THE

New View
ITS

of Hell.

NATURE, WHEREABOUTS, DURATION, AND HOW TO ESCAPE IT.

BY
B. F.

BARRETT,
%\
.

Author of "Lectures on the New Dispensation," "The Golden City,* 44 Letters to Bbecher on the Divine Trinity," Etc Etc

nti

$*

diiion.

PHILADELPHIA:
CLAXTON, REMSEN & HAFFELFINGER.
1878.

,t

ft

<

/rrj

The New View of Hell.

^3

**\

*(>

Entered according to Act jf Congress, in the year 18*\, by

J.

B.

LIPPINCOTT

A CO.,

In the

Office of the

Librarian of Congress at Washington.

CONTENTS.
I.

II.

The The

PAGB

New

Dispensation

Old Doctrine of Hell

26
36

III. The

New View

IV. The Scripture Argument.

Sheol, Hades,
46

Gehenna, and the Lake of Fire....

V. Hell. The Chosen Home of All Who

go There.
VI.
73
87

The

Duration of Hell
its

VII. Some Evidence of

VIII. Why Cannot the

Duration. Philo100

sophical and Scriptural

Ruling Love be Changed

?

After Death
IX.

112

Displays of the Divine Benignity X. Is Hell to Undergo any Change

of what Nature
?

in
?

Hell
If so,

125

145

XI.

The

Devil and Satan

163

XII. Practical Bearings of the Question....

XIII.

177 193

How

to Escape Hell
5

74f

& THK -^

^IPOI
PREFACE.
compass of revealed or speculative Theology, upon which inquiring minds have been more exercised within the last hundred years, than the subare few subjects within the
ject of Hell.

There

And

there are few, perhaps, which

strifes

have been

the occasion of

more

and

divisions in the churches,

to Christian believers, or

which have caused more trouble

upon which there are

at this

moment more

anxiety, doubt

and disagreement among

There
is

religious teachers themselves.

no doubt that the popular mind of Christendom

this,

has undergone a considerable change on

other subjects, since the
tury.

as on

many
and
of

commencement

of the present cen-

The

old representations of the Divine justice,

the condition of the wicked in the great Hereafter,

would
satis-

hardly be listened to with patience

faction

certainly not with

by any intelligent Christian congregation

idea which

of to-day.

"The

men once had

as hideous as

of hell and of divine juspulpit,

tice," says the

occupant of a distinguished orthodox

"was a nightmare
hellish

was ever begotten by the

brood
I

itself.

And

it

was an atrocious slander on

God.
horrors

do not wonder that men have reacted from these

I

honor them

for it."
7

PREFACE.
But what have the Christian teachers of to-day
to offer as

a substitute
obsolete in

for the old idea,

which

is

confessedly becoming

nearly

all

of the churches?

nothing

Many

of them,

literally nothing, that can at once satisfy the reason

of thoughtful inquirers, and meet the

demands

of the lan-

guage of Scripture.
their destitution.

And some

are frank enough to confess

Said a distinguished Presbyterian clergythis subject

man, writing on
dark, dark, to

some time ago

I

M
:

It is all

dark,

my

soul

and

cannot disguise
is

it."

The aim

of the present work

to unfold

and present the

New
and

view of Hell, as

set forth in the theological writings of

;

Emanuel Swedenborg
Scriptural, in

to

show

that

it

is

at

once rational

harmony

with the perfect love and

wisdom

of God, as well as with the teachings of

human
;

experience
its

and

the profoundest spiritual philosophy

and

that

prac-

tical influence

upon

the character of believers, cannot be

otherwise than beneficent.

How
judge.

far

have succeeded
if
I

in this, the

reader himself must

partial success,

But

have achieved even a

and

presented the subject in a light to relieve and profit only a

few troubled souls,

thankful.

shall

be more than

satisfied

shall

be

B. F. B.

Ghrmantown,

Jan. 14, 1878.

[TJKIVBR5ITY]

THE

New View
i.

of Hell.

THE

NEW DISPENSATION.
Emanuel Swedenborg
indeed,
are

regarded by many by and studied them with care

THE

theological writings of

all,

who have

read

as a

new

revelation.

They

boldly claim for themselves this distinction, and challenge a candid examination of their claim in the light
of Scripture, reason, philosophy, history, and
all

human
is
:

They are held to be (and this, own claim) a new Dispensation of spiritual
experience.

too,

their

truth

that

Dispensation

referred to in the Apocalypse under the

symbol of the New Jerusalem which John saw coming down from God out of heaven. They are believed to
contain, not merely the reasonings and conclusions of a
great

and pious mind

not

a theological or doctrinal

system wrought out by patient labor and hard study, but

a system of spiritual truth so luminous in

so grand in
its

its

nature and

proportions, as to

be

itself

the fulfillment

of the prophecy concerning the second coming of

9

Him

IO

NEW VIEW
i'6

OF HELL.
They
are declared to

who

"

the Light of the world."

be a revelation of new and heavenly truth made by the Lord himself through his own chosen servant, whom He
raised

up and prepared

for this

work, and in due time

graciously and wonderfully illumined by his Spirit.

The stupendous system of

in the writings of this

truth, therefore, contained

is

man,

not to be considered his,

to

but the Lord's.

receive and

He

was but the chosen instrument

to

make known

men,

truths

which no amount

of labor or study could ever have enabled him to discover.

Hear what the seer himself says on this subject " Since the Lord cannot manifest Himself in Person,
:

and nevertheless has

establish a

follows

foretold that He would come and New Church which is the New Jerusalem, it that He will do so by means of a man who

can not only receive these doctrines in his understanding

but can also publish them by the press.

"That
servant,

the

Lord manifested Himself before me

to this office, that
spirit

his

and sent me

He

afterward

opened the eyes of

my

and so intromitted

me

into

the spiritual world, granted

me

to see the heavens and

the hells, also to converse with angels and spirits, and

this continuously

now

for several years, I affirm in truth

first

as also, that, from the

day of

that calling I

have not

received anything whatever pertaining to the doctrines but from the Lord alone of that Church from

any angel,

While

read the

Word." (True

Christian Religion, 779.)

And

elsewhere in his writings he repeats the same

THE
statement

NEW

DISPENSATION.
if

II

in, substance

not in words.
:

Thus

in his

preface to the

Apocalypse Revealed, he says

Any one may

see that the Apocalypse could

no how

be explained but by the Lord alone, since every word of it contains arcana which never could be known without

and consequent revelation. Wherefore it has pleased the Lord to open the sight of my spirit and to teach me. It must not, therefore, be
special illumination
I

some

supposed that

have given any explication of

I

my

own,

nor that even of any angel, but only what communicated to me from the Lord alone.'
'

have had

And

in his treatise

on

"The

Intercourse between the

Soul and the Body," he relates a conversation that he

once had with

"a man
him

of reason," explaining to him

how
gian.

it

was that from a philosopher he became a theoloAfter telling

that
it

was " for the san^ reason

and apostles of the " from early youth had been Lord," adding that he also a spiritual fisherman;" and after explaining what this
that fishermen

became the

disciples

means, and confirming what he says by citing passages

from the
the

Word which

speak of fishermen, unfolding at

same time

their spiritual

meaning,

his interrogator

"

raised his voice

and said

"'Now

can understand

why

the
;

Lord

called

and
I

chose fishermen to be his disciples

not wonder that
since, as

and therefore

do

He

has also called and chosen you,

you have observed, you were from early youth

is,

a fisherman in a spiritual sense, that

an investigator

12

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
reason that you are
is,

of natural truths. an

The
'

now become
these
are

investigator of spiritual truths,

that

founded on the former.

of reason,
that

To

this

'the Lord

he added, being a man alone knows who is the

proper person to apprehend and teach or communicate

the
truths

which

should
20.

be

revealed

for

his

Church.'

"

Ibid.

New

Swedenborg

further claims that this

new

revelation

made through him as a chosen medium, is in fulfillment of the prediction made by the Lord himself, concerning
his second

coming, which was

to
is

be

in the clouds

of

heaven.

This coming, he says,

not to be external and

natural, cognizable
spiritual,
It is

by the eye of sense; but internal and cognizable by the understanding and the heart.

to be a

coming of the Word of God,

that

deeper meanings of the

Word a coming of

is,

of the

its spiritual

or heavenly sense to the minds and hearts of men, and

exerting upon them a

new and renovating power.

it

And
less

the clouds in or upon which

are the clouds of Scripture

is

said

He

the
:

would come,

obscurities,

more or

dense, of the

literal sense, in

or upon which the spiritual

and

true sense

comes

as the sun's light

through a cloud.

To

cite again his

It
is

own language

"

the prevailing opinion at this day [1770] in

every church, that the Lord, when

He comes He

to the last

judgment,

will

appear

in

the clouds of heaven with

will gather

angels and the sound of trumpets; that

together

all

who

are then dwelling on the earth, as well

THE
as all

NEW

DISPENSATION.
will separate the evil

13

who

are deceased,

and

from

the good, as

a shepherd separates the goats from the

sheep
hell,

that then
raise

He He

will cast the evil, or the goats, into

and

up

the good, or the sheep, into heaven;

will, at the

and further that

visible

same time, create a new

latter

heaven and a new habitable earth, and on the

city to descend,

He will cause a New Jerusalem,

which

is

to be called the

and

is

to

be

built

according to the de(Ch. xxi.) of jasper

scription given in the Revelation

and gold ; and the foundation of its walls of every precious and its height, breadth and length to be equal, stone
;

each twelve thousand furlongs

to

and

that all the elect are

be gathered together into

this city,

both those that are

then alive, and those that have died since the beginning

of the world
their bodies,

and

that the latter will then return into

cent city, as in their heaven.

and enjoy everlasting bliss in that magnifiThis is the prevailing

all

opinion of the present day, in

respecting the

Christian churches,
last

ment.'

'

True Christian Religion,

a
little

coming

of the

Lord and the

n. 768.

judg-

And

further

on he says

"That

the second

coming of the Lord, is a coming, not

in person, but in the

Word which
many
;

is

Himself

from Him, and

Lord
;

is

It is

written in

places that the

will

come
Rev.

in the clouds of

heaven

as Matt. xvii. 5
ix.

xxiv.

30; xxvi. 64;

i.

Mark

xiv.

62; Luke
vii.

34, 35;

xxi.

27;

7; xiv. 14; Dan.

T3; but no one has here-

tofore

known what
2

is

meant by the clouds of heaven,

14

NEW VIEW
them
in person.

OF HELL.
that

and hence mankind have believed

appear to

the

Lord

will

But

it

has remained undisin its literal sense

is

covered to

this day, that the

Word
;

meant by the clouds of heaven

sense of the
in

and that the

spiritual

Word

is

meant by the power and glory

is

which also the Lord

sense of the
it

to

come.

Now
me
to

since the
to

spiritual

Word

has been

opened

me

by

the Lord, and

has been granted

be with

angels and spirits in their world as one of themselves,

it

has been revealed to

me

that the clouds of heaven sig-

nify the
in
its

Word

in

its

natural sense;
;

and glory, the

Word

spiritual sense

and power, the

effectual operation

of the Lord by the

Word." Ibid.,

n. 776.

There can be no doubt, then, about Swedenborg's claim extraordinary though it be, and incredible as it

may seem

to those

who have

not examined his writings.

He
by

claims to have been called of the Lord in an extra-

ordinary manner, and to have been specially illumined

his Spirit, to
is,

make a new

revelation

; a

revelation,

that

of

new and heavenly

truth concerning Himself,

his

Word,

the nature of heaven and hell, and the con-

dition of different classes of

He

declares that
;

it is

the

his spirit

that

it

is

the

men in the great Hereafter. Lord who opened the eyes of Lord who taught him the true

meaning of the Word, and what doctrines to promulthat the Lord had actually come (agreeably to his gate
;

promise), to establish a
doctrines which
it

New Church by means

of the

was given him to receive, understand

THE

NEW
;

DISPENSATION.
that these doctrines

and publish tothe world

his

were not

own

part,

not the result of any labor or study on his nor received from any angel, but communicated to
the

him by

Lord alone.

"From

the

first

day of

that

calling," he says,

"I

have not received anything what-

ever pertaining to the doctrines of the

New Church
I

from

any angel, but from the Lord alone while

read the

Word."
It is

not

my

purpose here to enter upon any discussion

it is

of this claim, or to adduce evidence to show that

well founded.
at the

The need

there was of a

new

revelation

time Swedenborg lived and wrote, as shown by

all

the doctrinal beliefs and teachings in

his

the churches of

day; the luminous and extraordinary character of his

theological writings; the sweet and heavenly

spirit that

and catholic

they breathe throughout; the elevated and ra-

tional views they contain

on

all

subjects

views that har-

monize with the teachings of Scripture and reason and science, and with all we know of the laws of the human

and the ways and workings of God's providence all these combine to force an acknowledgment of his claim from every intelligent and candid mind who thorsoul
;

oughly examines and understands his writings.

Such

an one admits his claim because he cannot help it. He finds the evidence so overwhelming, that it is easier to
accept than to reject
it.

He

sees that here

is,

indeed, a

new

revelation ; that here is a system of spiritual truth so grand and harmonious and rational, so comprehensive

6
majestic,

NEW VIEW

OF HELL.

in this

and so admirably adapted to human wants age, that it could have none other than God him-

self for its author.

He

accepts Swedenborg's teachings,

therefore, as a

ing the

new Dispensation of spiritual truth, bearSo abundant and impress of God's own finger.
is

overmastering
wise
;

the evidence, that he cannot

do

other-

he cannot reach any other conclusion.

But those cannot admit his claim, who have not studied
his writings.

How can they ? for they have not weighed

they have not seen
it,

the evidence

indeed.

And

no-

where but dence of

in his writings themselves,

can satisfactory evi-

his claim

be found.

They may, from having read

a few pages or chapters of his works, admit that he saw and taught much truth ; but we cannot expect them to go

beyond

this

nor

ought they

until

they have studied

to discern, in

his writings sufficiently to enable

them

some

measure, their wondrous depth and comprehensiveness

and philosophy and

unity.

Such persons, (and they are

not a few) stand toward this

in the

New

Christian Dispensation

same attitude

as those stand

toward the

first

Chris-

tian dispensation,

who admit
that

that Jesus Christ was a wise

truth
is

and excellent man, and

the

much

to be found in

New Testament

but

who do

not admit the proper

;

divinity of the one, nor the inspiration of the other

who

regard the Saviour as a merely

finite

and human

being, and the writings of the Evangelists as merely

human

compositions.

And

while some of these persons

may have more

of the spirit of Christ than manj

who

THE
know and
belieye

NEW
more of

DISPENSATION,

Him

and

his gospel,

still

they

would not be regarded, popularly or doctrinally speaking, as Christians

;

for they

do not acknowledge Chrisor in any proper sense as

tianity as a

new Dispensation,

new
So,

Revelation.

popularly speaking,

those are not of the

New
really

Christian Dispensation

(they

may belong

to

it

but not nominally)

who do

not see or acknowledge that

any such dispensation

has

writings of Swedenborg are,

commenced, or that the indeed, a new and divindy

truth

authorized

revelation

of heavenly

though
spirit

they
life

may

have in their hearts more of the

and
its

of the
trines.

New Church

than some

who

accept

doc-

But many persons

lightened

and

these inhabiting the most en-

portions of Christendom
is

are

beginning to

admit that Swedenborg's claim

well founded.

They

believe that he wrote under a special divine illumination,

and

that his writings are or contain a

is

new
?

revelation.

And what
take,

implied by
trivial, is

this

admission

That no mis-

anywhere to be found in his writand word he penned after in That sentence ? every ings his illumination, he was immediately directed by the
however

Lord?
it

That every word he wrote

is

as certainly true as

if

had been written by the finger of God himself? Nothing of this sort is involved in the fullest and most cordial

admission of his claim.

ation;

We may admit his divine illuminwg^giigtt^jed and taught

we may

believe that he

2 *

NEW VIEW
God as no other man

OF HELL.

of

ever was ; and that his writings are,

divinely authorized revehis
;

as they claim to be, a

new and

lation

and yet we may believe that

at all times

illumination

was not precisely the same

absolutely infallible
;

that

he was not
his thought

that his pen,

and even

on some minor

points,

making him teach or seem

might momentarily have slipped, to teach in one place, some-

thing contrary to his general teaching upon the same

subject.

But an admission of this man's claim, or the belief

that his writings are a

new

dispensation of spiritual truth

all

doctrines upon

to men, does involve the belief, that, upon

all

important

questions which have hitherto en-

gaged the attention of Christians, and in which they are he has spoken with likely always to feel a deep interest

authority, because he wrote under an extraordinary divine

illumination.
It

involves the admission that, in what he

wrote and published concerning the Lord, the Sacred

Scripture,

Redemption,

Regeneration,

Salvation,

the

Resurrection, the Judgment, the nature and duration of

Heaven and

Hell,

and

all

the great facts

and laws of the

spiritual world,

he has not given us his opinion merely,

but the truth which

God was

pleased to reveal through

him.

It

involves the belief that, upon such

momentous
and has

themes he was illumined by the Holy

Spirit,

taught only what the Lord authorized and directed him So that what his writings contain on such to teach.
subjects,
is

not his

own opinions

or conclusions merely,

THE
but
is

NEW

DISPENSATION.
is

19

what the Lord himself teaches or

trying to teach

mankind through him.

Let

me

endeavor to make
:

illustration

James.

my

view more clear by an

man

is

duly accredited by our government to the

court of

St.

Upon

all

important matters between

the two countries, he receives his instruction from

Wash-

ington.

And

if

he acts according to

his

instruction,

the things he does as the authorized agent of the govern-

ment, are not to be regarded merely as his acts, but the acts of the government; and the government alone is
responsible for them.
tion,

But

in carrying

on some negotia-

Mr. Adams or Mr. Motley,

in the exercise of the

freedom and discretion of a plenipotentiary, may here and there drop a word or use an expression which his

government might not approve

sequence
if it

but that

is

of small con-

does not prevent nor in any way interfere

with the negotiation.

He may

not, in every interview

affairs,

with the British minister of foreign

court dinner,

or at every

do and say exactly the thing that the government from which he is accredited would approve
;

but

if

he carries out his instructions generally, does his

duty

faithfully,
is

mission,
ister,

he any the

and so accomplishes the purpose of his less the accredited American min-

or his acts any the less cheerfully endorsed by his

government because of an occasional and unimportant remark made by him, which the authorities at Washington might not approve?

30

NEW

VIE IV OF HELL.
it

So Swedenborg

though

might be shown that he has

here and there said things, unimportant in themselves but

not in agreement with the general tenor of his teaching is to be regarded as none the less a divinely accredited

teacher or a divinely authorized

mysteries, if his teaching

expounder of sacred
important and funda-

upon

all

mental points be true, or such as meets the approval of heaven's own King.

it

But though it is, or claims to be, a New Dispensation, is a dispensation of rational It adreligious truth.

dresses us as rational beings,

endowed with

the capacity

of discriminating between right and wrong

falsehood.
It

truth

and

declares that Rationality, or the ability to

understand spiritual truth when presented, and to judge

between

it

and
it

error,
to

is

one of the noblest

gifts

of God.

And

it

holds

be every one's solemn duty to respect

this gift,

by

faithfully exercising his

own understanding

upon whatever is offered him for religious truth. It teaches that no one ought to accept what his own understanding
rejects,

even though

it

should be proclaimed by

a messenger from heaven, or have the unanimous vote of

all

Christendom

in

its

support.

No

one, therefore,

is

expected to receive for truth what

subject, unless the teach;

Swedenborg has taught on any

ing approve
less

itself to his rational intuitions

it

that

is,

unuse

he himself sees

to

be

true.

Each one must

his

own

for him. eyes, and not allow another to see

:

The

great seer himself says

THE
"This

NEW
is

DISPENSATION.
understanding
is

21

tenet, that the

to

be kept in
;

subjection to faith,

rejected in the

New Church

and

in its place, this is to

be received as a maxim, that the

it

truth of the church should be seen in order that

may

be believed.

What

is

truth not seen, but a voice

not understood ?"

And

again he says:

"The

angels

have wisdom
fore

in

consequence of seeing truths.

Whereis

when

it is

said to
it is

any angel that

this or that

to be

believed although

not understood, the angel replies,

yourself

Do
are

you suppose me to be insane, or that you a god whom I am bound to believe ?"
is

This Dispensation, moreover,

sive, universal, in its spirit.
It

catholic,

comprehenliberty of

breathes throughout the

the
largest

sweetest

charity.
It

It

inculcates

thought.
inquiry.

encourages the utmost freedom of religious

with new and increased emphasis the
right of private judgment however that judgment may differ
prelates,
It

It asserts

great Protestant principle

in matters of faith,

the

from the solemn decree of popes,

synods, assemblies or conventions.
fore,

councils,

upholds, therein

and furnishes new and powerful weapons

It is

defence

of religious liberty.

tolerant of all forms of error,

innocently imbibed and conscientiously held, and shows

the possibility of salvation under
all

of them.

It

con-

no people not even Mahometans or Pagans merely on account of their beliefs ; but teaches that infinite Love is for ever brooding over

demns no

individual,

no

sect,

all

and

for ever seeking,

through such forms of

faith

22

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

and modes of worship as are best suited to the wants of each, to lift them up into clearer light and a higher
life

into fuller
It
is

communion and
therefore

itself.

full,

sweeter fellowship with

this

New

Dispensation

of the all-embracing and all-reconciling spirit of the

Lord.

The

following extracts

might be quoted from the writings of Swedenborg

and a volume of similar ones

will

exhibit something of the large and catholic spirit of this

New
"

Dispensation

Notwithstanding there are so

many

various and difstill, if all

ferent doctrines [believed

by Christians],

who

hold these doctrines did but acknowledge charity as

the essential of the church, or what
is

the same,

if

they

end of doctrine, they would toform one church ... for every one in the other ; gether life is gifted with a lot from the Lord according to the
had respect to
life

as the

good of "

his life, not according to the truth of his doctrine

separate from that good."

If charity

Arcana
first

Ccelestia 3241.

were

in

the

place and faith in the

face.

second, the church would have another

For then,
lived the

none would be
life

called Christians but they

who

of charity.

Then, too, there would not be

many

churches distinguished by their different opinions conf cerning the truths of aith ; but the church would be
called one, containing
all

those

who

are in the

good of
if

life." Ibid. 6761.

" Schisms and

heresies

would never have arisen

THE

NEW

DISPENSATION.

23

charity had continued to live and rule in the church.

For then they would not have called schism by the name of schism, nor heresy by the name of heresy \ but they would have called them doctrinals agreeable to each
one's particular opinion or

way of

thinking, which they

;

would have
or

left to

his individual conscience

for their opinions,

not judging

condemning any

not deny fundamental

eternal
life,

principles

provided they did

is,

that

the

and the Word

and maintained nothing conthe

Lord,

trary to the

commandments of
goodness of

decalogue." Ibid.
does not condemn

1834.

"He who
leaves
it

is

in

life

another because he differs from him in opinion, but

to his faith

and conscience

and he extends

this

rule even to those

who

are out of the

church [those,
in his heart that

that

is,

in

heathen lands].

For he says
any,
if

ignorance cannot

condemn

and mutual love."

they live in

innocence

Ibid. 4468.

" Within the church there

tions

are
;

some of

all

denomina-

who have
is

a conscience

though their conscience,

however,

more

perfect according as the truths

which

form

it

approach nearer the genuine truths of faith."

Ibid. 2053.

Every one, of whatsoever religion he be, may be saved even the Gentiles who have no truths from the

"

Word
as

if

only he has had regard to the good of

life

an end."

Ibid. 10648.

"Let

this truth

be accepted and confirmed

in the out-

24
set, that

NEW
love to the

VIEW OF HELL.
charity toward the neigh-

Lord and
all

bor are the essentials of

heresies

doctrine and worship, then

;

would be no more

and one church would be

formed out of many, however they might differ in doctrine and ritual. ... In this case, all would be governed as one man by the Lord ; for they would be like
the

members and organs of one body, which, though

still

dissimilar in form and function,

have reference to

heart, on which they all depend both in general and in particular, however various their forms. Then,

one

too, every

one would say of another,

in

whatsoever doc-

trine or external worship he

er

might be, This is my brothsee that he worships the Lord, and that he is a

good man." u Persons

Ibid.

2385.

in a blind or persuasive faith, since they

do

not see truths, are not willing that the doctrines of their

church should be approached and examined rationally

with the understanding ; but they say that these are to be received from a principle of obedience, which is called the obedience of faith ; and it is not known whether
the things received in such blind obedience be true or
false
;

nor can they open the way to heaven, for in heaven

is

nothing but what

seen, that

is,

understood,

is

acknow-

ledged as truth." Apocalypse Explained 1100.

"The dogma
its

that the understanding

is

is

to be kept in
;

subjection to faith,

rejected in the

New Church and

it

in

place this

is

to be received as a

maxim,

that the truth

of the church should be seen in order that

may be

be-

THE
lieved
ally.
;

NEW DISPENSATION.
man be
led

25

and truth cannot be seen otherwise than rationcan any

How

by the Lord and conIs

joined to heaven,

who

shuts his understanding against

it

such things as relate to salvation and eternal life?

not the understanding that
structed?
is

to

be illumined and

in-

And what

is

the understanding closed

by

religion but thick darkness,

rejects the light that

and such darkness,

would illumine ?"

Apocalypse Re-

too, as

vealed 564.

These quotations might be extended indefinitely. But the reader may gather from the few here given, something of the large,
of this
nearly
this

free, tolerant

and

truly catholic spirit

new

Dispensation.

And

if

we

recognize

in

all

the churches of to-day, a steady increase of

spirit,

same

that

is

"old

the old bigotry, narrowness, things'*

are
I

only additional evidence that

intolerance,

denominational hatreds, and high partition walls of the

last

century

passing away, and a

new and more

;

truly Christ-like spirit taking their place

agreeably to

the Divine promise:

said,

"And
all

he that

sat

upon the throne

Behold

make

things new."

If.

THE OLD DOCTRINE OF HELL.

A TORE

than a hundred years ago, Swedenborg anthe

-L^X nounced

end or consummation of the

first

Christian Church or Dispensation, and the

commence-

ment of a new one.

Repeatedly, and in the calmest and most emphatic language, did he declare that the Lord had manifested Himself to him in person ; had opened
his spiritual senses
;

had permitted him

to see

and con-

verse with the denizens of the other world as

men
to

see

and converse with each other

had vouchsafed

him a

clear understanding of the spiritual

the Sacred Scripture

and true meaning of and had authorized and directed

him

to

make a new
all

revelation of heavenly truth for the

instruction of

Christians and for the benefit of

man-

kind.

Up

to this time comparatively few

have openly em-

power has been seen and its influence felt in the gradual and steady modification of the old theological beliefs, which has been going
Yet
its

braced this new revelation.

on

in nearly all of the sects for the last

is

hundred

years.

This

admitted by some of the keenest observers and

26

THE OLD DOCTRINE.

most advanced thinkers in
all

27
Says a
Independ-

the

churches.

learned critic of rare candor in the

ent

New York

(March

18,

1869):

"More
meal.'

than any other form of religious thought, Sweis

denborgianism

a leaven

hid in three measures of

statistics,

To

a careless reader of ecclesiastical

the Swedenborgian Church would seem to be one of the

least

of the great household of

it

faith.

To

a careful stu-

dent of religious thought,

appears to

be among the

most important.
faith
faith.

It
;

has

made very few

it

converts from the

of orthodoxy

but

has materially modified that

... As

little salt

changes the contents of a large

lost in

vessel of water, so

Swedenborgianism, seemingly

the great multitude of churches, has

fied the

more or

less

modi-

form of faith of all."

this

And

very candid writer, and careful observer of

religious

the theological and

times, specifies

tendencies of these

new

some of

the modifications already wrought

in the old theological beliefs

by the teachings of Sweden-

borg.
ity,

After referring to the old doctrines of the Trin-

the Atonement, and the Sacred Scripture, and show-

ing

how

these have been already modified

by the writings
of specifica-

of the Swedish seer, he concludes his

tions thus
:

list

"The

church [meaning
fast

all

the so-called orthodox de-

nominations] holds

to the

solemn

truth,

which no

one has ever taught more vividly than Christ himself, that after death is the judgment, and after judgment heaven

28

NEW VIEW
hell
;

OF HELL.

and

but

it

has accepted, unconsciously, from Swe-

denborg, his teaching that

hell in his
ful

rvery man carries heaven or

to the Past the fear-

own bosom

and remits

pictures of

Edwards and

his cotemporaries, of literal

pitiless

torments and a remorseless and

God."

And

with equal truth and plainness (though with a

little less

candor, perhaps, in not hinting at the real cause)

the distinguished pastor of Plymouth Church (Brooklyn),

said
in

a sermon on "Future Punishment*

'

preached

some months ago: "that -the educated Christian mind

of
all

lands, for the last

*

hundred years [note the period]

has been changing*

in regard to the nature of punish-

ment

in the great Hereafter.

is

"It

certainly true," he continues,

"that theories

have been changing from gross material representations [of hell], more and more in the direction of moral representations.
It is

as

it

used to be

not

very true that this subject

as
it

is

not preached
It

was

in

my

childhood.

has

not been preached so often, nor with the same fiery and
familiar boldness that
it

used to be.

Multitudes of

men

who

give every evidence of being

laborious
in

spiritual, regenerate,

devout,
straitened

and

self-denying, 'find
in

themselves
question,

their

minds

respect to this

and are turning anxiously every whither to see whence There has been a profound relief may come to them. change [within the last hundred years, observe] in the
sentiment of Christendom in regard to those gross representations of future punishment,

which were handed

THE OLD DOCTRINE.

down

29

And he gives, as among the to us from the past." reasons of those gross representations, " the mediaeval
literalization of the Bible figures.'
'

Now, to judge correctly of the need there was of a new revelation a hundred years ago, we should go back to the time when Swedenborg wrote, and see what
were the then
accepted
teachings

upon the various

points of Christian theology.

liefs

Since that time the be-

of Christians have, through the light of the

is

New

Dispensation (which

"as the lightning

on many

that

cometh

out of the east and shineth even unto the west"), be-

come
little

so modified, that,

subjects, they bear but

resemblance to those held previous to that time.

the changes in theological opinion

Very few are aware of

that have taken place in nearly all the churches during

the last hundred years, and that are

still

going on

at

rapid pace

and fewer

still

are aware of the cause of

these changes.

Take, for

illustration, the

doctrine concerning hell, or

the future punishment of the wicked.

At the time Sweden-

borg wrote, the commonly received doctrine in all the churches was according to the literal teaching of the
Bible.
It

was believed and taught

is

for Christian verity

that hell

literally a lake of

fire

and brimstone

place created by the Lord at the beginning for the express purpose of inflicting
as

upon

all

who

die in their sins

much
It

suffering as infinite ingenuity could possibly de-

vise.

was held that sinners,

after death,

were to be

3*

3<>

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

cast alive into this

burning lake by order of the Supreme

as criminals

Judge of the universe,

on earth are

cast into

prison by order of the judges of criminal courts.

that they
scious,

And

were always to remain there, perfectly conindued with the most exquisite sensibility to

pain, forever burning yet never consumed, writhing

and
tor-

groaning

in eternal

agony.

And

as if this

were not

ment enough, the gross imaginations of religious teachers often added other horrors equally revolting. Mr. Buckle,
in his History of Civilization in England, speaking of the

clergy of the seventeenth century

clergy

and their view of hell and its torments, says " In the pictures which they drew, they reproduced and
:

especially the Scotch

heightened the barbarous imagery of a barbarous age.

They delighted
be roasted

in telling their hearers that they

would

in great fires

and hung up by

their tongues.

They were

to be lashed with scorpions,

and see their

companions writhing and howling around them. They were to be thrown into boiling oil and scalding lead.

river of brimstone broader than the earth

was prepared
.

for

them

in that they

were to be immersed.

Such

were the
first.

first

stages of suffering, and they were only the

torture, besides being unceasing,

For the

was

to

become gradually worse.

that

So refined was the

cruelty,

one

sufferer

was succeeded by another; and, lest the should grow callous, he was, after a time, moved
hell

on, that he might undergo fresh agonies in fresh places, provision being

made

that the torment should not pall

THE OLD DOCTRINE,

on the
sense, but should be varied in
its
its

31

character as well

as eternal in
11

duration.

All this was the

work of the God of the Scotch

it

clergy.

It

was not only his work,

was

his joy

and

his pride.

For, according to them, hell was created before

man
and

came

into the world

the Almighty, they did not scruple

to say, having spent his previous leisure in preparing

completing

this place

of torture, so that,

when

the

human

race appeared, it might be ready for their reception. Ample, however, as the arrangements were, they were insufficient ; and hell not being big enough to contain the
countless victims incessantly poured into
latter
it,

had, in these

days, been enlarged.

But in that vast expanse

it

there was

no void, and

for the

whole of

reverberated with
. . .

the shrieks

yells of undying agony.

Both

chil-

dren and fathers made hell echo with their piercing

screams, writhing in convulsive agony at the torments which they suffered, and knowing that other torments more grievous still were reserved for them." (Vol. II.
pp. 294, 295.)

Now
finds

every statement that Mr. Buckle here makes,

in the

ample confirmation

works of distinguished
the previous cen-

theologians of that period and

turies.

some of

Rutherford in his Religious Letters, speaking of

the future punishment of the wicked, says:

"Tongue,
fry in a tor-

lungs and liver, bones and

turing fire" (p.

17);

"a

all,

shall boil

and

river of fire

and brimstone
Boston, in his

broader than the earth." (p. 35.)

And

32

NEW VIEW
Nature
in
its

OF HELL.
this

Human

Fourfold State, treating of

will

same

subject, says:

"They

be universal torments, every

part of the creature being tormented in that flame.

When
way
:

one

is

cast into a fiery furnace, the fire

makes

its

into

the very bowels,

and leaves no member untouched

what

part then can have ease

when

the

damned swim
(p. 458.)

in a lake

of

fire

burning with brimstone ?"

in his
is

And

Rev.

Thomas Halyburton,
says

Great Concern of Salvation,

"
:

Consider,

Who

the contriver of these torments.

