nor within a year" (AC 9014.3).
     This may sound as if the Lord is forgiving us and then taking that forgiveness away, but in fact He is simply showing us how to receive His forgiveness within ourselves. For it is His forgiveness that saves us, but this cannot save us until we receive it within.
     And the fact is, we don't really believe we are forgiven of evils unless we cast them out. Sometimes we may feel saved, like a spirit Swedenborg heard praying: "'I am full of sores, leprous, unclean from my birth. There is nothing sound in me from my head to the sole of my foot. I am not worthy to lift up my eyes to God: I am deserving of death and eternal damnation. Have mercy on me for the sake of Thy Son; purify me by His blood. The salvation of all is in Thy good pleasure; I implore Thy mercy.' Those who stood by and heard him asked: 'How do you know that you are such?' He replied, "I know it because I have been told'"
(TCR 518).
     It was certainly an impressive declaration of his being nothing but evil, but the fact is, he didn't believe a word of it. The spirit was sent to examining angels, who listened to his prayer and then examined him. They affirmed that, yes, what he said about himself was indeed true, "but that he was not conscious of a single evil in himself, because he had never examined himself, and believed that evils, after an oral confession, were no longer evils in the sight of God. . . . On this account he had never repented of any evil, although he was a deliberate adulterer, a robber, and a deceitful slanderer, burning with revenge; and because he was such in will and heart, he would, therefore, have been the same in word and deed had he not been restrained by fear of the law and loss of reputation.

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After this disclosure of his real character, judgment was passed upon him and he was sent to join the hypocrites in hell" (TCR 518).
     This person, in other words, did not really believe he had evils to be forgiven, because he hadn't looked for them. Internally, he didn't even believe he was saved or loved by God because he didn't know what salvation or God's love is. It does us no good to profess we are nothing but evil-even though that may be true-unless we also look for specific evils. Like this spirit, we might imagine that somehow our New Church faith, or worship, or study, or confession will save us. But internally, within ourselves, we do not believe our evils are forgiven unless we see them and reject them from our lives. Internally we reject the Lord's mercy and forgiveness unless we live from His love and wisdom.
     So we are told to shun evils, look to the Lord, and begin a new life. But it is not that these are pre-requisite to God's forgiveness, or that they somehow earn His forgiveness or salvation or His good graces. He has already forgiven us, because He loves us. Rather it is that shunning evils, looking to the Lord, and beginning a new life-these are our reception of the Lord's forgiveness, because they make it internal in us. These make it part of our life rather than something outside us. Unless we shun evils as sins, we leave the Lord merciful, forgiving, knocking at the door, waiting. For we are not saved by what is outside us, but by what we are willing to receive within. And unless we receive the Lord's love in our daily living and shunning evils, it is constitutionally impossible for us to believe He loves us. However much we hear that the Lord forgives and loves us, and that we shouldn't feel guilty, we will never believe this unless we live as He teaches.
     The New Church emphasis on the internal is not, however, a call to excessive self-examination or to think too much about ourselves. Some serious self-examination is essential, but primarily the Lord calls us to live our lives with other people in such a way that His love and wisdom, and not self-seeking and self-justification, become habitually internal with us.
     This is a far richer blessing than His saving us by His own will alone, as the Protestant doctrine holds. Though the work we do to receive His mercy and grace is sometimes hard, this work enables us to feel His saving wisdom and love as though they were our own-not as something that somebody else wants for us, but as something that we want too. But we'll feel them as our own, and we'll believe God loves us, only if we live that ways.

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ANNUAL REPORT OF SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 1980

ANNUAL REPORT OF SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM LORENTZ R. SONESON 1980

     During September 1979, through August 1980, one hundred and one members were received into the General Church. Three resigned from the church. Fourteen were dropped from the roll. Fifty-three deaths were reported. On September 1, 1980, the roll contained three thousand six hundred and fifty-eight names.

Membership, September 1, 1979                    3,627
(U.S.A.-2 469. Other Countries-1,158)

New Members (Cert. 6637-6737)                    101
(U.S.A.-86. Other Countries-15)

Deaths reported                               53
(U.S.A.-38. Other Countries-15)

Resignations                              3
(U.S.A.-3. Other Countries-0)

Dropped from Roll                              14
(U.S.A.-10. Other Countries-4)

Losses                                   70
(U.S.A-51. Other Countries-19)

Net Gain during September 1979 through August 1980     31
(U.S.A.-35. Other Countries-Loss of 4)

Membership, September 1, 1980                    3,658
(U.S.A.-2,504. Other Countries-l,154).

     NEW MEMBERS

THE UNITED STATES

Alabama:     Auburn

Mr. Daniel Thomas Allen
Mrs. Daniel Thomas Allen (Jennifer Kelly Smith)

Alabama:     Scottsboro

Mrs. Jeffrey Lynn Fox (Dorothy Ann Hall)

Arizona:     Tucson

Ms. Emily (Moorhead) Field
Mrs. Walter Lawrence Gonnason
     (Elma Irene Erickson)
Mr. Harry Victor Pletcher
Mr. Alexander Sutcliffe Waddell

Arkansas:     West Fork

Mrs. Tracy L. Wilson
     (Frances Gladish)

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California:     Altadena
Mr. John Michael Davidson

California:     La Jolla
Miss Sally (Scarrain) Pitcairn

California:     Palo Alto
Mr. Stuart Collier Pendleton

California:     San Diego
Mr. Richard Campbell

California:     San Jose
Mrs. Charles Frederick Davis
     (Ragna Johanne Petersen)

Colorado:     Greeley
Miss Glyn Cole

Colorado: Wheatridge
Mr. William Oscar Pyles
Mrs. William Oscar Pyles
     (Gloria Joan Slater)

Florida:     Miramar
Mr. Kenneth Edward Leeming

Florida:     Tampa
Mr. Daniel Wilson Frazier
Mrs. Daniel Wilson Frazier
     (Karen Sue Meyers)

Georgia:     Chamblee
Mr. Robert Frank Stitt
Mrs. Robert Frank Stitt
     (Mary Jane Nelson)

Georgia:     Decatur
Mr. Lawrence Scott Romaine

Hawaii: Honolulu
Mrs. Dale C. Moss
     (Monina Acuna Dilag)

Illinois: Glenview
Mr. Bruce Albert Horigan
Mrs. Bruce Albert Horigan
     (Erika Synnestvedt)
Mrs. Lawrence S. Wathen
     (Lucile Marie Marty)

Illinois:     Arlington Heights
Mr. Joseph Daniel Seckelman, III
Mrs. Joseph Daniel Seckelman, III
     (Glenne Weaver)

Maine: Bath

Mr. Howard Parker Holmes
Mrs. Howard Parker Holmes
     (Barbara Louise Walker)

Maryland:     Towson
Mr. Milton Letcher Honemann

Michigan:     Birmingham
Mr. David Ethan Childs
Mrs. David Ethan Childs
     (Jennifer Cook)

Michigan:     Royal Oak
Mr. Otto Wilfred Birchman
Mrs. Otto Wilfred Birchman
     (Olive Mary Day)

Michigan:     Troy
Mr. Michael Carl Kloc

Minnesota: Minneapolis
Mrs. Leslie Harold Johnson
     (Sally Ann Waddell)

519

New York: Delmar
Mrs. Allen W. Zieker
     (Wanda Astrid Weaver)

Ohio: Akron
Mr. John Carpenter deMaine
Mrs. John Carpenter deMaine
     (Karen Cooper)

Ohio: Cleveland Heights
Mr. Frank Noel Therlault
Mrs. Frank Noel Therlault
     (Alberta Keller)

Ohio:     Tallmadge
Mr. Dale Henderson

Oregon:     Ontario
Mr. Clarence Lynn Anderson
Mrs. Clarence Lynn Anderson
     (Harriet Esther Christiansen)

Pennsylvania:     Bethayres
Mr. Harry Albert Hoover

Pennsylvania:     Bryn Athyn
Mr. James Mason Adams
Mr. William Belz Conlew
Miss Chara Cooper
Mr. Bradley Eliot Cranch
Miss Jaquiline Louise Echols
Miss Stacey Lea Genzlinger
Mr. Richard Brian Greer
Mr. Wynne Thomas Hyatt
Miss Karen Ann Jorgenson
Miss Erin Junge
Miss Brenda Renn Maddock
Mr. John Kevin Odhner
Miss Jessica Pendleton
Mr. Raymond Joel Silverman
Mrs. Raymond Joel Silverman
     (Starlet Lee Bruner)
Miss Barbara Alison Smith
Miss Teryn Synnestvedt
Miss Kim Anne Traux
Mr. Clinton James van Zyverden
Mr. Ralph Foster Wetzel, II
Mrs. Ralph Foster Wetzel, II
     (Gloria Mae Hipps)

Pennsylvania:     Erie
Mrs. Edward R. Hazlett, Jr.
     (Priscilla Ann Murray)

Pennsylvania:     Huntingdon Valley
Miss Nina Pitcairn
Mr. Grant Ronald Schnarr
Mrs. Grant Ronald Schnarr
     (Cathlin Davis Cole)

Pennsylvania:     Kempton
Mr. Bruce Alexander Henry

Pennsylvania:     Northampton
Mr. Rudolf Anthony Hilt
Mrs. Rudolf Anthony Hilt
     (Lynell Ellis Brown)

Pennsylvania:     Philadelphia
Mr. Zenon Harantshuk
Mr. Robert William King, Jr.
Mrs. Robert William King, Jr.
     (Loretta Geter)
Mr. Garold Edward Tennis
Mrs. Garold Edward Tennis
     (Kara Johns)

Pennsylvania:     Thorndale
Mr. Robert Thomas Andrews

Pennsylvania:     Titusville
Mr. Richard Crozier Bovard

Pennsylvania:     Warminster
Miss Tina Patricia Schnarr

520

South Dakota: Hot Springs
Mr. Forrest Klippenstein

Texas: Austin
Mr. James Edward Nichols

Texas:     Forth Worth
Mr. Charles Patrick Hogan

West Virginia: Wheeling
Mr. Paul Edward Schorran

CANADA

British Columbia: Dawson Creek
Mrs. William J. D. Smith
     (Darlene Josephine Friesen)

Ontario:     Barry Sound
Miss Frances Nicole Jutras

Ontario:     Islington
Miss Sharon Parker
Miss Deborah Sjostedt
Mr. Jack Harry Durrant Watson
Mrs. Jack Harry Durrant Watson
     (Diana Margaret Branson)

Ontario:     Kitchener
Miss Lauren Kuhl
Mrs. Jeffrey Uniac
     (Karen Margaret Schnarr)
Mrs. Ernest Thomas Watts
     (Deborah Lynn Piper)

EUROPE

England:     London
Mrs. David C. Mun-Gavin
     (Fayleen Diana Browne)

England:     Middlesex
Mr. Gregory Matthew Warwick

The Netherlands: The Hague
Mr. Folkert Maarten Nater

Sweden:     Tranhult
Mr. Bo Lennart Jansson

SOUTH AFRICA

Natal:     Durban
Mr. Malcolm Merson-Davies
Mrs. Malcolm Merson-Davies
     (Sandra Geraldine Wheatley)

     DEATHS

Acton, Mrs. Kesniel (Doris Renee Odhner), February 16, 1980, Abington, Pennsylvania. (77)
Ahrfelt, Mr. Gunnar J., June 6, 1979, Stockholm, Sweden. (62)
Anderson, Mr. Irving John, December 11, 1979, Madison, Wisconsin. (73)
Ashley, Mr. Herbert William, date unknown. DELAYED REPORT. London, England.
Bancroft, Mr. Walter H., October 19, 1979, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (68)
Barber, Mrs. Albert, January 1, 1979, Sacramento, California. (79)

521

Bergstrom, Mr. Albin, October 18, 1979, Morrison, Colorado. (70)
Bostock, Miss Phehe, November 18, 1979, Richboro, Pennsylvania. (93)
Buck, Mrs. Carroll Packard (Evelyn Frost), February 6, 1980, Arroyo Gorande, California. (73)
Day, Mr. Frank Edward, April 7,1980, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. (79)
de Charms, Mr. Charles, January 28, 1980, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. (62)
Gill, Mrs. Alan (Dorothy Waters), January 13, 1980, Colchester, Essex, England. (82)
Glenn, Edmund Pollock, March 18, 1980, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (69)
Glenn, Lawrence Woodman, February 17, 1980, Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. (68)
Greenhalgh, Mr. Cohn Murray, 1979, Kent, England. (66)
Greenwood, Miss Mabel Beatrice, February 5, 1980, Norwood, London, England. (85)
Hasen, Mr. John Stephen, January 1,1980, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. (54)
Hecker, Mr. William Julius. DATE UNKNOWN.
Hecker, Mrs. William Julius (Vera Fitzpatrick). DATE UNKNOWN.
Johnscn, Mr. Lloyd Ishmael, July 19, 1980, Minneapolis, Minnesota. (75).
Joliffe, Mrs. Stanley Desmond (Eve Olive Moore Carfrae Classe), August 17, 1979, Sydenham, Johannesburg, South Africa. (67)
Junge, Mrs. Robert Schill (Vera Pitcairn), December 3, 1979, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. (49)
Kitzelman, Mrs. Frank (Rose Caroline Harck), May 31, 1980, Hinsdale, Illinois. (88)
Klein, Mr. Eldric Samuel, December 30, 1979, Sarver, Pennsylvania. (78)
Klock, Mrs. Lewis Eugene (Josephine Marie Lark), April 20, 1980, Portsmouth, Ohio. (77)
Knight, Mr. Joseph, February 24, 1980, York County, Canada. (94)
Leezer, Mr. Samuel Jameson, October 2, 1977, Freeport, Pennsylvania. (70) DELAYED REPORT.
Lindsay, Mr. George Edgar, February 25, 1980, Honesdale, Pennsylvania. (65)
Lindsay, Mr. Samuel Stewart, Jr., May 17, 1980, Hatboro, Pennsylvania. (77)
Lobb, Mrs. Norman Heath, Jr. (Edith Marie Deigendesch), December 8, 1978, Chilmark, Massachusetts. (62) DELAYED REPORT.
Long, Mr. Charles Edgar, August 3,1980, Abington, Pennsylvania. (57)
Longstaff, Mrs. Frank Raymond (Lois Graham), Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (93)
Lyman, Mr. Payson Williston, October 12, 1979, Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. (80)
McCoy, Dr. Louis Lincoln, August 19, 1980, Tucson, Arizona. (S2)
Moorby, Mr. Raymond, June 20, 1980, San Diego, California. (51)
Nelson, Mr. Hubert Swain, April 10, 1980, Glenview, Illinois. (74)
Landstrom, Mr. Gunnar Nikolaus, November 23, 1979, Stockholm, Sweden. (92)
Norris, Mr. John Richard, December 19, 1979, North Canton, Ohio. (55)
Odhner, The Rev. Ormond de Charms, February 17, 1980, Abington, Pennsylvania. (68)
Pagan, Mrs. George (Laura Ina Schnarr), May 8,1980, Raleigh, North Carolina. (95)
Petzke, Mr. Walter Frederick, January 6, 1980, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. (S7)
Pitcairn, Mrs. Lachlan (Jean Elizabeth Horigan), September 30, 1979, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. (58)
Priest, Mrs. Robert G. (Dorothy Irene Orme), January 12, 1980, Kent, England. (85)
Pryke, Mr. Kenneth, March 8, 1980, Chelmsford, Essex, England. (72)
Rich, Mrs. Morley D. (Stella Coffin), August 7, 1980, Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. (66)

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Rosenqvist, Miss Ruth Fingal, May 1, 1980, Sellersville, Pennsylvania. (79)
Schoenberger, Mr. Arthur, May 6, 1980, St. Petersburg, Florida. (88)
Schoenberger, Mrs. Homer (Alice May Smith), January 2, 1980, Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania. (89)
Schwindt, Miss Celestine, October 24, 1979, West Chester, Pennsylvania. (88)
Sellner, Mr. Harold Edgar, August 9, 1980, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. (84)
Shepherd, Mrs. Frederick George (Ada Sarah Harwood), Harold Wood, Essex, England. (85)
Smith, Mr. Sterling Roger, January 17, 1980, Holland, Pennsylvania. (76)
Wyncoll, Mrs. Harold S. (Eunice Vida Motum), March 26, 1980, Colchester, Essex, England. (78)

RESIGNATIONS

Good, Miss Anita, Prospect Park, Pennsylvania.
Martin, Mrs. William Keith, Australia.
Weatherup, Mrs. Arline Beryl Clutton, Australia

DROPPED FROM THE ROLL

Behlert, Mr. Erwin Emanuel, U.S.A.
deMaine, Mrs. Georgine Ann Class, Pennsylvania
Denys, Mr. Georges Albert Henri, Belgium
Denys, Mrs. Georges Albert Henri (Isahelle Mommens), Belgium
de Schrijver, Mine. Henrietta Pepersack, France
Ebert, Mrs. Eric Eugene (Lulie T. Zerweck), U.S.A.
Esdale, Mrs. William (Maybelle McShane), U.S.A.
Lester, Mr. Earl Roland, U.S.A.
Mitchell, Mr. Pierre Lawrence, U.S.A.
Smith, Mrs. Robert B. (Naoma Ruby Clapp), U.S.A.
Svensson, Mr. Edvin Arvid William, Sweden von Grabe, Mr. Bernt, U.S.A.
von Grabe, Mrs. Bernt (Kathi Kahler), U.S.A.
Wilson, Mrs. Monique Marthe Poulin, U.S.A.

LORENTZ R. SONESON
Secy.

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GIVE THANKS FOR YOUR FACULTIES 1980

GIVE THANKS FOR YOUR FACULTIES Editor 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.
     Editor     Rev. Donald L. Rose, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     Associate Editor     Rev. Morley D. Rich, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     Business Manager     Mr. L. E. Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.
Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$5.00 (U.S.) a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     Our October editorial numbered you among the handicapped. This was because of the teaching of the Writings that someone passing into the other life retains everything but the material body "which had been an impediment to the interior exercise of his faculties" (AC 1853).
     What are faculties? We say of one who is sober and has his wits about him that he is in possession of his faculties. Faculties are possessions we should think about at a time of thanksgiving. By dictionary definition a faculty is "an inherent power or ability" or "any of the powers or capacities possessed by the human mind."
     What is the news of the Lord's revelation about your faculties? It is that you now posssess better ones than you realize and that they are not temporary or passing. In fact, when this brief physical life is over, you will enter into a finer enjoyment of your faculties. This is a reality of your life. Without the Lord's revelation you could not know of it nor make it a subject of thanksgiving.
     The teaching about faculties is emphatic. "The same faculties remain, but are much more perfect, clear and free" (AC 1389). The perfection and clarity enjoyed by those in the other life applies to faculties of external sensation as well as to mental ability. They are in a more perfect state, "that is, both their sensations, and their thoughts and perceptions" (AC 2473).

524

     The teaching about the senses is delightful and fascinating. The eye, although an organ of sight, does not do the seeing. You do the seeing, and you possess the faculty of seeing as a gift from the Lord. You may require glasses to read the words on this page, but your sight will endure when the glasses and the material eyes have been left behind.
     "The sight of the eye exists from interior sight, and for this reason after the death of the body man sees equally as well and even better than when he lived in the body. . . . Those who were blind in the life of the body, see in the other life as well as those who had keen vision" (AC 994).
     Look at the tip of your finger. While you live in the natural world the nerve endings there serve more or less adequately your sense of touch. It may be said that the sense of touch is in the substance and form of the skin (DLW 41), but really it is not the skin that senses, nor is it the eye that sees. Concerning the body one has in the other life we read, "This
body he also feels with the touch, not with the hands or the sense of touch which he enjoyed in the world, but with the hands and the sense of touch which he enjoys there, which is that from which his sense of touch in the world came forth" (AC 5078).
     The Lord gives us life, and sensation is an integral part of life. The Lord preserves and guards in us the freedom to exercise our individual faculties of thought and will. Among our inner senses we might include our sense of humor, a gift that can sustain us in difficult times. Angels do laugh, and in keeping with the theme of the sermon in this issue we would rejoice as Sarah did when she said, "God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me."
     In offering thanks for our faculties we are making most appropriate use of those two truly human faculties, the faculties of receiving and responding to the Lord's love and wisdom.
"PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING" 1980

"PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING" KRISTIN O. CARLSON 1980

Dear Editor:

I appreciated very much the article by Stephen Cole on "Innocence vs. the Prevention of Offspring" (Aug. NEW CHURCH LIFE) both because of the obvious research work that went into its writing, and because it reminded me of a worry that I have had about some of our derived doctrines.

