Page:The New View of Hell.djvu/209

 moral murder, for it is stabbing one in the dark—we must inwardly acknowledge the sinfulness of this before God, and shun it because it is a sin. If we are inclined to invade the freedom and trample on the rights of others, to domineer over them—over our families, our children, our brethren, our domestics, our employés—to compel them to do our will and gratify our wishes, to their own injury, loss, or discomfort, we must regard such disposition as sinful, and shun its indulgence as a sin.

And so with every inclination which originates in the love of self, and whose indulgence is condemned by the Lord's commandments, being utterly contrary to their whole spirit and teaching. These inclinations are all of them but streams which flow from hell; and their existence and craving are indications of the presence of hell within us. And it is only when we regard and shun their indulgence as a sin against God, that we are really shunning hell.

According to the New View, then, as herein unfolded, the way to escape hell becomes very plain. We must first have a clear perception and a firm conviction of what hell really is. We must recognize it as a state, and must understand the nature of that state. That is, we must know what kind of life or love belongs to it.

And the next thing necessary is, a sincere desire to be delivered from this state. And since we have no power to deliver ourselves—for no man can of himself change