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shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake.' (iii. 14-16.) "Again in Isaiah, where it is said concerning Babylon, that the day of Jehovah is at hand,' that it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty, to lay the land desolate,'-it is added, for he shall destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. Therefore will I shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place.' (xiii. 9, 10, 13.) Now we are not informed that these things did literally take place at the time of the destruction of ancient Babylon. But they did all occur according to the spiritual sense, at the time of the consummation of that church denoted by Babylon. And the same things, understood spiritually, do always take place at the end of every church, whose pride or spiritual quality is similar to that denoted by Babylon.

"The reader will observe that the language employed in the texts here cited, is almost precisely the same as that in the Evangelists, where the consummation of the age is the subject treated of. Hence we infer, that, inasmuch as the obscuration of the natural sun, moon, and stars, and the removal of the earth out of her place, as here foretold, by the prophet Isaiah, did not literally take place when Babylon was destroyed, but this language is employed to denote the spiritual darkness that would come upon that church at its end, therefore the event foretold in the Evangelists, in almost the same words, is not to have a literal fulfilment; but the language denotes, according to the Science of Correspondences, the extinction of genuine charity and faith in the church, or that loss of all spiritual heat and light which would befall the first Christian church at its final consummation.

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"Perhaps the reader may by this time be able to understand the true explanation of the following passage in the Evangelists, which appears to refer to the consummation of all material things. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.' (Matt. xxiv.

29. Mark xiii. 25.) In the prophets of the Old Testament, we find almost precisely the same language often used, when it is plain that the consummation of the Jewish church is the subject treated of. Its meaning is made evident by the revealed Science of Correspondences.

"Here then we rest the argument for the destruction of the earth, and the consummation of the age, as denoting the end or spiritual consummation of the church;—an argument based not upon mere human reasonings, but upon the eternal and immutable teachings of God's holy Word.

"Earth and land, where they occur in many other parts of the Word, are evidently used to denote the church.--Therefore we conclude that in the 21st chapter of the Apocalypse, the passing away of the former and the appearance of the New Earth, denotes the consummation of the Old, and the establishment of the New Christian Church.

"Those who truly fear the Lord---who love to know the truth that the truth may make them free indeed'---let them judge whether the New Church doctrine upon the subject we have here been considering be established by a deceitful handling of the Word of God, or by the application of a fair, consistent, beautiful, and rational principle of interpretation. If, according to the latter, then we may be living in the very time of the Lord's second coming. For it is said that He will come upon men 6 unawares' and' as a thief,' and that it shall not be known when the time is ;' and, as he once stood in person among the Jews, and they knew Him not, so even now, spiritually-in the genuine truth concerning Himself and the church, unfolded in the internal sense of His Word, He may be in our midst at His second coming, and we know Him not.

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"Let every one, therefore, examine for himself, in the fear of God and in the love of the truth; for not only in such an hour,' but perchance in such a manner, as we think not, the Son of Man may come. Watch, therefore, lest, coming suddenly, He find you sleeping." And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.'

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CHAPTER IX.

The Second Coming of the Lord-That Advent in a form adapted, not to the natural senses, but to the minds of men.

THE extracts in this chapter are from the New Church tract, No. IX., entitled "The Second Coming of The Lord."

"In the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, which foretells the consummation of the age, and describes the calamities that should precede that event, it is written: 'Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory!'

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"In the 13th chapter of Mark: And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory?

"In Luke, (chap. xxi. :) And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory,

"So also in the Revelation, (chap. i.,) it is said,‘Behold, He cometh with clouds.'

"The Lord, in this very prophecy, commands us to 'watch,' and cautions men against being deceived: For there shall arise,' He says, ' false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.' (Matt. xxiv. 24.) 'Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.' (v. 4, 5.) Now if the Lord had intended that the words of this prophecy should be understood in their literal sense, or if His second appearing were to be in

person, and upon the natural clouds, what possible need were there of His cautioning men against being deceived? What possible opportunity would there be, in this case, for impostors to practice their arts of deception? For who could ascend upon the natural clouds, and thus exhibit himself as the Lord coming in his glory? It is plain, therefore, that the Lord does not teach in this prophecy, that His second coming is to be in person, and upon the natural clouds; since, in that case, there would have been no need of His counselling men to take heed lest they be deceived; for there is no possibility of false Christs' appearing in this manner, and so deceiving any body. It is hence manifest that the Lord's second advent is to be in a form, which will address the minds or understandings of men, and not their natural senses; since upon no other hypothesis are we able to see how false Christs could appear and deceive many.

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"But we know, that, in respect to things which are addressed to the understanding, men are liable to be deceived. We know that they have often been deceived. We know that falsehood sometimes assumes the appearance of truth. We know that men sometimes put darkness for light and light for darkness. We know that there have been many religious impostors and fanatics since the time of the Lord's first advent; many pretenders to divine revelation, and many teachers of false doctrines; and not a few innocent-minded persons have been deceived by them. And thus have been fulfilled these words of the Lord, For false Christs and false prophets shall arise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if possible, even the elect. Knowing these things, therefore, what ought we to do? Evidently, what the apostle counselleth : 'Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. We ought not to reject indiscriminately every thing which pretends to be a revelation of truth, but we ought to bring every thing to the test of a careful and rigid examination. We ought to bring the best faculties of our minds to bear upon whatever is presented us, as religious truth; for otherwise we may be deceived.

"Now, it is evidently because the Lord's second advent

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was to be in a form addressed not to the natural senses, but to the minds of men-and because we are liable to be deceived in respect to the things which address the understanding, unless we give diligent heed, and exercise our rational faculty thereon, that the Lord commands us to 'watch,' and to take heed lest we be deceived in regard to His second appearing. We watch, not when we blindly reject and ridicule whatever assumes to be a revelation, but when we carefully examine it; when we faithfully exercise the powers of mind which God has given us in judging of anything which claims to be an authorized revelation of heavenly truth. And unless men do thus watch they are in danger, on the one hand, of accepting the wildest ravings of fanaticism for the veritable teachings of God's word, or, on the other, of rejecting the TRUTH ITSELF whenever it is manifested.

"But it may be said, that the opinion concerning the manner of the Lord's second appearing, which we are now considering, was evidently entertained by the apostles. It does indeed appear, from some passages in the writings of the apostles, as if they expected a literal fulfilment of the prophecies concerning the end of the world, and the Lord's second appearing. But let it be borne in mind that it does also appear equally evident from their writings, that they expected such literal fulfilment of this prophecy during their own life-time. For Paul, speaking upon this subject in his first letter to the Thessalonians, says, That we who are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them that sleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then, we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air,' (iv. 15, 16, 17.)

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"Now it certainly seems fair to infer from this language of the apostle, that he expected the Lord's second advent would be in person, and upon the natural clouds, agreeably to the strict letter of the prophecy. And the inference may be drawn with equal fairness that he expected this event would take place during that age, and that some who were then living upon earth, would be witnesses of

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