, 1877-03-25
War in an United Presby-
terian Church in New
York.
Notes and Personals from Amer
ican and European
Churches.
Services which Will Be Held in the
Chicago Churches To-Day.
WHAT is TRUTH?
EIGHTH PAPER-pEATu.


TO the Editor or The Tribune.
CHICAGO, March A.-Swedenborg demol
strates that the life Of the material body
man is mere appearance; that from The frs
moment Of existence the spirit or soul, which
form receptive of life from tile Creator, sul
rounds itself with material substances from th
body Of the mother, and afterwards from, mt
terial food, these substances taking on the forr
OF the spiritual body within; that the materia
body grows as the spiritual body molds it t.
its own growth; that, III short, the outwar
body Is the mere clothing OF the living spiritua
body, given it for use In the material world
The spiritual body itself Is composed Of spiritua
substances, and is in the complete human form,
possessing every organ. function, and senst
which appear to belong to the material body
from the hair Of the head to the nails Of tbt
toes This spiritual body is not the spirit Of
soul itself, but only substantial form contain
ing within It the animating spirit which is tlt
man himself The spiritual body is Us neces-
sary for the existence OF the man in the world
Of spirit rs the material body is for his exist
ence in the world Of matter. Spiritual sub
stance, though not perceptible to the senses oi
the material body, Is more truly subst antial than
any material substance
t. The material body, being composed OF the
dead substances OF nature Is subject to wear
and decay, and therefore with the most perfect
physical health, after period Of years, bccom-
ing unfit for further use as the instrument Of
the living spirit within, is discarded, or thrown
OF as WORKOUT, useless garment; when the
nan clothed in lis fncorruptiblc spiritual body
emerges consciously into the spiritual world.
lie had always been an inhabitant OF that world,
hut unconsciously, because the gross covering of
his body OF matter had concealed it from his
senses.
It thus appears that the death of the material
body is an orderly step In man's continuous life,
and that the material body only appears to live,
wlile conioined nji to the in,dwellinC, spiritual
body ''Thcre is ! natural body, aud there is
{not will be} spiritual body,'' says Paul.
=" Nature teaches us the inevitable law OF de-
cay 10 which the flesh is heir, but there is anoth-
',r truth and another law which Nature does not
teach fs-that there is spirit in man over which
Nature las no power, which remains untouched
by the finger Of decsy, md survives the dissolu-
tion OF the natural body. Nature tells US
that all flesh is srass. and that the goodness
thereon is Us the flower Of the field, and that the
grass withereta and the flower falcth;'' butshe
does not tell us, and therefore VIC needed reye-
lation to make it known to us. that s'thc mercy
Vi the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
upon them that fear Him, and His righteous
1'css unto calldrcn's children to such as keep
Ills covenant and to those that remember His
commandments to do the1n.'' Ps., Gill, 17.)
Ti:ere is, however, q decay, and even
death, to which the soul is liatle, but to which
III its own na:ure, subject As there Is an
eternal life entirely distinct from eternal exist
ence, SO there is al eternal death, entirely dii-
1crent frtrn eternal uon-cxisteuce. The decay !
divine Law Of creation. It was the Creators |
appointment that the body should decay, but it |
wns not His appointment that the soul should |
ever die. Spiritual death is the effect Of cause
That DID not ofisinnte III the great First Cause.
Il spran2, and still springs, not from the Divine,
but from the human, will; not from the order OF
God. but from the disorder OF man. It lies |
outside Gods creation, and Bis purpose in crc-
atlnS. It Is an cxcreseencc, parasite, gcner-
atea OF disease. and fed By corruption. It has
no life properly its own; its roots are inserted
in the body OF plant which itself is rooted in
the sol, and It lives By the Life which it 1abors
to destry. The law Of decay and deaah, that
one Of the laws Of life, that leads
to its more complete manifestation and
more perfect DEVELOPMENT This is cs-
1,ecially the case with man. To him
death is the gate Of life The dissolution Of his
stage IN the upward progress OF his endless e1-
1stence- Death is the natural and ncccssary
prelude Of resurrection When the body dies
tue man in his spiritual body rises from the nat
ural into the spiritual world, the world for !
which he was created, and in which he finds his
true and eternal abode. Heaven is the home Of
the righteous. That lower and darker world,
Which receives the souls Of the evil, Is. like eril
the fasr form Of Gods own creation, through
mans pervcrse use Of the noble faculties Of I
reason nud liberty, bestowed upon him as the
created image OF his Maker. In these noble
only he who uses them Alright can make that
an eternity OF bfiss.''x
~, The idea which has generally prevailed in the
christian world concerning the death OF the
NJ x.&1,
HISTORY. With the Bible in their hands, in which |
lie aud Immortality are brought to light; with
lne teaching and personal example Of the Lord
hilnsel to show US that what we call death is
NO interruption to the continuity OF our being, |
no loss OF conscious identity; with many re- |
markab!e Instances Of the opening of mans |
spiritual sight to see those who had passed
through the gates Of death, which hare been |
recorded by Divine authority, still the Christian
has Regarded death rs the grcat enigma, the !
great agony. 1t is associated with The most
ton of t6e Exn It is ard dhs as no:
Of the Divine vengeance. ALI be-
yond is shadow, dim, forn,less. It is to this
lifs as night to day, as sleep to waking. It is
the severest punishment known to the law. All
Bereavement al loss, all that Is sal sorTowful.
aud hopeless, all agonies. arc summed up in one
@Tllis IS the appearance; this is all the senses
can say to us; this is all the natural man knows
or can Know But mau is spiritual rs we'll rs t
i natural being, aud s;hen he rceards this mo-
mentous subject frotn spiritual roint OF view |
it llas an entirely different aspect The genuine
truth Is the reverse Of the appearance
Let us regard the subject from this point of
view. Let us look at the Lords words aud
works, and the material body, and at man rs 4
Spiritual being, and sec how the whole aspect Of
ills subject will be changed.
The death OF the material body is m orderly
stc, in mans life, has its cause in the Divine
love AMI wisdom. and is part Of tho Lords
piau 'or Givlnc to 1nan the greatest possible
amount of the highest good It is, therefore. = |
h1css:nee, and not :: cuFsc,-a cause for rratf-
Let US hear the testimony Of the Lord Uinself |
upon this point. The first intimatlou Of death
! :e Lofu gaze to man Is found In Genesis, and |
iierc II is warning, and not threat; and It is
:; :; warning against spiritual, and not uat,1ra,.
dcath. The words are these: "But of thc tree S
u knowledge Of good ard evil, thou shalt not :
at OF it for in the dar thou catcst thereof tou
;i'.li III. g.; surely dc '-Gen II, Il: But man did
iot die natural death. id that day, Both | +
Adam and Eve, according to the records. /
iTed 1nany years after thcy had catcn | =
i the forbidden Iruit- Death is referred to In
'anJ places in the Billie where it is equally
gident the death Of the body cannot be meant
he Lord said to the 1sraelitcs By the mouth OF
loses, See, I hare set before thee, this day,
f. and good, death and eyil.' He did not
can natural death, for ii they had obeyed :.
'crr one OF the Commandments they wouldn not !