TCR 694 - Eternal Rest

TCR 694

. . . the elder spoke with them again
about the eternal rest from labors
into which the blessed and happy come after death.
"Eternal rest," he said, "is not idleness,
for idleness produces languor, sluggishness,
numbness and drowsiness of the mind,
and consequently of the whole body;
and these are death, not life,
much less the eternal life
which the angels of heaven enjoy.
Eternal rest, therefore,
is a rest that dispels these states
and enables a person to live;
and it is only this that elevates the mind.
It consists therefore in some pursuit or occupation
by which the mind is aroused, quickened and delighted;
and this follows according to the use
from which, in which and for which
the work is performed.
Thus the whole heaven is viewed by the Lord
as a sphere of uses,
and every angel is an angel according to his use.
The delight of use bears him along
as a favorable current does a ship,
causing him to be in eternal peace,
and in the rest of peace.
This is the meaning of eternal rest from labors.
That an angel is quickened
as his mind is applied to use
is plainly evident from the fact
that every one enjoys conjugial love
in its vigor, potency and delight
according to his love of its use."

When the three strangers had been thus convinced
that eternal rest is not idleness
but joy in the performance of useful work,
some maidens came and presented them with
embroidered and woven articles . . ..

~ Jesus Tells the Samaritan Woman ~

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water,
Jesus said to her, "Will you give Me a drink?"
(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to Him,
"You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.
How can You ask me for a drink?"
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God
and Who it is that asks you for a drink
you would have asked Him
and He would have given you living water."

"Sir," the woman said, "You have nothing to draw with
and the well is deep.
Where can You get this living water?
Are You greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us the well and drank from it himself,
as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

Jesus answered,
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
but whoever drinks the water I give him
will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give him
will become in him a spring of water
welling up to eternal life."

(John 4: 7-14)

TCR 688, 690 - John the Baptist Prepares the Way

TCR 688

. . . John was the prophet
sent to prepare the way for Jehovah God,
so that He might descend into the world
and accomplish the work of redemption;
and that he prepared the way by Baptism,
and at the same time by proclaiming the Lord's coming;
and that without such preparation
all in the world would have been smitten with a curse,
and would have perished.

TCR 690

The Baptism of John represented
the cleansing of the external person,
but Baptism among Christians at the present day
represents the cleansing of the internal person,
and this is regeneration.
It is written, therefore,
that John baptized with water,
but that the Lord baptized
with the Holy Spirit and with fire;
and for this reason the Baptism of John
is called the Baptism of repentance.

~ John the Baptist's Testimony ~

Now this was John's testimony
when the Jews of Jerusalem
sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely,
"I am not the Christ."

They asked him, "Then who are you?  Are you Elijah?"

He said, "I am not."

"Are you the Prophet?"

He answered, "No."

Finally they said, "Who are you?
Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us.
What do you say about yourself?"

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet,
"I am the voice of one calling in the desert,
'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"

Now some Pharisees
who had been sent questioned him,
"Why then to you baptize if you are not the Christ,
nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

"I baptize with water," John replied,
"But among you stands One you do not know.
He is the One who comes after me,
the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."

This all happened at Bethany
on the other side of the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

(John 1:19-28)

TCR 682 - His Name

TCR 682 [1, 2, 3]

By the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
nothing else is meant in the Word
but an acknowledgment of Him
and a life according to His commandments.

. . . the Lord means not only His name,
but the acknowledgment of Him
as Redeemer and Savior,
and at the same time obedience to Him,
and at length faith in Him.

Jesus said, The sheep hear My voice,
and I call My own sheep by name,
and lead them out.
I go before them,
and the sheep follow Me,
for they know My voice.
(John 10:3, 4)

"By name," signifies, by their character as Christians;
and to follow Him is to hear His voice,
that is, to obey His commandments.

~ "To All Who Received Him" ~

He was in the world,
and though the world was made through Him,
the world did not recognize Him.
He came to that which was His own,
but His own did not receive Him.
Yet to all who received Him,
to those who believed in His name,
He gave the right to become children of God --
children born not of natural descent,
nor of human decision or a husband's will,
but born of God.

The Word became flesh
and made His dwelling among us.
We have seen His glory,
the glory of the One and Only,
who came from the Father,
full of grace and truth.

