OF THE END OF THE CHURCH, AS PREDICTED IN MATTHEW, CHAP. XXIV. ; DERIVED FROM AN EXAMINATION, ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF SWEDENBORG, OF OF THE TRINITY, INCARNATION, ATONEMENT, AND MEDIATION; TO WHICH ARE ADDED, REMARKS UPON THE TIME OF THE END. "SEEST THOU these grEAT BUILDINGS? THERE SHALL NOT BE LEFT ONE STONE UPON BY THE REV. AUGUSTUS CLISSOLD, M.A. Formerly of Ex. Coll. Oxon. LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., STATIONERS' HALL COURT, LUDGATE STREET. M DCCC XLI. 1146. PREFACE. THE following work is only a sketch. The object of it is to illustrate, upon the principles of Swedenborg, the state of the church as predicted in Scripture. Christendom may be said to be divided into three parts; the Greek, the Roman, and the Protestant churches. With regard to the former, we have said nothing specifically in the present work; because, upon the subjects we have considered, it is so nearly identified with the Roman and Protestant churches, as to render any particular mention of it unnecessary; the observations we have applied to the two latter, being in general equally applicable to the former. Our illustrations, therefore, of the end of the church, arc taken from Roman Catholic and Protestant writers. There are three ways in which a church may be conceived to come to its end: the first, by the closing of the dispensation; the second, by its apostacy; the third, by both. With regard to the first it may be observed, that as, in general, the several dispensations of Providence are all relative one to the other; so, in particular, the Jewish was relative or preparatory to the Christian. Had the Jewish nation continued faithful to their religion, yet the dispensation, being only preparatory, would have ceased at the |