There have been some very exquisite torments contrived

by

the wit of

stood their horror

;

men, the naming of which, if ye undernature, were enough to fill your hearts with
all

but

these

fall

as far short of the torments ye

falls

are to endure, as the

wisdom of man

short of that

God." (p. 154, Edinburgh edit., 1722.) Such was the generally accepted doctrine concerning hell in all the Christian churches at the time Swedenof

borg wrote.
turies

Such, too, had been the doctrine for cen-

previous, as
artists.

we

learn from
latter

Christian writers and

to

Christian

These

aimed

embody or

repre-

sent upon canvas the prevalent Christian thought of the Thus Michael Angelo, in period in which they lived.
his picture of the

than words could

Last judgment, tells us more plainly tell, what idea Christians of his day

had of the

punishment of the wicked. Truly did Mr. Beecher say in one of his sermons not long ago
future
:

"If you

will take this picture,

you

will better under-

stand what was the real feeling of the age in which he

THE OLD DOCTRINE.

lived

33

on the subject of reward and punishment, than by Let any reading any amount of theological treatises. one look at that let any one see the enormous gigantic
;

coils of fiends

and men
like

let

any one look

at that defiant

Christ that stands

a superb athlete at the front,

hurling his enemies from

him and

calling his friends

;

toward him as Hercules might have done

let

any one
beasts
at

look upon that hideous wriggling mass that goes plunging

down through

the air

serpents and

men and
;

of every nauseous kind, mixed together

the

let

him look

lower parts of the picture, where with pitchforks

are
fires,

men
ing

by devils being cast into caldrons and into burnwhere hateful fiends are gnawing the skulls of

going on

suffering sinners,
let

and where there

is

hellish cannibalism

man

look at that picture and the scenes

which

it

depicts,

and he sees what were the ideas which

It

men once had

nightmare

of hell and of divine justice.

was a

as hideous as

brood

itself;
I

and

it

was ever begotten by the hellish was an atrocious slander on God.

that
for

...

do not wonder

men have
M
it.

reacted from these

for Oct.

horrors

honor them

{Plymouth Pulpit

29, 1870.)

And

this

bold and eloquent divine further adds in the

:

same discourse " To allow such a stream of human existence to be fed

and renewed
in

every generation, which was pouring

at the rate

over the precipice

of thirty millions a year,

into such torments as the old

method of representation

34

NEW VIEW

OF HELL.
God

presented to us, and at the same time to teach that

was a loving Father

difficult

these

two things have seemed so

to

multitudes

of persons, that they have fled

from the attempt

all belief in

to reconcile

them, and have abandoned

them."
does Mr. Beecher himself reconcile them?

And how

Or how does he understand and interpret the language of the Bible which refers to the future state of the wicked ?

He
"
It

frankly confesses his

own

blindness and confusion

here.

He

don't

know what

to

make of
'

this language.

goes to

my

heart to say these things,'

he says

i.

e.

the things he finds in the Bible.

if I

"Yet
I

it is

there,
it.

and

am

faithful to

my
do

whole duty

must preach

As
and

a surgeon does things that are most uncongenial to himself,

so sometimes
It

with sorrow.
It is plain,

And I do makes me sick."

I.

this with tears

then,

what was the old and universally

re-

ceived doctrine

among

Christians concerning hell at the

time Swedenborg wrote.

Very

few, however, believe this doctrine

now.

The

light that has

been flowing into

all

minds from out the

new

angelic heavens for the last hundred years, has so

its

clearly revealed

hideousness, that you will hardly find

an intelligent Christian of any denomination now-a-days, who does not reject it. Most people have no rational

and clearly defined doctrine

but this latter

to take the place of the old

nobody now

accepts.

The

old doctrine, therefore, being such as

we

find

it

THE OLD DOCTRINE.

so irrational and monstrous and cruel in itself

35

so utterly
to every

repugnant to every true Christian feeling

and

just
is

conception of the character and government of

it

God

unreasonable to suppose that the Divine Being

would some day vouchsafe a further revelation to his children on this subject ? If there ever was a subject on
which the minds of men were
trable darkness,
lation
in utter and impeneand on which, therefore, a further reveis it

was needed,

not the very subject

we

are con-

sidering ?
lation to be

And

at

necessary

the

made, other than that when

what time should we expect the reveit seemed most

time of densest spiritual darkness, when

such preposterous ideas as to the nature of hell and future

punishment as those I have here presented, were generally taught and accepted for revealed truth ?

III.

THE

NEW

VIEW.

AI7E have seen what

* *

the doctrine of hell was, which

was generally taught and accepted by Christians a hundred years ago. It was a doctrine quite in agreeof the

ment with the sensuous appearances of truth in the letter Word ; and in agreement, therefore, with the gross It conceptions of men in a carnal and sensuous state.
taught that hell was,
stone
cast,
;

a place into which the wicked were to be finally

It

literally,

a lake of

fire

and brim-

not out of mercy to them, or from any consideration

of their comfort, improvement, or best welfare, but from

a feeling of Divine wrath and vindictiveness.

the generally accepted belief
that this fiery lake
inflicting

was

when Swedenborg

wrote,

was created

for the express purpose of

upon sinners the most excruciating which Divine ingenuity could invent.
the

tortures

Moreover, according to the doctrine of that period,

Supreme Judge of all the

earth took a fiendish delight

in casting his rebellious offspring into that fiery gulf,

and gazing on their And no inconceaseless and indescribable sufferings

listening to their agonizing shrieks,
!

siderable part of the joys of heaven,

3

it

was also believed

THE

NEW DOCTRINE.

37
to

and taught, would spring from a clear view, given

those there, of the dreadful torments of the

damned,

and from a contemplation of the contrast between the miserable condition of these latter, and their own happy
condition in the realms of bliss
I

Such was the dreadful doctrine taught from most if not all of the pulpits in Christendom a hundred years
ago
!

taught

for the revealed truth of

the professed expounders of the

God Word of God

!

taught by by the
!

acknowledged teachers and guides of the people in matters pertaining to

man's immortal

life

Yet intelligent people gravely ask, What need was there

of any
lived

new or

further revelation at the time

Swedenborg
of

and wrote?

Considering

how

the

Word

God

was then misunderstood and

pounders

falsified

by

its

professed ex-

in

what

fearful

darkness the minds of pro-

fessing Christians were then immersed, not only

this subject but
it

upon

upon

others also pertaining to religion,

if

would, indeed, have been strange

not then been made.
in

new

revelation

had

Nor need we wonder,

concerning
hell,

view of

this horrible

doctrine

which was commonly taught a hundred

in Christian lands

years ago for Bible truth (to say nothing of other doctrines equally revolting), that so

many

should have
tion
;

lost all faith in the

Bible as a Divine revelaretain their faith, should

and that many others who

have come to deny the existence of any hell whatever in

the other world.

Among

the last a nd sure results of

J^O*

OF

THE^J^\

3S

NEW VIEW
all faith.

OF HELL.
doubts, denials, and finally

false teaching, are suspicions,

the total eclipse of

See

how good men

ministers of the gospel even who

to teach in regard to
late

have not accepted the rational and heart-cheering truths of the New Dispensation, are troubled even in this our

day by what they suppose the Bible

the future state of the wicked.

Says the

Rev. Dr.

Barnes, one of the most distinguished of the Presbyterian

ministers of our country:

" That any should

less despair,

suffer for ever, lingering

on

in

hope-

and rolling amidst infinite torments without the possibility of alleviation and without end ; that since

God
ties.

can save

men and
all

posed to save
. . .

these
But
I

will save a part,

He

has not pro-

are real, not imaginary, difficulfor light

;

My

whole soul pants

and

relief

on

these questions.

get neither
spirit, I

and

in the distress
I

and anguish of
light whatever.
sin

my own
I
;

confess that

see

no

see not one ray to disclose to

me why

came

into the world

the dying
eternity.

and the dead

I

why the earth is strewn with and why man must suffer to all
moment's ease
I

have never seen a particle of light thrown

to

on these

subjects, that has given a

my

tortured mind.

...

I confess,

when

look on a world

of sinners and sufferers upon death-beds and grave-

yards

upon the world of woe

;

filled

with hosts to suffer

family,

for ever

when

I see

my

fellow-citizens

when

my

friends,
I

my

my
I

people,
all

look upon a whole race,

involved in this sin

and danger

and

when

see the

THE
great mass of
that
I

NEW

DOCTRINE.

39
I feel

them wholly unconcerned, and when

God only can save them, and yet He does not do so, am struck dumb. It is all dark, dark, dark, to my
and
I

soul,

cannot disguise
other

it."

How many

good men are

who,
if

there

among

the Chris-

tian ministers of to-day,

they would but confess

the honest truth,

would

tell

same darkness and

to

distress that Dr.

you that they are in just the Barnes here confesses

if

not upon the same subjects, then upon some others

no

better understood.

Yet Dr. Barnes himself,

all

I pre-

sume, was so confirmed in

the

terian church, that the light of

heaven as

dogmas of the Presbyit beams out

from the luminous pages, of Swedenborg, would have seemed to him darkness as thick, perhaps, as that in

which he confessed himself

to be

it

could hardly have

seemed more dense.

ness,

Verily,

"

the light shineth in darkit

and the darkness comprehendeth

not."

Certainly, then, a

new

revelation concerning the nature

of

hell,

or concerning the condition of the wicked in

the great Hereafter, was greatly needed

when Sweden-

borg wrote
Let us

and therefore
the

it

was

to

be expected.

now examine
it is

New

doctrine on this subject,

and see whether

for it;

really
it

worthy of the origin claimed

or whether
it

be as irrational as the Old one

to displace.
life,

which

comes professedly
in the

According to the new doctrine of the immortal

the

human
is,

soul

is

same form
It
is

as the material

body

that

the

human

form.

organized of spiritual

4<>

NEW
is

VIEW OF HELL.
body
is

substance, as the natural

It

of material substance.
or child.
loves.
It is It is

the real individual man,

woman

that in us

which thinks, remembers, reasons,

endowed with

the senses of seeing, hearing, feeling, etc.

far

It is

more acute and perfect, too, than the bodily senses. not subject to decay or death, but lives on after the

natural

body

dies.
is

When

that change

which we

call

death (and which

the death of the

body)

takes place,
It

the soul passes consciously into the spiritual world.

was there before death, but aw-consciously while its outlook was into the realm of nature ; just as the body in a
state of sleep
is,

unconsciously, in the natural world

it

and when
abode here.

it

awakes,

becomes

fully conscious of

its

While the soul tabernacles

ordinarily closed; but
tion with the body,
its

in the flesh, its senses are

when

released from all connecall

senses are

opened.

It

awakes

to a consciousness of
It is

its

existence in the spiritual world.

then brought into open and sensible intercourse with

Its

the people and objects of that world.

eyes and ears

being opened,

it

sees

and hears other

spirits as plainly as

we

see

and hear one another.

the

And when
is,

body

dies, the character of every soul

and continues

to be, essentially the

same

as

it

was

before death.

And

every one's character depends on

the nature of his supreme or governing

is,

purpose
If

that

on the character of

his ruling love.

he were wise
in serving

and righteous before death if he took delight

THE

NEW
will

DOCTREXE.
be wise and righteous

41
after,

and blessing others, he

will find
feel a
still

greater delight in serving and blessing, and

more

intense desire to serve and bless.

loved himself supremely

But
life

if

he
to

if his

chief aim in

was

get gain for himself alone, to secure his

fort

own

ease,

com-

and advancement, and promote his own welfare, careless of the welfare and the rights of others, he will be in precisely the same state after death ; he will be
just as indifferent to the wants, the woes, the welfare

and

the rights of others as he was before.

If he

had no

genuine love of the Lord and the neighbor before, he will have none after. If meanness, dishonesty, lust,
tyranny, hatred, contempt of others in comparison with
himself,
fore,

and
will

selfish

greed of gain, were in his heart beof these same unclean and hateful
written

he

be

full

vermin

after.

As

it is

"
:

He

that

is

unjust, will

be unjust still ; and he that is filthy, will be filthy still ; and he that is righteous, will be righteous still ; and he " that is holy, will be holy still.

Heaven
It
is

is

within the soul

so says the

new

doctrine.
state of

essentially

state of life, not a place ;

supreme love to the

in the reception

Lord and the neighbor.

It consists

and exercise of the Lord's own

its

unselfish

love,

which

for ever seeks not

own, but the welfare

and happiness of others. The happiness of heaven results from the exercise of unselfish love. This love is
the angels' breath of
life
;

and the purer and more

is

in-

tense

it is,

the

more exalted

their bliss.

4*

42

NEW
We
see

VIEW OF HELL.

how

well this agrees with the teaching of our

Lord.

For not only does He tell us that the sum of all which the Law and the Prophets teach, is comprehended in the two great commandments which require us to love

the

He

Lord supremely and our neighbor as ourselves, but says also that "the kingdom of God is within you."
the

And

heaven.
there the

kingdom of God Wherever love

Lord reigns
;

is

the

same

as the

pure,

kingdom of

unselfish

love
is

reigns,

there his

kingdom

established

and

his laws obeyed.

And as the kingdom of heaven is within, the New doctrine) is the kingdom of hell.
consists essentially in love to the

so also (says

As heaven

bor, which

is

Lord and the neighthe love of doing good and serving, so

kind of love
is

hell consists essentially in the opposite

in

the love of one's

own

self;

and

this love

real hatred of

the neighbor.
Hell, therefore,
that of heaven.
is

a state of

life

the very opposite to

It is

a state in which the love of self

has absolute dominion in the heart.

fountain of
all

This love

is

the

other evil loves.

It is

the primal source

of

all

infernal deeds.
is

heart, there

no

evil

it reigns supreme in the a man will not do which thing

When

unless restrained

by

force, or

by

fear of loss, suffering or

damage of some

sort.

Hence

the

Lord says: "For out

of the heart proceed evil thoughts, muxders, adulteries,

fornications, thefts, false witness,

blasphemy"

all

the

THE
things which defile a
clean.

NEW

DOCTRINE.

43
spiritually un-

man, or render him

and what

We
to the

see, then,

where

hell

is

it is,

according

New doctrine.

It is in

the soul, and consists essenself

tially in the

supreme love of

infernal deeds.
state

To have

hell in the soul, or to

is

which prompts to all be in a

of supreme self-love,

to be in hell; just as having

heaven within, or loving the Lord supremely and the

neighbor as one's
self, is

to be in heaven.

Now
selfish.

all

men

are by natural inheritance

more or

less

Naturally, therefore,
;

we

are all in the low state

denoted by hell
lutely

for

we

are dominated

more or

less

absoani-

by

the love of

self.

This

is

a low

a merely
life
it is

mal love; and

as our corporeal or animal

unfolds
;

and matures,
that

this love also unfolds

and strengthens
maturity,
this
state.
is

so

when we have

attained to

full

the strongest
state.
It is

the

usually

ruling love.

But

not our true

It is

not the properly

human

not the
It

orderly or blissful state for which

is

we were

created.

not the state in which the Lord desires that

we should

remain, because

He

desires that all should be happy.

lift

Therefore our carnal

He

is

in the constant effort to

state,

us out of

selfish

and

to
this

make
end

us unselfish

and

loving like Himself.

natural humanity.

For
this

He
this

assumed our

For

end
life.

He

has revealed the laws

of our higher or heavenly

For

end

He

has

shown
state

us very clearly the

way
is

to rise out of our natural

into that higher

of self-love, which

hell,

and

44
nobler state
is

W VIEW

OF HELL.
unselfish love,

that state of sweet

which

heaven.

This great change (for

it is,

indeed, a great change), or

this passing out of a low, natural, selfish state of life, into

one that
truly

is

higher,
state, is

richer,

nobler

in

short,

into the

human

spoken of

in the Bible as a

"

resur-

rection to newness of life;" as a "putting off of the

old man, which

lusts,"

is

corrupt according to the deceitful

God
"

is

" born from above M " born of God," without which,

we are "
assured,

passing

and a "putting on of the new man, which after M as created in righteousness and true holiness ; M M " born as from death unto life
;

being

again

no one can enter the kingdom of heaven.

again, he cannot see the king-

Except a

man be born
the

dom of God." Now although

enly one which

Lord

desires that

we should

all

pass

out of our low or hellish state, into that high and heav-

He

has

made

us capable of attaining,
so

although
the

He

has told us
plain

way very
to us

has assumed

how we may do

has made
all its

our nature with

hereditary and selfish proclivities that

He

become

THE WAYyet He
is hell,

uses

might thereby no compulsion.

He

leaves all in freedom to either remain in their low

natural state,

which

or to rise out of
is

it

into that

exalted and unselfish state, which

heaven.

He

has

made known
rise
;

the conditions upon which alone

is

we can

and

He

ever ready to lend us

all

needed help.
is

He

is

continually calling to us and saying, This

the

THE
way ; walk ye
like a
in
it.

NEW
But

DOCTRINE,

45

He

does not take hold of us

No policeman, and force us to walk in that way. forced one can be forced to heaven ; for no one can be
to
its

shun

evils as sins,

nor

to love

what

is

good and true for

freely

own

sake.

To go

to heaven,

we must

comply

with the conditions; and the conditions are, that

voluntarily obey the laws of the heavenly
struggle with
life
;

we

that we
propen-

and overcome our

self,

selfish

and

evil

that we deny sities;

the

take up our cross, and follow

Lord

in the regeneration.
is

Such, briefly,

the
it

New

doctrine concerning hell

it.

where

it

is,

what
it

is,

and how to escape

Is there

anything
there
is

in

absurd and revolting, as we have seen that

in

the

Old?

Is

there anything

here against

which enlightened reason utters its emphatic protest? anything which impugns the wisdom or love of our

Heavenly Father ?
But

how does

this doctrine,

it

will
It

be asked, accord
reasonable

with the teaching of Scripture?

far

may be

it

more reasonable than

This
is

the

Old doctrine.

But

is

also Scriptural?

one
tion.

it is,

toe

which next

the question

and an important

claims and will receive atten-

IV.
THE SCRIPTURE ARGUMENT. SHE OL, HADES, GEHENNA, AND THE LAKE OF FIRE.

HAVE

said that while the

Old doctrine of

hell

is

sensuous, and in agreement with a sensuous philosophy and a sensuous interpretation of Scripture, the New is eminently spiritual, and in harmony with the higher
spiritual

philosophy and with the spiritual interpretation

of the Word.

For the

essential difference
lies in this
:

between the Old and the

represents* hell

New

doctrine,

That the Old

at

as a place, created

by the Lord

the time of man's

creation, previous to his lapse into sin,

and

for the express

purpose of tormenting sinners

it

while the

New
in

declares

to

be a certain internal

state,

wrought out

freedom

through the voluntary infraction of the soul's own laws,

or the laws of our higher
life.

the same J>/ace with yourself

beneath

Your child may

reside in

the shelter of the

objects.

same

roof,

and surrounded by the same beautiful

willful

But by a course of

disobedience or unreasonable

self-indulgence, that child

may have
until
its

destroyed
itself

its

health,

impaired
46

its

senses,

and rendered

miserable and

wretched generally.

And

habits are

changed

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC.

and
its

47
in

health renewed,

it

will find rest

and comfort

no place however beautiful. Both hell and heaven, according

are within men.

to the

New Theology,
life.

They
all
it

are not places but states of

states

But in the other world, these

outwardly, making
perfect mirror, as

project themselves

the surroundings of each spirit a

were, of himself;

reflecting with

mathematical precision his

own

affections

and thoughts.
;

Heaven
as

is

a state the very opposite of hell

as opposite

day

is

to night, light to darkness, health to sickness,

love to hate,
is

good

to evil.

The

the

life

of disinterested love

love

essential life of heaven,

to the
is

Lord and
the
life

the neighbor.
self-love;

The
this

essential life of hell,

is

of

and

real

hatred

of

the

neighbor.
is

Heaven

is

a state in which the understanding

light of truth
;

illuit is

mined by the

hell

is

a state in which

obscured by the darkness of

falsity.

Heaven

is

a state

of spiritual health, order, peace and joy unutterable;

hell
is

a state of spiritual sickness, disorder, unrest and

comparative sorrow.

In the most exalted heavenly

state,

every one loves others even more than he loves himself;

in hell,
in

and

in all hellish states, every

one hates others

is

comparison with himself.

Heaven

a state of hutrust

mility, self-forgetfulness,
in the

and of sweet and serene

Lord

hell

is

a state of pride, self-seeking, and

opposition
to

inward alienation from and

the

Lord.

Heaven

is

a state of the most delightful freedom, in

finds his highest gratification
in

which every one

the

48

NEW VIEW
neighbor; hell
useful act
is
is

OF HELL.

performance of good uses from love to the Lord and

his

a state of spiritual thraldom, in

which no

performed from love of or delight

in the use, but only

by compulsion,

as a slave

works

under the
It

lash.
is

should be said, however, that the love of self

infernal only
it is

evil

and makes man an

and ruling
love.

when
its

it is

the supreme

Then
In
its

out of

place and the soul

is

in disorder.

right place,

which

a state of

subordination and
love of heaven,
it

is

complete subjection to the nobler good and useful. Says Sweden-

borg: " These three loves [the love of heaven, the love of the world, and the love of self] are related to each other
like the three regions of the
is

body, the highest of which

the head, the intermediate the chest

and abdomen,
feet

while the legs and feet and soles of the

third.

form the

When
feet

the love of heaven forms the head, the

love of the world the chest and abdomen, and the love

of self the

with the soles of the

to

feet,

then

man

is

in

a perfect state according

creation, because the two

lower loves then subserve the highest as the body and

all its

parts subserve the head."

{True Christian Religof the world

is

ion, 403.)

But when the love of

self or

is

as the
;

head

is

is

supreme then the

it

true order

reversed

the

man

turned, as
is

were, upside

down;

the love of

heaven

as tre feet,

and he tramples on the laws of

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC.

justice

49

and neighborly love

as often as his ruler (self-

love) dictates.

Such, according to Swedenborg

of heaven and hell.
soul,

is

the essential nature

and consist

in essentially opposite states of life

opposite kinds of love

in

resulting by inevitable sequence,

modes of government, and an

They

are both within the

human

character, conduct,

outward or objective world, as different as are the loves that rule in these two kingdoms respectively.
Surely there
is

nothing unreasonable in

all

this.

But

how does
is

it

agree with the teachings of Scripture?

That
first

the question for present consideration.

is

And

the

thing that claims attention,

Hell.

the

meaning of the word

to the original lan-

To

ascertain this,

we must go

guages of the Bible.

SHEOL AND HADES.

The Hebrew word

Sheol, according to
its

translated

Hell,

is

Sheol.

And

primary

literal

import, means the

thick darkness.

under world, or a vast subterranean place pervaded by Hence this word is sometimes translated
;

the grave, as in Genesis xxxvii. 35

xlii.

38.

The

corre

sponding Greek word

is

Hades.

This has the same

meaning as Sheol, and is always used instead of it in the Greek version of the Old Testament. And as further
evidence of their identity of import,

we

find the passage

from the sixteenth Psalm, "Thou wilt not leave " in hell etc., quoted in the Acts of the apostles
5

my

soul

(ch.ii.).

SO

NEW
in the

VIEW OF HELL.
for

And

Old Testament the Hebrew word

and
in the

Hell

in

this passage is Sheol,

New

it is

Hades, prov-

ing that these words have one and the same meaning.

Such being the plain literal import of the Hebrew Sheol, and its Greek equivalent Hades, some theologians
have contended that our English word hell ought
restricted
to

be

in

its

meaning

to

the

natural

world;

for,

according to the

strictly literal
it

import both of the Greek

and Hebrew word,

dark place

a place
the Bible

means simply the grave, or a low and underground; and has no reference

whatever to the condition of the wicked in the other

world, or to anything beyond the natural realm.

And
surface,

if

is

to

be

literally interpreted
lies

if it

contains no meaning beyond that which

upon the

and which

is

obvious to the merely natural or

sensuous mind, these theologians certainly have the best

of the argument.
ently give?

What answer can

the literalist consistto his

For how, according

world

theory,

is

this

word

hell

made

to refer to the condition of the

?

wicked

in the other
its

Why

should

it

not be restricted in
viz., the

meaning, to that which it literally denotes, grave, or a dark subterranean region ?

Yet there are insuperable
difficulties

which those who

contend for such a limitation of the meaning of this word, have

to encounter.

For, to be consistent in their

hermeneutics, they should limit the meaning of the term

heaven in precisely the same way.

They should

insist

on

restricting the

meaning of

this

word

also to the realm

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC.

of nature
;

51

and should maintain that

it

has no reference

to the condition of the righteous in the other in

its

world

for,

obvious

literal

sense

it

has not.

The word

in the original
is

our English version,

cation of this
earth.
It
is,

Hebrew, translated heaven in shdmayim; and the literal signififrom an

the firmament, or the space above the (so the best linguists tell us)
in

comes

obsolete

root,

shdmd, whose meaning

is,

the cognate

Arabic language

to be high, or lifted up.

And

to this

Arabic radical lexicographers refer the Hebrew term as

denoting an elevated locality
equivalent of this
translated

a high place.
is

The Greek
is

Hebrew word

ouranos, which

also

by our English heaven, and means the same as

that
is,

shdmayim ;

the space above the earth, or the vast

concave that surrounds the earth.

And

according to
radical orao,

most philologists which means to

it

comes from the Greek

see

referring

to the space

above or
light

around the earth, where by means of the sun's

objects are visible.

We

find,

therefore, that the

words heaven and

which occur so often

in the sacred

Volume,

refer

hell,

in

their plain, obvious, literal sense, as gathered

from the
localities
;

Hebrew and Greek terms

one, to a place that
earth,
is

to merely natural
is

high, or to a region above the

involving also the idea or possibility of clear;

seeing

the other, to a place that

low, or to a region

beneath the earth, involving also the idea of darkness,

or great difficulty in seeing.

And

if

the literalists, or

5
those

NEW
who deny

VIEW OF HELL.

that the Scripture everywhere contains a

spiritual sense, would be consistent, they should restrict the meaning of both these words to the natural world

and
all

to things without, not within the soul of

man.

For

good

Biblical scholars

know

that neither heaven nor

hell,

according to the

literal

import of their equivalent

Greek and Hebrew terms, conveys an idea of anything

above the realm of nature.
But there
is

abundant Scripture evidence that these

terms are not to be thus restricted in their meaning.

There

is

evidence that they refer to states and conditions

of two widely different classes of people in the spiritual

world.

Thus

things that
spirit,"

the seer of Patmos tells us of persons and he saw in heaven, when he was " in the

or

when "a door was opened"

to

him

in

heaven.

Surely the myriads of angels

whom

he beheld,

were not seen with his natural eyes, nor

natural space above our earth.

in that region of

No

John's spiritual eyes

were opened, and

this

enabled him to see the beings

and objects of the

spiritual world.
tells

The
there

Apostle Paul

us that, on a certain occasion,

he was "caught up to the third heaven," and heard

things which
natural

language

cannot express.

How
lifted

"caught up"?

Was

the apostle's material

body

through natural space into the upper regions of No one, I presume, believes this. No one supthe air?
poses that his corporeal part underwent any change of
place.

No

doubt there was to the apostle the appearance

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC.

of being suddenly
lifted

53

up; but

this

appearance was

caused by, and was in perfect correspondence with, a

change which took place of the apostle's own mind.

opening of

at that
It

time in the condition

was produced by a sudden

even to the third degree.*

his spiritual senses

No one

ever was or ever can be carried to heaven

the
if

heaven of which the Bible speaks

bodily to the upper

by being elevated no, not even regions of space

;

he were

lifted

higher than the

stars.

Then
rich

in the parable

of Dives and Lazarus,

we

find the

man

represented as alive and in hell after the death

and

burial of his material

sively that the hell of

body; which proves concluwhich the Bible speaks, is not any

which they
find themselves

region of natural space, but the state or condition of the

wicked

and a

state, too, in

after the death of the body.

How,

then, are

we

to arrive at the true Scripture im-

* According to Swedenborg, man is endowed with spiritual senses, which are ordinarily closed during his sojourn in the flesh. Yet
these senses

may be and sometimes

is

are opened during his abode

on

earth

and when opened, he

objects

intromitted into the spiritual world,

that

and sees the

and hears the sounds of

world as plainly as

with his natural senses he sees and hears the objects and sounds
of the natural world.

And

if

the spiritual senses are opened to

the third or inmost degree (for there are three degrees to the

mind
there-

corresponding

to the three angelic

heavens) the individual

This,

is

by intromitted into the third or highest heaven.

tells us, is the

Swedenborg

way

in

which he was admitted

in

into

heaven while on

earth.

And 5*

it

was the way

which Paul was " caught up."

54

NEW
sense,

VIEW OF HELL.

port of the terms heaven and hell?

literal

for in their obvious

localities

one

they are both used

a high

to designate

natural

and
to

illumined, the other a

low and
is

dark place.
true

According
to

what principle or law

their

meaning Swedenborg answers

it.

be elicited?
this question, as
if

no one

else has

ever answered

(Let the reader,

he would appre-

ciate the full force of the answer, bear in

mind

that the

Bible everywhere represents heaven and hell as opposite

kingdoms truth and

misery)

opposite as
falsity,
tells

light

and darkness, love and

hate,

He
all

righteousness and sin, happiness and

us that the written

Word

is

composed
;

throughout upon the principle of correspondence

that,

between

natural

and

spiritual things, there is a cor-

respondence
soul
;

like that existing

between the body and the

and
its

that the Sacred Scripture, therefore, in each

parts, contains

and

all

both a spiritual and a natural

like the spiritual

sense, which stand related

and the

nat-

ural worlds, or like the soul

spiritual sense is as the soul
;

and body of man.

The

the natural sense, as the

body.
spirit,

As

the body's
life

life

is

from the indwelling soul or

so the

of every part of the written

Word

is

from the

spiritual sense.
life
;

The body of man without

is

the

soul, has no

neither

there
its

life in

the letter of the

Word when
It
is

divorced from

inner spiritual meaning.

by

virtue of their spiritual sense that the Lord's

spirit

words are
I

and

life

for

he says

" The words

that

speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life."

And

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC.

the apostle also clearly recognizes the same truth

55

when

he says

" The

letter kiileth;

but the spirit giveth life."

Agreeably
therefore, the

to this doctrine

of the Sacred Scripture,

words heaven and hell have each a natural

sense such as I have already explained,

and a

spiritual

sense with which the natural corresponds.

Natural space

corresponds to spiritual or mental

state.

Hence

all

words of Scripture, which

in their natural sense refer to

space, in their spiritual sense

denote

states

of the mind.

Accordingly there
tion
;

is

natural elevation,

and

spiritual eleva-

elevation in space and elevation in state.

its

And

the

term heaven, which in

natural sense refers to elevation

in space, in

its

spiritual sense

denotes elevation of state

that exalted condition of

mind and
is
is

heart, that state of

clear perception of whatever

beautiful

and

true,

and of
which

disinterested love for all that

good and
and

right, in

the angels are.

So, too, there

is

natural lowness,

spiritual lowness

the former having reference to space, the latter to state.

And

the term hell,

which

in

its

natural sense denotes a

in
its

low place or a region under ground,

denotes a low groveling state of

mind

spiritual sense

that state of

carnal desire and selfish craving and obscure perception

and blunted moral

sensibility, in

which the devils

are.

We

often use the

sense in familiar discourse

words high and low in their spiritual and always when we have ;

occasion to apply them to moral or

human

qualities,

though

in their

primary

literal

signification they

have

5^

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

We employ them to and designate superiority inferiority of character, or of mental and moral attributes. Thus we speak familiarly
reference only to natural space.

of a high order of intellect, of a ^/^-minded man, of

lofty

souls,

superior worth,

exalted

wisdom and

love.

We

say of an individual that he stands high in the comstate, that

munity, high in the church or in the above others, etc.,

he

is

when our meaning

them

is

that he
in

ually or mentally above

integrity,

superior
And
selfish

is spirit-

wisdom,

skill,

and moral worth.

equally often in familin a similar

iar discourse is the

word low used

way.

As
is

when
he

it

is

said of a

mean and

man,

that

he

person of a low mjnd, low desires, low motives, or that

is

a low fellow.

Indeed, the correspondence between

is

the natural and spiritual import of these terms,

so

obvious that
perceives
it

it

has never been lost sight

of.

Every one

from
is

common

influx.

The Lord
heavens.

called the

Most High

in Scripture,

and

is

said to dwell on high, above the earth,

and above the

Surely

it

is

not with any reference to natural

locality that such things are predicated of the

omnipresent

One.
guage
Being.

No

rational
;

mind

thinks of interpreting such lan-

literally

for

no one thinks of localizing the Divine

He

is

in all space

in the depths beneath as

truly as in the heights

above

yet

is

Himself without

space.

But on account of the

lence of his character

attributes of love,

because,

infinite purity

and excel-

in respect to the

human

wisdom and power,

He

is

infinitely

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC.

exalted above

57

men and

angels,

He

is

said to be above all

etc.

the earth, above the heavens, the

Yes

The Scripture has everywhere a deeper meaning

letter.
It

Most High,

than that of the

was given, not to teach us

natural but spiritual truth.

And
now

it

is

by means of the
its

law or rule of correspondence

spiritual

revealed, that

true

meaning

is

to state.

And

the

to be elicited. Space corresponds words high and low, therefore, which

in their natural sense refer to opposite regions of space, in their spiritual sense

denote opposite mental

states

opposite kinds of love.

The Lord

is

spiritually the

Most

High.
ually,

Therefore those

who draw near

in the spirit

to

Him

spirit-

who become

like

Him

and temper of
because
all

their minds, are spiritually exalted.

And

the

angels are images and likenesses of Himself

because

they resemble

Him

in their love,

wisdom and works

to

because their affections, thoughts, motives, purposes are

all

pure, noble

and elevated, therefore they are said

is

dwell on high ; or, what

equivalent, in heaven.
spiritually

And on
position

the other

hand those who are

most

remote from the Lord,

who

are most unlike

Him

in dis-

whose

affections, thoughts, motives

and character, whose aims are altogether selfish, and actions are low

and ignoble, and contrary to the nature of the Divine Love, and who are, therefore, in a state the very opposite
to that of the angels, are said to dwell in a

low place,

beneath the earth ; or what

is

the same, in helL

I have said, moreover, that the

Greek word

translated

58

NEW VIEW
to see ;

OF HELL.

heaven, involves the idea of light, being derived from a

verb which signifies

translated
hell,

and

that the original

word
being

involves the idea of darkness,

composed of two words, which together mean impossible to see, or where one cannot see. Here, again, let that
magic Key, the law of Correspondence, be applied
observe the
result.
all
;

and

Light and darkness, like

fold signification

an

other objects, have a two-

outer and an inner, or a natural

and a

spiritual

meaning.

Light in

its

natural sense,

is

the light of the natural world,

which

affects
is

our natural

organs of vision.

But

spiritual

light

of a different

nature, though in perfect correspondence with the natural.

