Flavel.—Rejection of these doctrines by some of the reformed.-Borger's
interpretation of covenant.-Connection of Tritheism with the popular
doctrine of the Incarnation of the second Person of the Trinity.-General
remarks.-Wilson's account of Swedenborg's doctrine.-Confirmed by the
Bishop of Bristol.-What he should have said.-Influence of Naturalism.-
Alleged confusion of the offices of Father and Son.-Mere Naturalism of
certain popular doctrines.-Illustrations of Deipassianism from the writings
of the Fathers-of later authors in the Church of Rome and Church of
England. A popular rule propounded in regard to the two natures of Christ.
-Its influence on the interpretation of Scripture.-Leads to Deipassianism.
-Futile distinctions between person and substance.-Necessity of these
distinctions to the popular doctrine of Atonement.-Mere Naturalism.-
Views of St. Athanasius and St. Augustin.-Confirmation in the Church of
principles of Deipassianism.
God is man and man is God.-Locke on the rule for acquiring right
ideas of God.-Its abuse.-Mode of transition of ideas from the finite to
the infinite.-Errors upon this subject.-Analogy between the divine and
human mind.-Hooker's observation.-External and internal ideas.-Attri-
bution to the Deity of our own states of mind.-Seiler's views of the Deity.
-On the Father as the invisible God.-The Word as God visible, and an
eternal form.-The Holy Spirit as proceeding.-Exinanition.—Analogies
from visible nature.-Incarnation.-The difference between Christ and the
prophets.-Priestley's rejection of the doctrine of the Miraculous Concep-
tion. The reason of it.The popular theology virtually of the same charac-
ter.-Influence of the doctrine of the Miraculous Conception upon theology
in general. Of the Virgin as the alleged mother of God.-Nature and con-
sequences of the doctrine.-Mr. Newman's remarks.
PACIFICATION OF ANGER-SATISFACTION OF JUSTICE.
Bossuet's declaration of the catholic doctrine.-History of it by Dr. Hey,
&c.-Archbishop King upon analogy.-The doctrine of Divine Anger as
stated by Lactantius, Tertullian, Wesley, West, Scott, &c.-Evil ascribed
to God.-Divine Anger as said to be exhibited in the final judgment of the
wicked.-Owen's definition of anger and sin.-Dilemmas resulting from the
doctrine.- Faber's statement of the doctrine of Satisfaction.- Partially
opposed by Archbishop Magee and Dr. Balguy.-Contradictory statements
on the doctrine of Repentance.-Veysie's admission that the doctrine of
Satisfaction has no foundation in Scripture.-Dr. Hey's rejection of the
doctrines of Satisfaction and Imputation.-Impropriety of opposing one
attribute of God to another, as stated by Tillotson and Scott.-Its conse-
quences in regard to the popular doctrine of the Atonement.-Whitley's la-
ment of the confusion prevailing upon this subject.
EXTENT, EFFICACY, NATURE OF CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS.
Statement of Swedenborg in regard to the extent of Christ's sufferings
opposed by some writers, confirmed by others.-Enquiry into the popular
doctrine concerning the efficacy of Christ's sufferings.-Denial of this
efficacy by Archbishop Magee.—The reason.-Bishop Heber's remarks on
disbelief in the existence of evil spirits.-Generally excluded from the
received doctrine of the Atonement.-Remarks on the spiritual world by
Bull and others.-Their absurdity.-Swedenborg's views on this subject.-
Confirmed by other authors.-Efficacy of the Atonement in the subjugation
of the infernal powers, &c.—The nature of Christ's suffering.-Remarks of
Swedenborg on temptations.-Remarks of St. Bernard, St. Augustin, &c.—
Account of Christ's sufferings as given in the Psalms.-The nature of these
sufferings as further declared by Swedenborg.
MEDIATION OR INTERCESSION.
