The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-11-19
Sunday Reading.
How to Escape He'll.

An unusually large audience assembled
last week Mt Cooper Institute TO hear Oil
yer Dyer cxpound what Swcdenborg
teaches concerning the New church way
10 escape the Old church hell. Men, said
the "Wickedcst Mans" biographer. have
always more tangible notions Of hell than
Of heaven. because they have more hell
than heaven in them; and n man gets TO
hell because he belongs there, because il
fits him better than any other place. This
whole business Of going TO hell or heaven
is purely philosophical matter, and there
ARE no arbitrary rewards or punishmcnts
in the case, but only logical consequences.
God Is supremely good, true and just
that Is to say, supremacy philosophical
aud logical. But unregenerate man is out
of Joint with God, and hence the almost
infinite difference between Gods treat
ment OF the violators of His law and
mems treatment Of offenders against them
selves Gods punishments are simply
bulwarks which He throws around us for
our protection. We should never learn
ANYTHING IL God dealt with us In the
hodce-podgc, arbitrary, Illogical manner
i'm which we deal with each other. Men
being near akin - hell. and furnishing or
wishing to punish their enemies in an
arbitrary manner. they have imagined that
God Furnishes His children and takes ven
geance on His enemies In the same spirit.
These errors have misplaced all the theo-
logical switches on the road 10 heaven |;
and the Church, instead Of teaching that
man has become alienatcd from God.
teaches that God has become alienated
from man. Instead Of teaching TO keep
the Commandments, il teaches that
"NOthing either great or small
Remains Cor me 10 dot
Jesus died and paid u all
AL the debt oweV
And. finally. instead Of teaching that God
Is n being of infinite love, IL teaches that
He Is being Of infinite vengeance, and
then II invents n trinity Of independent
gods and the doctrine Of an atonemcnt,
whereby peaccablc. loving God propi-
tiates an angry. Unsuitable God by deliver
ing himself 20 death. The true Scripture
doctrine Is that Cod Is being OF infinite
love. and that II any are lost IL is in spite
of Gods love and chcrishing care. And
how are they lost' Imagine n couple OF
hundred people with diseased eyes brought
into the light Some are so diseased that
they creep into the darkest places they can
find-into holes and dungeons even. not
because they are arbitrarily driven there,
but because they cannot endure the light.
And when wo come up into the light oil
Divine truth. we are Judged in the same
way. Our spiritual state Is revealed TO
US, and IL We can stand Gods light, well
and good; II we can bear more, we 90
forward where there Is more; and IL not.
we 60 back into the hells where there Is
less, not rs matter Of arbitrary punish
mcnt, but just rs the man with the dis
eased eyes goes hack into the dungeons to
escape the sunlight. How. then, shall we
get rid Of our fitness for help keep the
Commandments. saith the Lord God om-
nipotent. Get all animosity out Of your
hearts. Run hem Of prayer around each
day to keep il from raveling. Show your
religion Mt home. where n man always
shows his meanncss most. Treat your
wife 80 she viii feel what good thing Il
Is 10 have n religious husband. If you
are I'm Wall-st., remember IL Is robbery to
take a mans money II You have got him
"cornercd." [Applause,1 Keep FAR away
FROM un-ightcousness, from all you know
In he wrong. This mere singing psalms
and "glorifying God" Is not tho thing Al
all. If an outrageous servant girl should
become converted TO the pure kitchen Cos
pei. and take To clarifying her mistress
and singing hymns to her. and yet should
90 on staying out late ut night and burn
ing the steak and breaking the crockery.
would not her mistress call that miserable
nonsenser And just so God says. airing
me no moro vain ablstions, but keep my
commandments"