It is

the light of the spiritual world

it is

and although

in its

essence

divine truth,

it

appears before the eyes of

the angels as light.

They see by means of it.

is

This light
spiritual

proceeds from the Lord who

the

Sun of the

world

a Sun
brilliant

that appears to the angels immeasurably

more
is

than the sun of our world appears to

us.

It

the light of this spiritual

of both angels and men.

lighteth every

Sun which illumines the minds This is " the true light which
the absence of natural light,

man

that

cometh into the world."

is

And

as natural darkness
is

so spiritual darkness

the absence of spiritual light.

;

But there are two causes of natural darkness

absence of light, and the other
the organs of vision.
these causes
is

one

is

the

is

a diseased state of
the
first

The darkness from

of
the

seldom of long duration;

and

if

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC.

59

organs of vision are preserved in a healthy condition,

we

shall

be able to see when the light comes.

is,

But the

darkness produced by the second cause

plorable.

indeed, deit is

However

brightly the light

may

shine,

(if

the eye-sight be gone) as if the sun were blotted out.

The

brightness of

noon-day

is

as

midnight darkness

to us.

So, likewise, there are two corresponding causes of

spiritual

darkness.

One

is,

the

absence of

truth,

or

spiritual light.

But this kind of darkness

may

soon be

dispersed.
in spiritual

For a person may be ignorant, and therefore darkness ; yet he may preserve his mind in

such an honest and healthy condition, that he will be

able to understand

and receive the truth so soon

But there
is

as

it is

presented to him.

another and far more

It is that

deplorable kind of spiritual darkness.

results

which

from disobedience to the known laws of the

life.

heavenly

It is the

darkness into which those

evil loves,

fall,

who, under the influence of selfish and

confirm

themselves in various false ideas contrary to the revealed

Word

of the Lord.

Fot everywhere and always

is

it

true, that

"he who doeth

evil hateth the light, neither

cometh

to the light lest his

deeds should be reproved.*

'

Persons who, under the prompting influence of infernal

loves, disregard
life,

and trample on the laws of

their inner

to hate the light of truth,

and so obscure their moral perceptions, come at last and shun it as owls and bats
Their understanding becomes

shun the light of day.

60
diseased
;

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
And howit. To
"
:

their mental eye, adjusted to error.

ever bright the truth

may
'

shine, they do not see

them
and

it

appears as

falsity.

They
more

"

put darkness for light

If

light for darkness.'

Therefore the Lord says

thine eye be single [or

correctly, sound, healthy]

;

thy whole body shall be

evil
full
[i. e.,

full

of light

but

if

thine eye be
shall

#;/-sound, diseased], thy

If,

whole body
darkness

be

of darkness.

therefore, the light that

is

is

in thee
vi.

be darkness, how great

22, 23.

that

M Matt.

Agreeably to

this,

Swedenborg often

tells

us that the

denizens of heaven dwell in light inconceivably more

brilliant

than the light of this world

hell live in great darkness

while those in

for their understandings are

falsities

darkened by innumerable
lusts.

originating in evil
this great truth

Milton had a perception of

:

when

he sang
"

He

that hath light within his

sit

own

clear breast,

May

in the centre

But he that

and enjoy bright day ; hides a dark soul and foul thoughts,

Benighted walks under the mid-day sun,

Himself

is

his

own dungeon."
all

There

is

a great darkness within

evil spirits,

and

this

produces the darkness without; for in the other world everything without is but the reflection, under the great law of correspondence, of the
within.
state or

quality of

life

But

evil spirits

do not appear

to themselves to

SIIEOL,

HADES, GEHENNA, ETC.

6l

be in such darkness as they really are.

Neither do evil
falsities

men, whose understandings are darkened by

originating in evil loves.

They even

imagine* themselves

in clearer light than others.

And

so

do the

devils think
is

they see far better than the angels.

light of fatuity

the

But their light

the

dim

(yet mercifully

light

of perverted natures

which,
is

accommodated) compared with the

from ignited

light that shines in heaven,

as the light

coals compared with the splendor of the noon-day sun.

From what
Saviour

has been said, and from the correspond-

ence of light and darkness, we

the

may

see

why

the Divine

the Truth

embodiment and " the calls himself

living manifestation of

light of the

world M

and
the

why He
receive

says to those

who had

not previously

known

truth, but had nevertheless kept themselves in a state to

it,

"They
it is

that

sit

in darkness

and

in the

shadow

of death, upon them hath the light shined."

see also

We may
in

why

said that

" God

is light,

and

Him

is

no darkness
walk

at

all"; and of the wicked,

that

"they

in darkness,"

and

will
is

finally

be "cast into the

outer darkness where there

weeping and gnashing of

teeth."
All

who do
"

not, while here

loves,

on

earth, resist

and over-

come

their evil

find

themselves in that "outer

;

darkness

when they

enter the other world

for

through

the indulgence of their evil lusts they shut out the light

of

God and
are,

the things of his

wisdom from

their minds.

They

therefore,

excluded from the kingdom of

62

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

heaven, having no heaven, and no love for the things

which constitute heaven,

in

their

hearts.

Whatever
and turn

truths they have ever known, they

now

reject

away from, because such truths condemn their evil loves. And so they immerse themselves altogether in falsities,

Hence agreement with their evils. there are endless strifes and bickerings among them ; for
for

these

are

in

each one fights for his

own

falsity,

and

calls

it

truth.

And who

the jarring discord

and angry disputes among those

are in falsities,

joined also with mutual hatred,

derision and contempt, are what the gnashing of teeth

corresponds

to,

and what

it,

therefore, spiritually denotes.

GEHENNA AND THE LAKE OF

FIRE.

But the Bible speaks of a fire fh the great Hereafter

of the
fire

in

of hell, the everlasting

fire

fire,

a furnace of
etc.

fire,

a lake burning with

this hell-fire, or lake

and brimstone,
fire,
it

And

of

is

said that the wicked

is

will

have their

part.

represented as saying,

And the rich man in the parable M " I am tormented in this fiame ;

and
I

this, after

he had died and was buried.

intelligent Christians

presume few

now-a-days think
strict

of interpreting such language according to the

sense of the letter

as

it

was interpreted a hundred years

ago.

They will tell you that this language is figurative, though none of them may be able to tell precisely what was meant to be conveyed by it. But Swedenborg, in
his great doctrine of Correspondence, has furnished the

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC,

true

63

key

to its

meaning.

He

has given us the spiritual _

fire,

meaning what it is

of hell-fire, or the
in the

Gehenna of

and

told us

human

soul that fire corresponds to.

is

But as the
itual,
it

literal

sense

the foundation of the spir-

is

necessary always to give careful attention to

this first.

In the original Greek, Gehenna

hell,

is

the

word
fire, is

translated

where the

fire
is

of

hell, or the hell of

spoken

of.

And Gehenna
Greek, with but
of two other
valley,

Hebrew

word transplanted into the

its

little

variation in

form.

It is

composed

Hebrew words, Gat or Ge, which means a and Hinnom, the name of a man. The literal
is,

meaning, therefore, of Gehenna

This valley was south-east
of,

the valley of
to,

Hinnom.

and near
it.

Jerusalem.
at

The brook Kedron

ran through

Here the Jews

one time practiced the most impious idolatry. They had an image dedicated to Moloch, to which they offered
in sacrifice not only bulls, lambs, rams, etc., but even
their

own

children,

who were

placed in the arms of the

fire

image previously heated by a

quickly destroyed.

within,

and thus were

On

this

account the place subse-

quently came to be regarded with such abhorrence, that

it

was made the

common

receptacle of

all

the

filth

and
as

rubbish of the city.

well
as

The dead bodies of animals

of the most notorious

criminals, were there

thrown into one

common

heap.

And

fire

was kept

continually burning to prevent the atmosphere from be-

coming

pestilential

the

worms, meanwhile, reveling

in

64

NEW
fire failed to

VIEW OF HELL.

a luxurious repast upon the remains of the rubbish which

the

consume.

Here we have the primary, literal signification of the Gehenna of fire, which our translators have rendered hellfire.
It

means the

fire

that

burned

in that

loathsome
dis-

valley of Hinnom.

And

as the last

punishment and

grace of condemned criminals was, to cast their dead

bodies into that valley or that
fire,

the place

came

to

be

used as an appropriate symbol of the condition of those

in the other world,

who had

violated,

and persisted

in

violating, the laws of eternal love and justice revealed

in the Divine

Word.
the precise spiritual

But what
fire, or

is

meaning of

this

hell-

Gehenna of fire,

as elicited

grand Key

the

rule

of

Correspondence?

by Swedenborg's And we

must never forget that the spiritual meaning of Scripture, if we can ascertain what that really is, is its true meaning.

For the Lord has himself declared that

spirit

his

words

"are

and

life."
is

What, then,

the

spiritual

correspondent of fire?

Swedenborg answers, Love ual fire or heat.

"Love."
is life;

Love, he says,

is spirit-

and every man, therefore,

life.

has some kind of love, because he has

To
the

wholly

deprive him of
spark

love,

would be
him.

to extinguish the vital

yes,

to

annihilate

Love

is

motive

power As heat
tion,

in whatever a
is

man

thinks, wills, says or does.

all activity,

the proximate cause of

germina-

expansion and growth in the natural world, so love

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC.

is

65

the cause of

all

activity, germination,
spiritual realm.

expansion and
all

growth in the moral or

love, a

Deprived of
all

unproductive and dead.

man would be

like the earth

deprived of

heat

While the more passionately he loves any object or being it may be a woman, it

may be wealth, it may be literary or scientific fame, it may be civil or military glory the more alive and active he is. See how the lower kinds of love the

purely selfish and

incite

worldly the
toil

love of gold or glory,

!

and nights of watchfulness And the higher and nobler kinds loves purer and more
to

men

days of

angelic

are

the springs of action in

in all

all

men's higher

and nobler achievements,

deeds done to improve

and

bless

hearts,

mankind. Take away all love from human and what would men do then ? And the less pas-

sionately one loves, the

more

action

the

sluggish he

is

in thought

and
is

less is

he

alive.

So obvious

is it

that love

the quickener
fire

and enlivener of the human

life.

soul, the very

of every man's

And

the character of each one,

life, is

therefore, or the quality of his

according to the

nature of this

fire.

The correspondence between

or natural and spiritual heat,

natural

and

spiritual fire,

is

placed beyond a doubt

when we

reflect

upon the

fact that the

is

body grows warm

devil;

in proportion as
sified in

any kind of love

enkindled or inten-

the soul.

The
feel

love
are

may be impure and

full

ish,

such as those

who

of anger or revenge

still it

produces bodily heat; the face reddens and the

6*

66
circulation
is

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
Again, the body grows cold
All of which
fire

quickened.

as love departs, or as its activity ceases.

proves that there

exists,

between natural heat or

and

spiritual heat or love, a relation like that between cause

and

effect.

And

this

kind of relation

is

what Sweden-

borg means by Correspondence. It is for the same reason, also, that the bodies of

chil-

dren and young persons are usually warmer than those

of the aged.
their love
is

They have more love in their hearts, or more active and this quickens the circula;

tion of their blood.

For a similar reason, again, we call persons whose hearts are full of love and sympathy, warm-hearted ; and those who seem to have no love for

anybody, cold-hearted.
Christians pray that the

Then how

often

do we hear
in their hearts

Lord would kindle

a heavenly

fire

And

sometimes they pray that

his love.

He

would warm them with

For the same reason

if his
is

we hear

it

said of an angry

man, especially

anger

breaks forth in deeds of violence, that he

inflamed,

burns with anger,

is

all on fire, etc.

And

does not the

internal fire at such times manifest itself in the counte-

nance as well as

in the gestures

and tones of the voice

says:

Furthermore, the wise

man

"A
"a

hot

mind

is

burning

fire."

And
fire"
;

the inspired Psalmist calls the

Lord
M

"a consuming

and says that

his

fire

goeth before

Him, and burneth up

Does any one believe
suming
fire? or that

enemies round about Him.

that the
literally

Lord

is

literally

a con-

He

burns up his enemies?

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC,

6j
is

No

This language, like

all

of the inspired Word,

It

the language of correspondence.

contains a spiritual
true

meaning.

And

in this,

which

is its

meaning,

it

ex-

presses the intensity of the Divine Love,

and

its

effect

upon the wicked.

to the Lord,

Those who are

in

in states of opposition
its

change his love

themselves into

oppo-

site; just as the deadly night-shade changes the sweet

dews and sunshine

his love as
it is,

into poison.

because of their
fiery,

They cannot receive own state. They feel it

To them
it is

as

something wrathful,
fire
it.
;

burning.
its

as a

consuming
for
it is all

for they

change
all

nature at the
is

moment
;

of receiving

In

its

origin
is

love

pure and good

from

Him who

Love

itself.

But

its

quality

or nature

is

changed

in the recipient subjects.

{See Swe-

denb org's Heaven and Hell> n. 569.)

Now

there are in general two very different and even

opposite kinds of love.

the neighbor,

There

is

a love of the Lord and

is

which

is

good

and there
it

a love of self

and the world, which, when

heart,
is

reigns supreme in the

evil,

and prompts

to all kinds of wickedness.

And one
man,
life.

or the other of these loves bears rule in every

spirit,

or angel, and constitutes the very

fire

of his

Good men and angelic spirits and wicked men and evil spirits live
There
is,

live in the former,

in the latter kind

of love.
love
;

therefore, a heavenly and a hellish

or,
is

speaking in the language of correspondence,

fire

there

a heavenly

and a

hell fire

the term fire delife.

noting the love or delight which constitutes the

68

NEW
and the world
;

VIEW OF HELL.

"Infernal fire," says Swedenborg, "is the love of

self

therefore
;

it is

is

every
its

lust

which

springs from these loves

since a
it

for lust

love in

continuity,
;

man

continually lusts after what he loves

for

and
lusts

is

likewise delight,

what a man loves or

it
;

after,
is

he perceives as delightful when he obtains

nor

heart-felt delight

communicated

to

him from any

other

source.

"

Infernal

fire,

therefore,
self

is

the lust

spring from the love of

fountain.

and the world

and delight which as from their

two loves, are

The

evils originating in these

contempt of others, enmity and hostility against those

who do
as a

not favor them, envy, hatred and revenge, and

consequence of these, savageness and cruelty.

And
and

in regard to the Divine, they consist in the denial,

hence in the contempt, mocking, and reviling of the holy things belonging to the church ; and after death, when

man becomes

spirit, these evils are

turned into anger

.

and hatred against those holy

things signified

things.

These are the

the wicked
n. 570.

by

fire in the

and the

hells are treated of."

Heaven and Hell,

Word, where

The supreme

love of

self,

therefore, according to the

New

Theology, together with

malignant feelings
nal delight felt
is

all the unholy passions and which proceed from it, and the inferin the indulgence of filthy lusts, is what

meant by

hell-fire in the true spiritual sense.

;

This

is

what the Gehenna of fire corresponds to for the delight arising from the gratification of mean, base, and purely

SHEOL, HADES, GEHENNA, ETC.

selfish desires, is

69

a flame supported by that heap of spirit-

ual

filth

and rubbish, which renders the heart of man

unclean.

From what
"lake of
fire

has

now been
"the

said, the
'

meaning of

that

burning with brimstone*

fearful,

spoken of in the

Revelation, in which

and unbelieving, and

abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers,

is

and

idolaters,

and

all

liars" shall have their part,

sufficiently obvious.
lusts

Brimstone corresponds to the

These, through un-

filthy

of the natural man.

bridled indulgence, feed and support the flame of infernal love, as brimstone feeds

and supports the flame of

brimstone.
in evil concupis-

natural

fire.

Such

lusts are spiritual

Those, therefore,

who

are

immersed
self,

cences originating in the love of

are in precisely

the state which corresponds to being in a

etii

"

lake that burnis

with

fire

and brimstone.'

'

Such a lake

a perfect

symbol, framed under the law of correspondence, of the

spiritual condition of the wicked.

Hence

it is

said that,
this

in the great Hereafter, they will

lake.

have their part in

They

are in

it

now and

here, but not so entirely

as they will

be then and there.

is

But a smoke

said to issue from that lake.

"The
ever.
'

smoke of

their torment ascendeth

this

up

for ever

and

What does

mean ?
bri?nstone are not to

If the fire

and the
is

be

literally in-

terpreted, neither

the smoke.

If the former are

sym-

70

NEW
And
so,
it

VIEW OF HELL.

bols of something spiritual, the latter should be so likewise.

indeed,
is

it

is.

We know

the tendency of

all

infernal passions

and propensities originating

perceptions of what
the
the

in the love

the understanding in spiritual things;

is

of self, to darken
to obscure our

just
is,

more
still

unselfish a

man

and true and good. While the more reverently he heeds

small voice within him, the

more

earnestly he

strives to

do the will of the Heavenly Father, the clearer

his

becomes

moral vision, the keener his perception of

the true and right

upon questions involving the higher and more permanent interests of humanity. Hence we "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be read
:

full

of light

but

if

thine eye be evil, thy whole

body

shall
will,

be

full

of darkness.

"

"If any man

cometh
to

will do his
it

he

shall

know

of the doctrine whether

be from

God."

"He

that doeth truth,

the light."

Which

texts conspire to

prove that purity of purpose and

the faithful doing of the truth, are indispensable to clear-

ness of mental vision

terest.
is

upon

subjects of profoundest inself is

But where the love of

for

supreme, and there

no regard
darkened

God

or duty, and no respect for the

great laws of love and justice, there the understanding

is
;

there the moral perceptions are obscured,

and right are not seen. As saith the inspired penman: "The sun and the air are darkened by the smoke of the abyss." and the
true

From

this

we may

see

what

is

meant

in the spiritual

SHEOLy HADES, GEHENNA, ETC,

sense

71
that

by "the smoke of the

pit,"

and the smoke

"ascendeth up for ever and ever." It is that darkened understanding, that mental obscurity which results from
the
fire

of a supremely selfish love, which

in the other

is

the

fire

of

hell.

And

world where

all

outward appear-

ances correspond to internal states, a cloud of smoke

actually appears round about infernal societies

when

they

are seen in heavenly light.

announced by Swedenborg concerning the nature of hell, however it differs from the literal teaching of the Bible, is in perfect agreesee that the doctrine

Thus we

ment with the teaching of

its spiritual

sense.

No

candid

mind can deny

scope of
its

that

it

is,

indeed, the very doctrine of

the Bible on this subject, and in

teaching as well as with

the nature of

harmony with the whole all we know of the

man.
tendency.

wisdom of God and

Then look

at

its

obvious,

practical

By

showing hell to be a state instead of a place, it teaches every one to look within himself, at his own heart ; to examine carefully
his

dominant

love, his ends

It

and aims

in

life, his ruling principles of action.

teaches us, more-

over,

what that
hell,
;

state

is

and

that those,

and those only,

go to

who

carry in their bosoms the loves that rule

that those only escape
loves.
It
it,

in hell
resist

and therefore

who

and overcome these

shows us that only

those shun hell,

who shun

as sins against

God

the indul-

gence of the dispositions and

lovesoj^eiywho

IHJ5 W <M
%

shun,

y^y^ OF

fS

72

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
wicked
all

from

religious principle, all

arts

and devices,

all

base and dishonest actions,

falsehood, fraud, deceit,

revenge and hate,

to separate us

all

dispositions

and actions

that tend

from

God and
It

heaven and bring us into

if

fellowship with devils.

not, here
will,

teaches further, that

we do

on earth, strive to do the Heavenly Father's and so vanquish within us the loves of hell, we
carry those loves with us into the other world,

shall

where they will burst forth with quenchless rage. Thus the practical tendency of this doctrine is good, and only good. It tends to make men less regardful of
self,

and more regardful of God and duty; more honest and sincere in their conduct, more kind and
generous in their feelings, more correct in their principles,

more exalted

in their aims,

more pure

in heart

and

life.

HELL THE CHOSEN HOME OF ALL WHO GO

THERE.
*
I

^HAT

the reasonableness

and

truth of the

New

doc-

trine of hell

may

be more apparent, and the sharp

contrast between
as well as its

and the Old be more clearly seen consistency with the perfect wisdom and
it

love of God, something

essential

more must be

said about that

element of our humanity

freedom.
is

We
literal

have seen that the Old doctrine

based upon the

its

teaching of Scripture wholly divorced from

;

living spirit

and that

it is

in

harmony with the sensuous

conceptions and sensuous philosophy of a by-gone

while the

Age ;

New

is

eminently

spiritual,

in strict accord

with the

spirit

of the Word, and with the highest spiritual

conceptions of the most enlightened minds of this

New
into

Age.
it

The Old makes

hell a place,

and the casting

a purely arbitrary and willful act of Omnipotence;

the New declares it to be a certain state of life which each individual forms or develops for himself through

the voluntary abuse of his

own freedom and

rationality.

Every one,
r

therefore,

who

goes to hell, goes there as

73

74

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

freely as the tippler goes to the gin-shop, or the profli-

gate to the brothel.

Here

is

one born, we

will suppose,

and living in a
is little
is

miserable, barren, dreary region, where there

delight the eye or regale the senses.

to

Yonder

a rich

and

fertile

country, charming to look upon, abounding

flowers, singing birds

in fruits

and

and running brooks,

gardens,

splendid

habitations

and

magnificent

with

everything therein that can charm or gratify the senses.

across
region.

But the way to that beautiful country

is

over a rough road

deep ravines and miry places

But there

and

sometimes

through turbulent waters

clivities.
is

and up steep and slippery acno other road to that delightful

take up his abode there, must

Whoever would
all

encounter

the difficulties of the way.

He

must climb

the precipices, and

wade

the bogs, and wallow through

the miry places, and ford the swiftly running streams.

And
all this.

the dweller in the desert,

we

will suppose,
:

knows

Now

in the dreary region

he may have his choice where he was born,

he may remain
or, if

he

is

will-

ing to
to

endure the hardships of the journey, he

may go

yonder region so rich and fair, and snuff its balmy breezes for the remainder of his life, and gaze upon its
beautiful scenery,
its

and inhale

its

sweet perfumes and taste

is

delicious

fruits.

The

choice
stay

offered

him
is,

and he

is

free to choose.

He may

where he
But
if

or go to the

land of beauty and promise.

he goes, he must

endure

all

the fatigues

and hardships of the journey.

THE CHOSEN HOME,

He
must accept the conditions,
else

ETC,

75

he can never reach

there.
sion.

The

proprietor of the country uses no compulit

He
to it;

simply says: There

lies;

and

this

is

the

way

and there

is

no other.

Go

or stay, as you

But remember, the going involves labor and If you are willing to endure these, that beauhardship.
please.
tiful

country, or as

much

of

it

as

you desire,

shall

be

yours forever.

Let this desert region represent man's natural

state,
is

and the beautiful country yonder, the

state

which he

made capable of
tration
is

attaining through spiritual labor

and
illus-

conflict with the foes of his

own household, and

we come

the

complete.

By

rising out of or migrating from

hell,

that state of life

denoted by

into the state

denoted by heaven. It is not by any change of place, nor through any exercise of immediate Divine mercy
that this
It is
is

effected.

It

is

a purely spiritual migration.

a passing out of a low or exterior spiritual condition,

into a higher or

more

interior one.
is

And though
tion, or a

this

change of state

as

much

a matter of

the individual's

own

volition as an act of natural migralocality,

change of natural

and cannot, indeed,

take place without the exercise of his

yet
it

own

free choice,

has

its

laws or conditions

and without the observ-

ance of these the change cannot be effected. And no one can be forced to comply with the conditions. He is
left

to his

own

free choice.

He may

remain in Egypt,

and delve there under the

lash of his old task-masters,

76

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
flesh-pots
;

and get what comfort he can from the

or he

may (if

he choose) leave that country, and go to the land

of promise and depths

"a

land of brooks of water, of fountains

out of valleys and hills; a land

that spring

of wheat and barley and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of oil

olive

and honey.

1 '

But if he choose the

latter course,

he voluntarily places

himself under the Lord's government and guidance, and

may

expect at times the chastening hand

of paternal
shalt also

love to keep

him

in the right way.

"Thou

consider in thine heart, that, as a

so the
all

man

chasteneth his son,

the

Lord thy God chasteneth thee." He must endure He must go perils and hardships of the journey.
wherein
are

"

through that terrible wilderness,

serpents and scorpions and drought

where there

fiery
is

no

water."

But multitudes choose to remain and do remain in

Egypt.

They

are not willing to accept the conditions

rise out

on which alone they can

heavenly state of
self,
life.

of their natural into a

They

are not willing to

deny

take up the cross, and follow the

Lord

in the regen-

eration.

They

are not willing to

deny themselves the

indulgence of their selfish and inordinately greedy propensities.

They have no

desire

and make no

effort to

overcome these propensities, or to bring them into due subjection to higher and nobler loves. They prefer
to follow the bent of their inclinations,

and

to

do

as

THE CHOSEN HOME, ETC.

their pride

ft
lust

and love of

self

and greed of gain and

of power prompt.

Multitudes of this class pass from the natural into the

spiritual

world every year.

selfishness
;

Some
in

of them ultimate their

befit-

supreme

ting devils
tery,

here,

words and deeds

in falsehood, fraud, theft,

blasphemy, adul-

murder and other abominations.

But some of them

are, outwardly, quite respectable people.

are

members of churches

professedly very
selfish

Some

of them
;

religious

and

at times,

when they have some

end

to serve, they

are (on the outside, at least) kind and benevolent.

But

inwardly, at heart, they are

class

supremely

selfish.

It is this

(and they are to be found among Christians today, as certainly as they were among the Jews eighteen

hundred years ago)

says:

whom

our Lord addresses when

He
of

"For

ye are like unto whited sepulchres,

which
full

indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within

dead men's bones and of

also,

all

uncleanness.

Even

so ye

outwardly, appear righteous unto men, but within ye

full

are

of hypocrisy and iniquity."

Every one's
his

real

character depends on the quality of

nature, that
is
is,

heart on

the

of his ruling love.

self,

All

whose ruling love

the love of

are devils at heart, though they

may

be saints to outward appearance.

Now
in

the

Lord does not

in this

any wayeither

desire to punish these people world or in the world to come.

suffer,

He

does not desire that they should

to suffer, except for their

nor permit

them

own

ultimate good.

He

7*

78

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
and perpet-

forever desires to improve their condition,

ually works toward
this end.

But

He

cannot overcome

their inordinate self-love without their willing co-operation.

Before

He

can do

this,
it

they must recognize this

love as essential evil

when
to

is

allowed the mastery, and

its

must compel themselves

deny

cravings and to obey

far is the

the laws of neighborly love.

So

Lord from

hating these people, or from any desire that they should

suffer

one atom beyond what

He knows
He

will

be for their

own good, He
pursued them

pursues them with his infinitely wise and

pitying love, in the other world as

in this.

had previously

On

their

first

entrance into the spiritual world, they

find themselves attended

and cared

for

angels.
for

And

the angels remain with

office

by wise and loving them and perform

them every kind

in their power, so long as

their

company

is

agreeable, or so long as the new-comers

are willing that they should remain.

terior selfishness

But soon their

in-

becomes

active.

Their internals come

forth into their externals.

Their devilish dispositions

and

feelings manifest themselves in corresponding looks,

actions.

words and

Their interior and real character

it

throws off whatever mask

earth, and reveals

had previously worn on

itself as it really is.

The

previously

hidden or concealed quality of their hearts comes out Agreeably to there, and is openly and fully revealed.
these words of the

Lord

" For there

is

nothing covered

that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be

THE CHOSEN HOME, ETC.

known."
ment with
tones,

79

Their externals are brought into perfect agreetheir internals;

and they show by

their looks,

words and actions, just what they are. They no longer have a divided mind ; but they appear outwardly The avenues in their souls just what they are inwardly.
through which they had previously held some
cation

communi

with

heaven,

or retained
closed

heavenly things, are

to them.
Is
all
it

all

closed

some perception of
in tender

mercy

not infinitely better for a wolf, that he be wolf

Suppose the wolf possessed a kind of human internal, which enabled

through, from inmosts to outmosts?

him
ture,

to see the dreadful ferocity

and cruelty of

his na-

self-reproach every time he invaded the sheep-fold. Suppose he were human inside, but wolf outside ; yet the wolfish propensities were
filled

and

him with keenest

so strong and overmastering that they could not be held

in check.

Can we not

see

what unutterable misery

?

that

poor creature would endure

It is

from tenderest mercy to the

selfish

and inwardly

evil, therefore, that, in the great

Hereafter the heavens

of their minds are closed;

their perception of right

that their moral sense, or

is

and wrong,

completely be-

numbed

or lost

and that

their externals are reduced to

a state of perfect agreement with their internals.

this takes place,

When

they no longer desire to remain in com-

pany with the angels.

The

angelic sphere becomes ex-

tremely disagreeable to them

painfully

so; and they

80
withdraw from

NEW VIEW
it

OF HELL,
and bats with-

as instinctively as owls
light

draw from
tate
is

the

of day.

And
in

then they gravi-

each one to the society of

like

spirits

whose character
in the
in

nearest

his

own.

For

the hells as

heavens there are innumerable

societies,
;

some

one

kind of

evil

and some

in another

and some more des-

perately wicked than others

for there are various kinds

and degrees of wickedness

are in this.
is

in the other world, as there

And

the great law of spiritual affinity,

in the spiritual

which

as universal

and constant
is

world as the

law of gravitation

in this, tends to bring those of like

character together, and to hold them together.

Every
racter
is

evil spirit, therefore,

fully

soon as his interior cha-

developed, gravitates with unfailing cer-

Nor tainty toward those who are most like himself. does he go reluctantly among his like ; he goes there
willingly, gladly, joyfully, as thieves

and

profligates

on

earth go

among

those of like character.

He
it

seeks their

society in perfect freedom, because he finds

congenial

because he prefers

it

to the society of the

and he

prefers
feels

it,

because they are like

at

good and wise ; With himself.

them he

more

home, more
else
;

more happy than any where

ceaseless desire
possible.

and

free,

more contented,
it

is

the Lord's
as

and

effort to

make every one

happy

as

He

does not force a single individual to go

to

where he does not wish

those

go in the Hereafter.
societies of hell,

And

who go

into

any of the

go

in free-

dom and

from choice*

They

go there because they find

THE CHOSEN HOME, ETC.

such society more congenial than that of the angels.

Si
If

forced

to live in heaven, or in the society of the wise

and good, they would be out of their proper element ; It would be nay, they would be unspeakably miserable.
far

more

cruel than

it

would be

to

compel persons whose

eyes are diseased, to dwell in the bright blaze of the

noon-day sun. Accordingly Swedenborg says " Spirits who come from the world into the other
:

life,

desire nothing

more than

to

be admitted into heaven.

Almost

all

seek to gain admittance, imagining that heaven

consists only in being introduced

fore also, because they desire
it,

and received.

There-

they are conveyed to

;

some

society of the lowest heaven

but

when they who

are in the love of self and the world approach the thresh-

old of that heaven, they begin to be so distressed and

tormented interiorly, that they

rather

feel

hell

in

themselves

than

heaven.
;

Therefore they cast themselves

find rest until they

down headlong thence nor do they come into hell among their like.
"
to
It

has often happened also that such spirits desired

is
;

know what heavenly joy

in the interiors
it

and when they heard that

Therefore

it is

of the angels, they have wished to

this

have
also

communicated to themselves.

was granted, for whatever a spirit desires, who is not yet in heaven or in hell, is granted him if it be beneficial.

But when the communication was made, they

to

be tortured to such a degree that they knew not began into what posture to screw their bodies on account of the F

82
pain.
I

NEW VIEW
upon

OF HELL.
to their

saw them force their heads down even

feet, cast themselves

the ground, and there twist

;

themselves into folds, in the manner of a serpent

this

and

by reason of the inward agony. Such was the effect which heavenly delight produced upon those who were
in delights

from the love of

self

and the world.* {Heaven

'

and Hell

n. 400.)
:

Again he says

" Most of those who go from -the Christian world into the other life, carry with them the belief that they are to
be saved by immediate mercy.
merely to be admitted
But when they are examined, they are found to believe that to
is
;

come

into

heaven
are ad-

and

that those
totally

mitted are in heavenly joy,

being
is

who

unacquainted

with the nature of heaven and of heavenly joy.

fore they are told that

Where-

heaven

not denied to any one

if

by

the

Lord

and

that they can be admitted

they

wish, and

tarry there as long as they please.

this,

have desired

have also been admitted

first

They who but when

they reached the

threshold, they were seized with

such anguish of heart, from the breathing upon them of

heavenly heat which

is

the love in which the angels are,

and from the

influx of

heavenly light which

is

divine

truth, that they experienced

infernal torment instead of

consequence of the shock they cast Thus were they instructed themselves headlong thence. heaven that cannot be given to any by living experience,
heavenly joy
;

and

in

one from immediate mercy/

'

Ibid.

525.

THE CHOSEN HOME, ETC.

83

We
earth

among animals as well as the human

see this great law of affinity exemplified here

race.

on

Those

of the same species or general characteristics, always

prefer the society of each other.

Beavers love to be

with beavers, bears with bears, wolves with wolves, mice

with mice.
or at

None of

these creatures feel quite contented

home

in the society of animals of a totally different

nature.

And

so with the the evil,

members of

the

human

family.

Not

only do

when

left to

act in perfect freedom,

shun the society of the good, but they group themselves

together according to the kinds and degrees of wickedness in
pirates
;

which they

are.

Pirates choose the society of

;

thieves the society of thieves

*

counterfeiters the

society of counterfeiters

tipplers,

gamblers, burglars,

persons most
that
it

profligates, the society of persons of their

like themselves.

own
is

profession
this truth,

So obvious

has passed into the proverbs, universally accepted,

feather flock together;"

"Birds of a

and

"A man

is

known by
is

the

company he keeps."

There can be no doubt, then, that this law of affinity one of the unchangeable laws of the moral universe ;
it

and

must, therefore, govern in the arrangements of

all

It good. must group congenial spirits into innumerable associations. And a most wise and beneficent provision it is,

in the spiritual world

the

evil as well as the

too

a provision whereby every human being, whatever

be his character, shall have a home in the Hereafter

84

NEW VIEW

OF HELL.
whose society he
prefers

among
and

just that class of persons

finds congenial to his tastes.

hells, selfish

But the societies of the

they
are, are

and wicked

as

under a government
this

as well as those of the

heavens.

