Coronis,
or Appendix,
to
True Christian Religion
Emanuel Swedenborg
FOURTH PROPOSITION (51 - 53)
51. (II) That the second state of this church was instruction, and at length
introduction into the land of Canaan, and then its progression into light and
day. It has been pointed out above, that this Israelitish Church, as well as the
Ancient, or Noachian Church, was, as to the whole of its worship, a
representative church. This was of the Divine providence, because Jehovah had
not yet put on the Natural Human (which He took up by incarnation in the womb of
Mary, thus according to the order established from creation); and prior to this,
He could not be conjoined to man as to the interiors of his spirit, and thus
manifest there to man's perception His Divine things, which are celestial and
spiritual, and thus far above the discernment of the senses of the body. This
also was as impossible as it is to make a bird fly in ether, or a fish to step
in air. For if Jehovah were to enter with man except by means of His Human, it
would be like putting the branch of a tree into the very focus of a burning
glass, or quicksilver to a blazing log in a furnace, which would be suddenly
dissipated. For from the zeal of His Divine love Jehovah is like a consuming
fire; and were He to enter into man in this without His Human, He would
dissipate him, as has just been said: for which reason He said to Moses, when he
desired to behold His glory with his own eyes, that no man could see Him and
live. It was otherwise, however, after He assumed the Natural Human, and united
this, when glorified, to His Divine, and thus conjoined into one in Himself the
Divine celestial, the Divine spiritual, and the Divine natural. He was then
able, by means of this, to conjoin Himself to man in his natural, yea, in his
sensual, and at the same time to his spirit or mind in his rational, and thus to
enlighten man's natural light, with heavenly light. That such conjunction was
effected after the Coming of Jehovah into the world, is plainly manifest from
the words of the Lord Himself:In that day ye shall know that I am in My
Father, and ye in Me, and I in you (John 14:20).
[2] Now, before the
incarnation of Jehovah was accomplished, conjunction with Him could not take
place except through an angel, thus by means of a representative human; on which
account, also, all things of the church of the men of that period, were made
representative, and consequently men worshiped Jehovah by types affecting the
senses of the body, and at the same time corresponding to spiritual things.
Hence it was that the men of the Ancient Church, and still more the men of the Israelitish Church, were external and natural men, nor could they become
internal and spiritual, as men can since the Lord's coming. But, still, those
who acknowledged Jehovah, and, at the same time the Lord with him, that is, the
Lord who was to come, who in the Word is named the "Lord Jehovih," the "God of
Israel," and "His Holy One," "Messiah" or the "Anointed of Jehovah," "King,"
"Rock," and in some places "Son," and who worshiped them together, received
holiness in their spirits, and hence in the types of their religion. The rest,
however, did not receive it; whence the religion of these was not a religion but
a superstition, and their worship was not representative but idolatrous and
although this was similar in the external form, yet it was dissimilar in the
internal. [3] But in order that this matter may acquire some light, it shall be
illustrated by comparisons. Idolatrous worship is like a man who reveres a king,
a prince, a nobleman, or any man of exalted dignity, solely on account of the
pomp of his retinue, the magnificence of his carriages and horsemen, or of his
forerunners, and the splendor and gorgeousness of his clothing; but genuine
representative worship is like one who regards a king, prince, nobleman, of any
man of exalted dignity, from his religion and his wisdom, and from his justice
and judgment, and from these regards the above-mentioned marks of his honor.
Idolatrous worship, moreover, is like a man who regards the primate of the
church solely on account of his tiara and the jewels in it, or any other
prelate, or bishop, on account of his fillet or mitre; but genuine
representative worship is like one who regards them from the zeal of their love
for the souls of the men of the church, and for their eternal salvation, and the
marks of distinction on their heads from these grounds. Again, idolatrous
worship is like a field filled with stalks without ears, or with ears without
grain in them, or even with these without any kernel in them, and so on; but
genuine representative worship is like a field filled with the harvest, whose
grains are bursting with kernels, which afford flour and bread in abundance.
Idolatrous worship is also like an egg in which there is no spermatic germ; but
genuine representative worship is like an egg in which there is the prolific
element from which is the chicken. To still further follow those two kinds of
worship by comparison, idolatrous worship is like one who has lost the sense of
smell and the sense of taste by a catarrh; when such a one applies any grape to
his nostrils, or pours wine on his tongue, he is sensible of nothing but their
touch; but genuine representative worship is like one who is keenly sensible at
the same time of the fragrance of the grape and the flavor of the wine, and thus
enjoys the use of both with pleasure.
52. That the second state of this church was instruction, follows from order;
for when anyone is called to the church, he must be instructed in the precepts
of the religion according to which he is going to live. That this took place
with the sons of Israel after their calling, is evident from the promulgation of
the law on Mount Sinai, in which are contained all the commandments of love and
faith towards God, and all those of love and fidelity towards the neighbor.
After instruction in the general precepts of life and faith, there followed the
publication of various laws, which were called "judgments" and "statutes,"
respecting the sanctification of the Sabbath, stated feasts, sacrifices, the
priesthood, the tabernacle, the holy worship in it and upon the altar outside
it; also respecting the eating of the holy things, the ministry of Aaron and his
sons, likewise their garments and the consecration thereof, and the
sanctification of all things belonging to the tabernacle by the oil of
anointing; and further, concerning the Levitical order, marriages and divorces,
cleansings, foods, places of refuge, besides many other things, which were all
natural representations corresponding to spiritual things. In a word, the last
four books of Moses are nothing else but books of instruction for that church.
After these instructions, the sons of Israel were introduced into the land of
Canaan, thus into the church itself, for the "land of Canaan" represented and
therefore signified the church. That land also was situated in the middle
portion of our entire globe: for on the front it looked towards Europe, on the
left towards Africa, and on the hinder and right-hand side towards Asia. But
after they came into that land, the precepts given by Moses were enriched by
prophets, then by their King David, and at length by Solomon after the building
of the temple; as appears from the books of Judges, Samuel, and Kings. This,
therefore, was the second state of this church, which was its progression into
light, or day.
53. The following passages in the Word can be applied to these two states of this
church:
Jehovah, after two days, will vivify us: on the third day He will
raise us up, that we may live before Him. Jehovah, His going forth is prepared
as the dawn; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain He shall
water the earth (Hos. 6:2, 3). The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel
spake to me. He is as the light of the morning, a morning without clouds (2 Sam.
23:3, 4).
And in Moses:
My doctrine shall flow down as the rain; My word
shall distil as the dew, as the drops upon the grass, and as the small drops
upon the herb: I will proclaim the name of Jehovah; ascribe ye greatness to our
God. The Rock, whose work is perfect, all His ways are judgment, a God of
faithfulness without perversity, just and right is He. (Deut. 32:2-4).
From
these passages also it may be confirmed that these two states of this church
were from our Lord, who is the "God of Israel" and the "Rock." That He is the
"Rock," is clear from these words in Paul: The Rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4).
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