This is the fourth lecture in a series on the development of the Church in man. This development has been seen in the various Churches that have come upon the earth. There is a Divine Order in everything created and, so to, is there in the development of the Church on earth and in man himself and, in that order is seen conjunction with the Lord and of the Lord with man. We, in the lecture concerning the Most Ancient Church, have seen that that conjunction was seen in the marriage of good and truth in a man and was manifested in the marriage of one man with one wife and of one wife with one man. Today, we have this as a model to live by - God's Good and Truth, the will of the wife and the understanding of the husband, conjoined as one. God's Order is to be seen in a man's life; it is like the seasons of the year or like the times of the day, which progress from morning, daytime, then to evening, and on into the nighttime. In the previous three lectures on the Churches established here on earth the Morning State of the Church was seen as its celestial state in which the Lord was present with man in his innermost or in his soul. This can be depicted as or seen as an infant - as innocent, and as having to be taught everything, and dependent on parents. In such a state, the Church in man was instituted through perception from the Lord God of what is good and is true. Knowledge at that time or state came to man from God immediately, that is, directly, for He - God - was and is present within a man's soul and as you may understand the soul is not material, but is celestial and spiritual, coming from God. In that state the Lord and angels spoke to man 'as it were' face to face. This, we learned, was a man's celestial and Morning State of the Church on earth, that is, of the Church in man.
Next, the Ancient Church was instituted on earth and a man's spiritual life or his daytime state developed, the morning state ended. The celestial state had ended because man wanted a life of his own, much like a young person wants to venture out from his parents on his own. This spiritual state is, at first, lived from the goods and truths that man had collected and stored up in his mind, in the memory, and through which he could recall or bring out and act from, that is, live from. So, man's life still could come 'as if' from within. It was seen that a man could, as if, of himself, live, though it is from the Lord that he lives even if the truth and good now came to him through an external way - through the senses - and no longer from within or through perception coming from the Lord. We learned that a man was no more in innocence. He had progressed or developed into the state - that of a young adult - and was in the prime of his life. He became intelligent; thus he was a spiritual man. He was intelligent because he learned the correspondences between the spiritual and the natural. Truths became genuine and not just apparent. He could 'as if' from himself, not only know what good is and the truth, he could acknowledge them and have charity in his life. This is why to live spiritually is meant to live intelligently. And, in fact the doctrine of the Ancient Church was Charity. A spiritual man lived in the day- time of his life. He could receive intelligence, that is, genuine truth from the Lord, truths that had been recorded, written down from the Most Ancient Church. And, these truths were taught and they were learned, though they entered him not from within, as they once did through perception, but from without. They entered, as was said, through an external way - through the senses - however a conscience could be developed in such a man that could guide him in true life. He could know what is good and true from the Word that had been handed down from the Most Ancient Church. Again, like the man of the Most Ancient Church, the man of Ancient Church fell away from the Lord and from His teachings. He began to desire to rule his own life; his proprium ruled and his love was for himself and was for the things of the world - wealth, prominence, worldly power, etc.
Thus, was instituted the third state of the Church and the Church in man was developed - the natural state. From being a spiritual man, man came to live only in the natural state. Now, both the celestial and the spiritual states had ended; they were closed to man, and man had rejected the Lord. Even the Lord's Coming to man through the Word was rejected, and man began to live only for his self, even profaning the truths and turning them into falsities and what is good into evil. The Word that was with man could only be seen in appearances - in the sense of the letter and no more in the spiritual. Plus, the perception of man in the celestial state and the science of correspondences of the spiritual state of man with which one could learn and know genuine truths were now lost to mankind. This state, which man came into, is called evening, and became the state of vastation of evils. We see this in the third Church, which the Israelitish and the Jewish Church was. No long could a man know or understand truths in their genuine sense, but only in appearances of truths, nor could he receive the good of life from the Lord, except in natural good. One's self, that is, one's proprium ruled over the spiritual; man's spirit was held captive. Though the Church in man had turned away from God, it was developing; it was progressing into a time or a state where man could truly be made into an image and a likeness of the Lord. He could, still, with the Lord's help, enjoy the qualities that are the Lord's. The appearance was that man was falling further and further away from conjunction with the Lord and with Heaven. And, in fact, in all the prior states of the Church - the celestial, the spiritual and now the natural - the true man from the Lord was developing; man of the Church was progressing to a time or state in which the Church within man would become the Crown of all Churches. In his natural state he was being prepared for the Lord to come into him, and to be conjoined with him in his love and wisdom and to become one with Him. You can understand that the evil and falsity with man was to be vastated and what remains with him or the remains, which the Lord had insinuated into him through his senses, were to become his new life. Thus, the life of self was vastated and its consummation or end came in the process. Like the Churches before this Church had ended the natural of a man and a new Church in man would soon rise up again in which there is conjunction with Heaven and the Lord. . The truths and from them, when they are obeyed, is manifested in natural good
So, it is in the third state of the Church on earth - the natural or the Israelitish and Jewish Church - that a man's natural life, from the Lord, was developed and the man's 'own' life was vastated and ended. All the evils and falsities that arose in man, who 'as if' by himself, were lived according to the Word, that is, to the truths taught, even if they were only apparent and were now going to end in subjugation in hell. It is in this respect that we need to see that the third state or Church in man is his preparing for the Lord's Coming, not only His coming on earth, but to man himself. The Lord comes and is conjoined to man's natural state, so that the Lord could reign within him and not the hells. Thus, was the fourth state of the Church found to be with and in man. It was a new beginning of a man's conjunction with the Lord and with Heaven. Therefore, as we have seen such progress or development was of the order of creation, so too, was the Church in man. It was the evening state in a man's life.
