SERMONS ON THE WORD
EDWARD S. HYATT
NOTE BY THE EDITOR The publication of these Sermons by the late Reverend
Edward S. Hyatt is made at the suggestion of the Reverend Theodore Pitcairn
who for several years on different occasions
has pointed to their great significance in the history of the Doctrine of the Church. It is made possible by the kind
permission of Mrs. Hyatt to whom the publishers wish to express their
indebtedness.
Edward Sumner Hyatt
was born July 27th 1854 in
Liverpool, England; he passed into the Spiritual World on the 21st of March 1906
at Toronto, Canada. He was ordained into the priesthood on the 10th of June 1888, and after a stay of three months in Erie,
Pa., accepted a call to the pastorate of the Toronto Society. For more
details of his life and work, the influence he had and the appreciation he
found, the beautiful Memorial Address by the Rev. F. E. Waelchli, printed in New CHURCH LIFE 1906: 305—307, and the Memorial Resolution drawn up by the
Revs. Alfred Acton and F. E. Waelchli, printed in the same magazine pp.
759-760, may be consulted. The present publication contains two
series of Sermons on the Word; the first series being of the year 1891, the second series covering the period from
November 17th 1895 to August
9th 1896. The first series here begins with n. 14, the first 13 sermons having already been
printed in New Church Tidings, of which Mr. Hyatt, during the years 1891 to July 1894, was the editor. The photograph of the portrait which
is found at the be-ginning of the book was taken by Mr. Gill at Colchester,
England, sometime in the summer of 1893 or 1894.
Acknowledgement is due to Mr. Horace Howard for his much appreciated
services in reading the proofs. SERMONS
ON THE WORD FIRST SERIES. Nr. 14. September 13th 1891. Reference: H.D. 260.
"John (the Baptist)
represented the Word, and by his food, as also by his clothing . . . the Word
in the external sense was represented", A.C. 7643. Therefore the Word when only seen in the external sense is not the Light which enlightens every man coming into the
world. Not the external sense, but "the
internal sense is the very Doctrine of the
Church", H.D. 260. "It is to be known
that the true doctrine of the Church is what is here called the internal
sense, for in that sense are truths such as the angels in heaven have.
Among the priests and among the men of the Church there are those who teach
and learn truths from the literal sense of the Word and there are those who
teach and learn from Doctrine from the Word which is called the doctrine
of the faith of the Church. The latter differ exceedingly from the former in perception, but
they cannot be distinguished by the vulgar, because the latter and the
former speak almost similarly from the Word. But those who teach and learn
the literal sense of the Word alone without the regulating doctrine of the
Church, do not grasp any but those things which are of the natural or
external man; but they who teach and learn from the true doctrine from
the Word also understand those things which are of the spiritual or internal
man. The reason is because the Word in the external or literal sense is natural; but in the internal sense it is spiritual",
A.C. 9025. Hence that sense is not the
light, but testifies concerning
the light. (1)
Such is the character of that sense of the Word which John the
Baptist represents, and it is really that sense which he said was not
the Light. Still John the Baptist, or
rather, that which he represented, is necessary to testify concerning the Light. Which necessity is thus expressed in the Writings: "Still
the sense of the letter represents truths and presents the appearances of
truth in which man can be while he is not in the light of truth", A.C.
1984.
