Coronis, or Appendix,
to True Christian Religion

Emanuel Swedenborg

FOURTH PROPOSITION (47 - 50)

47. (I) The first state of this church was the appearance of the Lord Jehovih, and the calling and covenanting, and then was its rise or morning. We are taught from the Word, that the Lord Jehovih has appeared at the beginning of each of the four churches of this earth. This is because God is the All in all of the church and its religion; and the acknowledgment of God in it, is like the soul in the body, which vivifies both its interiors and its exteriors; and it is like the prolific element in seed, which, abiding inmostly in all the sap drawn from the earth by the root, accompanies it from the first germination even to the fruit, in which it also is, and it disposes the vegetative process so that it proceeds in its own order. For this reason, the man of the church, without the acknowledgment of God, is in the eyes of the angels a brute like the wild beasts of the forest, or like a bird of night, or like a monster of the sea; yea, without the acknowledgment of God, he is like a tree the branches of which are cut off, and the trunk cut in pieces, and the whole piled up together in a heap reserved for the fire; for the Lord says:

Without Me ye can do nothing; if anyone abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather him, and cast him into the fire, and he is burned (John 15:5-6).

Without the acknowledgment of God, man, inwardly, as to his rational things, is like the ruins of a burned city; he is also like food when its nutritiveness is boiled out it becomes refuse. And so forth.

48. But it would be impossible for a man to acknowledge God and anything belonging to Him, unless God had manifested Himself in a personal human form; for nature, which belongs to the world, surrounds him, and he does not see, feel, or breathe anything but what is from it and is in contact with the organs of his body. From this his mind conceives and adopts a rational which lies in the midst of the bosom of nature, like an embryo in the womb; nor does it see anything, until it is brought forth, and receives sight. Therefore, how can a man in this state by any method look through nature, and acknowledge anything that is above her, as everything Divine, celestial, and spiritual is, and hence everything religious, which in themselves are above natural things? Wherefore, it is an absolute necessity that God should manifest Himself, and thereby cause Himself to be acknowledged, and after acknowledgment should inspire man with His Divine influence, and by this, received in the heart, lead him at length even to Himself in heaven; all which cannot possibly be effected except by instruction. Must not also an emperor, and a king, first cause himself to be acknowledged and crowned, before he enters on his government? And before he is crowned, is he not provided with the insignia of dominion, robed, and anointed? and must he not covenant the people to himself by sworn compacts, agreed to by both sides, whereby the people become the king's, and the king the people's? Must not a bridegroom first cause himself to be seen, before he proposes betrothal, and afterwards marriage? Must not a father present himself before his infant, and embrace and kiss him, before the infant can say, "Abba, father"? and so in other cases. Still more must the Lord Jehovih, who is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Apoc. 17:14), the Bridegroom and Husband of the church (Apoc. 21:9), and consequently the Father of all her offspring. By the "Lord Jehovih" is meant the Lord our Saviour and Redeemer: He is called the "Lord Jehovih" in Daniel, and everywhere in the Prophets.

49. It was stated above, that the first state with the sons of Israel, was the appearing of the Lord Jehovih, calling and covenanting; and we learn from the Word, that these three things took place, first with Abraham, secondly with Moses, and thirdly with the entire people. The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before Abraham is thus described in Genesis:

Jehovah appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre; he was sitting at the door of his tent, and when he lifted up his eyes and saw, behold, three men stood by him, and as soon as he saw them, he ran to meet them from the door of the tent, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, O Lord, if I have found grace in Thine eyes, pass not away, I pray, from Thy servant (18:1-3, seq.).

It was the Lord our Savior who appeared in His Divine Trinity, which the three angels represented; for the Lord said:

Abraham exulted that he should see My day, and he saw and rejoiced. Verily, verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:56, 58).

There is in the Lord the Divine Trinity; and the Divine Unity was represented in the Divine Trinity by the "three men," who were also called "angels" (Gen. 18:2; 19:1). But in His Divine Unity He was called "Lord" (18:3; 19:18); and also "Jehovah," very frequently (18:13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 22, 26, 33). The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before Moses is thus described in Exodus:

The Angel of Jehovah appeared to Moses at the mountain of Horeb, in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bramble. Therefore Moses said, I will turn aside and see this great vision, why the bramble is not burnt. And Jehovah saw that he went aside, therefore God called unto him out of the midst of the bramble, and said, Moses, Moses. And moreover Moses said to God, What is thy name? God said, I AM WHO I AM. Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Exod. 3:1, 2-4, 14 seq.).

The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before the whole people is thus also described in Exodus:

Jehovah said to Moses, Say unto the sons of Israel, that they be ready against the third day; for on the third day Jehovih will come down in the eyes of all the people upon Mount Sinai. And it came to pass on the third day, that there were voices, and lightning, and thick clouds upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. All Mount Sinai smoked, because He descended upon it in fire, and promulgated the law before the people (Exod. 19:9-24 and 20:1-18).

The Lord also appeared to Joshua as "Prince of the army of Jehovah," before whom Joshua fell on his face upon the earth, and called him his "Lord" (Josh. 5:13, 14).

The calling of the sons of Israel to the land of Canaan, thus to the church, was also done three times; once to Abram, that he should go forth thence out of his fatherland, and afterwards the promise that his seed should inherit that land (Gen. 12:1-7). The call was also made through Moses (Exod. 3:16, 17); and again through Joshua (Josh. 1:3, seq., and 11).

50. A covenant also was entered into several times; first with Abram (respecting which, Gen. 17:1-14); then with the people (Exod. 24:7, 8); and once again (Josh. 24:24, 25). From these things it is now evident, that the first state of this church was the appearing of the Lord Jehovih and the calling and covenanting, and then its rise or morning. That by the "Lord Jehovih," everywhere in the Word, is meant Jehovah in His Human, who is the Lord our Redeemer and Saviour, will be seen in what follows.