(John 1:10-14)

TCR 669, 676 - Introducing Baptism and Holy Supper

TCR 669

The two sacraments, Baptism and the Holy Supper,
are in the Christian Church
like two jewels in the scepter of a king;
and if their uses are not known,
they are only like two figures of ebony carved on a staff.
They may also be compared
to two rubies or garnets on the cloak of an emperor;
but if their uses are not known,
they are only like
two cornelians or crystals on any gown.
. . . These things cannot be dug up and brought to light
except by means of the spiritual sense,
which at this day has been disclosed for the New Church,
for the sake of its use in the worship of the Lord.

Those sacraments may also be compared to
a temple in duplicate,
one temple above the other,
in the lower of which is preached
the gospel of the Lord's new coming,
and also of regeneration
and consequent salvation by Him.
From this temple, circling upwards from the altar,
is an ascent to the upper temple,
where the Holy Supper is celebrated;
and thence is a passage into heaven,
where the worshipers are received by the Lord.
They may also be compared to a tabernacle,
in which, behind the entrance,
appears the table on which
the show-bread is placed in order;
where there is also the golden altar for incense,
and in the midst the candlestick with lighted lamps,
by which all these things come into view;
and finally,
for those who allow themselves to be enlightened,
the veil is opened to the Holy of Holies,
where, instead of the ark
in which the Decalogue had reposed,
the Word is placed over which
is the mercy-seat with the golden cherubim.
These things are representations
of those two sacraments with their uses.

TCR 676

With a person an external without an internal
is like a temple without worship,
a building that may be used by any one as a stable.
. . . For the external person is not the person,
but only the form of a person;
it is the internal, that which is wise from God,
which constitutes the person.
So it is with those who are circumcised
and with those who are baptized,
unless they circumcise or wash their heart.

~ "Pray That You Will Not Fall Into Temptation." ~

Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives,
and His disciples followed Him.
On reaching the place, He said to them,
"Pray that you will not fall into temptation."
He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them,
knelt down and prayed,
"Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me;
yet not My will, but Yours be done."
An angel from heaven appeared to Him
and strengthened Him.
And being in anguish,
He prayed more earnestly,
and His seat was like drops of blood
falling to the ground.

When He rose from prayer
and went back to the disciples,
He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.
"Why are you sleeping?" He asked them.
"Get up and pray
so that you will not fall into temptation."

(Luke 22:39-46)

TCR 666 - Conscience

TCR 666 [3]

All those who have conscience
speak and act from the heart
in everything that they say and do;
for having an undivided mind
they speak and act according to what
they understand and believe to be true and good.
Hence it follows that with those,
who are more than others in the truths of faith
and in their clear perception,
a more perfect conscience is possible
than with those who are less enlightened
and whose perception is obscure.
In a true conscience consists
the spiritual life itself of a person,
for in this his faith is conjoined with charity;
so that to act from conscience,
with those who possess it,
is to act from their spiritual life;
and to act contrary to conscience
is to act contrary to that life.

~ Who Serves? ~

Jesus said to them . .
"For who is greater,
the one who is at the table
or the one who serves?
Is it not the one who is at the table?
But I am among you as one who serves."

(Luke 22:25, 27)

 

TCR 661 - Three Universals of Hell and Heaven and How Each Regards Uses

TCR 661 [3, 4, 5-6, 14]

There are three universals of hell,
but they are diametrically opposite to those of heaven.
The universals of hell are these three loves:
the love of ruling from the love of self,
the love of possessing the property of others
from the love of the world, and scortatory love.
The universals of heaven opposite to these
are these three loves:
the love of ruling from the love of use,
the love of possessing worldly goods
from the love of performing uses
by means of them,
and love truly conjugial.

. . . the first universal love of hell,
(is) namely, the love of ruling from the love of self,
and  . . . the universal love of heaven corresponding to it,
(is) namely, the love of ruling from the love of uses.
. . . In order . . . that both may be perceived
they must be placed in contrast, one against the other;
just as a beautiful and handsome face
is seen to advantage when an ugly and deformed one
is placed in contrast with it.

The love of ruling from the love of self
is in the highest degree infernal
because to rule from the love of self
is to rule from the proprium (ego),
and person's proprium is by birth evil itself,
and evil itself is diametrically opposed to the Lord.
Therefore, the deeper people advance in that evil,
the more do they deny God
and the holy things of the Church,
and worship themselves and nature.
. . . This love is such that,
if it is unrestrained and no obstacle stands in its way,
it rushes on from stage to stage even to the very highest.
Even there it does not rest,
and grieves and laments if further progress is denied it.

