Swedenborg's Maximus Homo/Swedenborg's Maximus Homo/Chapter 3
III.
CATHOLICITY INVOLVED IN THE DOCTRINE.
We have, in the foregoing chapters, explained the heavenly doctrine of the Grand Man and shown that it is not merely speculative, but a doctrine pregnant with valuable instruction, and having an important and most wholesome practical tendency. We purpose now to show that the catholic teaching so obviously involved in the doctrine is abundant and explicit in the writings of Swedenborg, proving the New Jerusalem to be a truly catholic church.
Any one who has carefully observed the tendencies of religious thought and the movements of religious bodies during the last half century—the growth of heavenly charity, religious toleration, freedom of inquiry, and something like true catholicity—cannot fail to see that there has been and continues to be a steady approximation by nearly all the churches toward the teaching involved in the heavenly doctrine of the Grand Man. As the churches receive more and more of the Divine Humanity, and thus become internally more and more human, they come into friendlier and more helpful relations,—assume a more truly human form or attitude toward each other. And as the doctrines and spirit of the New Jerusalem descend with ever-increasing fullness into the churches, making them more human in spirit, the time will surely come when the church on earth will be, in the aggregate, like the church in heaven in the human form. But we need not expect that time to come, until the Lord's will is done on the earth as it is done in the heavens.
Let no one imagine from what we have said that we are opposed to, or deprecate the existence of, a separate church organization based upon the new doctrines revealed from heaven. On the contrary, we recognize the propriety, necessity, and use of such separate organization. We believe it has an important and sublime function to perform in the economy of the church at large—the Grand Man on earth. At the same time we believe it will perform that function more effectually by claiming to be nothing more than an organ or part of this Man. We would not object to having it regarded (by virtue of the abundant heavenly truths it inherits) as the great ganglionic centre, from which radiate the nerves of celestial life and intelligence to the other parts or organs; but we think its usefulness, would be greatly impaired by denying or repudiating everything like a vital connection with the other organizations, and assuming to be itself the whole of the New Jerusalem, or the Lord's true church—the Grand Man—on earth.
That the organization has failed adequately to exemplify the spirit and teaching involved in the heavenly doctrine we have been considering, none know better than the members of this organization themselves. Nor is this any more to be wondered at, than that the spirit and teachings of the New Testament should have been so feebly illustrated by the lives and practices of professing Christians generally. But in the movement of the churches toward a truer charity, a grander catholicity, a larger liberty, and a higher unity, foreshadowing the ultimate attainment of a form of the church on earth akin to that of the church in heaven, it cannot be denied that the new organization, so far as it is faithful to the revealings it accepts, is leading all the others. That this is so, is abundantly evident from passages like the following, which are of such frequent occurrence throughout its authorized Writings as to form one of their most characteristic features. The teaching of these passages, as the reader will sее, is not only in perfect accord with the new doctrine of the Grand Man, but is all involved in it, and grows legitimately and necessarily out of it.
EXTRACTS FROM SWEDENBORG.
There are three essentials of the church: an acknowledgment of the Lord's Divinity, an acknowledgment of the holiness of the Word, and the life which is called charity. . . . If these three had been held as the essentials of the church, intellectual differences would not have divided but only varied it, as light varies the colors of beautiful objects, and as a variety of jewels constitutes the beauty of a kingly crown." (D. P., n. 259.)
"Heaven exists wherever the Lord is acknowledged, believed in, and loved. Variety in the worship of Him arising from the variety of good in different societies, is not injurious but advatageous; for the perfection of heaven results from such variety. That all perfection results from the harmonious arrangement of parts that are different, is evident from all the beauty, pleasantness, and delight which affect both the senses and the mind; for these exist and flow from no other source than from the concert and harmony of many concordant and sympathizing parts, either coexistent or successive, and not from one thing alone.
"The same may be said of the church as of heaven, for the church is the Lord's heaven on earth. There are also many churches; and each one is called a church, and likewise is a church so far as the good of love and faith rules therein. Here also the Lord makes a whole from different parts; that is, from several churches he makes one church." (H. H., nos. 56, 57.)
"Doctrinals do not constitute the external, much less the internal, of the church; nor do they serve to distinguish churches before the Lord. But this is effected by a life according to doctrinals, all of which, if true, regard charity as their fundamental. For what is the end and design of doctrinals but to teach how a man should live?
