l|P PRINCETON. N. J. Library of Dr. A. A. Eodge. Presented. BX 8748 .B37 1885 Barrett, B. F. 1808-1892 Heaven revealed Digitized by the internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/heavenrevealedbeOObarr_0 Heaven Revealed. BEING A POPULAR PRESENTATION OF SWED EN- BO RG'S DISCLOSURES ABOUT HE A VEN, WITH THE CONCURRENT TESTIMONY OF A FEW COMPE- TENT AND RELIABLE WITNESSES. BY B. F. BARRETT, Author of "The New View of Hell," "The New Dispensation," "Foot- prints OF THE New Age," "The Question Answered," etc., etc. "1/ the phenomena of the Spiritual World are real, in the nature of things they ought to cotne into the sphere of Law." — Henry Dkummond. PHILADELPHIA: PORTER & COATES. 1885. Copyright. SWEDENBORG PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION. 1885. Preface. IT is nearly fifty years since the author of the present work commenced a serious and thorough examina- tion of the theological writings of Emanuel Sweden- borg. He was told that this illustrious seer claimed to have enjoyed open intercourse with the denizens of the spiritual world for many years, and to have been divinely commissioned to write a detailed account of what he heard and saw in that world ; and the treatise known as " Heaven and ^ell " was placed in his hands for perusal. After reading a few pages, the book was laid aside, the present writer saying to himself : "All this may be true, or it may not. We have no means of knowing. There is no adequate test whereby the truth or falsity of such alleged disclosures can be determined. Why, then, should I waste time over such a book ? " It is easy for me, therefore, to pardon the incredulity of Christians touching this astounding claim of the great seer, and to excuse the prevailing reluctance to give any thought or attention to his alleged disclosures concerning the other world. For probably most of them think as I did, that we have no means of proving either the truth or falsity of such pretended revelations. iii iv PREFACE. What is to be gained, therefore, by an examination of something which can neither be proved nor ^//i-proved ? Will it not be a waste of time? But when, after thorough and careful study of Swe- denborg's theological system, I found myself compelled by irresistible force of evidence to accept it for just what it claims to be — a divinely authorized revelation of new and heavenly truth — I was satisfied that he was a man ordained and sent of God, and that his disclosures con- cerning Heaven and Hell must also be true. Then turning my attention to his pneumatology, I very soon found that this, too, rests on a foundation not less solid and secure than his theology ; and that its truth is sus- ceptible of proof to an extent I had not suspected — susceptible of a verification, indeed, closely approximat- ing the demonstrations of exact science. The purpose of the present volume is, to lay before the reader some of the evidence which carried con- viction to the writer's own mind, that what Sweden- borg has revealed concerning the heaven of angels is no mere fancy sketch, but literally and unquestiona- bly true. A number of reliable and independent wit- nesses have been summoned in the case, — such as Scripture, reason, analogy, human experience, the known laws of our mental and moral constitution, the hopes and perceptions of the wisest and best men, the revealed character of the Heavenly Father, and the PREFACE. V undeniably wholesome and benign tendency of the dis- closures themselves. Now, if we have the concurrent testimony of all these witnesses in support of the truth of Swedenborg's dis- closures, what is the verdict we might reasonably expect on the subject, from an intelligent and fair-minded jury? Had he performed miracles like those recorded in the New Testament, and had his miraculous power and deeds been ever so well authenticated, would this have been half as convincing to a rational and truth-seeking mind, as the agreeing testimony of the above named witnesses ? Or would it have been half as well suited to the requirements of a reasoning and reflecting age ? Probably every Christian minister is plied with ques- tions now" and then concerning the life beyond the grave, which he would be glad to answer, but feels his utter inability to do so ; and most ministers would, no doubt, greatly rejoice to have a full and strictly accurate account of the spiritual world, its nature, inhabitants, phenomena and laws — an account as full and reliable as an honest and intelligent traveler who had spent twenty years or more in Japan, might be expected to give us of that country. They would doubtless find it an im- mense aid in their work of helping souls on the way to heaven. And the author believes that every minister who reads this volume with close attention and without prejudice, vi rREFACE. will be satisfied that such a report of the world beyond Jias actually been made. And he has himself derived so great satisfaction and spiritual help from the disclos- ures to which he here invites attention, and is so anx- ious that others should share what has been to him such a rich repast, that he feels like making personally a large discount from the price of the present volume, to every minister and theological student in our land, who will promise to read it with close attention and a sincere desire to know the truth. On several of the subjects treated in these pages, the author is fully aware that most of the churches of to-day have outgrown and rejected the views that were entertained a hundred years ago ; such, for example, as "Work in Heaven," "Sex and Marriage in* Heaven," "Children in Heaven," "A Heaven for the non-Chris- tian World," etc. And the fact that the views com- monly held and taught on these subjects to-day, are in substantial agreement with those revealed through Swe- denborg, should be taken as presumptive evidence that his disclosures on other subjects also are true. And if a minister's ecclesiastical relations to-day, are in no wise affected by his open rejection of the old dog- mas of the damnation of some infants and of all the Heathen, and of incessant oral prayer and psalm-sing- ing in heaven, or by his acceptance of the new and more rational views