525

     It seems to me that when we are talking or preaching about subjects as little directly mentioned in the Heavenly Doctrines as are "birth control," "working mothers," and even "New Church Education," we must be very careful to distinguish whether we are quoting the Lord God of the universe or whether we are quoting another person, however respected, or relaying our own opinions. I felt Stephen was usually careful about this, although sometimes I was confused about which points were the Lord's truth.
     If we confuse what is directly taught by the Lord with our personal opinions, we may be in danger of letting the hells focus our attention on details, while distracting us from the real issue. It seems to be the special temptation of intelligent minds to delve into grey areas with gusto, while ignoring the central and the obvious!
     Also, especially in the case of "contraception," since we all are a lot less forgiving and tolerant than our Saviour, we are in danger of leading New Church parents to feel they must be superhuman before they can allow themselves to feel any satisfaction and enjoyment in the work of raising their children. Jacob had thirteen children, but those children had four mothers. Angel mothers are given as many children as they want. Is it somewhere from three to five as suggested in S.D. 5660? I'd like to see the "sphere of the love of protecting what is procreated" given just as much emphasis as the "sphere of the love of procreation."
     There are no direct teachings about interfering with conception. But there are direct teachings about interfering with marriage. Let's be careful of the difference so that we don't lose track of the main point.
     Sincerely yours,
          KRISTIN O. CARLSON
Kitchener, Ontario
"PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING" 1980

"PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING" E. BRUCE GLENN 1980

To the Editor:

The Rev. Stephen Cole's article on birth control as a destroyer on innocence (August NCL p. 356) issued a strong challenge to the married couples of the General Church, and one which many must have found profoundly disturbing. Their disturbance should not have arisen from his frank consideration of this topic central to the life and growth of the Church-we need such direct exposition on the part of our ministers-but is likely rather to have been stirred by the rigid absoluteness of his stand.
As a layman I am perhaps not competent to discuss the several points he raised regarding the relation of a priestly statement of 1899 to the teachings of the Heavenly Doctrines concerning Divine providence and human prudence, the relation of conjugial love to the love of offspring, and others-including some he did not take up, such as the doctrine of permissions.

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But any New Church couple has the freedom to examine both the doctrines and their own conscience in the light of what they find there. Mr. Cole acknowledges this in his final paragraph; but that paragraph concludes a condemnation of birth control, for whatever reason, so sweeping as to leave the conscience little room for free choice. In addition, his statement is so couched that any rejoinder must appear to be the casuistry of human prudence defending the wrong.
     At the risk of offering such casuistry I present the following few general observations.
     I do not find that the Heavenly Doctrines condemn the act of birth control. They everywhere condemn the love of self and of the world as evil when these are allowed dominance over the love of use. Certainly much birth control in our time is practiced from love of self and the world; and the evil of the motive renders the act wrong. But we cannot spiritually judge acts; and intentions are known only to the individual and the Lord.
     In an ideal world children would be provided according to the Lord's providential ordering; the question of birth control would never arise. It is perhaps all too easy to say that the world we live in is not ideal-but is it enough in response simply to say (p. 362) that "if one accepts willingly all the children that the Lord sends, one need not worry about the consequences, for the matter is under the Lord's government"? (If human prudence cannot ally itself to the teachings of and about Divine providence, is not the taking out of life insurance an abominable act?)
     To repeat, the central issue, I believe, is that of motive or intent, not of act. If a wife can bear children only by Caesarian section, is it an abomination to delay a second child for two years under strong medical warnings as to the wife's life and health? There is as broad a spectrum of motives for any act as there are loves, gathered under the opposing forces of self and the world, on the one hand, and the Lord and the neighbor on the other. Danger to health, mental, physical, even spiritual, or concern for the nurturing of offspring are a far cry from the desire for a color television set. Between the two extremes lies a complex range of judgments, decisions, and loves for which the couple alone can accept the responsibility of choice.
     Because we do not live in an ideal world, but in one distorted by human evil, hereditary and actual, such warnings as that here presented by Mr. Cole are important for the health of the Church and its marriages. For the same reason it is important to avoid absolute judgments on human interpretations and decisions. Mr. Cole asks a pivotal question of the Church at this time (p. 359): "Has there been a change in the understanding of the teachings that bear upon [Bishop W. F. Pendleton's] principle, or has the subtle influence of the dragon, from the world without and from our native inclinations within, effected a widespread destruction of innocence in the Church?"

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     A question that needs to be asked, and one that no person can answer for any other person.

     Sincerely yours,
     E. BRUCE GLENN

Bryn Athyn, Pa.
"MEMORIES THAT HURT" 1980

"MEMORIES THAT HURT" CHRIS Q. HORNER 1980

Dear Editor:
     May I comment briefly on your excellent homily in the April number entitled Memories That Hurt? I have in my possession an early edition of the Arcana Coelestia published almost a hundred years ago; and in it No. 5470 (quoted in your piece) reads: "If when a man betakes himself to evils, as is the case with most in youth." Later editions use the word "many."
     Comparing the two renderings, I was impressed by the vast difference in implications between the words "most" and "many," in this context. As I am no Latin scholar I consulted one who is, and he assured me that the correct rendering is "most."
     It is a steadying and humbling thought to realize that we are almost assuredly amongst the "most" who turned to evil in their youth, and we have no occasion to bolster our natural ego by telling ourselves that it could not happen to us, since we are not numbered among the "many"!
     Your talk is addressed to young people, but no doubt there is a lesson for men of all ages. None of us has any call for smugness; for the prophet's finger may be pointing at us even now. Have we yet laid the ghost of uncharitableness that is ever seeking to haunt and dominate us? It is well for us to reflect and ponder on the thoughts that you have not put forward about memories that hurt.
     Please excuse the lateness of this letter, as we who live "Down Under" are often handicapped by receiving our copy of NEW CHURCH LIFE as much as two months after publication.

     Sincerely,
     CHRIS Q. HORNER

Dungowan, N.S.W.
Australia

528

Church News 1980

Church News Various 1980

     PITTSBURGH

     As the hazy days of summer give in to clear, cool autumn the Pittsburgh Society anticipates some interesting changes. Our pastor of eight years, the Rev. Donald L. Rose, is beginning the editorship of this periodical, and, in so doing, relinquishes the position of headmaster of the Pittsburgh New Church School to the Rev. Eric H. Carswell. Mr. Carswell moves easily into this position as a result of a year's teaching here and a Master's degree in educational administration from Lehigh University. The staff of our school is also changing: Sarah Waters, a recent graduate of the Academy of the New Church College, replaces Chris Alan as bus driver and part-time teacher, and Heather N. Uber has left the classroom, we hope only temporarily, for the responsibilities of motherhood. (For the record, we should note that Miriam A. Gruber did not join our staff last year, as reported in the September New Church Life, but, instead, increased her family to two.) Curtis L. McQueen and Polly M. Schoenberger remain as full-time teachers, joined by Mr. Carswell and Mr. Rose in their part-time capacities and by several capable volunteer teachers.
     Students from our school continue to move on to the Academy and do quite well there. Last year Rene Heilman, after being feted by the traditional summer shower of gifts from the women of the Society, went to the Girls School and is now Deka President, soon to be joined by Angela and Sylvia Rose and Kim Blair. For the young men in our Society, the Labor Day Picnic at the Lindsay farm in Sarver includes a toast and gift-giving. Last year these men included Greg Rose (this year to be a dorm proctor), Bill Blair, Andy Lindsay, and Richard Stein, and this year, John Alden.
     Highlights of this past school year began in August of 1979 with the delightful experience of Mr. Carswell, Mr. Rose, Miss Alan, and Mrs. Schoenberger in Glenview at the Education Council meetings. But our uplifted state did not last too long as we were quickly faced with difficulties in our school. Mr. Carswell worked too hard and contracted pneumonia, and Mr. McQueen had a heart attack at the end of September which put him out of commission until February. But good things do come from bad; volunteers like Phil Heilman and Denise Kendig were not only capable but also were fun for the staff and students to get to know. We also enjoyed having Roxanne McQueen here in January and February doing her practicum.
     After a school start like last year's things could only improve. In October we had a delightful visit from a professional brass group, the St. Anne's Brass Consort, which gave individual demonstrations in the various classrooms and ended up with a rousing concert complete with audience participation. In November the 7th and 8th grades visited Washington, D.C., a trip that made their American History course just that much more meaningful. In December some of our older students led a student fund drive during their lunch hours that collected $250 from the neighborhood for Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. The delight these children experienced while helping this good cause was gratifying to both parents and teachers. Besides doing their regular schoolwork, the 7th and 8th grades also produced a play by Noel and Mildred McQueen that was the hit of our traditional Christmas party. After Christmas the school took an interesting tour of a dairy plant, culminating happily with drinks of chocolate milk and orange juice.

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The end of January was brightened by our Swedenborg Banquet, put on by the Theta Alpha, and by the ice skating at a nearby rink. Trips to Tionesta, organized again by Gilbert Smith, served to break up the long winter months for the children both in our school and from the area. In May a most interesting and humorous falconer set up a stand for his live raven, owl, eagle, and hawks outside our schoolroom windows, to the chagrin of the Le Roi Rd. cardinals and robins, but to the delight of our students who listened with fascination as he explained the various behaviors of the birds. The 7th and 8th grades took a final field trip to the FBI in Pittsburgh and to a courtroom, where they were fortunate enough to meet the judge in his chambers. The following day our four 8th graders graduated: Brittany and Laura Blair, Michelle Rose, and Steve Stein.
     In June four of our older students attended the first Academy Summer Camp, designed to give students from both Bryn Athyn and away a taste of Academy life, and found it most agreeable. In the spring Mr. Rose traveled with nine 9th and 10th graders from the area also to visit the Academy.
     When school ends in June, the younger students can look forward to the Scripture Summer School, held in Sarver at the home of Al and Trish Lindsay. Lasting for several days, the school attracts not only church children but also many others who take equal delight in its varied activities.
     Besides our regular school, a Sunday School is held every other week. Also this year, Bonnie A. Cowley organized a play group for pre-school children that met twice a week in the church apartment upstairs. It brought a little innocence into our school to hear the excited voices of these little ones as they marched happily up the stairs to their "school
     Besides school-related activities there are many others including those of social, intellectual, and useful nature. But first, a few statistics in the past year eight babies have been baptized, two engagements announced, two betrothals performed, two weddings performed, and three memorial services conducted. Preaching here were the Revs. Kurt Asplundh, Frank Rose, Tom Kline, Alfred Acton, and Candidate Terry Schnarr. The Rev. Douglas Taylor conducted a day-long seminar on effective communication about the church to almost thirty people, besides giving doctrinal class and preaching on Sunday.
     In the area of missionary work several new ideas have been implemented. Mr. Rose made an effort to see that our church services were better publicized in the newspapers. Paul Schoenberger and Eric Carswell produced a bumper sticker with the words "Seeking Answers? Try Swedenborg" on it, a project that sparked lots of discussion and no easy converts. Mr. Rose spoke to the Theosophical Society of Pittsburgh, and Mr. Carawell sent out information on the literature available from our Swedenborg Library to some of the clergy in the area. Babs Schoenberger continues to place books in area bookstores, and they seem to keep selling well, especially in the university areas.
     Besides our regular Friday suppers and doctrinal classes, a variety of classes is held. The Afternoon Doctrinal Class continues to read the Commentary on the Four Gospels and Arcana Coelestia for its bi-weekly discussions. Mr. Carswell leads a small group that meets weekly to discuss fairly lengthy readings. (Apocalypse Revealed was read over the summer and the group is now working through True Christian Religion.) Young parents in the Society talk about various child-related topics once a month, and our young people who attend public school also meet regularly. Classes in Sarver are held regularly as are hi-weekly services in a rented church in nearby Freeport. Monthly Potluck Suppers in Pittsburgh have proved so popular that now only larger homes can be used for this purpose.
     The Women's Guild continues to sponsor such various activities as cleaning the school, making June 19th gifts, cooking Friday suppers, and organizing the annual Rummage Sale. Lisa McQueen is the new president. Joan M. Alden takes over Theta Alpha which, this past year, had several interesting meetings with tapes from the Sound Recording Library and which also sponsored the trip by Aubrey C. Odhner to talk to the Society on her trip to Sicily and the work of the Academy Museum.

Ernie Glenn takes over the Sons Presidency from Dan Heilman, who has the distinction of being the organizer of the first Father-Son Canoe Trip in Pittsburgh and, this year, the first Family Canoe Trip, besides running some interesting Sons meetings on various topics, including a panel on "The New Churchman in the Community." (Dan also gave a lecture with slides to the Society on modern medicine, but this in his capacity as a physician)
     Various members of the Society continue to work hard for the Laurel Camps which expanded to two a summer in 1979. This year's Laurel C, which welcomed children, had around 150 people, and Laurel A, ninety. A new activity for the married couples of the Society was a retreat held in October of 1979 at lovely Raccoon State Park, the sessions led by Frank and Louise Rose, Don Rose, and Eric Carswell.
     Our celebration of Christmas continues to be made special by numerous hardworking people. Besides the Christmas Sing, tableaux, the special music program in the church, the stirring outdoor live nativity and our beautiful services of worship, a candlelight service was held Christmas Eve, a new and special occasion for this Society.
     Social events continue to be many and various here and have included square dances (at one of which a surprise housewarming was given to a number of new people in the Society), a slide show, two charades parties, a Thanksgiving social of games and entertainment, a Welcome Weekend with open houses for the guests and a lively square dance in Freeport, our annual Memorial Day Camp at Laurel State Park, and volleyball games at the church twice a week during the summer. The most memorable event of this year, however, was the February dinner dance in honor of the presidents of our country. Organized by David and Sheila Alden, this evening had all the ingredients for success: great entertainment, beautiful decorations, and delicious food, with a good bit of patriotism thrown in besides.
     Twenty-two people from this area attended the General Assembly in Guelph in June, finding it a most inspiring and delightful occasion. We returned from Canada, rededicated to performing the work of the Lord's Church here on earth.
     POLLY M. SCHOENBERGER

     TORONTO

     We haven't been heard from in New Church Life for too long, I know, but don't let that lead you into thinking that Toronto has gone into a decline!
     During the last year we, as a Society, have never been busier. The biggest share of energy was provided by the large Assembly Committee who undertook, in conjunction with a committee from Caryndale, to be responsible for the 38th General Assembly. A delightful home for the Assembly was found at Guelph University and from June 11th-15th the results of the many hours of hard work and planning were enjoyed by a total of 765 New Church men, women and children from many parts of the world. Reports of the Assembly will, no doubt, appear elsewhere but, judging by comments heard, it was a resounding success.
     Just a year ago we were happy to welcome Reverend and Mrs. Allison Nicholson to our society. Since then we have grown to know Pat and Al and to appreciate our good fortune in having them with us. Reverend Nicholson has taken up the work of evangelization in our area with tremendous enthusiasm, skill and hard work, work which is beginning to show its effect in the many contacts made. Committees have been formed on various aspects of evangelization work and there is a general feeling that this will be a very worthwhile field of use.
     When the Nicholsons came to us Allison had not yet been ordained. We had the great pleasure of being present when Bishop King came on the weekend of Sept. 8-9 and officiated at an ordination service for Mr. Nicholson on Sunday afternoon. Following the service there was an Open House at the home of Rachel and Keith Morley when we had an opportunity, as a society, to welcome the newcomers to our midst.

531

     The morning service of worship on Sept. 9th was also memorable as our very good friends, the Watson family, Jack and Diana and their children, Trudi and Greg, were baptized into the Lord's New Church. We have also experienced the delight of witnessing the baptisms of three new babies, Marco Joshua, son of Meike and Adri Braam, Jason Karl, son of Wayne and Vina Parker and Dominic, son of Ron and Rachel Nater.
     Three of our older members have passed into the Spiritual World; Mrs. Frank Longataff (Auntie Lo), Joseph Knight (Uncle Joe) and Miss Helen Mason. Of course they are missed but after long and useful lives we know that they were ready to enjoy the happiness of eternal life.
     On September 15th, Bruce and Carita Scott organized a reception for Jim Swalm and his bride Rena (Sheridan). We are sorry that Jim and Rena must live in Edmonton, Alberta but were glad of this opportunity to wish them happiness. Weddings are always a joy to witness, and joy we certainly felt at the weddings of our two young and lovely brides- Martha Anderson, married to Donald Posey on December 8th and Rachelle Scott married to Patrick Hogan on July 12th.
     Before a wedding comes an engagement and the Spring brought announcements of two; Karen Jorgenson to Wynne Hyatt of Washington, D.C. and Sharon Parker to Malcolm Acton of Glenview.
     We have been fortunate in having a number of visiting pastors during the year. A special pleasure was to have the Reverend Fred Schnarr to conduct our Remembrance Day Service.
     We have been very sad at losing Marion and Dan Horigan who have moved to Edmonton. They are sorely missed both for their willing hands and their good company. We have had, however, some happy additions to our society. Ron and Rachel Nater have settled with us after emigrating from England and they are a most welcome and active addition to our society. Marion Swalm has returned to us, as have Peter and Cheryl Bailey and Barry and Gail Scott. Also we have been joined by Anne Jutras and Robert Bruell. Now we will welcome Philip Schnarr and welcome back his wife who used to be "our" Terry Frazee. Philip comes to teach the senior grades in the Olivet Day School which were left teacherless when Marion Bellinger, who had been with the school for nine years, retired at the end of the school year. We were very sorry to lose Marion from the school but comforted by the fact that she and Leigh and their family remain amongst us.
     With the strong leadership of our three ministers, we in Toronto, are looking forward to a new season of activity and growth.
     GWEN CRAIGIE
Title Unspecified 1980

Title Unspecified 1980

C-100 Further marking the 100th birth-month and year of NEW CHURCH LIFE (January 1881), which is now so close, we reprint below the notes and comments on this event from other New Church periodicals, as part of the editorial notes in the March issue of the Life (March, 1881, Vol. I: No. 3).
Especially intriguing are two of the items. The first is the editor's note about having already received the Italian New Church magazine, Nuova Epoca, in its first issue of January, and in time for comment in the March issue of NCL already. (The overseas mails and the printers must have been faster in those days than now!) The second, which is the second- to-last paragraph, is a comment and quote from the February 26th issue of the Mount Joy Herald-this again in the March issue of NCL (how contemporary can you be?!)

532

     "We desire to express our appreciation of the numerous kindly notices of the NEW CHURCH LIFE given by our contemporaries in the field of New Church journalism.
     "The New Jerusalem Magazine says: 'This is a new venture, being a small, neat newspaper*** intended to be a medium of communication between social organizations of our societies. * * * We cordially respond to the wish that this paper may be a bond of union and fraternal co-operation in the great work of the New Age.'
     "The editor of the New Jerusalem Messenger, with an evident appreciation of the hard work connected with running a newspaper, says: 'We wish it success, and hope that the labor of carrying it on may contribute much to the mental culture of the young people who have undertaken the enterprise.'
     "The New Church Independent, of Chicago, says: 'In appearance it is attractive and interesting, and we wish it success.'
     "The Bote der Neuen Kirche, formerly of Allentown, but now of Baltimore, very handsomely says: 'As simple but thorough as are the doctrines, so simple is the 'make up,' so thorough are the contents.'
     "Among our foreign friends, the Neukirchenbloetter, of Frankford-on- the-Main, seems to think of us, as did the valet Littimer, of David Copperfield: 'You are very young; and intimates that our reporter is a 'freshman;' though whether it means he is too fresh in the slangy acception of the term we are unable to decide: we assure our readers he is not, but is modest and retiring, as all reporters are.
     "We have also received the January number of La Nuova Epoca, of Florence, Italy, which, after a suspension of two years, is again issued, in an enlarged and improved form, as 'the organ of the Association of the New Church in Italy.'
     "Another exchange received, is the Skandinavisk Nykyrk-Tidning, of Stockholm. We welcome this publication, but what it says about us, we have up to date been unable to decipher.
     The Mount Joy Herald, of February 26th, fills over a column on its first page with our article, My Friend, the Scholar, though we regret to notice that it spoils the compliment, by failing to give us credit for it. This must have been an oversight, for the Herald addresses to us a letter with warm commendation and good-will.
     "We again wish to remind our friends all over the United States, Canada, and the rest of this terrestrial globe that nothing so delights the heart of an editor as the receipt of news items. We hope our readers will take this gentle hint, and furnish us with an ample supply of correspondence for next month."

