350 ADDRESS TO THE SWEDENBORG SOCIETY. Now what is the position which this Society will have to maintain in regard to this theory? "The principal reason," says Swedenborg,* "why it pleased the Lord to be born upon our earth, was, for the sake of the Word, that this might be written in our earth, and when written be published throughout the whole earth; and once published, be preserved to all posterity; and that thus it might be manifest, even to all in the other life, that God was made Man." "That the Word might be written on our earth, is because the art of writing has prevailed here from the most ancient time, first on the rind or bark of trees, next on skins or parchment, afterwards on paper, and lastly by types, as in printing. This was provided of the Lord for the sake of the Word." "That the Word might afterwards be published throughout the whole earth is, because a communication of all nations is here given both by land and water to all parts of the globe; hence the Word, once written, could be transferred from one nation to another, and be everywhere taught. Such communication was also provided of the Lord-for the sake of the Word." Go, then, examine and watch the working of the Printing Presses of this country, both public and private ;-go to the Times Office-the Presses at Oxford-the Presses at Cambridge;-go to the Dockyards of this mercantile country-to the Royal Exchange,-and what will be the devout contemplation of every member of the New Church? See ye all these things? These were provided of the Lord primarily for the sake of the Word-ay, I will say, for the sake of the very letter of the Word, that "its sound might go forth into all lands, and its words unto the end of the world." We maintain, then, that the very letter of the Word is in immediate connection with the fact of the Incarnation, and the selection of this earth as the scene of that event. "A body hast Thou given me," is true both in relation to the Living Word and to the written Word; for the body is the letter, the spiritual sense is the soul; the letter, therefore, is the incarnation of the spiritual sense, just as the speech of man is the incarnation of his thought. It is true the Critics have aimed to destroy the letter. The dead body of the Word has lain in the street of the great city, and the Critics have rejoiced over it and made merry; and the Church has said "We will not derive our life from a dead body." But the Lord has raised up a Society to bear witness that the spirit of life has again entered into the body, and that it stands upon its feet, and will cause men to give glory to the God of heaven. The Critics have not destroyed the letter, but they have unwittingly been made the means of establishing it. "There is one foundation laid for us all," that is true;—and "that foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself," that also is true; but * Arcana, art. 9351, et seq. ADDRESS TO THE SWEDENBORG SOCIETY. 351 because the Lord is a foundation, is the letter no foundation? Is there no interior Divine Wisdom resting upon the letter as a foundation? If not, the letter is certainly no foundation. But does not the Catholic Church itself admit that the doctrines of the Church are to be drawn from the literal sense of the Word? Are not some of these doctrines regarded as fundamental? and how can they be fundamental, if they do not serve as a foundation? If it be replied-The foundation is not the letter of any Book, I ask-Is it not the letter that tells us "The stone which the builders refused, the same is become the head stone of the corner"?" Behold! I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation"? Is it not notorious that the truths of the letter are called "stones," "precious stones," and that these stones constitute the twelve foundations of the Word and the Church? Are not the foundations of the Word and the Church the same? Are we to throw away the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, the topaz, the amethyst, and the rest-all of them forming foundations of the Church and the Word, and then say the Church can afford to throw them all away, the Church can do without them, for they do not form the foundation of our Church? This may be true-but they do form the foundation of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, "coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband." FUTURE PUNISHMENT: ITS NATURE AND DURATION. (Concluded from page 314.) Bur here a very important explanation has to be made. It is said, indeed, in Scripture, that there is an impassable gulf between heaven and hell. But Swedenborg explains this to the rational mind, by showing that, in the spiritual world, place is simply an effect of state, thus that those appear distant from each other who are different in character: consequently the "great gulf" spoken of as existing between the evil and the good means merely their utter contrariety of character; and the fixedness or impassableness of that gulf represents that the character of the evil, when once settled, cannot be changed. This is very important to be understood, as, in the light of this view, the idea of an impassable barrier arbitrarily set by the Divine Being, to keep the wicked out of heaven, is removed from the mind; for the idea of the existence of such an arbitrary barrier is merely a natural, not a spiritual idea. But to show still more plainly the great truth that the evil are not excluded from heaven by any arbitrary fiat of the Almighty, 350 ADDRESS TO THE SWEDENBORG SOCIETY. Now what is the position which this Society will have to maintain in regard to this theory? "The principal reason," says Swedenborg,* "why it pleased the Lord to be born upon our earth, was, for the sake of the Word, that this might be written in our earth, and when written be published throughout the whole earth; and once published, be preserved to all posterity; and that thus it might be manifest, even to all in the other life, that God was made Man." "That the Word might be written on our earth, is because the art of writing has prevailed here from the most ancient time, first on the rind or bark of trees, next on skins or parchment, afterwards on paper, and lastly by types, as in printing. This was provided of the Lord for the sake of the Word." "That the Word might afterwards be published throughout the whole earth is, because a communication of all nations is here given both by land and water to all parts of the globe; hence the Word, once written, could be transferred from one nation to another, and be everywhere taught. Such communication was also provided of the Lord-for the sake of the Word." Go, then, examine and watch the working of the Printing Presses of this country, both public and private;-go to the Times Office-the Presses at Oxford-the Presses at Cambridge;-go to the Dockyards of this mercantile country-to the Royal Exchange,-and what will be the devout contemplation of every member of the New Church? See ye all these things? These were provided of the Lord