The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-05

Judgment Was $50 Years Ago;
That the General Judgment of
the Good and Evil Was Then Ac-
cOmpIished-Emnnu SwedenbOrs
An Eye witness of the scenes Ac-
cOrding to the New-Church-The
Progress of the World since 1857
the Result of Judgment.
Rev. Alexander Henry, pastor of the
Park New Church. preached a New
Years sermon yesterday on THE New
Age" in which he unfolded the doc
trines of Swedenborgianism as to the
day of judgment. His text was from
Revelations, 'Behold 1 make all things
new" The sermon showed from the
standpoint of the new church that the
day of judgment was a century and a
half ago, and that since then the world
has been on new age.
ut is the firm belief of the small.
but earnest body of Christians known
as Swedenborgians or New Church.
men," said Rev. Mr.. Henry. that this
prophesy began to have it's fulillment
on a stupendous, a worldwide scale
about the middle of the eighteenth CEN
fury. For in that year the last great
general judgment was actually accom-
plshed in that world to which all pass
when they leave this earth. 1t was
judgment effected upon all who had
gathered there from the time of the
beginning of the Christian church. BY
this judgment the good in the spiritual
world, that realm of causes, were sep
arated from the evil; the good finding
their place in heaven and the evil go
ing to their place in hell.
SwedenbOrg's Words.
1--WE believe" said Mr.. Henry, that
the scenes of that great judgment had
a creditable eyewitness in the person
of the most remarkable man that the
age had produced, and this is in part
what he wrote about it: The last judg-
ment does not take place on the earth,
but in the spiritual world, when all
who have lived from the beginning of
creation are together. And since this
is so it is impossible for any man to
know when the last judgment is ac-
complished; for every one expects it
to take place on earth, accompanied
by a change of all things in the visi-
BILE heaven, and in the countries of the
earth, and In mankind who dwell there.
Lest, therefore, the man of the church
from ignorance should live in such be-
lief, and lest they who think of a last
judgment should expect it forever,
from which at length the belief of
what is said of it in the literal sense
of the word must perish; and lest
"a hAi
faith In the word, it has been granted
me to see with my own eyes that the
last judgment is now accomplished;
that the evil are cast into hell, and
the good elevated into heaven and
thus that all things are reduced to
order the spiritual equilibrium be-
tween good and evil being consequent
ly restored. 1t was granted me to see
from beginning to end how the last
judgment was accomplished, and also
how Babylon was destroyed, how those
who are understood by the dragon
were cast into the abyss, and how the
new heaven was formed, and new
church instituted in the heavens, which
is understood by the New Jerusalem.
1t was granted me to see all these
things with my own eyes in order that
l might be able to testify of them.
This last judgment was commenced in
;he beginning of the year 1857, and was
fully accomplished at the end of that
year" This is from treatise on the
Last Judgment" by E. Swedenborg.
The World In "a New Age.
What bold declaration" said Rev.
Mr.. Henry the world of spirits the the
alter of the general Judgment foretold
by our Savior! And the time of that
Judgment passed already-nearly one
t.
be unreasonable to expect that a view
so novel should be accepted on the
mere assertion of any. individual, how
ever trustworthy. And for one, when
L became a convert to this belief, did
not base my conviction upon the as
sertion of Emanuel Swedenborg alone.
A careful study of the history of hui
man events convinced me that in no
previous period of the worlds history
have there been such marvellous devel-
opments, such a prodigious change in
the face of human society, so many
important discoveries and Inventions
such increased activity of the human
mind and heart, such philanthropic eff
fort and achievement, such amazing
progress of thought and knowledge on
all subjects, scientific, economic, aes-
thetic, moral, and religious, as the last
one hundred and fifty years have wit
messed.
An Age of Progress.
THE stupendous progress of our
race on all the plains of human
thought and activity since the year
1857 is without a parallel in the his
tory of the world. And what, let me
ask, has been the cause? How shall
we account for the unprecedented
flood of light on all subjects which has
been pouring in upon mankind during
this period? 1t has come, you will say
from Him who is the light of the world
the source of all truth to angels and
men, Undoubtedly; for man cannot
originate single truth, any more than
he can create world. Every truth,
on whatever plain il be-every new
idea pointing to human progress and
welfare, is a beam from the sun of
the spiritual world.
But why this extraordinary influx
of new tight within the last $50 years
rather than 200 400 or 1000 years ago?
The only rational and philosophical
explanation we have ever met with, is
found in the writings of Swedenborg
He declares that the judgment he was
permitted to witness in 1857 in the
world of spirits. and the nature of
which he has fully described, was the
predicted contamination of the first
Christian Dispensation; and that the
first effect of that judgment was the
dispersion in the intermediate realm
or world of spirits-the world that is
in closest connection with the minds
of men on earth-of those dense clouds
for centuries and had hung over our
world like an obscuring vapor, shut
ting out the light and warmth of the
spiritual sun. Hear his own words.