"simply absurd to claim that these [other] religious bodies are New Church," since "they were not organized to propagate its principles," but "to propagate a tri-personal trinity, a vicarious atonement, and many other doctrines which are directly contrary to the principles of the New Church.'"
This is quite plausible, and some may be ready to accept it as conclusive answer to the Memorial. But its fallacy will appear on a slight examination. The fundamental error here involved, and which runs through the entire Report, is the very same that underlies the reasoning of all previous Reports to the Convention on the subject of baptism, and vitiates all their conclusions. It is that in regard to the nature and whereabout of the true church of the Lord. This is not and never can be a visible organization of any kind. For to constitute a congregation or body of people a real church, Swedenborg says "it is necessary that every individual in the congregation be a church; for every general implies parts similar to itself." (A. C. 4292.) Is there any such organized body of people on earth? or has there ever been? Yet there is no objection to naming (by way of distinction) a body organized for the purpose of promulgating the New Church doctrines, a New Church body, provided we do