primarily for the sake of the Word-ay, I will say, for the sake of the very letter of the Word, that "its sound might go forth into all lands, and its words unto the end of the world." We maintain, then, that the very letter of the Word is in immediate connection with the fact of the Incarnation, and the selection of this earth as the scene of that event. "A body hast Thou given me," is true both in relation to the Living Word and to the written Word; for the body is the letter, the spiritual sense is the soul; the letter, therefore, is the incarnation of the spiritual sense, just as the speech of man is the incarnation of his thought. It is true the Critics have aimed to destroy the letter. The dead body of the Word has lain in the street of the great city, and the Critics have rejoiced over it and made merry; and the Church has said “We will not derive our life from a dead body." But the Lord has raised up a Society to bear witness that the spirit of life has again entered into the body, and that it stands upon its feet, and will cause men to give glory to the God of heaven. The Critics have not destroyed the letter, but they have unwittingly been made the means of establishing it. "There is one foundation laid for us all," that is true;—and "that foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself,"—that also is true; but * Arcana, art. 9351, et seq. ADDRESS TO THE SWEDENBORG SOCIETY. 351 because the Lord is a foundation, is the letter no foundation? Is there no interior Divine Wisdom resting upon the letter as a foundation? If not, the letter is certainly no foundation. But does not the Catholic Church itself admit that the doctrines of the Church are to be drawn from the literal sense of the Word? Are not some of these doctrines regarded as fundamental? and how can they be fundamental, if they do not serve as a foundation? If it be replied-The foundation is not the letter of any Book, I ask-Is it not the letter that tells us-"The stone which the builders refused, the same is become the head stone of the corner"?" Behold! I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation"? Is it not notorious that the truths of the letter are called "stones," " 'precious stones,” and that these stones constitute the twelve foundations of the Word and the Church? Are not the foundations of the Word and the Church the same? Are we to throw away the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, the topaz, the amethyst, and the rest—all of them forming foundations of the Church and the Word, and then say the Church can afford to throw them all away, the Church can do without them, for they do not form the foundation of our Church? This may be true-but they do form the foundation of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, "coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband." FUTURE PUNISHMENT: ITS NATURE AND DURATION. (Concluded from page 314.) But here a very important explanation has to be made. It is said, indeed, in Scripture, that there is an impassable gulf between heaven and hell. But Swedenborg explains this to the rational mind, by showing that, in the spiritual world, place is simply an effect of state, thus that those appear distant from each other who are different in character: consequently the "great gulf" spoken of as existing between the evil and the good means merely their utter contrariety of character; and the fixedness or impassableness of that gulf represents that the character of the evil, when once settled, cannot be changed. This is very important to be understood, as, in the light of this view, the idea of an impassable barrier arbitrarily set by the Divine Being, to keep the wicked out of heaven, is removed from the mind; for the idea of the existence of such an arbitrary barrier is merely a natural, not a spiritual idea. But to show still more plainly the great truth that the evil are not excluded from heaven by any arbitrary fiat of the Almighty, 352 FUTURE PUNISHMENT: ITS NATURE AND DURATION. but that their exclusion is simply the result of their own disorderly state of mind,-in fact, that they exclude themselves,-Swedenborg shows that heaven is denied to no one, and that even the wicked may go into it, if they can remain there : "Heaven (says he) is not denied by the Lord to any one; but if man's life is not such that he can be in company with angels, he flees away thence of himself.”* In fact, he shows that the experiment has been often tried, and may be tried by any one who wishes it : "Evil spirits (says he), when recently arrived from the world, and before they cast themselves into hell, conceive more strongly than other spirits do that they may be received into heaven, believing that it consists in reception only, and that every one, whatever may be his quality, may of grace be admitted into heaven. But they are sometimes told that heaven is denied by the Lord to no one, and that they may be admitted if they can abide there; and some of them, also, are elevated into the societies which are at the entrance into heaven. But when they come thither, they begin to be tormented, and almost suffocated, such is the distress of the life of their thought and will,—the life of their thought from the principles of falsity, and the life of their will from their evil life in the world. And when they view themselves in the light of heaven, they appear to themselves as devils, some as carcases, some as monsters; wherefore they cast themselves down headlong from that society, and from the light there, into some infernal mist, where they receive their former respiration, and where they appear to themselves from phantasy as spirits not evil.”+ It may thus be seen that the very existence of such a place or state as hell for the wicked, is a provision of the Divine goodness and mercy, for there only would existence be in any degree tolerable to them: heaven would be to them a still severer hell. But now another objection is to be considered. It may be asked by some" Why is the period of probation made so short? Is it just that this little life of threescore years and ten should determine man's state for threescore millions of years and for ever?" This objection appears at first sight highly plausible; but let us see if it will bear examination. The answer is, that the period of probation is long enough to effect the purpose intended, namely, to mould and form the character, and longer than this would be of no use, but injurious. Time enough is allowed to make a full and deliberate choice of the right or the wrong, of good or of evil, and what need of more? When the scale is turned and gone down, why should we stand holding it, in the hope that the beam will go up again? Suppose that life were a thousand years long, instead of a hundred or threescore, the objection offered would hold equally good. It might be argued with the same plausibility-" Is it just that a life of only a thousand years should determine one's condition for a thousand * Arcana Cœlestia, n. 4721. + 4. C. 4674. |