533

GLORY OF THE LORD 1980

GLORY OF THE LORD Rev. FRANK S. ROSE 1980

     Announcements

VOL. C
NEW CHURCH LIFE
DECEMBER, 1980
No. 12
     And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 40:5.
     In the darkness of long winter evenings, the light of the stars is especially welcome, and any source of light can serve as a reminder of one of the beautiful themes of the Christmas story, the theme of glory. The wise men from the East saw a brilliant star, and their hearts were filled with exceeding great joy. The shepherds watching their flocks by night were startled to see an angel of the Lord, and the glory of the Lord shining around them. The glory increased as the message to the shepherds became clear. Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying "glory to God in the highest". The Lord, whose love radiates and fills the heavens with glory was coming to bring new light to the earth, a "light to lighten the gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel" (Luke 2:32).
     This is the light of truth, a light that shines in the darkness, but the darkness does not comprehend it and cannot extinguish it. This is the true light that lights every man who comes into the world. This is the Word itself, which is the wisdom of love, with God from the very beginning, "and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1).
     "The Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun is the light in heaven which gives sight to the angels there, and at the same time intelligence and wisdom . . . From this Divine light is all the glory in heaven, which is such as to surpass all human understanding" (AC 9429).
     Very little of this light was seen at the time of the Lord's birth, and there were few to witness it.

536

They saw that God had come into the world, and the angels spoke of His glory, but the babe in the manger could not communicate with them. It was not until Jesus came to be about thirty years old that He began to speak in the synagogues, and in the streets, and minister to the needs of these people who had so long been in darkness. The people who heard Him, marvelled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth (Luke 4:22). They were astonished at His doctrine. He taught as one having authority. He opened the Scriptures to them, so that they saw things they had never seen before, in fact which many prophets and righteous people had longed to see, but did not see (Matt. 13:17).
     This was the light that the Gentiles came to experience, the light of the Divine truth. The Sermon on the Mount filled their minds with new and radiant truths. Through that light, God Himself was becoming present with people in a new and different way than ever before.
     "Glory means the presence and Advent of the Lord . . . because in the supreme sense glory means the Divine truth which proceeds from the Lord, and the Divine truth appears before the eyes of the angels as light and brightness from the Sun which is the Lord" (AC 8427).
     Jesus spoke to the ordinary people, in a language that they understood. He did that in direct statements, through the use of parables, and in the way He met the deceptive and dangerous questions posed by the leaders of the Church. The seemingly complex question of whether it was lawful for them to pay taxes to a foreign power, was transformed into a clear and powerful statement-"render . . . to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." He showed how the many laws and statutes of the Old Testament express the two greatest commandments of life-to love God and the neighbor. These ideas were clear, beautiful and full of light, the glory of the Lord revealed for all flesh to see. This glory is the light of heaven itself.
     "The Divine truth . . . appears before the eyes of the angels as light, and also as brightness and a beam of light. This beam of light together with the magnificences of heaven that are from that light, is called 'glory', which accordingly is nothing else than Divine truth" (AC 8267).
     "From that light come all the splendor, magnificence and glory there, for in the heavens whatever appears before the eyes is from that light" (AE 422:8).
     Whenever He spoke He brought new understanding and inspiration to the people. For by the glory is meant "all that was revealed by the Lord concerning Himself, and concerning faith in and love to Him" (AC 10574:9). They did not know this at first, but they were hearing the words of God Himself, and seeing His glory, always touched with the warmth of infinite caring and love. Their hearts burned within them as He spoke (Luke 24:32), for it was love speaking to them.

537

This was not some abstract, brilliant light that exposes all hidden things to a harsh judgment. He moved among people who were conscious of their limitations and sins, and who longed for some kind of renewal. The Pharisees were offended because Jesus ate with publicans and sinners. They nervously asked whether any of the rulers of the Jews believed in Him (John 7:48). It puzzled them to think that God who dwells in light inaccessible could speak openly and understandably to ordinary people. It frightened them to see how His direct and simple words undermined their authority and challenged their credibility.
Just as the stars are seen more clearly against a dark sky, so too with the coming of the Lord. The Lord spoke in the towns of Galilee, along the roads, from a boat, on a mountain, and in the great temple in Jerusalem, and the common people heard Him gladly. Some people thought He was a prophet. Few recognized Him as the Son of God, or saw His glory in any fullness. Truth is the form of good. If a truth is seen simply as an intellectual idea, it is seen but dimly. When the love within the truth is seen, its true glory is revealed. The Lord came into the world out of a pure love for the human race. Everything He said and did was an expression of that love, especially the crucifixion itself. As He said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). When the Lord suffered Himself to be crucified, and even prayed for His enemies at the time of greatest pain and humiliation, an aspect of Divine truth shone forth in a way that was not possible before. Against that threatening sky, the warmth and brilliance of His love became beautifully clear. Behold how He loved us! He loved us even unto death. This light is the splendor of love. (Can. God V:6)
And on the inscription were the words: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. A king who depended on power of worldly magnificence to support him, would write his inscription on the gate of a well guarded palace. The Lord's inscription was written on a rough piece of wood. There was no one in attendance, no sign of regal authority. Everywhere was the appearance of death and defeat. And His words were words of glory, coming from the Divine love, words of forgiveness and tender mercy. The wise men and shepherds could not have known that the glory which they saw briefly as a kind of prophecy, would be fulfilled at that dark hour. In our own life we little suspect that the Lord will reveal Himself to us in our own states of temptation and despair. Yet He comes unexpectedly, as a thief in the night, or as a light to lighten the gentiles. And those who turn to Him in faith and love, receiving Him as their God and King see Him more and more as the King of Glory.

538

His glory, at first seen as a tiny ray of hope, eventually fills the minds of those who love Him with peace and joy, for His is the Kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.

LESSONS: Isaiah 60:1-7; 40:1-12. John 1:1-18. Arcana Coelestia 8427 COMING OF THE SAVIOR 1980

COMING OF THE SAVIOR Rev. ROY FRANSON 1980

     In celebrating the Lord's advent into the world we contemplate the following: Although the miracle of the Virgin birth was, and will remain the greatest of all historical events in this world, it was nevertheless the state of the Spiritual World that necessitated this coming in the flesh. Thus we read
     Unless the Lord by His coming into the world had freed the world of spirits from the poisonous race called the Nephilim in the Word, no one could have existed there, and consequently the human race, who are ruled by the Lord through spirits, would have perished. (AC 5-81)
     If in His Divine mercy the Lord had not come, the whole human race would have perished; for the human race cannot live unless it is conjoined with the Lord through heaven and the world of spirits . . . Unless the Lord should have compassion on man, and con join him with Himself through angels, he could not live a single moment; but this he does not know. (AC 637)
     The remarkable thing is that the Lord fought and conquered the Nephilim in His earliest childhood (AC 1673), and ever since that they have been confined to a hell from which they continually seek to emerge in order to destroy others.
     Those of them who obstinately try to emerge from that hell are cruelly treated by their companions; for they are possessed with a deadly hatred against all, even against their companions. Their greatest delight consists in holding each other in subjection. (AC 1267)

     [Continued on page 576]

539

LITERAL STORY OF THE WISE MEN 1980

LITERAL STORY OF THE WISE MEN Rev. WILLIAM H. CLIFFORD 1980

     Introduction

     In examining stories of the Old and New Testaments in the light of the Word of the Lord's second coming, we are prone to seek out only the internal meaning of the story. The internal meaning, of course, is very important; and is one of the things that sets us apart from other churches. But the literal meaning is also important. It is, after all, in the literal meaning of the story that the Word is in its "fullness, holiness, and power;"* and that it is from the literal meaning of the story that doctrine is to be drawn and by which doctrine is to be confirmed.** And interestingly, the Writings not only reveal the internal meaning of the Word, but also many fascinating details of the literal stories of the Old and New Testaments. And our interpretation of these stories, based on these Divinely revealed facts, will also distinguish us from other churches.
     * See SS 27ff. and 37ff., but note that the fullness, holiness, and power of the literal meaning comes from the internal meaning.
     ** See SS 50-61.

Origin of the Wise Men

     While there is no place in the Lord's Word that unquestionably states where the wise men came from, their origin is strongly implied in Coro. 41:
     That wisdom flourished in Arabia, is evident from the queen of Sheba's journey to Solomon (1 Kings 10: 1-13); also from the three wise men who came to the new-born Jesus, a star going before them. (Matt. 2: 1-12)*
     * Some have deduced the origin of the wise men from Syria on the basis of AC 3249 and AC 3762:5, which mention the wise men in discussing the Syrians as being among the sons of the East. Similarly, there is mention of the wise men in discussion of the Arabians and the sans of the East in AE 422:20 and AC 10252. None of these four passages can properly be used as evidence for the origin of the wise men, since what they mention in these passages is solely for the purpose of confirming information not related to their origin. Whereas, if the wise men were not from Arabia, there would be no point in mentioning them in Coronis 41.
     This is confirmed by the implications of some of the teachings that follow.

540

     The wise men were among those who were called the "sons of the East."* The sons of the East appear to be the remnant of the Ancient Church, which church existed in the lands of Canaan, Syria, Assyria, Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Chaldea, Tyre, Sidon, and other places.** The sons of the East had knowledges of good and truth.*** This knowledge included the knowledge of correspondences and representatives, which were the chief knowledge of the Arabians, Ethiopians, and others of the East;**** and such knowledges were considered to be "wisdom" in Egypt, Syria, Arabia, and Babylon.***** This knowledge, or wisdom, remained among some****** in many different countries, even until the Lord's advent*******-as can be seen from Balaam's prophecy******** and the visit of the wise men.********* These knowledges were a source of revelations,********** and specifically the source of their knowledge of the Lord's advent.*********** Thus the wise men knew that the Lord was to be born, and that a star would then appear.************ The wise men, however, did not know this from Balaam's prophecy (Num. 24: 17), but from their own prophecies."*************
     * AC 3762:5, 9293:3
     ** AE 422:20
     *** AC 3249, 10177:11, AE 422:20
     **** AC 10252:5,6
     ***** AC 5223:3
     ****** AC 9293:3
     ******* AE 422:20, Verbo 19:3
     ******** AC 3249, AE 422:20, 324:10
     ********* AC 9293:3, 10252:5, AE 324:10, SS 23:3
     ********** AC 5223:4
     *********** AE 422:20
     ************ AC 3762:5, 9293:3
     ************* Ibid.

     While the wise men knew when the Lord was born, they did not know where (Mt. 2: 2). So they were led by the star to Jerusalem,* which city represented the church as to the Word and doctrine.** There they were able to learn from those who had studied the Word, where the Lord was born. The wise men came, however, not merely because they knew from their prophecies that the Lord had been born; but also because their visit fulfilled several Old Testament prophecies, of which they probably knew nothing.
     * AE 422:20. Matthew says only that the star led the wise men from Jerusalem to the house where the Lord was.
     ** AE 422:20
     "The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts, and let all kings bow down before him."*
     * Ps. 72:lOf., NAS (New American Standard Bible) cf. AE 661:2. Compare Ps. 68:29 & 72:15.
Also: "All those from Sheba will come; they will bring gold and frankincense, and will bear good news of the praise of Yehowah."*

541

And from the fact that the visit of the wise men was a fulfillment of these prophecies, we can infer that the wise men came from the region of Sheba and Seba, which is in the southwestern corner of Arabia, where gold, frankincense, and myrrh are found in abundance. Interestingly, the belief that the wise men came from Arabia, is the earliest documented view of their origin in the Christian Church.**
     * Ps. 72:lOf., NAS, cf. AE 324:10. Note that while AC 117, 1171:5, 4262:5, and 10199:7 do not claim that the visit of the wise men was the fulfillment of these and other prophecies (such as: the queen of Sheba's visit to Solomon and Ezek. 27:22), they do state that these prophecies have the same representation as the visit of the wise men.
     ** Raymond E. Brown, The Birth of the Messiah (Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1977, P. 169.)
     Traditionally, it is generally believed that there were three wise men, who were gentiles and kings. While Matthew does not comment on these matters, the Writings appear to accept these traditional beliefs.* Some have also tried to make a point, by bringing out the fact that the men who brought gifts to the Lord were not called "wise men," but "magi." Certainly, there is a distinction between the two terms, but it is not a distinction that can be pressed very far. For in those days wise men were called "magi," or "magicians."**
     * That there were three wise men, sec: Coro. 41; WE 1931, and 1997. That they were gentiles can be inferred from AC 9293:3; WE 1931, and 7473. And that they were kings can be deducted from WE 2487, and the fact that they fulfilled prophecies about kings bearing gifts.
     ** See AC 3762:5 and 5223:4, and the fact that they are so frequently referred to as wise men in the Writings.

THE JEWISH REACTION

     Perhaps the strangest and most unexpected findings that we learn from Swedenborg* about the story of the wise men, is the origin of the plot to kill the infant Lord. While Herod's interest in killing the Lord is self-evident and well known, he was not the sole danger to the Lord's life.** The hells used the Jews as a means to ultimate their desire to kill the Lord.*** For in their heart the Jews desired to kill the Lord,**** even as they had tried to kill Joseph, and would have tried to kill Benjamin*****-both of whom represented the Lord.

542

The Jews not only told Herod where the Lord was born,****** they also persuaded him to try and kill the Lord.******* This can be confirmed in the literal meaning of the story. After Herod's death, an angel told Joseph that he could bring Mary and Jesus back to Israel, saying: "they are dead which sought the young child's life.******** The "they" in this verse refers back to the "all of Jerusalem" which was troubled by the arrival of the wise men, or to "all the chief priests and scribes" with which Herod consulted, or perhaps to both.*********
     * The Word Explained (abbreviated: WE) was written by Swedenborg after his spiritual eyes were opened, but before he had begun work on the Arcana Coelestia, and was never published by him. It is not generally considered to be part of the Writings. Since to the best of my knowledge the material in this article based on the Word Explained does not contradict any of the teachings of the Writings, and this material has some confirmation in the literal meaning of the Word, I have felt free to use the Word Explained.
     ** WE 2494, 3465.
     *** WE 2487.
     **** WE 2465, but note that Swedenborg had crossed out relevant parts of this passage.
     ***** WE 2458, 2460, 2487, 2552, 5460.
     ****** Mt. 2: 4-6; WE 1724, 2487, 3879, 7473.
     ******* WE 2552, 2460.
     ******** Mt. 2: 20.
     ********* Mt. 2: 3 & 4. See Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, p. 206. The use of "all" in reference to the chief priests and the scribes, and the statement that they were "of the people," may be a way of broadening the responsibility for the attempt on the Lord's life, see Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, p. 175.
     The wise men did not know where the Lord had been born. This is why they had come to Jerusalem, to ask the Jews, whom they expected would know the answer. Like them, we too tend to assume that the Jews would know unmistakenly where the Lord was to be born. But this does not appear to be the case. The answers which the wise men received about where the Lord was to be born must not have been very satisfactory; since they stayed in Jerusalem long enough for Herod to hear of their inquiries, call together all of the chief priests and scribes (which may have been a session of the Sanhedrin*), get their response, and meet with them.
     * Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, p. 175.
     While it must have been generally believed that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem,* this was by no means universally believed. For some of the people in Jerusalem later questioned the possibility that Jesus was the Christ, saying that they knew "where this man was from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."** Swedenborg also observed this confusion among the Jewish people in the other world. He learned from them (when he was writing about Bethlehem being the birth place of the Lord), that they knew that the prophecies in the Word teach that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Still, they could not believe it, because they expected him to be from somewhere else. "Thus they knew not what they should believe."*** Perhaps this confusion among the Jews may explain why the wise men tarried so long in Jerusalem, and why Herod felt the need to consult with "all" of the chief priests and scribes.
     * Jn. 7: 42; Mt. 2: 5, 6; AC 4594, 2135.
     ** Jn. 7: 27; NIV.
     *** SDm 4792; interestingly, some gentiles in the other world once inquired where God had been born a man, and had been told that He had been born in Jericho (SD 5809). Some later streams of Christian tradition have the Lord being born in a cave outside of Bethlehem, see the Book (or Protevangelium) of James, chapters 17ff., and the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, ch. 14.

543

CONCLUSION

By means of what the Heavenly Doctrines teach us about the literal meaning of the stories of the Old and New Testaments, we are able to read between the lines of these stories, and fill in many important details. These details not only make the stories more interesting, but also more informative. And because doctrine is to be drawn from the literal meaning of Word and confirmed thereby, these teachings may even enrich the doctrine of the church.
WISE ARE LED BY THE LORD 1980

WISE ARE LED BY THE LORD 1980

So far as anyone is wise he loves to be led by the Lord, or what is the same, so far as anyone is led by the Lord he is wise. Therefore little children are led from the external innocence in which they are at the beginning, and which is called the innocence of infancy, to internal innocence which is the innocence of wisdom. . . The wiser the angels are, the more innocent they are.
Heaven and Hell 341

544

DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP 1980

DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR 1980

     Part VI. The Use of Dreams and Visions at the Present Day

     In previous classes we examined the use of dreams and visions in the churches preceding the New Church. We discussed as well the use of dreams and visions in preparing for the Second Coming of the Lord. Now we turn our attention to the use of dreams and visions with us today.
     The subject is not one easily ascertained from the Writings, for the references are scattered and relate to many various teachings, each of which involves the consideration of a whole and somewhat different body of instruction than that which we are here reviewing. Indeed, it will be noted that many of the teachings we consider are negative; that is, they more clearly set forth what dreams and visions are not at the present day, than they make clear exactly what they are. But this is important in considering certain difficult experiences, because it establishes basic guide lines.
     First let us consider the use of visions.
     It will be remembered that real visions are described as visions of such things as really appear in the spiritual world corresponding altogether with the thoughts and affections of angels.* Such were the visions of the prophets used by the Lord in providing a written revelation. We are clearly taught that such Divine visions do not take place at the present day.** Why they do not take place is made clear in a number of teachings. For example, some spirits asked Swedenborg why it could not be made clear to men through visions that they actually lived in bodies in the spiritual world. After explaining that men would not believe such visions anyway if they had confirmed themselves in falsities, the Writings set forth the general teaching that there is danger to man's freedom in confirming anything through visions when men are still in falsities.*** (The reference here is to the use of individual experiences of visions, and not to the use of visions in giving a written revelation.) Another teaching in the "Continuation to the Last Judgment" explains that since there are fantastic and illusory visions arising from hell which man receives, if he were in falsities how would he distinguish between such visions and real visions from heaven? The result would be confusion, and truths would be lost.****
     * AE 575
     ** DP 134; SD 1756
     *** HH 456
     **** CLJ 90; SD 1752; AC 1968

545

     The Writings also speak in places of diabolical visions and distinguish these from fantastic visions. Diabolical visions were certainly possible before the Lord's First Coming and apparently existed even up to the time of the Last Judgment. In the Spiritual Diary Swedenborg tells of an experience with such diabolical visions.

     There are some self-confident spirits to whom it is permitted to induce terrors, and terrors of such a nature that no one would believe that they could be inspired. Especially is it permitted them to represent an arm apparently naked, and in various positions according to variety of circumstances and ends. Of such an arm it is a peculiarity, that it impresses upon a soul or a spirit such a terror, that even those who were strangers to terror in their lifetime have confessed that they have received from this source an intimidation, which could not be expressed. The same object was once shown to me, and I was smitten with like terror, which continued for some time, for it seemed that it could have crushed the bones and marrow; yea, if permitted, it would, however incredible, have produced that effect, because flowing from the world of spirits; still it is true, for the phantasy of spirits is competent to do it. Terrors of this kind are induced by spirits, who trust to themselves that there is nothing which they cannot do; but as these things cannot well be believed, they are to be prudently set forth, lest men should think themselves listening to fables or trash.
     The inhabitants of the world of spirits have peculiar skill in things of this kind; and if it were permitted them to exercise such magical arts, they could easily induce the minds of men to believe that they were miracles, for these things have an effect upon material and corporeal objects. Hence were the magical practices of the Egyptians; hence the diabolical arts everywhere spoken of in the Word; hence false miracles which are of the devil, and which were performed by the Egyptian magi. The same holds true of many other things, and especially of those illusory visions just mentioned above.
     Unless a man be in faith towards the Lord, he is easily induced to believe that such visions are from heaven, and the like, when yet they are of the devil, for they cannot be distinguished from true visions and true miracles, except by those who are led by the Lord; but at this day such things are forbidden, for these rabbles of spirits are held in bonds, and not permitted to rove beyond the limits which for certain reasons are assigned them.*
     * SE 1754-56

     After the Last Judgment it is said of such spirits that they "have now been gathered up by the Lord and cast into a hell separate from the hells of others."*
     * DP 134: 4
     While neither real or diabolic visions now seem possible with man, there is a type of vision Which is possible, although it is a mere fantasy. It is called a fantastic vision, because its source is from the fantasy and illusion of evil spirits in the world of spirits. In the hells, such fantastic visions form a part of their daily life; we will note an example in a moment. First we would note the following passage concerning the operation of fantastic visions and the area they cover.

