Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1880 — PERSONAL OPINIONS. [ARTICLE]

PERSONAL OPINIONS.

Kigyniasirif Cy trpkmMh Bertkonikofer. ‘'/foestiiiy of &e SouL"*^l „ OPINIO* NO. 5. With this trlicit I have promised to give my •pinio* as to the destiny of the human soul,-and I will eo» deavor to be as brief and conscite as possible. One of the 'strongest evidences of life after death lies in the fact that a person dying is enabled to behold spiritual beings with-spiritual vision before fife in the body becomes extinct. Evidence of this kind cam be found everywhere. 'Almost every Christian as he is about to depart from this earth mentions to the friends about him that he beholds those even at bis bed-side who had preceded him to the spirit world. After tUe spiritual body, which I described in my last, leaves this corporial body at the separation (commouly called death), its home is anywhere within the boundless space, or wherever it may find congenial spirits. If the person dying has found pleasure in the society of the righteous, has been accustomed to such association, bars sought and obtained the forgivnesg of bis sins, liis spirit will be escorted by angels and departed loved ones to the borne of the redeemed, to the presence of the Redeemer and Savior of the world, which is commonly denominated heaven.

The common idea of heaven, in my opinion, is erroneous, it exists in (he tu'mds of the masses as some mammoth enclosure, surrounded by a high wall, to which there are twelve gates, but only one through .which spirits can gain access and that one is attended by St. Peter, to whom the keys were given by the Savior Vhile upon earth! that when a spirit once enters heaven it will be compelled to remain there forever, and that its occupation will be to worship Him who sitteth upon the great white throne. ] In my opinion heaven is no pent up place, and that all who go there do so simply because they are fitted for the position aud find there just such association as they most desire, but they are not compelled to remain there; that is there is nothing compulsory about it, but there being no more congenial or happy abode a spirit is most likely to continue in the society to which it belongs. In fact heaven to a redeemed spirit is anywhere in the spirit world, whether In the society of the righteous or the wicked, but as I have said, it remains in the’ society of the redeemed from choice. Did you ask, “Is heaven a located place?” It certainly is, for Christ is there in the body which lie took with’ him from the earth; Enoch and E!ij ih who were translated, arc there in a like manner, and the saints who rose from the grave at the time of the tesurreotion of Christ, and we're seen of mem walking the streets of Jerusalem, are them also, and it is with these saints and holy angels that Christ will come to judge the quick and the dead.

Thecommon' idea of hell, in my opinion, is also erroneous. It exists in the minds of the people as a mammoth furnace, made as hot as only bell can be made, into' which condemned souls aro plunged to burn forever and ever, and the business of the little devils is to punch up the fire, while the “old devil” proudly struts around wagging his tail and bossing the job. When a wicked man dies, his life, as it were, goes out in the dark, and unlike that of the righteous man, finds no one to escort him to the abode of spirits of a like character. Besides not possessing the privilege he has no desire to enter into the society -of the Lord’s anointed, and if he could, heaven would be a worse hell to him than hell itself. Whether or not the devil and his hosts, have any particular headquarters I am unable to say, but I give it as my, opinion that they have. As I have said anywhere in the universe is heaven' to a righteous soul, so also anywhere in the universe is hell to a wicked soul,, but those wh« are shut out of leaven accept the devil as their god and leader, and it is but natural that they desire his majestic presence. In my humble opinion the difference between redeemed souls and unredeemed souls is simply this: Those who have lived an upright, Christian life, made themselves worthy of the Roeiety of Christ and his followers, and have had their sins forgiven, all traces ol sin is removed from them, so that one spirit beholding another could not say, positively, that it had ever sinned. While those who never became acquainted with Christ, and never obtained remission of their sins will behold iu each other all the wickedness and crime they have committed. Or in other word's—the wicked shall know each other as God knows them. The conclusion then is that redeemed souls can visit friends among those who are not redeemed, if the desire to, but that unredeemed souls will never be permitted to venture near the home of the Lord’s anointed. The lost souls are however not without hope, though it may be a