And
is

Lord, and

government, too, is provided by the most wisely. and mercifully adapted to their
It is

condition and wants.

provided for the best good

all

of the devils themselves, as well as for the good of

other parts of the moral universe.
It is

precisely such a

government
is

as they require

suited to their state

a government not of
is

the only one, indeed, that

love, but of

fear

and force

their hearts,

no love of the neighbor in ; and therefore no desire to promote the

for there

common
sions

Hence their violent and malignant pasgood. can only be restrained by fear of punishment.
:

Says Swedenborg

"All the inhabitants of

hell are

some by

fears

implanted in the world,

;

governed by fears; which still retain

their influence

but because these fears are not sufficient,

and likewise

lose their force

by degrees, they
is

are govthe prin-

erned by fear of punishments, and this fear cipal means of deterring them from doing

evil.

The

punishments in hell are various, more gentle or more severe according to the nature of the evils to be restrained.

For the most

part, the

more malignant who

to

excel in cunning and artifice,

rest in a state

and are able

keep the

of submission and slavery by punishments

and the

terror thereby inspired, are set over the others;

THE CHOSEN HOME, ETC.

8$

but these governors dare not go beyond the limits prescribed to them.
It is to

be observed that the

fear of

punishment is the only means of restraining the violence and fury of those in the hells. There is no other."

{Heaven and Hell\

n. 543.) this is the

Who

cannot see that

ernment

for those in hell

the

very best kind of govis

only kind, indeed, that

suited to their state

and needs ?

We see

that

punishment
from

there has a beneficent design and a beneficent tendency.

It is

not directly from the Lord, though

it

results

the unfailing operation of laws that

He

has established.
evil
is

"Wherefore," says Swedenborg, "when

from an
all

done
itself

evil heart, then,

because

it

casts

away from

upon and punish him. This may be illustrated in some measure by crimes and their punishments in the world, where also they are linked together ;

protection from the Lord, infernal spirits rush

the evil,

him who does

for the laws prescribe

so that

some punishment for every crime, whoever rushes into crime, rushes also into the

punishment thereof.
world crime

The only

difference
;

is,

that in the
life

may
is

be concealed

but in the other

concealment
it

impossible.

From

these considerations
;

may be

seen that the Lord does evil to no one

is

and

that the case herein

similar to

what we

find in the

world, where not the king, nor the judge, nor the law,
is

the cause of punishment to the guilty, since neither of

is

them

the cause of the crime committed

n.

by the

evil-

doer." (Ibid.
8

550.)

86
Look, now,

NEW VIEW
at
;

OF HELL.

the intrinsic reasonableness of this

New
with

doctrine of hell
that believed

and compare, or rather contrast

it

and taught a hundred years ago. While our reason protests against the Old as utterly absurd, it

freely

and cordially accepts the New.

The Old

is

purely sensuous doctrine, in accordance with a sensuous

age, a sensuous philosophy,

and a sensuous interpretation

of holy Scripture
in

while the

New

is

eminently

spiritual,

harmony with

the conceptions of spiritually

minded

spiritual philosophy, and the spiritual interpretation of the Divine Word. The Old is ar-

men, with the higher

bitrary

lying

quite outside of the

domain of law and

order; while the

with the
result,

New

is

seen to be in perfect accord

known

laws of the

human

soul

the inevitable
The Old

indeed, of the violation of these laws.

presents

God

as a very

monster of cruelty; while the

New

exhibits

Him

as a wise

and tender and loving

Father, forever pursuing his rebellious children into the

lowest depths of sin and suffering; clasping his arms

around even the devils in hell

providing a congenial
;

home

for all in the great Hereafter

and just such a home

by the life that he has voluntarily formed, strengthened and confirmed, is fitted to enjoy, and will
as each one,

himself freely choose.

Who,

that

is

not utterly blinded by prejudice, can

fail

to see that this

New

doctrine, as

compared with the Old

is

and once generally accepted view,

as

the light of
!

noon-day compared with the darkness of midnight

VI.
THE DURATION OF HELL.

T T AVING * * having
Old and
the

shown where and what

hell really

is,

and

exhibited the sharp contrast between the

New

having
all spirits,

doctrine in respect to reasonableness

also, that the

shown,

law according to which

the evil as well as the good, associate in the

is

great Hereafter,
soul,

unquestionably a law of the

as

human

and must therefore be

enduring in

its

operations

as the soul itself, I proceed next to consider the

ous question

moment-

Is the condition

of the wicked in the other world, as

to see

Swedenborg was permitted

reveal
it,

and commissioned

to

to continue substantially the

same throughout

the ages of eternity?

In other words, will those

life,

who

pass into that world in a hellish state of

remain for
their ruling

ever in that state

Or can men

repent,

and

loves be changed from evil to good, after death ?

the great

Can

work of

spiritual renewal be commenced in the

other world (with those

who have

died in a

state

of con-

firmed evil),

if it

has not been begun in this?

Or, as

some believe and confidently affirm, are "the inverted forms of the natural degree which constitute the external
87

So

NEW VIEW

OF HELL.
'

body of the infernal in the hells/ to be finally destroyed " the unrestrained ultimation through given to the ruling
infernal

loves"?

so

that the

man (when

these forms

are

destroyed),

"freed from his prison-house in the

be "restored to his original infant state of conscious existence/' ? will " at once ascend to the plane
hells/' will

of the
this

New Heaven

his eternal

Home and

there,

from

new point of Life"?

These

departure, advance in and to Eternal

interrogatories,

it

will

be seen, are only

differ-

ent ways of presenting one and the same question, which

is

commonly

stated in this form:

"Are

the hells to be

unending

in their

duration?"

or

this:

"Will those
Will

who go

to hell after death, always remain there ?

they always continue in an infernal state?"

This inquiry

is

not only natural, but

It

it

is

one which

cannot be kept down.

thought, however
suppressed.
its

rises

spontaneously to the
lips

utterance

by the

or pen

may

be

tion ?

And where shall we look for an answer to this quesTo the intuitions of the natural reason ? or to the
?

unequivocal teachings of Revelation

Is the verdict

of

natural reason worthy of implicit reliance in questions of

this

nature?

perverted,

distorted, beclouded as all will

admit

this reason to be.

Were

reason alone sufficient to

aftei

assure us of our continued and conscious existence

the

body dies?

Reason may have nothing to urge

against the doctrine of the soul's immortality

nay,

it

ITS DURATION.

89
;

may have much

it

to urge in favor of

it

but could

it

prove

in

such a manner as to give us anything like a comits

forting assurance of

truth?

And
terial

if

unaided reason could not discern or clearly

demonstrate even the soul's existence apart from the ma-

body, what could

it tell

us about the nature, facts

to inhabit after the

or laws of that realm which

it is

body

dies?
hell or
it tell

What

assurance could reason alone give us of any

heaven after the death of the body, or what could

us of the nature of either?

to say

nothing of the

more profound and

us.

subtle questions like that

now

before

What need was

life after

there of any revelation concerning

the

death, if

human

reason of itself could have

learned

all

about it?

Obviously the Lord saw the inadequacy of reason to

such sublime discoveries
passion and love toward
cies of reason
;

and

therefore, in tender

com-

us,

He

supplements the deficien-

by

the clearer light of revelation.

He

opens the eyes of chosen seers and prophets, and through them reveals truth concerning man's immortality and the
life after

death, which no one's reason without such reve-

lation could ever

have found out.

Plainly, then, the question before us narrows itself

down

to this

What

is

the teaching of revelation

on the

subject?

Has

the infinitely wise and gracious

Lord

aiming to instruct and bless mankind through his own chosen and gifted seers deigned to tell us anything in

regard to the duration of the hells

If so,

what

is it

8*

cp

NEW VIEW
he chooses
;

OF HELL.
it

Any one may

if

reject the revelation, or refuse to believe

but in that case he either denies that any

revelation

divinely authorized
subject,

has been

made on
;

the

or he sets his reason above that revelation

is

he

assumes "to be wise above what

than the Lord himself.

written," yea, wiser

He

plants himself outside of or

above revelation, on precisely the ground occupied by

the
Deistic

and

rationalistic

schools.
this
;

cheerfully
it,

concede every one's right to do

but doing

he

has no right to complain of the logical consequence.

He

has no right to find fault with others for casting

him

into the ranks of those

whose fundamental idea he delib-

erately accepts.

Have we,
subject?

then, a divinely authorized revelation

is

on

this

And
is

that revelation clear

and unmistak-

able?

This

the question for those to consider

who

believe in revelation;
exclusively to such.

and

my

argument

is

addressed

And

it is

a question which should

be approached with judicial calmness, and with as much freedom as possible from the biasing or blinding influence
of our
case.

own
The

private judgments, feelings, or wishes in the

question
if so,

is:

Has

the

Lord spoken on
said?

this

subject?

And

what has

He

Nowhere

but in

its literal

sense, does the Scripture tell

;

us anything

about the duration of hell

for

in
is

the

higher or spiritual sense of the

Word, no idea

any-

where conveyed of time or duration

in the sense

com-

monly understood by

these words.

And

it

cannot be

ITS DURATION.
denied
that,

91
in
its

so

far

as

the

Bible

literal
it

sense

teaches anything about the duration of hell,

that
it

teaches

will

be unending.

The same terms

to indicate

endless duration, that are applied to heaven, are also

applied to

hell.
its

Its
fire

punishment

is

said to be "ever-

lasting," and

"the

fire

that

never shall be

quenched."

"And

these [the wicked] shall

go away

into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life."

And

the great majority of the First Christian

Church

have believed, according to the plain teaching of the

letter, that

the hell of which the Bible speaks

is

to

be

unending

in duration,

and

that those
It

who go
is

there after

death will remain there for ever.

plain that the

Lord intended

that those

who

received his

Word

(as

Christians have hitherto for the most part) in

sense, should believe in the eternity of hell.

its literal

Otherwise,

we may be

sure that very different language

would have

been employed from what we find wherever the duration And if it be argued, as it someof hell is spoken of.
times
is,

that the

words "eternal" and "everlasting"

are occasionally applied in Scripture to things

known

to

be of temporary duration, and

if

the force of the argu-

ment be admitted, what follows?

and

Why, simply
its

that the

Bible teaches nothing in regard to the duration of hell,

that

no argument can be drawn from

its

language

either for or against

eternity.

Let us turn, then, to that more recent revelation which

92

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
make
for the establishment
;

the Lord has been pleased to

and upbuilding of a

New

Christian Church

a revela-

tion wherein are disclosed

life

many

things concerning the

after death,

which the

First Christian

Church was

not able to bear.

Upon no one
The

subject, perhaps, has the

Lord's servant been more explicit, than upon the duration of the hells.

following are some of his clear

:

and emphatic statements "Every man's ruling

affection or love remains with

it

him

after death,

nor
is

is

extirpated to eternity; since

is
;

the spirit of

man

altogether such as his love

spirit

and

(what
is

is

an arcanum) the body of every

and angel

the external form of his love, perfectly corresponding

[i.

to the internal form

It
is

e.

to the quality of his love].

therefore manifest that

man remains

to eternity of
is.

the same character as his ruling affection or love

It

has been granted

me

to converse with

some who
and

lived

seventeen hundred years ago, and whose lives are well

known from

the writings of that period

still

it

was

found that every one was

influenced

by the love

which ruled him when he lived

in the world."

{Heaven

and Hell, " Man,

n. 363.)

as to his entire life [or character], remains for

is

ever such as he
174.)

at the time of his

is

death." (Ap. Ex., n.

such he remains to

"As man

when he

dies,

eternity."

(Ibid. 125.)
that lives after death,
as this has

"

It is

man's will-faculty

and not
been in

his thinking-faculty except so far

ITS DURATION.
agreement with his
will-faculty.

93
It

...

may be imagined
life after

by those who are not instructed concerning the

death, that they can then easily receive faith
see that the

Lord governs the universal

But they

when they heaven, and when

they hear that heaven consists in loving

neighbor.

Him and
is,

their

who

are principled in evil, are as far

faith after

from being able to receive

death, that

from

being able to believe from a ground in the will-faculty, as

hell
is

from heaven.

...

If

it

were possible

for spirits

to believe

and become good from mere instruction the other life, there would not be a single individual
for the

in
in

hell;

Lord

is

desirous of elevating

all,

how
his

many

soever there be, to Himself in heaven.

is infinite,

For

mercy and is exercised toward the whole human

it is

because

the Divine [Love] itself;

race,

alike

toward the
2401.)

evil as

toward the good." {Arcana Calestia

"The
world

life

of a

man

cannot be changed after death,

it

but must remain for ever such as

;

had been
spirit
is

in this

for the character of a

man's
;

in every

respect the

same

as that of his love

and

infernal love

can never be changed into heavenly love, because they are in direct opposition to each other. This is what is

meant by the words of Abraham addressed to tha rich man in hell Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that they who would pass from hence to you,
'
:

cannot

neither can they pass to us

xvi. 26.)

who would come

it is

from thence.' (Luke

Hence

evident that

94
all

NEW
who go
to hell,

VIEW OF HELL.
for ever."

remain there

{New Jeru-

salem and its Heavenly Doctrine n. 239.)

"He who

is

in evil in the world, is in evil after his

if evil is

departure from the world ; therefore

in the world,
it

not removed

cannot be removed afterwards.

it

Where
life,

the tree

falls,

there

lies.

So
it

also does a

man's

when he
one
is

dies,

remain such as

was.

Moreover,

every-

judged according to his deeds; not that these

are recounted, but because he returns to

them and does

life,

them

as before

for death

is

a continuation of

with
'

the difference that the

man cannot
277.)

then be reformed.'

{Divine Providence n

"Because
to

it

has been granted

me

during

many

years

be with the angels, and to speak with new-comers from the world, I can with certainty testify that every one is there explored as to the quality of the life he had
led
;

and that the

life

which he contracted

in the

world

remains with him for ever." (Conjugial Love 524.)

" Since

it

has been granted

me

for

many

years to be in

company
have
left

with the angels, and to converse with those

the world,
I

who

can

testify

with certainty that every

one

is

there

examined

as to the quality of his past life,

in the

and

that the life

which he had contracted

I

world

remains with him to eternity.

those

have conversed with

I

who

lived

many

ages ago, whose lives

;

was

ac-

quainted with from history

and

found them to be of

a character similar to the description given of them.

ITS DURATION.
I

95
life

have also heard from the angels that no one's

after

can

be changed

death." {Brief Exposition n. no.)

life

have been told by the angels that the

is

of the

ruling love [after death]

to eternity, since every to

never changed with any one

is

one

his

own

love

wherefore

change
life,

that love in a spirit,

would be

to deprive

him
n.

of his
480.)

or to annihilate him." {Heaven

and Hell

"I can

testify

from much experience, that

it is

imposled

sible to implant the life of

heaven

in those

an opposite

life

in the world."

Then

who have

after relating

some experiments made with persons who had imbibed

the notion that they might receive the
life

of heaven in

the other world, however they had failed to obey the

laws of that
life

in this

the writer

concludes:

"From

these and other experiments, the simple

structed that

no one's

life

death
into

and

that evil life

good were incan possibly be changed after can by no means be changed

life

good

life,

nor infernal
is

into angelic, since every

spirit

from head to foot

of the same quality as his love,

as his life
;

and therefore of the same quality

transmute this
life into

and

that to

the opposite, were to destroy the angels declare that

it

spirit altogether.

The

were easier

to change a bat into a dove, or an owl into a bird of

paradise, than an infernal spirit into an angel of heaven."
(Ibid. n. 527.)

(See also Arcana Ccelestia n. 3762, 3993, 4464, 4588,

5145, 7186, 8206, 9061, 10,243, 10,284;

True Chris-

96

NEW
n.

VIEW OF HELL.

Han Religion
places,

531, Doctrine of Life n. 8, and other

is

where the same doctrine

plainly taught.)

The above
ilar

quotations and references (and many simones might be made), leave us in no doubt as to what

the doctrine revealed for the

is.

New Church on

this subject,

have quoted

freely, that the reader

may

see
is

how

explicit

and uniform and

positive

Swedenborg

in his

teaching concerning the impossibility of any essential

The time
written,

change of character taking place in the other world. in which the several works here quoted were
stretches

over a period of more than twenty

is

years;

yet the essential fact stated

is

always the same.

There

not a single point of doctrine on which he has

positive.

been more explicit or more

Nor does he proclaim

lation

the endless duration of the hells

as his belief or opinion merely, but as a part of the reve-

which he was divinely commissioned

to

make.

And

not only does he declare the fact over and over

again, and without any essential variation throughout the

long period of his illumination, but he

is is

tells

us that this

what the angels believe and teach on the subject, and what is meant by the passage in the Word which
not only
but he assures us that he saw and con-

speaks of a gulf that cannot be passed over after death.

And

so,

versed with persons

known

to

him from

history,

who had

been dead, some of them seventeen hundred years, and

some

for ages,

and whose characters had not

essentially
tells

changed

since that period.

And

elsewhere he

us

ITS DURATION.

97
after death, as will

why the character cannot be changed be shown in a future chapter.

Now

no one

is

under obligation
this or

to

accept Sweden

borg's teaching on

any other subject.

But

He may
I

accept or reject

it

as suits his inclination.

submit

that he cannot consistently accept this

sent of

God

man

as a teacher

as

one divinely illumined and commisrevelation

sioned to

make a new

and

at the

same time

discredit or reject such explicit teaching as

we

find in

the foregoing extracts.

Can we suppose
ened
as

the Swedish seer to have been enlight-

no other man ever was upon spiritual subjects and by no generally, yet more in the dark on this one

means an unimportant one, either than some of give no evidence of, and make no pretensions
special illumination?

us
to,

who
any

There

is

as little reason for be-

lieving

him mistaken
is

in regard to the duration of the

hells, as there

for believing

him

rrfistaken in

regard to

a hundred other things that he

tells

us he was

commis-

sioned to reveal concerning the great Hereafter.

We

cannot, therefore, reject Swedenborg's teaching on

this subject, without virtually discrediting his

claim as a

divinely commissioned messenger, and claiming for ourselves a higher degree of illumination than he enjoyed

upon one

subject, at least.
is

The
tion.

eternity of the hells, then,

It is

not a

human

inven-

not the conclusion of natural reason, nor the

It is

offspring of an unenlightened mind.

9

a matter of di-

98

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
so as the immortality of the

vine revelation, as
soul, the nature

much

and time of the resurrection, the nature

of heaven and hell, and the law that determines the associates of

each one and the appearance of his surround-

ings in the Hereafter.

therefore, sets his

Whoever

rejects the doctrine,

own

reason above revelation, or asis

sumes

to

be "wise above what

is

written/

'

Yet the

revelation

not contrary to enlightened reason, but

it,

quite in

accordance with

as will be

shown

hereafter.

But

let

us suppose, for the sake of argument, that the

hells are not to

will

be eternal

that, ultimately, all the devils

become, through a process that no one yet understands or is able to explain, shining and happy angels.
Supposing
this to

be the
it

fact,

the time

may come when

men.
But cernot

the Lord will reveal

to the children of

tainly that time has not yet arrived.

The Lord has

yet

made such

a revelation as justifies any

man who
have we to

plants himself upon revealed truth, in maintaining the

non -eternity of the

hells.

What

right, then,

preach, on such a subject, a doctrine which the Lord in

his infinite

wisdom has thought proper not

If

to reveal

nay, a doctrine the very opposite to that which

He

has

revealed?

it

were best for the world in

its

present

state that this

doctrine be preached, certainly

God would
but has told

have known
revelation.

it,

and would have vouchsafed the needed

But since

He

has not done

this,

us in the most explicit language that the hells are eternal

that a

man's ruling love cannot be changed

after death

ITS DURATION.

99

shall we assume to be wiser than the Most High, and

proclaim in advance a doctrine, which (supposing it to be true) the Lord in his wisdom has thought proper
hitherto to conceal from the children of

men ?

No
tion.

Let us scrupulously guard against such presumpLet us reverently acknowledge that the infinitely
truth, or

wise

One knows what

Under
His

what measure of
is

truth,

is

adapted to human wants, and what

reveal
it.

the proper time to

the

New
it

Dispensation the Lord has

plainly taught the eternity of the hells.

is

True or

not,

it

clearly

will that

should be believed and preached

for the present, at least

yes,

during the continuance

of this Dispensation.
doctrine,
is

And
to

to believe or teach a different

either to discredit the revelation that has

been made, or to assume

know

better than the Divine

Being himself what

is

true

on

this subject, or

when

is

the

proper time to proclaim this truth.

We

see not, therefore,

how any one who

professes to

believe in Swedenborg's divine

illumination

who
for a

re-

gards him as a
sent of

man

especially prepared, authorized and

God

to

make

new

revelation

can
his

mo-

ment think of

rejecting or questioning his teaching in

regard to the duration of the hells, or of substituting for

it

the

more than doubtful conclusions of

Surely
it

own under-

standing.

is

not wise to shut ourselves in a

dark room and invoke the feeble glimmer of a lamp,

when

the

great

orb of day

is

shining in

meridian

splendor.

VII.
SOME EVIDENCE OF
ICAL
ITS

DURATION PHILOSOPH-

AND

SCRIPTURAL.
some
ruling love;
is

individual has

and

this

EVERY love

is

his

life.

His character
if

nature of this love

fernal if the love

heavenly
evil.

according to the

the love be good, in-

be

And
own
;

this love

each one takes

with him into the other world, because he takes there his
life

his character

his

spiritual

the ruling love has moulded

else.

organism which and he can take nothing

And

according to Swedenborg the ruling love cannot

after death.
it

be changed

If,

therefore,

it

be of an

infer-

nal character,

remains so for ever.

The

individual will

have no desire to change his character in the other

world,
or to be
;

anything

else

than

his

ruling

love

makes him
ceive

and without such desire we cannot con-

how any essential change in him can possibly take And if the character or ruling love undergoes, place.
no change after death, then the wicked will remain so for ever, and the hells will be unending in their duration.

And

this is the

solemn

fact disclosed

by Swedenborg.

100

EVIDENCE OF ITS ETERNITY,

Upon no
single subject
is

IOI

he more explicit

in his teach-

upon the unchangeable state of the wicked in the other world, and the consequent eternity of the
ings, than
hells.

The

extracts in

the

preceding chapter furnish

sufficient

evidence of

this.

And

although this question,

life

like
is

all

others concerning the

settled

beyond the grave,

one to be

mainly by the light of revelation, yet

then, examine

revelation rightly understood will ever be found in agree-

ment with the highest

reason.

Let

us,

Swedenborg's teaching on this subject in the light of reason and of that comprehensive system of spiritual phil-

osophy which
Consider,

his

own

writings furnish.
evil in this
act,

world

and

first,

what takes place with the

the evil I

by

mean

all

those

who

not

from principle, or from any regard to what in

just

itself is

and

right, but

from purely
is

selfish

considerations.

We know
indulged
;

that the love of self

strengthened

by being

and weakened only as its cravings are denied. Like every other faculty and propensity, it acquires The more it is allowed to have strength by exercise.

the more hardened adultery, murder

come, the more benumbed
its
its

complete sway, and to outwork itself in all the multifarious forms of villany such as falsehood, fraud, theft,
does the soul be-

sensibilities, the

dimmer

perceptions and the feebler its desire for whatever is true and just and right in itself. Let a person go on cheating and defrauding from month to month and year
to year,

and he

will find himself steadily

growing more

9*

102

NEW
less

VIEW OF HELL.
and moral deformity

and more blind

to the odiousness

of this vice, and

course.

and

less

inclined to change his

Or

let

him

practice for a considerable time,

lying, stealing, profane swearing, adultery, or

vice,

any other

and

his perception of its sinfulness will gradually

his inclination to turn

grow more and more obscure, and from it more and more feeble.
So with every
sinful habit in

which a man indulges. The longer it is pursued the more fully does the evil inclination take possession of him, the more overmastering

becomes
weaker

its

sway, the darker his understanding, and the

his inclination to return to the path of

innocence

and

rectitude.

No
soul

fact is better established

and no law

of the

human

is

more

certain than this.

Now, under

the operation of this law, can

we conceive
which
is

how

spirits in the other

world,

when

self-love,

essential evil, has taken full possession of them, so that

they are the very forms of that love

so
;

that they turn

from and loathe the society of the good, and love and
seek the companionship of the wicked

so

that they

put darkness for light and light for darkness, and say to
evil,

"Be

thou

my good"

so

that they hate

and shun

the light of heaven as owls and bats shun the light of

day ;

so
to

that they find their delight in doing evil, as a

in destroying sheep, or a
;

wolf finds his

lowing in the mire

so that

hog

his in wal-

they go

from

choice each

one

some congenial

society in hell, as freely as the

tippler, the

gambler and the profligate go to their chosen

EVIDENCE OF ITS ETERNITY.

haunts
;

03

when
in

spirits, I say, are

brought into

this state,

can we see

any
it

rational light

how

they are ever to be

us

brought out of

Can any one give

any

rational or

philosophical explanation of the modus operandi?

To

suppose that they

other and in

may be brought
other,
is

out

some time or

some way or

scarcely less absurd

than to suppose that a wolf

or a serpent into a dove.
reason,

may The

be changed into a lamb

supposition has neither

philosophy, experience,
it.

nor historical

fact

to

support
If

heaven could be given by an act of immediate

all

mercy, undoubtedly

would
it

finally

go there

and there

would be no

hell.

But

cannot.

It is

an internal state
indi-

which cannot be developed or reached without the

vidual's

own

volition

and

active co-operation.

The heav-

enly character must be developed, the heavenly organism

and

tissues

must be formed,

else the light

and warmth of

that sweet

realm would be as uncongenial as our atmo-

sphere
to owls

is

to fishes, or as the light of the

noon-day sun
:

is

and

bats.

Agreeably to

this

Swedenborg says

"Many

spirits entertain the

opinion that heaven

may

be given to every one from immediate mercy ; and on account of their belief they have been taken up into

heaven
life

but

when they came

there, because their interior

was contrary to that of the angels, they grew blind

faculties
till

as to their intellectual
idiots,

they became like

and were tortured

as to their will faculties so that

;

they behaved like

madmen

in

a word, they

who go

to

104

NEW
after living

VIEW OF HELL.
lives,

heaven

wicked

gasp there for breath,

and writhe about

air,

like fishes taken

from the water into the

and

like animals in the ether of

'

the air has been exhausted.'

Heaven and Hell,

man
is
is

an air-pump, after
54.

Again he says "Conscience

this
is

is

the Lord's presence with

man; and
is

nearer in proportion as a

in the affection

of good and truth.

If his presence

nearer than
for

suitable to the degree of a

truth, the

man's affection

good and
reason
is,

man comes
and
in

into temptation.
in

The

that the evils

falsities

goods and truths

ence.

him tempered with the cannot endure a nearer preshim,

circumstances existing in

This
life,

may appear from

viz.,

another

that evil spirits cannot possibly ap-

proach any heavenly society without beginning

rience anguish and

torment: also
it

to expe-

that hell

is

removed
is,

from heaven, because

the Lord's presence

cannot endure heaven, that

is

which
'
:

in heaven.

Hence

it is

said

of them in the

Word

Then
;

shall they begin to say to

hills,

the mountains, Fall on us

and to the

Cover

us.'

Luke
4225,

xxiii.
'6,

Arcana 30."
'8,

Ccelestia 4299.

See also n.

5057,

4674, 15*9-

It is

in tenderest

mercy

to the

wicked, therefore, that

;

they are not compelled to live in heaven

for

they would

be

far

more wretched among

the angels, than they are in

hell.

their

own chosen and

congenial homes in

But the heavenly

life,

some

think, will be at last and

gradually developed in the devils, so that they will aU

EVIDENCE OF ITS ETERNITY.

finally

105
Will
it

become

angels.

Again
life,

I ask,

How?

be

developed

like vegetable

without the volition or

Is

active co-operation of the spirits themselves ?

moral

character ever developed or formed under the laws of the

vegetable
tions

kingdom?

Can

it

be?

And

are the condi-

and surroundings and influences

in the hells,

and

the kind of

government that

exists there, favorable to the

life ?

development of the heavenly

Or

is

this life to

be
all

gradually unfolded and strengthened there, in

the adverse influences ?
If so, will

spite of

any one

tell

us how.

Will he show us the law, or give us some hint of the

philosophy of

this

development.

But God,
of
all

it is

said, wills the salvation

and happiness
is

men.

And can we
that

frustrated ?

suppose that His will

to

be

He

will not

be able

finally to

accom-

plish his purpose?

And

does not
?

God
as

will

that

men

live

here on earth
adultery,

that they shun sins? murder,

?

righteously

falsehood, theft, hatred,

that they practice toward

?

each other the laws of neighborly love

vine will accomplished
live as the

But
fact,

is

the Diall

As a matter of

do

men
not,
if

Lord

wills that they should ?

And
?

if

then

is

not the Divine purpose so far frustrated

And

frustrated here

No argument
it

for the non-eternity of the

and now, then why not there and always ? hells can be
will, unless

based upon the omnipotence of the Divine

can be shown that this will with reference to

man

is

never frustrated.

And

in

order to show

this,

we must

106

NEW
all

VIEW OF HELL.
men com*
For

concede that
mit, are
if not,

the abominable deeds which

done

in

accordance with the will of God.

then the omnipotence of that will does not always

ensure the accomplishment of the Divine purpose.

But the mistake

characteristics of

arises

from overlooking the proper

man, or the nature of the properly 'humight be dealt and the builder or operator would
its

man

faculties.

If he were a machine, he
;

with as a machine

alone be responsible for

movements or

defects.

But

being man, and endowed with the faculties of liberty and rationality, he becomes himself responsible for his His salvation and happiness actions and his character.
are not

things that can be forced

itself.

upon him

no,

not

even by Omnipotence
chosen, sought
other possible
after,

They
for,

are states to

be freely
in If

labored

by himself; and

no

way can they ever be attained.

we

could conceive of those,

who have become

so thoroughly

confirmed in evil as to love and seek the companionship

of devils, desiring and laboring for the exalted and unselfish life

of heaven, then

we might concede
all

the possi-

bility

of the devils being

ultimately converted into

angels, and the

hells blotted out or

Then
in the

there

is

a judgment which

changed into heavens. all have to undergo

has described

other world.

And Swedenborg

very fully the nature of that process.

It consists in

such

a complete development of each one's internals, or such

a thorough immersion of the individual in his own dominant love, whatever that may be, that he no longer

EVIDENCE OF ITS ETE UNITY.

has a divided

07

mind

no

longer wears any disguise, or

is

appears outwardly different from what he

inwardly.
it

This judgment, or letting each

into himself,

man

drop, as

were,

takes place in the intermediate state, or

world of

spirits.

And

it

is

accomplished by means of

the all-revealing light of truth.

" The Word

in the last

that I

have

spoken, the same shall judge

him

day."

Swe-

denborg says

"With

the wicked,

all

those things which belong to

the exterior thought from

exterior will from

which they speak, and

act, are

to the

which they

not properly theirs,

but those things which belong to their interior thought

and

will.

"When
which
is

the

first

state [after death]

is

passed through,
is

the state of the exteriors, the spirit

let

into

the state of his interiors.

...

In this state he thinks

from his own

will, therefore

from his

own

affection or

from

his

own

love

and then

his thought

makes one with

his will,

and so completely one

merely to
will.

that he scarcely appears

to think but

"All men without exception

death, because
it is

are let into this state after

.

the proper state of their spirits.

it

When
festly

a spirit

is

in the state of his interiors,

mani-

appears of what character the

in the world
;

man was

in himself

when

for

he then acts from his selfhood.

He who

was

insanely more

evil in the world, then acts foolishly

and

insanely, indeed, than he did in the

is

world, because he

in

freedom and under no

restraint.

IoS

NEW
falsities

VIEW OF HELL.
he
is

" No one goes

the
will

to hell until

in his
is

own

evil

and in

of evil [or until there

;

a perfect union of

and understanding]

since

it is

not allowed any one

to think

there to have a divided mind, that

is,

one thing and to there think what

will another.
is

Every

evil spirit
evil,

and speak must

false

derived from

and must
will, thus

speak from such falsity; in both cases from the

from

his

own proper

love and

its

delight and

pleasure, as
spirit, that

he did in the world when he thought in his

is,

as

he thought in himself when he thought from

inte-

rior affection.

The

reason

is,

that the will

is

the

man

himself, and not the thought, except so far as it partakes of the will ; and the will is the man's very nature

or disposition
let into his

therefore to be let into his will

is

to

be

nature or disposition, and also into his

life,

for

man

puts

on a nature according to

his life

and

after

death, he remains of such a nature as he had procured

by his life in the world, which, with the wicked, can no longer be amended and changed by means of thought, or the understanding of truth. " Every one goes to his own society in which his spirit was while he lived in the world ; for every man as to his
to himself
spirit
is

conjoined to some society, either infernal or

.
.

heavenly.
sive steps,
is in

.The

spirit is led to that society

it.

by

succes-

and

at last enters

An

evil spirit,

when he

the state of his interiors,

is

turned by degrees toward

it

his

own

society,
is

and

at length directly to
;

before this

[second] state

completed

and when completed, the

EVIDENCE OF ITS ETERNITY.

evil
spirit

109

of his

own

free

choice casts himself into the

is

hell of those

whose character

similar to his

own."

Heaven and Hell 502-510.

We

see

from

this that the

judgment which every one

undergoes

after death, is

merely the bringing of a man's

externals into perfect agreement with his internals, or his

thoughts, words and actions, into agreement with his

ruling love.
side out. that he
It is

" whited sepulchres" inturning the

It is letting the man drop into himself; so no longer has a divided mind as he had when in the flesh, but is of the same character all through from

centre to circumference.

Unless, therefore, he

is

subse-

quently to

undergo another stupendous change, of which

revelation has told us nothing

unless he

is

to be brought
state,

back again into his former double-minded

heavenly part of

and the

him then

to

be aroused into strong and

persistent action so as to completely

overpower the

in-

fernal part,

we cannot

see

how he
in

is

ever to be brought
that
' '

out of his hellish state.

For we must remember

life

there are no germs of heavenly

man

of good and truth implanted by the

no "remains Lord which can

of no such inlife in this

develop under the laws of vegetable growth, or without

the individual's

own

volition.

We know
in the

voluntary development of the heavenly

world

nor can we conceive of any such

world

to

come.

Equally unphilosophical, too, and alike unsupported

by reason and
nite

revelation,

is

the idea that, at

some

indefito,

period
10

after

the

judgment

here

referred

the

HO
saved

NEW VIEW
M

OF HELL.
man may be
body

sinner will die or be destroyed " that the

meaning by the sinner "the

hells.'
'

inverted forms of

the natural degree, which constitute the external

of the infernal in the

There

is

no such "sinner"

then and there, apart from the living, conscious, im-

mortal individual;

no such "external
"

body"

that

may

be sloughed
state

off,

leaving "the

of conscious existence

"the

man

in his original infant

actual state of the

infant

man

of the

New Heaven."