Next, the Ancient Church was instituted on earth and a man's spiritual life or his daytime state developed, the morning state ended. The celestial state had ended because man wanted a life of his own, much like a young person wants to venture out from his parents on his own. This spiritual state is, at first, lived from the goods and truths that man had collected and stored up in his mind, in the memory, and through which he could recall or bring out and act from, that is, live from. So, man's life still could come 'as if' from within. It was seen that a man could, as if, of himself, live, though it is from the Lord that he lives even if the truth and good now came to him through an external way - through the senses - and no longer from within or through perception coming from the Lord. We learned that a man was no more in innocence. He had progressed or developed into the state - that of a young adult - and was in the prime of his life. He became intelligent; thus he was a spiritual man. He was intelligent because he learned the correspondences between the spiritual and the natural. Truths became genuine and not just apparent. He could 'as if' from himself, not only know what good is and the truth, he could acknowledge them and have charity in his life. This is why to live spiritually is meant to live intelligently. And, in fact the doctrine of the Ancient Church was Charity. A spiritual man lived in the day- time of his life. He could receive intelligence, that is, genuine truth from the Lord, truths that had been recorded, written down from the Most Ancient Church. And, these truths were taught and they were learned, though they entered him not from within, as they once did through perception, but from without. They entered, as was said, through an external way - through the senses - however a conscience could be developed in such a man that could guide him in true life. He could know what is good and true from the Word that had been handed down from the Most Ancient Church. Again, like the man of the Most Ancient Church, the man of Ancient Church fell away from the Lord and from His teachings. He began to desire to rule his own life; his proprium ruled and his love was for himself and was for the things of the world - wealth, prominence, worldly power, etc.
Thus, was instituted the third state of the Church and the Church in man was developed - the natural state. From being a spiritual man, man came to live only in the natural state. Now, both the celestial and the spiritual states had ended; they were closed to man, and man had rejected the Lord. Even the Lord's Coming to man through the Word was rejected, and man began to live only for his self, even profaning the truths and turning them into falsities and what is good into evil. The Word that was with man could only be seen in appearances - in the sense of the letter and no more in the spiritual. Plus, the perception of man in the celestial state and the science of correspondences of the spiritual state of man with which one could learn and know genuine truths were now lost to mankind. This state, which man came into, is called evening, and became the state of vastation of evils. We see this in the third Church, which the Israelitish and the Jewish Church was. No long could a man know or understand truths in their genuine sense, but only in appearances of truths, nor could he receive the good of life from the Lord, except in natural good. One's self, that is, one's proprium ruled over the spiritual; man's spirit was held captive. Though the Church in man had turned away from God, it was developing; it was progressing into a time or a state where man could truly be made into an image and a likeness of the Lord. He could, still, with the Lord's help, enjoy the qualities that are the Lord's. The appearance was that man was falling further and further away from conjunction with the Lord and with Heaven. And, in fact, in all the prior states of the Church - the celestial, the spiritual and now the natural - the true man from the Lord was developing; man of the Church was progressing to a time or state in which the Church within man would become the Crown of all Churches. In his natural state he was being prepared for the Lord to come into him, and to be conjoined with him in his love and wisdom and to become one with Him. You can understand that the evil and falsity with man was to be vastated and what remains with him or the remains, which the Lord had insinuated into him through his senses, were to become his new life. Thus, the life of self was vastated and its consummation or end came in the process. Like the Churches before this Church had ended the natural of a man and a new Church in man would soon rise up again in which there is conjunction with Heaven and the Lord. . The truths and from them, when they are obeyed, is manifested in natural good
So, it is in the third state of the Church on earth - the natural or the Israelitish and Jewish Church - that a man's natural life, from the Lord, was developed and the man's 'own' life was vastated and ended. All the evils and falsities that arose in man, who 'as if' by himself, were lived according to the Word, that is, to the truths taught, even if they were only apparent and were now going to end in subjugation in hell. It is in this respect that we need to see that the third state or Church in man is his preparing for the Lord's Coming, not only His coming on earth, but to man himself. The Lord comes and is conjoined to man's natural state, so that the Lord could reign within him and not the hells. Thus, was the fourth state of the Church found to be with and in man. It was a new beginning of a man's conjunction with the Lord and with Heaven. Therefore, as we have seen such progress or development was of the order of creation, so too, was the Church in man. It was the evening state in a man's life.