the Heavenly Doctrines in sequence; but I sense there is something special that
happens when we do. And if there is something special that happens when
we read the Heavenly Doctrines in chronological order, it is because there
is a correspondence between the sequence of truths given in the Heavenly
Doctrines, and the process by which the Lord leads and regenerates us. This is
not taught explicitly in the Heavenly Doctrines, but it is what I sense from my
reading of them.
None of the above benefits will happen if we don’t read the Heavenly
Doctrines. Nor will they happen if we simply read them without looking to
the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only when we look to the Lord, seeking to live the
life of religion, that He can fill us with His enlightenment. It is only when we
take the teachings of the Heavenly Doctrines, use them to examine ourselves
and shun the evils as sins against the Lord that He can feed us, lift us up and
bless us forever.
The Rev. William H. Clifford is retired and lives with his wife, Marcia, in Grand Rapids,
Michigan. Contact: [email protected]
O U R N E W C H U RC H V O C A B U L A R Y
Part of a continuing series developed by the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, 1961-1966.
FORM
Here we have another philosophical term which occurs frequently. It refers to an organic
receptacle in which an essence is so formed as to appear; and it does not relate to shape, but to
the order, disposition, arrangement and relation of the parts which make a thing competent
to its use. Thus form is said to be the same as function or use. (See True Christian Religion 52;
Arcana Coelestia 4223, 4926; Last Judgment 12:4; Divine Love and Wisdom 200, 209)
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