Coronis (Appendix to the True Christian Religion) · 3 of 4

Proposition the Third

39.PROPOSITION THE THIRD. The Noachian, or Ancient Church of the earth. Since every church is three-fold, inmost or celestial, middle or spiritual, and external or natural, therefore Noah had three sons; and by “Shem” is signified the inmost or celestial church, by “Japheth” the middle or spiritual church, and by “Ham” the external or natural church. But there is not room to describe here in whom the first church is, and in whom the second and third, as also what their quality is in themselves, or in relation to one another: for there are highest, middle, and lowest heavens, to which those three degrees of the church correspond. Moreover, this Noachian, or Ancient Church, was diffused throughout Asia, especially into Syria, Mesopotamia, Assyria, Chaldea, the land of Canaan and the parts adjacent, Philistia, Egypt, Tyre, Sidon, Nineveh, and also into Arabia and Ethiopia, and in course of time into Great Tartary, and thence downward as far as to the Black Sea, and thence again into all the countries of Africa. That the nations in every part of the earth have been in worship from some religion is known; and religion cannot exist except by some revelation, and by the propagation thereof from nation to nation; as may be seen in the preceding work, The True Christian Religion (n. 273-276); where, also, it was shown, that, prior to the Israelitish Word, there was a Word, which in process of time was lost, but from the Divine Providence of the Lord is still preserved in Great Tartary, from which is their Divine worship, even to the present day (see also n. 264-266, and n. 279, of the said work).

40.Who can deny that the universe was created for the sake of the human race, in order that from it an angelic heaven might be formed, wherein God might dwell in the dominion of His glory? To promote and accomplish this end, what mediate cause is there but religion? And what else is religion than walking with God? Religion also is like a seed producing just and true desires, and judgments and acts therefrom, in spiritual things, and by means of these in moral things, and by means of both the latter and the former in civil things. In order, therefore, that it may be known what is the quality of the man who has religion, and what of him who has not religion, it shall be stated. The man who has religion, in spiritual things, is like a pelican nourishing its young with its own blood; but the man who has not religion, in those things is like a vulture in a state of starvation devouring its own offspring. The man who has religion, in moral things, is like a turtledove in the nest with its mate, sitting on its eggs or young; but the man who has not religion, in these things is like a rapacious hawk in the coop of a dove-cot. The man who has religion, in political things, is like a swan flying with a bunch of grapes in its mouth; but he who has not religion, in these matters is like a basilisk with a poisonous herb in its mouth. The man who has religion, in judiciary matters is like a tribune riding on a spirited horse; but the man who has not religion, in those things is like a serpent in the desert of Arabia biting its tail in its mouth, and hurling itself, in that hoop, upon a horse to coil itself about the rider. The man who has religion, in all other civil affairs, is like a prince, the son of a king, who exhibits the marks of charity and the graces of truth; but the man who has not religion, is like the three-headed dog Cerberus at the entrance of the court of Pluto, foaming forth aconite from its triple mouth.

41.The successive states of this church, which are its rise or morning, progression into light or day, vastation or evening, and consummation or night, it is not permitted to follow up with a description in the same manner as we before described the states of the Most Ancient Church, because the states of that church cannot be so collected from our Word; for the posterity of Noah, through his three sons, is recorded only in a summary, in one or two pages; and moreover that church was spread through many kingdoms, and in each kingdom it varied, and hence that church underwent and ran through the states named in a different manner. [2] The first and second state thereof in the regions round about the Jordan and about Egypt, was like the “garden of Jehovah,” is evident from these passages: The plain of Jordan was like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt, where thou comest unto Zoar (Gen. 13:10). And likewise Tyre from these: Thou prince of Tyre, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering. Thou wast perfect in thy ways, from the day that thou wast created, until perversity was found in thee (Ezek. 28:12-15). That Assyria was like a “cedar in Lebanon,” from these: Behold, Assyria is a cedar in Lebanon, beautiful in branch, exalted in height; all the birds of the heavens built their nests in his branches, and under his branches did every beast of the field bring forth its young, and in his shadow dwelt all great nations; no tree in the garden of God was equal to him in beauty, and all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him (Ezek. 31:3-9). That wisdom flourished in Arabia, appears from the queen of Sheba’s journey to Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-13); also from the three wise men who came to the newborn Jesus, a star going before them (Matt. 2:1-12). [3] The third and fourth states of that church, which were its vastation and consummation, are described here and there in the Word, both in its historic and prophetic parts. The consummation of the nations round about the Jordan, or round about the land of Canaan, is described by the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim (Gen. 14 and 19); the consummation of the church of the nations within the Jordan, or in the land of Canaan, is described in Joshua and in the book of Judges by the expulsion of some and the extermination of others. The consummation of that church in Egypt is described by the drowning of Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the sea Suph (Exod. 14). And so on.