Such is the case when the Word is first presented to us. Such is the
use which the literal forms of each Divine Revelation perform with regard to
those truths which we do not as yet know, of which there are always an
infinity. At first we only see John the Baptist, not the true Light, not the
Lord Himself. Thus it is with regard to the Revelation in which the Lord has
effected His New Advent. At first in
the literal forms thereof we only see a man speaking about
the Lord. While we are in this state we do
not see the Light of the Lord's New Advent, but at most only
testimony concerning that Light. We come into the Light Itself only when we
see that the Lord Himself in The Divine Human is there present with us. In
the text — " 'Light' signifies Divine Truth; wherefore the Lord is there
called `the Light which enlightens every
man' ; and `to testify concerning the Light'
signifies acknowledgement of His Divine
Human, from which Divine Truth proceeds", A.E. 27. (2) Mere testification
concerning the Light cannot establish the New Church. If the New
Church is to be really formed with us,
it must be from the Light Itself, proceeding from the Lord's Divine Human. We
must see that that Human is presented to us in the Evangel of the Lord's
New Advent if we would really dwell in the Light thereof. Without, there can
only be the merely external appearance of a Church, because "the
internal of the Word is also the internal of the Church, as also the internal
of Worship", H.D. 260. "For he who averts himself from the internal of the Word, he also
averts himself from the internal of the Church, and also from the internal of
worship; since the internal of the Church, and the internal of worship are
from the internal of the Word", A.C. 10460. "For the
Word teaches of what quality the man of the Church must be, or of what
quality the Church with man must be, and also of what quality worship with
man must be. For the goods and truths of love and faith are what make the
internal Church, and also internal worship; those the Word teaches, and those
are the internals of the Word", A.C. 10460. Those make the
very teaching of the Church, and they are the particulars which belong to the
laws of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor, without which,
indeed, those laws can only lie understood in a merely natural manner. The Light of the Word as distinguished from the external sense thereof
is also called the glory with which it was prophesied that the Lord would come in His New Advent —
That prophesy has now been fulfilled — that glory has been revealed in the
Writings. The New Church is to live in that Light and not in the clouds of
the Old and New Testament — the clouds in which He made His First Advent and
which relatively only testified concerning the Light which was about to come
in the consummation of the age. The Light Itself is now presented to us which
is the glory of the Lord's New Advent. But though, for the New
Church the former clouds no longer obscure, yet neither has the Lord come now
without clouds, although relatively so. In His New Advent, effected in the Writings, He has manifested Himself in
rational statements, literally presented, that is, presented in written form
— hence we call them the Writings. (3) |
Marginal Notes Sermons on the word
was written between 1891 and 1896 by Edward S. Hyatt who lived from 1854 to
March 1906. “Experience is nothing but the consciousness of correspondences. Leon James
A picture of Hyatt
|
|
These literal, written, and printed, forms, so far cloud over the spiritual
sense which they convey, that that sense is not really revealed therein to
any but those who are enlightened by the Lord
and thus enabled to receive them rationally, so as to be able to see the
glory therein, the Lord Himself in His Divine Human with the Light proceeding
therefrom. This is by no means nakedly apparent to everyone who glances at
the literal forms of the Writings, nor yet to anyone who studies them merely
in the light of self-intelligence; but only appears to those who study them in
their own light, really desiring to be taught things which are above and
contrary to anything self-intelligence could devise. Only when we come thus
to see that the Lord's Divine Human is there presented to us, and
rejoice in the Light which can proceed from nowhere but His Divine Human,
only then can we begin to realize that John the Baptist, that is the external
form of the Word which he represents, is not the Light, but only testifies
concerning the Light. No Divine Revelation can do more than testify concerning
the Light until we see the Lord Himself in such Revelation — then only do we
begin to come into the Light Itself.
The things which are in the literal sense are compared in the Writings
to the little bits of colored glass which are placed without any order in an
optical cylinder, such as we call a kaleidoscope, but which when viewed
through the cylinder represent a beautiful form. So is it with the letter of
the Word, especially with the Prophetical Word of the Old Testament, when
viewed by the light of the spiritual sense. Another illustration is given
from the spiritual world:
"There are spirits who are willing to
hear nothing concerning the interiors of the Word, yea however much they can
understand still they are unwilling. These are especially they who have
placed merit in works, and who therefore have done goods from the love of
self and of the world, or for the sake of dignity or opulence to be acquired
to themselves, and fame thence, thus not for the sake of the Lord's Kingdom.
Such in the other life will more than others to enter into heaven, but they remain
outside, for they are unwilling to be imbued with knowledges of truth and
thus to be affected with good, by interpreting the sense of the Word from the
letter according to their own phantasies, and by producing whatever by assent
favors their cupidities. Such were represented by a little old woman of
unsightly face, but still pallidly snowy, in which were inordinate (features)
by which she was deformed. But in truth,
they who admit and love the interiors of the Word were represented by a girl
in her first virgin age or in the flower of youth, becomingly clothed, with
wreaths and heavenly ornaments", A.C. 1774. (4)
Such is the difference between those who cling to the external of the
Word which is not the light; and those who love to come to the Light Itself
which is revealed in the internal sense of the Word.