All this

is

mere

theory, without the slightest foundation in fact, philos-

ophy, or duly authenticated divine revelation.

Swedenborg's teaching, then, in regard to the eternity

of the hells,
is

clearly in accordance with reason

and the

highest spiritual philosophy of which the world has any

knowledge.

And
ophy.

the Bible, so far as

it

teaches anything on the

subject, confirms the testimony of reason and philosIt

speaks of the wicked in the Hereafter, going

everlasting punishment/'

away "into
tween the
over;

eous go into "everlasting life";

evil

of a

while the rightgreat gulf be-

and the good, which cannot then be passed of a fire that "never shall be quenched." It

assures us that, in the other world, every one will be

"The judged and rewarded according to his works. of out those dead were judged things which were written " in the books, according to their works "The word
that I have spoken, the

same

shall

judge him in the

last

day."

The

blessing of the higher, even the heavenly

EVIDENCE OF ITS ETERNITY.

life,
is

Ill

promised to none but those who keep or do the Lord's commandments ; nor do we find in Scripture any
warrant for the belief that others will
ever enter in
is

through the gates into the city

there,

for

what other way

save

by

religious obedience to the laws

of the

heavenly life ? "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that

they

may have

right to the tree of

life,

and may enter

in

through the gates into the city.

" For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth
and maketh a
lie."
tell us,

Nor does
But

the Bible

or any where intimate, that

these latter will ever enter into the blessedness of eternal

life.

all

who

thirst for

and are willing

it is

to take of
:

its

waters,

may
is

enter in.

Therefore

written again

" Let him

him

that

athirst,

come.

And whosoever
'

will, let

take the water of

life freely.'

But Swedenborg has himself told us why a man's ruling love cannot be changed after death ; and why,
therefore, the hells
It

must be unending

in their duration.

may be

alike interesting

and

instructive to consider

some of

his reasons,

which

I shall

proceed to do

in the

next chapter.

VIII.

WHY CANNOT THE RULING LOVE BE CHANGED

AFTER DEATH?
doctrine revealed for the

THE
which

New Church
no ground
is,

revealed
for a dif-

so clearly, too, that there

is

ference of opinion
rules

on

this

subject

that the love

at the

supreme

in the heart of

man

time of

or previous to his death, will forever remain unchanged

in
its

nature.

Very

often does the illumined herald of

the

New Church

declare, that,
'

"As man
" The
M
life

is

when he

dies,

such he remains to eternity.'

of a

man cannot
removed
after-

be changed after the body

dies.

"If

evil is not

[from the soul] in the world,

it

cannot be removed

ward."

"The

life

which a man contracts [or forms

in a spirit,

for

himself] in the world, remains with him for ever."

"To
prive
life

change the ruling love

him of

his life, or to annihilate

after

him."

would be to de" No one's

can possibly be changed

death."

"Evil

life
life,

can by no means be changed [after death] into good

nor infernal
that

life

into angelic."

"The

angels declare

it were easier to change a bat into a dove, or an owl into a bird of paradise, than an infernal spirit into

112

CHARACTER REMAINS UNCHANGED WHY?

an angel of heaven."

13

Infernal

love can
. .

never be
.

This is changed into, heavenly love [after death]. what is meant by the words of Abraham addressed to the Between us and you there is a great rich man in hell
'
:

gulf fixed/" etc.

"Hence

it

is

evident that

all

who

go to

hell,

remain there

for ever."

In such clear and explicit declarations on this subject,

do the writings of Swedenborg abound.

accept his teachings concerning the future

If

then,

we

life,

as a di-

vinely authorized revelation of the solemn realities of

the spiritual world,

we must believe

that a person's ruling

;

love cannot be changed after death

and therefore

that

the condition and character of the wicked in the Hereafter, will

And we

remain essentially the same to all eternity. cannot reject this doctrine, or set up another
:

in its place, viz. this

that all

who

pass into the other

world in an infernal or supremely

selfish state, will ulti-

angels without
consistent,

mately be brought out of that

state

and become shining

entire

undermining or deranging the

set aside his doctrine

system of Swedenborg' s spiritual philosophy.

To be
;

we must

of degrees

his

doctrine concerning the nature of the

his doctrine

final

judgment;

of

human freedom and

the law of moral

;-

growth

his doctrine of spiritual equilibrium

affinity

together

with his great law of spiritual

all

which determines

associations in the spiritual world.

all

truths linked or dovetailed together, that

So intimately are it is no easy

matter to remove one, or substitute a 10* H

falsity in its place,

114

NEW
part.

VIEW OF HELL.

without disturbing the entire system of which that truth

makes a

The

great Swede's doctrine

on

this subject, then, has

the merit of perfect

consistency;

while any different

doctrine

is

seen,

upon

slight examination, to be in direct

and laws announced by him, the obvious truth and rationality of which compel the assent
conflict with other facts

of intelligent and candid minds.

But not only has Swedenborg declared the fact that a man's ruling love cannot be changed after death, but he
has told us

why

it

cannot.

In proclaiming the endless

duration of the hells, he has at the same time given us

the philosophical reason.
love
it is

It

is,

that

when

the ruling

is

fully

unfolded, and everything

that disagrees with

is

rejected, hated, loathed, the individual

then preto circum-

cisely

what

this love
it

makes him from centre

self,

ference.

If
;

be the love of
a crocodile
all
is

then he

is selfish all

through

just as

a crocodile, a wolf a wolf,

or a serpent a serpent

through.

And he

has no more

desire to change that love, or to receive

an unselfish,

heavenly love in lieu of

it,

or to

become any other than

is,

the supremely selfish being that he

to

than a wolf has

become a sheep,

or a serpent a dove.
self,

And
and
to

without

the desire to overcome the love of

have the

opposite heavenly love implanted or developed in the

soul,

can we conceive
?

it

possible that this. change will

ever take place

Human
is

character in this world or in

the world to come,

not, as I

have before remarked,

CHARACTER REMAIXS LXCIIAXGEDWHY?

\l$

developed under the law of vegetable growth. Its formation everywhere implies the exercise of human voliA vegetable germ tion, and never takes place without it.
unfolds into a plant or tree according to an implanted
instinct or law of its nature,
is

and without

volition.

But

human germ, hidden away in the inmosts or elsewhere of the human spirit, can there be any that
there any

if

will ever
like

develop into true manhood or

manner?

womanhood
human

in

that

is,

without conscious volition on the

?

part of the individual

And

the properly

or

heavenly growth can never take place without volition,

how can the needed volition spring up in the soul of one who has passed the ordeal of judgment, and become thoroughly and supremely selfish ?
True, there
forms,
is
is

but one

life

and
in

all

life

in derivative

one and the same

its

origin.

The same
into

exhaustless Fountain that vitalizes the organism of the

sheep, supplies the wolf also with

life.

The form
its

which the

life flows,

makes

all

the difference in

qual-

ity or manifestations.

And we
entire

cannot conceive how a

wolf could be changed into a sheep, without such a complete

change
its

in

its

organism, as would utterly

this destroyed,

destroy

identity.

And

where

is

the

original wolf?

Annihilated, beyond question.

Let us hear, now, the reasons which Swedenborg himself has given, showing why a man's ruling love cannot

be changed

after death.

He

says

"I have

also heard from the angels that

no one's

life

n6

NEW VIEW
after death,

OF HELL.
because
it is

can be changed

organized ac-

cording to his love and

his

faith,

works

and

that if the life

and hence according to were changed, the organ-

ization

They

further added, that a

would be destroyed, which can never be done. change of organization can

the former has been rejected."

only take place in the material body, and by no means

in the spiritual

body after
n.
1

{Brie/ Exposition

10

Conjugial Love 524.)

"I have been

life

told

by

the angels that [after death] the

of the ruling love

is

is

never changed with any one,

love
;

since every one

that love
life,

his

own

wherefore to change

in a spirit,

would be

to deprive

him of

his

or to annihilate him.
is,

They
is

also stated the reason,

which

that

man

after death

no longer capable of

being reformed by instruction as in the world, because

the ultimate .plane which consists of natural knowledges

and

affections,
it

is

then quiescent, and cannot be opened

that the
interiors

because

is

not spiritual;

which

belong to the rational and natural mind, rest upon that plane like a house on its foundation ; and that it is for
this

reason that a

man remains

for ever
'

such as the

life

of his love had been in the world.' {Heaven and Hell

n. 480.)

"By
purified

washing the

feet is

meant

to purify the natural

principle of

man

for unless this principle in

lives

man be
it

and cleansed when he

in the world,
;

cannot afterward be purified to eternity

natural principle
is

for

such as his
;

when he

dies, such

it

remains

nor

CHARACTER REMAINS UNCHANGED WHY?

is it

17

afterward amended, since

it is

that plane into

flow,
it

which

interior things

which are

spiritual
this
is

being their
interior

receptacle;

therefore

when when

perverted,

things when they The case herein

flow in, are perverted in like manner.

is

as

the eye

other organ of sense or

member
feel

of the

occasion interior things

and act

any body on which by them no otheris

;

injured, or

wise than according to reception therein.

is

Therefore
if

it

that

man can

never be purified to eternity

he be not
;

purified as to his natural principle in the world

this is

meant by the Lord's words,

not now, but thou shalt
fes tia

What

do thou knowest
"

know

hereafter.'

{Arcana Ca-

10,243.)
there are degrees belonging to the
life
is

Then

mind

and

the influx of

through the higher degrees to the

life

lower; and the quality of the

character of the individual,
is

that inflows, or the

according to the form of

If this

the natural degree which receives the influx.

degree

is

in

a disordered or hellish form,

it

changes

God's love and wisdom

sites;

as they flow in, into their

oppo-

comparatively as the fox-glove or deadly night-

shade changes the sunshine and the rain and the sweet

dews of heaven into poison.

But

if this

degree be re-

generated or restored to order, then the whole

regenerated.
ural form,

man

is

Life being received into an orderly nat-

is felt

and manifested

as the true

life.

The

character, therefore, of the lower or natural degree

it

of a man's mind, since

determines for ever the quality

Ii8
of the
life

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

that inflows, must necessarily determine for

ever the character of the man.

The

interior life

is

ter-

minated

in,

and therefore takes on the character

life, just

of,

the

external or natural

as the light

and heat of the

sun, terminating in hideous forms

and excrementitious

substances, take on the ugliness of the one and the offensiveness of the other.

Accordingly Swedenborg says

"A

man's

interiors are distinguished into degrees,

and

in every

degree are terminated, and by termination sepa;

rated each from the interior degree

and

this

from the

inmost to the outermost.

are most distinct
his interiors a
;

hence,

if
its

These degrees in man he lives in good, he is as to

. .

heaven in

least form, or his interiors

correspond

to

the three heavens.

life

And

therefore if a

man

has lived the

of charity and love, he can after

:

death be translated even into the third heaven

order to acquire such a capacity,
his degrees be well terminated,
it is

but in

necessary that all

and thus by terminations be distinct from each other; and when they are terminated, or
is

by terminations are made

distinct,

every degree

a plane in which the good inflowing from the Lord

Without these degrees as planes is received. but flows through, as through received be cannot good a sieve or a perforated basket, even to the sensual [plane],
rests

and

and

changed to what is filthy, viz., into the delight of self-love and the love of the world, consein that
is

quently into the delight of hatred, revenge, cruelty, adultery, avarice, or into

mere voluptuousness and luxurious-

CHARACTER REMAINS UNCHANGED WHY?

ness,

19
as

which delight appears to those who are

.
.

in

it

good.

"In

the other

life

especially

it is

discovered whether

the things of a man's will have been terminated or not.

With those

in

whom

they have been terminated, there

is

is

a zeal for spiritual good and truth, or for what

just

and right j for they had done good for the sake of good and truth, and had acted justly for the sake of what is
just
like.

and

right,

not for the sake of gain, honor, and the

All those with

whom the
but
all

interiors of the will have

been terminated, are elevated to heaven, for the influent

Divine can lead them
riors of the will
;

those with

whom
and

the inte-

have not been terminated, betake themis

selves to hell, for the Divine flows through

turned

into what

is

infernal, as in the case of the sun's heat,

which

falling
'

upon

filthy

excrements, produces a foul

5145.)
is

stench.'

{Arcana

Ccelestia

"With

things relating to spiritual birth, the case

such that reception must be altogether in the natural

principle.

This

is is

natural principle

why, during man's regeneration, the first prepared to receive ; and so far
rendered capable of receiving, so
far

as this principle is

interior
tiplied.

goods and truths can be brought forth and mulFor this reason also, if the natural man be not

life

prepared to receive the truths and goods of faith in the of the body, he cannot receive them in the other

life,

and therefore cannot be saved.

This

is

what

is

meant by the expression so often used,

that, as the tree

120
falls,

NEW VIEW
so
it

OF HELL.
dies, so his state remains.
life

lies

or, as

man

For man has with him

in the other

all

the natural
is

memory, or the memory of the

permitted to use
it

external

man, but
it is

not

in that life; wherefore

there as'a

fundamental plane into which interior truths and goods

fall;

and

if

that plane

is

incapable of receiving the truths

and goods which flow

in

from an interior principle, they

'

are either extinguished, perverted or rejected.'

(Ibid.

45880
These degrees of the mind, Swedenborg
in every
tells us, exist

man, "from

his birth potentially,

and actually
the higher

when opened."
one
after death,

And

he
life

tells us, also,

how

or heavenly degrees of

are

"enters that

opened and that every degree which was opened

;

within him in the world."

238.)

(Divine Love and Wisdom

But

evil, or the indulgence of a supremely selfish

and worldly love by the natural mind, closes more and more firmly the higher or heavenly degrees.

"In such

man

[one

who

'delights in

all

kinds of

wickedness, as in adultery, fraud, revenge, blasphemy,

and so on']
firmly closed

the

spiritual

mind

is

more and more

the confirmation of the evil by the false

it.

especially closes

Therefore evil and the

false

once
can

confirmed, cannot be extirpated after death;

this

only be done
I

in the

world by repentance." (Ibid. 262.)

have quoted freely that the reader

sons given by Swedenborg himself,

love cannot be changed after death
;

may see the reawhy a man's ruling

and why, therefore,

CHARACTER REMAINS UNCHANGED WHY?

the hells must be eternal in duration.

121

And

they are

reasons, we observe, growing out oT, harmonizing with, and making indeed a part of, his grand and comprehensive system of spiritual philosophy. So that, in adopt-

ing a different view from the one he has taught in regard

to the duration of the hells

in

denying

their eternity, in

and

insisting that,

some time or other and

some way

or other, the ruling love will be changed after death,

and the devils be

all

converted into angels

we not only
his
tot-

reject a doctrine as clearly revealed as

anything can be,

but

we

are compelled also to sweep

away so much of
life's

spiritual

philosophy as would leave his whole system

tering.

We

are compelled to deny that the

love

can become so inwrought into the spiritual organism

during one's earthly pilgrimage, that an entire change
in the quality of the love

would involve annihilation, or

a total destruction of the soul's organism (C. L. 524;

H. H.

480).

We

are compelled to deny, what

we

are

repeatedly assured the angels affirm, that the interior

things of the mind, resting for ever
natural plane of
life

on the ultimate or

developed here on earth "like a

house on

its

foundation," will for ever be in harmony or

correspondence with that plane. (Ibid.)

too, that there
is

We
life

must deny,

any such eternal and indissoluble conlife

nection between the

here and the

;

hereafter, as

Swedenborg has declared

the external or natural

or that any such cleansing of

man

here below as he alleges,

is

essential to that internal purification without

11

which there

122

NEW

VIE IV OF HELL.

can be no heaven. (A. C. 10,243.)

declared existence of degrees to the

We

must deny the

;

mind

or that no

higher degree of

life

can be entered and enjoyed in the

other world, than the degree which has been opened in

this.

We

must deny that the lower or natural degree

fixed

bears any such

and permanent

relation

to

the

higher, as the eye bears to seeing or the ear to hearing.

And

considerably more must we deny,

if

we would be

consistent.

Who
has
felt

that has studied

tithe of his

Swedenborg enough to grasp a and deep comprehensive philosophy, and

constrained by the illuminating power of his

writings to acknowledge that he was, indeed, a man ordained and sent of God, dares venture on such a string of denials ? Yet they all follow inevitably from the denial of his doctrine

concerning the eternity of the

hells,

or the assumption that a man's ruling love

may be

changed

after death.

Then apply
this

to the doctrine taught

test

subject one other

that

of

all

that divinely authorized touch-stone of truth and

"By
their fruits ye

by Swedenborg on most searching one

of error expressed in the formula,

shall

know them."

Judge the doctrine by its fruits that is, by its obvious influence on the character of believers. Compare it
in
this

respect with
substitute
in

that
its

other

doctrine

which some
that

would
a

place

viz., the doctrine

man may

repent and his ruling love be changed in

CHARACTER REMAINS UNCHANGED WHY?

23

the other world, and the devils be ultimately all con-

verted into angels.

The New Church doctrine

mandments
cross
;

says:
;

"Keep
self,

the

com-

shun

evils as sins

deny
if

take up the

and follow the Lord.

For

you do not, while on

the

earth, begin the great

work of building up
and
'

kingdom

of heaven in your heart, you will have no inclination to

begin this work beyond the grave

that blessed

kingdom will, therefore, never be yours.' The other doctrine, stripped of its fine
speaking in the plainest language, says:
course, to keep the

rhetoric
is

and

"It

best, of

commandments.

This will carry you

may trample on

to heaven quickest.
all

But live as you will

the laws of
lust,

sin as

God

as

you choose

you
in-

dulge your avarice, your

ness, your hate, to

any excess

develop

your pride, your

selfish-

within you the

will

life

of hell to whatever extent

and strengthen and God

some day,

spite of yourself

and every other obstacle,

bring you out of that hellish state, and

shining and happy angel.'
'

make you a

Now

which of these doctrines

is

it

best for

men

to

believe?

most stimulating to the better part of our nature, and most helpful in repressing and reis

Which

straining the worse?

Which

is

most

likely to excite to

prayer and watchfulness? to patience and self-denial and holy endeavor? to inward and persevering conflict with
the foes of our

own household?
to

Which

is

the most

wholesome doctrine

preach

?jjjygjfcti^aost benign

S* OP THB^%

rniTTRRSTTVf

124
in
its

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
and
effects?
It is
let

practical tendency

not
us

difficult,

I think, to

answer these questions.

tree

And

remember

that

"a good
a

cannot bring forth

evil fruit, neither

'

can a corrupt tree bring forth good

possible for
lives of
false

fruit.'

Nor

is it

doctrine to exert upon the hearts and

men

a more benign influence than the truth.

IX.
DISPLA YS OF THE DIVINE BENIGNITY IN HELL.

These are the properly Liberty and Rationality. human faculties. Without them he would not be man.
These are the
accountable.
faculties

MAN

alone, of all created beings,

is

endowed with

which alone render him morally

Without them, he would have been inca;

pable of either sin or holiness

and

to

have been inca-

pable of these, he must have been something other than

man

a very
is

different being

from what he

is.

Why Why is
because

not the wolf or the bear morally responsible ?

?

every other creature incapable of sin

Simply
to

man

alone

is

other creature

endowed with what belongs

no

moral sense

the

power

to discrimi-

nate and the liberty to choose between justice and injustice,

right

and wrong;

or in other words, with the

faculties

of rationality and liberty, which alone distin-

guish

him from the brute creation and make him man.

faculties

But the very possession of these

responsibility corresponding in

involves a

magnitude to the dignity

It

and worth of the endowment.

the liability of their abuse

involves, moreover,

and

utter perversion
125

by the

11*

126
possessor,
lapse.

NEW
and the
this

VIEW OF HELL.
therefore,

possibility,

of a spiritual

And
shall

Giver of these

faculties.

must have been foreseen by the great And now comes the question
:

What

be done with a

man when he
gift

fails to

dis

charge the obligations which the

imposes? when he abuses

to the

bestowed on him

his properly

human

faculties,

and yields
nature,

promptings of his lower, carnal, animal

regardless of his obligations as a morally ac-

countable being?

What

provision should infinite Love

and Wisdom make

for those

who

violate,

and

persist in

violating, the laws of their spiritual or properly

human
had

nature?

To

say that their condition will

be the same and

their happiness the

faithfully

same

in the Hereafter, as if they

lightened

obeyed these laws, is to mind sees to be absurd.

that

utter

what every en-

As reasonably might
to

one maintain

no penalty ought
that

be attached to the
to
;

violation of physical laws;

men ought

be per-

mitted to eat arsenic without being poisoned

red hot iron without being burned
;

to handle

to leap from the top

;

of Bunker Hill
stick their

monument
full

without being bruised

or to

bodies

of pins without suffering pain.

to the

There

is

everywhere and always a penalty attached

This
is

violation of law.

both wise and

right.

Other-

wise laws would be without meaning and without force.

But

infinite
infinite

Love must make the

best possible provision

which
their

Wisdom can

suggest, for those

who

abuse

human

faculties,

and obstinately

persist in violating

the laws of their spiritual being.

It is

bound by

its

very

THE DIVINE BENIGNITY DISPLAYED.

nature to do
this.

27
?

And who
us how.

can doubt that

it

it

will

do

it

The
do

illumined Swedenborg assures us that

actually does

it;

and he

tells

Nothing can exceed the

for those

extent and

beauty of the
the provision
life

Divine beneficence, as disin

played

in

made

the

other

world, who, by a

of evil here on earth, have con-

firmed themselves in a state of opposition to the Divine,

and

to the laws of their

is

own

inner and heavenly

life.

"Life
borg.
racter

love,"

is

a remark often
is

made by Swedenhis
life.

And
is

a man's ruling love

to the nature
;

His cha-

according
if

of this love
vile
is

pure and
if

heavenly
love be

the love be pure

and

infernal

the

selfish.

The

ruling love

the inner and ever

active force,

outer

man

perpetually working
his

to

mould the whole

words,

tones, looks and actions

itself.

into
!

perfect correspondence with

Look
is

at the face

of an inveterate miser.

How

visibly

the spirit that prompts and sways

that of the confirmed
bestiality?

him imprinted there

Or

inebriate

is

it

not the very

image of

Or

listen to the tones of the hard-

hearted, cruel

and malignant

are

they not in perfect

?

agreement with the affections from which they proceed

hate,

So with revenge, jealousy, despair every strong manifest tendpassion or deep feeling long indulged
its

ency

is

to

mould the countenance and

the whole outer

itself.

man

into perfect correspondence with

And on
one
in

the other hand

who

has not seen the very beauty, bright-

ness and joy of heaven

beaming from the

face of

128

NEW
to the

VIEW OE HELL.
Lord and the neighbor has long
?

whose heart love

been the ruling principle of action

Now
ment

under the operation of

this

law

a law too generwhere infernal

ally recognized

called in question
evil

and too long established to be for a mowhat ought to be the appear-

ance of

spirits in the other world,

full

loves have taken

possession of their souls, from centre

Why, they ought to be monsters in form as they are in feeling and purpose. Their looks and tones ought to be the true expression of the infernal
to circumference?

loves that rule them.

Accordingly Swedenborg says

"All the

spirits

in the hells,

when

inspected

in

any

degree of heavenly light, appear in the form of their

own
evil,

evil

for every

one there

is

the effigy of his

own

because with every one the interiors and exteriors

act in unity,

the

interiors exhibiting themselves visibly

face, the

in the exteriors,

which are the

body, the speech,

and the

gestures.

Thus

their quality

is

known

as

soon

as they are seen.

In general, they are forms of conof menace against those

;

tempt of others

who do not
;

pay them respect

their interiors

of hatred of various kinds

also of

various kinds of revenge.

Ferocity and cruelty from are transparent through those forms. But
their

when

others

commend, honor, and worship them,

It
is

faces are contracted,

and have an appearance of gladness

impossible to describe in a

arising from delight.

few words

all

those forms, as they actually appear, for

is

no

one of them

similar to another.

Among

those,

how-

THE DIVINE BENIGNITY DISPLA YED.

ever,

29

who

are in a similar evil,

is

and thence

in a similar

infernal society, there

as

a general likeness, from which,

from a plane of derivation, the faces of all there In appear to bear a certain resemblance to each other.

general, their faces are hideous,

and void of

life

like

corpses; in some cases they are black; in others they

are fiery like
little

torches; in others, disfigured with

.

pimples, warts, and ulcers. monstrous ; and their speech

hatred, or revenge,
falsity,

Their bodies also are

speech of anger,

is

like the

for

every one speaks from his

to his

own
In

and

in a tone
all

corresponding

own

evil.

a word, they are

images of their

own

hell."

Heaven

and

Hell, n. 553.

And mark
Lord
!

the wonderful

here the unspeakable love and mercy of the

display of the Divine benignity
!

The

devils are not permitted to see themselves or each

other as the hideous creatures they really are.

They

only appear under these disgusting and loathsome forms

when

seen, as
;

Swedenborg saw them,

Seen in the
it

in the

light of

heaven

for this light alone reveals the real quality of

false
is.

persons and things.

and fatuous glare

of

character of the devils their internal and external de mercifully concealed from themselves and formity
is

hell,

nothing

appears as

really

And

so the true

from each other.

Their dreadful wickedness does not

seem

to

them wickedness, but praiseworthy shrewdness.

to

Their unmitigated foolishness seems

ness at
all,

them not foolishto

but rarest wisdom.

I

They do not appear

130

NEW VIEW

OF HELL.
are, but like a

each other like the horrid monsters they

very respectable class of people. In their own light, and to each other's eyes, they look not hideous but quite human. Their bitter and fiendish tones have in them

nothing harsh or grating to each other's ears;

on the

contrary they seem quite agreeable and even musical to them. Accordingly Swedenborg, after describing the loathsome appearance of the devils as seen by himself in
the clear light of heaven, adds
:

"It

is,

however, to be observed, that such

spirits

is

the ap-

pearance of infernal

when

seen in the light of

heaven; but among themselves they appear like men. This is of the Lord's mercy, that they may not appear as loathsome to each other as they do to the angels. But
this

appearance is a fallacy ; for as soon as a ray of light from heaven is let in, their human forms are turned into
reality, as

monstrous ones, such as they are in

described
as
it

above

for in the light of

really is."

Ibid.
:

heaven everything appears

Again he says

"
life,

Among

the wonderful things which exist in the other

this also is

one

that,

when

the angels of heaven

look into evil

spirits, these latter have a totally different

appearance from what they have when seen among themselves.

light,

Among
which
is

themselves and
like that

in

their
fire,

own

fatuous
re-

of a coal

as before

marked, they appear

also,

to themselves in a

human

form, and
;

according to their fantasies, not without beauty

THE DIVINE BENIGNITY DISPLAYED.

but

131

when

the same spirits are looked into

is

of heaven, that light

instantly

by the angels dissipated, and they apas devils

pear with entirely different faces, each according to his

character
;

some dusky and black some

some with
skeletons;

pale ghastly faces like corpses;

some

like

and, more wonderful

ceitful like serpents,

still,

like monsters, the de-

and the most

deceitful like vipers

and others

But as soon as the angels remove their sight from them, they appear in their above
in other forms.

mentioned forms, which they have when seen

in their

own

light."

Arcana

Ccelestia n.

4533.

See also A. C.

4798.- H. H. 481.

wonderful display, indeed,

is

it

of the Lord's un-

speakable love and mercy, that

He

fernal spirits to see themselves or really are

!

does not permit inone another as they

And we
see their

have similar illustrations of the Divine be-

nignity here on earth.

The

desperately wicked never

own moral

deformity.

Their eyes are blinded

out of tenderest mercy toward them; for to see themselves as they appear in the light of heaven,

would cause
most

them unutterable agony.

hardened
villains

Take any

class of the

you can find those of a character nearest allied to that of devils, such as gamblers, thieves,
swindlers, murderers,
fornicators, pimps, pirates

does
to

any one imagine that these people see themselves

the dreadful creatures they really are
?

be

Have they any

Not one of

idea of their terrible moral

deformity?

I3 2

NEW VIEW

OF HELL.
state.

them, in their ordinary evil

How

can they ? for

they are not in the all-revealing light of heaven, but in

the fatuous light of hell
;

and

this light

which

is

real

darkness, forever blinds and bewilders.

In their

own

infernal light, these fellows appear to each other very

respectable

appear,

indeed, like

men

but in the light

of the Divine Word, or as viewed by heavenly minded

people, they appear not as

men but

as monsters.

And
evil

not only are the faces and the whole personal ap-

pearance of the devils in exact correspondence with their

loves,

but

all

their surroundings exist

in the

under the

very same law, and are produced

same way. All the objects they look upon are but the embodied forms So that their whole outward or of their own evil loves.
is

phenomenal world

a perfect reflection, under the law

of correspondence, of their internal or spiritual condition.

Accordingly we are told that the devils appear clad

filthy

in

and

tattered garments

bogs, and miry places

some of them
;

that they dwell in deserts,

in caves

and dens

by which they are surrounded, are dreary deserts, rocky and barren wastes, thorns and thistles, ferocious beasts and venomlike those of wild beasts
that

among

the objects

ous reptiles, dirty pools and heaps of

filth.

And

these

things (all of which are spiritual in their nature) are but

the

embodied forms, under

the law of correspondence,

of the filthy and infernal loves of the evil spirits themselves.

To

quote again from Swedenborg

THE DIVINE BENIGNITY DISPLAYED.

"

33

How

the delights of every one's

life

are turned into

corresponding delights after death,

may
;

indeed be known
but because that

from the science of correspondences

science
subject
is

not yet generally known, I will illustrate the

by some examples from experience. "All those who are in evil, and have confirmed them-

selves in falsities against the truths of the church,

and

especially those
light of heaven,

who have

rejected the

Word, shun the

to subterranean

and betake themselves

places,

and

to

which through the openings appear very dark, the clefts of rocks, and there hide themselves.

And

they seek such retreats because they have loved

falsities

and hated

truths

for

such caverns, and

clefts

of

rocks,

and darkness

also,

correspond to
It
is

falsities,

and

light corresponds to truth. in such places,

plains.

their delight to dwell

and

undelightful to

them

to dwell in

open

"In

like

manner do those who have taken delight

in

clandestine and insidious plots, and in the secret contrivance of fraudulent schemes caverns,
;

these, too, are in those

that they can-

and enter

into

chambers so dark

not even see one another, and there they whisper in each
other's ears in corners.

This

is

what the delight of their

love

is

turned into.
studied the sciences with no other

"They who have

end than

to acquire the reputation of learning,

and who

have not cultivated their rational faculty by means of

them, and have taken delight in the things of
12

memory

134

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

choose in preference to

from pride thence derived, love sandy places, which they fields and gardens, because sandy

places correspond to such studies.

"

of their

They who have been acquainted with the doctrinals own church and of others, and have not applied
their

knowledge to life, choose for themselves and dwell among heaps of stones, shunning rocky places,
places that are cultivated, because they dislike them.

any of

"They who have ascribed all things to nature, and they also who have ascribed all things to their own prudence, and who by various artifices have raised themselves to honors,

and have acquired wealth, apply themthe study of magical arts,

find therein the

selves in the other life to

which are abuses of divine order, and

highest delight of their
life.

divine truths to gratify their

falsified

They who have applied own loves, and thus have

them, love urinous places and odors, because

these correspond to the delights of such love.

"They who
huts,

have been sordidly avaricious, dwell in

filth,

and love swinish

and such nidorous exhalations

from indigested substances in the stomach. have who passed their life in mere pleasures, have They lived delicately, and indulged their appetites, prizing
as proceed

such enjoyments as the highest good of

mentitious things and privies in the other

life,
life.

love excre-

These are

delightful to them, because such pleasures are spiritual

filth.

They shun

places that are clean and free from

dirt, because such places are undelightful to them."

THE DIVINE BENIGNITY DISPLAYED,

35

Here, again, we are called to admire the unspeakable

love and mercy of the Lord as manifested toward those
in the other

world who are " enemies

to

him by wicked
Swedenborg

works.

' '

For we must remember that

all

greet their senses

has described

though in them appear very

The

the objects which

reality just as

different to the devils

from what they did to him, or from what they do to our imagination for we are able to contemplate them in some

degree of heavenly light.

certainly dismal enough
;

regions they inhabit are

to

but not dismal

them.

All the

objects by which they are surrounded, are really hideous and loathsome to angelic natures; but not hideous or

loathsome

to them.

The odors they

inhale, so fetid

and

offensive to angels, are

by no means
for they

offensive to them.

On

the contrary the devils find these things quite agree;

able and even delightful

their nature
;

accord perfectly with

;

they agree with their desires or loves

life.

they

are in exact correspondence with their

Everywhere and always

agreement with
cravings.
its
is

life

seeks that which

is

in

nature.

Nothing

else will satisfy its

Such

the nature of the

devils,

that

the

scenery of hell, so dismal and repulsive to our imagination,

is

quite agreeable to them

more beautiful, indeed,

to their eyes than

cence of heaven.
bestial, infernal

the

would be the splendors and magnifiTheir life being what it is degraded,

objects that surround

;

them are the

for they suit

very ones with which they are best pleased

their tastes, being in perfect correspondence with their

13^
life.

NEW
To them,
their

VIEW OF HELL.
dens and caverns seem preferable
;

to the

most gorgeous palaces of heaven

their filthy rags

;

more seemly than the shining garments of the angels their fetid stenches more grateful to their nostrils than
blest.

would be the sweetest perfume from the gardens of the "It is delightful to the devils," says Swedenborg,

"

to inhabit such places [as caverns

and

clefts

of the
fields."

rocks],

and
love

^//delightful to

them

to dwell in

open

"They

sandy places, and prefer them

to fields

and

gardens."

"They

love

mean and

squalid

brothels."

"They

love the

filth

of swine."

"They

love urinous

places and scents, because these things correspond to the delights of their life."
I

am

aware that

this will

much confirmed
jects as those

in the old ideas.

sound very strange to minds It will seem to them

utterly incredible that such unsightly

and disgusting ob-

the devils.

above mentioned, should be delightful to But they will see upon reflection that nothing

could be more reasonable.

For are there not animals

and smells here on earth
?

that delight in just such sights

If so, then these things are agreeable to

life.

some kinds of

They

are

in

perfect

correspondence with some

natures, as truly so as beautiful gardens

and the perfume

of sweetest flowers are in correspondence with the nature

of angels.

To crows and

kites the smell of carrion

is

not unpleasant, but delightful. darkness to light.