on these subjects, there is no rea- PREFACE. vii son to believe that they would be seriously affected by his embracing and teaching the entire pneumatology of Swedenborg, so far, at least, as this can be shown to be in agreement with Scripture, reason, experience, and the known laws of the human soul. But the strongest evidence of the truth of Sweden- borg's revealings about Heaven, and that which, above all else, should commend them to the thoughtful and earnest inquirer, is their wholesome practical tendency — their unquestionably elevating and benign influence upon the believer's life and character. The author hopes that the reader will not lose sight of this consid- eration, nor forget to give to it the weight which its im- portance demands : Remembering these divine words : "For every tree is knozu?i by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble -bush gather they grapes'' And no more should we expect that wholesome and benign influences would be shed forth upon the believ- er's mind and heart, from false or fantastic teachings, from the speculations of a mere theorist, the hallucina- tions of a dreamer, or the oracular utterances of an in- nocent but self-deluded fanatic. B. F. B. Germantown, June 24, 1885. Contents. PAGE I.— SWEDENBORG THE ChOSEN INSTRUMENT . . . I3 II. — Objections Answered 19 III. — The Origin of Angels 34 IV. — The Essential Nature of Heaven . . . .54 V. — Character of the Angels 64 VI. — Verdict of Reason and Experience . . .72 VII. — Testimony of Scripture 80 VIII. — The Sure Way to Heaven 95 IX.— Light and Heat in He.a.ven 110 X. — Practical Tendency of this Disclosure . . 122 XL— Environment in Heaven, and WH.vr Detek.mines it . 134 Xll. — Societies in Heaven 148 XIII. — The Hu.man Form of He.wen 162 XIV. — A Heaven for the Non-Christian World . .176 XV. — Are Earthly Rel.\tionships Continued in Hea\ en ? . 192 XVI.— Meeting and Recognition of Friends in the Hereafter 200 XVII. — Personal Appearance of the Angels . . . 209 XVIII. — Rejuvenescence and Growth in Heaven . . 221 XIX. — Houses and Homes in Heaven 228 XX. — Garments in Heaven 244 XXL — Children in Heaven 256 XXII. — Sex and Marri.\ge in Heaven 268 XXIII. — The Subject Continued— Scripture Testimony . 284 XXIV. — CoNjUGiAL Love— Its N.\ture 295 XXV. — Practical Consider.\tions 306 XXVL— Work in Heaven 319 XXVII. — The Three Heavens, and How Related . . 346 XXVIII. — Eternal Progress in He.wen 364 XXIX. — Consociation of Angels with Men . . . .377 ix HEAVEN REVEALED. xi ABBREVIATIONS OF THE WORKS OF SWEDENBORG QUOTED IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES. A. C. stand for Arcana Coclestia. 11. II. " Heaven and Hell. A. R. " Apocalypse Revealed. A. E. " Apocalypse Explained. D. P. " Divine Providence. C. L. " Conjugial Love. L. J. " Last Judgment. Spl. D. " Spiritual Diary. D. W. " Divine Wisdom. Doc. L. " Doctrine of Life. T. C. R. " True Christian Religion. N. J. D. " Doctrine of the New Jerusalem. D. L. W. " Divine Love and Wisdom. Heaven Revealed. I. SWEDENBORG THE CHOSEN INSTRUMENT. MANY people nowadays know something of the claims of Emanuel Swedenborg, however deficient the great majority may still be in any correct knowl- edge of his teachings. It is generally known that he claimed, among other things, to have had his spiritual senses so opened as to enable him to see and converse with the denizens of the spiritual world as men see and converse with each other ; and this continually for a period of nearly thirty years, embracing the ripest por- tion of his earthly life. He made no secret of this claim, extraordinary and startling as he knew it to be; but boldly announced it on every suitable occasion, and repeatedly in his published works. In the commence- ment of his treatise known as " Heaven and Hell," oc- curs the following explicit declaration: — "The arcana revealed in the following pages are those concerning heaven, together with the life of man after death. The man of the church at this day knows 2 13 14 HEAVEN REVEALED. scarcely anything about heaven or hell, nor yet about his own life after death, although these things are all treated of in the Word. Nay, many even among those who were born within the church deny these things, saying in their hearts. Who has ever come thence and told us? Lest, therefore, such a negative principle, which rules especially among those who possess much worldly wisdom, should also infect and corrupt the sim- ple in heart and faith, it has been granted me to asso- ciate with angels and to converse with them as one man with another, and also to see the things which are in the heavens as well as those which are in the hells, and this for the space of thirteen years ; so that I can now describe them from what I have myself seen and heard, — which I do, in the hope that ignorance may thus be enlightened and incredulity dissipated." The same claim in substance is often repeated in his writings. And he tells us how this extraordinary privi- lege was granted him, or in what way this alleged open intercourse with the inhabitants of the other world was effected. It was through the providential opening of his spiritual senses. These senses, he says, belong alike to every human being. They are inherent in the very constitution of an immortal spirit — are included among its powers or capabilities, just as natural sight, hearing, feeling, etc., are included in the capabilities of our ma- terial organism. And although these senses (for a wise and beneficent purpose which he has repeatedly ex- plained) are ordinarily closed during our life on earth, they nevertheless may be and repeatedly have been opened in men while living in the flesh. And when opened, the individual is for the time intromitted into SWEDEXBORG THE CHOSEN INSTRUMENT. 1 5 the spiritual world, and enjoys a sensible perception of its people and objects.