With politicians this love mounts to such a degree
that they desire to be kings and emperors;
and, if possible,
to have dominion over all things in the world,
and to be styled king of kings, and emperor of emperors.
With the clergy this same love increases
till they desire to be gods;
and if that were possible,
to have dominion over all things in heaven,
and to be styled gods.
It will be seen in what follows
that such men in their heart
do not acknowledge any God.
Those on the other hand
who desire to rule from the love of uses
do not desire to rule from themselves but from the Lord,
since the love of uses is from the Lord,
and is the Lord Himself.
Such men regard dignities
only as means for performing uses,
which they place far above dignities;
whereas the others place dignities far above uses.

. . . the uses which we perform
are from the love of them,
which is within us from the Lord,
and this love finds its blessedness
from communication with others by means of uses.
We know from experience
that as far as we perform uses from the love of them,
the love increases, and with the love,
wisdom from which communication is made possible.
On the other hand,
as far as we keep uses within ourselves,
and do not share them,
the blessedness perishes.
Then use becomes like food retained in the stomach,
and as it is not diffused
to act as nourishment for the body and its parts,
it remains undigested, and causes sickness.
In a word, heaven is comprised of nothing but uses,
from first things to last.

What is use
but practical love of the neighbor?
and what holds the heavens together but this love?

~ Zacchaeus the Tax Collector ~

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus;
he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
He wanted to see who Jesus was,
but being a short man he could not,
because of the crowd.
So he ran ahead
and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him,
since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot,
He looked up and said to him,
"Zacchaeus, come down immediately.
I must stay at your house today."
So he down down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter,
"He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'"

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord,
"Look, Lord!  Here and now I give
half of my possessions to the poor,
and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,
I will pay back four times the amount."

Jesus said to him,
"Today salvation has come to this house,
because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of Man came
to seek and to save what was lost."

(Luke 19:1-10)

TCR 652 - A Sphere and a Current; TCR 660 - The Real Value

TCR 652 [3]

There is actually a sphere
proceeding continually from the Lord
and filling the entire spiritual and natural worlds
which raises all towards heaven.
It is like a strong current in the ocean
which unobservedly draws a vessel.
All who believe in the Lord
and live according to His precepts
enter that sphere or current and are elevated;
while those who do not believe,
are unwilling to enter,
but withdraw themselves to the sides,
and are there carried away by a current
the sets toward hell.

TCR 660

. . . the Church is valued for its charity and faith,
and not for the ritual
which has become associated with it.

A minister of the Church is esteemed
for his good will and love,
and at the same time
for his understanding in spiritual things,
and not for his affability and clerical garb.

Worship and the temple in which it is performed
may be similarly regarded.
Worship itself is performed in the will,
and it is conducted in the understanding
as in its proper temple;
and the temple is called holy,
not on its own account,
but from the Divine which is there taught.

A government also is loved
where good reigns together with truth,
but not where truth rules without good.
No one judges of a king from his retinue,
his horses and carriages,
but from the royalty which he is known to possess;
and royalty consists in loving and prudent governing.

~ The Persistent Widow ~

Then Jesus told His disciples a parable
to show them that they should
always pray and not give up.
He said:
"In a certain town there was a judge
who neither feared God nor cared about men.
And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea,
'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

"For some time he refused.
But finally he said to himself,
'Even though I don't fear God or care about men,
yet because this widow keeps bothering me,
I will see that she gets justice,
so that she won't
eventually wear me out with her coming!'"

And the Lord said,
"Listen to what the unjust judge says,
And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones,
who cry out to Him day and night?
Will He keep putting them off?
I tell you,
He will see that they get justice, and quickly.
However, when the Son of Man comes,
will He find faith on the earth?"

(Luke 18:1-8)

TCR 647 - The Former Church and the New Church

TCR 647

[1] The faith and imputation of the New Church
cannot be held along with those
of the former Church which still persists,
because they do not agree
in a third or even in a tenth of their doctrine.
For the faith of the former Church teaches
that three Divine Persons have existed from eternity,
each of whom singly, or by Himself, was God,
and also as so many Creators.
But the faith of the New Church is
that there was from eternity only one Divine Person,
and thus one God,
and that beside Him there is no other God.
The faith of the former Church has, therefore,
taught a Divine Trinity divided into three Persons;
but the faith of the New Church
teaches the Divine Trinity united in one Person.