Discussions in the time of Stancarus.-Division on this subject in the
Roman and Protestant Churches.-Statements of Harris, Smith, Waterland,
and Owen. Bayle's remarks on their absurdity.-Description of the act
of mediation as understood by Roman Catholics, and described in Tena's
Commentaries: also, as understood by Protestants, and described in Poole's
Synopsis.-Scott.—Other remarks of Waterland, Horberry, and Owen.—
Their denial that Christ's human nature is to be worshipped.-Their admis-
sion to the contrary.-The confusion prevalent upon this subject.-The
testimony of the Ante-Nicene and Post-Nicene writers.-Scott's account of
the present and future office of Christ's human nature.-Consequences.—
Particular effects of the popular views upon Christian morality.-Proofs
from Scripture that the human nature is to be worshipped.—Interpretation
of texts apparently maintaining the contrary.-Proofs from historical testi-
mony and from reason.-On the divine form of God.-Remarks of a writer
of some of the Oxford Tracts.-Remarks of Sherlock, Beveridge, Origen.-
Conclusion from Swedenborg.
Summary of the foregoing chapters, illustrative of the end of the Church.
-Reasons for which the catholic church will not believe that it has come
to its end.-Testimonies in proof that these are the latter days.-Sweden-
borg's interpretation of the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew.-Summary
of Christian doctrine as propounded by Swedenborg.
TRINITY, INCARNATION, ATONEMENT,
1. "SEEING all the happiness that mankind is capable of, consisteth in the enjoyment of that supreme and all-glorious Being, whom we call God; and seeing we can never enjoy Him, unless we first serve Him; nor serve Him, unless we first know Him; hence it necessarily follows, that as soon as ever we desire to be truly happy, our first and great care must be to know God; not only so as to acknowledge Him to be, but so as to have a due sense and right and clear apprehensions of Him, and of those infinite perfections that are concentred in Him: for it is only such a knowledge of God as this that will incline our affections to Him, and put us upon constant and sincere endeavors to serve Him here, that we may enjoy Him for ever." Sermon on the Being and Attributes of God, by Bishop Beveridge.
"The first thing to be done in order to our serving God, is to know and believe that He is, and that he ought to be served and adored by us. ... It is necessary to know his essence too as well as his existence,-what as well as that He is, &c." Thoughts on the Knowledge of God, by Bishop Beveridge, in his Thoughts on a Christian Life.
"How is it possible for us to know how to serve God, unless we first know that God whom we ought to serve? for all our
services unto God should be both proper to his nature and suitable to his perfections; and therefore, unless I first know his nature and perfections, how can I adjust my services to them? As for example, I am to fear his greatness and trust on his mercy, and rejoice in his goodness, and desire his favor: but how can I do this, unless I know that He is just and merciful, good and favorable? Moreover as a man cannot serve God, when he hath not a mind to do it, so neither will he have a mind or heart to serve Him, unless he first knows Him; for the motions of the will are always regulated by the ultimate dictates of the practical understanding: so that a man chooses or refuses, loves or hates, desires or abhors, according as he knows any object that is presented to him to be good or evil. And therefore, how can I choose God as my chiefest good, unless I first know Him to be so; or love Him as I ought above all things, unless I first know Him to be better than all things; or perform any true service to Him, unless I first know Him to be such a one as deserves to have true service performed unto Him?—Nay, lastly, nothing that we can do can be accepted as a service to God, unless it be both founded upon, and directed by, a right knowledge of Him. God would not accept of blind sacrifices under the law; much less will He accept of blind services now under the gospel; and therefore He expects and requires now that whatsoever we do either to or for Him, be a reasonable service (Rom. xii. 1); that our souls as well as bodies, yea, and the rational as well as sensitive part, be employed in all the services which we perform to Him; which certainly cannot be, unless we first know Him; so that there is an indispensable connexion betwixt our knowing and serving God; it being as impossible for any man to serve Him, that doth not first know Him, as it is to know Him aright and not to serve Him." Ibid.
"There are none of us but have attained to knowledge in other things. Some of us have searched into arts and sciences,
|