Page:The Doctrines of the New Church Briefly Explained.djvu/100

94 And from this we may understand what Jesus meant when He called Himself "the living-bread" from heaven, and said: "He that eateth me, even he shall live by me;" also when He said: "He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him;" and "except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." For we have no true spiritual life, and can have none, except as we receive heavenly truth (the blood of the Lamb) into our understandings, and, through the faithful application of that truth to life, receive into our hearts the good of that unselfish love which is the life and soul of truth.

This is a condensed statement of what the New Church teaches on this subject. To quote a single and brief passage from Swedenborg by way of confirmation:

"Since all spiritual and celestial things relate solely to good and truth, it follows that flesh means the good of charity, and blood the truth of faith; and in the supreme sense the Lord as to the divine good of love and the divine truth of wisdom. . .. It is known that the Lord is the Word; and there are two principles to which all things in the Word relate. Divine Good and Divine Truth. Therefore if the Word is substituted for the Lord, it is plain that these two principles are meant by his flesh and blood." (T. C. R. 706.)