The New View of Hell/Chapter 1
THE
New View of Hell,
I.
THE NEW DISPENSATION.
THE theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg are regarded by many—by all, indeed, who have read and studied them with care—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 experience. They are held to be (and this, too, is their own claim) a new Dispensation of spiritual 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 its nature and so grand in its proportions, as to be itself the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the second coming of Him who is "the Light of the world." They are declared to 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 truth, therefore, contained in the writings of this man, is not to be considered his, but the Lord's. He was but the chosen instrument to receive and make known to 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 foretold that He would come and establish a New Church which is the New Jerusalem, it follows 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 the Lord manifested Himself before me his servant, and sent me to this office, that He afterward opened the eyes of my spirit 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; as also, that, from the first day of that calling I have not received anything whatever pertaining to the doctrines of that Church from any angel, but from the Lord alone while I read the Word." (True Christian Religion, 779.)
And elsewhere in his writings he repeats the same statement—in substance if 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 some special illumination 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 supposed that I have given any explication of my own, nor that even of any angel, but only what I have had communicated to me from the Lord alone."
And in his treatise on "The Intercourse between the Soul and the Body," he relates a conversation that he once had with "a man of reason," explaining to him how it was that from a philosopher he became a theologian. After telling him that it was "for the same reason that fishermen became the disciples and apostles of the Lord," adding that he also "from early youth had been a spiritual fisherman;" and after explaining what this means, and confirming what he says by citing passages from the Word which speak of fishermen, unfolding at the same time their spiritual meaning, his interrogator "raised his voice and said:
"'Now I can understand why the Lord called and chose fishermen to be his disciples; and therefore I do not wonder that He has also called and chosen you, since, as you have observed, you were from early youth a fisherman in a spiritual sense, that is, an investigator of natural truths. The reason that you are now become an investigator of spiritual truths, is, that these are founded on the former.' To this he added, being a man of reason, that 'the Lord alone knows who is the proper person to apprehend and teach or communicate the truths which should be revealed for his New Church.'"—Ibid. 20.
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 be in the clouds of heaven. This coming, he says, is not to be external and natural, cognizable by the eye of sense; but internal and spiritual, cognizable by the understanding and the heart. It is to be a coming of the Word of God, that is, of the deeper meanings of the Word—a coming of its spiritual or heavenly sense to the minds and hearts of men, and exerting upon them a new and renovating power. And the clouds in or upon which it is said He would come, are the clouds of Scripture—the obscurities, more or less 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 own language:
"It is the prevailing opinion at this day [1770] in every church, that the Lord, when He comes to the last judgment, will appear in the clouds of heaven with angels and the sound of trumpets; that He will gather together all who are then dwelling on the earth, as well as all who are deceased, and will separate the evil from the good, as a shepherd separates the goats from the sheep that then He will cast the evil, or the goats, into hell, and raise up the good, or the sheep, into heaven; and further that He will, at the same time, create a new visible heaven and a new habitable earth, and on the latter He will cause a city to descend, which is to be called the New Jerusalem, and is to be built according to the description given in the Revelation (Ch. xxi.) of jasper and gold; and the foundation of its walls of every precious stone; and its height, breadth and length to be equal, each twelve thousand furlongs; and that all the elect are to be gathered together into this city, both those that are then alive, and those that have died since the beginning of the world; and that the latter will then return into their bodies, and enjoy everlasting bliss in that magnificent city, as in their heaven. This is the prevailing opinion of the present day, in all Christian churches, respecting the coming of the Lord and the last judgment."—True Christian Religion, n . 768.
And a little further on he says:
"That the second coming of the Lord, is a coming, not in person, but in the Word which is from Him, and is Himself.—It is written in many places that the Lord will come in the clouds of heaven; as Matt. xvii. 5; xxiv. 30; xxvi. 64; Mark xiv. 62; Luke ix. 34, 35; xxi. 27; Rev. i. 7; xiv. 14; Dan. vii. 13; but no one has heretofore known what is meant by the clouds of heaven, and hence mankind have believed that the Lord will appear to them in person. But it has remained undiscovered to this day, that the Word in its literal sense is meant by the clouds of heaven; and that the spiritual sense of the Word is meant by the power and glory in which also the Lord is to come. . . . Now since the spiritual sense of the Word has been opened to me by the Lord, and it has been granted me to be with angels and spirits in their world as one of themselves, it has been revealed to me that the clouds of heaven signify the Word in its natural sense; and glory, the Word in its 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 claims to have been called of the Lord in an extraordinary manner, and to have been specially illumined by his Spirit, to make a new revelation;—a revelation, that is, of new and heavenly truth concerning Himself, his Word, the nature of heaven and hell, and the condition of different classes of men in the great Hereafter. He declares that it is the Lord who opened the eyes of his spirit; that it is the Lord who taught him the true meaning of the Word, and what doctrines to promulgate; that the Lord had actually come (agreeably to his promise), to establish a New Church by means of the doctrines which it was given him to receive, understand and publish to the world that these doctrines were not his own—not the result of any labor or study on his part, nor received from any angel, but communicated to him by the Lord alone. "From the first day of that calling," he says, "I have not received anything whatever pertaining to the doctrines of the New Church from any angel, but from the Lord alone while I read the Word."
