Coronis (Buss) n. 21

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21. VII. THIS DIVINE WORK IS LIKEWISE CALLED REDEMPTION, WITHOUT WHICH NO MAN CAN BE SAVED, BECAUSE HE CANNOT BE REGENERATED. That the redemption accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world was a subjugation of the hells, an arrangement of the heavens in order, and by these means a preparation for a new spiritual Church, may be seen in the work, THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION (n. 115-117; and the following nos., 118-133). But inasmuch as this is new, and has lain hidden for ages, like the wreck of a ship with its precious cargo at the bottom of the sea, and nevertheless the doctrine of redemption is as it were the treasure-house of all the spiritual riches, or tenets, of the New Church, therefore, in the last section of this volume, the Mystery of Redemption shall be treated of, where the following propositions will be unfolded and elucidated:

[2] I. Deliverance from enemies is what in the Word is called Redemption. II. Consequently, it is deliverance from evils and falsities, which, since they are from hell, are spiritual enemies; for they kill souls, as natural enemies do bodies. [3] III. Hence it becomes evident that the first purpose of the Redemption accomplished by the Lord was the separation of the evil from the good, and the raising of the good to Himself into heaven, and the removal of the evil from Himself into hell; for thus are the good liberated from the evil. This first thing of Redemption is the Last Judgment (which has been treated of above, n. 10-13). [4] IV. The second purpose of Redemption was the co-ordination of all things in the heavens, and the subordination of all things in hell, by which the good were still more distinctly separated and liberated from the evil; and this is the new heaven and the new hell (which has been treated of above, n. 14-17). [5] V. The third purpose of Redemption was a revelation of truths from the new heaven, and thereby the raising up and establishment of a new Church on earth; by which means the good were further separated and liberated from the evil, and are separated and liberated for the future (this third cause has also been treated of above, n. 18-20). [6] VI. The final purpose of Redemption was to make it possible for the Lord, by virtue of His Divine omnipotence, to regenerate man, and thus save him; for, unless man be regenerated he cannot be saved (John iii 3). [7] VII. The regeneration of a man, inasmuch as it is a separation and deliverance from evils and falsities, is a particular redemption by the Lord, proceeding from His general Redemption. [8] VIII. With those who are being regenerated, evils are first of all separated from goods, and this is like Judgment; afterwards, goods are collected into one, and arranged into a heavenly form, and this is like a new heaven; and, lastly, a new Church is thereby implanted and produced, the internal of which is heaven; and the external from the internal, consequently both together, with man, is what is called the Church. [9] IX. All are redeemed, since all who reject the falsities of the former Church, and receive the truths of the new Church, are able to be regenerated; but still the regenerated are, properly, the redeemed. [10] X. The goal of redemption, and the prize of the redeemed, is spiritual peace. [11] XI. A redemption has also been accomplished by the Lord at this day, because the present day is His Second Coming according to prophecy; by which, having been an eye-witness thereof, I have been convinced of the truth of the foregoing arcana. But these are only general statements, which must be unfolded in detail, and set forth in both spiritual and natural light, at the end of this volume, where the Mystery of Redemption is to be treated of.


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