Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 3.djvu/87

distinguished by their doctrines; and the members of those churches have therefore taken the names of Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, or the Reformed and Evangelical Protestants; with many others This distinction of names arises solely from doctrines and would never have had place if the members of the church had made love to the Lord and charity towards their neighbor the principal point of faith. Doctrines would then have been only varieties of opinion concerning the mysteries of faith, which they who are true Christians would leave to every one to receive according to his conscience; while the language of their hearts would be that he is a true Christian who lives as a Christian, that is, as the Lord teaches.

Thus one church would be formed out of all these diverse ones, and all disagreements arising from mere doctrines would vanish; yea, all the animosities of one against another would be dissipated in a moment, and the kingdom of the Lord would be established on earth.

The Ancient Church which existed immediately after the flood, although dispersed over several kingdoms, was of such a character; so that, notwithstanding they differed much from each other in respect to doctrines they still made charity the principal thing, and regarded each other's worship, not from the doctrines of faith, but from the charity of life which entered into it. This is meant by what is said of that church, (Gen. xi. 1) that "they had all one language, and their words were one." (A. C. 1799.)