546

     Much has been said about the visions of certain persons who have declared that they have seen many things, and who did see them, but in phantasy. I have been instructed about them, and it was likewise shown how they take place. There are spirits who by means of phantasies induce appearances that seem to be real. For example, if any-thing is seen in shadow, or in moonlight, or even in daylight, if the object be in a dark place, these spirits keep the mind of the beholder fixedly and continually in the thought of some one thing, be it an animal, a monster, a forest, or any other thing; and so long as the mind is held in this thought, the phantasy is increased, and it grows to such a degree that the person is persuaded, and sees just as if the things themselves were there, whereas, they are nothing but illusions. Such things befall those who indulge much in fancies, and are subject to infirmity of mind, and have thereby become credulous. These are visionaries. Enthusiastic spirits are similar, but these have visions about things to be believed, of which they are persuaded and persuade others so strongly as to be ready to swear that what is false is true, and that fallacy is a reality.*
     * AC 1967-68

     Swedenborg was permitted to Visit a group of evil spirits still in the world of spirits, but in process of drawing closer to hell. They were seated to the number of one hundred on benches in a crude hut. Before each was a table upon which was a distended purse and gold coins lying about. Swedenborg and the angel with him asked, "Do you believe that you possess all the riches of the kingdom?" They responded, "We do possess them." Then they asked, "Which of you?" They answered: "Each one." And we asked, "How each one? You are many." They said, "Each one of us knows that all his are mine. It is not permitted any one to think, still less to say, 'Mine are not yours,' but he may think and say 'Yours are mine.'"

     The coins on the table appeared as of pure gold, even to us. But when we let in light from the east, they were little grains of gold which by common united fantasy they thus magnified. They said that every one who entered there had to bring some gold with him, which they divide into small bits, and these into little grains which by the unanimous power of fantasy they enlarge into coins of larger form.
     Then we said, Were you not born men of reason? Whence have you this visionary foolishness?
     They said, We know that it is an imaginary vanity, but as it delights the interiors of our minds we come in here and are delighted as if from the possession of all things. But we do not remain here, except for a few hours, and when these ate passed we go out and just as often a sound mind returns to us. But yet, at alternate periods our visionary pleasure comes over us and makes us by turns come in again, and by turns go out, so that we are alternately wise and insane. We know also that a hard lot awaits those who craftily deprive others of their goods.*
     * CL 268: 2, 3

     Are such visions of fantasy and persuasion the only kinds of visions which man on earth can now have? If so, are we to include all visionary experiences, such as seeing images in a crystal ball, or visions of the dead or of loved ones, or the pictures of our day-dreams-are all of these mere fantasy?

547

Are all such claims of such things as true visions to be ruled out as impossible after the Last Judgment?
     Such teachings as we have been able to compile for this study certainly indicate that man can at this day have no visions, except those which are false and visionary. He can have no visions except ones that spring from what is evil and false, and therefore that are dangerous and destructive to his spiritual life and his spiritual freedom. Let us be clear in our understanding of this. This question is not whether something can be seen in a state of vision, whether within oneself or outside of oneself as in a crystal ball. Something can be seen all right, under the proper circumstances. The point is that what is seen has no reality except the reality of evil and falsity. There is nothing true in it, nothing of heaven, nothing of order-and therefore, nothing of use.
     Now remember, we are here talking about visions-what can be seen with the eyes of the body or the spirit. Communication with the spiritual world through speech is a different thing altogether. We have not time to go into this subject here. We would merely note that it is possible for man to speak with spirits through an internal speech. This, however, is no longer of order. It is dangerous because the spirits in the world of spirits present with man, including the evil spirits, do not know that they are with a particular man. When he seeks communication with them, the evil spirits be5me aware of man's presence and seek to pervert and destroy him. Such speech is disorderly because it serves no purpose, for spirits cannot tell him anything of the future, nor can they teach him anything that is not already in his own memory.*
     * DP 135; HH 245, 248, 249, 253, 257
     Before leaving the subject of visions, we would note that visions are still employed in the world of spirits. The fantastic visions mentioned above are used in the process of vastation-indeed, this was the use being served in the episode of the misers with their gold coins. These visions are not different from such visions with man on earth, and indeed, even here they serve something of the use of vastation. They are not brought about by the Lord. They are willed from the evil of man and permitted by the Lord for the sake of man's freedom. However, the Lord assures that they serve some use, and vastation is one such use.
     Those being prepared for heaven in the world of spirits also see certain visions. Apparently the use of these genuine visions is also a means of vastation both with the good and the evil; with the good confirming their desire and delight for the things of heaven and with the evil confirming their antagonism thereto. The Writings describe, for example, how the
vision of little children playing games in the sphere of heaven served this purpose.*
     * AC 1974

548

     Now, some have thought from this teaching concerning the use of genuine visions in the world of spirits -that there is perhaps something of such genuine visions possible with man on earth, since in many respects the world of spirits is much like the natural world. However, we have found no specific teaching to support this idea. The support mostly comes from the unusual experiences of men, many of which experiences, because hard to explain, seem to leave room for question. The argument that the world of spirits and the natural world are similar in many respects is not in itself cogent for concluding that because genuine visions exist there, they must also exist here. Many things about the two worlds are different, including their purpose and the laws by which they are governed. For example, the spiritual law that all internals and externals must agree and make one, which rules in the world of spirits, does not rule here. It operates here, yes, but it does not rule; it operates in the limitations imposed by natural laws.
     When we turn our attention to the use of dreams we find a somewhat different story from the use of visions. That this should be so is not surprising when we remember that dreams occur when the conscious mind is asleep, but visions when it is awake. The use of genuine visions, as we noted in previous classes, depended not so much on the individual state of the receiver, (thus wicked men received them at times) but upon the general state of mankind. Because the mind was conscious when visions were given, man's freedom could be greatly influenced. Indeed, this is why they ceased, because they threatened his freedom. But not so with dreams. Dreams could not infringe upon man's freedom because he received them when unconscious. Thus, what determined the kind of dreams man received over the ages was his individual state, combined with the general state of mankind. If he had the means to receive, dreams would flow in; if not, there would be no dreams.
     Before we consider the teachings as to what kind of dreams are possible with man, let us first review the process whereby dreams take place. The following passage from the Arcana sets forth the essentials:

     When after waking I related what I had seen in a dream, and this in a long series, certain angelic spirits . . . then said that what I related wholly coincided, and was identical, with the subjects they had been conversing about, and that there was absolutely no difference; but still that they were not the very things they had discoursed about, but were representatives of the same things, into which their ideas were thus turned and changed in the world of spirits; for in the world of spirits the ideas of the angels are turned into representatives; and therefore each and all things they had conversed about were so represented in the dream.

549

They said, further, that the same discourse could be turned into other representatives, nay, into both similar and dissimilar ones, with unlimited variety. The reason they were turned into such as have been described, was that it took place in accordance with the state of the spirits around me, and thus in accordance with my own state at the time. In a word, very many dissimilar dreams might come down and be presented from the same discourse, and thus from one origin; because, as has been said, the things that are in man's memory and affection are recipient vessels, in which ideas are varied and received representatively in accordance with their variations of form and changes of state.*
     * AC 1981

     How the speech of angels flows into the memory and its thought and presents from this a certain dream was made clear to Swedenborg. "There was a person of whom I had the idea that he was in natural truth, which idea I had gathered from the acts of his life. There was a conversation among the angels about natural truth, and on this account that person was represented to me; and the things he said to me, and did, in my dream, followed in order representatively and correspondently from the discourse of the angels with one another. But still there was nothing precisely alike, or the same."*
     * Ibid.
     From the above and other teachings, we see that the formation of a dream rests in many things-the discussions and thoughts of our associate spirits in the world of spirits, our angel companions, and our associates from hell; our own changing state is a factor in what kind of affections and thoughts inflow at any one time, whether we make the source be heaven, or hell. The content of the memory is another factor-what is there in the memory to receive the thoughts and affections of our spiritual companions? Heaven has its ultimates in the memory and so does hell, and they are the vessels which receive, and which in turn being activated, present to our mind a representative picture, or a story, or a sense of fear, terror, delight, peace, and so forth. And there is yet one other thing and that is the state of the physical form of the memory organs. These organs receive sensations from without through the senses, and at the same time receive the states of the body itself. If the body is sick, shocked, doped, drunk, etc., the memory organs are given an unusual and disorderly activity from without, and this is present to receive whatever may be inflowing from the spiritual world. This is why dreams in such states tend to be exaggerated and more violent.
     We noted in a previous class that there were four kinds of dreams. Divine prophetic dreams were given from the Lord through the heavens for specific reasons, mostly for the giving of Divine revelation. Such dreams no longer exist since revelation is complete.

550

A second kind of dream were the paradisal dreams of the Most Ancients, where in their dreams they saw the imagery and inhabitants of heaven itself. To receive such dreams man must be in a state of Divine order such as were the Most Ancients; since the fall such dreams have not existed. The third and fourth kinds of dreams we still have. They are the dreams we receive through our spiritual companions; if through angelic companions, they are significative of the things of heaven; if through our hellish associates, they are called fantastic dreams, being of the fantasy and illusion of the states of evil spirits. They are representative only of the things of hell. To our knowledge, which we find from time to time is not always complete, no other dreams are mentioned in the Writings.*
     * AC 1976
     In the world of spirits dreams are used also in the work of vastation, much like visions are used. A special dream state is mentioned in one passage describing how some novitiates are introduced to the life of heaven. "Some souls recently from the world who long to see the glory of the Lord before they are qualified to be admitted, are lulled in regard to the exterior senses and lower faculties in a kind of sweet sleep, and then their interior senses and faculties are aroused into a high degree of wakefulness, and thereby they are admitted into the glory of heaven, but when wakefulness is restored to their exterior senses and faculties, they return into their former state."*
     * AC 1982
     That all dreams, good and bad, which we receive are significative there can be no question. The question is, can we and should we attempt to analyze and interpret the representatives of our dreams? We find no flat statements in the Writings one way or another. Some feel, along with the world of psychology, that our dreams should be examined so that we can see in them what problems are present with us that need attention. Psychology, of course, does not refer to them as evils, but as complexes. Some religious students point out that we see in dreams something of our inner character, that we see evil in its fullness, in its open sphere of horror. And of this last there is no doubt-we do see the horror of evil in our dreams at times such as no artist's brush or distortion of creation can equal. It is pointed out that Swedenborg interpreted his dreams before he became a revelator; which in truth he did. And there is an interesting note which Carl Robsahm, the philosopher, claimed to receive from Swedenborg on this subject. We say claimed, because there seems to be some doubt. Robsahm says, "I asked Swedenborg whether, in our times, it was worthwhile to pay attention to dreams; upon which he answered that the Lord no longer at the present day makes revelations by dreams, but that nevertheless it may happen that one who understands correspondences may derive advantage from his dreams; just as a person who is awake may examine his own state by comparing his own will with God's commandments."*
     * See "Phaedrus," 571-2, cited by Will Durant in his Story of Philosophy, New York, 1926, p. 33.

551

     And yet in spite of all this, we cannot but think that the use of interpreting dreams is both dangerous and impossible. In fact, we believe it is dangerous because it is impossible. Think of all the various elements that partake of making a dream; not just man's individual states, but the states of his spiritual companions; and the states of memory knowledge which may not even be part of his thought and affection; and we have the teaching that one spiritual discussion might take on a great variety of different representations in the memory. We find it impossible to imagine that even with a great knowledge of correspondences, man could make any useful interpretation of his dreams. Oh he could interpret them from correspondences, sure! He could interpret one dream a thousand ways. But what use would it serve? We cannot conceive that it would tell him anything certain about his state; for if this is so, it does not seem to agree with the importance of self-examination from that knowledge of revealed truth. And conceivably, it could easily usurp the function of such meditative examination.
     Suppose you dream of a brother, or a cousin, many times and in a pleasant manner. Is not this a sign -that you love your brother, that he is much in your thoughts? And is it not useful to have such a sign? If we love someone, we know it without having to have a sign of it in our dreams. It would be a dangerous habit to establish whether we love someone from how we dream of him. The very laws by which dreams are formed show this. For when man is in the turmoil of a state of temptation, and his loves are being attacked, this attack may show itself in many unpleasant and horrifying scenes in a dream. In a dream he may destroy the very things he loves, and so on.
     That Swedenborg interpreted his dreams is a special case. He was being prepared by Divine guidance for a special use and received knowledge and enlightenment which other men do not receive.
     Finally, we believe that one of the strongest indications that we are not to interpret dreams is the teaching we noted before, that Divinely organized prophetic dreams no longer exist with man. If prophecy is removed from interpreting dreams, then all we could see in dreams at best is a reflection of the present. And it is not the reflection of the present that has fashioned around dreams a mystery and a strange portent. It is the thought that dreams are strangely prophetic which has captured the attention of man's mind for ages-we see it in countless stories and histories of the past and the present.

552

And there was a time when it was true. But that age ceased with the birth of the Lord.
All of this does not imply that dreams are useless. They serve many functions which we can only generally see. They are a means of communication between the thoughts and affections of the spiritual world and the thoughts and affections of man on earth. We see in them the very truth of the presence of our spiritual companions. We see the wonderful operation of the memory, and something of its nature and use. We have glimpses of the beauty and warmth of heaven, even though these may be few and far between our regular fare. We see the power and sphere of evil confirmed, in all its horror and depravity. And unknown to us, in our dreams the Lord constantly brings about an ordering of the things of the mind, so that all memories are ordered in their proper place and with their proper associate thoughts and affections. All things are made to serve the Lord's supreme end of preparing the mind of man for his eternal existence in heaven, or of allowing for his eternal existence in hell-and dreams and visions are a part of this Divine story.
HILLSIDE CHAPEL 1980

HILLSIDE CHAPEL 1980

     Baltimore, Maryland

     The Hillside Chapel is located at Lenten Avenue and Dartmouth Road in Baltimore. The building was completed in 1959.
     On the 7th of September, 1980 a service of re-dedication was conducted in this building. Bishop Louis B. King presided at the service, in which Mr. Milton Honemann presented the key. More than 150 people were present for this historic ceremony, most of the visitors coming from the Washington and Bryn Athyn Societies.
     The Baltimore Society was received officially into the General Church on June 28, 1980. A brief history of the Baltimore Society from 1800 to 1980 appears in the November issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE.

553

[Photos of the Hillside Chapel.]

The Hillside Chapel. Baltimore. Md., on the occasion of its Re-dedication, Sept. 7, 1980.
(Below,) 1. to r.: Bishop Louis B. King, Mr. Milton Honemann, the Rev. Lawson Smith, following the service.

554

KNOWING YOURSELF 1980

KNOWING YOURSELF HYLAND R. JOHNS 1980

     A COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

     You may be asking yourself about the future, about yourself, about your capabilities. Don't be too concerned; most of us have some doubts about what's ahead. But, we should be concerned with knowing ourselves, and finding our place in this world-and the next.
     Knowing yourself is really understanding your mind; learning, imagination, and rationality. And, relating these to yourself, to the Church, our country, and your place in the world.
     Bishop De Charms, in a series on Imagination and Rationality, described this need to understand our minds. (New Philosophy, January, 1972). "The inner world of the mind is the real world in which we live. The real objects are not the material things in our natural environment, but rather ideas we have about them."
     And he continued, "If any one is to attain true happiness, he must learn to control, not only the natural environment, but above all, the inner world of the mind itself."
     Despite modern advances, we still don't know 'much about the mind or imagination. But, we do know imagination is the image-making faculty of the mind, that organizes the myriad impressions that pour in through our senses.
     Our mind is our link between the natural and spiritual worlds. Its care and feeding is vital for this life and for continuation of life in the world to come. Since our mind is where regeneration takes place, this is where the action really is!
     We can expand our awareness and really get to know our mind. With the help of the Writings, we can draw on recent discoveries about the mind. One example out of many is the new book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, which shows we can exercise our imaginative and creative potential with the same success that we can have from conditioning our bodies.

555

     YOU AND THE ACADEMY

     As graduates, you probably have heard that education and career opportunities are far more challenging and diversified today. And the Academy is doing more now to he]p you find yourself in this complex world.
     "Give me a fish, and I will eat today," says the well-known ancient proverb, "But teach me to fish and I will eat for the rest of my life." The Academy is teaching you to fish, and preparing you for your fishing trip. How are they doing this?
     As a member of the Board, I know the ways President Acton and the faculty are striving to improve the curriculum for distinctive academic excellence. Every succeeding year I can clearly see this committment to each individual student.
     You will find that learning can be a lifetime process. As you receive your diploma, certificate or degree, remember that it should be a license to learn, not just a certificate of attainment. Real education often begins when what we call formal education stops.

     YOU AND THE CHURCH

     Your preparation for a career, family, and other life uses is expanding and deepening. Hopefully this preparation will also add to the success, spiritual and financial, of the church.
     Learning about our natural world gives greater insight into the spiritual world, and the nature of Divine Providence. As you have learned, you have to see the two, universal foundations of truth, the world of nature and the Word of the Lord, in mutual harmony.

     YOU AND THE WORLD

     "Ecology" is a popular, but often misused, word in this age of environmental awareness. Actually the term "ecology,' was introduced over a hundred years ago, from the Greek word oikos (meaning "house"). In pursuing environmental improvement-and we are improving the environment, we must reconcile often opposing demands. We must balance ecology, which is environmental housekeeping, with economy, which is financial housekeeping.
     There is no way we can have a risk-free society. There must -be tradeoffs, but we need a less emotional, more scientific and balanced approach.
     Things actually are much -better today. For example, take life expectancy: Fifty years ago, the average life expectancy was fifty-four; now it is about seventy-two. We are healthier and enjoy a standard of living never known before.

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Our technology is enabling us to manage our environmental problems.
     Our world is in a constant biological tug-of-war. Hurricanes, volcanoes, drought, floods, fires, earthquakes, epidemics, and other natural disasters, all make man seem rather puny. But we have minds to use in fighting the problems these disasters cause.
     But remember, there is no free lunch. Every action has its effect. We have to recognize the consequences of what we do . . . or of what we fail to do.

     YOU AND YOUR COUNTRY

     "This country's in a mess;" "nothing I can do will help;" "why vote- all politicians are crooks." Wrong! Sometimes its easy to get into this state of mind. But, as a nation and individually, we can pursue the "American dream." We still have the freedom to pursue a better life. The dream that brought millions of people here is still our opportunity. The next generation will enjoy even -better fishing than ours. I don't want to go back to the so-called "good old days."
     We need governments: federal, state and local. But it's up to you to decide what kind and how much. We have to keep human freedom with the necessary government framework. I enjoy being involved in local government, and I hope some of you have this opportunity.
     No matter how many doomsday stories you hear, or how threatening the headlines become, there are great opportunities ahead. We're still in the age of innovation. The wealth of our country isn't just in the ground. It's in our minds, and that's a renewable resource.
     It has been a real pleasure having this opportunity to address you. Beth and I have enjoyed getting to know you.
     Today I have -tried to present a few ideas about knowing your mind, yourself, and your place in the world.
     Your mind, nourished and enriched by a merciful Providence, can help you find your way to a better world. Your parents, teachers, and all of us, want to cheer you on your way. Good luck to each one of you! Have a good fishing trip!
     [The above address was delivered at the Academy Commencement exercises, June, 1980.]