* We know very well how this claim is commonly re- garded by those who have never examined the seer's disclosures with sufficient thoroughness to enable them to form an intelligent opinion of his pneumatology. They look upon his alleged open intercourse with spir- its, as not only improbable, unreasonable and unsus- ceptible of proof, but as evidencing a want of mental balance — as, indeed, a species of monomania. Many who do not believe him a willful impostor, and who are ready to admit (for popular opinion is beginning to lean this way) that he saw truth on many subjects quite in advance of his age, treat with contempt and derision his claim to open intercourse with angels and spirits ; as if such visions as he has recorded were to be reckoned among things highly improbable if not impossible, and the record itself to be accepted as evidence of mental derangement. This is the attitude of nearly every one in reference to the great Swede's alleged intercourse with the deni- zens of the other world, before he has given much thought to the subject, or has examined the evidence by which his claim is supported. It was substantially the writer's own attitude before he had made himself familiar with the general character of the seer's disclos- * The Bible furnishes evidence of the existence of spiritual senses in man, and of their having been occasionally opened during his earthly sojourn. See 2 Kings vi. 15-18; and other texts cited in the chapter on " The Rationale of Spirit-seeing " in Doctrines of the Nnu Church by the author, pp. 208-213. i6 HEAVEN REVEALED. urcs, and had duly considered the facts and laws which underlie his pncumatology, and prove it not only credi- ble but indisputably true. But Swedcnborg's claim to a special illumination and open vision (if allowed), we shall be told, stamps his disclosures with the character of a divinely authorized revelation. And not only do people nowadays find it hard to believe in any new revelation (multitudes are coming to disbelieve in any revelation, unless its truth can be scientifically demonstrated), but the claim itself seems to them ridiculous, and quite sufficient to dis- credit him who makes it; sufficient, indeed, to prove him a deluded fanatic or a wicked impostor. Nor are we surprised at this, seeing how many " false Christs and false prophets " — how many pretenders to a special divine commission — have from time to time appeared, and how many have been deceived by them. But peo- ple do not reason thus on other subjects. On the con- trary, they admit that a counterfeit is conclusive evidence that there is such a thing as genuine coin. It is quite true that Swedenborg's disclosures come to us professedly as a new and divinely authorized revela- tion ; a revelation, however, not contrary nor supple- mentary to the Sacred Scripture, yet necessary to its complete fulfillment and to the better understanding and fuller efficacy of its teachings; a revelation meant and fitted for the spiritual edification of all who are longing for instruction on the sublimest themes, and are willing to receive it. But these disclosures, notwith- standing they come professedly as an authorized reve- lation, claim no authority and ask no consideration SVVEDENBORG THE CHOSEN INSTRUMENT. 1/ merely on that ground. They ask to be received solely upon the ground of their intrinsic reasonableness, or their clearly perceived agreement with the deepest in- tuitions of human reason and the verdict of the most enlightened understanding. They appeal to no miracu- lous evidence in attestation of their truth, but to evi- dence of a higher kind. Scripture, reason, analogy, ob- servation, history, individual experience, well-authenti- cated facts, the principles of sound philosophy, the known laws of our mental and moral constitution, the wisdom and beneficence of God as revealed in his Word and works and in the wondrous ways of his Providence — these are the witnesses which are confidently ap- pealed to. What if these should all unite in affirming the validity of this man's claim and the truth of his dis- closures? Shall we reject or disregard the concurrent testimony of such witnesses ? Already there is a large and continually increasing class of minds — among them are persons by no means deficient in intellectual grasp, logical acumen or judicial candor — who, after years of careful examination of the disclosures in question, have been constrained to ac- knowledge their truth ; and this, too, in spite of the in- fluence of early education, preconceived opinions, popu- lar prejudice, the sneers of the multitude, and the pity if not the frowns of near and valued friends. When all this is duly considered, we submit to the honest and in- dependent seekers after truth, whether it does not enti- tle this new revelation to, at least, a candid examination. Certainly the acceptance of any revelation or theory by wise and good men, is not sufficient evidence of 2* B i8 HEAVEN REVEALED. its truth ; for wise and good men have sometimes embraced error, — yes, and clung to it with surprising tenacity. But the profound conviction of many such men, is, we think, a sufficient reason for giving their views a candid examination before pronouncing them erroneous. Our judgment is unintelligent, and there- fore valueless, until we have carefully weighed the evi- dence which carried conviction to their minds. The Jews, when they crucified the Divine Saviour, knew not what they did. And Christians at the present day know as little what they do, when, without serious examina- tion, or any weighing of the evidence, they reject and ridicule the disclosures made through the Swedish seer. May they not in this be imitating the example of the Jews more closely than they imagine ? But the very claim, we are told, which Swedenborg sets up — the claim to have enjoyed long and open in- tercourse with the spirits of deceased men, and to have been thereby enabled to reveal the arcana of the spirit- ual world, is of itself sufficient to stamp him as a de- luded fanatic. It is assumed that such intercourse is impossible in the nature of things ; and on the ground of this assumption. Christians proceed to justify them- selves in their neglect to examine his disclosures. But if this be a sufficient justification, or if Swedenborg's claim alone be evidence of self-delusion, then what is to be said of Isaiah and Ezekiel and Paul and John and a host of ancient worthies? If the mere fact of his claim- ing open intercourse with spirits, is sufficient proof of mental aberration in his case, then why should not a similar