Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 3.djvu/233

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HIS MANNER OF COMING.
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MANNER OF HIS APPEARING.

Since the Lord cannot manifest Himself in Person, and nevertheless has foretold that He would come and establish a New Church which is the New Jerusalem, it follows that He will do so by means of a man who can not only receive these doctrines in his understanding, but also publish them by the press.

That the Lord manifested Himself before me His servant, and sent me to this office, that He afterward opened the eyes of my spirit and so intromitted me into the spiritual world, granted me to see the heavens and the hells, also to converse with angels and spirits, and this continuously now for several years, I affirm in truth; as also that from the first day of that calling I have not received anything whatever pertaining to the doctrines of this church from any angel, but from the Lord alone while I read the Word.

That a new heaven should be formed before a new church is established on earth, is in accordance with Divine order. For the church is both internal and external, and the internal church makes one with the church in heaven, thus with heaven itself; and the internal must be formed before the external, the latter being afterward formed by means of the former.

Just so far as this new heaven which constitutes the internal of the church with man, grows, so far does the New Jerusalem, that is, the New Church, descend from it. This therefore cannot take place in a moment, but

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