Page:The Doctrines of the New Church Briefly Explained.djvu/268

 "THE SWEDEXBORG LIBRARY.' a progressive classification of truths, as well as an analysis. And here is where we have found much to admire in these little books. "With the helpfulness of this orderly arrangement of the contents, we have been especially impressed in Yol. I., on 'Death, Resurrection and the Judg- ment,' and in Yol. VIII., on 'Creation, Incarnation, Redemption and the Trinity.' Any one can see at a glance that this is the natural order of these topics when considered together, and the plan of the respec- tive volumes is arranged accordingly. But few have thought, perhaps, what a complete whole each of these groups makes when thus considered together, and what a clearly defined and lasting impress a careful study of such a treatise must leave in any thinking mind. . . . "Take this little book on Death, etc., Yol. I. Here a man is literally introduced into the spiritual world at the threshold. He is led upward through the proc- ess of phj'sical dying, having first been described in his real being, that is, as consisting of a spiritual and immortal body, clothed on earth with a temporary material one. Arriving in the spiritual world he is shown what manner of life the spiritual body leads ; then he is led through the several stages of the resur- rection, or the development of the real man out of all the outside concealments which in some measure attend him even into the world of spirits, until at length he is brought to that knowledge of his real, abiding, unchangeable character or fitness for heaven or hell, Avhich constitutes the judgment. Then is briefly described the quality of the life in heaven and in hell, and some practical guides for us all as to ' the way that leads to heaven,' while we are still under- going the discipUne of earth. The little book is a wonderful mariner's chart for a world that reaches 6