"The several churches in the Christian world are distinguished by their doctrinals; and the members of those churches have, therefore, taken the names of Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, or the Reformed and Evangelical Protestants, with many others. This distinction of names arises solely from doctrinals, and would never have had place if the members of the church had made love to the Lord and charity toward their neighbor the principal point of faith. Doctrinals would then have been only varieties of opinion concerning the mysteries of faith, which they who are true Christians would leave to every one to receive according to his conscience; while the language of their hearts would be, that he is a true Christian who lives like a Christian; that is, as the Lord teaches. Thus one church would be formed out of all these diverse ones, and all disagreements arising from mere doctrinals would vanish; yea, all the animosities of one against another would be speedily dissipated, and the kingdom of the Lord would be established on earth." (A. C., n. 1799.)
"As the case is with the man of the church in particular, so it is with the church in general; that is, with all who constitute the Lord's church. The reason is, that the universal church before the Lord is as one man; for the heaven of the Lord with which the church acts in unity is before him as one man, as may be manifest from what has been shown concerning heaven as the Grand Man. Consequently the case is similar with the man of the church in particular; for the man of the church in particular is a heaven, a church, and a kingdom of the Lord in the least effigy.
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"With respect to the Lord's kingdom on earth, that is, with respect to his church, the case is this: That, since it derives its doctrinals from the literal sense of the Word, it must needs be various and diverse as to those doctrinals; that is, one society will profess one thing to be a truth of faith, because it is so said in the Word; another society will profess another thing for the same reason and so on. Consequently the church of the Lord, since it derives its doctrinals from the literal sense of the Word, will differ in every different place; and this not only as to societies in general, but sometimes as to particular persons in each society. Nevertheless, a difference in doctrinals of faith is no reason why the church should not be one, provided only there be unanimity as to willing and doing what is good." (A. C., n. 3451.)
"The goods appertaining to men both within and without the church are altogether various; and so various that the good of one man is never in all respects like the good of another. The varieties arise from the various truths with which the goods are conjoined; for every good receives its quality from truths. . . . That this is so, may appear from the heavenly societies, which are innumerable, all and singular of which are various as to good and truth; yet taken together they form one heaven. In this respect they are like the members and organs of the human body, which, though altogether various, still constitute one man; for a unit [or one] is never constituted of similar units, or of such as are exactly alike, but of various ones harmoniously conjoined." (A. C, n. 3986.)
"Mutual love and charity are effective of unity or oneness even amongst varieties, uniting them into one; for let numbers be multiplied ever so many times, even to thousands and tens of thousands, if they are all principled in charity or mutual love, they all have onę end, namely, the common good, the kingdom of the Lord, and the Lord Himself. In which case the varieties in matters of doctrine and worship are like the varieties of the senses and viscera in man, which contribute to the perfection of the whole. For then the Lord, by means of charity, enters into and operates upon all, with a difference of manner according to the particular temper of each; and thus arranges all and every one into order, as in heaven so on earth. And thus the will of the Lord is done on earth as it is in heaven, according to what He Himself teaches." (A. C., n. 1285.)
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"There are interior truths in all doctrinals drawn from the literal sense of the Word, inasmuch as the literal sense of the Word is like a well wherein is water; for in all and singular parts of the Word there is an internal sense, which sense is also in doctrinals that are derived from the Word." (A. C., 3464.)
"In regard to doctrinals derived from the literal sense of the Word, the case is this: that when a man is principled in them, and at the same time in a life according to them, he has in himself correspondence; for the angels, who are attendant on him, are in interior truths, whilst he is in exterior; and thus he has communication by doctrinals with heaven, but yet according to the good of his life. As, for example, when in the Holy Supper he thinks simply of the Lord, in consequence of the words used on the occasion, 'This is my body and this is my blood,' then his attendant angels are in the idea of love to the Lord and charity toward their neighbor, inasmuch as love to the Lord corresponds to the Lord's body and to bread, and neighborly love corresponds to blood and to wine. And whereas there is such correspondence, there flows an affection out of heaven through the angels into that holy principle by which man is influenced at the time, which affection he receives according to the good of his life. For the angels dwell with every one in his life's affection, thus in the affection of the doctrinals according to which he lives; but in no case if the life disagrees therewith." (Ibid.)
"All doctrinals whatsoever, if they are derived from the Word, are accepted of the Lord if the person principled therein is in the life of charity; for to the life of charity all things which are of the Word may be conjoined; but the interior things of the Word are conjoined to the life which is in the interior good of charity." (A. C., n. 3452.)
"There are some who are in genuine truths, some who are in truths not genuine, and some who are in falsities. And yet they who are in genuine truths are often damned; and they who are in truths not genuine, and who are even in falsities, are often saved. This will appear strange to most persons, but still it is true. Experience itself has confirmed it. For there have been seen in hell those who were more learned than others in the truths derived from the Word and from the doctrine of their church, both dignitaries and others. And on the other hand, there have been seen in heaven those who were not in truths, also those who were in falsities, both Christians and Gentiles. The reason that the former were in hell, is, that they were indeed in truths as to doctrine, but in evils as to life; and the reason that the latter were in heaven, is, that they were indeed in non-truths [or falsities] as to doctrine, but yet were in good as to life." (A. C., n. 9192.)