It is not my purpose here to enter upon any discussion of this claim, or to adduce evidence to show that it is well founded. The need there was of a new revelation at the time Swedenborg lived and wrote, as shown by the doctrinal beliefs and teachings in all the churches of his day; the luminous and extraordinary character of his theological writings; the sweet and heavenly and catholic spirit that they breathe throughout; the elevated and rational views they contain on all subjects—views that harmonize with the teachings of Scripture and reason and science, and with all we know of the laws of the human soul 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 thoroughly 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 and majestic, and so admirably adapted to human wants in this age, that it could have none other than God himself for its author. He accepts Swedenborg's teachings, therefore, as a new Dispensation of spiritual truth, bearing the impress of God's own finger. So abundant and overmastering is the evidence, that he cannot do otherwise; 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 the evidence; they have not seen it, indeed. And nowhere but in his writings themselves, can satisfactory evidence of 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 his writings sufficiently to enable them to discern, in some measure, their wondrous depth and comprehensiveness and philosophy and unity. Such persons, (and they are not a few) stand toward this New Christian Dispensation in the same attitude as those stand toward the first Christian dispensation, who admit that Jesus Christ was a wise and excellent man, and that much truth is to be found in the 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 many who know and believe more of Him and his gospel, still they would not be regarded, popularly or doctrinally speaking, as Christians; for they do not acknowledge Christianity as a new Dispensation, or in any proper sense as a new Revelation.
So, popularly speaking, those are not of the New Christian Dispensation (they may belong to it really but not nominally) who do not see or acknowledge that any such dispensation has commenced, or that the writings of Swedenborg are, indeed, a new and divinely authorized revelation of heavenly truth—though they may have in their hearts more of the spirit and life of the New Church than some who accept its doctrines.
But many persons—and these inhabiting the most enlightened portions of Christendom—are beginning to admit that Swedenborg's claim is well founded. They believe that he wrote under a special divine illumination, and that his writings are or contain a new revelation. And what is implied by this admission? That no mistake, however trivial, is anywhere to be found in his writings? That in every sentence and word he penned after his illumination, he was immediately directed by the Lord? That every word he wrote is as certainly true as if it 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. We may admit his divine illumination; we may believe that he was enlightened and taught of God as no other man ever was; and that his writings are, as they claim to be, a new and divinely authorized revelation; and yet we may believe that his illumination was not precisely the same at all times; that he was not absolutely infallible; that his pen, and even his thought on some minor points, might momentarily have slipped, making him teach or seem to teach in one place, something 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 to men, does involve the belief, that, upon all important doctrines—upon all questions which have hitherto engaged the attention of Christians, and in which they are likely always to feel a deep interest—he has spoken with 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 themes he was illumined by the Holy Spirit, and has taught only what the Lord authorized and directed him to teach. So that what his writings contain on such subjects, is not his own opinions or conclusions merely, but is what the Lord himself teaches or is trying to teach mankind through him.
Let me endeavor to make my view more clear by an illustration:—
A man is duly accredited by our government to the court of St. James. Upon all important matters between the two countries, he receives his instruction from Washington. And if he acts according to his instruction, the things he does as the authorized agent of the government, are not to be regarded merely as his acts, but the acts of the government; and the government alone is responsible for them. But in carrying on some negotiation. 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; but that is of small consequence if it does not prevent nor in any way interfere with the negotiation. He may not, in every interview with the British minister of foreign affairs, or at every court dinner, 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, and so accomplishes the purpose of his mission, is he any the less the accredited American minister, 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?
So Swedenborg—though it 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 expounder of sacred mysteries, if his teaching upon all important and fundamental points be true, or such as meets the approval of heaven's own King.