[2] The faith of the former Church
was in a God invisible and inaccessible,
with whom there could be no conjunction;
and they thought of Him as a spirit,
of the same nature as ether or wind.
But the faith of the New Church is in a God
who is visible and accessible,
and with whom there can be conjunction,
in whom, as the soul in the body,
is God the invisible and inaccessible,
and with whom there can be no conjunction;
and they think of Him as a Man,
because the one God who was from eternity,
became Man in time.

[3] The faith of the former Church
attributes all power to the invisible God,
and denies it to the visible.
For it teaches that God the Father imputes faith,
and thereby bestows eternal life;
and that the visible God only intercedes;
and that they both give,
or according to the Greek Church,
God the Father gives, to the Holy Spirit,
who is the third in order God by Himself,
all power to work out the effects of that faith.
But the New Church attributes to the visible God,
in whom is the invisible, all power to impute,
and also to work out the effects of salvation.

[4] The faith of the former Church
is Primarily in God the Creator,
and not at the same time
in Him as Redeemer and Savior;
but the faith of the New Church is in one God,
who is at the same time
the Creator, Redeemer and Savior.

 [5] The faith of the former Church
is that repentance, remission of sins, renewal,
regeneration, sanctification and salvation
follow of themselves
the faith that is given and imputed,
without anything of a person being mingled
or conjoined with them.
But the faith of the New Church teaches
repentance, reformation, regeneration,
and thus the remission of sins,
with a person's co-operation.

[6] The former Church teaches
the imputation of Christ's merit,
and that it is included in the faith bestowed on a person.
But the New Church teaches
the imputation of good and of evil,
and at the same time of faith;
and that this imputation is
in accordance with the Sacred Scripture,
while the other is contrary to it.

[7] The former Church teaches
the gift of faith in which is included the merit of Christ,
the person being as a stock or a stone;
and it also asserts
a person's utter impotence in spiritual things.
But the New Church teaches a faith wholly different,
not a faith in the merit of Christ
but in Jesus Christ Himself as God,
the Redeemer and Savior,
and in free will both to apply oneself to reception
and to co-operate with Him.

[8] The former Church
adjoins charity to its faith as an appendage,
but not as saving,
and on this relationship it forms its religion;
but the New Church unites
faith in the Lord and charity towards the neighbor
as two inseparable things,
and on this relationship forms its religion.
The two Churches have many other points of difference.

~ Trust ~

"Whoever can be trusted with very little
can also be trusted with much,
and whoever is dishonest with very little
will also be dishonest with much.
So if you have not been trustworthy 
in handling worldly wealth,
who will trust you with true riches?
And if you have not been trustworthy
with some else's property,
who will give you property of your own?"

(Luke 16:10-12)

TCR 641 - Things Purely Divine

TCR 641

The merit and righteousness of the Lord are purely Divine,
and if things purely Divine
were applied and ascribed to a person
he would instantly die;
and like a log cast into the sun's pure fire,
he would be so consumed
that scarcely his ashes would remain.
Therefore, the Lord with His Divine
approaches both angels and men by means of light
tempered and moderated
according to the capacity and nature of each,
thus by means of that which
is adequate and accommodated;
and in like manner He approaches by means of heat.

~ A Crippled Woman Healed on the Sabbath ~

On a Sabbath
Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,
and a woman was there
who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.
She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.
When Jesus saw her,
He called her forward and said to her,
"Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."
Then He put His hands on her,
and immediately
she straightened up and praised God.

Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath,
the synagogue ruler said to the people,
"There are six days for work.
So come and be healed on those days,
not on the Sabbath."

The Lord answered him,
"You hypocrites!
Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath
untie his ox or donkey from the stall
and lead it out to give it water?
Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years,
be set free on the Sabbath day
from what bound her?"

When He said this,
all His opponents were humiliated,
but the people were delighted
with all the wonderful things He was doing.