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NEW CHURCH EDUCATION OF BOYS AND GIRLS 1980

NEW CHURCH EDUCATION OF BOYS AND GIRLS Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS 1980

     COMMENTS BY THE RT. REV. GEORGE DE CHARMS

     That the masculine form of mind is essentially different from the feminine is not in doubt. Not only is this plainly taught in the Writings, but all human experience bears testimony to it. Yet each by itself is incomplete. Neither one can reach its full potential unless the two are united in marriage. In the masculine mind the intellect predominates, while in the feminine mind love is primary. Intelligence without love has no driving power, and love without understanding fails to achieve its objective. Each sex therefore needs the other, and unless this were so marriage would be impossible. Furthermore, a marriage of conjugial love depends upon the conjunction of love and wisdom in the mind of each partner. This can be effected only by means of individual regeneration, through a life of love to the Lord, and charity to one another, expressed by the joint effort to establish a home and raise a family.
     How should this distinction, and yet necessary interdependence between men and women affect our philosophy of education? In regard to this the Writings give us no direct or definitive instruction. They are replete with general principles from which to think, but they leave the application of these principles to human judgment. Historically the application has varied -between two extremes. In England there has been a tradition of educating boys in complete separation from girls throughout the entire educational period. More and more in this country the trend has been toward co-education in all grades, from the kindergarten to the college. In the General Church we have tried to strike a balance. We have taught both sexes together, mostly under women teachers, from the kindergarten to the eighth grade. At the secondary school level, we have divided boys and girls into separate schools; but we have returned to co-education during the college years.
     The reason for this is that, in general we have accepted the widespread belief that, whatever form of education is adopted, boys will spontaneously react to it in their own way, and girls will do likewise.
     But we have made -an exception to this during the years of adolescence when both boys and girls are learning how to think for themselves. We have believed that in the initial stages of this process, boys need specific help from men teachers, while girls need the same from women teachers.

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Our ideal has not been a total separation of boys and girls at this stage of their development, but rather to provide a dominantly feminine influence over girls, and a dominant masculine influence over boys. How to achieve a correct balance in this respect has been a matter of trial and error. It has always been recognized that boys and girls of secondary school age need both social and intellectual contacts with one another. The opportunity for this is readily provided in that the two schools share the same campus. There has been close cooperation between the faculties of these schools, although the faculty of the girls' school has devoted its energies to providing for the distinct educational needs of the girls under their care, while the faculty of the boys' school seeks to provide in a similar way for the needs of the boys.
     The results of this system have never been fully satisfactory. I think there is little doubt that in earlier days the separation of boys and girls was in some respects over-emphasized. Steady progress has been made in the direction of providing more adequate inter-change both in campus activities, and in class-room studies. But there has been increasing pressure to abandon the girls' school in favor of a co-educational system. I profoundly believe that this would be a serious mistake.
     The plea for such a change has been made partly on economic grounds and partly on the belief that girls develop best in a co-educational school. This belief has been greatly strengthened by the fact that, where the boys and girls have been put together out of necessity, in our smaller societies, it has seemed to prove highly satisfactory. I doubt if that is sufficient evidence for adopting co-education throughout our entire system. What can successfully be done in a smaller school, with a few students, may not prove so successful in a larger institution.
     Be that as it may, in spite of the many difficulties it has encountered, the girls' school has, in my view, performed a use to the Church of very deep significance. Its graduates have been imbued with high ideals of New Church womanhood which have profoundly affected the quality of their marriages and their homes. In these is the vital center, and foundation of our Church. In addition they have made a remarkable contribution to the intellectual life of the Church, and they will continue to do so in ever-increasing measure. For this we should be deeply grateful.
     The right kind of feminine influence upon the awakening minds of young girls assumes -added importance because of the tremendous pressures pouring in upon them from the modern world of thought. The mental differences between men and women are being not only challenged, but denied. Women are being told that they can find fulfillment in their life only by open competition with men in all walks of life.

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Domestic uses are being denigrated as drudgery, deadening to the proper development of the intellect. The education of children in the home is presented as a chore to be avoided as far as possible, and turned over to professional care-takers, or to government agencies, while mothers seek more attractive challenges in the labor market. The economic conditions of the day make this almost unavoidable. In many cases, the income from one parent can no longer support a family. Yet a deeper cause lies in the fact that conjugial love is virtually unknown. Marriage is regarded more and more merely as a civil contract which may be abrogated if it fails to satisfy the personal hopes and aspirations of the partners. The tradition that it should be solemnized by a religious ceremony is still observed by many, but why it should be so is not clearly understood. Often the ceremony is celebrated for reasons of social prestige, or for public notoriety, with little thought for the sacredness of the contract. The opinion is widespread that the birth of children should be artificially controlled for economic reasons, or to limit the size of the population in order to prevent widespread famine. Abortion is regarded as legitimate as a means of preventing the birth of unwanted offspring. The indulgence of young people in pre-marital sex is not only condoned, but is more and more accepted as natural and allowable.
This purely humanistic philosophy of marriage is powerfully portrayed, and skillfully advocated -by the television, the radio, and the press. It cannot fail to influence the minds of young people who are trying to think for themselves in order to escape from the control of parents and teachers. The sphere of the Church, that is, the sphere of the holiness of the Word, and a profound regard for its teaching is the only effective means whereby to counter the impact of these forces pressing in from the world around us. Young people, just beginning to learn how to think have a special need for intimate counsel and intellectual guidance. Boys need it from men, and girls need it from women. We have thought that this need could best be provided by a boys' school in which the masculine sphere was predominant, and by a girls' school in which the feminine sphere is predominant. By this means we believed that the nascent thinking of boys would be moulded by intimate counsel and example of mature men, imbued with spiritual intelligence and wisdom, while girls would be given similar assistance by mature women inspired by a deep love of the Word, and by feminine intelligence based thereon. Is this a mistaken concept? Can the needed help be more effectively given by co-education?
This is a matter of human judgment, but personally I doubt whether the influence of women as teachers in a co-educational school can be as effective as it can in a girls' school with its own faculty and administration. Such a school, situated side-by-side with a boys' school, does not preclude association of girls and boys, nor does it prevent class-room contacts with male teachers where this is deemed to be important.

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In this matter the two schools are free to co-operate through mutual discussion and the determination of policy. Is not this the most effective way to provide a truly New Church education, at the secondary school level for both boys and girls?
We fully recognize that our schools, as at present constituted, cannot provide all the education which is important for our young people. This applies to needs for technical training and instruction looking to special goals of higher education. The ability to do this must await further growth. Meanwhile, however, we can do something in this direction by utilizing the facilities of near-by schools, and are already doing so with mutual benefit. We can do this in increasing measure without jeopardizing the far more important education that looks to truly conjugial marriages, and the establishment of homes in which the Lord is worshiped, and children are brought up under the influence of New Church thought and life.
TWO IMPORTANT REFERENCE WORKS 1980

TWO IMPORTANT REFERENCE WORKS 1980

We have received for review an important historical work by Mr. Ivan A. Robinson entitled A History of the New Church In Australia 1832-1980. We look forward to publishing a review of this work in the coming year. The Academy Library has now in its possession two large volumes of 350 pages each entitled THE FARADAY INDEX. Much of the work on this index of British New Church periodicals was done many years ago, but only this year copies have been produced for the first time by the British Conference.
VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN 1980

VISITORS TO BRYN ATHYN 1980

Those wishing to visit Bryn Athyn who need assistance in finding accommodations for a brief stay may contact Mrs. James Pendleton, Box 22, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009. Phone: (215) 947-1810. Kindly call at least two weeks in advance, if possible.

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ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS 1980

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS B. DAVID HOLM 1980

     COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY

     The 82nd Annual meetings of the Council of the Clergy of the General Church were held June 8th-11th, 1980 in the Church Hall of the Carmel Church in Caryndale, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. These meetings were held immediately before the twenty eighth Assembly of the General Church, held in Guelph, Ontario, June llth-l5th, 1980.
     Present at these meetings were one member of the episcopal degree, forty three of the pastoral degree, twelve of the ministerial degree, and five guests. This was a total of sixty-one men. These men were:

     Bishop Louis B. King; the Rev. Messrs. Alfred Acton, Glen G. Alden, Kurt H. Asplundh, Arne J. Bau-Madsen, Christopher D. Bown, Bjorn A. H. Boyesen, Ragnar Boyesen, Peter M. Buss, Mark R. Carlson, William H. Clifford, Geoffrey S. Childs, Robert H. P. Cole, Stephen D. Cole, Harold C. Cranch, J. Clark Echols, Michael D. Gladish, Victor J. Gladish, Daniel W. Goodenough, Daniel W. Heinrichs, Willard L. D. Heinrichs, B. David Holm, Geoffrey H. Howard, Robert S. Junge, Brian W. Keith, Thomas L. Kline, Ottar T. Larsen, George McCurdy, Kurt P. Nemitz, Walter E. Orthwein, Martin Pryke, Norman H. Reuter, Morley D. Rich, Norman E. Riley, Donald L. Rose, Frank S. Rose, Erik Sandstrom, Sr., Erik E. Sandstrom, Frederick L. Schnarr, David R. Simons, Christopher R. J. Smith, Lorentz R. Soneson, Kenneth O. Stroh, Douglas M. Taylor; and Kenneth Alden, Mark E. Alden, Eric Carswell, Andrew J. Heilman, Kent Junge, Cedric King, Robert D. McMaster, Allison L. Nicholson, John Odhner, N. Bruce Rogers, Lawson Smith, Louis D. Synnestvedt, and in addition five guests: Alain Nicholier, Peter NKabinde and Candidates Wendel Barnett, Bill Burke, and Grant Odhner.

     In his opening remarks to the first session, Bishop King welcomed those men attending the meetings for the first time and gave a special welcome to Rev. Peter P. NKbinde, one of the black ministers in the Mission of the General Church who was a special guest.
     Rev. N. Bruce Rogers, reporting as Chairman of the Committee on Translation of the Word, said that the Committee had decided that none of the various translations of the Bible were really acceptable to the General Church. This is because the King James Version of the Word is well-loved. The Committee had decided that it could not disturb the members of the Church by a totally new translation. Instead it had been decided to print our own corrected version of the King James Bible.

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Our own printing would be possible now that the General Church Press has a new computerized typesetting machine with a memory. Our corrected version could be placed on "floppy disks," and used at any time. This would, of course, mean typing up the whole of the Old and New Testaments in the King James Version first without corrections.
     After much consideration the Committee decided against a totally new translation, agreeing that only the gross errors and antiquated words would be corrected in our first revision of the King James Version. This would make the Word more readable for children and more readily understood by adults, and yet at the same time not be disturbing to the Church as a whole. The plan would be to print enough for about ten years. During that time more corrections would be made and could rapidly be placed on the "floppy discs" at any time. This means that after the ten-year supply has run out, a new and further corrected and updated revision of the King James version could be printed. This would be repeated every ten years or so. Our present supply of copies of the Word will last only four or five years, therefore the work of the Committee is urgent.
     The Bishop then opened the floor for discussion. A lively discussion followed. Some men felt uncomfortable with the Committee's reluctance not to disturb the Church. There is some use in disturbing the Church, for we should be loyal to the Word and not to translations. Some members will be disturbed anyway. Some said they were using the Revised Standard version of the Bible in schools and in Church. It was pointed out that the affectional and intellectual parts of human minds are different, therefore different translations are useful to the Church. Other men expressed a hope that there will not be drastic changes. We have to change, but change should be gentle. We are to "bend" not "break." Some felt the work of the Committee was very exciting. The men who translated the King James Version had a reverence for the Word of God. We should keep it in beautiful form, for there is beauty in the spiritual sense of the Word.
     Mr. Rogers said that the beauty of the King James version would be retained. English syntax will be used. Modern spelling will be used. But the King James verb and noun form will be retained. He stated that the use of the Conference Pentateuch seems to have died away, while the Revised Standard Version is unacceptable to many. His opinion is that there can be no "official version" of the Word, for the New Church. Translation must change. He felt that gradual emendation and change will work, but we can't please everyone. The Committee's objective is to come up with a version which will be useful to as many as possible.

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     Rev. R. Junge, Dean of the Theological School, informed the Council that next year we would have fourteen students, and the year after that even more in all probability. In the forseeable future there would continue to be a large number of students. He spoke of his need for counsel on the homiletics course (sermon writing). Should more types of sermons be stressed? Also could the delivery of sermons be improved? He had heard that many young priests, when they were out in the field, had re-written the sermons they had prepared in Theological School. What they are currently taught makes for a good formal sermon, but there seems to be a trend towards extemporaneous or partially extemporaneous sermons out in the field. Are we adequately training our theologs in homiletics? He also asked for counsel on the "Applied Theology Course." Next year he said he wants to re-evaluate that course. He would appreciate advice on such topics as leadership, counseling, goal setting, and the taking of counsel. Also, what more can we do in regard for training in evangelization and in leadership in New Church education? Now is the time to give counsel on these matters.
     In the Second Session, the first item of business was the discussion of the report of the Theological School. One man said that in New Church sermons there is often no clearly seen application to life. This has distressed many young people. They react negatively, because they have not been given direction on how to live the truths taught. Another criticism of our sermons by some of the laity is the "doomsday approach" some sermons take. Also there is sometimes an overly conservative and even negative delivery.
     With regard to courses, one man asked how much attention is given to how to prepare classes. This he felt was important, because in classes a priest can both teach and lead. The comment was made that the stress now being made on good oral delivery is much appreciated. It was also said that before attempting extemporaneous sermons a theological school student should receive a rigorous training in preparing written sermons. Only then can a worthwhile extemporaneous sermon be delivered. It was also stated that sermons should emphasize the joys of regeneration and not just the things of repentance.
     The Chairman of the Program Committee, Rev. Daniel Heinrichs, was then asked to report. He called attention to the importance of the subject, to be covered in three separate papers, which was "The Establishment of Conjugial Love in and by the New Church." At this day the whole concept of the conjugial is being challenged. It is the duty of the priesthood of the New Church to meet this challenge.
     The first of the three papers was given by Rev. Douglas M. Taylor, his title being Conjugial Love and the New Church.

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The following is a digest of that paper.
     We are taught conjugial love is to be restored by means of the New Church (see CL 534), but there are two universal conditions for receiving that love: (1) approaching the Lord, and (2) living according to His Commandments. For "when one God is worshipped, and man does not do evils, conjunction (with the Lord) takes place." (AR 490). "Not those who merely know the truths of the Church are endowed by the Lord with love truly conjugial, but those who both know its truth and do its goods." (CL 72)
     The reason why only those who approach the Lord alone can receive love truly conjugial is because the Lord is the origin of that love. It comes from the Divine marriage which is the union of the Divine itself and the Divine Human (AC 3960:3). From the Divine marriage there is the peace and innocence of conjugial love. All conjugial love and even love of the opposite sex is from this Divine marriage, but it is important for us to emphasize that the love of the opposite sex is a merely natural love and common to all animals, while conjugial love is internal and belongs to what is spiritual in man and can only be given to human beings (CL 94, 95).
     Living according to the Lord's commandments is shunning evils as sins and doing good, for the first of charity is to look to the Lord and shun evils because they are sins, and the second of charity is to do goods. (Charity 40). It is this that makes the Church in man.
     From various teachings (such as AC 10225, 2280) it is evident that a person is not adult until the twentieth year. Prior to this -he has not had genuine faith - or rationality. From this it would seem that love truly conjugial cannot begin before this age, although there may be preparations for it. For love truly conjugial to exist the interiors of the mind must be opened towards heaven which is the beginning of regeneration. (CL 211)
     The greatest preparation for conjugial love is to live the life of charity from the Lord. This means that we shun evils. The good that we can then do from the Lord enters into every area of our life. Especially is this the case in the domestic and private duties or offices of charity, for "according as there is mutual aid, these offices also conjoin the two into one, and at the same time make one home." (CL 176). Failure in these domestic and private duties can cause a marriage to break up. This is often true when one partner accuses the other of irresponsibility and of neglecting his or her duties. Certain evils are mentioned as especially destructive. The chief destroyers are adultery, polygamy, and all things lascivious, for these things come from the sphere of scortatory love which is diametrically opposed to the sphere of conjugial love (CL 423-443).

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This explains the many dreadful descriptions of the quality of confirmed adulterers in the Writings. It is important to emphasize that wandering lusts are to be shunned as an offense to the nostrils. (CL 49). Deceit is also destructive of marriage. It is the poison of spiritual life, for it destroys even remains of good and truth. It is an inevitable consequence of adultery and leads to distrust. The striving for supremacy between partners also is destructive of marriage. Such love of rule or dominion casts out two of the essential goals of marriage-a union of wills and from that freedom of action. "While this striving lasts, the spirit of the one meditates violence against the other." (CL 248). Adultery, deceit, and the love of ruling are to be shunned by those who will be of the New Jerusalem. (SD 6053). We should look to the eternal in our marriages and act as if we knew for certain that our married partner was our eternal partner.
All this places a great responsibility on the priests of the New Church and also on the laity-especially parents. - Priests who are good shepherds, "teach truths, and thereby lead to the good of life, and so to the Lord." (HD 315). We, as priests, have to stress the practical nature of a marriage of love truly conjugial and the preparation for it. For these practical applications are the means to the end which is love truly conjugial. You can't love the end unless you also love the means (See TCR 43:2). Therefore such practical applications of the beautiful teachings about love truly conjugial should be constantly and consistently made if the New Church is to receive the promise of conjugial love. We are to hold up the ideal of happy marriage to our little children. To those in adolescence we have a grave responsibility, for love of the opposite sex rises up in all its power-excited by the lascivious influence of the world. We must as priests oppose these and proclaim the ideal. There are "mediate goods" of conjugial love and adolescents are in them. See AC 4145: 3 which speaks of the stages of the development of the conjugial love which should be heeded. The practice of "going steady" should be discouraged, for adolescents are not capable of deciding upon a partner. We have far too many cases of couples who decide to marry before they are grown up. We should teach concerning proposal and consent for these are solemn things. "Consent is the essential of marriage." (CL 21e). This consent is to be strengthened and confirmed by a solemn betrothal. (CL 300, 301). The ceremony of betrothal initiates the state of betrothal, just as the wedding initiates the state of marriage. There need not -be a formal engagement period before betrothal. All uncertainties should be resolved during courtship. A greater emphasis on the seriousness of courtship and consent may well reduce the number of broken marriages in the Church.

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And concerning broken marriages, we have to hold firm to what is revealed concerning divorce and remarriage.
     We must bring these beautiful truths concerning conjugial love to a hungry world which longs for a form to be given to the common sense perception that marriage is holy. Let each one of us ask himself the question, "What am I to do about this?"

Discussion:

     Many men thanked Mr. Taylor for this very full paper. One man commented that wisdom is the basis of conjugial love. The men of the Church had a responsibility to cultivate wisdom. Have they failed in this? Perhaps it would be wise to have more gatherings and retreats for the men of the Church in which doctrinal application could be discussed and wisdom cultivated. Another man spoke of his concern over a certain looseness in the Church regarding premarital sex. We must teach our people that love to the Lord should be in every aspect of our lives. Only then can there be a conjunction with the Lord which is of first importance. Conjugial love descends from this conjunction. Another member urged that young people be thoroughly taught the truths about conjugial love-especially those concerning the sense of touch (CL 332) and similitudes (CL 228). It was also stated that conjugial love is innocence itself, and is the inmost of loves. Consent, which is the essential of marriage, should be an innocent thing. Young men should use rationality in their selection of a partner, and young women should consult their parents. One member stressed that conjugial love comes from a conjunction with the Lord and a life according to the Commandments. Husband and wife together must rationally shun evils as sins, each in their own way. Husband and wife can share moral wisdom, but this does not mean that we can say that women have no rational wisdom in some form. One man stressed the teaching that the wisdom which a wife loves begins with the husband's attitude towards her as a wife. Girls should ask themselves during courtship what the young man thinks of her as a potential wife with whom to share things to eternity. And young men should ask themselves what they think of the young woman as a potential wife. This will strengthen the conjugial in the Church. As to men's retreats to study doctrine-the priest should not "clobber" laymen with doctrine. Priests should be humble enough to admit that each man has enlightenment in his own use. We are to respect the enlightenment of the laity.
     One man felt we should not rush into betrothal as soon as consent is given. An engagement period or period of consent should not be rushed.

