Page:The New Church - What, How, Why .djvu/14

10 can quickly give the right idea of this.

In the world's history there have been four Churches established by our Heavenly Father,—the Most Ancient Church, the Ancient Church, the Israelitish Church, and the Apostolic Church.

When the Ancient Church came to its end, and God desired to make a fuller preparation for His Advent, the Israelitish Church was established. That this might be done, Israel was kept in bondage in Egypt, and then led into the isolation of the wilderness for forty years, that a new church might take form and become permanent. The Israelitish Church was not a sect of the Ancient Church, nor was it derived from it. It was distinctly new, being founded upon new revelations, which were the laws of Moses. The New Church is likewise new.

Coming to more recent times, with which there is more familiarity, we know that when the Lord came upon the earth the