by Isaiah in language almost precisely the same: "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain" (lxvi. 22). And again in language still more explicit: "For, behold, I create new heavens, and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad, and rejoice forever [in that] which I create : for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying." (lxv. 17, 18, 19.) Here it is plainly declared, that creating new heavens and a new earth means the same as creating Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy; and is an event worthy of gladness and rejoicing forever. What else but that renovated state of the Church, which took place in consequence of the Lord's advent, could be worthy of such joy? Besides, we are not informed. that the material heavens and earth were created anew at that time.

From the language, therefore, employed in the Old Testament Scriptures to describe the end of the Jewish -Church, we derive, at least, a strong probability, that the consummation of the age, and the passing away of the former heaven and earth, mentioned in the New Testament, denote the end or spiritual consummation of the first Christian Church. We shall hereafter consider the true meaning of this word age.

But there is more proof of this same kind. We observe, that, where the consummation of the age is treated of in the New Testament, it is mentioned as one of the accompanying circumstances of that event, that "the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." (Matt. xxiv. 29; Mark xiii. 24, 25.) Without stop! ping here to point out the unphilosophical and absurd nature of the conclusion, which a literal interpretation of this passage would force upon us, or to unfold its true meaning according to the revealed Science of

Correspondences, let us turn to the prophetical parts of the Old Testament, and see whether we do not there find similar language employed to describe the end of the Jewish Church.

If we turn to the prophecy of Amos (chap. viii.) where the Lord says by the mouth of the prophet, "The end is come upon my people Israel,"-clearly denoting the end of the Israelitish Church-we shall find these words there added: "Shall not the land tremble for this, (i. e., for falsifying the balances, and other evil deeds there mentioned) and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? And it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day." (v. 8, 9.) And that a dark and famished state of the Church, arising from falsifications of the Word and the consequent loss of genuine good and truth, is here signified, appears evident from what follows in the same chapter: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of Jehovah, and and shall not find it." (v, 11, 12)

In Joel also, where the Lord's advent and the destruction of the Jewish Church are foretold, it is said, "The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble; the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining." (ii. 10.) "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of Jehovah Lord come." (ii. 30, 31.) "For the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. Jehovah also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake." (iii. 14, 15, 16.)

Again, in Isaiah, where it is said concerning Babylon, that "the day of Jehovah is at hand;" that "it shall come as a desolation from the Almighty, to lay the land desolate :" it is added, "And he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. Therefore will I shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place." (xiii. 9, 10, 13.) Now we are not informed that these things did literally take place at the time of the destruction of ancient Babylon. But they did all occur, in their spiritual sense, at the consummation of that church denoted by Babylon. And the same things, spiritually understood, do always take place at the end of every church, whose pride or spiritual quality is similar to that denoted by Babylon.

Moreover we observe that the language here employed, as well as that of the other texts just cited, is almost precisely the same as that in the Evangelists where the Consummation of the Age is spoken of. Hence we infer, that, inasmuch as the extinction of the sun, moon and stars, foretold in the words of the prophet Isaiah, did not literally take place when Babylon was destroyed, but this language is employed to denote the spiritual darkness which would come upon that church at its end, therefore the event foretold in the Evangelists in almost the same language, is not to have a literal fulfilment; but denotes, in the language of correspondence, the extinction of genuine charity and faith, or the loss of true spiritual light which would befall the first Christian Church at its end.

There is another similar text, which occurs in the Apocalypse, immediately after the death or departure of true charity and faith, and the consequent consummation of the church is foretold under the image of "a pale horse" that was seen coming out of a book: "and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell followed with him." We give the words of the text, together with Swedenborg's explanation of a part of them. "And I beheld when he had, opened the sixth seal, and

lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." (vi. 12, 13, 14.)

Explanation." And, lo, there was a great earthquake," signifies an entire change of the state of the church with these,* and their terror. Earthquakes signify changes of state in the church, because the earth signifies the church n. 285; and because, in the spiritual world, when the state of the church is perverted anywhere, and there is a change, an earthquake takes place, and this is a prelude to their destruction, the effect is terror; for the earths in the spiritual world, are in appearance, like the earths in the natural world; but as the earths there, like all other things in that world, are from a spiritual origin, therefore changes occur according to the state of the church among the inhabitants; and when the state of the church is perverted, they quake and tremble, yea, sink down, and are moved out of their places.

"And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood," signifies, the adulteration of all the good of love in them, and the falsification of all the truth of faith. That the sun signifies the Lord as to divine love, and thence the good of love from Him; and, in an opposite sense, a denial of the Lord's divinity, and thence adulteration of the good of love, may be seen above, n. 53. And as the sun signifies the good of love, the moon therefore signifies the truth of faith; for the sun is red from fire, and the moon is white by virtue of the light from the sun; and fire signifies the good of love, and light, the truth from that good: concerning the moon, see also the passages adduced above,

Persons who appeared in their external form like Christians, and orally professed the things of the church; but in their internal form, or in their hearts, were against them.

n. 53. It is said the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, because adulte rated good in itself is evil, and evil is black; and the reason why it is said, the moon became as blood, is, because blood signifies divine truth, and, in an opposite sense, divine truth falsified, as may be seen below, n. 379.

"And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth," signifies, the dispersion of all the knowledges of good and truth. That stars signify the knowledges of good and truth, may be seen, above, n. 51.; that to fall from heaven to earth means to be dispersed, or to disappear, is evident; in the spiritual world, also, stai's appear to fall from heaven to the earth there, when the knowledges of good and truth perish. (Apocalypse Revealed n. 331, 332, 333.)

Let us endeavor now to ascertain, by the light of the Divine Word, what is the true meaning of the word Age, in the phrase, "the Consummation of the Age."

In common language we call any period of a man's life upon earth, his age; and when that period is full and finished and he is removed to the spiritual world, his age is consummated. The period during which any particular system of opinions, either political, philosophical, or moral, bear sway over human minds, is usually denominated an age. And, of course, when their sway is loosened or destroyed, that age or the age of such opinions is consummated. In general the time that any thing survives on earth, is usually called its age; and when it is extinct, its age is consummated. This also is the meaning of the original Greek word Alor (Aion) which signifies an entire period of time, whether longer or shorter.

Now it is revealed for the use of the Lord's New Church, that, in the spiritual world there is no time defined by planetary motions, as in this natural world; but yet there is an appearance of time in that world, which appearance is always according to the internaĺ or spiritual state of those there. We may form some idea of this, if we reflect upon how the case is when we dream. Often in our dreams we appear to witness the events of several days, and even to be carried through a