they had been of his brethren the prophets in the world, though now angels in heaven.* When all this clear and divine evidence meets our eyes, with more still contained in the Word of the LORD, how strange it is that men should remain so blind to this most animating view of the subject, and dream that after death we are sparks or vapours-mere nothings, for thousands of years to come,-mere nothings, until a gross material body of earth shall rise and furnish a mould to make us into men again, and fit us-not for a material world suited to a risen material body but a pure spiritual world, into which as the apostle tells us,† nor flesh, nor blood, nor earth, nor clay, can ever enter! From these gloomy ideas, these strange and unscriptural sentiments we are happily freed. With us, in very deed and in truth, "to be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD," not as unconscious "vital sparks," but substantial men and women, consciously living in imperishable "spiritual bodies." What then is bodily dissolution to a truly Christian and prepared man! Call it death no longer. Death is resurrection miscalled. Man never dies. Death has an appearance, however, of reality to the survivors, according to which they must express themselves. Let us, therefore,

contemplate our last moments here with tranquillity and joy. This is the blessed period when we are to be set at liberty from the prison of a corruptible body, freed from the pains and afflictions, cares and troubles, evils and sins of a depraved world! This is the moment in which we change mortality for immortality, and time for eternity!-Yea, this is the happy hour when we shall appear substantial, spiritual, living men, to die no more for ever. And to crown the whole, this is the day when we shall associate openly with angels; be conducted by them in the delightful path that leads to the New heaven, dwell in one of their societies, and be happy angels with them to all eternity!

Let these considerations, these most glorious prospects, not only excite our gratitude, our thanksgiving, and our joy, but may they also stimulate us to prepare and stand ready for bodily dissolution, and a happy resurrection into the world of spirits, the company of angels, and the glories of immortality!

*Rev. xxii. 8, 9.

† 1 Cor. xv. 50.

2 Cor. v. 8.

SECTION XXXVI.

THE STATE OF THE NEW CHURCH CHRISTIAN IN THE WORLD OF SPIRITS, AND HIS ENTRANCE INTO THE NEW HEAVENS.

EVERY preceding section is in some degree connected with, and leads to, these two great subjects. For all the parts of our regeneration, every step in our religious progress, are so many means calculated to prepare us for a happy entrance into the world of spirits, and an eternal state of felicity in heaven. Indeed the particular providence of the LORD is operative in every minute circumstance of our lives, and his great end therein is our regeneration, in order to make us happy in his kingdom. This being the case, it should be our constant care so to co-operate with the LORD, that his most merciful purpose may be accomplished. For so far as we do not co-operate, that end is retarded; but so far as we do co-operate, that end is promoted. Hence we may see how much depends upon the right use of that liberty, or free will and rationality, with which we are endowed. We may employ them to our own destruction, or through divine assistance we may employ and improve them to our highest happiness! How important then it is, that we co-operate with the LORD, and so use our freedom and rationality as to obtain this infinitely important object, -the complete salvation, and everlasting felicity of our souls! We are here but a little while at the longest, and then we are called away into the world of spirits, a middle place or state between heaven and hell. It is in this region that the wicked on their entrance there, by a certain process are divested of every thing extrinsically good or true, which in the world had become attached to them by external habit. By this process they become altogether, or both internally and externally, forms of the evil and the false, and then they are cast, or rather they themselves descend, into the infernal regions, to dwell with like impure and polluted characters for ever. And as to the good, or those who are in states of regeneration, they also in the world of spirits are divested of all that is uncongenial to their ruling love of good, every thing in the nature of moral infirmity or error, every stain upon their wedding garment. Thus do they become internally and externally pure forms of goodness

and truth; and then they ascend into heaven, to dwell with the like blessed and happy spirits to all eternity.

My friends, I write to this end, that truths revealed, believed in, and professed, may have their proper and timely effect upon our hearts and lives. We believe that on our bodily dissolution, we shall enter into the world of spirits, and that our condition there, and the circumstances attending our stay there, will be more or less joyous or otherwise, according to our state of life when we enter that world. I do not intend minutely to describe what our condition will then be, or what will take place in respect to us when there. On these points I refer you to the writings of our Author. But, my brethren, we shall do well to bear in mind, that in that state and world, a process of purification will take place with all spiritual minds, or with all who have here entered into the regenerate life, for few indeed leave this world perfectly pure. In order that this work may be effected, we shall there have to sustain infestations, temptations, and conflicts from the infernal powers, more or less, in order to our complete vastation of every thing that has any relationship to the powers of darkness, because, so far as any evil, impurity, or error may then be attached to us, so far we are connected with infernal spirits. And as their hatred and rage are ever against goodness, truth, and the LORD himself, we may be assured they will employ all their power, artifice, and subtlety against us, with a determination, if possible, to draw us down into their own state, and their own hell. And we are informed, that all infestations, temptations, and conflicts, suffered by the imperfectly good there, are more painful and severe than they are in the present world and life; because, being then in a spiritual world, and in a spiritual and internal state, not only our own impurities will be seen in a more deformed and horrid appearance (by reason of the clearness of vision consequent on the removal of the obtuse body,) but also the very hells, and the infernals themselves, will be seen and known in all their horrors. In consequence of our connection with them through remaining evil and infirmity, the process of our total separation and deliverance from them by its removal, will be extremely painful and trying, much more so than the like process while here, because, being here in a natural state and in the body, the things just mentioned are more out of sight, and less known, and therefore less trying; added to which the body serves to deaden the acuteness of mental sen