"The Word in the whole complex is an
image of heaven, because the Word is the Divine Truth, and Divine Truth makes
heaven; and because heaven refers to one man, the Word is in that respect
like the image of a, man", H.D. 260. In that image and by it "is
represented Heaven in its complex, not
of such quality as it
is, but of such quality as
the Lord wills that it may be, namely
that it may be the likeness of Himself", A.C. 1871.
The quality which the Lord wills that heaven may he is that of His
Divine Human. It is therefore in respect to that that the Word in its whole
complex is like the image of a man.
"The Word of the lord when it is read
by a man who loves the Word and lives in charity, even by a man who from a
simple heart believes what is written, and neither has formed principles against the truth of faith
which is in the internal sense, it is presented by the Lord before
the angels, in such beauty, and in such pleasantness, also with
representatives, and this with
inexpressible variety according to every state of
those in whom they then are, that the single things are perceived as it were
to have life, which is the life which is in the Word, and from which the Word
is born when it is let down from heaven. On account of this cause the Word
of the Lord is such that although it appears
rude in the letter, still within it conceals spiritual and celestial things, which appear before good spirits and angels when it is read by man”,
A.C. 1767.
"Within in the single things of the
Word is the spiritual sense, which treats concerning the Lord's kingdom, and within
in that sense is the Divine, for
the Word in its inmost sense treats concerning the Lord alone. Hence is the
sanctity and life of the Word, and from no other source",
A.C. 8943. (5)
From this passage we can see, not only that there is an inmost sense
within the spiritual, here called the Divine, but sometimes called the
celestial sense, but that both those senses are given in the Writings, and
that not only where they specifically give the celestial, spiritual, and
natural senses of the Decalogue, but everywhere they can be understood either
in application to the Lord's Kingdom, or in application to the Lord Himself
in the glorification of His Human. The one is the spiritual, the other the
celestial sense. Thus the celestial sense is not only everywhere within the
spiritual sense as given in the Writings, but it is opened there to all who
come into any rational understanding of them. Thus is the Light Itself opened
to the New Church. The Word of the Lord is like a Divine Man,
the literal sense is as it were its body, but the internal sense is as
it were its soul; hence it is evident that the literal
sense lives by the internal sense. It appears as if the literal sense vanishes away or dies", A.C. 8943
As we have already seen it
always must so appear as the spiritual sense is really received, "but
it is the contrary, it does not vanish away, still less does it die,
but by the internal sense it lives",
A.C. 8943. “The spiritual sense lives in the literal
sense as the spirit of man in his body, also the spiritual sense similarly survives
when the literal sense passes away,
hence the spiritual sense can be called the soul of the Word”, A.C. 4857. We are taught "that the Word is pure in the
internal sense and that it does not so appear in the sense of the
letter", H.D. 260. That it often appears impure in the sense of the
letter of the Old Testament is evident from many places which may be
recalled. That such teaching also has application to the literal forms of the
Writings may also be evident from the way that the Second part of CONJUGIAL LOVE appears to those who have not rationally grasped the spiritual sense which underlies the laws there
given. That the Light Itself comes from what is pure there,
thus from the internal sense, must he evident, and even
those things in the Word which appear impure to those
who view them only in the light of the world, are yet holy from
the internal things which they involve, and from the
Divine Light which is seen by those who are made spiritually rational thereby to shine through. Hence
the life, the holiness, and the Light of the Word are from
its internal sense, for the sake of which we must be willing to continually
recede from the external sense and
thus to pass from John the Baptist to
the Lord Himself. It is only in this way that we can approach
nearer to the Lord and thus to the Light Itself. It is sufficient if, before
we recede from John, we accept his testimony concerning the Light and obey his
call to repentance. We must ever remember the declaration concerning him,
which is concerning the external of the Word which he represented, that he was not the Light, but that he might
testify concerning the Light. Each
Divine Revelation appears at first only to testify concerning the Light, but if we
approach the internal we will learn that every Divine Revelation is a manifestation of the Light Itself, thus
of the Lord Himself. Therefore it was that John was enabled to prophesy "He must increase but I decrease", John III, 30. (6) |
·
There are men on the moon ·
Earth is female, all seeds are male ·
The Jews look Jewish everywhere ·
Etc., etc. ·
The Divinity of the writings
therefore must be in the Doctrine (= internal sense)
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“Divine Truth is not received by anyone
unless it be accommodated to his grasp, wherefore, unless it appear in a
natural form and appearance”, A.C. 8783. "For
