Page:The Doctrines of the New Church Briefly Explained.djvu/89

Rh of mental and moral freedom; so that, "being delivered from the hands of our enemies, we may [if we choose] serve Him without fear." This is what it has actually accomplished for the human race: it has overcome the influence of hell to such a degree, that men need not now be its slaves unless they freely choose such bondage. Through the redemption that has been wrought, mankind are now able to understand the will of God, or the truth that reveals his will to them, and are free to serve Him if they choose—free to make their own election. This redemption does not confer or insure salvation, but simply places it within every one's reach, and leaves him free to choose and able to act according to his choice.

The prevailing belief among Christians respecting salvation at the time Swedenborg wrote, was, that it is deliverance from hell and its miseries, and the qualification for heaven and its joys; that this deliverance and qualification for heaven may take place suddenly—in the twinkling of an eye; that it is wrought by an act of immediate Divine mercy, and without any regard to the inner life or character of its subjects—provided they have faith.