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Also parents should have a part in announcing the consent. The last speaker gave emphasis to the chapter in Ezekiel which speaks of a priest as a watchman who must warn the people.
     Mr. Taylor suggested in his closing comments the need for a full course in Theological School on the huge subject of conjugial love.
     The Third Session began with a statement of faith by Rev. George McCurdy, after which Bishop King recognized him as a priest of the General Church and welcomed him as a member of the Council of the Clergy, and this was greeted with applause.
     Bishop's Report. The Bishop began with a statement as to how the Council had grown since 1951 when he first became a member. The Council now numbers sixty-five ministers, one regular guest, and three candidates. Counting those men in the South African Mission, there are now a total of seventy-six men engaged in varying degrees of the work of the priesthood in the General Church. He also spoke of the growth within the General Church as a whole since 1951-new societies, circles, and groups, new schools, new work in both internal and external evangelization. The General Church is strong with much hope for the future.
     He then spoke of growth in the Academy and the Bryn Athyn school, and special work with the young people of Bryn Athyn. Other encouraging signs are that we now have eight self-supporting societies -and four that are almost self-supporting, while new areas are showing -better than expected progress. Solid doctrinal instruction and effective leadership by the ministers is responsible for this participation and affection.
     The Board of Directors of the General Church has authorized the establishment of an Evangelization Fund. The two essential uses of the Church are evangelization and worship, and there is both internal and external evangelization. Internal evangelization has been supported from the beginning of the General Church in the forms of New Church education and doctrinal instruction. External evangelization is beginning to be recognized as a vital use and duty. It is hoped that this evangelization fund will be supported in such a way that other essential uses will not suffer.
     A desire has been stated by several members of the Council that there should be more time devoted in our meetings to pastoral concerns and not so much time on the scientifics of doctrine. The size of the Council now makes it almost impossible to hear from all the men who want to prepare papers. Such papers could be circulated to the Council and not be taken up at the meetings.
     Among several matters considered in the report was the question of whether or not the Episcopal Office needs more assistance.

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The Bishop outlined a schedule for acquiring assistance with no major changes until 1982. At present the three Bishop's representatives have been giving valuable assistance.
     At a recent meeting of the Corporation of the General Church the motion was made to remove the word "male" from the requirements for membership in the Corporation. An amendment was offered and passed that the Bishop appoint a committee to look into this issue and report back at next year's meeting so that a vote on the main motion may take place. The Bishop said he wanted counsel on this issue, for a decision must be made.
     The Worship and Ritual Committee had been collecting material and offering suggested revisions in special services. Rev. Martin Pryke, secretary of the Committee, has been the spearhead of the Committee. The Bishop stated that he will be working on the Ordination service this summer. Some modifications have been suggested.
     The Bishop closed his report by thanking the members of the Council for the conscientious work they have done for the establishment of the Lord's Kingdom.
     The discussion of this report fell into several categories. The state of the Church in Sweden was touched upon, for the Convention people in Sweden want to cooperate with the General Church people and have offered us the use of their building. The method by which a Bishop is selected was also taken up. The Council only nominates; the Board of Directors accepts the nomination, and the General Assembly elects or perhaps it would be better to say "selects" the Bishop. It was urged by one man that every member of the General Church should vote for a Bishop. This has already been arranged for by absentee ballots.
     There was long discussion concerning women as members of the Corporation. A number of men spoke in favor of the proposal, stating that we need women's uses and points of view in the management of the Church. One felt that having women on boards was long overdue. Another felt that there should be women on all the councils of the church. A union of men s and women's minds is needed. Keeping them off was from custom and not from doctrine in the beginning. Other men, however, expressed doubt on the wisdom of having women as members of the corporation. One man said that we needed doctrinal studies on this issue. We need to reflect from doctrine. Another member felt that while the life of the Church should be a blend of the uses of both men and women, still the women should be in the love of masculine wisdom and should not desire to lead. It was also pointed out that each sex has its own interior light. Women's light has to do with the conjugial and things of the home, whereas men's light has to do with rational and civil matters.

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Women should not be in top government, but they make excellent executive secretaries. The corporation deals with civil things, and he doubted that women should be on it.
     It was decided that we continue the discussion of the Bishop's report at the next session.
     At the Fourth Session a resolution of thanks read as follows: "The Council of the Clergy of the General Church wish to thank the people of the Carmel Church for your warm welcome to us all, and for the great amount of work which you put forward to make our meetings this year such a success. Your obvious love of the Church has been both touching and inspiring."
     Next, the Bishop spoke of the good relationship between the President of Convention and himself. He read a recent letter written by President Eric Zacharias giving greetings to the General Church Assembly in Guelph.
     When discussion of the Bishop's report resumed, two points of view were again expressed. One member felt that men and women are at their best only when together. Another point was raised that there is value in men and women working together. This could enhance the judgment of men. Therefore women could be both members of the Corporation and of the Board of Directors. Several felt they should be on the Corporation but not on the Board, for masculine wisdom does not exceed feminine wisdom. Rational wisdom is not higher than moral wisdom. Moral wisdom is higher. Don't think of women on boards as a wife in the home. What we must ask ourselves is the question whether running the Church is a man's job, or a woman's job or both. Another man said that from the teachings on the subject he felt that the two sexes cannot be in the judgment of each other's uses or rightly perform them.
     It was stated that while women have an inspiring effect on men, male uses must be kept separate. One man suggested that we make a study on how the heart and lungs interact. Men and women do not always have to be together. There is a value in their separate uses. The Bishop brought this discussion to a close by saying that he would appoint a small committee of the Council to consider the matter further.

     (Editor's Note. From this point we will present the remainder of the Secretary's notes in a much abbreviated form and will resume the more full summary in the January issue.)

The Fifth Session. Rev. Daniel Heinrichs read his paper on The Establishment of Conjugial Love in and by the New Church.

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The summary of this paper and the discussion of it as well as that of the remaining papers will appear in the next issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE.
The Sixth Session. Rev. Erik Sandstrom Sr. gave a resume of his paper on The Additamentum, which had been circulated prior to the meetings. The title of the paper came from AC 1461 in which it is said that "the Human Essence was only a something that was added (modo additamentum) to His Divine Essence that was from eternity."
The Seventh Session. Rev. Donald L. Rose gave a resume of a paper entitled The Dead Churches File, a survey of passages relating to the status and function of a previous church. Later in this session Rev. Frank S. Rose gave a talk entitled The Earth Is The Lord's, the theme being that we are not the owners of the Church.
     At the Eighth Session Rev. Christopher Bown delivered the last of the series of papers by the Program Committee. This treated of the progress of the conjugial through the stages of life as portrayed in the stories of Scripture.
     At the close of the meeting, the secretary expressed the thanks of the Council to Rev. Christopher Smith and Rev. Mark Carlson for hosting these very successful meetings.

     B. DAVID HOLM, Secretary

As noted above, further summaries of papers and discussions at these meetings will appear next month.
JOINT COUNCIL 1980

JOINT COUNCIL LORENTZ R. SONESON 1980

1. The 86th Regular Joint Meeting of the Council of the Clergy and Directors of the Corporation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem was held in the Arts Building at Guelph University on June 13, 1980.
2. Attendance

Of the Clergy: Rt. Rev. Louis B. King, presiding; Rev. Messrs. Alfred Acton, Glenn G. Alden, Kenneth J. Alden, Mark E. Alden, Kurt H. Asplundh, Christopher D. Bown, Bjorn A. H. Boyesen, Ragnar Boyesen, Peter M. Buss, Mark R. Carlson, Eric H. Carswell, Geoffrey S. Childs, William H. Clifford, Robert H. P. Cole, Stephen D. Cole, Harold C. Cranch, J. Clark Echols, Michael D. Gladish, Daniel W. Goodenough, Andrew J. Heilman, Daniel W. Heinrichs, Willard L. D. Heinrichs, Geoffrey H. Howard, Kent Junge, Robert S. Junge, Brian W. Keith, Cedric King, Thomas L. Kline, Ottar Larsen, George McCurdy, Robert D. McMaster, Kurt P. Nemitz, Allison L. Nicholson, Alain Nicolier, Peter P. Nkabinde, John L. Odhner, Walter E. Orthwein III, Martin Pryke, Norman H. Reuter, Norman E. Riley, N. Bruce Rogers, Donald L. Rose, Frank S. Rose, Erik Sandstrom, Erik E. Sandstrom, Frederick L. Schnarr, David R. Simons, Christopher R. J. Smith, Lawson M. Smith, Lorentz R. Soneson, Louis Synnestvedt, Douglas M. Taylor. (53).

571

Of the Laity: Messrs. E. Boyd Asplundh, Edward K. Asplundh, Robert H. Asplundh, Walter H. Bellinger, Robert W. Bradin, Theodore W. Brickman, Jr., Alan D. Childs, Geoffrey Cooper, George M. Cooper, Leonard E. Gyllenhaal, Wynne S. Hyatt, James F. Junge, Richard Parker, Garth Pitcairn, Stephen Pitcairn, Ivan R. Scott, S. Brian Simons, Gordon B. Smith. (18).

Guests: Candidate Grant Odhner; Messrs. Maurice de Chazal, Stanley D. Hill, Jerome Sellner, John Sharpe, John Wyncoll. (6).

     3.     The Minutes of the 85th Annual Meeting were accepted as published in NEW CHURCH LIFE, July, 1979, pages 313 and following.
     4.     Bishop King then called on the Rev. Robert S. Junge to present a memorial resolution for the Rev. Ormond de Charms Odhner as follows:
     "In the Lord's Providence our friend, Ormond Odhner, has been called to the spiritual world. We rise to call to mind our love for him as a person of unique character, but particularly to reflect upon the many uses which were served through that firm yet warm personality we all loved and respected.
     "In his earlier years Ormond served as Assistant Pastor in Pittsburgh and Glenview and Visiting Pastor in many centers of the Church. In all his work subsequently, as teacher, theologian, Church historian, editor, he never lost that essential pastoral focus. In his secondary school teaching the boys, particularly the "bad" boys, felt that he understood and cared. In his "rookie" courses, he showed an unusual ability in feeding new states sympathetically, bending and not breaking. His sermons and theological classes showed no lack of firm conviction, and no compromise with principle, but he also held firm to the fundamental principle of mercy and understanding. Many students of Church History will never forget the humor and supplementary stories of human nature, which reminded them that as a natural organization we are indeed subject to human frailty, but nevertheless within that limitation strive to cooperate with the Lord's Divine work of building His Church.
     "His allegiance to the Writings as the Word of the Lord in His Second Coming made Ormond an Academician in the most precious sense of that tradition.
     "Though in a very different way, as does his family, we miss his presence very much. But in a very real sense the Lord's Kingdom in heaven and His Church on earth make one. As to essentials, as to uses, even as to joy and happiness, the lives of those who serve the Lord, whether in this world or the next, make one. We are happy for him, and we are happy for Joan, and we know his use is enhanced and will be perfected to eternity.
     "Perhaps the greatest tribute we can express is the thought, 'It really will be fun to see him again.'"

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     5.     Bishop King gave special welcome to our representatives from Durban and Johannesburg.
     6.     The Secretary of the Council of the Clergy report was accepted as printed in the December, 1979, issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE.
     7.     The report of the Secretary of the General Church was accepted as printed in the November, 1979, issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE.
     8.     The Treasurer's report was then called for, see the June, 1979, issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE. Mr. Gyllenhaal's verbal report follows:
     "Over the course of the past thirty-four years, it has been my privilege to report annually to t-his Joint Council. During these three decades, there has been an impressive growth of General Church resources accompanied by a rapid expansion of uses throughout the Church. Nearly half of this has come in the last five years.
     "Looking back to 1946, the total operating budget was reported at approximately $34,000.00. This included the unusual cost of bringing four ministers from around the world to attend the 1946 Assembly, and represents a figure that is less than the cost of publishing NEW CHURCH LIFE in 1980.
     "The General Church Corporation budget today, including the Printing operation, is over $1 million or 28 times that of 34 years ago, plus capital expenditures and loans estimated at $790,000 in 1980 for development uses that did not even exist in 1946. Most significant, of course, is how this record 'budget is being spent.
     "The December, 1946, issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE listed eleven Societies with full-time pastors, three Districts with resident pastors, and five groups with occasional visiting pastors. That same year the General Church allocated $18,000 to provide supplemental payments to twelve of the eighteen pastors serving these areas, plus $150 towards the salary of one teacher.
     "Today, if you glance at the inside covers of the LIFE, you can count fourteen Societies, many with more than one minister, nine of which, plus one Circle, now operate schools, fourteen Circles with resident pastors, and about twenty-seven groups receiving regular visits.
     "Less than ten years ago nearly one half of the budget was spent to support salaries of ministers and teachers in these areas throughout the Church and only three of them were self-supporting. Last year (1979), less than one-third of the budget, or a little over $l/4 million was spent by the General Church to provide salary support, and eight Societies and Circles have become fully self-supporting. For 1980, we expect the number to increase to ten.
     "This, of course, is most gratifying and is the trend we had hoped for as the relative large influx of new priests come into service.

573

It represents a substantial improvement in local support throughout the Church and, of course, makes it possible for the General Church Corporation to more fully support the many other pressing needs, and there are many more.
     "Just a few years ago no funds were appropriated for missionary work. In 1979, over $45,000 was spent on Church Extension in addition to the many local programs.
     "The Church has come to realize its responsibility for evangelization. The hard fact is, if we don't increase our membership, the Church will pass out of existence. In the years immediately ahead, this will undoubtedly become a major use of the General Church. To prepare for this, a new Missionary Fund is being created for which contributions will be solicited to fund future programs and missionary projects throughout the Church.
     "In a sense the Finance and Development Committee is doing extension work which, in only four years, has become a significant operation of the General Church. During 1979 the Development Fund made grants totaling $140,000 and loans of an additional $115,000. At year-end the value of the fund stood at $1.5 million with major commitments for the current year 1980, and for a ten-year program ahead.
     "A companion use to evangelization is the work of translation-again a relatively new use and one which in 1979 expended over $42,000. As translation continues and publication commences, these costs will multiply many times.
     "In addition to these important new programs, the Corporation continues to support the many uses it always has. Principally these include the Administrative Offices, without which the Church wouldn't function; the Centralized Payroll and Benefits Plans which is being regularly improved; publishing, and the operation of the Central Headquarters at "Cairncrest."
     "All of these uses are growing and as a result Corporation expenditures are increasing at an average annual rate of nearly $100,000.
     "Fortunately revenues have kept pace with expenditures and are also at an all-time high.
     "But a significant change has taken place. In 1946, 63% of operating income came from contributions and 32% from investments. Today this has just about reversed to 64% from investments and 34% from contributions. This has been the result of large contributions to capital, careful budgeting and sound investment policies, and it provides a financial stability that is extremely important to the future of the Church. While it is essential that the Church be supported by its members, the rapidly increasing costs of operation on the local level puts growing demands on the individual contributors whose largest commitment must be to the local organization.

574

So, the General Church cannot look for continued substantial increases in contributions from the Church at large, although the encouraging record of the last four years would certainly belie this.
     "On the other hand, it is becoming more difficult to operate local schools without endowment funds, and few of our Societies have adequate endowments. For the foreseeable future, therefore, the General Church will be called upon to help support these schools. At the same time, with the growing need for resident pastors in new areas, our financial assistance to those areas will certainly increase.
     "As we enter the decade of the '80s, there are ominous clouds ahead. There is a general feeling of unease and uncertainty in the financial world; and, while even experts can't agree, they at least acknowledge the fact that unusual circumstances are developing. It is difficult to assess what the impact will be on the General Church over the years immediately ahead. We are still confident, however, that with our present investment posture, careful budgeting, and the help of our contributors, we will continue to meet our long range goals."
     9. A report of the Development Fund and Finance Committee was given by Mr. Leonard E. Gyllenhaal. Mr. Gyllenhaal, speaking on behalf of his Committee, Messrs. Robert Asplundh, Keith Morley, Dick Brickman, Bruce Fuller and legal consultant, John Acton, said that Mr. Dick Brickman is now Chairman of a sub-committee of Finance for the General Church in Canada. He then called on Mr. Brickman for additional information regarding the Development Fund Committee. Mr. Brickman mentioned that Glenview is now opening its first condominium, the Burnham Court, with the help of the Development Fund. In addition, financing has been arranged for the purchase of a church building and a Sunday School complex in Atlanta and dedication is anticipated September 21st, of this year. The Detroit project is running into sewer problems, but some headway has been made in resolving this holdup. In Bryn Athyn, the General Church has taken on responsibility for a retirement home, previously known as BACH, and plans are to break ground by midsummer, 1980. Mr. Brickman also mentioned that a display was available for viewing Caryndale plans of expansion here at the Assembly. The Rev. Geoffrey Childs expressed his gratitude to Mr. Brickman for his assistance in organizing a Planning Committee in Canada.
     10. The Bishop called for a report of the Salary Committee from Mr. Brickman. He said that copies of their Treasurers' Meetings were distributed to members of the Board of Directors early this year.

575

The Rev. Andrew Heilman asked if he could receive a copy of this. The Rev. Peter M. Buss asked if he could receive a copy of the Salary Committee's report to aid him as head of the Glenview schools.
     11.     The Bishop then expressed thanks to John Wyncoll and the many General Assembly Committees for their fine work in planning a smooth running Assembly. This was followed with applause from the Joint Council.
     12.     The Rev. Kurt Nemitz offered a suggestion to send NEW CHURCH LIFE to all members of the General Church, since it is the official organ for announcements and communications. The Treasurer, in response to a question, said that NEW CHURCH LIFE is currently taking in only about $8,600.00 a year while costing over $42,000.00 to print and distribute. Several members suggested raising the annual subscription rate. Mr. Nemitz suggested asking for subscription monies after distributing it for one year free of charge. The Rev. Michael Gladish suggested including other items such as Daily Readings that would help to reduce the mailing costs, but agreed with Mr. Nemitz that NEW CHURCH LIFE should be distributed to all members. The Rev. Robert Cole wondered if additional copies could be made available for sale in Societies. The Rev. Erik Sandstrom asked if a letter could be sent to all members soliciting their subscriptions. The Rev. Bjorn Boyesen was of two minds, wondering if it was financially feasible to undertake such a project, yet if there is a pastoral relationship with the editor, then why not send them out to all. The Rev. Ragnar Boyesen expressed a desire to expand the usefulness of NEW CHURCH LIFE to include evangelization, such as the Missionary Memo, which is now sent out separately. In his opinion, NEW CHURCH LIFE tends to be too academic, in its present form. He also thought that 80% of his younger people in Sweden would read the English.
     13.     The Rev. Bruce Rogers, reporting on the Translation Committee, was delighted to announce that a new Latin edition of Earths in the Universe was now available for sale, as a result of his committee's work. They are also working on the first volume of Spiritual Diary in Latin and probably will complete further volumes on a yearly basis. Bishop King said that Jerome Sellner had asked for greater activity and progress in the area of translation, and now good progress is being reported. Mr. Richard Parker inquired of Mr. Rogers whether the work on revising the Old and New Testament had received any attention. Mr. Rogers reported that only after two or three meetings, definite progress is seen in updating the King James version.
     14.     The Rev. Lorentz Soneson, Chairman of the General Church Publication Committee updated his report that was distributed.

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Additions to the Concordance (N.I.C. File) was presently rolling off the presses at the General Church Print Shop and would be available to the public in a matter of weeks.
     15. Mr. Jerome Sellner, on hearing that a large percentage of the Swedish could read English, asked why are we translating works of the Writings into their tongue. The Rev. Bjorn Boyesen, in response, had doubts whether his young people would take the trouble to read the Writings in a second language. Just as NEW CHURCH LIFE would be difficult for them to understand in English, he felt so would the Writings. He further reported that the work Divine Providence now completed in Swedish would be at the printers some time this fall. He mentioned that the old translations now available are mostly obsolete, because the Swedish language has changed so much.
     16. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

     LORENTZ R. SONESON, Secretary, General Church
COMING OF THE SAVIOR 1980

COMING OF THE SAVIOR Rev. ROY FRANSON 1980

      (Continued from p. 538)

     But the Lord in His glorified Human will forever frustrate their every effort to go forth out of their hell for the destruction of others. Their destructive efforts will forever be spent among themselves-and even this only to the degree that order will be maintained among them.
     The acknowledgment of this unceasing Divine power of the Lord in His glorified Human is one of those universal truths making up the spiritual Bethlehem of the human mind-the place where alone the Lord can be born in us. For in this acknowledgement there are humility and innocence, which are the two essential qualities for the reception of the Lord Jesus Christ as the One and Only God of heaven and earth, not only as a rational and beautiful theological concept, but also in our everyday natural life.
     For this is the reason why the Lord suffered Himself to be born a MAN among men: that in His glorified Human He might walk with every human being from earth to heaven.
     To find the Lord in Bethlehem and worship Him there, as did the shepherds and wise men of old, is to perceive the spiritual sense of the Word, and worship the Lord in His glorified Human.
     "In the supreme sense of the Word nothing is treated of but the Lord alone, His love, His providence, His kingdom in the heavens and on earth, and especially the glorification of His Human." (AC 9407:11).

