contemplating it, in turn gives rise to thoughts of how to achieve it; these make
up the instrumental “cause” that will bring it about. The result is the “effect,”
which in turn becomes a new end, a new vision for further development; and
so the cycle begins again.
This is the pattern human thought follows (as that same number about
hope, Divine Providence 178, explains). The “end” we envision (hope) enters
into everything that follows: the “cause” (our thoughts and plans for realizing
our dreams) and the “effect,” to whatever degree it is attained.
Every work of life – the Church, the country, the home – is inaugurated,
sustained and continually renewed by hope. It is what we have instead of
knowledge of the future; for if we had that, the life of the mind “would be
diminished and pass away.” (Ibid.) There’d be nothing to hope for.
“Hope springs eternal,” as the poet said. Each new goal attained is like
a mountain peak from which we see other peaks beckoning in the distance.
New hopes, new goals, new challenges, are always presenting themselves. The
supreme “end” of all, heaven, is always ahead of us, drawing us onward, and
yet, in a sense, we are already there, and see it even now, in our hopes.
(WEO)
our new church vocabulary
In 1961 the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, as editor of New Church Life, launched a
memorable and significant series, Our New Church Vocabulary. This continued
through 1966, offering distinctive New Church definitions for 126 familiar
words and terms. This alphabetical listing was collected into a pamphlet that
still is treasured throughout the Church. In this issue we start reprinting the
series, beginning with “Affection,” and will continue through “Worship.”
In launching this series Mr. Henderson wrote:
“The New Church has a vocabulary that is entirely its own. Every subject
field has its particular terminology; and as the Writings were given to convey
new truth, ideas never before unfolded to the human mind, and as the
communication of ideas requires appropriate language, the Writings contain
many distinctive terms. These terms were selected by the Lord with the
precision of wisdom. Each one has a very exact meaning, or group of related
meanings, and was chosen by the Lord because it, and no other, expressed
adequately the idea or ideas to be transmitted.
“Evidently, then, it is of great importance that we should understand
correctly what is meant by these terms as they are employed in the Writings,
and that we should be able to use them accurately in our own thinking,
speaking and writing. Some are theological terms which occur frequently, and
here a facile familiarity may blind us to their profundity. A few are peculiar to
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