The Doctrines of the New Church Briefly Explained/Chapter25
XXV.—Catholicity.
Catholicity is not properly a doctrine, but rather a spirit or characteristic. Yet its presence in, or its absence from, any church or system of doctrines, is a pretty good indication of the general character of that system or church. Catholicity is the opposite of bigotry, or the narrow and exclusive spirit of sect. And the student of ecclesiastical history knows that sectarianism has been the bane of the Christian Church almost from its commencement. And although less virulent now than formerly, it still hovers around our ecclesiastical bodies, displaying its dark and repulsive shadow and causing its malign influence to be felt in nearly all the churches.
But the authorized teachings of the New Church are free from the least taint of anything like sectarianism. Their spirit is large, free, comprehensive, and inclusive as the angelic heavens—yea, as the Divine Love itself, of which they are a true revelation and grand expression. They do not teach nor encourage the belief, that the followers of the Lord are, or will ever be, all organized under one name, or worship according to one and the same ritual, or profess one and the same creed—unless, indeed, that creed be extremely brief and simple. They teach us rather to expect endless variety in the church of Christ. Why should there not be? Variety is observable everywhere throughout the universe—visibly stamped on all created things. We see it alike in the stars above and in the earth beneath; alike in beasts and birds, forests and fields, mountains and clouds, fishes and flowers. And the writings of the New Church teach us to expect that there will ever be a like variety in the church of God—a variety in doctrine and ritual as well as in the kinds and degrees of goodness, corresponding to the variety among the organs of the human body. Such variety exists in the angelic heavens. Yet, with an endless diversity in character and in degrees of illumination there, the angels, by virtue of their kindred ruling purpose and their common union with the one true and living Head, are all bound as lovingly to each other, and work as freely and harmoniously together, as the various members of the human body. And we should expect that something like this will exist among men on earth when the life of God descends into the churches with power and fulness, or when the Father's will shall be done on earth as it is done in heaven.
The great Apostle clearly justifies such expectation when he says: "The body is not one member but many;" and that the members ought to have "the same care one of another." A beautiful illustration of variety in unity! For what is more various in form and function than the multitudinous parts of the human body? Yet how closely and lovingly are they all united, and with what perfect harmony do they work together, each rejoicing or suffering with all the rest! This illustrates Paul's idea of the church of Christ; for he adds: "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular."
But sectarianism is forever opposed to this catholic doctrine. It is unable to see how unity can co-exist with variety. It regards diversity as incompatible with harmony. In its own nature contracted and conceited, it cannot admit that there is any saving truth outside of its own formulas, or any real goodness different from its own variety, or any true church beyond its own narrow pale. It makes its own creed the test of all others, and approves or condemns according as they agree or fail to agree with this assumed standard. It never encourages independent and manly thought, nor invites to free and rational inquiry; for it knows that some degree of doctrinal difference is sure to result from this. On the contrary, it seeks by various arts and endless machinery—by pains and penalties, social ostracism, church censures and withdrawal of fellowship—to discourage free inquiry, and compel a dead and barren uniformity. Sectarianism, therefore, is unfriendly alike to religious progress and Christian union. Its spirit is the spirit of anti-Christ;— not large, generous, loving and all-embracing, but narrow, selfish, conceited and unprogressive.
The very opposite of all this are the spirit and doctrines of the New Church. These doctrines everywhere exalt charity or love above faith or belief, and teach us to judge people by their lives rather than by their creeds. They teach us to think and speak as kindly of those who differ from, as of those who agree with us in doctrine, and to regard and treat as brethren in Christ, all who exhibit a Christian temper and live a Christian life. They teach us that all who have the Master's spirit, are owned and accepted of Him; that perfect agreement in forms of faith is neither to be expected nor desired; that variety is the truly divine order in the moral no less than in the physical universe; that the Word of God is an infinite Fountain where all souls may drink and be refreshed;—a Fountain from which some may draw higher and purer, otbers lower and cruder, forms of truth, according to the purity of their motives, the strength of their trust, the measure of their obedience, and the completeness of their self-abnegation. They teach us that there are "many mansions" in the heavenly Father's house, corresponding to the many kinds and degrees of good in men, and to the many forms of faith or phases of truth; and that all who earnestly seek to know and humbly strive to do his will, may be sure of an eternal abode in some one of the mansions prepared for the blessed.
Let such teaching as this be generally accepted and promulgated for Gospel truth (as it really is), and exemplified in the teachers' lives, and the mischievous spirit of sect would soon take its departure as owls and bats fly to their coverts at the rising of the sun. And in its place would come a broad and Christian catholicity, rejoicing the hearts of good men on earth and angels in heaven. Then, instead of antagonistic sects warring against and weakening each other, we should soon have one harmonious and united church,—a church all the more beautiful and perfect on account of its diversity, just as the excellence of a band of music is increased by the variety of instruments, or the beauty of a garden by the variety of its trees and flowers.
One might easily fill a volume with extracts from Swedenborg in confirmation of the above statements. But in lieu of quotations, we will simply refer the reader to Vol. III. of the "Swedenborg Library," pp. 73 to 205, where he will find the amplest justification of all that we have here said,—and teaching that forms a striking contrast, in point of catholicity, to that which has hitherto been offered and accepted in the Christian church.