claim be accepted as evidence of a similar men- OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 19 tal condition in the case of all other seers ? Or will it be said that what was once reckoned among the creden- tials of heaven-illumined prophets, is now to be re- garded as evidence of mental hallucination ? II. OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. IT is quite common to hear urged against Sweden- borg's claim, such objections as these : That, after the closing of the sacred canon, there was never to be any further revelation ; that his disclosures concerning the other world, if true, would be a revelation of mys- teries which no one has a right to pry into or know anything about; that it would be an unveiling of the " secret things " which belong to God, and are no con- cern of ours. But what reason have we to believe that God has limited Himself to precisely that measure of revealed truth vouchsafed to the world many centuries ago ? Where is it written that He will never make any fur- ther revelation concerning Himself, his kingdom, or the grand realities of the spiritual world ? The Bible con- tains no such declaration — no warrant, indeed, for any such belief What reason, then, for believing that the Heavenly Father has denied to Himself the delight of communicating, or to men the blessed privilege of re- ceiving, more truth concerning that world beyond the tomb which is to be the final home of all his children ? 20 HEAVEN REVEALED. What reason for the belief that everything was revealed centuries ago, which ever was or ever is to be revealed ? And if it should please God to lift the veil, and make a disclosure of things once secret, is it presumptuous for mortals to look upon them ? However unlawful it may- be to pry into the mysteries of the spirit-world, it surely cannot be wrong to receive with thankfulness such dis- closures as Infinite Wisdom has been pleased to make. True, it is written that " secret things belong unto the Lord our God;" but it is immediately added: that " those things which are revealed, belong unto us and to our children forever." (Deut. xxix. 29 ) And if there be a spiritual world (and the Scriptures plainly teach that there is), is it not reasonable to be- lieve that more will ultimately be known about it, than was communicated to Christians 1800 years ago ? Have we not reason to expect that the time will come when the mysteries of that world will be unveiled and its sub- lime realities disclosed — at least to man's mental or moral vision? Christ told his immediate followers that He had many things to say unto them, which they were not able to bear (John xvi. 12) ; but He never intimated that the same inability would belong to his disciples throughout the coming ages. On the contrary, He more than hinted, and on more than one occasion, that more truth might some day be expected than it was expedi- ent at that time to impart. He told them that the time was coming when He would no longer speak in para- bles, but would show them plainly of the Father. He told them of a Comforter which He would send unto them, " even the spirit of truth ; " and this Comforter, He OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 21 said, when He came, would teach them all things, would show them things to come, would guide them into all truth. (John xvi. 7-13.) He spoke also of another coming of Himself, more searching, more glorious, more powerful in its operation upon the minds and hearts of men than his first appear- ing — a coming which He said would be " with power and great glory." Now, who can say, in limine, that, in these prophetic intimations, no reference was had to that grand system of religious truth which was unfolded, or came profess- edly as a new revelation, more than a century ago ? Who can say that the increasing light upon all subjects which has been flooding the world for the last hundred years, is not a veritable fulfillment of these prophecies, and in the sense intended ? Who knows but the many in- teresting disclosures made through Swedenborg con- cerning the spiritual world, may be among the things which the Saviour had to announce, but which the men of 1850 years ago were " not able to bear " ? Christ de- clared Himself to be " the Way," " the Truth," " the Life," " the Light of the world," " the Light which en- lighteneth every man." And the apostle John says : "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." May not the predicted second coming of Christ, then, be the coming to human minds of more abundant light from Him who is declared to be " the true Light " ? — of light more interior, searching and glorious than has hitherto dawned on our world ? — the light of the spiritual sense of the Word breaking forth through the cloud of the letter, — coupled also with the coming to human hearts 22 HEAVEN REVEALED. of a sweeter and more Christ-like spirit? And may not this light reveal, among other things, the nature, laws and phenomena of that world which is to be our eternal dwelling-place ? Who knows, we say, but spiritual light — the light of the New Jerusalem which is beginning even now to gild and gladden with its splendors the world's moral horizon — light manifesting itself amid clouds of still existing error, the mists of ignorance, su- perstition and prejudice, the smoke of demoniacal pas- sions and enmities — may be precisely what the Saviour referred to when He spoke of a second coming of the Son of Man " in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory " ? Who knows ? And the way to acquire such knowledge is not, we submit, to treat with indiffer- ence or neglect everything that claims to be a new revelation, but to " watch " — not with the eyes of the body, but with the eyes of the mind, that is, with our in- tellectual and reasoning faculties. We shall find, on careful reading and a thoughtful consideration of the whole subject, that the language of the New Testament clearly requires, for its complete fulfillment, some such revelation as that claimed to have been made through the seer of Stockholm. The past history and present state of the Christian church also, and the acknowledged ignorance of teachers of the Christian religion concerning the spiritual world, justify the same expectation. The Bible, it is generally conceded, teaches the im- mortality of the soul — the immortality of man. The fair and logical conclusions from which are, that the soul, when the body dies, still continues to live in its OBJECTIOiVS ANSWERED. 