The Portland daily press., 1880-12-13
PULPIT AND PLATFORM.
NEW 1ERusA1Em CHURCH.

NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.
Rev. j. X. Smyth delivered the sixth lecture
in his course ON New Church doctrines last
evening, taking for his subject "The Interme-
diate World" the first of three lectures in
answer to the question "After death, what?"
The speaker said there always has been and
always will be yearning to know something
of the life after death. The New Church be-
lieves that beyond this worldly life there are
three great worlds:-Heaven, the home of the
angels; He'll, the abode of evil spirits; and an
intermediate world in which we all congregate
after death. The preacher then produced tes-
timony from the Scriptures to prove the exist
ence of the intermediate world The Hebrew
word Sheol, 1t was claimed, had been errone-
ously translated and Josephus was quoted to
prove that all the Jews believed Sheol to be,
not the pit, or grave, but the place where the
righteous and wicked were detained after
death. 1t Is Identical with the Greek Hades,'
believed to be the common receptacle of both
the good and bad. The Roman Catholic "Pur-
gatory'' answers to it. 1t is simply the vesti-
bule where we shake off whatever is at vari-
ance with our real character before we go on
our way from the scene of our final judgment,
the good to Heaven and the evil to hell.
The existence of this intermediate world is
necessary from the mixed character of human
ity on earth. All of us have either some bad
traits with the good, or some good traits with
the bad. 1t would be absurd to suppose a man
should die sinner and wake up saint. and
uace uesd; or for man to die a Christian and
wake up a Mahommedan, or atheist, and find
himself Christian. If there are but two
worlds, Heaven and He'll, all souls must be at
once sent, after death, to the one or the other.
The mind revolts at the idea that those who
have never had the advantages of good teach
ings in their life should be plunged at once
into hell, and the Scriptures forbid entrance
into Heaven, for nothing shall enter there that
detileth. In this intermediary world then the
dormant good there is in such souls may be so
developed that they may be fitted for Heaven.
Such may be also the case with the heather.
The preacher then showed that the New
Church does not believe in the natural resur.
rection of the physical body. That is impossi-
BILE. In seventy years of life a man really has
ten or twelve bodies, and If immortality is pre-
these ten or twelves bodies. The New Church
does believe in the resurrection Of a spiritual
body the third day after death, and Hosea was
cited as follows:-"After two days will He re-
ceiye us; in the third day will He raise us up.
and we shall live in His sight" Christ was
raised on the third day, and how can men
slumber in their graves centuries when Christ
said "Now that the dead are raised," &c.
The cases Of the thief on the cross, Moses and
Elias, and John with the innumerable throng
In white robes, were quoted in support of this
argument.
The awakening after death is peaceful, like
that after sleep. The angels greet and care for
the new comers in the intermediate world and
after time affinities seek each other.4 The
work OF final judgment is going on all the
time, and the angels are giving loving instruc-
tlon. The opening Of the book of life is the
removing of the mask from each. = We are all
approaching that other worlds Let US show
we have striven to lead a useful, honest. right
eous life. Il "a sss "a
SECOND PARISH.
The Second Parish was filled yeste rday
afternoon, the brief announcement that the
venerable DR.. Carruthers would occupy the
pulpit, drawing thither many old time friends
The audience numbered many of our best
citizens and we'll were they repaid in the
eloquent feast that was placed before them.
The discourse was founded upon Phil. g. 7-S,
and was powerful presentation of the theme.
The preachers sympathies were most heartily
enlisted in his grand subject, calling forth the
vigor and power in delivery which so finished
a production demanded and which were
surprise and delight to even those who have
known SO long and so we'll the eminent ability
and eloquence of this aged and distinguished
preacher. Our city may we'll be proud of this
venerable Christian gentleman and scholar
whose remarkable vigor OF age and intellect
we trust may long be spared