65. It is said in Revelation, [I saw] a new heaven and a new earth; and afterwards, Behold, I make all things new. By this nothing else is meant than that, in the Church now to be established by the Lord, there will be new doctrine which was not in the former Church. This doctrine was not granted to that Church because, if it had been, it would not have been received; for the Last Judgment was not yet accomplished, and prior to this the power of hell prevailed over the power of heaven. Therefore, if it had been given prior to this, even from the mouth of the Lord, it would not have remained with man: nor does it remain with any to-day, unless with those who approach the Lord alone, and acknowledge Him as the God of heaven and earth. See above, No. 61. This same doctrine was indeed given before in the Word; but as the Church, not long after its establishment, was turned into Babylon,* and afterwards with others into Philistia,** that doctrine could not be seen from the Word; for the Church views the Word only from the principles of its own form of religion and doctrine pertaining to that religion.
[2] The new truths contained in this treatise are, in general, the following:
1. God is One in Person and in Essence; and the Lord is that God.
2. The whole Sacred Scripture treats of Him alone.
3. He came into the world to subjugate the hells, and to glorify His Human; and He accomplished both by temptations admitted into Himself, and fully by the last of them, which was the Passion of the Cross. By this means He became the Redeemer and Saviour; and thereby merit and righteousness belong to Him alone.
4. That He fulfilled all things of the Law, means that He fulfilled all things of the Word.
5. By the Passion of the Cross He did not take away sins, but He bore them, as a Prophet: that is, He suffered in order that in Himself the Church should be represented as to the manner in which it had done violence to the Word.
6. The imputation of merit means nothing, unless by it is understood the remission of sins following repentance.
Such are the truths contained in this treatise. In subsequent works, which will treat of the Sacred Scripture, the Doctrine of Life, the Doctrine of Faith, the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, still more new truths will be seen. * Babylon signifies the Church corrupted by self-love and the love of the world; and ** Philistia, the Church corrupted by the doctrine of faith separated from charity.
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