42.It is certain that this Ancient Church was a representative church, which in visible and natural types and signs, figured forth the invisible and spiritual things of the church which was yet to come, when Jehovah Himself would manifest Himself in a natural human form, and by this means procure for Himself entrance to men, and for men access to Himself, and thus should divest Himself of types, and institute a church with precepts which should lead all who believe in Him as Man, and keep His commandments, by a short way to heaven, the dwelling place of his Divinity. But, because this Ancient Church, typical of that which was to come, turned the representative correspondences into magic and idolatry, and thus into things infernal, Jehovah raised up the Israelitish church, in which He restored the primitive types, which were heavenly; such types were all the tabernacles, feasts, sacrifices, priesthoods, the garments of Aaron and his sons, the anointings, and, moreover, the statutes in a long series which were promulgated through Moses.

43.I will in a few words touch upon the manner in which the representative church with them was turned into an idolatrous one. All the spiritual things which are of heaven and the church were presented before them in visible and tangible forms, as was mentioned just above. Those forms were taken from the subjects of the three kingdoms of nature, animal, vegetable, and mineral, by which were represented such things as are of the heavenly kingdom. They placed these typical forms in their sanctuaries, in the inner chambers of their houses, and in the marketplaces and streets, arranging them according to their significations. But a later age, after the science of correspondences was lost, and consequently the knowledge of the signification of those things had perished, began to look upon and acknowledge those objects as so many deities and holy things; and then they bowed the knee to some, some they kissed, and some they adorned and decorated with wax tapers, boxes of perfumes and ribbons, just as infants do their dolls, and as papists do their images; yea, of some they made household gods, of some guardian demigods, and of some pythons; some, moreover, they carried in miniature form in their hands, some they hugged in their bosoms, stroked, and whispered petitions in their ears; and so on. Thus were heavenly types turned into infernal types, and the Divine things of heaven and the church into idols. On account of this transformation and disfigurement of heavenly things, a new representative church was raised up with the sons of Israel, in which real representations, as was stated above, were instituted; and they were prohibited from celebrating Divine worship by any others, as is evident from these words in the first Commandment of the Decalogue: Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any figure that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor worship them (Exod. 20:4, 5; Deut. 5:8, 9).