sations, which become inexpressibly keener by its removal. Moreover, as it is painful to a serious mind, while in this world, to be connected with evil men; to see so much evil and pollution around him; to feel so much impurity and disorder in himself; and to have to combat against it; how much more trying and painful will these things be, when evil itself, and the infernal subjects of it, are not only presented to him in their own odious and most disgusting forms, but he is also sensibly and openly infested by them, harassed by their malignity, and has to work and force his way through them, as it were, to his home in the heavens !

I fear these subjects are not so much thought of and attended to as their importance demands. We are too prone to act like those persons who think little or nothing about what shall take place in the next world, and who say, "if we can but get into heaven we shall be happy, and it is time enough to know what that world is when we get there;"-not seeing, as they might see, that the knowledge thus obtained, comes too late; and that its sole value can only be realized here, by such knowledge being brought to bear upon our spiritual improvement. But we who enjoy a superior dispensation, should be Christians of superior intelligence, as well as be superior in the wisdom of our conduct. We should seriously endeavour to acquaint ourselves with all these deeply interesting subjects relating to the future life, which are now opened to our intellectual view; and then we shall be able to improve them, make a right application of them, and so become wise for eternity, even while bounded by time, and imprisoned in clay. And since we know that immediately after death we shall enter into the world of spirits, and there undergo a process of purification and full and final preparation for the New heavens, this knowledge should produce upon us the following blessed and happy effects. -The little and uncertain time we have to stay here, together with the talents, means, and mercies we enjoy, should all be improved and employed so as to accomplish, as far as possible, our separation from all evil and error, the purification of our mind and life, and the reception of that divine good and truth from Jesus Christ, which will bring us more fully and directly into the order and form of heaven! I am aware that some serious minds may reply to this, and say, "We have so many concerns, and cares and circumstances of a worldly and temporal nature to attend to, that we cannot do this work so

fully as we wish to do." But this is not a right method of reasoning upon the subject. These are not the things which, abstractedly considered, prevent the work; for these circumstances rightly considered, are the very means and occasions, under a gracious Providence, most suitable to effect our full and complete emancipation from the world and the senses; and would we faithfully make use of them, we should certainly find it to be so from actual experience. It is something more interior that prevents our greater spiritual success, and that is, our natural affections are too much fixed upon, and too fervidly engaged and exercised in these temporal concerns; and the consequence is, that the ardour of our spiritual love is weakened and becomes less effective. We do not consider as we should, that the degree of our improvement in goodness must ever be exactly in proportion to the vigour and constancy of our endeavours, and especially our endeavours to detect our besetting sins, that we may shun them, and put them entirely away, "for the sake of our LORD, and his gospel." Only let pure love to truth and good,-to heavenly things and states, to the LORD and His kingdom, have the dominion and rule the natural man, and sanctify its affections, and then all temporal and worldly concerns will stand in their right place; and in this case they will promote rather than hinder our purification, for when acting under the influence of superior principles of action, we shall engage in the affairs of life from the love of use, and not from self-love; and consequently these affairs, and the opportunities they afford of acting rightly, will contribute, not only to our purification, but also to our exaltation in the future world and life. We must not forget, that a man's BEST opportunity of rising, is when he is MOST tempted to fall, and therefore in most danger of falling. Hence I draw the following conclusions, that in proportion as our spiritual life's love is preserved in its vigour and activity, it will be continually purifying the natural man from its evils and errors; bringing every affection and thought into order, preserving every principle, faculty, and the recipient vessels thereof in a state to receive the divine influx of truth and good from the LORD through the internal, until the whole man, down to the most ultimate thought, word, and work, becomes a pure and sanctified form, the tabernacle of the Most High! Hence, my brethren, you perceive what work may be done while here; and how that work may be accomplished. Upon this part of my