The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-09
HELLS OF THE
OTHER LIFE
BY REV. ALEXANDER HENRY.

In a volume entitled Heaven and Its
Wonders and He'll" which the author
published in Latin, at London, 1853,
Swedenborg writes as follows in the
preface: The man of the church at
this day knows scarcely anything
about heaven and hell or about his life
after death, although these are set
forth and described in the Word and
many of those born within the church
even refuse to believe in them, saying
in their hearts, Who has come from
that world and told us?' Lest, there
fore, such a spirit of denial, which es-
pecially prevails with. those who have
much worldly wisdom, should also in
feet and corrupt the simple in heart
and the simple in faith, it has been
granted me to associate with angels
man; also to see what is in the heaven
and what is in the hells, and this for
thirteen years; also from what l have
thus heard and seen l am now per-
mitted to describe these in the hope
that ignorance may thus be enlight-
ened and unbelief dissipated"
Swedenborg then proceeds in the
body of this interesting volume 90 I'M
fold the laws of the spiritual world. He
vividly and yet in a sober and most
realistic way describes the condition of
both the good and the evil then, exhib-
iting the general arrangement of in
habitants of both heaven and hell and
the scenery by which they are sur
rounded. Among other things, he treats
of the form of heaven, of the innumer-
able societies of which the whole heav-
en- consists; of representative appear
ances in heaven, and of the changes of
state experienced by the angels, etc
After a full and graphic description of
heaven and its wonders, taking up
about seven-eighths of this volume, the
author then treats of the nature of the
hells and their inhabitants.
/ invite your attention to a study
of this description of the hells of the
other life, not merely to crafty a NOR
bid curiosity, but that we may see
what was the actuating motive in
this life of those who after departing
this life became the denizens of that
neither world, when the worm dieth
not and the fire is not quenched.
Swendenborg on Heaven and He'll, >
shows the deadful wickedness and
fiINS VI lllcTHdl Spirits, VINO
are actuated in all that they do and
think and say by what the author calls
their ruling loves and which he des-
ignates as the love of self and the
love OF the world.
The love of self is wishing we'll Ia
oneself along, and to others only foI
the sake of self, even to the church
ones country, or any human society
1t consists also i'm doing good to al
these solely for the sake of ones owr
reputation, honor and glory; and un-
less these are seen in the uses one
performs in behalf of others one says
in ones heart, How does 1t concern
me? Why should l do this? What
shall get from it?' and therefore he
does not do it,"
The evils of those who are in this
love are, ''in general, contempt oil
others, envy, emnity against all whc
DO not favor them, and consequent
hostility, hatred of various kinds, re.
Venge. cunning, deceit, uncertainties
cruelty and in respect to religious
matters there is not merely a contempt
for the Divine and for Divine things
but also hostility TO them"
The love Of the world consists ir
ones desiring to secure TO himself, bS