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THE END OF ALL DOCTRINE.
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Church, charity or faith, by reason that man is regenerated by the truths of faith, and becomes a Church. But they who gave the preference to faith, and made that the first-born, fell into all sorts of heresies and falsities, and at length altogether extinguished charity. Thus we read of Cain, by whom such faith is signified, that at length he slew his brother Abel, by whom is signified charity. In like manner we read afterwards of Reuben, the first-born son of Jacob, by whom also faith is signified, that he polluted his father's bed (Gen. xxxv. 22; chap. xlix. 4); therefore he became unworthy, and the primogeniture was given to Joseph (Gen. xlix. 5; 1 Chron. v. 1). Hence came all the disputes, and likewise all the laws, in the Word, concerning primogeniture.

This controversy originated in the ignorance which anciently prevailed, and which prevails still, concerning this truth: that man has only so much of faith as he has of charity, and that in the process of regeneration charity meets faith, or what is the same thing, good meets truth, insinuating itself into all the particulars thereof, and adapting itself thereto, and thus causing faith to be faith; and consequently that charity is the first-born of the Church, although it appears otherwise to man. (A. C. 2435.)


THE END OF ALL DOCTRINE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS OF LIFE.

Life is the internal of all worship, and consequently of every doctrine which flows from the life of charity.

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