Owls and

bats prefer

Mire and
;

filth

are not unsightly, but

beautiful to the eyes of swine

and the stench of their own

THE DIVINE BENIGNITY DISPLAYED.

stye
is

37

quite agreeable to their nostrils.

;

Serpents and
;

vipers love the clefts of rocks

foxes love deserts

;

rats

prefer cellars and subterranean regions

odiles seek

turtles

and croc-

marshy places

and

to the eyes of wolves

and

bears their

own

dens, undoubtedly, seem

more

beautiful

and home-like than would the palaces of kings. Who cannot see that the things which such creatures
prefer for food, the odors they delight to inhale, and the

places they love to inhabit, affect their senses in a

manthe

ner very different from what they

do ours?
life
is

And

only reason to be assigned

ferent

is,

that their

very dif-

from the properly human.

tastes are different

Their loves and conse-

quent

from ours.

And

they choose
as

and delight in what is agreeable to their life, what is agreeable to ours. Says Swedenborg
:

we do

"The
pared

delights belonging to the lusts of evil, and those

belonging to affections for the good, cannot be com;

because resident within the former,

latter is the

is

the devil,

and within the

Lord.
lusts

If a

comparison must

be drawn, the delights of the

of evil can only be

compared
for the

to the lasciviousness of frogs in ponds,

;

and of

serpents in slimy places

while the delights of affections

good may be compared to mental delights in For things similar to those which gardens and flowers. are pleasing to frogs and serpents, are also pleasing to
those in the hells

who

are

in the lusts of evil

and

things similar to those

in gardens

which are pleasing to the mind

and

flowers, are also pleasing to those in the

12*

13S

NEW
who
are in

VIEW OF HELL.
affections for

heavens

the good.

For

as

before stated, unclean correspondences are pleasing to

the evil, and clean correspondences to the good."

Di-

vine Providence n. 40.

And
seem

are there not, even in this world, people

who

to prefer disorder, filth

and squalor,

to order, neat-

ness and

who,

if

Have you never seen persons, were they presented with the most magnificent
cleanliness?

habitation, filled and surrounded, too, with everything

beautiful,

and arranged
if left

in the

most orderly and

tasteful

manner, would,

to

do precisely

as they pleased,

convert that palatial residence into a vile and loathsome

place
in
less

than

six

months?

Are there not some

is

whose nature

(inherited,

or acquired by habit,)

so

near akin to that of certain animals, that they would

very soon convert the sweetest and most lovely place

of abode, into a squalid and disgusting stye?
nature
is

Their
far
less

such that cleanliness and order seem

filth

agreeable to them, than

and disorder.

And, place
all their

them where you

will,

they will very soon reduce

surroundings to a condition that will

clearness the state of their

reveal with great

own minds.

So on the other

hand,

place people of refinement and culture in the

humblest cabin, and they will soon make that cabin

reveal to the careful observer something of their refined

and cultivated
kind of
life
is

tastes.

And
its

the reason of this

is,

that every

delighted with, and therefore

seeks,

mat

which corresponds with

own

nature.

THE DIVINE BENIGNITY DISPLAYED.

But
it

139

does not appear after

all,

some may

say,

how

the devils, having once been

men

in the natural world,

can find delight in things which here on earth are known

to be agreeable only to a low order of animals.
It

does not?
has

Let the reader

reflect for

a moment.

What
is

made

theirs? the

those people devils?

life,
life.

What kind

of

life

too, that they have freely

It
is

chosen?
It is

It is

not angelic
life

the

of self and sense

life.

mere

not properly human.

corporeal or animal,

not celestial
truly

human

life

They have marred and spoiled their or have suffered it to become stifled

and overrun by a rank luxuriance of thorns and thistles and noxious weeds, which, if not carefully and betimes
rooted out, are sure to spring up and take possession of
the natural heart.
is left

Only a kind of
life

bestial life, therefore,

them

such

as corresponds to,

and forms the

mentioned.

very essence of, animals like those above

This

life,

therefore,

must from

its

very nature, seek and

to

find delight in scenes

and objects which are agreeable

such animals.

Considering the nature of the devils, therefore, or

the kind of
life

they have freely chosen and

made

their

own,

it

is

most reasonable that the hideous and loath-

some

by which they are surrounded, should not appear hideous or loathsome io them, but pleasant and
objects

altogether agreeable

for

they are

all

in

perfect corre-

spondence with their

sponds to
this, is

life's love.

And

whatever corre-

always perceived as delightful.

140
But
if this

NEW VIEW OF
be really
so,

HELL.
will say,

some

what

is

there,

after all,

to choose between heaven

and hell?
?

What
devils,

great advantage has one over the other

The

you

say,

have their delights as well as the angels, though

they are not delighted with precisely the same things. They have what is most agreeable to their nature. Their
surroundings as well as their associates are such as they
prefer.

freedom where they wish to go into the society of congenial spirits ; and there they feel at home. What inducement is there, then, quite great

They go

in

to strive for heaven, or to shun hell ?

It is true that

every kind of love has

is

its

delights.

But

the nature of the delight

according

to the quality of

the love.
delight.

The
The

purer the love, the more exalted the

delights of the devils, therefore, as

com-

pared with those of the angels, are as the delights of

bears and crocodiles compared with those of Christ-like

men
love,

yea, they are as the sweetness and tranquillity of

Why is God so unspeakably happy the

Because
It is

compared with the

bitterness

and unrest of hatred.

happiest Being

in the universe?

He

is

the best.

Because his

love

is

self the love of imparting

the purest.

the love of others out of

HimHis

man grows

to

be like
the

God

the

happiness.

And

the

more a

more he

receives of

unselfish love,

more does he enjoy of

that sweet

peace which

it is

in the very nature of this love to bestow.

While the

less

of this love he receives

is,

the more

selfish

and tm-Wkt the Lord he

the

more does he experience

THE DIVINE BENIGNITY DISPLAYED.

of that inward unrest which
site love to
it is

141

the nature of this oppo-

produce.

Who

that has ever truly loved

be

it

wife or child

does not know that in the exercise of disis

husband, mother,

interested love, there

an unspeakable

bliss

which the

world cannot give ?

peace

to all

The Lord promises peace his own who humbly acknowledge Him, and wilthemselves

lingly

consecrate
I

on

the

altar

of duty.

" Peace
peace
but in

leave with you," says

He
is

to all such
true peace

"my

give unto you."

;

There

nowhere

Him

nowhere but
'

in the reception

and exercise

of his unselfish love.

shall

Therefore

He

says:

"In me ye
followed

have peace.'

And when

those

who have

Him

in the regeneration, enter the spiritual

world and

come more

fully into their life's love,

they will receive

in greater fullness than ever before the delights of that

love.

They

will

then know, from the sweet seraphic

joy that floods their souls, the full

"Enter thou

into

meaning of the words, the joy of thy Lord."

But they who have yielded habitually to the promptings of their lower nature, regardless of

God and

the

good of the neighbor, and have not denied self, taken up the cross, and followed the Divine Master these, when they enter the other world, come more fully into

the

life

and delights of

self-love.

And what

are these?

The

delights of fraud, hatred, revenge, adultery, blas-

phemy, wickedness of every kind; delights, indeed, to those whose ruling love is the love of self, but torment

I4 2

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

and unmitigated misery when compared with the pure

ecstatic delights of angelic love. Therefore these persons are represented as receiving the sentence, " Depart

from me, into everlasting

his angels.'
'

fire

prepared for the devil and

The truth, then, summarily stated, is: that all life, from that of the highest angel in heaven down to that of the meanest creature here on earth, has its delights ;
for life
is

love,

and

all

love has

its

delights.

The degree

of happiness which each creature enjoys, depends upon

the character of his delights
altation of his delights,
;

and the character or ex-

depends on the nature or quality

of his love.

And
life

as far as the

nity the bestial

as far as

human transcends in digman surpasses the brute in

his powers, so far

wisdom or

in the extent

and variety of

has he the capacity of enjoyment above (yes, and of

misery below) that of the brutes, and so

far

does the

happiness of the angels exceed that of the devils.

Is

not this

new view of

hell in the highest degree ra-

tional ?

What can be more

life

reasonable, (in view of the

kind of
their

which infernal

spirits

have voluntarily made

own) than that they should be totally oblivious of

their

own

condition

that they should

be unable to see

themselves or one another or the objects that surround

them, as they really are

that everything should

it is,

seem
it

to

them quite

different

from what

and from what

heaven
?

act-

ually appears

when viewed

in the light of

that

THE DIVINE BENIGNITY DISPLAYED.

they should

43

remain forever ignorant of realities, and spend an eternity in the midst of shadows and phantasms? (See Arcana
Coelestia

4623.)

And what

unspeakable

benignity in our Heavenly

!

Father, does this doctrine display

When

his children
;

have wandered

far

from the way of his commandments

when they have wisdom and the

shut their souls against the light of his

purity of his love, and confirmed them;

selves in a life of evil

He

loves

them

still

loves them

too tenderly to permit

are.

them

to see

where and what they

He

loves them, and, for their

own good,

merci-

fully provides that they remain forever oblivious of

what

they were created to be

to see themselves or

that they shall not be permitted

each other as monsters, but as

men

that the loathsome objects

which surround them, and

which

shall not
shall

own evil loves create by an unfailing law, seem loathsome but pleasing to them ; that they still enjoy what they call delights delights, too, as
their

elevated as the kind of

selves, will possibly

life

they have formed for them-

admit
find a

of.

Where
Lord's

shall

we

more

striking display of the

is

infinite

and unspeakable mercy, than

presented

in the wonderful provision

He

has

made
'

for the

comfort

and highest welfare of the devils? His love is, indeed, " His unfathomable. Who can unmercy is forever.'
fold his marvelous loving-kindness?
forth all his praise?"

"Who

can show

144

NEW
is

VIEW OF NELL.
to all,

"The Lord
over
all his

good

and

his tender mercies are

works."

"Whither
I flee

shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven,
;

thou art there

art there."

if I

make my bed
it

in hell, beheld, thou

"Ye
"But

have heard that

hath been said,

Thou

shalt

love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.

I

say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them

that curse you,

for

do good

to

them

that hate you,

and pray
;

them which

despitefully use

you and persecute you

on the
just

"That ye may be
is

the children of your Father which

his sun to rise
evil

in

heaven

for

He maketh

and on the good, and sendeth rain on the

the unjust."

and on

X.
IS

HELL TO UNDERGO ANY CHANGE? IF SO OF WHAT NATURE?

has disclosed with great clearness

SWEDENBORG the condition

Nor does he pretend

of the wicked in the other world.

to give us

subject, but to set forth

when
what
sists.

his spiritual

merely his opinion on the what he actually heard and saw He has told us senses were opened.

sort of people

he found

in hell, or of
:

whom

it

con-

To

cite his

own language

" Hell

consists of spirits

who, while living

in

the

world, denied God, acknowledged nature, lived contrary

to divine order, loved evils

and

falsities

(although not so

much

before the world on account of the appearance)

in regard to truths,

and who, therefore, were either insane

or despised and denied them,
in
if

not with the mouth, yet

heart [and in their lives].

Of

all

such,

who have

lived from the creation of the world, hell consists."

Athanasian Creed

n. 41.

The wickedness

of the infernals

is

described as terrible

surpassing
" These
13

all

belief.

" Speaking of their malignity,

they were told
145

cunning, fraud, deceit, and cruelty," he says:

are such

and so great

that, if

M6
believe
it.

NEW
The

VIEW OF HELL.

only in part, scarcely an individual in the world would

infernals are so

likewise so wicked

cunning and

artful,

and

in short they are of such a cha-

racter, that they cannot possibly be resisted by any man, nor even by any angel, but by the Lord alone " A.C.

6666.
lives

And
on

speaking of those

who have

lived

wicked

earth,

and have

interiorly denied the Divine, he

life,

says:

"Such

persons in the other

when they come

for

into the state of their interiors,

and are heard

;

and seen
evil
lusts

to act,

appear as if infatuated
all

to speak from their

tions

they break out into

manner of abominaridicule,

into

contempt of others,

blasphemy,

hatred and revenge.

They some of them with such cunning and malice,

scarcely be
exist

contrive plans of mischief,

that
it

can

believed that anything of the kind

could

in
;

any man."

"They

lay snares;

they cherish

hatred

they burn with revenge, and seek to vent their

all

rage against

who do

not submit themselves to them.

... At
may

last

they deliberate with themselves

how

they

climb up into

heaven so as to destroy

that, or

be

worshiped there

as gods.

To

such lengths does their

madness go.

Those of

this class

who have been

of the
rest.'*

Roman

Catholic religion, are more insane than the

earth]

"[When on
against
all

they desired to

be worshiped as

gods, and therefore burned with hatred and revenge

who did

not acknowledge their power over the

souls of

men and

over heaven.

They

still

cherished the
in the world,

same disposition which distinguished them

ANY REFORMATION THERE?

that
is,

147

the

same hatred and revenge against those who

Their greatest delight
is is

oppose them.

to

exercise

cruelty; but this delight

for in their hells

turned against themselves;

one rages like a madman against another who derogates from his divine power." And, as " within their are be habitations, expected, they might and blows in continual fightquarrels, enmities, engaged
ings, while in the streets

and

lanes of their cities are robII

beries

and depredations" Heaven and He

is

506,

'8, 86.

Such

the sad condition in the great Hereafter of

those who, while on earth, have disregarded

and tramlife,

pled on the laws of their spiritual and heavenly

and

have thereby brought themselves into a state to love

darkness rather than light, and evil rather than good.

And

the ruling love,

we

are told, can never be changed

in the other world.

Swedenborg has

told us of various kinds of hells

which

he was permitted to inspect*

societies are precisely alike
;

for

no two of the

infernal

and their punishments are

state of things in hell,
:

* In order

that

he might learn the actual

from his own personal observation, he says

"

was sometimes

let

down

thither. to

To

be

let

down
it is

into hell,

is

not to be translated from

one place
ciety,

another; but

an immission into some infernal so-

while the person remains in the same place." On one of these occasions, he continues, " I clearly perceived that a kind of

column, as
stronger
;

it

were, encompassed

me, which

became

sensibly

and

perceived also that this was the wall of brass spoken

of angelic spirits, in order that I might be
the unhappy."

of in the
let

Word, formed
in safety

down

among

Arcana

Calestia 699.

14$

NEW
and needs.

VIEW OF HELL.
Thus he speaks of " the

as various as their characters, but admirably adapted to

their states
hells of

those

who have

spent their lives in hatred, revenge, and

cruelty;" of "the hells of those

tery
ful

who have

lived in adul-

and lasciviousness;" of "the

hells of the deceit-

;" of

"the

hells of the covetous

and of robbers;" of

"the

hells of those

who have

lived in merely carnal

pleasures," etc.
features of
ities.

And
all

while the ruling spirit and general

its

them

are the same, each has

peculiar-

Without attempting any detail of these, I will quote one or two passages from his account of "the hells of those who have passed their lives in adulteries and
lasciviousness,"

and leave the reader

to

form

his

own

judgment.

"Those who
after

find their chief delight in the spoils of

virginity, having

no regard

to

marriage or

issue,

and

who,

compassing

their lustful ends,

conceive an

aversion for their victims, and then leave them to prostitution, suffer the

most grievous punishment

is

in the other

world.
spiritual,

For

their life
celestial.

contrary to all order, natural,

and

Not only
is

is

it

contrary to con-

jugial love,

which

in

heaven

accounted most holy, but

se-

also to innocence,

which they wound and destroy by

ducing innocent beings into a course of prostitution, who might have been initiated into conjugial love; for the
first

delights of love, as

is

well

known, introduce
of

virgins

to chaste conjugial love,

and conjoin the minds of marthe

sanctity

ried

partners.

And

since

heaven

is

ANY REFORMATION THERE?

149

founded on conjugial love, and on innocence, the destroyers of such love must needs be murderers interiorly."

And

after giving

some account of the

terrible punishsuffer in the

ment which

this class of persons

:

have to

other world, he continues

"This punishment returns many times and a thousand years, until they become
horror at these
lusts.

for

a hundred

affected with
off-

have been informed that the

spring of such parents are worse than other children on

account of their constitution, derived hereditarily from

the father, partaking of his nature.

Therefore children

are seldom born from such connections

they do not remain long

in this

world."

A. C. 828.

or

if

they are,

And what
world
?

does he say of the innocent victims of these

wicked persons, some of

whom

he met in the other

"There

are

prostitution,

young girls who have been enticed and persuaded that there was no evil in
were well disposed.

to
it,

who

in other respects

These, not

having yet attained to an age capable of knowing and judging correctly of the nature of this kind of life, have
a certain instructor set over them in the other world,
is

who

very severe, and chastises them whenever they give

their thoughts to such wantonness,

and of

whom

they are

much
is,

afraid.

In this

way they become vastated."

the time of vastation
;

That

they are carried through a certain reformatory course

of discipline; and

"when
into

is

over,

they are taken

13*

up

heaven

and being

novitiates,

t$0

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

they are instructed in the truths of faith by the angels

among whom

they are received.'

is
it

'

A. C.

1106, '13.

But very different

with another class of females

whom
on
ceitful,

he met

in the spiritual world,

and who were, when

earth, persons of

most captivating manners, but de-

ambitious and destitute of conscience.

the female sex

" There are some of

the

who have

lived in

indulgence of

their

inclinations,

regarding only
total

themselves and the world, and making the sum

life

of

and

its

delights to consist in external

decorum, in

consequence of which they have been particularly esteemed in polished society. They have thus, by practice,

acquired the power of insinuating themselves into

the good graces of others by specious pretences and a

fair exterior, for the

purpose of gaining an ascendency

over them.

Hence

their life has

been one of simulation

churches like other
to appear upright

and

deceit.

They used

to frequent

people, but for

;

no other purpose than

and pious being, moreover, destitute of conscience, and extremely prone to wickedness and adulteries when
able to conceal them.

Such persons

in the other

world
is,

think as they did here, not knowing what conscience

and making a mock of those who speak of

enter into the affections of others

it.

They

by a pretended honand innocence, which with esty, piety, compassion, them are a means of deceiving ; and whenever external
restraints are

removed, they plunge into the most wicked

practices.

and obscene

These are they who

in the other

ANY REFORMATION THERE?

world become enchantresses or
sorceresses,

15

some of
expert in

whom
arts

are denominated sirens,

earth.'
'

who become
"

unknown on

Some of
"

these arts are described.

at
will.

They can assume

artifice

the likeness of others"

By cunning

they can inspire every one with an affection for them."

"They
spirits

have the power of representing to the view of

a bright flame encompassing the head, and this

is

which
ment.

an angelic token

to several at the

same mo-

They can feign innocence by various methods,

even by representing infants

excite others

whom

they kiss

they also
.
.

whom
is

they hate to murder them.

Their nature

so persuasive that

and hence

their

no one suspects them ideas are not communicated like those

;

of other spirits; for they have eyes resembling those ascribed to serpents, seeing every

way

at

once, and having

their thoughts present everywhere.

"These
some
pents
in
;

sorceresses or sirens are punished grievously,

in
it

Gehenna, others
others

a kind of court

among

ser-

by

being, as

were, torn asunder and sub-

jected to various collisions attended with intensest pain

and

torture."

Ibid.

831.

And
are
all

this, too, for their

own good.

For there

is

noth-

ing of vindictiveness in the punishments of hell.

repressive,

They
their

corrective

and reformatory

in

design and tendency.

But will the hells remain forever as they were when

Swedenborg saw them

Is

there to be

no change

no

*5 2

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

improvement in their condition? If so, of what nature ? and how is the improvement to be effected ? The

a measure

answer to these questions has been already anticipated in but I will endeavor to make it clearer and ;

more definite. " The Lord

over
all his

is

good
'

to all,

and

his tender mercies are

works.'

He,

therefore, has regard for,

and

continually endeavors to promote the best good even of the devils. He governs the hells as well as the heavens ;

and

his love

and wisdom are

as conspicuous

and

as

active in the one realm as in the other.

But the devils

cannot be governed in the same way, or by the same

methods, as the angels.

the

The
and

latter,

because they love

Lord above

all things,

their neighbor even better

than themselves, can be led and governed by love

the love of what
is

by But the just and true and good. former, since they have no love of the Lord or their

neighbor, but love themselves supremely, can be gov-

erned only by

fear.

Self-love
;

is

perpetually encroaching

upon

the rights of others

perpetually grasping at un-

limited power;

perpetually seeking,

not to serve and

its

bless others, but to subjugate

It is, therefore,

them

to

own

control.

from

its

very nature, forever threatening

the peace and welfare of the moral universe.

And

the

only way
deavors,

this love
is

can be restrained in

its

insane en-

through fear

the

fear of

punishment.

The only way,

hells,

therefore, that the

Lord can reach the

influence,
is

and exert upon them a controlling

ANY REFORMATION THERE?

through the

153
that

medium

of fear.

It is in this

way

He

comes

to,

and manifests

his love for, the devils.

He

does

not hate them.

He

does not turn his face away from

them.

He

does not take delight in tormenting them, as

;

Christians have hitherto believed and taught

it.

far

from

On

the contrary his love for

them

is

like that of a

kind and benignant father for his disobedient children,

only infinitely more tender.
It
is

not

less

strong for

them, than
in

it is

for

men on

heaven

no,

earth, or even for the angels

nor

less active in its efforts to

promote

their highest welfare.

But because they have quenched

his holy Spirit in their hearts

because they have refused

rebellious children.

to listen to his loving voice,

which evermore seeks to

lead

men

freely in

the path to heaven, therefore they

must be governed

like

wayward and
fear.

They

cannot be governed as the angels are by love;

Therefore the Lord

they can only be governed by

permits them to be punished from time to time, with

more or

less severity

according to the stubbornness of

the

their dispositions or

measure of their perversity.

And

this, too, for their

own good

precisely as a wise

and loving father

will chastise his disobedient children,

not because he delights in causing them pain, but because

he wishes, for their good, to subdue their rebellious dispositions,

and prevent them from injuring themselves and

the

others

through

unrestrained

indulgence

of

their

wrong
It is

inclinations.

precisely in this

way

that the

Lord deals with the

154

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
and rebellious
chil-

evil spirits in hell

his disobedient

dren.

He

permits them to suffer punishment from time

;

to time, but never without an end of use

for their

never, but
says
:

own
to

or others' good.

As Swedenborg
and torment
It

"The Lord
other
life]

turns all punishment

[in the

some good

use.

would be impossible

that there should be

less

any such thing as punishment, unuse were the end aimed at by the Lord ; for the
is

Lord's kingdom

kingdom of ends and

uses." {Ar-

cana

Ccelestia 696.)
this is

And
hells,

the use intended by punishment in the

it

and the use which

actually accomplishes
it

It

excites fear

and dread by the pain

produces

and thus

the devils are constrained, through fear of punishment,

to

moderate their insanities, and restrain

in

some meas-

ure their evil inclinations.

And

although the lust of

of the

doing
devils

evil
is

forever

remains, yet the condition

rendered vastly more tolerable when they have been reduced to a state in which they dare not do the
evil to

which they are inclined; and are kept

in this

state

through fear of punishment.

a government of fear and force, therefore

Under

the

only kind of government

fernals

suited to the states of the in-

and through the instrumentality of punishments

administered by divine permission, a change in the condition of the hells is perpetually going on, though not such an internal reformation as will result in obliterating

ANY REFORMATION THERE?

Swedenborg says "All the inhabitants of
:

55

their existence, or in finally converting the devils into

angels.

hell are

governed by fears;
still

some, by fears implanted in the world, which

their influence
;

retain

but because these fears are not sufficient,

and likewise

lose their force

;

erned by fear of punishment

pal

by degrees, they are govand this fear is the princi-

means of deterring them from doing evil. The punishments in hell are various, more mild or more
severe according to the nature of the evils to be restrained.

excel in
rest in

For the most part the more malignant who cunning and artifice, and are able to keep the
terror thereby inspired, are set over the others

a state of submission and slavery by punishments

;

and the

but these governors dare not go beyond the limits prescribed to them. It is to be observed that the fear of

punishment

is

the only
hells:

and fury of the

J7e//543.

means of restraining the violence there is no other." Heaven and

"They who
Lord, and that

have not in the world acknowledged the all good and truth are from Him and
resist evils as

nothing from man, cannot

after death; for they are
;

of themselves
in

in

evils

and

the delight

thereof grounded in love

their love, their
is

and

to resist the delight of

to resist themselves, their

own

nature and

one occasion the experiment was made whether they were able to resist evils while the punishments of hell were announced to them, yea, while
life.

own

On

I5 6

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
felt
;

they were seen and likewise

but

it

was in vain,

for

they hardened their minds, saying,

let

come what
more

will,

provided only that we are in the delight and joy of our

hearts while

we

are here.

We

shall not suffer

evil

than

many
evil

others.

But after a stated time they are cast

into hell,
to

do

where they are compelled by punishments not but punishments do not take away the ;
purpose,

will,

the

and

consequent thought of
act." Apocalypse

evil

they only prevent the evil

n. 1165.

Explained

" While man

lives in the

world, he

is

kept continually

in a state capable of being reformed, provided he desists

from

evil

from a

free principle.

But his

life

follows

him

after death,

and he remains

in the state

which he had
life in

procured to himself by the whole course of his

world.

the

Then he who was

;

in evil,

of being reformed
tion with

and

lest

no longer capable he should have communicais

any society of heaven, and

all

truth

and good are

taken away from him, in consequence of which he re-

which principles increase according to the faculty of receiving them which he has acquired in the world ; but he is not permitted to pass
mains
in the evil
false,

beyond

the acquired bounds.

His

state then

is

such

that he cannot any longer be

amended
and
this

as to his interiors,

but only as to his exteriors

by

fear of punishspirit at

ments, which, being often repeated,

last to

compel the

abstain from evil, which he does, not in freedom

lust

but through compulsion, the

of doing evil

still

re-

ANY REFORMATION THERE?

maining
;

57

this lust

is

held in check by fears, as was said,

which

fears are the external

and compulsory means of

amendment.
life."

Such

is

the state of the evil in the other

Arcana

Ccelestia

6977.

"Every

evil spirit in the other life brings

punishment

and torment on

himself,

by casting himself into the

midst of the diabolical crew

who

act as the executioners.

into hell, but desires to

The Lord never sends any one

bring
all

out of hell

still

less

does
it

He

inflict

torment.

But as the
turns
all

evil spirit

rushes into

himself, the

Lord

punishment and torment to some good account. There would be no such thing as punishment if use were
not the end aimed at by the Lord
;

for his

kingdom

is

kingdom of ends and uses

spirits are able to

but the uses which infernal

;

perform are most ignoble

yet

when

they are engaged in the performance of these uses, they

are not in a state of so great misery [as at other times]."

Ibid. 696.

" Man

in the other life enters into

new

states

and un-

dergoes changes.

They who are being elevated into and when they have been elevated, afterwards heaven,
But they

advance forever towards perfection.

being cast into
cast in,
hell,

who

are

and afterwards when they have been endure sufferings more and more grievous, which

are continued until they dare not

do

evil to

any one.

And

afterwards they remain in hell to eternity.

They

cannot be drawn out, because they cannot be gifted with

the ability to
14

do good

to

any one, only not to do m'/from

I5 S

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
doing
it
'

fear of punishment, the lust of

always remaining.'

Ibid. 7541.
Such, then,
in the hells,
is the nature of the change that is going on and such the means by which it is accomAnd even in the punishments which are there

plished.
inflicted,

we have a

manifestation of the Divine benevo-

For the purpose of these is, the amelioration of the condition of the devils ; an end altogether worthy
lence.

of infinite Love, but one which infinite

Wisdom

sees

could not be attained without the instrumentality of punishment.

ity,

To

withhold the exercise of

this instrumental-

would not be an act of benevolence, and hence not agreeable to infinite Love ; for this Love fortherefore,

ever regards the end to be accomplished, and wisely per-

mits temporary suffering as a means toward the attain-

ment of

that end.

Through the

instrumentality of punishments, therefore,

severe and oft-repeated, the hells are undergoing an im-

provement not unlike that which goes on in a well governed penitentiary here on earth. They are being reformed outwardly, but not inwardly; not as to their spirit or ruling purpose, for no internal reformation is
ever effected by punishment or the fear of
it.

All that
restrain,

punishment can ever do,

is

to intimidate

and

and so prevent the actual commission of evil deeds, the disposition to commit them still remaining.

By means
community

of a strong police and severe punishments, a of thieves and murderers

may be

restrained,

ANY REFORMATION THERE?

59

and kept in some degree of external order; but theft and murder (or the spirit that prompts them) still remain in
their hearts;

and

will break forth into

outward act as

soon as the police are out of the way, or there is no longer any fear of punishment. You cannot drive love
pure, unselfish love

into

human

hearts with bullets or

bludgeons, by infantry or artillery, by cavalry or police.

Our

state

prisons furnish a

good

illustration

of the

by Swedenborg ; and the external imwhich has been going on in many of these for provement the last thirty years, through a wise administration and a
hells as described

firm government, will give us some idea of the nature and extent of the improvement that is going on in the
hells.

And
that
it

while this

is

not such as will result in finally

changing

their essential character or ruling love, let us

hope

may, however, be carried so

far as to
if

render

the condition of the devils quite tolerable

not happy.

Let us hope

that, ultimately,

they

may
life

be reduced to

such a state of external order, that

even the

low

and

selfish

kind of

life

made

their

own

will

which they have chosen and be esteemed by them a blessing

and not a

curse.

In a community here on earth, where a great majority

of the people have a conscience and are actuated by principle, the sphere of law and order, of justice and
right,
is

usually so strong that there

is

rarely

break of the hells through the minority.

are kept in subjection

any outThese latter

selfish

and order by purely

and

Ibo

NEW VIEW
own temporal

OF HELL.
an enlightened regard

prudential considerations
to their

from

interests, or through fear of dis-

grace, punishment, or worldly loss of

like

some

sort.

So from

and under the rigid discipline to which the devils are subjected and which I have here
considerations,
hastily outlined,

the universal hell

may

ultimately be

brought into such complete subjection to the angelic

heaven, (whose numbers and influence,
it is

believed, are

continually increasing), that the violent commotions and

outbreaks which are

now

so frequent, will entirely cease.

easily see that, although
as to their essential

When

this takes place,

still

we can

the hells will

remain unchanged

nature, they will be like the tamed tiger

submissive,
by
their

and therefore harmless.

We

can

see, too, that,

subjection to the heaven of angels, or to the emanating

and controlling sphere of law and order, their own peace and comfort will be increased, and the welfare of the
moral universe promoted
to

an extent beyond the power

of imagination to conceive.

Such

is

a brief outline of the

New

Doctrine of Hell

a doctrine

which builds

itself

constitution and laws of the

human

impregnably upon soul, which accords

the

with the teaching of sound philosophy, with the dictates of reason, with the facts of history, with the record of

human

experience, and with the teachings of Scripture

rationally

and

spiritually interpreted.
is

How

different this doctrine

from the one taught in

ANY REFORMA TION THERE ?

the literal sense of

61

the

Word, and generally accepted

!

among

Christians a hundred years ago

It

presents us

not with an angry and vindictive

God

delighting in the

sufferings of his disobedient children, but with a tender

and loving Father pitying

their infirmities,

and pursuing

them with outstretched arms of mercy through all their wanderings, and even into the lowest depths of degradaAnd if, in the exercise of the freedom tion and sin.
vouchsafed to every

human

being, they choose to unfold

only the lower or sensuous part of their nature

to

choose
is

make

their

bed

in hell,

behold the loving Father

there, restraining, correcting, controlling

them

in the

manner

best suited to their

and governing condition and

needs; chastising them for their own good, and granting them the enjoyment of such delights as belong to the
life

their

which they have developed within them and made own; mercifully closing their minds against the

light of heaven, that they

may

not see where and what

all

they really are

providing for each and

spirits

home

in

the society of congenial

nature impels

home which

their
freely

them

to seek,

and

to

which they go as

and

as willingly as the inebriate goes to the gin-shop or

lair.

the leopard to his

And

the practical tendency of this doctrine, like that

is

of every other that

true, is

most salutary.

While

it

proclaims the infinite love and mercy of God, and his

ceaseless desire

and

effort to save all,

is

it

at the

same time

shows us that salvation

a work which not even almighty

H*

62
itself

NEW VIEW

OF HELL.

Love

tion ; that the heavenly life into us

can accomplish without our willing co-operacannot be forced upon us nor

by our
conflict
life,

by almighty power, but can only be wrought out own volition or built up through struggle and

and

self-denial

and obedience

to the laws of that

in us to will

the Lord meanwhile " working

his

and

to

do of
live
self,

good pleasure"
life

and

that unless

we

the

of heaven here on earth

take up the cross

and follow the

this

begin deny Master we

to

begin to

shall

have no desire to engage in

work

in the

realm be-

yond

the grave.

The heaven

of our minds will then be

;

closed in tender compassion for us

and the peace and

joy and unutterable

bliss

of heaven will, therefore, never

be ours.

So tremendous are the moral sanctions with which

this

new doctrine
is it

is

invested

So benign and quicken

!

ing

in its practical

tendency

XI.
THE DEVIL AND SATAN.

\T0

treatise

g a ged our

upon the subject that has thus far enattention, would be satisfactory to an
These words occur very

inquiring mind, which did not embrace an explanation

of the terms Devil and Satan,

often in the

New

Testament, and in the closest possible

connection with the term Hell.

explanation of them
?

What
is

is

Swedenborg's

Or what

the doctrine revealed

?

through him concerning the Devil and Satan

what doctrine had been generally taught and It was accepted by Christians up to the time he wrote.
that of a personal Devil

We know

an

individual of unparalleled

malignity, the implacable

enemy of both God and man,

than omnipotent power.

and endued with

this idea agrees
It also

little less

And

with the literal teaching of the Bible.

literal sense

appears from the

too, has

of some passages

(and

this,

been the accepted doctrine among

Christians) as if this almost omnipotent evil once an inhabitant of the highest heaven

foremost
all

spirit,

was

among
graces
;

one

the heavenly host

in

wisdom and

angelic

163

164
"

NEW
who,

VIEW OF HELL.
in the

happy realms of

light,

Clothed with transcendent brightness, did outshine

Myriads though bright ;"

but who, on account of his impious attempt to overthrow

the

divine government and establish himself on

the

throne of the universe, was cast

down from

heaven, and

became thereby

the prince of the bottomless pit, the

commander
xii.

in chief of all the hosts of hell.

v.
;

(See

Is.

14; Jude 6th

Rev.

ix.

11.)

