De Domino, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1760], tr. by Samuel H. Worcester [1885] at sacred-texts.com

De Domino

That He meant Himself when He named the Father, is plain from passages quoted above.

That for the sake of the internal sense He named the Divine good Father, and the Divine truth Christ, is plain from Matt. 23:9, 10 (which may be introduced), and from very many other passages.

To know and acknowledge its God is the first thing of the church, for the reason that without this there is no safety; as may be manifest from the Jews, that when they did not worship Jehovah, although they were steadfast in their other rites, they were accursed. (Passages from the Word.) Then that the Lord so often said, Because they believe, therefore it is done to them - for this was then the first thing, to believe in the Lord, and to believe that to Him was all authority; and because of their former faith, He said, "the Father" before them, but He meant Himself, as is plain from many passages. (Let the passages be quoted.) This knowledge and acknowledgment conjoin; and without them there is no conjunction, and thus no salvation.

(All the passages may perhaps be quoted in which it is said, "My Father," "your Father," "the Father who is in the heavens"; and it may be briefly told what they signify.)

FROM REASON There is one God; and this is acknowledged in all the world.

The soul induces likeness in the body, and the body is but the external form of its own soul.

The Divine Itself, and the Divine love, was His soul; it could not be otherwise than that the body should be like it.

All the affections of a father abide in his children. (From experience.)

In the Christian world they have with difficulty an idea of the Divine in the Human; but still, everywhere . . . (Let the sections be reviewed - and wherever . . .)

When three Persons of the Divinity are acknowledged, there can by no means be the acknowledgment of one God.

The acknowledgment of three Persons has withheld Mohammedans, Jews, and others, from the reception of Christianity.

Everyone ought to know his God, so that He may be conjoined to him and be saved. The Lord can be seen by faith, and can be known by love; but not the Father. No one has seen the Father. (Let passages be introduced from New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 283.)

(Lastly.) CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT (From those things which are in the explanation of the Apocalypse, n. 183.)

What is meant by this - That the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Lord - but that which is holy proceeds, which is called the Holy Spirit?

The sin against the Holy Spirit is the denial of the Divine of the Lord (Matt. 12:28, 32; Mark 3:28, 29; Luke 11:20, etc.). This is evident from what precedes. They said that He cast out demons "by the prince of the demons"; and He said that He did it "by the Spirit of God," that is, by His own Divine. This denial in heart is not remitted, for such cannot enter heaven; as all Socinians. (Some things concerning them from experience.)

Also they within the church who deny the Divine of the Lord, and who acknowledge the Father only, cannot be saved. And very many of them acknowledge nature; and they therefore have no other idea of the Divine than as of nature in its least parts. Reasons will be given why they cannot be turned to the Lord, but turn to worldly loves. (These things last.)

That by "the Spirit of God" is meant the Divine, is also manifest in Luke, where it is said, "By the finger of God" (Luke 11:20); and "the finger of God" signifies the Divine power.

That the Father means by the Divine of the Lord is evident; also that the Lord says that their sons cast out demons through Him (Matt. 12:27; also Luke 11:19). Jesus gave unto the disciples authority over all demons (Luke 9:1; 10:17, 20; Mark 16:17, 18). That in the name of the Lord they cast out demons (Luke 9:49, 50; Mark 9:38).

That among Christians the Human was made distinct from the Divine, and was made merely human, was chiefly for the sake of the Pope, who did not dare to call himself God's vicar.

Every man is born ignorant of truth, and desirous of evil, because his soul, from his father, is an evil affection. But the Lord alone is born seeking good, and desiring truth, because His soul from the Father was the Divine itself, thus the affection of Divine love, or the Divine love, from which He subdued the external which was from the mother.

By "the Son of man" is meant truth from the Divine. (Because this is not understood, it must be explained.)

LASTLY (Lastly bring together passages concerning the Lord from New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine . . . also from Arcana Coelestia; then from Heaven and Hell, from Last Judgment . . . and from Earths in the Universe; only the cited passages concerning the Lord.)