23 own congenial realm which is spiritual, that is, homo- geneous with itself; that this, therefore, necessitates the existence of a supersensuous or spiritual world vastly- more populous than that in which we are now living, — a world into which tens of thousands of human beings are consciously introduced every hour ; not a mere dream-land, or a region of unsubstantial shadows, but a real world inhabited by a countless host of rational and immortal spirits who were once invested with material bodies like our own. And this, too, is generally conceded. But ask the ministers of Christ to-day — the ministers of that religion which is claimed to have brought " life and immortality to light" — about the spiritual world. Ask them in what condition we may expect to find our- selves when we shall have " shuffled off this mortal coil." Ask them if we shall still be in the human form, having eyes, ears, hands, feet, and other bodily organs; — if we shall retain the power of thinking, reasoning, remembering, loving, conversing and enjoying. Ask them if our departed friends still think of us and love us on " the shining shore ;" if they are near us, interested in our welfare, and capable of exerting any influence upon us, — and if so, how, or according to what law. Ask whether, when we leave these mortal bodies, we shall join them in conscious visible association — be re- cognized and embraced by them, and recognize and embrace them in return. Ask whether the distinction of sex is preserved in the great Beyond, what kind of social life (if any) exists there, and what the law that governs in the association of spirits. Ask whether those who die in infancy and childhood retain forever 24 HEAVEN REVEALED. their infantile form, or whether they grow to the full stature of men and women as in this world. Ask whether the righteous who die of old age, continue wrinkled, bowed and decrepid there as here, or whether they return to the bloom and vigor of their early man- hood. Ask what is the nature of heaven and hell ; what are the delights of good and what those of evil spirits (if the latter have any) ; what constitutes the happiness of the former, and what the misery of the lat- ter. Ask if there be any industries or occupations be- yond the grave, and what their nature ; and whether there exists any sort of connection (and if so, what ?) between spirits in the other world and men in this world. Ask ministers of the Gospel these and a hun- dred other similar questions (and they are questions which the human heart instinctively asks, — nay, cannot help asking), and what will they answer? Perhaps they will give you their opinions — their conjectures ; and these may sometimes be quite sensible. But generally you will receive, in answer to all such inquiries, a frank con- fession of entire ignorance. They will tell you that they do not pretend to know anything about such matters, as nothing has ever been revealed ; and, therefore, they cannot undertake to teach with confidence anything concerning them. And is it reasonable to suppose that this state of con- fessed ignorance about things of such absorbing interest to rational and immortal beings, will always continue ? Can we believe that the ministers of Christ are never to have anything but crude conjecture wherewith to an- swer inquiries upon such lofty and momentous themes? OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 25 If there be a spiritual world, according to the universal belief of Christians, is it reasonable to conclude that its arcana will never be revealed ? Does such conclusion agree with what we believe and know of the goodness and mercy of God, the wants of the human soul, or the progress of our race in knowledge upon all other sub- jects ? The human mind has, for the last hundred years, made prodigious advances in knowledge of the material world, and in the means of satisfying the wants and increasing the comforts of our physical life. The secrets of universal nature have been steadily disclosing themselves, as men needed the knowledge thereof, and were prepared to use it wisely. And new and useful discoveries still succeed each other almost with the ra- pidity of thought. Nor can we fix any limit to this prog- ress in knowledge of the material universe. TJiere is no limit. To fix one, were to limit the Infinite Himself, or to deny the indefinite enlargement and receptivity of the human mind. Now, seeing that God is perpetually disclosing the secrets of this natural world for the benefit of his ra- tional creatures, and since the liveliest imagination can set no bounds to the increase of knowledge in this di- rection, is it reasonable to suppose that all knowledge of the spiritual world will be forever denied us ? Will the Heavenly Father vouchsafe to his children an un- imaginable amount of truth concerning this world of matter, and keep that sublimer world of spirit which is to be our eternal home, forever shrouded in darkness ? Will He never reveal to us anything concerning the life 3 26 HEAVEN REVEALED. beyond the grave, save the simple fact of the soul's im- mortality ? WITether we consult reason or revelation, therefore, we are brought to the same conclusion. We find ample warrant for the belief that some such disclosures con- cerning the other world as are found in Swedenborg's pneumatology, are clearly in accordance with the ways and workings of Divine Providence, and therefore to be expected sooner or later. And how could such dis- closures be made without the aid of a human instru- ment ? How, but by the opening of the spiritual senses of some chosen and duly qualified servant of the Lord, and his consequent intromission into that world while still an inhabitant of this? How, in short, but in the precise manner alleged by the illustrious Swede.? But we are met with another objection — or rather ex- cuse for giving no serious attention to Swedenborg's pneumatology — which