human minds do not at first grasp anything but earthly and worldly things,
and not at all spiritual and celestial things; wherefore if spiritual and
celestial things; wherefore if
spiritual and celestial things were nakedly exposed,, they
would be rejected as nothing; according to
the Lord's
words in John “If I "have
said to you
earthly things and ye believe not, how if I should tell you heavenly things'
" A.C. 8783. (7) Hence it is evident that all Divine Revelation given in the world must "appear in a natural form and appearance". The Writings can be no exception to the operation of this law. The words in which they are written are in themselves earthly and worldly, capable of being understood in a merely earthly and worldly manner. The expressions thereof, when regarded in a merely external manner, appear only to treat about the spiritual sense of the Word, and only when we have learned to regard them in their own light can we recognize that they form the receptacles which enable us to consciously receive the spiritual sense of the Word on the rational plane of our minds, and moreover they provide the only receptacles which can enable us thus to receive it in the rational mind. This form of the Word, like every form of the Word, has within it the infinite spiritual sense; but this alone can so introduce that sense that it may be rationally received. The other forms of the Word which we have provide the means for forming the necessary foundation in the lower planes of the mind and for enabling us to come into such conscious reception of the Word as is possible on those planes. They are the earthly things which it is necessary to believe before we can believe the heavenly, revealed in the Writings. Also before we learn to see that the Writings are the spiritual sense of the Word, we can only see what is there taught as of the earth, as of a mere man, treating about the spiritual sense of the Word, about the Lord's New Advent. In order to come out of this state and be able to see that they are the Word in its internal sense, that they are the very manifestation of the Lord in His New Advent, we must first be ready to give our implicit belief to what is there said about the Word, about the nature of the internal sense, about the Lord's New Advent being in the revelation of that sense — in short we must accept the testification which the Writings give of themselves. For unless we thus first believe the testimony there given as if by a man of the earth, we can never come to believe that it is the Lord Himself speaking to us therein concerning the heavenly things of His Kingdom. Before that we may appear to ourselves to be reading of heaven, but the only conception we can then form is an earthly one, in indeed that of the fonder heavens within us which must pass away before the Lord can establish within us the new heavens which alone are genuine. The Writings will enable us to come to this position if we really allow ourselves to be instructed by them, if we are ready to put away whatever in thought and act is opposed to their teaching. Then, though they may at first appear to us to have an earthly origin, we will certainly learn that they originate from the Lord through heaven. We will find that it has been the Lord in them leading us from the earthly conception to the heavenly conception of their nature. But if we do not allow ourselves to be taught by them as they first come to us, the Lord can only say to us If I have said to you earthly things and ye believe not, how will ye believe if I tell you heavenly things? (8) The earthly things which are in the
external of each Divine Revelation in the world correspond to the spiritual things which Revelation is intended to
convey. As they thus correspond they bear the relation to those spiritual things of effects to their causes. As they are effects they are necessarily
passive. When the various books of the Word of the Old Testament were dictated by angels to the
Prophets, neither the angels nor the prophets gave
the necessary external forms; but the Word Itself passing through their
minds took on those forms. So when the Word in the
internal sense was revealed through the instrumentality of
Swedenborg as far as appearances go, it would seem to us, as it doubtless
seemed to himself, as if he gave the necessary external forms to what he
received from the Lord, but in reality the Word Itself
took from
his mind the rational appearances in which it was necessary for it to be clothed. As an instrument for this work Swedenborg was especially led by the Lord;
but the more fully anyone is led by the Lord, the more fully he comes into a
state of real freedom, the more fully he appears to net as if from himself.
If we keep this law in mind, a law incomprehensible to the merely natural
mind, we will not be misled by the appearance that Swedenborg acted as from
himself in putting into ultimate form what he received from the Lord, but
from the internal Doctrine revealed we will learn the real state of the case
— namely that whenever the Word is ultimated in a new literal or written form
it takes on from some human instrument corresponding earthly things, and thus
is written by correspondences. It may be correspondences from the corporeal
plane, or from the sensual, or from the rational plane, but still it
is in each case written by correspondences. Therefore "There can be no
little word written in the Word, that has not been let down from heaven, and
consequently, in which the angels do not see heavenly things",
A.C. 1659. (9) |