"They who belong to this heaven [the first or lowest] are all in the state of obeying or doing the truths and goods commanded in the Word, or in the doctrine of the Church in which they were born, or by their master or teacher from whom they have heard that this or that is true and good and consequently is to be done. The greater part of such persons are not in genuine truths, but are in falsities from ignorance; which falsities are nevertheless accepted by the Lord as truths, because they have for their end the good of life." (A. E., n.443.
"Goods are of infinite variety, and they have their quality from truths. Hence the good becomes such as are the truths which enter. These truths are seldom genuine, but are appearances of truth,—and are also falsities, but still not opposite to truths; nevertheless when these flow in into good, which happens when the life is formed according to them from ignorance wherein there is innocence, and when the end is to do good, then such falsities are regarded by the Lord and in heaven not as falsities, but as bearing a resemblance to truths; and they are accepted as truths according to the quality of innocence [in the recipient subjects]." (A. C., n. 7887.)
"It is very common for those who have conceived an opinion respecting any truth of faith to judge of others that they cannot be saved except by believing as they do; which, nevertheless, the Lord forbids. (See Matt. vii, 1, 2.) Accordingly it has been made known to me by much experience, that persons of every religion are saved, if so be, by a life of charity, they have received remains of good and of apparent truth." (A. C., 2284.)
"In many instances those who are principled in some particular doctrine, even though it be heretical, think none can be saved who are outside of their own pale, or do not believe precisely as they do. The reverse, however, is the fact. For the Lord has mercy toward the whole human race, and desires to save all universally, and to draw them to Himself. His mercy is infinite, and does not suffer itself to be confined to the small number within the Church [that is, in Christendom], but is extended to all throughout the world." (A. C., n. 1032.)
"The Lord provides that in every religion there may be precepts, such as are in the decalogue: as that God is to be worshiped; His name is not to be profaned; sacred days are to be kept; parents are to be honored; murder, adultery, and theft are not to be committed, nor false witness borne. The nation which regards these precepts as divine, and lives according to them from religion, is saved. Moreover, the majority of the nations remote from Christendom do regard them not as civil but as divine laws, and hold them sacred.
"Among the arcana of heaven is also this: that the angelic heaven is in the sight of the Lord like one man, whose soul and life is the Lord; and that this heavenly man is in every particular a man, not only as to its external members and organs, but also as to its internal members and organs (which are more numerous), and even as to its skin, membranes, cartilages, and bones; while both the latter and the former are not material but spiritual in that Man.
"And it is provided by the Lord that those also whom the Gospel could not reach, but a religion only, may also have a place in that heavenly Man, that is, in heaven, by constituting the parts that are called the skin, membranes, cartilages, and bones; and that they, like the others, should partake of heavenly joy. For it matters not whether their joy is such as belongs to the angels of the highest heaven, or such as belongs to those of the lowest; since every one who enters heaven, enters into the greatest joy of his heart. He cannot bear a greater, for he would thereby be suffocated. . . .
"There are a few who are totally ignorant of God; but these, if they have lived a moral life, are instructed by angels after death, and receive a spiritual principle in their moral life. It is the same with those who worship the sun and moon, believing God to be there. They know no otherwise. Therefore this is not imputed to them as sin; for the Lord says: 'If ye were blind,' that is, if ye did not know, 'ye should have no sin. (John ix, 41.) But there are many, even in Christendom, who worship idols and graven images. This is actually idolatrous, but not with all; for there are some to whom graven images serve as a means of awakening thought concerning God." (D. P., n. 254.)
No one can fail to see that the foregoing extracts are all aglow with the very spirit of heaven—full of the infinite and tender mercy of the Lord. And we may search in vain for any such teaching in the old theologies. There was nothing like it before Swedenborg's time. Yet it would not be difficult to fill a moderate-sized volume with extracts from his writings similar to the above. But it is by no means uncommon now to hear from the pulpit, or to read in religious journals reputed orthodox, substantially the very same teaching. There are hundreds of ministers in our country (and possibly as many in England), and they are among the most intelligent, popular, and influential, too, whose beliefs and teachings will be found in marvelous agreement with the above extracts. So undeniably true is it, that the New Church, in respect to breadth, toleration, and genuine catholicity, is to-day in advance of, and really leading (as it should), all the other churches,—gradually imbuing them with a broader and better spirit, and so making them all, in a measure, new churches. Or rather the Lord is doing this through His new and deeper revealings, thus coming and manifesting Himself with new power and glory to all humble, obedient, and receptive souls.