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CLERGY REPORTS 1980

CLERGY REPORTS LOUIS B. KING 1980

     REPORT OF THE BISHOP OF THE GENERAL CHURCH

     September 1, 1979, to August 31, 1980

     The Twenty-Eighth Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, held in Guelph, Ontario, was the highlight of four church activities this past year. The Council of the Clergy meetings, held in Caryndale just prior to the Assembly, were productive and enjoyable as well. Other statistics, quoted below, will demonstrate the continued expansion and development of General Church uses throughout the world.
     As the present year continues, a number of important issues will be considered in the Church, namely, modifications in the present form of our statement of Order and Organization for the General Church, proposed changes in the governmental structure of the Bryn Athyn Church, the eligibility of women for membership in the Corporation of the General Church, and continuation of the long-range planning for all organizations of the Church.
     The placement of ministers in new areas of the Church has proven truly successful to this point. Additional placements will be made in the coming year, as provided for in our long-range planning.
     In closing this brief report I should like to thank the Bishop's Representatives, the Reverends Peter Buss, Geoffrey Childs and Geoffrey Howard, for the immense help they have been to the Episcopal Office in organizing uses in their areas and improving the day-to-day communication and relationships which now exist between the Episcopal Office and those areas of the Church wherein they represent the Episcopal Office. Special thanks from the Bishop is also due to the President of the Academy and the Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church, the Rev. Alfred Acton and the Rev. Kurt Asplundh respectively, for the supportive way in which they have conducted their day-to-day responsibilities of leadership in the Academy and the Bryn Athyn Church. Finally, I would express appreciation to the Development Officer of the Academy, Dr. Charles Ebert, and to his assistant, Mr. Laird Pendleton, for the effective ways in which they have increased the financial support of the Academy, enrollment in Academy schools and a number of developmental needs of the General Church.

578

As Bishop of the General Church:

Episcopal Visits and Assemblies
     Dedication (1 church)
     New Group recognized in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
     New Group recognized in Kent Manor, Natal, South Africa
     New Circle recognized in Connecticut
     Inaugurations into the Priesthood (4)
     Ordinations (4 into the first degree, 2 into the second)
     Candidates recognized (4)
     Board and Corporation Meetings (3 Board, 1 Corporation and 1 Joint Council)
     Council of the Clergy Meetings (held in Caryndale, Ontario)
     Accepted the Baltimore Society as a Society of the General Church of the New Jerusalem

As Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church

     Services conducted-73 (festival, public and private)
     Regular doctrinal Classes-6
     Arcana Classes-77
     Board of Trustees and Society Meetings-11
     Special Services-54 (Rites and Sacraments)

As Chancellor of the Academy

     Chaired 16 Faculty Meetings (General Faculty and Theological School Faculty)
     Meetings of the Board and Corporation-10
     Teaching Assignments:
          Church Government-Theological School (1 term)
          Elective Religion-Secondary Schools (3 terms)
          Chapel Services-8

     LOUIS B. KING
     Bishop

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COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY 1980

COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY B. DAVID HOLM 1980

     MEMBERSHIP

     During the year ending August 31, 1980, three young men were inaugurated into the first degree of the priesthood, and two ministers were ordained into the second degree. One pastor, Ormond de C. Odhner, passed into the spiritual world. And one priest of a sister body was recognized as a second degree priest of the General Church.
     At the end of the twelve month period the Council of the Clergy consisted of three priests of the episcopal degree, forty-nine in the pastoral degree, and twelve in the ministerial degree, for a total of sixty-four, the largest membership in the Council in the history of the General Church. Of these sixty-four priests five were mainly or essentially employed by the General Church, nine by the Academy of the New Church, forty were in pastoral work, eight were retired or engaged in secular work, and one was unassigned. The three newly inaugurated ministers were preparing to enter their fields of priestly use.
     In addition, the General Church has five priests of the pastoral degree in the South African Mission besides the Superintendent.
     A Directory of the General Church and its Mission in South Africa was published in the October issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE, pp. 464-472.

     STATISTICS

     The statistics of the Sacraments and Rites of the General Church administered during the year, compiled from reports of the priests of the General Church as of September 1, 1980, together with comparative figures for the twelve month periods five and ten years ago are shown below.

                    1979-1980     1974-1975     1969-1970

Baptisms
     Children          155          128          135
     Adults          45          33          34
          Total          200          161          169
Holy Supper Administrations
     Public          273          193          160
     Private          56          63          62
          Communicants 5,935     5,584          5,271
Confessions of Faith     29          43          41
Betrothals               38          34          35
Marriages               70          52          54
     Blessings          2          0          Not given
Ordinations               6          2          0
Dedications
     Churches          1          0          0
     Homes               8          5          4
     Other               1          0          2
Funerals or Memorial Services
                    62          45          51

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     REPORTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL

     The Rt. Rev. Louis B. King continued to serve as Bishop of the General Church, Chancellor of the Academy of the New Church, and Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church. The full text of his report appears on p. 577.

     The Rt. Rev. George de Charms, retired, gave some classes to a group in Bryn Athyn and has written several papers and articles for NEW CHURCH LIFE and NEW CHURCH HOME.

     The Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, retired, reports various sacraments and rites which he administered.

     The Rev. Alfred Acton II continued to serve as President of the Academy of the New Church.

     The Rev. Glenn G. Alden continued to serve as Pastor to the Florida District, resident in Miami. He also served on the staff of the Laurel Leaf Academy in August.

     The Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh continued to serve as Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church.

     The Rev. Arne J. Bau-Madsen continued to serve as pastor to the Kempton Circle and as visiting Pastor to the Group in Wilmington, Delaware. He reports a productive year in the Circle, getting the school started and completing the new school building.

     The Rev. Christopher D. Bown served as Pastor of the Connecticut Circle, and visiting Pastor to the New Jersey and New York Circle.

     The Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen, retired, on active assignment, continued serving as translator of the Writings from Latin to Swedish. He also served as assistant to the Pastor of the Stockholm Society, doing pastoral work in Jonkoping.

     The Rev. Ragnar Boyesen continued to serve as Pastor to the Scandinavian District, resident in Stockholm, and visiting Copenhagen, Oslo and the newly formed group in Stavanger. He also serves as Editor of Nova Ecclesia. In addition, he served as Secretary of the Scandinavian Swedenborg Society.

     The Rev. Peter M. Buss continued to serve as Pastor of the Immanuel Church in Glenview, Principal of the Immanuel Church School and Bishop's Representative in the Midwestern and Central Western Districts of the General Church.

     The Rev. Mark R. Carlson served as Assistant Pastor of the Carmel Church Society and as Principal of the Carmel Church School.

     The Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs continued to serve as Pastor of the Olivet Church Society and Headmaster of the Olivet Day School. He also continued to serve as Bishop's Representative in Canada. He was also Chairman of the twenty-eighth General Assembly Committee.

     The Rev. William H. Clifford served as resident Pastor for the Dawson Creek Circle, and visiting Pastor to Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

581

     The Rev. Robert H. P. Cole, unassigned, served as a theological consultant indexing New Church periodicals in the Academy of the New Church Library Archives. He also preached in a number of New Church centers, and arranged for a television program concerning the New Church.

     The Rev. Stephen D. Cole continued to serve as Pastor of the South Ohio Circle, resident in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also served as visiting Pastor to the North Ohio Circle and the Erie Circle in Pennsylvania.

     The Rev. Harold C. Cranch, retired, on active assignment, continued to serve as Associate Pastor of the Immanuel Church, and supervising Pastor of the Sharon Church Circle, and supervising Pastor of the missionary and radio activities of the Immanuel Church.

     The Rev. J. Clark Echols, Jr. continued to serve as an Assistant to the Pastor of the Immanuel Church. He also taught in the Immanuel Church School. He also served as visiting Minister to the Madison, Wisconsin Circle and visiting minister to the Midwestern and Central Western Districts.

     The Rev. Roy Franson continued to serve as Pastor of the Tucson Circle in Arizona where he is resident, and also visiting Pastor to the San Diego Circle and the groups in Phoenix, Pima, El Paso and Albuquerque.

     The Rev. Michael D. Gladish continued to serve as Pastor of the Hurstville Society in Australia. He also served as visiting Pastor to the Auckland Group in New Zealand and to the isolated in Australia.

     The Rev. Victor J. Gladish is retired, but assists in the Immanuel Church when asked.

     The Rev. Daniel W. Goodenough, Jr. continued to serve as Assistant Professor of Religion and History in the College and Theological School at the Academy of the New Church. He also preached several times, gave classes, and reports other activities of a Pastoral nature.

     The Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs continued to serve as Pastor of the Washington Society and Headmaster of its Day School. In addition, he served as visiting Pastor to the District of Maryland and Virginia.

     The Rev. Henry Heinrichs is retired.

     The Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs continued to serve as Instructor in Religion in the Academy of the New Church in the Theological School, the college and the Girls School. He also reports a number of activities of a Pastoral nature.

     The Rev. B. David Holm continued to serve as Assistant Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church. He also served as Instructor in Religion in the Bryn Athyn Elementary School and Secretary of the Council of the Clergy.

     The Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard continued to serve as Pastor of the Durban Society in South Africa, and as Headmaster of the Kainon School. He also served as the Bishop's Representative in South Africa.

     The Rev. Robert S. Junge continued to serve as Dean of the Theological School in the Academy of the New Church.

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     The Rev. Brian W. Keith served as Principal of the Midwestern Academy and as Assistant Pastor of the Immanuel Church. He also served as visiting Pastor to the Twin Cities Circle in Minnesota.

     The Rev. Thomas L. Kline continued to serve as Pastor to the Atlanta, Georgia Circle and as visiting Pastor to the Southeastern United States District.

     The Rev. Ottar T. Larsen served as visiting Pastor to the isolated in Great Britain and also made occasional visits to Denmark. He is resident in London.

     The Rev. George D. McCurdy served as an Instructor of Religion in the Academy of the New Church and as visiting Pastor to the Boston, Massachusetts Circle. He also completed a one year orientation program in the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church. In June he was received as a second degree priest of the General Church.

     The Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz continued to serve as Pastor of the Church of the New Jerusalem in Bath, Maine. He also served as visiting Pastor to the Circles in Ottawa, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec.

     The Rev. Walter E. Orthwein III continued to serve as Pastor of the Detroit Society, and also as Principal of the Detroit Society Day School. He also served as visiting Pastor to the Circle in Gorand Rapids, Michigan and the Group in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

     The Rev. Dandridge Pendleton continued to serve as Instructor of Religion and Theology in the College and Theological School of the Academy of the New Church.

     The Rev. Martin Pryke served as Instructor of Religion in the Boys School and as Instructor in the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church. He also served as Chaplain of the Secondary Schools. In addition he served as Director of the Academy Museum.

     The Rev. Norman H. Reuter, retired, reports that he preached in San Diego and in Tucson and gave two college chapel talks.

     The Rev. Morley D. Rich, retired and on active assignment, reports that he served as Acting Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE and now serves as Associate Editor. He also conducted a bi-weekly class in Bryn Athyn.

     The Rev. Norman E. Riley continued to serve as Superintendent of the Mission in South Africa and as Assistant to the Pastor of the Durban Society. He also served as a teacher of Religion in Kainon School, visiting Pastor to the Transvaal Circle, and Groups at Kent Manor, Carletonville, the Cape, and isolated members. He also served as Director of Church Extension and Religion Lessons in South Africa.

     The Rev. Norbert H. Rogers is retired.

     The Rev. Donald L. Rose continued to serve as Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society and as Principal of the Pittsburgh New Church School. On July 1st he began work as Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE. He served on the staff at two summer camps and participated in a four day Bible School for children.

583

     The Rev. Frank S. Rose continued to serve as Instructor in Religion at the Academy of the New Church and as Housemaster of Childs Hall (the College Men's Dormitory). In addition he chaired the Steering Committee of the Mental Health Symposium held in November, 1979, in Bryn Athyn and in June at the Assembly in Guelph, Ontario. He also ran a Family Laurel Leaf in July and an Adult Laurel Leaf in August. He also ran several Marriage Enrichment programs.

     The Rev. Patrick A. Rose continued to serve as Pastor of the Colchester Society in England and as Headmaster of the Colchester Society Day School. He also served on the Board of the British Academy, and on the Board of the General Church of the New Jerusalem Council Ltd. and on the Advisory and Revision Board of the Swedenborg Society. In addition he taught at two young people's weekends and one summer school, and preached in several centers of the Church in England.

     The Rev. Erik Sandstrom, retired and on active assignment, served as resident Pastor to the Oral-Hot Springs Group in South Dakota. He also served as visiting Pastor to the Denver Circle. He reports the acquisition of a church building near Denver. He preached and gave classes in several centers of the church.

     The Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom continued to serve as the Pastor of Michael Church in London, England. He also served as the visiting Pastor to Holland, and Chairman of the British Academy. In addition he served as Headmaster of the British Summer School and as Editor of the Newsletter.

     The Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr continued to serve as Principal of the Bryn Athyn Church School, and as a member of the Bryn Athyn Pastoral Staff conducted a number of services of worship.

     The Rev. David R. Simons continued to serve as Pastor of the Los Angeles Society. He also served as visiting Pastor to the San Francisco Circle.

     The Rev. Christopher R. J. Smith continued to serve as Pastor of the Carmel Church in Kitchener, Ontario. He also taught part time in the Carmel Church School.

     The Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson continued to serve as Acting Secretary of the General Church. In June he was confirmed as Secretary at the twenty-eight General Assembly in Guelph, Ontario. He also served as Director of General Church Religion Lessons, Editor of NEW CHURCH HOME, Chairman of the General Church Sunday School Committee, Chairman of the General Church Publication Committee, and Manager of the General Church offices at Cairncrest.

     The Rev. Kenneth O. Stroh continued to serve as Bryn Athyn Church organist, Director of Music for the Bryn Athyn Society, and Choir Director. He also did Pastoral visiting in the Bryn Athyn Society.

     The Rev. Douglas M. Taylor continued to serve as Director of Evangelization and Chairman of the General Church Extension Committee. He also served as Chairman of the General Church Sound Recording Committee, and as Chairman of the Bryn Athyn Epsilon Society. In addition he gave two series of Inquirers Classes in the Bryn Athyn Society, and eight special classes on Answering Questions about the New Church. He also arranged for six visitors' services.

584

As Director of Evangelization he made a number of trips to other centers of the church to encourage evangelization in the General Church.

     The Rev. Jan H. Weiss was engaged in secular work in Los Angeles, California.

     The Rev. Mark E. Alden served as Assistant to the Pastor of the Immanuel Church. He also taught in the Immanuel Church School and served as a visiting Minister to the Midwestern and Central Western Districts of the General Church.

     The Rev. Kenneth J. Alden completed his final year in the Theological School of the New Church. He was inaugurated into the Priesthood on June 7, 1980, and since August has served as Assistant to the Pastor of the Detroit Society and as visiting Minister to the North Ohio Circle.

     The Rev. Eric H. Carswell served as Assistant to the Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society. He also taught in the Pittsburgh Society Day School. In addition he also provided assistance to the Pastor of the North Ohio Circle and the Erie, Pennsylvania Circle.

     The Rev. Jose Lopes de Figueiredo, retired, gave assistance to the Minister of the Rio de Janeiro Society. He also reports that he is translating the Apocalypse Revealed into Portuguese.

     The Rev. Andrew J. Heilman continued to serve as the Minister of the Rio de Janeiro Society and reports that he has given much time to the general development of the New Church in Brazil.

     The Rev. Kent Junge continued to serve as the Minister of the Northwest District, resident in the Seattle Circle, and also a visiting minister to the Group in Vancouver, British Columbia.

     The Rev. Cedric King continued to serve as Assistant to the Pastor of the San Diego Circle, resident in San Diego. He also assisted the Rev. David Simons of the Los Angeles Society by conducting bi-monthly doctrinal classes to the Orange County Group and traveling once a month to San Francisco to give doctrinal class and worship.

     The Rev. Robert D. McMaster continued to serve as Assistant to the Pastor of the Olivet Church in Toronto, Canada.

     The Rev. Allison L. Nicholson served as Assistant to the Pastor of the Olivet Church in Toronto in charge of Missionary Work.

     The Rev. John L. Odhner completed his final year in the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church. He was inaugurated into the Priesthood on June 7, 1980. Since August he has served as Assistant to the Pastor of the Florida District resident in Lake Helen serving the Circle there.

     The Rev. N. Bruce Rogers continued to serve as Associate Professor of Religion, Latin and Hebrew in the college of the Academy of the New Church. He also served as Head of the Religion and Sacred Languages Division. In addition he served as Chairman of the General Church Translation Committee and as Chairman of the General Church Revision of the Word Committee. He also was Director of the Sunday School in Bryn Athyn.

585

     The Rev. Lawson M. Smith continued to serve as Assistant to the Pastor of the Washington Society and as visiting Minister to the Society in Baltimore, Maryland.

     The Rev. Louis D. Synnestvedt completed his final year in the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church. He was inaugurated into the Priesthood on June 7, 1980. Since August he has served as Assistant to the Pastor of the South Eastern District resident in Americus, Georgia where he serves the Church of the Open Door.

     The following men, while not members of the Council of the Clergy, look to the General Church and are associated with it.

     The Rev. William Burke (an ordained minister of the Christian Church) attended the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church. In September he began his second year. His official acts were performed with the authorization of the Bishop of the General Church.

     The Rev. Alain Nicolier continued to serve the New Church people in France. He is resident in Bourguinon-Meurranges.

     Added to the above priests are those of the General Church of the New Jerusalem Mission in South Africa. Since they do net report directly to the Bishop of the General Church, they are not included here. Their names and assignments appear in the October, 1980, issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE p. 469.

     Respectfully submitted,
          B. DAVID HOLM
               Secretary
FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS MONTH 1980

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS MONTH 1980

The December issue of New Church Life, 1930 contains a photograph of the Pittsburgh New Church Building which was completed and dedicated that year. One familiar with the building finds the photograph a little stark, for there are no trees on the lawn, nor is there evidence of the delightful gardens now enjoyed. The architecture, however, is what is really pleasing. The architect was Mr. Harold T. Carswell, grandfather of the Rev. Eric H. Carswell who is now assistant to the pastor in Pittsburgh.