44.It has been said, that from the people of every Church, at its end, is formed a new heaven and a new hell; and, since I have adduced a relation in the preceding article respecting the heaven and hell formed from those who were of the Most Ancient Church, it seems well also to do so respecting these; for access has been granted me to them, inasmuch as I have been allowed to go about and examine the spiritual world, to the end that the New Church truly Christian may not be in thick darkness concerning heaven and hell, and concerning their lot after death according to the actions of their life. These things are likewise in the work on Conjugial Love (n. 76). Concerning the heaven from these: [2] “An angel came to me and said, `Do you desire me to accompany you to the peoples who lived in the Silver Era, or Age, that we may hear from them respecting the manners and life of their times?’ He also added that they may not be approached, except under the auspices of the Lord. “I was in the spirit and accompanied my leader, and came first to a hill on the confines of the east with the south; and when we were on its slope, he showed me a great stretch of country, and we saw at a distance an eminence like a mountain, between which and the hill on which we stood was a valley, and beyond this a plain, and from this plain a gently-rising acclivity. “We descended the hill to cross the valley, and saw here and there at the sides pieces of wood and stone carved into figures of men, and of various beasts, birds and fishes. And I asked the angel, `What are these? Are they not idols?’ “And he replied, `Not at all: they are representative forms of various moral virtues and spiritual truths. The people of that age had the science of correspondences and as a beast, bird and fish correspond to some quality, therefore, each carved figure represents and signifies some particular of virtue, or truth, and many together represent the virtue or truth itself in a certain general extended form these are what in Egypt were called hieroglyphics.’ [3] “We proceeded through the valley, and when we entered the plain, lo! we saw horses and chariots the horses were variously caparisoned and harnessed, and the chariots of different forms; some carved out like eagles, some like unicorns, and some like whales: we also saw some carts at the extremity, and stables round about at the sides. But, when we approached, both horses and chariots disappeared, and instead of them we saw men in pairs, walking, conversing and reasoning. And the angel said to me, `The semblances of horses, chariots, and stables, seen at a distance, are appearances of the rational intelligence of the men of that age; for a horse from correspondence signifies the understanding of truth; a chariot its doctrine; and stables places of instruction. You are aware that all things in this world appear according to correspondences.’ [4] “But we passed these things, and ascended by the acclivity. At length we saw a city, which we entered; and in walking through it, we noticed its houses, from the streets and public places. In the midst of it were palaces built of marble, having steps of alabaster in front, and at the sides of the steps pillars of jasper. We saw also temples, made of precious stone of a sapphire and azure color. And the angel said to me, `Their houses are of stones because stones signify natural verities, and precious stones spiritual verities; and all those who lived in the silver age, had intelligence from spiritual verities, and thence from natural; for silver has a like signification.’ [5] “While exploring the city we saw here and there consorts, both husbands and wives. We expected that we should be invited somewhere; and, while this was in our mind [animus], we were called back by two into their house, which we entered; and the angel, speaking with them for me, explained the reason of our coming into this heaven, that it was `for the sake of instruction concerning the manners of the ancients, of whom you are.’ “They replied, `We were from the peoples in Asia, and the study of our age was the study of truths, through which we had intelligence. This study was the study of our soul and mind. But the study of the senses of our bodies was the representations of truths in natural forms; and the science of correspondences conjoined the sensuals of our bodies with the perceptions of our minds, thus natural and corporeal things with spiritual and celestial, and procured for us communication with the angels of heaven.’ [6] “On hearing this, the angel asked them to give some account of marriages with them. And the husband said, `There is a correspondence between spiritual marriage, which is that of good and truth, and natural marriage, which is that of a man with his wife; and as we have studied correspondences, we have seen that the church, with its truths and goods, can by no means exist with any others than those who live in truly conjugial love; for the marriage of good and truth is the church with man. Therefore all we who are in this heaven, say that the husband is truth, and the wife the good of his truth; and that good cannot love any other truth than that which is its own, nor truth love in return any other good than that which is its own. If any other were loved, internal or spiritual marriage, which constitutes the Church would perish, and marriage would become only external or natural, to which idolatry and not the church corresponds.’ [7] “When he had said these things we were introduced into an ante-chamber, where there were several designs on the walls, and little images as it were molten of silver; and I asked, what these were. They said, `They are pictures and forms representative of the many qualities, properties, and delights of spiritual things;’ as were also the cherubim and palm-trees on the walls of the temple at Jerusalem. [8] “After this, there appeared at a distance a chariot drawn by white ponies; on seeing which the angel said,’ That chariot is a sign for us to depart.’ Then, as we were going down the steps, our host gave us a bunch of white grapes adhering to the vine leaves; and lo! the leaves in our hands became silver, and we brought them away for a sign that we had spoken with the people of the Silver Age.”

45.CONCERNING THE HELL FROM THOSE PEOPLES. The hells of the men of the Noachian, or Ancient Church, consist for the most part of magicians, who have huts and places of entertainment scattered up and down in the desert. They wander about there with rods in their hands, which are of various forms, and some of them stained with magical juices. By these, as in former times, they practise their arts, which are effected by the abuse of correspondences, by fantasies, by persuasive assurances by which there was produced a miraculous faith, and miracles were formerly performed; also by exorcisms, fascinations, enchantments, and sorceries, and several other magical spells, by which they present illusory appearances as real. The greatest delight of their heart is to utter prophecies and prognostications, and to act as pythons. From these especially have arisen the various fanaticisms in the Christian world.