But though it is, or claims to be, a New Dispensation, it is a dispensation of rational religious truth. It addresses us as rational beings, endowed with the capacity of discriminating between right and wrong—truth and falsehood. It declares that Rationality, or the ability to understand spiritual truth when presented, and to judge between it and error, is one of the noblest gifts of God. And it holds it to 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 Swedenborg has taught on any subject, unless the teaching approve itself to his rational intuitions; that is, unless he himself sees it to be true. Each one must use his own eyes, and not allow another to see for him. The great seer himself says:
"This tenet, that the understanding is to be kept in subjection to faith, is rejected in the New Church; and in its place, this is to be received as a maxim, that the truth of the church should be seen in order that it may be believed. . . . What is truth not seen, but a voice not understood?" And again he says: "The angels have wisdom in consequence of seeing truths. Wherefore when it is said to any angel that this or that is to be believed although it is not understood, the angel replies, Do you suppose me to be insane, or that you yourself are a god whom I am bound to believe?"
This Dispensation, moreover, is catholic, comprehensive, universal, in its spirit. It breathes throughout the sweetest charity. It inculcates the largest liberty of thought. It encourages the utmost freedom of religious inquiry. It asserts with new and increased emphasis the great Protestant principle—the right of private judgment in matters of faith, however that judgment may differ from the solemn decree of popes, prelates, councils, synods, assemblies or conventions. It upholds, therefore, and furnishes new and powerful weapons in defence of religious liberty. It is tolerant of all forms of error, innocently imbibed and conscientiously held, and shows the possibility of salvation under all of them. It condemns no individual, no sect, no people—not even Mahometans or Pagans—merely on account of their beliefs; but teaches that infinite Love is for ever brooding over all; and for ever seeking, through such forms of faith 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 communion and sweeter fellowship with itself. It is full, therefore—this New Dispensation—of the all-embracing and all-reconciling spirit of the Lord.
The following extracts—and a volume of similar ones might be quoted from the writings of Swedenborg—will exhibit something of the large and catholic spirit of this New Dispensation:—
"Notwithstanding there are so many various and different doctrines [believed by Christians], still, if all who hold these doctrines did but acknowledge charity as the essential of the church, or what is the same, if they had respect to life as the end of doctrine, they would together form one church; . . . for every one in the other life is gifted with a lot from the Lord according to the good of his life, not according to the truth of his doctrine separate from that good."—Arcana Cœlestia 3241.
"If charity were in the first place and faith in the second, the church would have another face. For then, none would be called Christians but they who lived the life of charity. Then, too, there would not be many churches distinguished by their different opinions concerning the truths of faith; but the church would be called one, containing all those who are in the good of life."— Ibid. 6761.
"Schisms and heresies would never have arisen if 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 left to his individual conscience; not judging or condemning any for their opinions, provided they did not deny fundamental principles—that is, the Lord, eternal life, and the Word—and maintained nothing contrary to the commandments of the decalogue."—Ibid. 1834.
"He who is in goodness of life does not condemn another because he differs from him in opinion, but leaves it to his faith and conscience; and he extends this rule even to those who are out of the church—[those, that is, in heathen lands]. For he says in his heart that ignorance cannot condemn any, if they live in innocence and mutual love."—Ibid. 4468.
"Within the church there are some of all denominations who have a conscience; though their conscience, however, is 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—if only he has had regard to the good of life as an end."—Ibid. 10648.
"Let this truth be accepted and confirmed in the outset, that love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor are the essentials of all doctrine and worship, then heresies 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 dissimilar in form and function, still have reference to one heart, on which they all depend both in general and in particular, however various their forms. Then, too, every one would say of another, in whatsoever doctrine or external worship he might be. This is my brother; I see that he worships the Lord, and that he is a good man."—Ibid. 2385.
"Persons 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 nothing but what is seen, that is, understood, is acknowledged as truth."—Apocalypse Explained 1100.
"The dogma that the understanding is to be kept in subjection to faith, is rejected in the New Church; and in its place this is to be received as a maxim, that the truth of the church should be seen in order that it may be believed; and truth cannot be seen otherwise than rationally. How can any man be led by the Lord and conjoined to heaven, who shuts his understanding against such things as relate to salvation and eternal life? Is it not the understanding that is to be illumined and instructed? And what is the understanding closed by religion but thick darkness, and such darkness, too, as rejects the light that would illumine?"—Apocalypse Revealed 564.
These quotations might be extended indefinitely. But the reader may gather from the few here given, something of the large, free, tolerant and truly catholic spirit of this new Dispensation. And if we recognize in nearly all the churches of to-day, a steady increase of this same spirit, that is only additional evidence that "old things"—the old bigotry, narrowness, intolerance, denominational hatreds, and high partition walls of the last century—are passing away, and a new and more truly Christ-like spirit taking their place; agreeably to the Divine promise: "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new."