New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-04-12
FROM FLASHING TON.
SWEDENBORGIANISM IN THE CAPITOL.
From OR Own Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, April 4, 1853.
BY 81 arrangement rst introduced at this session
of Congress, the Speaker Of the House invites in
rotstion tie clergy men e the dft rent religious
ce'ies of the Capital to preach on Sunday morning
10 the Hall of the Representatives. This morning
considerable audience, including many members OF
Congress. assembled to witness the New Church or
SweGe1 b. rgian mode Of worship, and to listen to
sermon from the Rev. Mrs. Fox, the pastor OF the
church Of that denomination in this city.
The form Of worship was simple in the extreme,
consisting of singing hymns, of reading passages OF
Scripture by the minister, and OF Offering the Lords
PRAYER the Only one used, | believe, by Sweden
boreians The sermon was discourse on the doc
trine Of the Resurrection, from the text John viii,
81: "Teriiy, reriiy, sag unto gou y u man Keep
" mn SAVING, he shall nerer see dea!h.
Never were words spoken, SAID the preacher,
which concerns us more deeply than these They push
aside the curtain which separates two worlds. and
show how slight the partition is though to the nat
ural man it seems an impossible barrier. They
bridge the chasm which men call death. They step
across the grave and remove all obstacles TO the IN
definite extension of existence.
Let us consider the meaning of these words
" Shall nertr sac DEATH" The promise is not of
resurrection from the dead 1t is not reSuscltatlon
for which we may hope. 1t is promise of ALSO
uninterrupted, perpetual life. This text is not an
isolated passage Promises substantially like this
are repeated many times. Ii is the uniform tenor
of the TEACHING Of our Lord. In the same chapter
we have these words: Z" II O man ksep my saying
he shall nerer taste death" Again In the OH chapter
of John, the Lord says: He that behereh on me
hath trerlasting life" And again in the llth chsp
fer. "Whosoerer Hrefh and beliersth in me shall
nerfr die" The same assurance Is repeated
seven times in the 9th chapter of John.
Such passages abound i'll the Holy Word. And
the immortality which they promise Is definite
Whoever accepts the conditions OF the promise
hath eternal life. Not riN hare, at some future
period, in a future state of existence Ii is not
promise of life to be enjoyed in Heaven only.
il, ale that eateth my flesh ana dfinketn my
." blood hath. External life "-nor Immediately, con.
tipuously. ale shall i've forever" is one form OF
the promise; not be shall live for time, and die,
and then be raised TO life sgain, and thencelorth
live forever The text declares that he " shall
n,r,r 81, d,ah." And in the 26th verse OF 9TH
John il is promised, "Whosoever beleyeth III me
shall ntrer die Shall nerr die. No language
could be stronger, or more direct or dehnlte.
The objection may be made that this can not De
literally true How can he escape the death
of the BODY! There is, in reality, no sucn
thing as the death of the material body. mere Is
such an appearance But this body can not die; Tor
If was never alive. 1t is the spirit or soul OF man
which lives: but the body, whichis composed OF the
substances ofthis world has DO life nltse Inc Nv
ing spirit within acts thr0ughit and by IL, ana mus
gives il the appearance OF life; out IL Is onty al 'P
pearsnce. These appearances cease iils'an'ah
when the spirit wIthdraws; and then We say 'ne
material BODY il dead. We say it has died. ana
tseems So and it is very proper TO say SO; not oe
ca-e is So but because this is the appearance 10
the senses. We should, however, at the same tiine
understand that We are speaking OF things as they
seem and not a. they really are We SPEAK Vi Tue
rising Of the sun and of the going down OF the sane'
aDd this sort of language Is often used III 'Ic po'e
But every one understands that this - only an aP
pearance: that AT the very moment the sun seems
10 Us 10 BE- going down, he seems 10 others ~ NC
rising; and both appearances result from the revoi-
ton of the earth, aud lot from any MOTION VI tne
sun. ,,.,
The material body is but tabernacle IN WHICH t1e
man lives for time for probationary purposes -
i. covering with which the living sprt Is in'eseu
at tie beginning of its existence and when IL soon
nuts .f "a a butterfly excoristes his chrysalld
coverings. The Appetite Peter so UNDERSTOOD MS
mate rial BODY: for in the first chapter OF Ms second
Epistle, he speaks of duties which he must not
neglect "as long | am in this tabernacle aduhs
there words, Knowing that shortly must put on
this by tabernacle" This is the way IN VINCE INC
Apostles speak Of natural death: " fut OH tlls NY
tabernacle" Peter evidently thought No more OF
the outer man las Paul calls the body, or OF ever
resuming it, than butterfyci bis cnrysans sne t
II Was 10 him but as the striking OF tent III the
wilderness. leaving the occupant with DO covering
between him and Heaven. And feter nau goo9
ground for saying this, for the Lord had instructed
him, as be declares s. Even as our Lord jesus
Christ hath showed me-.
The soul is the man. The natural BODY Is eut
temporary accessory. When the soul has fs II, .hs
body s not man. And il II Is not man ai'ei ~.
soul has left it, then il was not oeiors: IL Voc V .I
. tabernacle in which man dwet. The soul Is the
man. and il i in the human form. 1t is spiritual
body. Not vapor, puff of air, thing without Without
form or substance 1t is living, substantial hulnin
being, something real; something that can De seen
md handled. though not by material eyes and bands,
but by spirits and angels. The SOU IS spiritual
body, that is body formed OF spiritual ,uo'ssI.e