Such was the generally accepted doctrine of the Devil a hundred years ago. And it is believed by many at the
present day.

A
man

high authority where definitions are in

" the question (Noah Webster), defines Satan to be grand

adversary of
;

the devil, or prince of darkness

'

the

chief of the fallen angels; the arch-fiend.'

And

in an

abridgement of his great work, we find Devil defined

thus
:

" In the

Christian

theology

fallen

angel ex;

pelled from heaven for rebellion against

God

the chief

of the fallen angels.'

'

From

these definitions

we

learn that the notion

which

Christians have generally attached to these words, has

been precisely that expressed by Milton in his great epic, where he introduces Satan as one
"
cast out

from heaven, with

all his

host

Of

rebel angels

by whose aid aspiring

above his peers,

To

set himself in glory

He trusted to have equaled the Most High and with ambitious aim If He opposed
;

THE DEVIL AND SATAN.

Against the throne and monarchy of God,

65

Raised impious war

in

heaven, and battle proud,

the almighty

With vain

attempt.

Him

Power

Hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky,

With hideous

ruin

and combustion, down

;

To

bottomless perdition

there to dwell
fire,

In adamantine chains and penal

Who

durst defy the Omnipotent to arms."

But there are not a few

and outside of

all

the

churches and

at the present

day, both within

their

number

is

who steadily increasing

old and

do not believe a word of

this

once popular doctrine of the Devil. They reject that whole story about the war in heaven, and the overthrow and expulsion of the rebel hosts, as fabulous.

And

if

any one

is

curious to

know

the origin of this no-

tion about the "fallen angels," let

him read

attentively

the critical remarks of Dr. Moses Stuart on the Apochry-

phal book of Enoch, from which

apostle Jude quoted.

it

is

evident that the

this

The conclusion of
"Probable
I

learned
it

writer

is

briefly stated thus:

must deem

to be, that

Jude has quoted the book of Enoch ; because he seems, in what he says of the angels who kept not their first estate, but left their habitation and are reserved
in chains of darkness, to allude to the
tate angels as

account of apos-

given in the book of Enoch." (Stuart on

I., p.

the Apocalypse, Vol.

51-73.)
is

The

old doctrine on this subject, then,

clearly one
age.

that belongs to a superstitious

and unenlightened

66
bears about

NEW
it

VIEW OF HELL.
Our reason and
the
it

It

the air of fable.

enlightened sentiment of the present day repudiate

utterly.

Let us turn, now, to the new doctrine revealed through

Swedenborg ; and

see if that be as unreasonable or im-

probable as the old.

elation,
is

What, according

to this

new

rev-

the Devil and Satan of Scripture?

evil spirits are not all in the

Consider that

same kind

or degree of evil.

They

are not

all alike,

men on earth or angels And

those

in heaven.

any more than There are innumerable

varieties of evil in hell, as there are of

good

in heaven.

who

are in similar kinds and degrees of evil,

prefer to be together.

They

are therefore

drawn by the

law of spiritual
devil
is

affinity into the

same

carried to that particular society

character most
finds himself at
sistible

nearly resembles his

Every whose general own. There he

society.
it

home.

He

is

drawn

to

attraction

by an

irre-

for in the other

world each one goes

Spirits

where
resist

his ruling love leads him.

can no more

or cut themselves loose from the law of spiritual

attraction, than our earth can resist or cut itself loose

from the law of material attraction.

By

virtue of this law,

evils in

goods and

and of the endless variety of the other world, both in kind and in

degree, there are in heaven and in hell a countless

num-

ber of societies, each one of which

is

in

some

specific

kind and degree of good or

evil.

All the societies in

heaven, viewed collectively, constitute one gigantic

Man

THE DEVIL AND SATAN.

or Angel

67

Homo

the

and are often called by Swedenborg Maximus Grand Man. The meaning of this is, that

the connection, interdependence,

and mutual relation

of the innumerable societies composing the whole angelic

heaven, and the uses which they severally perform, cor-

respond to the harmonious relation existing between the

different organs of the

human body, and

their respective

functions.

And

since the mutual relation

is

and dependence of

all

the angelic societies

such that the whole heaven appears

before the Lord as one symmetrical and colossal

Man

or

Angel, so the infernal societies are so related and united

that all hell appears as one gigantic
ster or Devil.

and deformed Mon-

The

difference in their appearance cor-

responds exactly to the difference in their character.

And

this is as the difference

between a single angel and

all

devil,

one of

whom
is

is

a form of

that
;

is

pure and

good, and therefore indescribably beautiful

the other a

form of
hideous.

all

that

evil

and loathsome, and therefore

what we are to un-

This, according to Swedenborg,

is

derstand by the Devil and Satan so often mentioned in

Scripture.
in
its

Each of

these

is

a collective term
all

when used

widest sense, and denotes

the infernal societies

is

viewed as a single individual.

nection
all,

There

an organic conpervades them

among
that
is

infernal spirits.

One

life

and

the

life

of self-love and the lusts therein

originating,

just as

one kind of blood, pure or impure,

l6S
courses through

NEW
all

VIEW OF HELL.
human body even
to
its

parts of the

remotest extremities.
in

And

producing the

an arm, a hand

or a finger so

slightest

whole body conspires motion of any limb a foot,

as the

all

perpetration of every wicked deed

pose, word, or work.

hell conspires in the

in every evil pur-

We

see, then, that,

according to the

New

doctrine,
is

no

single individual as chief of the fallen angels,

meant

by these Scripture terms, but all evil spirits in the comor some one of the infernal societies with whose plex,

every act and purpose the whole conspires.

Devil

is

the

term employed when

hell

is

spoken of with more especial

;

reference to the evil loves that reign there

and Satan,
its

when

it

is

spoken of with more especial reference to

false persuasions.

And
is

because

all hell is in

a state of opposition to what

good and

true,

man

spiritually,

and perpetually conspires to destroy by the sphere of evil and falsity which
from
it

continually issues
therefore

as a poisonous

exhalation,

we read
him.
e.,

that the Devil

" was a murderer from

the beginning, and abode not in the truth because there

is

no truth

in
[i.

When

he speaketh a

lie,

he speaketh

of his
is

own

according to his
it."

own

nature]; for he
falsity is in
lies

liar

and the father of

evil.

Nothing but

agreement with

Therefore nothing but

can

come
evil

forth

supremely

from the hearts of those who are essentially

selfish

when they speak from

their

own

nature.

THE DEVIL AND SATAN.

So reasonable
is

69

the view here presented,

and so much

more

satisfactory than the

it

Old doctrine,

that

we

are not

surprised to find

beginning to be accepted by some of

the acutest minds and profoundest thinkers even

among
by
fas-

those

commonly

reputed orthodox.

To

cite

here,

way of

illustration,

a single passage from that most

cinating work, Nature

and

the Supernatural,

from the

pen of Dr. Horace Bushnell, unquestionably one of the

ablest theologians in America.

Speaking of the doctrine

of the Manichees or disciples of Zoroaster, this writer

says:

"

If their

as a being,

good principle, called and their bad principle

God by

us, is

taken

as only a condition

privative

one as a positive and

real cause, the other as

bad
to

possibility that environs

fact

God from
even
so.

eternity, waiting
fact

become a

and certain to become a

given,
it is

whenever
it

the opportunity

is

And

then

fol-

lows that the

moment God

creates a realm of powers, the

bad

possibility as certainly

becomes a bad

actuality, a

Satan, or Devil, in esse ; not a bad omnipresence over

against

God, and

rible conception
evil

but an outbreaking

his equal

that

is

a monstrous and horevil

or empire of

in created spirits,

according to their order.

is

For

Satan, or the Devil, taken in the singular,

not the

name of any
sist

particular person, neither

is it

a personation
as

merely of temptation, or impersonal

;

evil,

many
name

in-

for there

is

really

no such thing
;

as impersonal evil
is

in the sense of moral evil

15

but the

name

that

NEW
many
is

VIEW OF HELL.
bad thoughts
is

generalizes bad persons or spirits, with their

any single one of them who, by distinction or pre-eminence, is called

Satan, or Devil,

or characters,

in one.

That there

wholly improbable.

The name

is

one

taken up by the imagination, to designate or embody, in

a conception the
total

mind can most

'

of bad minds or powers.'

pp.

easily wield, the all or

134,

'5.

do not know whether

this learned writer derived the

view here expressed from Swedenborg, or whether he reached it by a kind of spiritual intuition. In either
case the testimony of such a

mind

is

equally valuable.

The

doctrine,

we

see,

is

identically the

same

as

that

revealed through Swedenborg.

Pursuing our inquiry,

we

find that the

word Angel

is

used in Scripture in a manner similar to the word Devil,

as explained

by Swedenborg.

Sometimes

it

is

used to

denote a single individual, sometimes a single angelic

society,
is

an angel in the largest form.

and sometimes the whole angelic heaven which Thus the seer of Patthe angels of the churches of Ephesus,

mos speaks of
societies

Smyrna, Thyatira, etc., by which are meant the angelic connected with and presiding over these churches.
read also
in

We

Psalms:

"The

angel of the Lord

encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivHere "the angel of the Lord" means ereth them."
the

whole angelic heaven. But heaven is the same in each and

in the whole.

all

of

its parts,

as
is

it is

Therefore the word angel, which

THE DEVIL AND SATAN.

sometimes used
in Scripture to

171

denote the whole angelic

is

heaven, or some society thereof,

{angels) to denote

also used in the plural

;

two or more individuals

for every

angel

is

a heaven in the smallest form.

Similar remarks
use of the
lective

may be made
It is
all

with reference to the

word

devil.

used in the singular as a colhell

term to denote

in the

complex;

and

again we find the same word often used in the plural

(devils),

denoting individual evil

spirits,

or the constit-

uent parts of hell, which are similar in character to the

whole.

We

use the term

it

man

in precisely the

sometimes apply
to the race.
It

to a single individual,

same way. We and sometimes

is

often used in this latter sense in the

Bible, as a collective term.

made man
the

in his

own image."
shall

As where " Man

it is

said

" God

shall not live

by

bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of

mouth of God
in the plural

man

live."

Again we use

this

word

(men), when speaking of a number of

individuals, or of

mankind

in general.

And what
a kingdom,

is

more common than

to hear a country,

or state, or other

community of persons
Every one speaks of
etc.,

spoken of as a single individual.

England, France, Germany, the United States,

or

the people of these countries viewed collectively, as one person, with the same familiarity and the same confi-

dence of being understood, as he would speak of Mr. Smith or Mr. Jones, his next door neighbor.

172

NEW
is

VIEW OF HELL.

Now if Man
the entire

often used as a collective term to denote

race,

human

and Angel

in like

manner

to de-

note the whole angelic heaven,

why

should not Devil

be used

in the

same way

to denote all evil spirits in the

complex? or, as Dr. Bushnell expresses it, "the total of bad minds"? These are all animated by one and
the

same bad

spirit

they

all

breathe hatred, cruelty,

revenge and murder

of evil
;

they are all joined in an alliance

they

all

conspire to

work deeds of darkness ;

and viewed

collectively,

what are they but one inhuman

Monster or Devil ?

And

this

view has the clear testimony of Scripture as

its

well as of reason in

support.

For we read of one

"that was possessed with the devil,"

who was "always,

night and day, in the mountains and in the tombs, This poor, crying and cutting himself with stones."
devil-possessed creature

met Jesus

ship

and

as

soon as he saw

as He came Him "he ran and

out of the

worshiped

Him, and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high

God?"
come
are

And

Jesus,

commanding

the unclean spirit to

is

out of the man,

"asked him, What

thy
;

name?
for

And he

many." Mark
is

answered, saying,
v. 9.

My

name

is

Legion

we

And

immediately
15

after,

this

same unclean
devil,"

spirit,

called

in verses as

and 16 "the
spirits."

spoken of in the plural

"the unclean

and "all the devils."

There are a number of other names by which the Devil

THE DEVIL AND SATAN.

is

73

called in Scripture, each of

which expresses something

;

of the essential nature of hell

bottomless
pit,

such

as,

Angel of the

Prince of this world, Prince of darkness,

Destroyer, Beelzebub, Belial, Adversary, Accuser,

ceiver,

De-

Liar,

Murderer,

Tormentor, Serpent, Lucifer,

Leviathan and Dragon.

Such are the

significant

names

which we
lective

find in the Bible

sometimes applied
in

to the col-

body of

evil spirits

the other world, who,

viewed as one individual, are more frequently called the

Devil and Satan.
justify the following

And how

completely do such names

:

language of Swedenborg

"As
tutes as

heaven, from the Lord, by mutual love, constiit

were one
is

Man

or one soul, and thus regards

all

one end which

eternity
self-love
;

the preservation and salvation of

to

so on the other

hand

hell,

from proprium, by
that
is,

and the love of the world,

by hatred,

one Devil or one mind, and thus regards one end, which is the destruction and damnation of all to
constitutes
eternity.

That such

is

the tendency of each has been

granted

me

to

perceive

many

thousands

of

times.

{Arcana

Ccelestia 694.)

We

thus see that the

is

New

doctrine *on this, as on other

subjects,

quite different

from the Old.

is

The

Devil,

according to

Swedenborg's disclosures,

not the per-

sonal one described by Milton, and hitherto believed in

by Christians

generally.

Nor

is

he a fabulous or imagreality the

inary being, but one whose

existence and
admits.

philosphic 15*

inquirer

readily

Nay,

he

is

one

74

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

whose existence we are compelled to admit, the moment we admit that each one takes his own character with him
into the other world,

and

that those of similar character

are there

drawn

together,

and held together and

act to-

gether as one.

And something
the Devil,

nay, much,

think

is

gained,

when
to

whom

intelligent people

were

fast
is

coming

look upon as a fabulous sort of being,

that all doubt about his existence
his nature,
is

so presented

and

reality as well as

banished.

It

places the Scripture in a difits

ferent light,

and

inspires fresh confidence in

divinity.

seeing what the essential nature of the Devil is, we may see what it is to be influenced and led by him

And

and what
to

to

be led by the Lord.

the right

know and do
then

when we

When we earnestly strive

look to the Lord

and seek
will,

to regulate our lives according to his revealed

we

suffer ourselves to

be led and governed by

Him.
But when we seek only to do our own wills

when
still

we

heed the promptings of

self-love

more than the

small

voice of truth and duty, then

we

breathe the atmosphere

;

of hell

our

spirits act in

conjunction with the infernals

we

by the Devil. And when we consider what legions there are who con-

are led and governed

and who are banded together in a conspiracy against all that is good and true and holy in human hearts and human society, how clear and imperstitute the Devil,

ative

becomes the need of an almighty

Arm

to save us

THE DEVIL AND SATAN.

75

and how earnestly should we seek the Divine protecting

sphere
!

How

anxious should
to

we be

to

know

the truth,
its

and how

careful

requirements ever
do
!

govern our

lives

according to

acknowledging the Lord's

own im-

mediate presence and power in the truths we learn and

This

is

the only

way we can

secure for ourselves the

protection of that
the

Arm which
is

alone can shield us against

power of

hell.

How

imminent
to

our spiritual danger,

lives,

how

watchful

we ought

be over our hearts and

how much we

need the Divine protection, and how that protection is best ensured, will appear from the following extract from
Swedenborg's Heaven and Hell :

"
he

Every
is

spirit is his

own good

or his
as

own

evil,

because
spirit

his

own

love.

Therefore,

an angelic
his

thinks, wills, speaks,

and acts from

from his own
evil itself,

own good,
;

so

does an infernal
will, speak,

spirit
act,

evil
is

and

to think,
all

and

from

to

do so from
It

the things which are included in the evil.

was other-

wise

when he

lived in the body.

The

evil

of the man's

spirit

was then restrained by the bonds,

in

which every

one

is

held by the law, by his love of gain and honor,

fear of losing

and through

them

on which account the

evil of his spirit

itself in
its

could not then break out, and manifest

intrinsic nature.

own

Besides, the evil of

the man's spirit then lay wrapped up and veiled in external probity, sincerity, justice,

and the

affection of truth
oral profes-

and good, of which such a man has made an

17^
sion,

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

and has assumed an appearance for the sake of the world. Under these outward semblances, the evil lay so
covered up and concealed, that he was scarcely aware himself that his spirit contained so great wickedness and

subtlety, or that in himself

he was such a devil as he

his spirit

becomes
and into
itself as

after death,
its

when

comes

into

itself,

own

nature.

Such wickedness then manifests

There are thousands of
itself,

exceeds

all belief.

evils
also,

which burst forth from

evil

among

which,

are such as cannot be expressed in the words of any lan-

guage.

have been permitted to learn and comprehend

their nature

by much experience same time

I

for

it

has been granted

me by
spirit,

the Lord to be in the spiritual world as to

my
to
is

and

at the

in the natural

world as

my

body.

This
it is

can

testify, that their

wickedness

so

great, that

hardly possible to describe a thousandth

part of

it

tected

man,
from

and furthermore, that unless the Lord proit would be impossible for him ever to be
;

rescued from hell

spirits

for there are with every

;

man both

hell

and angels from heaven

and the Lord

cannot protect a man, unless he acknowledge the Divine,

and charity ; for otherwise, he averts himself from the Lord, and turns toward infernal
and
live the life of faith
spirits,

and thus becomes imbued

similar wickedness."

577.

as to his spirit with

XII.
PRACTICAL BEARINGS OF THE QUESTION,
this outer

BESIDES realm of being; a world

evil
this
;

world of matter, there

is

another

of spirits, both good and

hell of devils.

heaven of angels and a

Nor

is

realm remote from the world in which we are

now

living

and acting, but intimately present with

it,

it,

inter-

penetrating every part of

as the soul of

man

pervades

and animates every part of

and breathe and
spirits

his

body.

In the midst of this viewless host our

act.

own

souls live
class
;

With one or another

companionship
for

of

we

internally hold close

and are

powerfully influenced

by them
away.

Heaven and
potential

hell are not far

realities

none the

good or for evil. Both are present and

because their deni-

less so

zens are invisible to the natural eye.

this fact is recognized, the

And

the

moment

important practical bearings

of the subject discussed in these pages, becomes apparent.

For

if hell

be a present

reality, or if

it

can come near to

it is

men and
ant that

exert

upon them a potent

its

influence,

import-

we understand

nature.

And

all

who

accept the Sacred Scripture as a revelation

this
fact.

from God, must recognize

For on almost
177

178

NEW

VIEW OF HELL,

every page of the Bible, the existence of a realm above

nature

of a world peopled by
if

spirits,

good and
as

evil

is

clearly implied

not distinctly asserted.

Angels and
familiar-

devils are spoken of as often,

ity, as

and with

much

are

any other objects whose

reality

no one ever

dreamed of questioning. Their existence is everywhere There is never an attempt to prove it, any more than there is to prove the existence of the sun,
assumed.

moon
flesh

or

stars.

Angels are spoken of as often seen by persons in the as conversing with and sustaining an intimate re;

lation to

them

as feeling a lively interest in

humanity,

and exerting an influence upon the condition of mortals.

They were

seen, for example,

by Jacob, Gideon, Manoah,

Zacharias, the shepherds of Bethlehem, and the

women

Myriads of them were beheld, and their voices heard, by John when he
at the sepulchre."

"who

were early

was

in the spirit.

And

as

evidence of their interest in

and

their

told in the gospel of

sympathy with people here on earth, we are Luke that "there is joy in the pres-

ence of the angels of

penteth."

God
is

over one sinner that re-

Equally explicit, too,

the Scripture in

its

teaching
influ-

respecting evil spirits or devils,

and

their

malign

ence upon the inhabitants of this world. When our Saviour was on earth, multitudes were possessed by them ;

and we are
word."

told that

"He

cast out the devils with his

He

also gave his disciples

"

power over unclean

PRACTICAL BEARINGS OF
spirits to cast

IT.
sent

79

them out."

And when He

them forth

to preach the gospel of the

Kingdom, He

gave them a

commission to " heal the

the dead,

sick, cleanse the lepers, raise

and

cast out devils."

When

the evil spirits

saw Him, they (or the persons possessed by them) cried

out for fear,
as
fell

down

before

Him,

or quickly fled

away

from one whose sphere was insufferably painful.

And

"with authority," it is said, "He commandeth the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." And on one occasion

when He was met by

a poor demoniac

who had

his

dwelling

among
is

the tombs,

"He

said unto him,

Come
he was
is

out of the man, thou unclean spirit."

And when

asked

"What
;

thy
are

name?" he answered

"My name

Legion

for

we

many."
character of the Devil as portrayed
this term, as

Then look
in the Bible
;

at the

and

shown

in the previous

chapter,
all

is

applied to the

congregated hosts of hell, or

evil

spirits

viewed collectively.

His character

is

clearly indicated

by the

several

names applied

to him.

For he

is

called a liar, a destroyer, the accurser of the

brethren, the adversary, the deceiver, a murderer, the

old serpent, the tempter, the wicked one, the spirit that

worketh

in the children of disobedience.

He

is

repre-

sented, moreover, as the

enemy

of

God and

the

human

race

as

opposed

to the establishment of the

Redeemer's

kingdom, or

to the reign of justice, liberty

;

and love in
;

human

hearts

as earnestly bent

on man's destruction

as the inspirer of all

wicked thoughts, and malign pur-

iSj
poses
;

NEW VIEW
as putting
it

OF NELL.

into the heart of Judas Iscariot to

betray the blessed Saviour; as corrupting and misleading

men by
The

craft

and subtlety;

as

"going about
devour.'
p

like a roar-

ing lion, seeking

whom

he

may

Scripture testimony on this subject

is

abundant

and conclusive.
plicit.

We

see not

how

it

could be more ex-

If the existence of an

innumerable company of

angels and devils, their close proximity to man, and their

intense desire and earnest effort, the one class to

do him

good and the other

in the Bible, then

to
it

do him harm, be not

would be
difficult, I

plainly taught
think, to say

what

is

plainly taught there.

yet the explicit teaching of Scripture
to
;

And

on

this

mo-

mentous theme, has come

ignored by
as to cast
evil.

be quite overlooked or

many

Christians

and so explained by others

doubt on the very existence of spirits, good or These facts go to show how important it was that
into the spiritual world

some one should be intromitted

in the

manner

claimed to

Swedenborg was (or, if you please, be), that he might thereby be enabled to make
that

a truthful revelation concerning that world.

That the practical bearings of the question discussed in these pages, may be more distinctly seen, I will give
a brief outline of the spiritual world, even at the risk of

treading upon some ground that has already been traveled over.
I

observe, then, that the spiritual world

realities

is

one of subin

stantial

more

real, indeed, than the one

PRACTICAL BEARINGS OF
which we are now
living.
is

IT.

l8l

It

is

not remote from this

it

world as to space, but

soul
is

intimately present with

It
is

as the

with the body.

all

peopled by a countless
are in the

multitude of beings,

of

whom

human form
These

and were once inhabitants of the natural world.

are organized in general into two grand divisions,

heaven of angels and a

hell of devils.

The

angels are

distributed into innumerable societies, corresponding, in

their mutual relations

and

in the functions they respect-

ively perform, to the different

members and organs of

human body; so that together they constitute one Grand Man or Angel. And to the Lord they actually
the

appear as one, and constitute his heavenly kingdom.

These are spoken of in the Bible as "the angel of the Lord" and "the host of heaven."

And
is

the angels are

all

good and

wise, although there

a wide diversity of character

among them.

Some

are

in a high

and others

in a comparatively

low degree of
in another.

wisdom

some

in

one kind of good, others

is

But love to the Lord and the neighbor

spiration

the chief intheir hearts.

yea,
all,

the very life-blood of

all

They

are

to

some

extent, images

and likenesses of

the Lord.

Him

learned

They have been with Him and learned of to be meek and lowly in heart, forgetful
thoughtful

of themselves and
others;

learned

only of the good of

to love mercy,

to

do

justly,

and

to

walk humbly with their God.

bright angelic
16

These constitute that

it

throng, of

whom

is

said

that

they

1S2

NEW VIEW OF
made them white
in the

HELL.

"came
They

out of great tribulation, and have washed their

robes and

blood of the Lamb.

' p

are all of

them children of the Heavenly Father,

stamped indelibly with the impress is what is meant by their having
'

having their hearts

of his spirit

which

"

his

name

written in their foreheads.'

unselfish.

Their love

is

like

God's, pure and

They

love each other even

their chief delight in
to

better than themselves,

and find

doing good and communicating happiness

others.

Having

in their hearts the very spirit of the

Lord, they

love only what

He

things that

He

and delight to do only those Their ruldelights to have them do.

loves, their ends
all

and purpose are the same as his ; and aims the same. For they desire above
ing desire

else to

impart unto others the delights of heavenly

desire
to

life.

They

dissipate the spiritual darkness,

to

heal the

spiritual sickness, to restore the spiritual health

and renew

the spiritual strength of the world.

ings are
full

Swedenborg's writ-

of the most beautiful and inspiring pictures-

of angelic

from which people here on earth may Thus he learn lessons of the highest practical wisdom.
life,

says:

"The
is

angelic

life

consists in the performance of uses,

or in the goods of charity.

For to the angels nothing

more

delightful than to instruct spirits coming from

the world;

to serve

mankind by

inspiring

them with

what

is

good, and by restraining the

evil spirits attend-

ant on them from passing their proper bounds;- -to raise

PRACTICAL BEARINGS OF
up the dead
to eternal life,

IT.
if their

S3

and afterwards,
it

souls

be of such a character as to render

possible, to intro-

duce them into heaven.

offices

In the performance of these

they experience an unspeakable delight.

Thus

they are images of the Lord, for they love their neighbor

more than themselves; and where

there
is

this

feeling
is

exists,

Angelic happiness, therefore, and according to use ; or in other words, according to the goods of love and charity.

heaven.

in use,
it is

from

use,

" Some of the

best educated

[who were met with

in the
life

other world], declared heavenly joy to consist in a

separated from the good offices of charity and in merely praising and worshiping the Lord, calling this an active

life.

They were
of such
life

told, however, that praising

is

and worbut the

shiping the Lord,

effect
;

not such an active

life,

for the

Lord has no need of men's

perform the good works of

praises, but desires that they

According piness from the Lord.

charity.

as they

do

these, they receive hapspirits

Yet these most learned

could have no idea of delight, but of servitude, in these

good works of charity

good
offices are

but the angels testified that such

compatible with the most perfect free'

dom, and attended with inexpressible

Ccelestia 454, 456.

felicity.'

Arcana

Again he says

"

Charity

is

nothing unless

it

manifests itself in works

of charity.

It exists

only in exercise, or in the performloves his neighbor as himself,

ance of

uses.

He who

184

NEW
;

VIEW OF HELL.
in
its
is

never perceives the delight of charity except

ercise, or in use

exlife

the

life life

of charity, therefore,

of uses.

Such

is

the
is

of the whole heaven

uses,

for the

Lord's kingdom

kingdom of

because a king-

dom

of mutual love.
its

Therefore every pleasure derived

delight from use
the greater
its
;

from charity, has

exalted the use, so

and the more

much

delight.

Hence

the angels have happiness from the Lord according to

the nature and
Ibid. 997.
quality

of the uses they perform."

is

Such
are
all

is

the nature of angelic

life

the

life

which we

made capable of

attaining,

and which the Lord

forever seeking to develop or build up within us.

is

Such
the

the character of that heavenly

Bible so often speaks

kingdom whereof

kingdom of pure and loving hearts the very kingdom for which we pray when we breathe that
and peace
inspired
petition,
as

kingdom of righteousness, joy

"Thy kingdom
done
in

done on earth

it is

come, thy heaven."

will

be

And
The

passing from
Bible

people are continually passing into that kingdom

earth to heaven.

What

class

of people

tells us.

All those righteous ones

;

while here below, in the law of the Lord

those lowly
merciful, the

who walked,

ones who, through repentance and regeneration, have

become
poor

as little children

the meek, the

to

in spirit, the pure in heart, those

who have
do the

prac-

ticed self-denial,

and earnestly sought

is

will of

the Father which

in the heavens.

PRACTICAL BEARINGS OF

IT.
is

185
;

We
all

thus see what the

kingdom of heaven
after death,
is,

and

that

who

enter that

kingdom
That

must have heaven

within themselves.

they must carry the loves

and purposes
light in such

that rule in heaven,

and be able

to find de-

works
is

as are delightful to the angels.

But there

another kingdom in the spiritual realm of

tells

which the Bible

us

hell of devils.

These, too,

are arranged, in like

manner

as the angels, into

many

different societies according to the kinds

evil in

and degrees of

which they

are.

Nor

is

there anything arbitrary

or compulsory in this arrangement.

in perfect freedom.

They come

into

it

Each one goes

affinity

which he has an
character
is

into the society for

into the

one whose general

these societies of

nearest like his own.

And

evil spirits, like those in

heaven, are all so united, that

together they constitute one

Scripture "the Devil." The character of these

huge monster, called

in

evil spirits is quite the opposite

of that of the angels.

or the

They have no love of the Lord neighbor; and therefore know nothing of the
this love.
is

heavenly delight resulting from the exercise of

The
all
;

love of self

the supreme and ruling love of

them

and

this is real
its

hatred toward those

who

refuse to

minister to

gratification.
is

And
when

as self-love
it

the source of

all

other evil loves

reigns supreme, therefore the devils are thorevil.

;

oughly immersed in
16*

malice, craft and subtlety

They
full

are

full

of hatred,

of falsehood, tyranny,

86

NEW
cruelty.
It is their

VIEW OF HELL.
Their
life
is

cunning and
selfishness.

one of unmitigated
all

chief;

delight to
strifes

do

manner of mis;

to

foment hatreds,

and divisions
;

to stir

up

envies, jealousies

and revenges

worst passions of the

lead,

human

heart

to intensify all the

to blind,

and miswithin

and

if

possible

make

slaves of, all

who come

the sphere of their influence.

Such, briefly,

is

the character of that legion of infer-

nals in the spiritual world,

who, taken

collectively, are

called

the

Devil.

What

a contrast to
!

the character

of those shining ones in the realms above

Consider, now, that as to our spirits

living in the spiritual

we

are always

world, even while clothed with

;

material flesh and

blood

and are

actually associated

with one or the other class of

spirits

above described.
;

We may

flee

the society of

persons in the flesh

but

we

can never be alone.

We

can never rid ourselves of the

are,

pany attends us
do not
voices certainly

society of

spirits.

Wherever we
in solitude

an invisible com-

no

less

than in society.

We

see them, nor sensibly perceive their influence.

is

Yet their presence

nor their influence
.

none the

less

real

on

that account,
their

less

positive.

We

do not hear
ears
;

not with our outward

all

yet they

converse with us during

the intricate

our waking hours.

Through
they
will

and mysterious

galleries of the soul

whisper to us a blessed gospel of peace and good

thoughts of kindness, usefulness, justice, mercy, forbear-

PRACTICAL BEARINGS OF

IT.

1S7

ance, benevolence, and willing self-sacrifice for the good

of others

or they suggest ways and

lust

means whereby our

pride, vanity, ambition,

of dominion, love of ease

or pleasure, or
gratified.

selfish

greed of gain,

may most

surely be

Yes

one or the other of these two classes of

as

spirits,

according

we

are

more

willing to listen to the soft

pleadings of the angels, or to be beguiled by the glozing

flattery

of devils,

one or

the other of these classes are

our intimate associates, our bosom companions.

or the other
scious
listen

Of one

we

take counsel day

we may be of

the fact.

by day, however unconTo one or the other we

the other

from hour to hour.

With one or

we

think and feel and act in the ordinary intercourse of our

no escape from this. The laws of our spiritual being, and the arrangements and constitution of the moral universe, render it a necessity. Our
every-day
life.

There

is

spirits

breathe,

and must breathe, the atmosphere of

hell.

heaven or of

breathe
choice.

They may

oftentimes

they do

that of

each by turns.

But the Lord vouchsafes to every one the liberty of We are as free to choose our invisible as we are

our visible associates.

Nay, we do choose them, whether

we think of
though
to
it

it

or not.

We

have actually chosen them,

;

may

not be for eternity

for

we have

the

power

change our invisible as well as our visible companions.

Indeed, the whole work of regeneration

change we experience

involves a change

every
in

inward

our spiritual

88

NEW VIEW

OF HELL.
one
spiritual society

associates, or the passing out of

and

the entering into another.

And now comes

any way
associates?
Is

the

momentous question

Is

there

of ascertaining the character of our invisible

there any test whereby
spirits

we may know
balmy

with certainty whether our

devils ?
air of

whether

consort with angels or

we

inhale from day to day the

heaven, or the noxious and soul-disordering exha-

lations of hell ?

Most undoubtedly.
erns
all

There

is

a universal law that gov-

associations in the spiritual world

It
is

those

in hell

as well as those in heaven.

affinity

the law of spiritual

in the fore-

which has been repeatedly spoken of

This law forever impels

going pages.

spirits to seek the

companionship of those most

its

like themselves.

Under
to-

operation, therefore, kindred spirits are

drawn

Those in gether and held together in the same society. a similar kind and degree of good, or in a similar kind
and degree of
evil,

have an

affinity

for

each other.
is

They
by

love to be together.

Their sphere

mutually

agreeable.

Therefore they gravitate toward each other

force of mutual attraction.

it is

And

this

same law which determines the character

of our invisible companions.

spirits are attracted to us

Through

its

operation,

who

are similar in character to

ourselves.

The

affections the nature of the love that

prevailing tenor of our thoughts and

rules in our hearts

the kind of motives from

which we generally

act

PRACTICAL BEARINGS OF

IT.

1S9

the principles which govern us in our ordinary inter-

course with

men

these are the indices

which reveal the

If

character of our spiritual associates.

desire

our prevailing

and

effort

be to

know and do
j

the will of the Lord,

spirits consort

then angels are our companions

the white-robed throng
;

our

with

we breathe

the atmosphere of

heaven.

But
less

if

our ends be

mean and

selfish

if

we

are heedstill

of the Divine commands, or deaf to the

;

small

voice of duty
will-

if

our prevailing purpose be to do our

own

rather than the will of

God

then, our spiritual asso;

ciates

belong
;

to the realms

below

we

are in fellowship

with devils

we

breathe the polluting air of hell.

at

We

have but to look, therefore,

ciples of action

our governing prin-

at

and motives

our dominant feelings, dispositions

life,

at

our chief end and aim in

in order

to learn the character of our invisible associates.

ingly

Swedenborg says "All spirits are distinguished

:

Accord-

in the other life

by

this:

They who

intend evil to others, are infernal or diabolical

spirits; but they

good and angelic spirits. A man may know which class he is among, whether angelic or infernal spirits. If he intends

who

intend

good

to others, are

nothing but evil concernand him evil whenever it is in ing him, actually doing his power, and finding delight in doing it, then he is among the infernals, and also becomes an infernal himevil to his neighbor, thinking
self in the

other

life.

