Doc. of Lord (Potts): Lord 65

Doc. of Lord (Potts) n. 65

65. In the Revelation occur the words, A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH; and afterwards, BEHOLD I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW, which mean nothing else than that in the church now to be set up anew by the Lord THE DOCTRINE WILL BE NEW. This doctrine did not exist in the former church, the reason of which is that if it had, it would not have been received, because the Last Judgment had not then been executed, and previous to that Judgment the power of hell prevailed over the power of heaven, so that if the doctrine had been given before, even from the Lord's mouth, it would not have remained with men; nor does it at this day remain except with those who approach the Lord alone, and acknowledge Him as the God of heaven and earth. (See above, at n. 61.) This same doctrine had indeed been given in the Word; but as not long after its setting up anew the church was turned into Babylon, and afterwards, with others, into Philistia, that doctrine could not be seen from the Word, for the church sees the Word from the principles of its religion and from its doctrine, and in no other way. The new things contained in the present little work are, in general, as follows:

i. God is one in Person and Essence, and this God is the Lord. ii. All Holy Scripture treats of Him alone. iii. He came into the world to subdue the hells, and to glorify His Human; and He accomplished both by admitting temptations into Himself, and did so fully by the last of them which was the passion of the cross. Thereby He became the Redeemer and Savior; and thereby merit and righteousness are His alone. iv. The statement that He "fulfilled all things of the law" means that He fulfilled all things of the Word. v. By the passion of the cross He did not take away sins, but bore them as the Prophet, that is to say, He suffered that there should be represented, in Himself, the church in respect to its maltreatment of the Word. vi. The imputation of His merit is not anything at all unless thereby is meant the forgiveness of sins after repentance. These things are contained in this little work. In those which follow it, which are to be Concerning the Holy Scripture, Concerning the Doctrine of Life, Concerning Faith, and Concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, still other new things will be seen.

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