is : That a revelation concerning the spiritual world, even if true, could serve no valuable purpose ; that it is needless, and might be worse than useless ; that it could only gratify a morbid curiosity or a love of the marvelous, which had better be denied than gratified. Those who make this objection, or offer this excuse in justification of their indifference respecting the dis- closures in question, do so, we think, without sufficient consideration. The same persons would hardly be will- ing to say, that the astronomer, the .student of the higher mathematics, the inventor or builder of tele- scopes, any one devoted to the acquisition and imparta- tion of knowledge respecting our solar system and the OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 27 Stellar universe, is engaged in a useless occupation. On the contrary, they would tell us that any pursuit which tends to enlarge our knowledge of the material cosmos, to make us better acquainted with the heavenly bodies and the laws that govern their movements, is a high and noble use, even though it add nothing to our im- mediate physical comfort. Useless, indeed, so far as re- lates to supplying our bodily wants, may be the business of those engaged in astronomical observations. But are they not ministering to some deeper wants of our nature — wants not less real and imperative than those of the body ? Have not the labors of the astronomer helped to enlarge our knowledge of the universe, and thus contributed to the growth and expansion of the mind, and the consequent intellectual and moral progress of our race ? But the grandeur of the material universe as disclosed to us by modern science, is nothing in comparison with the grandeur of that other universe — the universe of mind. Planets and suns with all their beautiful laws and phenomena, and all their quiet, orderly, rhythmic movements, are indeed wonderful ; but the human soul with all its endowments — its amazing powers of thought and affection, its faculty of boundless growth in knowl- edge and virtue, its untold and inconceivable capabilities of bliss and of suffering — this is far more wonderful. By the side of this, how feeble and almost insignificant the glory and grandeur of all material orbs ! How much more is this like God himself, than planets or suns or aught else in the created universe ! And shall we conclude that a knowledge of the universe of souls — of 28 HEAVEN REVEALED. its facts, phenomena and laws — can be of no value? That this is knowledge not worth revealing, or not worth examining when revealed? Shall knowledge of the material universe be considered wholesome and use- ful — enlarging, enriching and exalting the human soul — and knowledge of the spiritual universe, so much higher and nobler, be pronounced worthless ? Is it probable that the former of these knowledges can reveal to us more of God, can more exalt our conceptions of his wisdom and love, or tend to bring us nearer to his moral likeness, than the latter? Can the study of natu- ral astronomy enlarge and ennoble the pursuer, and the learning of that higher kind of astronomy which em- braces the relations, laws and phenomena of the spir- itual spheres, be useless ? Is this reasonable, or even probable ? Again : Let the reader imagine himself a young man, intending to emigrate to some foreign country in the course of a few years, and to reside there during the re- mainder of his life. Would he not naturally desire some information about that country, and about the character, conduct and condition of its people? Would he not wish to know something of their manners and customs, their language and laws, their dispositions and habits, their occupations and modes of life? And might not such knowledge be very useful by enabling him the bet- ter to prepare himself for the honorable discharge of his duties as a citizen of that country ? And suppose the country to have been previously visited by some distin- guished traveler who had published a full account of his travels, of the country itself and the people living there; OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 29 would the time employed in reading his book be con- sidered unprofitably spent? Would anybody think, or would the young man himself think, that, in reading it, he was merely gratifying an idle curiosity ? Well, then, we ask if the desire for some information about that country whither we are all going — going, we know not how soon, and going to remain forever — be not equally natural, yes, and equally lawful? And can we conceive of no higher use for such information, than merely to gratify a morbid curiosity? Who knows but. it may be turned to good account in enabling us to fit ourselves more thoroughly for the duties and enjoy- ments of our future home ? Who knows but a graphic picture of both the upper and the nether realms in the spirit-land — of life in heaven and life in hell — may kin- dle in our hearts a deeper desire for the former and a more intense loathing of the latter? Who knows but it may quicken our diligence and nerve our energies to- ward the attainment of the one and the avoidance of the other? It has generally been believed by Christians that there exists some sort of connection between the present life and the life to come. And who dares say that the knowledge of how our life hereafter is related to our life here, can be of no practical importance ? A wise parent in the education of his children, usu- ally has some reference to the part they are expected to act when they shall have come to years of maturity. And it will not be denied that his knowledge of their future duties as husbands, fathers, wives, mothers — as members of society and citizens of the state — enables him to direct their education more wisely and profitably 3* 30 HEAVEN REVEALED. than he otherwise could. Why, then, should not we be able to give a wiser direction to our own education in this the childhood of our being, by a knowledge of the world into which we are sure of being ushered in our more mature manhood ? — a knowledge of the laws, duties, occupations and enjoyments of the spiritual realm ? No need of a revelation concerning the other world! Look at the state of the Christian