vain one, for under the leadership o 1 *tatan they are constantly impressed with the delation that the time if coming in which they will outnumber the hpetf of heaven fad somehow release them selves from the hoedfage of darkneef ants tin and enjoy divine independence and privileges. The punishment of the followers of satan will consist principally of remorse which will be ae poisonous to the mind as the sling of an adder for neglecting the privileges once enjoyed of making the acquaintance of Christ and becoming his disciples. The sonl will be laboriog constantly under self condemnation and at the same time be required to serve in the ranks of aatan. Doubtless the society of the wicked here is but a type of what it will be among the condemned spirits—oaths and cursing, fighting, swearing, skoffing, betraying, despising, hating, deeei ving, snubbing, and every vice and wickedness that has been or can be invented will be indulged in, which will produce heartaches, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Most probably the hosts of hell will classify themselves so tliose who are reasonably well behaved may enjoy some “rights which the roughs are bound to respect.’* In other words the “society” of hell will not be bad, notwithstanding all will be under the dominion of Satan and through the necessity of the ease compelled to submit to his will. Ilell will contain more misery, made so by the miserable beings which it will contain, than any human is now able to conceive of, and the punishment just as terrible as it is compared or represented in the Bible. i

Every spirit leaving this earth carrier with it to the spirit world just the character, education and disposition acquired during its ere* ation and residence here, and the condition of the wicked never will be bettered throughout the ages of eternity but continue to grow worse, if possible, and more miserable. On the other hand the scriptures plainly teach that those who are denned from all their sins through their acceptance of Christ will continue to increase in knowledge and power until they shall become as it were kings and princes in greatness. Heaven will be a thousand fold more grand and glorious than finite minds are able to comprehend. But you ask if heaven is so happy and hell so miserable will not the recollection of friends in perdition occasionally add a pang to he heart? of the redeemed? I answer not at all, for the reason that thoy being pure aud holy do not realize or perhaps know auything of the character of sin, and they think of their lost friends as we remember those who have been long in their graves—we only have the memory of their former existence. As I understand it, this spiritual form will occupy its proper sphere among the lost sud saved until the resurrection morn when our present bodies will be restored unto us, but like Christ’s, Enoch’s and Elijah’s, they will be .immortal, eternal and imperishable. One thing more I want to say before I close this article, and that is that God never lias and never will punish anybody. It you are not prepared for heaven you will not be permitted to enter,, and the punishment you receive will be of your own creation. The heathen, of course, will not be permitted to enjoy the society of the redeemed because they are not fitted for it, as “nothing impure or unholy shall ever enter into the kingdom of heaven,” but they will enjoy about the same degree of life in the spirit world they possess on earth. , Possibly they will submit themselves to the dominion of satan but they will doubtless avoid the lower grades of the society in that region. The spirit of man like tho spirit of God, is incomprehensible, but we know that it cannot be hindered by temporal things, that its home is the boundless space, and that sunshine or storm, daylight or darkness in no way effect it. It does not remain here because of its ability to go elsewhere almost within a moment of time, where it can commune with congenial spirits and participate in tho excitements of the spirit world.

The Democrats in Congress are determined to unseat Hon. Godlove Otth of this Slate, and give hiw place to McCabe, his competitor. It is a rascally piece of business on the part of the Democrats. Orth was fairly elected which fact was admitted in the giving of bis certificate of election by a Democrat. McCabe had not intended to contest the seat, but the leaders of the Democratic party, in Congress and in Indiana, have determined that they must have a majority of the State Congressional delegations in order to elect the President should the election be thrown into the lower House of Congress. This is what animates the leaders in the dirty business of turning out Orth and putting McCabe in hi» place. It is of a piece with the Maine*business. —Kentland Gazette. These two lines which look so solemn, Were juetput here to HU this column..