586

LOCAL SCHOOLS DIRECTORY 1980

     1980-81

BRYN ATHYN:
     Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr     Principal
     Mr. James P. Cooper          Assistant to the Principal
     Mrs. Bruce Rogers               Kindergarten
     Mrs. Andrew Glover          Kindergarten
     Mrs. Neil Buss               Grade 1
     Miss Cara Glenn               Grade 1
     Mrs. Grant Doering          Grade 2
     Mrs. Robert Johns               Grade 3
     Mr. Stephen Morley          Grade 3
     Miss Rosemary Wyncoll          Grade 4
     Mrs. Gina Rose               Grade 5
     Mrs. David Doering          Grade 5
     Mrs. Ralph Wetzel               Grade 6
     Mr. Reed Asplundh               Grade 6
     Miss Elsa Lockhart          Grade 7, Girls
     Mr. Kim Junge               Grade 7, Boys
     Mrs. Peter Stevens          Grade 8, Girls
     Mr. Robert Beiswenger          Grade 8, Boys
     Miss Brenda Rydstrom          Art
     Mr. Richard Show               Music
     Mr. Gale Smith               Physical Education
     Mrs. Harry Risley               Physical Education
     Mrs. Robert Alden               Librarian
     Mrs. Peter Gyllenhaal          Remedial Reading, Testing

COLCHRSTER:
     Rev. Patrick A. Rose          Headmaster
     Miss Hilda Waters, Deputy Head     Grades 1-7
DETROIT:
     Rev. Walter E. Orthwein          Principal
     Rev. Kenneth J. Alden          Assistant
     Miss Sylvia D. Parker          Head Teacher, Grades 1-3
     Miss Maret Taylor               Grades 4-5
DURBAN:
     Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard          Headmaster
     Miss Kathryn E. Wille          Teacher
     Mrs. Brian Lester               Teacher
     Miss Marian Homber          Teacher
     Mrs. Oonagh Pienaar          Teacher
GLENVIEW:
     Rev. Peter M. Buss          Headmaster
     Mr. R. Gordon McClarren          Assistant Principal
     Mrs. Daniel Wright          Head Teacher & Grades 5-6
     Miss Marie Odhner               Kindergarten & Grade 1

587

     Mrs. Donald Alan               Grades 2-3
     Mrs. Ben McQueen               Grade 4
     Miss Roxanne McQueen          Grade 7
     Mr. Gary Edmonds               Grades 4 & 8
     Rev. Clark Echols               Religion
     Rev. Mark Alden               Religion
     Mrs. Richard Acton          Art
     Mrs. Neil Caldwell          Music
     Mrs. William Hugo               Librarian
KEMPTON:
     Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen          Principal
     Mr. Yorvar Synnestvedt          Head Teacher
     Miss Ingrid Hansen          Primary Grades
     Mrs. Bruce Henry          Primary Grades
KITCHENER:
     Rev. Mark R. Carson          Principal
     Rev. Christopher R. J. Smith     Religion
     Mrs. Erwin Brueckman          Kindergarten
     Mrs. John H. Hotson          Grades 1 & 2
     Miss Barbara A. Walker          Grades 3 & 4
     Miss Joan N. Kuhl               Grades 5 & 6
     Mr. Karl E. Parker          Grades 7 & B
MIDWESTERN ACADEMY:
     Rev. Peter M. Buss          President
     Rev. Brian W. Keith          Principal, Religion
     Rev. Peter M. Buss          Religion
     Mr. Gordon McClarren          Administrative Assistant, Math, Science
     Miss Roxanne McQueen          History
     Mr. Dan Woodward               Athletic Director, English, Radio
     Mrs. William Hugo               Librarian
     Mrs. Gary Edmonds               Physical Education
     Mr. Gary Edmonds               French
     Mrs. Richard Acton          Art
     Mrs. Ronald Holmes          Typing
PITTSBURGH:
     Rev. Eric H. Carswell          Principal
     Miss Sarah Waters               Grades     3-6
     Mr. C. McQueen               Grades     5-9
     Mrs. Polly M. Schoenberger     Grades     3 & 4 & 7-9
TORONTO:
     Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs          Principal
     Rev. Robert McMaster          Assistant to the Principal
     Miss Deborah Sjostedt          Grades 1-3
     Mrs. Barbara Synnestvedt     Grades 4-6
     Mr. Philip Schnarr          Grades 7-8
WASHINGTON:     Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs     Principal
     Mr. Craig McCardell          Administrative Aide to the Principal,
                              Grades 1-10
     Rev. Lawson Smith               Religion
     Mrs. Frank Mitchell          Grades 1-4

588

     Mrs. Frido van Kesteren          Grades 4-8
     Mrs. Fred Waelchli          Grades 8-10

     School Enrollments
          1980-1981

The Academy
Theological School (Full Time)     10
College (Full Time)               139
Girls' School                    129
Boys' School                    113
     Total                         391

Midwestern Academy
Grades 9&10                         18

Local Schools
Bryn Athyn                         247
Colchester                         9
Detroit                         22
Durban                         30
Glenview                         59
Kempton                         17
Kitchener                         43
Pittsburgh                         21
Toronto                         26
Washington                         23
Total Local Schools               497

Total Reported Enrollment in all schools          906

MORE ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY THE SWEDENBORG FOUNDATION 1980

MORE ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY THE SWEDENBORG FOUNDATION 1980

     In the October issue under Keller Centennial we mentioned all too briefly some achievements of the Swedenborg Foundation. A note of appreciation from the Executive Director adds the following:
     "The Foundation has done a great deal more than that to celebrate Helen Keller's centennial. Our Public Service TV spot has been aired over 2,200 times and has resulted in nearly 600 inquiries from the U.S. and Canada. The CBS News special was produced with assistance from the Foundation and featured two of our board members. This was aired nationwide, and we will be purchasing prints of the program to be distributed to clubs, groups and schools nationwide."
     Your attention is called to the 1981 Swedenborg Date Book. Over the years the Foundation has done a fine job producing these handsome and handy pocket calendars which tastefully advertise Swedenborg and the books of the Writings. This year a glossy green cover features Johnny Appleseed.

589

CALL HIS NAME "JESUS" 1980

CALL HIS NAME "JESUS" Editor 1980

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.

Published Monthly By
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.
Editor . . . Rev. Donald L. Rose, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Associate Editor . . . Rev. Morley D. Rich, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager . . . Mr. L. E. Gyllenliaal, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.
Notifications of address changes should be received by the 15th of the month.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
5.00 (U.S.) a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 50 cents.
     In the Christmas story the angelic prediction of the birth of the Lord emphasizes the name that would be used.
     In Matthew we have the angel telling Joseph, "She shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save his people from their sins." (Notice the large capital letters used.) Then the first chapter of Matthew ends with the words, "and he called His name JESUS." Then the sec6nd chapter opens with the words, "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem..."
     In Luke we have the angel telling Mary to "call his name JESUS." Then in the next chapter we read that "His name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before He was conceived in the womb." Have you noticed the large capital letters used in the Bible? These were introduced in 1611 with the King James Version. In the Gospels the only places where the King James translators introduced the large letters were the inscription on the cross (i.e. Matt. 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19) and the four references to the name JESUS in the Christmas story. Their decision to employ the large capitals came from their appreciation of the importance of the name "Jesus."
     One cannot help being impressed with how often the name "Jesus," is used in the Four Gospels. The eighty (circa) pages of the Epistles mention the name "Jesus" by itself only some four dozen times. In the one hundred pages of the Gospels' that name is used some six hundred times!! (And we shall be quoting figures on this in a moment.)

590

     Virtually everywhere one opens the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John one finds the name "Jesus." Ought we to use that name more often than we do?

     A Letter in 1970

     Ten years ago (in April of 1970, to be exact) a letter appeared in this journal under the heading The Temptations of Jesus. The writer said, "The use of the name Jesus in the title of this letter is deliberate. How often does that name appear in NEW CHURCH LIFE, except in quotations from the Gospels? Very rarely. This is understandable as a reaction against Protestant use of the name almost exclusively and with connotations of the Lord's mere humanity." He went on to say that the avoidance of the name Jesus might be associated with a neglect of the acceptance of our Lord's humanness.
     Eleven months later a responding letter from England was published under the title The Shining Name of Jesus. This letter brought out a number of relevant teachings, including the following:
     Some in the other world were able to say "Christ" but could not say "Jesus." (TCR 111) No satan can bear to hear Jesus named. (TCR 380) "In the spiritual world, where all are obliged to speak as they think, no one can even mention the name Jesus unless he has lived in the world as a Christian." (DP 262). There is a special warmth in using the name Jesus, for this name especially calls to mind the Divine good. We may say the name Jesus with newly revealed truths shining in our minds. It is a name that can be filled with Divine majesty. Indeed the Writings confirm the saying of the apostle that at the name "Jesus" every knee should bow in heaven and on earth (TCR 297).
     The letter mentioned the teaching that faith is "a complex of truths shining in the mind" (TCR 347) and the teaching that the name of the Lord involves the whole complex of truths which make up our idea of the Lord. Faith in the Lord is compared to a star (TCR 348). When the Lord says that He is the "star," He calls Himself Jesus, and this involves the promise that He will come with new light, which will arise before His New Church. (AR 954) "I Jesus have sent mine angel . . . I am the bright and morning star . . . Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22)

     New Church Home, December, 1978

     In 1978 the Christmas issue of New Church Home contained an article by Bishop George De Charms entitled The Use of the Name Jesus. From this we quote the following:

591

     "Jesus means Saviour, and it represents the Divine love for the salvation of the human race. This love was the infinite Soul of the Lord, and it was the Divine Seed of His conception. This being so, the name Jesus is the same in meaning as Jehovah, for He it was who came into the world by birth from a virgin."
     While Jesus is the name of Jehovah it is "at the same time the name of the Human which the Lord took on in the world. It is therefore the inmost, and at the same time, the most ultimate of all the Lord's names. Etymologically, the name Jesus means Saviour, and the Lord became the Saviour by His birth into the world."
     Quoting from Apocalypse Revealed 953 and the words, "I Jesus have sent My angel to testify," Bishop De Charms goes on to say, "Note here the important teaching that to 'testify' means, not only that Jehovah, or Jesus revealed to John the Evangelist the things declared in the Book of Revelation, but that He it is who now opens to men the inner meaning of the book in the Heavenly Doctrine."
     "On examination we find this name used 604 times in the Gospels and the Apocalypse. It is found 161 times in Matthew, 93 times in Mark, 98 times in Luke, 240 times in John, and 7 times in the Apocalypse."
     We may conclude that the Evangelists "were inspired to use the name Jesus when writing the Gospels, in order to represent the Saviour as He was known on earth, and at the same time, as He was known in heaven. He was known on earth as Jesus, because this was the name of the Human assumed in the world; but He was known in heaven as Jesus, because that name means the infinite love of God for the salvation of the whole human race-that is, it means the same as 'Jehovah.' When, therefore, a person reads the name 'Jesus' in the Word, it brings association with the angels, and especially the celestial angels who are in love to the Lord. This is the case if the Word is read with reverence, even if the meaning of the name is not understood. If the inner meaning of the name had been openly disclosed while the Lord was in the world, it would have been universally rejected. The Jews could not possibly believe that Jesus was Jehovah. They could, however, believe that He was the Messiah promised by the prophets, for in this case they would think of Him, not as Jehovah, but as One sent by Jehovah to save them."

     CLOSING PARAGRAPH WITH IMPLICATIONS ON HOW WE TEACH

     In the final paragraph of this article, which we have only quoted in part, Bishop De Charms offers the following thoughts: "I have pondered the question as to why, in the New Church, we so seldom refer to the Lord as 'Jesus.' The main reason is, undoubtedly, because we are told in the Writings that 'the Lord' is the name of God for the New Church, because it means the Divine Human.

592

A further reason probably is 'because, in the modern Christian world, the name 'Jesus' has been so widely profaned. Yet, I would suggest that since we are told in the Writings the true meaning of the name 'Jesus' we should use it more often, and especially in teaching the Gospel stories to our children. It seems to me that they should be introduced to the special feeling of holiness which the Writings assign to this name, both as a protection against the profane use of it in the world around them, and for the sake of the heavenly associations it brings when the Word is rightly read. It is the most exalted name of the Lord to be found in the New Testament, because it is the name of the Lord's infinite Soul; and it is the most ultimate name, because it refers also to the Human assumed in the world. When little children are thinking of the Lord as the Babe adored by the shepherds, they can receive a fuller influx from heaven if they think of Him as 'Jesus.' So also when He was presented in the temple, and when He received the gifts of the wise men. But also, when He healed diseases, and raised the dead, and 'blessed little children. Would it not be well for our children to associate with these Divine acts the name 'Jesus' which the Evangelists were inspired to call the Lord? Would this be contrary to the Divine command to use 'the Lord' when referring to the Divine Human? Since to the angels 'Jesus' means the same as 'Jehovah,' I would be disposed to think that our children should be introduced to the use of it, and taught to hold it in the deepest reverence."

     * * * * * *

     The writers quoted above allude to a passage at the very beginning of the Arcana Coelestia. This passage, which answers the question why the name 'Jesus' is used less than a dozen times in the whole of that long work, reads as follows:
     "In the following work, by the name LORD is meant the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, and Him only; and He is called 'the Lord' without the addition of other names. Throughout the universal heaven, He it is who is acknowledged and adored as Lord, because He has all sovereign power in the heavens and on earth. He also commanded His disciples so to call Him, saying, 'Ye call Me Lord, and ye say well, for I am.' (John xiii.' 13). And after His resurrection His disciples called Him 'Lord'." (A.C. 14)
     These are some of the relevant things concerning the use of the name "Jesus." We invite further consideration and discussion from our readers. We have chosen to do this at the time of the year when we turn to those words in the Christmas story, "and thou shalt call his name JESUS."

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INNOCENCE AND THE PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING 1980

INNOCENCE AND THE PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING GLENN G. ALDEN 1980

To the Editor:

     In response to the article by the Rev. Stephen D. Cole in the August issue, I would submit the following remarks:
     The Writings tell us that all things are of the Lord, and that they are done according to order. This order is either from the Lord's will, from His good-pleasure, from His leave, or from His permission. "The things that are from His will and good-pleasure are from the laws of order as to good, and so also are many of those which are from leave, and some of those which are from permission." (AC 2447) The criterion would seem to be whether there is present a desire for good, or a willingness to be led by the Lord. The Lord can conjoin Himself to the good in a man, even if what he does is in itself disorderly, if the man's motive is to do what is good. A good example of this may be seen in the commandment not to kill. Certainly killing is always a disorder, but the Writings teach that the soldier who kills from the love of his country is not in evil. Thus they say that it is noble to die for one's country, and glorious for a soldier to shed his blood for it. Also that some who were soldiers were among the more blessed in heaven. (TCR 414, C. 116, D. 1397)
     Man is, as if of himself, to act in all things from the Lord, to look to the Lord for guidance in everything, and to go to His Word and seek those principles upon which his life should be based. It is incumbent upon man to examine the intentions of his heart and to see the evils that are there, the loves of self and the world with their infernal offspring of selfish and worldly loves, and to shun them as sins against the Lord.
     I respond with reluctance to the article by the Rev. Stephen D. Cole. I do not disagree with the essential point made in the article, namely that the prevention of offspring is a disorder. I respond because I feel that his discussion of this subject may have disturbed some in the church who are seeking to act from conscience. I am concerned that he has taken a far stronger position in regard to the prevention of offspring than the Lord does in His Word. And, I feel that the implication of his title, namely, that the prevention of offspring is opposed to or exclusive of a willingness to be led by the Lord, is not necessarily true, and is not supported by the Writings. Mr. Cole has indeed argued that the layman must consult the Word to form his own opinion (p. 363).

594

Still, I feel that he has left the sincere layman, who depends upon the priesthood for much of his doctrinal leadership, with some very strong statements, statements not, in my opinion, backed up by clear teachings from the Writings. The statement: "Desire not to have children at any time sets man in opposition to this endeavor of the Lord. How can anyone suppose that this is not a grievous disorder?" (p. 361), is an opinion or position of Mr. Cole's. He is certainly entitled to that opinion, but it concerned me that such a strong statement was part of the conclusion of a paragraph which begins: "What teachings of the Writings pertain to the issue of prevention?" (p. 360).
There are many teachings from the Writings pertaining to this subject which should be carefully considered by any sincere New Church couple desiring to be led by the Lord in this matter. That Marriage love is one with the love of infants is clearly taught. That the wife is conjoined to the husband by the appropriation of the powers of his manhood is an essential consideration. I would agree that all methods of prevention in some way interfere with that appropriation. Obviously it is within man's power to destroy the love of offspring within himself by devoting himself to lasciviousness and lust, without any thought to the uses of marital relations. In any thought of limiting the number of children that they might receive from the Lord, a couple must be fully aware of the subtle and deceitful quality of the love of self and the love of the world. They must guard lest they act from those selfish loves to the detriment of their marriage, or in opposition to the Lord's will. To aid them in their study of this subject I would recommend a compilation of passages from the Writings by Rev. Robert S. Junge, "Human prudence and the love of offspring."
Mr. Cole writes: "There are no passages in the Writings that teach that human prudence should enter into this realm." (p. 361) I would refer him to Divine Providence 210, which reads in part, "If man as from his own prudence did not dispose all things pertaining to his own function and life he could not be led and disposed from the Divine providence; for he would be like one standing with his hands hanging down, his mouth open, his eyes closed and holding his breath, awaiting influx. He would thus divest himself of the human, which he has from the perception and sensation that he lives, thinks, wills, speaks and acts as from himself; and at the same time he would divest himself of his two faculties, liberty and rationality, by which he is distinguished from the beasts." I do not see, nor have I been shown, that the Writings exempt us from using our prudence as a means of cooperation with the Lord in the area of the procreation of offspring.

595

     The Writings teach us that apart from the will, that is, apart from motive or love, man's deeds are as nothing. (AC 9293). It is essential for us to consider our motives in the choices we make in trying to follow the Lord. It is entirely possible for a man to choose to have children from a selfish and worldly motive. The Writings give many examples of evil men who nevertheless have great delight in their own offspring. (AC 1730, 1745, 2757, CL 406, SD. 4628, 6110) A man is not cooperating with the Lord if he has children from a love of self. I do not find it taught that the desire to limit the size of one's family can stem only from a selfish motive. I find it difficult to believe that a couple, in conscience, while looking sincerely to the Lord, may not decide that they are not capable of caring for more children than they already have. Whether their choice is good or not depends upon their motive. That it is a permission, I have little doubt, 'but I think that we must allow for the possibility that it be "According to the laws of order as to good." (AC 2447) I do not believe that we can rightly say that these people have set themselves "In opposition to this endeavor of the Lord," or that their desire not to have a child is a "Grievous disorder." (P. 361). Certainly we would not say of the soldier who kills for his country, that he has set himself in opposition to the Lord's endeavor, or that he is in a grievous disorder, although the killing itself is certainly a disorder.
     We are faced continually with situations in which we must choose between greater and lesser evils. At times we must do certain evils for the sake of greater good. At such times we should not fear harm, so long as our sincere effort is to follow the Lord in doing what seems best. It is very important for us to keep clearly in our minds the distinction between order and disorder. We should beware of trying to justify the disorderly act, or call it a good. For if we do justify it we adjoin ourselves to that disorder and separate ourselves from the Lord's protection. If we sincerely try to do what is our best in any circumstance, and if we are willing to call disorderly that which is not the Lord's will, He will protect us and deliver us from evil.
     It is the responsibility of the priest to teach what he sees from the Word. It is the responsibility of all men to go to the Lord in His Word, and to seek the laws and principles which must be the basis of our lives. We must allow the Lord to form our beliefs, and we must try to live according to the principles we have seen. But it is important to preserve the freedom of others to go to the Word for themselves and to allow the Lord to lead them.

     GLENN G. ALDEN
Miami, Fla.

596

Title Unspecified 1980

Announcements

CORRECTION of title (from NCL, November, 1980, p. 521)-de Charms, Mr. Charles, January 28, 1980, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania (62) [Corrected in the electronic test.]
Title Unspecified 1980

Title Unspecified 1980

CORRECTION of gender (from NCL, November, 1980, p. 533)-Griffin.-At Bryn Athyn, PA, August 16, 1980, Ashley Leigh, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Noel F. Griffin (Lynne L. David), the Rev. Douglas M. Taylor officiating. [Corrected in the electronic test.]

598

TWO NEW SOCIETIES, ATLANTA AND KEMPTON 1980

     We have rare and inspiring news. On November 27, 1980 two new societies were recognized. On that Thanksgiving Day Bishop Louis B. King recognized the circle in Atlanta, Georgia, as the Atlanta Society of the General Church of the New Jerusalem and the circle in Kempton, Pennsylvania, as the Kempton Society of the General Church of the New Jerusalem.
     In his letters to Rev. Thomas L. Kline of Atlanta and Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen of Kempton, Bishop King emphasized this as a cause for rejoicing throughout the General Church. This is a rare happening. Only seven societies have come into being during the past half century, and three of them were received this year! (See page 552).
     Prior to this year the Glendale Society in California was the last to be recognized. That was seventeen years ago. (New Church Life, 1963, p. 96.) Ten years before that the societies of Detroit, Washington and Baltimore were recognized. That year this magazine made the following comment on two societies being received in one day: "In making this announcement, and in expressing the good wishes of the entire General Church for the future development of the two societies which it warmly welcomes, we would remind our readers that the Detroit Society was formally recognized only last April. 1954 therefore goes down in our annals as a year made unique by the addition of three new names to the list of Societies of the General Church." (New Church Life, 1954, p. 516).
     A photograph of the Atlanta church building will appear in the January issue. In the Statement of ORDER AND ORGANIZATION a society is defined as follows:

A Society or Local Church consists of the members of the General Church in any locality who have been organized under the leadership of a resident pastor to maintain the uses of regular worship, instruction, and social life. One becomes a member of a particular society by signing the roll of membership of that society. A circle may become a society by application to the Bishop and formal recognition by him.

     Note: Prior to 194 the last General Church society to be recognized was Michael Church of London, England. That was in 1921.