church at the time Swedenborg lived and wrote. Infidelity had well-nigh palsied every limb, and a cheerless, heartless, withering materialism was pressing like an incubus upon her vi- tals. Questions had been asked about the future life, which the wisest of the clergy were unable to answer. Many had come to deny, and many more to doubt, even the soul's immortality. To arrest this tide of skepticism, there was needed just such a disclosure of the future life and of the grand realities of the spiritual world, as that made through Swedenborg ; and one accompanied with precisely that internal and rational kind of evidence, too, which alone could satisfy the demands of a reasoning and reflecting age. A revelation concerning the spiritual world not needed ! Useless, say you, even if true ! Go ask that mother as she bends over the body of her departed child, and presses upon its marble brow the last fond tribute of a mother's love : — Ask her if she could find no solace in the assured conviction that her little one is now in the tender embrace of loving angels — yes, and brighter, healthier, happier, too, and fuller of exuberant life and bounding joy than ever before. Or ask that OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 31 widowed wife, whose streaming eyes and pallid cheek and languid frame bespeak an agony too deep for words: — Ask her, as she sees the coffin-lid close over the remains of him to whom her affections clung with all the devotion of woman's love, whether it would not lighten somewhat the burden of her grief, to know something definite about that realm which her departed husband entered but yesterday : — Ask if it would not comfort her aching heart to knozv that he is more alive than ever before, and thinks of and loves her still ; that his spirit is very near and fondly brooding over her own ; — breathing into her soul in gentlest whispers the blessed influences of heaven (if his heart were set on heavenly things); watching over her tenderly, inspiring her with generous thoughts and noble endeavors, cheer- ing and strengthening her in every good work, and ready, perchance, when her earthly sojourn is ended, to clasp her again in love's embrace : Or ask that youth or maiden who stands o'erwhelmed with anguish by the bedside of a dying father, mother, sister or brother, and feels as if the extinction of this mortal life were the end of human joys and hopes : Or ask that sad and throng- ing crowd who mourn the departure of those they love, and whose dark apparel is but a faint emblem of their darker sorrow, and the funereal gloom that shrouds to them the spirit-land, — ask them if a truthful revelation of the realities of that world to which their friends have so lately gone, would bring no comfort to their riven hearts. Ask if they would find no solace in the unwav- ering conviction that their loved ones are still near and watching over them for good — inspiring holy thoughts 32 HEAVEN REVEALED. and sweet affections and good resolutions and high en- deavor — fuller of life and joy and action than ever be- fore. Or, ask the thousands who have felt and therefore knoiv the sustaining power of this new revelation in times of sore bereavement ; — thousands who once looked on death with dread dismay, but now contemplate it with a cheerful serenity, sometimes even with a holy joy. Ask them, and they will tell you the use of this revelation — speaking from their own experience of its blessings. They will tell you that not the splendor of empires, nor the wealth of kingdoms, nor the honor of thrones, nor all the gold and glory of the world, can compare in value with the truths they have learned about the great Hereafter from the writings of the Swedish seer. And yet in all that we have here said, we have scarcely hinted at what we conceive to be the great practical value of these disclosures. We mean their di- rect influence upon the life of the receiver, here and now; their direct and powerful tendency to repress the evil and develop the good, and to mould the character into a heavenly form. Here, then, we close our argument against the objec- tions and in support of the need and use of this new revelation. Here we rest our plea for its thorough and serious examination. The candid inquirer will find here a pneumatology as rational as it is beautiful ; as satisfy- ing to the sternest demands of the head, as it is to the intensest cravings of the heart. And those who have studied it most and understand it best, would scarcely be believed were they to tell half they know of its com- OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 33 forts and satisfactions, its great practical value in the formation of character. Suffice it to add, that the Heav- enly Father who understands our human needs, and who knows how to give good and only good gifts to his children, has mercifully vouchsafed this revelation in answer to a deep and growing want, and as one power- ful means of drawing his children spiritually nearer to Himself and the shining ones around his throne. Infin- ite Wisdom saw the need, else the revelation would not have been made. And the use which it has already performed, the darkness and doubts it has so effectually dissipated, the peace and satisfaction it has afforded, and the support and solace it has ministered to thousands in times of sore bereavement, prove that it is neither the creation of a poet's fancy, nor the offspring of a disor- dered brain. And if the revelation be true, then it must have come from God out of heaven ; and its thankful and reverent reception must tend to lead the receiver up to Him from whom it came. But is it true? — is the question. Is there really a spiritual world, inhabited by spirits who are not mere phantoms, but real, substantial, human beings, with spiritual bodies in human form ? If so, where is it, and of what concern is it to us? Arezw spirits clad in mate- rial vestments which death will shortly relieve us of? And shall we then consciously enter the spirit-world as living, conscious, intelligent men and women — spirits in human form ? And has God, indeed, been pleased to reveal the sublime realities of that world ? If so, what is the evidence which is expected