by Emanuel Swedenborg, compiled by Julian Kennedy Smyth and William Frederic Wunsch

“ WHEN a Church is raised up by the Lord, it is in the beginning blameless; and one then loves the other as his brother, as we know of the primitive Church after the Lord's advent. At that time, all the sons of the Church lived together like brothers, and also called one another brother, and mutually loved each other. But in the course of time charity diminished, and vanished; and as it vanished, evils succeeded; and together with evils falsities insinuated themselves. Hence came schisms and heresies, which would never come to be, were charity regnant and alive. ”

“ THE Church is in man, and not outside of him; and the Church at large consists of the men who have the Church in them.—The Church consists of those who from the heart acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, who learn truths from Him by the Word, and do them.—Every one who lives in the good of charity and of faith is a Church and a Kingdom of the Lord.—The Church in general is constituted of those who are severally Churches, however remote they are from one another.—The Church of the Lord is scattered throughout the whole world. ”

“ Were the case so, all men would be governed as a single human being by the Lord; for all would be as members and organs of one body, which, dissimilar in form and function though they are, still have relation to one heart only, whereon they each and all depend. ”