But

if

he intends good

to

his

190

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

neighbor, and thinks nothing but good respecting him,

and actually does him good when he is among angelic spirits, and
himself in the other
life.

it is

in his

power, then

also

becomes an angel

" This
by
it.

is

the criterion.

Let every one examine himself

It

matters not that a person does not

do

evil

when he

either cannot or dare not, nor that he does

good from some selfish consideration; such abstinence from the one and performance of the other, have their
origin only in the man's externals;

and these are

re-

moved

in the other life,

where he

is

and intentions make him."

Again he says
:

Arcana

such as his thoughts

Ccelestla n. 1680.

"A
to his

man's end
life,

is

his very life; for that

which belongs

or what

is

the

same
the

thing, to his love, he re-

gards as an end.

good of the neighbor, the general good, the good of the church and of the Lord's kingdom is the end regarded, then the man as to his
soul
is

When

in the

Lord's kingdom

for

His kingdom

is

none

other than a
the

good of the

kingdom of ends and uses having respect to human race. The angels themselves

attendant on man, are in nothing else [or have regard to

nothing else] but his ends.

As

far as

a man's end

is

the

same

as that

aimed

at

by

the Lord's

kingdom,

so far the

angels are delighted with

him and

unite themselves to
is

him

as to a brother

but in proportion as he

actuated

by a selfish end, the angels recede, and evil spirits from

PRACTICAL BEARINGS OF
hell
hell.

IT.

191
rules in

draw near ;

for

no other than a

selfish

end

" From
it

these considerations

it is

evident

how

important

is

for a
;

man

affections

examine and know the origin of his and this can only be known from the end at
to

which he aims."

Ibid. 3796.

In view of what has

now been

said,

the

practical

bearings of this question are sufficiently obvious.

these great
truths are recognized,
that

When
essen-

man

is

tially a spiritual

being;

that,

within our outer material

vesture,

is

a spiritual and substantial

body which conperishes

;

tinues to live after the material

to our spirits

body

that, as

we

are

now and always

living in the spiritual

world, in close companionship with an invisible com-

pany whose character is determined by our own governing motives and cherished purposes; that the character

we form while here on

earth will go with us into

the other world, and continue essentially the same for-

ever; that the spiritual associates

we now choose and

in -the life

bind to us by an unfailing law, are the very ones whose

companionship we
the grave
scious
;

shall prefer

and seek

beyond

that

we

are already in hell, however unconfact, if

we may be of the

our ends and aims be

similar to those that rule in the realms

below

and

that

our only hope of deliverance

in

is

in looking to the

Lord

humble acknowledgment of our dependence on Him, and religiously obeying the laws of life that He has rewhen these truths, which are all involved in vealed;

I9 2
the

NEW
New
view of

VIEW OF HELL.
seen and acknowledged, the

hell, are

practical value of this view will then be perceived and

confessed.

For
of evil

all

who

desire to rid themselves of the society

spirits,

and

to

come

internally into

fellowship

with the angels, will see the absolute necessity, not only of a good outward or moral
inside of the right motives
life,

but of cleansing " the

'

of

cup and of the

platter*

of acting

from

to serve others

from love

making the love of use, or the desire to the Lord and the neighbor,

their ruling principle of action.

To
this

this exalted state,

therefore, will they aspire.

this they will labor
;

For

they will long

for

for this they will pray.

And
by
their

fully conscious that they

cannot attain to

this

state of right desire

andfeeling,

as well as of right living,

own unaided
to,

strength, they will be led to look

to
all

beseechingly

and humbly

earth;

pendence and who has

'

upon Him who hath

said,

acknowledge their depower in heaven and on

"Without me, ye can do

nothing.'

XIII.

HOW

TO ESCAPE HELL.
hell,

WE

have seen that

is

according to the

New

Theology,

not a place to which a certain

class of people are at last sent against their will, as dis-

orderly people in this world are sent to the lock-up, or

criminals to the penitentiary; but that
quality of life
it

is

a state or

which each one

freely chooses,
It is

and which he

strengthens or confirms by habit.

a low condition
condition
is

of humanity
in

disorderly or inverted

one

which the higher part of our nature

in absolute

subjection to the lower, the

gelic to the infernal.
It
is

human

to the bestial, the an-

not a state of unmitigated

its

misery

for every

kind of love, as we have seen, has

unselfish
is

delights.

The more

the love that

like

and strengthen

the

we develop
love, so
felt

more

it is

God's own
is

much
in
its

the sweeter

and more heavenly

the delight

exercise, and so much the purer and more exalted our happiness but the more unlike we are to God in the more supremely selcharacter, feeling and purpose
;

fish we grow to be, and the more indifferent to the wants and woes and welfare of others, the lower is the form of

17

193

194
life

NEW VIEW

OF HELL.

or quality of love developed in the soul, and the

its

nearer, therefore, does the delight experienced in

ercise,

ex-

approach

creation

to the delights of

some of the brute

tigers,

to the delights of serpents,

dogs and

swine.

In the natural world nothing

All things are

is

positively evil perse.

good and

useful in their proper places.

stables,

The ordure from our barns and

refuse of our filthiest cities,

the

filth

and

the droppings of wild or

domestic fowls, and even the dead and decomposing

bodies of animals
are

offensive and hateful

;

as all such things

when

out of place, in our parlors or libraries

are ex-

cellent in the field or garden

skillful florist or agriculturist,

and

in the

hands of the

may be

turned to profitable

account.
So, too,
all

the implanted instincts and proclivities of

our natural humanity, including even the love of self

with

all
se.

its

numerous
are
all

offspring, are not

wrong or
is

sinful

per

They

of them

gifts

of God, and in their

proper place are good and

proper place?

useful.
rulers,

But what

their

Not

that

of

but of servants.
;

Dogs and horses would make poor masters

useful.
first.

but as ser-

vants subject to man's direction and control, they are

very

In the order of man's creation, the body

comes

Next the bodily senses are

then the lower parts of the

the

mind

those

developed

body

the

lying nearest
;

selfish

and sensual propensities

;

then the

knowing and

intellectual faculties

then the rational and

HOW
religious.

TO ESCAPE IT

195

And

the angel (for tnis spiritual and truly human " the measure of a man," Rev. xxi. 17) is unfolded last is " born But this takes place only when the man is of all.
ture

the

the highest or God-like part of his na-

from above/

'

or created

anew

in the

image of

his

Maker.

In this case, none of the passions or propensities of the

natural

man

are destroyed, but simply brought under sub-

jection to the spiritual

to

and more regal part of his nature In due subjection the true and heaven-born man.
to the divine

and subordination
belonging
This
first
is

human

love, everything
useful.

to the natural

man

is

good and

plainly taught in the spiritual sense of the very

chapter of the Bible; in which sense this chapter

is,

treats of a spiritual creation, that

of the normal devel-

opment of the
state, into

human

soul

from

its

natural, dark, chaotic

one of heavenly order and life into the image and likeness of God himself. Note the order in this
creation.

and darkness void,

grass,

First,

we have

the earth without form,

it.

and
the

brooding over

Then comes

ing

fruit.

and the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yieldThen the fishes and the fowls the "living

creatures which the waters brought forth abundantly after

their kind,

and every winged fowl and everything

after his

kind."

Then

"the beast of the earth

their kind,
after his

after his kind,

and

cattle after

that creepeth

kind."
in the

And

last

of

all

the

man

upon the earth

living soul

created

image and likeness of

his

Maker.
in the

"So God

created

man

in

his

own image;

196

NEW
God
created

VIEW OF HELL.
He him
;

image of

male and female created

He them. "And God

Be
fruitful,
it
;

them; and God said unto them, and multiply, and replenish the earth and
blessed
fish

subdue

and have dominion over the

air,

of the sea,

and over the fowl of the

that

and over every living thing

. .

moveth upon the

earth.

"And God
behold
it

saw everything that

He

had made; and

was very good."

truth

When
wedded

in

the

understanding

becomes firmly

to love in the will, or in other words,

is

when

the

great law of unselfish love (which

life)

the properly

human

comes

to re ; ^n
all

throughout the soul, having complete

dominion over

the feelings, inclinations and thoughts

of the natural mind, then the true

properly

man

is

created

the

human understanding and

will.

"Male and
name Adam," when all the

female created
that
is,

man.

He them, and And when this

called their
is

the case

instincts, feelings,

thoughts and propensities of the nat-

ural

man

are brought under perfect subjection to the

is

great law of love, then everything

seen to be "very

good."

The

inclinations of the natural

rule.

man

are evil

only when they are allowed to

In a state of proper

the
truly

subordination and subserviency to the celestial principle

truly

human

they

all

are very good.

state,

But

this exalted

and heavenly

when

the soul
it

is

so filled and pervaded

by

the Divine spirit that

may

be said to be created "in the image of God,"

HOW
be passed

TO ESCAPE IT

197

cannot be suddenly attained.

through
all

Many

previous states must

states of inward labor, and conflict

with the foes of

"our own household."

are what

These

states,

however, are

indispensable to the final evolution or

creation of the
itual sense
esis.

man; and
six

is

meant

in the spir-

by the

days of creation spoken of in Gen:

Accordingly Swedenborg says

"During
the natural

regeneration the cupidities

and

falsities
;

[of

man] cannot be
the only
life

instantly

removed

for that

would be to destroy the whole man, seeing

of these
is

that the life

he has yet acquired.

Therefore
for

evil spirits are

permitted to continue with

him
. .

some
un-

time, that they

less the

may

excite his cupidities.

And

Lord defended man every moment, yea, even the smallest part of a moment, he would instantly perish
in

consequence of the indescribably intense and mortal

hatred which prevails in the world of spirits against the

things relating to love and faith toward the Lord.

" The times and

eral

states of

and

in particular, are

man's regeneration in gendivided into six, and are called

the days of his creation.

For by degrees he

is

elevated

out of a state in which he possesses none of the qualities

which properly constitute a man,

he attains to the sixth day, in

until

by little and little which he becomes an

image of God.

"During him against

internal

this period the

evils

Lord

fights continually for

and

falsities,

and
17*

spiritual] conflicts

and by means of [these confirms him in the true

19S

NEW VIEW
the good.

OF HELL.
the warfare
is

and

The time of

the time of
is

the Lord's operation; therefore a regenerate person

called

by

the prophets, the work of God' s fingers.

rest until

And
;

he does not

love becomes his ruling principle

then the conflict ceases.

gressed that faith
is

When
treats

the

work has
it is

so far pro-

united to love,

then called very

good ; for the

Lord then

him

as a likeness of

him-

self. At the end of the sixth day the evil spirits depart, and the good ones draw near." Arcana Ccelestia, 59-63.

Then comes

the sabbath of the soul

rest

that

state

of

inward peace and

which resembles the sweet and

;

serene peace of heaven

state in

which the natural

submission to the

man

yields a perfect and

cheerful

spiritual, or

what

is

the same, to the will of the

Heav:

enly Father,

Of

this state,

Swedenborg

speaks thus

" What

the tranquillity of peace of the external

conflict, or

man

is,

on the cessation of

when he

is

no longer

dis-

turbed by evil desires and

false persuasions,

can be known
state of peace.

only to

one who
is

is

acquainted with the

So delightful
of delight.

this state as to

exceed every conception

Not only is it a cessation of conflict, but life an interior peace, and affecting the exfrom proceeding ternal man in a manner that cannot be described.'
'

or

Ibid. 92.

What
hell,

it is,

according to the
this

New

Theology, to escape
It is to escape,

must by

time be obvious.
state in

rise out of, that

sities

low

which the

selfish

of the natural

man pride,

propen-

avarice, ambition, love

HOW
of ease or pleasure,
plete

TO ESCAPE IT
of power or glory

99

lust

have cominto that ex-

dominion
and
truly

in the heart,

and

to

come

alted

human

state in

which love

to the
is

Lord and
something
a life-long

neighbor have supreme control.

And

this

which cannot be suddenly accomplished.

work.

It is

And how
self

shall

we do

it?

How

is

the spiritual to gain

the ascendency over the natural

state to love the

and the world supremely, Lord above

man ? How, from loving shall we be brought into a

this

all else,

as ourselves?

For

to

undergo

and our neighbor change, is to be lifted

In other words,
state

out of a hellish into a heavenly state.

it is

to escape hell,
It is to

and enter upon the

denoted by

heaven.

experience such an inward renewal or

change of character, that when we enter the other world we shall loathe and shun the society of devils, and be

drawn by the
angels.

force of spiritual attraction to that of the

How
all

to

do

this, is the

question of questions.
it

Yet the

Lord has pointed out the way, and made

very plain to
:

who

are willing to walk in

it.

He

says
'

"If thou
But
this,

wilt enter into life,

keep the

commandments.'

on account of our hereditary selfishness, requires the practice of much self-denial, and the endurance of many
inward conflicts with the foes of our

own
;

household.

The
"

cross

is

the symbol of these conflicts

is

and engaging

in them, therefore,

what

is

meant

in the spiritual sense

by

taking up the cross."

Hence

the

Lord says

200

NEW
will

VIEW OF HELL.
after

"If any man

self,

come

me,

let

him deny himFor whosowill

and take up

his cross,

and follow me.

it
;

ever will save his life, shall lose

lose his life for

and whosoever

my

sake, shall find it."

life

Our
fish

true

life is

love the Lord's own

the heavenly
life

the

life

of pure unsel-

in us, yet perceived as ours.

Vftjind or receive
our hereditary

this life,

only as

we overcome
;

or lose
this

selfish life for the

Lord's sake

and

we can do only by denying

gaging
in

to our natural
it

and inordinate

love of self the gratification which

craves,

and en-

many

a fierce conflict with the evil inclinations

which spring from that love. himself overcame the evil in

This
his

is

the

way

the

Lord

made

that humanity Divine. low Him, or come into full sympathy and

assumed humanity, and And we, if we would folspiritual

union

with Him (and without this there is no heaven for us), must do the same. That is, we must deny self, and take

up our
11

cross.

Keep

the

commandments," was

the blessed Saviour's

answer to the young man who "came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I

may have
age,

eternal life?"

And

to every inquirer in every

He

returns the self-same

answer.

And He

goes

and specifies the commandments that are to be " Thou shalt do no murder Thou shalt not comkept:
further
:

mit adultery
false witness

Thou

shalt not steal

Thou

shalt not bear

;

Honor

thy father

and thy mother

And

thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

HOW
Now
at least

TO ESCAPE IT

201

the

no acknowledgment of A man the Lord, and no sense of dependence on Him.

in

by one

commandments may be kept

in the letter,

whom

there

is

may

refrain

from falsehood,
selfish

theft, adultery,

murder,

from purely

and worldly considerations;

from

etc.,

fear of the law, or of losing his property or reputation,

or from hope of winning the good esteem of others.

He may
in the

keep

all

the

commandments of

the Decalogue,

outward form, with a heart brim

full

of pride and
self-

self-conceit.

He may do

it

in

the spirit of the

righteous Pharisee,

much

better than other

who thanked God that he was so men. Those who keep the comone
essential

mandments
qualification

in this spirit, are deficient in

for

the

kingdom of heaven.

They

lack

humility.
the

They
for
to

lack a sense of utter dependence on

Lord

they have
ness.

whatever good they do, or whatever power shun evil. They abound in self-righteous-

good they do, they regard as their own, and claim merit on account of it. Some of this class
have "great possession s"
rious deeds.

All the

large

investments in merito-

This was the

the

spirit in

which

that

young man had kept

'

commandments.

"All these

things,'

he says, " have

I kept from my youth up: What lack I yet?" And what was the Lord's answer? "If thou wilt be perfect,

go and
shalt

sell that

thou hast and give to the poor, and thou

;

have treasure in heaven

and come follow me.

But

202

NEW
the

VIEW OF HELL.

when

young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful ; for he had great possessions.
' '

We may
from such
hell at the

keep the commandments, then, or shun the

spirit

deeds which they forbid, yet in such a proud

selfish

or

motives, that

we

same time.

We may
loss.

shall not be shunning shun fraud, falsehood,

fear of the law, or of

theft, adultery, etc.,

merely from

some personal or worldly

evil

In that case

we shun
it

the
is

from prudential considerations, not because

is

wrong or sinful in itself; and this

the evil at
If,
all.

not really shunning

therefore,

we would shun

hell,

we must keep

the
re-

commandments from
gard the
evils

a religious ground.

We

must

which they forbid, as

they are sins.

sins against

God,

and shun them because

If our self-love

prompts us to deceive or defraud our neighbor, or to take any undue advantage of his weakness or ignorance,
or to injure

him

the doing of such

any way, we must regard and shun wrong as a sin. If we are in the habit
in

vain we

of using profane language

of taking the Lord's name

this habit,

in

must regard and shun

is

not merely

because

it

ungentlemanly or disreputable, but because

If

it is sinful.

we

are inclined to deprive another, with-

out his knowledge or consent, of anything that justly be-

longs to

him

be

it

honor, property, reputation, social

position, political or religious influence

we must regard
is

and shun such robbery as a

speak
evil

sin.

If

of others, to slander them

which

we

are inclined to

a kind of

HOW
jmoral murder, for
it

TO ESCAPE
is

IT.

203
dark we

stabbing one in the

must inwardly acknowledge the sinfulness of this before God, and shun it because it is a sin. If we are inclined
to invade the freedom
others, to

and trample on the

domineer over them

over

rights of

our families, our

children, our brethren, our domestics, our employe's

to

compel them to do our will and gratify our wishes, to

their

own

injury,

loss,

or discomfort,

we must regard
indulgence as a

such disposition as
sin.

sinful,

and shun

its

And
love of

so with every inclination which originates in the

self,

and whose indulgence

is

condemned by the

Lord's commandments, being utterly contrary to their

whole

and teaching. These inclinations are all of them but streams which flow from hell ; and their existspirit

ence and craving are indications of the presence of hell

within us.

And

it

is

only when we regard and shun

their indulgence as

a sin against God, that we are really

shunning

hell.

According
the
first

to the

New

View, then, as herein unfolded,

becomes very plain. We must way have a clear perception and a firm conviction of
to escape hell hell really
is.

what

We

must recognize

it

as a state,

and

must understand the nature of that

must know what kind of
life

state.

That
it.

is,

we

or love belongs to
is,

And

the next thing necessary

state.

a sincere desire to be

delivered from this

to deliver ourselves

for

And since we no man can of

have no power
himself change

204
his ruling love

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.

we

to deliver;

we must look
in

must rely on One who alone is able* to Him and pray to Him heaven and on
earth.'
'

who hath " all power

No

one

ever was or ever can be delivered from a state of bond-

age to evil or the love of

delivered.

self,

without
desire

first

desiring to be

And

sincere

for

deliverance,

implies a perception and acknowledgment of the low

state in

which we

are,

and from which we seek

to

be

delivered.

But the desire alone, however intense,

Prayer
for deliverance,

is is

not enough. not enough.

sin,

however earnest,

Confession of our clearly discerned selfishness and

however penitent, is not enough. Necessary as all these are, they are of no avail without a life of practical obedience to the Divine precepts.

u Not every one

that saith

unto me, Lord, Lord," says the great Teacher, "shall

enter into the

kingdom of heaven
is

but he that doeth the

'

will of
the

my

Father which

in heaven.'

We

enter into

kingdom of heaven,
is

just in the

degree that we enter

into that state of love to the

which

the essential

Lord and the neighbor, in And we that kingdom. thing

enter that state

by

doing the heavenly Father's will

by keeping the commandments, that is, and a part of this ;

as sins against

consists in shunning,

Him,

the things

which are contrary

to his will.
is

To come
is

out of darkness,
is

to

come

into light. get rid of

To

escape sickness,
ness,

to enjoy health.

To

weak-

the same as coming into the possession of strength.

HOW
And

TO ESCAPE
come

IT.

205

heaven.
ments.'
*

to escape hell,

is

to

into the opposite

kingdom

"If thou

wilt enter into

is

This

the

God's own finger

For

only way the way pointed

to
its

life,

keep the commandout by

escape hell and reach heaven.

are the laws of the heavenly

"The commandments "

life.

all

life

has

laws; and

it

is

only by conlife

formity to these, that the blessings of any kind of

can

be enjoyed.
Take, for example, our corporeal
laws
;

life.

This has

its

and these laws must be obeyed

if

we expect

to en-

joy physical health.

Our bodies
sleep,
frost.

require

food,

and

drink, and exercise, and

tection

from rain and

the body's laws

unchangeable,
suffering
is

and pure air, and proThese requirements are

God-appointed
laws.

And

in the degree that they are transgressed, the

body

suffers.

And

this

the

penalty with which

the Framer of our bodies visits such transgression.

transgression

The
and

and the

suffering,

the violation and the

like

penalty,
effect.

are

inseparably

connected,

cause

And the soul, too, has its laws, as well as the body. And these can no more be violated with impunity, than
can the laws which preside over our physical organism. In the violation of spiritual as in that of physical laws,
a penalty follows with undeviating certainty;
alty arbitrarily inflicted, or in the

not a penhuman
tri-

way

that

bunals punish offenders against

18

civil

enactments, but a

*s6

NEW VIEW

OF HELL.

penalty linked with transgression as effects are linked

with causes.

But that higher

life

of the soul which those

life

who
life

escape hell

the

come

into

which we
the

which

allies us to

God and

heavenly the which angels

call

that

the Scripture calls

that unselfish

whose very breath is love enjoined by the two great commandlife,"

" eternal

mentsthat
born

life

has to be begotten, formed, developed,

in us, generally after the corporeal life has

reached

maturity.

This

is

the

new

birth

even the heavenly

state

to which our Lord has reference

the soul take place
?

the birth into a higher,

when He
see the

says

"
:

Except a man be born again, he cannot

How
how
is

kingdom of God." does this new birth of

this higher life

or

same way

that art-life,

developed and matured ? In the mechanical ingenuity, industrial

is

skill, oratorical or mathematical power,

developed and
result of self-

perfected.

Each

follows as the

normal

compelled obedience to certain principles or laws. Ask those who have attained a proud distinction as
poets, artists, mechanics, scholars, statesmen,

how
you

they
that,

won

their lofty eminence.

And

they will

tell

under God, they are indebted mainly

sistent efforts
;

to their

own

per-

to their ceaseless study, their tireless in-

dustry, their resolute struggles, their unflinching perse-

verance,

their

unremitting

toil.

They labored while

others lounged.

They

studied while others slept.

idle.

were busy while others were

They They were climbing

HOW
of ease.

TO ESCAPE

IT.
in

20>J

up the mountain while others were reposing

bowers

No: Eminence

in

any

art

or profession was never

achieved in any other way than through the individual's

own

voluntary and persevering

efforts;

through

the

of patient learning and faithful application of the rules

that art or profession.

And
way

so

of heaven
that

we may
that

say,

men

are born into the

kingdom

is,

born saints or angels, in the same

artists,

they are born

mechanics, scholars,

statesmen.

For they

inherit naturally the capacity or

;

aptitude for each of these

and some have by inheritance

But they be-

a larger capacity or aptitude than others.

come neither the one nor the other without personal

effort

ing certain principles or laws,

and much self-imposed labor ; without first learnand then reducing these
the

laws to practice.

Take,

for

illustration,

accomplished

musician.

How
bility

has he

become such ?

He
all

inherited the talent or

aptitude for music, just as

we

have inherited the capahas the musical talent

of becoming angels.

while yet a child

say the musician

but

He

undeveloped.

And

so

we may
is

is

there in potency.
is all

But as yet he

in

embryo.

The

individual

unconscious of his latent

powers; as unconscious of the sweet entrancing delights which the music now wrapped up and hidden within

him

will

one day produce,

its

as

an infant before birth

is

unconscious of

yet latent capabilities, or of the joys

208
of
is

NEW
post-natal state.

VIEW OF HELL.
Properly speaking, the musician
has only an embryonic or latent

its

not yet born.

He

existence in that individual, like that of the angel in the

unregenerate man.

Observe, now, the manner of his birth,

illustrate the

for this will

manner

regenerate,

is

which every one who becomes born from above and becomes a true child
in

of God.

It will

show

us

how we

are to be brought out

of the state in which

we

love ourselves supremely, into

the opposite state of love to the

Lord and

the neighbor

" or how " the new man

created in the image of the

Lord
is

Jesus Christ, comes forth from ''the old

man"
'

that

"corrupt
it

according to the deceitful lusts.'

us

In a word,

will

show

how

hell

is

to be escaped

and heaven

gained.
First,

that

individual

places

himself,

or

is

placed,

under the instruction of a Master.

He

becomes a pupil

disciple or learner.

He

takes lessons of a music-

teacher.

He He

acquaints himself with the rules of the art

certain musical laws

and

then reduces these rules to

all

practice.

does not learn

the rules at once, but

first.

only a few, and the very simplest at

When

he has

practiced these for a time, then he learns other and

difficult rules
;

more

and straightway proceeds to reduce these

the rules of
first

also to practice.

Thus he goes on, learning and practicing

the
art.

But he finds

little

pleasure in these
to

lessons.

He

compels himself, however,

go through with them.

HOW
It is all labor,

TO ESCAPE IT

209

task-work, drudgery, in the outset, which

thrill

he performs reluctantly and without one

of delight,

yet with the hope of some day becoming a musician.

How

stiff

and clumsy his fingers are

at

first

How
readily

slowly and awkwardly they hobble over the keys, like a

child just beginning to walk
!

How much
finds

more
it

they go wrong than right

And he

vastly

more

difficult to practice the rules,

than to commit them to

memory.
At

But he struggles on, sometimes hopeful, some-

times discouraged.
last,

by dint of patience and perseverance and

difficulties

much The musical

from the

hard parctice, the

are

all

overcome.
flow out

laws are incarnated in him.

They

tips

of his fingers the

moment he

seats himself

at the instrument.

He
he

is

now

able to render with facility

and

effect the

most

difficult

compositious of Beethoven

or Mozart.

And

finds, too, that

by

practicing,

and

thereby

learning to give faithful expression to, the laws

that govern in the realm of music,

he becomes more and

more enamored with the

raptures transport him.
into

art.

Strange and unlooked for

is

He
is

introduced, as

it

were,
all

new world.

Sweet melodies are rippling

around him.
music.

His soul

flooded with the charms of

He
at

experiences a delight in executing, or in

listening to the execution of,

some grand composition, of

education he

which,

the beginning of his musical

could form no conception.

It is in this

way

that the musician

is

born

and

in

18*

2IO

NEW
He comes
close

VIEW OF HELL.
forth, not

no

other.

suddenly nor in any mi-

raculous manner; but slowly, gradually, after years of

hard

study,

application

and

unremitting

toil.

The

student learns certain musical rules or laws, and

then compels himself to reduce those rules to practice.

And

so at last the

musician

is

produced, developed,

formed, or born.

And
born

the painter, sculptor, architect, and mechanic are

in the

same way.

Each of

these

comes

forth,

gen-

erally not until the physical

man

has attained maturity.

The

individual

first

rules of the art,

makes himself acquainted with the and then learns, through patient and
reduce these rules to practice.
is

protracted

effort, to

And

in a

way

precisely similar

"the new

man"

or

angel born.
in a similar

In other

words, we
state

are introduced or born

manner, into a
;

Lord and
ural state,

the neighbor

are
this

of supreme love to the

lifted out

of that low nat-

which
heaven.
'

is

hell, into that high spiritual state,

which

is

And

is

what

is

meant by being

"born again/ "born of the Spirit/' "born from above," and "born of God/' whereof the Bible speaks.

The only
hellish

possible way,

therefore,

of escaping the
state,
is,

and attaining unto the heavenly

learning the laws of the higher or heavenly

(in

life,

by first and then

humble acknowledgment of our utter and constant dependence on the Lord) reducing them to practice.
These laws are
are
full

all

contained in the Sacred Scripture, and

of the Saviour's

own

life

which

is

love.

Bui

HOW

TO ESCAPE

IT.

211
relig
life,

they must be reduced to practice

they must be iously obeyed they must be made the laws of our
we may hope
to experience the love

before

and delight
these
us.

that are

wrapped up within them.

all

We

cannot, of course, learn and practice

laws at once.

That
it

is

not expected or required of

little

But we are to do

by

and

little, just as

Raphael

learned to paint and Mozart to play.

learning the laws of our higher
life,
is

And

the task of

or of receiving truths

into the understanding merely,

Obeying them

living

them

practicing
and

comparatively easy.

them,

in

the

parlor, in the kitchen, in the office, in the shop, in the

counting-house, in the market-place, in the school-room,

on the farm,

at the fire-side,

in legislative halls

everywhere and always conforming our dispositions and conduct to their requirements, and so weaving these laws
into the very fabric of our spiritual being,

them, as
rious

it

were, a part of ourselves

difficult part

and making
so

this is the laboit is

and
art,

of the work.

And

with
is

every

trade or profession.
;

comparatively easy
of

Learning the them to practice, reducing

rules
is

a task

far greater difficulty.

see why doing the truth is so often urged and so strongly emphasized in the Sacred Scripture.

Hence we may

that they

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, " may have right to the tree of life. Why call
'

ye

me

Lord, Lord, and do not the things which

say?"
the

"My

mother and

my

brethren are those

who hear

212

NEW VIEW
of

OF HELL.
"Whosoever heareth
these

Word

God

arid

do it."

sayings of

mine and
built his

doeth them, I will liken unto a wise

man who
a foolish

house upon a rock."

But "whoso-

ever heareth and doeth them not, shall be likened unto

man who built his house upon

Kingdom.

the sand.

' '

Who'

soever doeth the will of the Heavenly Father,'

enter into the
It
is

shall

impossible, therefore, to

escape hell and win

is,

heaven through faith alone ; that

by simply learning,

understanding, and believing the truth.

Only those who

or to have an in-

religiously do as the laws of the heavenly life require,

can hope ever to attain unto that

life,

ward experience of

its

joys.

And

the

first

steps in the

way of obedience,

are, like

all first steps,

the most difficult.

from a sense of duty

taken
to

They have to be taken

laboriously, with an effort,

through self-compulsion, and without one throb of heavenly delight.

They have

be taken when our natural But as

every

inclinations urge us in the opposite direction.

we go on

practicing the laws of the higher

life,

successive step

becomes

easier

and more

delightful.

And

as obedience becomes more and more the habit of the

soul, hell

and

its

delights recede, and the

life

and joy

of heaven flow in with continually increasing fullness.

No
hell

not by faith alone, or by a mere knowledge and

truth,

acknowledgment of the
or reach heaven
;

can a

man

ever escape

but by yielding a voluntary,

though

at first a self-compelled,

obedience to the laws of

HOW
heavenly
life.

TO ESCAPE IT

213

Through obedience to these laws at the same time acknowledging the Lord as their source, and the source of all our disposition and power to obey them

the

interiors of the soul are

influx of hell
is

and the

opened toward heaven, lessened, and the Lord's life

flows in with ever-increasing

cisely as,
life,

power and

fullness;

pre-

through obedience to the laws of our physical

physical debility and disorder recede, and bodily

health, strength

and

elasticity flow in.

We

cannot love the Lord supremely and our neighbor

as ourselves,

by simply desiring or

willing to

do so

no, nor by the power of faith alone however strong, or

prayer however sincere and fervent.

to flow into our hearts in the

But

this love is sure

degree that

we humbly

acits

knowledge its source, and compel laws. Shun falsehood, fraud, deceit, adultery as sins against God, and by degrees you evils

ourselves to obey

all

known
come

will

to

hate and

loathe

these

vices.

ligiously to

some

useful calling,

Devote yourself reand you will gradually

Practice the laws of
its

grow

into

the love of that use.

life

charity,

and the

of charity with

delights will be

imparted unto you more and more.

Obey

the law of

kindness, and there will be a constantly increasing influx

of the spirit of kindness into your heart.

Do

justly,

because such

is

the will of

God, and you

In
all

and more

in love with justice.

grow more your dealings and

will

intercourse with your fellow

men, be

careful to

obey the

laws of neighborly love, and to regard and shun their

214

NEW

VIEW OF HELL.
that love with its unspeakable

infraction as a sin,

and

delights will flood

your soul more and more.

But pursue the opposite course

the soul's higher
life

disregard the laws of

trample on the rules of love and justice in your charity

intercourse with your fellows,

violate the precepts of heavenly-

emptied of the Lord's

life,
;

and your soul will become and more and more insensible
will

grow continually stronger, and your heart more and more like the nether mill-stone ; your sympathies will become more
to its ineffable sweetness

your love of self

contracted and deadened

your sense of justice

;

will

grow

more and more benumbed

and more beclouded
;

your moral perceptions more

of,

your appreciation

aspirations after, the gifts and graces of heaven,

and your more

and more feeble ; and the angel life in you become more and more marred and crushed, and the demon life more
vigorous and flourishing.

And

thus will your soul, created with the capacity of

endless progress in wisdom, holiness, and love, and with

Yes

boundless capabilities of enjoyment, be

lost

lost

and ruined.

and ruined; because, through your voluntary

laws of your soul's higher
fails

neglect or infraction of the revealed and everlasting laws

of love

the

life,

that life

is

dwarfed and spoiled, or

in you.

to

become developed with-

Having

chosen darkness rather than light, you

cannot help missing the glorious boon which you were

made

capable of attaining

Heaven
Lord
:

and

its

unutterable

delights.

Verily, saith the

HOW
" What
shall
it

TO ESCAPE

IT.

21$

profit a

man

if

he shall gain the whole

shall a

world and lose his own

in

soul ?

Or what

man

give

exchange

for his

soul?"
is

The

nature of heaven and of hell

revealed.

The

way of escape from one and of entrance into the other,

is

made

plain.

The Lord
all

ever watches, and waits, and

strives to

draw

unto Himself.

But

He

uses

no com-

pulsion.

He

cannot force one soul to heaven.

He
:
.

leaves

us

perfect freedom ; and says to every one "I have set before you life and death, blessing and
all in

cursing.

Therefore choose
live
:

life,

that both thou

and thy

seed

may "That thou mayest

for

love the

Lord thy God,

that thou

mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto

Him

He
is

is

thy

life,

Each one

free to

choose for himself.

and the length of thy days." He must and

does choose for himself.

"And

if

it

seem
day

evil

unto you to serve the Lord,

ye will serve/
'

choose you

this

whom

^> v

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[UJUVERSIT'

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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.
OCT

27
-3

1892

189

Ucessions No. V\ ifM

It

5//^ No.
<%o

c&

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