(Luke 13:10-17)

TCR 625 - The Old Testament and Heavenly Glorifications

TCR 625

Once when I was meditating about
the Lord's second coming,
there suddenly appeared a flash of light
which forcibly struck my eyes;
and I therefore looked up, and lo,
the whole heaven above me appeared luminous,
and there from the east to the west in a continuous strain
a Glorification was heard;
and an angel stood near who said,
"That is a glorification of the Lord
on account of His coming.
It comes from the angels
of the eastern and western heavens."
From the southern and northern heavens
only a gentle murmur was heard.
And because all this was heard by the angel,
he first said to me
that these glorifications and celebrations of the Lord
are made from the Word.
Presently he said,
"Now they are glorifying and celebrating the Lord
especially by these words,
which are spoken in the prophecy of Daniel:

You saw iron mixed with miry clay,
but they shall not cohere.
But in those days
the God of the heavens shall make
a kingdom to arise which shall not perish for ages
it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms,
but itself shall stand for ages.
(Daniel 2:43, 44)

After this I heard the sound of singing,
and more deeply in the east I saw a flashing of light
more brilliant than the former;
and I asked the angel what the glorification there was.
He said it was in these words in Daniel:

I saw in the night visions, and behold,
one like the Son of man
came with the clouds of heaven,
and there was given Him dominion, and a kingdom;
and all people and nations shall worship Him;
His dominion is the dominion of an age,
which shall not pass away,
and His kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed.
(Daniel 7:13, 14)

Beside this they were celebrating the Lord
from these words in the Apocalypse:

To Jesus Christ be the glory and the might;
behold, He comes with clouds.
He is the Alpha and the Omega,
the Beginning and the End,
the First and the Last,
Who is, Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty;
I John heard this from the Son of man
out of the midst of the seven candlesticks.
(Revelation 1:5-13; 22:8, 13; also Matthew 24:30, 32)

I looked again into the eastern heaven,
and it lighted up from the right side,
the illumination extended to the southern expanse,
and I heard a sweet sound,
and asked the angel
what it was pertaining to the Lord
that they were glorifying there;
and he said that it was in these words
in the Apocalypse:

I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
and I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
made ready as a bride for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of the heaven saying,
Behold the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them.
And an angel spoke with me, saying,
Come, and I will show thee the bride,
the wife of the Lamb.
And he carried me away in the spirit
to a great and high mountain,
and showed me the city, the holy Jerusalem.
(Revelation 21:1, 3, 9, 10)

I Jesus am the bright and morning star;
and the Spirit and the bride say, Come,
and He said I come quickly. Amen.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
(Revelation 22:16, 17, 20)

After this and more,
a general glorification
from the east to the west of heaven,
and also from south to north was heard;
and I asked the angel, "What now?"
He said, "The following from the prophets":

All flesh shall know
that I Jehovah am your Savior and your Redeemer.
(Isaiah 49:26)

Thus said Jehovah --
the King of Israel and Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts,
I am the First and the Last,
and beside Me there is no God.
(Isaiah 44:6)

It shall be said in that day,
Lo, this is our God;
we have waited for Him that He may deliver us;
this is Jehovah; we have waited for Him.
(Isaiah 25:9)

The voice of one crying in the desert,
Prepare the way of Jehovah.
Behold, the Lord Jehovih comes in strength;
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd.
(Isaiah 40: 3, 5, 10, 11)

Unto us a Child is born,
unto us a Son is given;
and His name shall be
Wonderful, Counselor, God, Mighty,
Father of eternity, Prince of peace.
(Isaiah9:6)

Behold the days will come
when I will raise unto David a righteous Branch,
and He shall reign King
and this is His name,
Jehovah our righteousness.
(Jeremiah 23:5, 6; 33:15, 16)

Jehovah of Hosts is His name,
and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel,
the God of the whole earth shall He be called.
(Isaiah 54:5)

In that day Jehovah shall be king over all the earth;
in that day Jehovah shall be one
and His name one.
(Zechariah 14:9)

Hearing and understanding these things
my heart greatly rejoiced,
and I went home joyfully,
and here I returned from the spiritual to the bodily state,
in which I wrote out all this that I had seen and heard.

~ Who to Fear ~

"I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
and after that can do no more.
But I will show you whom you should fear:
Fear him who,
after the killing of the body,
has power to throw you into hell.
Yes, I tell you, fear him."

(Luke 12:4-5)