to satisfy inquiring and rational minds ? C 34 HEAVEN REVEALED. The answer to these questions, and some of the evi- dence which we think ought to satisfy candid minds, will be given in the following chapters. HE subject of angelology, including the origin as J- well as the nature of angels, is one upon which Christians of every denomination have written from time to time; and on few subjects has there been a more general agreement than on this. And as artists some- times endeavor to heighten the effect of a beautiful pict- ure by contrasting it with something hideous, so we may be excused for placing the Old and the New doc- trine concerning the origin of angels side by side, trust- ing that the truth and beauty of the latter may thereby be rendered the more striking by the contrast. Such presentation, too, will show the need there was of the revelation made through Swedenborg. All who profess the Christian religion, believe in the existence of angels. They believe them to be spiritual beings — the wise and happy denizens of heaven. They could not deny their existence without denying the ex- plicit teaching of the Bible. But the general belief hith- erto has been, that angels are created intelligences of different orders intermediate between God and man; that they were created angels in the beginning, and have III. THE ORIGIN OF ANGELS. THE ORIGIN OF AXGELS. 35 therefore never known any other place of abode than the heaven in which they are now living.* It has also been generally believed by Christians that a portion of these innocent and happy beings, once rose in rebellion against the government of heaven, and sought to over- throw the Ruler of the universe, and obtain for them- selves the supremacy. To this foul revolt they are thought to have been instigated by one more wicked and powerful, but once more wise and glorious, than the rest; — by one who, " in the happy realms of light. Clothed with transcendent brightness, didst outshine Myriads though bright;" but who, " with ambitious aim Against the throne and monarchy of God, Raised impious war in heaven and battle proud, With vain attempt." It has been further believed that the leader in that great rebellion, being defeated in his impious undertaking, was cast out of heaven with his rebellious crew, and be- came the Prince or chieftain of the bottomless pit — the * As to the precise time of their creation, whether prior or posterior to, or simultaneously with, the creation of the material world. Christians have not been agreed. Nor has there been entire agreement as to their nature. The prevalent opinion, however, has bee n, that they are incorporeal — pure spirits destitute of any kind of l».dy, )ct capable of assuming a body at pleasure. Some have supposed thai tlu y have bodies of the purest kind of air or ether; and one of tlic Chrisiian Fathers even went so far as to give form to their aerial bodies, declaring his belief that they are spherical. 36 HEAVEN REVEALED. Satan whereof the New Testament speaks. To quote again from Milton, who reflects the religious beliefs of his times : " Ilim the Almighty power Hurled hea.Iluiig from the ethereal sky, Willi hideous ruin and conibuNtion, down To bottomless perdition, there to dwell In adamantine chains and penal fu e. Who durst defy the Omnipotent to arms." And that prime instigator of the supposed rebellion in heaven, along with those who enlisted under his banner, are what Christians have generally understood to be meant by " the Devil and his angels," also by " the fallen angels." Nor is it in poetry alone that this doc- trine respecting the angels, is to be met with. We find the same set forth in sober prose by both Catholic and Protestant writers. And we are not aware that any dif- ferent doctrine on the subject, has ever gained currency among any considerable class of Christians outside of the small body known as the New Christian Church. {See tJie London Encyclopcedia, Art. Angel) Now, look at this whole story about the angels, which has gained currency in the church and made a part of Christian theology — look at it in the light of reason and common sense. Does it not wear very much the ap- pearance of ancient fable ? Does it not look like the offspring of heathen superstition ? For see what it re- quires us to believe. First, that God created an order (or several orders) of intelligent creatures — pure spirits destitute of any form or body, though capable of assum- ing both ad libitum — and far superior to man in knowl- THE OKIGhW OF ANGELS. 37 edge and wisdom, constituting a class of beings inter- mediate between the Creator and the human race* Second, that one of the wisest and most exalted of these beings, conceived the idea — an idea such as no one but the veriest dolt and monster were capable of conceiving — of wresting the government of heaven from the hand of Omnipotence, and actually waged war against the Almighty in the hope of gaining the supremacy ; and that, failing in the attempt, he and his followers were cast down from heaven into the gulf of despair, where they still cherish their hostility towards the Ruler of the universe. Bear in mind, also, that this insurrection, war, and ejectment from heaven, are predicated of pure spir- its — incorporeal beings — creatures utterly destitute of any kind of body or shape ! We submit that such ex- travagances are the very height of folly and nonsense. One would think they had only to be looked at in a lit- tle rational light, to be instantly repudiated. Let us now turn to the doctrine on this subject as re- vealed through Swedenborg. He claims to have en- joyed long and open intercourse with the spiritual world, and to have made a truthful revelation respecting both angels and devils — their origin as well as their character and condition. The following are some of the * This was the general belief of the old heathen philosophers, as it is of the Mahometans at the present day. The ancient Greeks believed that the demons (which word was used by them in a good sense) were created such, and held a middle rank between the gods and men. Thus Plutarch says : " Those seem to me to have solved very many and great difficulties or doubts, who place the demons sv /iktu 6t