various beautiful colors like rainbows; but the interiors of those who are in corporeal love appear as something black, because they are closed, and of some as dusky fire, who are those who had been interiorly in malignant deceit; but the exteriors appear of a dirty color, and disagreeable to the sight. Those who are in corporeal love cannot in any wise live in the heat of heaven, for the heat of heaven is heavenly love, but in the heat of hell, which is the love of indulging rage against others who do not favor themselves; contempt of others, enmity, hatred, revenge, are the delights of that love; and when they are in those delights they are in their life, not at all knowing what it is to do good to others from good itself, and for the sake of good, but only to do good from evil, and for the sake of evil. Neither can those who are in corporeal love breathe in heaven, for when any evil spirit is brought thither, he draws his breath as one who struggles in a contest; whereas they who are in heavenly love breathe the more freely, and live the more fully, the more interiorly they are admitted into heaven. From these things it may be manifest, that heavenly and spiritual love is heaven with man, because on that love are inscribed all things of heaven; and that corporeal and worldly love, without heavenly and spiritual love, are hell with man, because on those loves are inscribed all things of hell. Hence it is evident, that he who is in heavenly and spiritual love comes into heaven, and he who is in corporeal and worldly love without heavenly and spiritual, into hell. (Heaven and Hell n. 481.)

From what has now been said concerning societies of men in the spiritual world, it will be seen that a very different doctrine is taught in the writings of the New Church from what is found in those of the Old, concerning the future condition of the wicked, and the nature of their punishment. According to the doctrines of this Church, there is nothing arbitrary either in the punishment of the wicked or in the reward of the virtuous: but, agreeably to an eternal law of order, goodness is its own reward and vice its own tormentor. Swedenborg says that, in the spiritual world "there is nothing of punish-

ment from the Lord, but from evil itself; for evil is so conjoined with its own punishment, that they cannot be separated; for the infernal crew desire and love nothing more than to do evil;" and hence "that the Lord does not cast any one down into hell, but that every one casts himself down not only whilst he lives in the world, but also after death, when he comes amongst spirits." (Ibid. n. 548, 550.)

Neither is there in the spiritual world any literal "lake which burneth with fire and brimstone," into which the wicked will be cast; although it is so said in the literal sense of the Word. But this is there said, because the Scriptures are written according to correspondences, and such a "lake" corresponds to the state of life in which the wicked are. Those therefore who confirm themselves in this apparent truth of the letter, pervert and falsify the Word.

Swedenborg says: "The spiritual heat appertaining to man is the heat of his life, because in its essence it is love; this heat is what is meant in the Word by fire; love to the Lord and neighborly love being meant by heavenly fire, and self-love and the love of the world by infernal fire." (Ibid. 568.)

From this it may readily be understood what is signified by the lake of fire and brimstone into which, it is said, the wicked shall be cast. It denotes in general a state of evil lusts and false persuasions into which those persons cast themselves, who wilfully reject and disobey the Divine Truth. A lake, when employed in a good sense as when a lake of water is spoken of, denotes an abundance of truth; for water corresponds to truth. But when used in an opposite sense, as in the present instance, it denotes what is opposite to truth, or falses in abundance. Fire denotes love either good or evil.

Here it denotes evil love which is infernal fire. And because such love is conjoined with all kinds of falses, therefore the state of one's mind in which it dwells is described in correspondential language by a lake of fire. By brimstone is denoted the lust of evil and thence of falsity. This lake is sometimes said to burn with fire and brimstone, to denote the inflamma

tory and consuming character of those infernal loves whence issue evil lusts and false persuasions. By the wicked being cast into this lake, as is sometimes said, is signified that men cast themselves into such an infernal state of mind as is denoted by it, through a voluntary rejection and disobedience of the truth. The reason why they are said to be cast into this lake, as if it were done by the Lord in an arbitrary manner, is, because it is effected through the operation of a law of divine order. For it is an eternal law of order, that those who reject and disobey the truth shall fall into such a state of mind as is denoted by the "lake that burneth with fire and brimstone."

Such is the burning lake in which all the wicked have their part;-into which are cast "the beast and the false prophet," and all who "have received the mark of the beast and worshipped his image." "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever;" i. e. evil concupisences and the pride of self-derived intelligence which is darkness when compared with heavenly light, continually proceed from the tormenting love of self in which those are who are denoted by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, as natural smoke proceeds from the fire.

We have thus presented the doctrine of the New Church concerning the resurrection, together with a brief view of that world which man enters immediately after death. Those who desire to know more about the spiritual world, are referred to the writings of Swedenborg, particularly to the treatise on Heaven and Hell, from which we have made copious extracts. From these extracts it must be manifest that everything which is there taught is perfectly reasonable and consistent. And it must be seen also from what has been said, that the doctrine of the resurrection as taught in the writings of the New Church, is not only free from the philosophical objections which may be urged against the prevailing doctrine upon this subject, but is in perfect accordance both with reason and Scripture.

The great advantage also which this doctrine possesses over that of the Old Church in a practical point

of view must be manifest to all. It brings the spiritual world and the day of judgment very near to us all. It teaches us that the spirit of man is the real man himself, endowed with sensations far more acute than any that can be imparted to flesh and blood; and that his state of final happiness or misery is not to be deferred to some indefinite and very remote period, but that immediately on quitting the natural world he rises a real man, capable of all that fulness either of joy or of sorrow which is commonly supposed to await him not before the resurrection of the material body. And when in connection with this, we reflect that there is nothing arbitrary either in the rewards or the punishments of another life-that we carry with us our own heaven or our own hell—that the quality of life which we have procured, each one for himself, in this world, or the nature of the love which we have permitted to rule in us, will remain with us to eternity-what a powerful motive is here presented to induce men to cease from evil and learn to do well!-to induce them to observe all things whatsoever the Lord has commanded.

Certainly the practice of virtue and the discouragement of vice cannot be enforced by any stronger sanctions than those furnished by the New Church doctrine which we have just been considering.

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LECTURE XI.

THE OPENING OF SWEDENBORG'S SPIRITUAL SENSES

-ITS POSSIBILITY PROVED FROM THE SCRIPTURES.

"I WILL COME TO VISIONS AND REVELATIONS."-2 Cor. xii. 1.

WRITING upon the subject of Swedenborg's modes of perception, the pious, learned and philosophic Richer says:

"At the word 'Vision,' science is disturbed, faith alarmed; and the mind, without examination, appeals to ridicule and mockery. In this proscribed word, superstition, fanaticism, and deception, meet. One sees in it unequivocal proof of a disordered brain; another, the certain influence of the spirit of darkness; a third, the evidence of gross and ignorant credulity. Memory recalls what one has read, and receives these visions with the same contempt we have been accustomed to feel for those of ancient story. If history has wished to blast the reputation of any religious personage, it has called him a visionary. Is there in a romance a character whose delirious opinions the author would condemn, he makes him a visionary. It is a word which everywhere invites proscription, contempt, ridicule and hatred. The infant, whose reason is but budding, smiles at the story of a vision; for it is told him along with the fairy tales, to which no one is expected to list