THE PHILOSOPHY OF A FUTURE STATE. 



But the history of man is not the only topic in 

 this department of knowledge, that will occupy 

 the attention of the inhabitants of heaven. The 

 history of angels of their faculties, intercourses, 

 and employments of their modes of communi 

 cation with each other of their different embas 

 sies to distant worlds of the transactions which 

 have taken place in their society and of the 

 revolutions through which they may have passed 

 the history of apostate angels the cause of 

 their fall and the circumstances with which it 

 was attended the plans they have been pursuing 

 since that period, and the means by which 

 they have endeavoured to accomplish their in 

 fernal devices will doubtless form a portion of 

 the history of divine dispensations, which &quot; the 

 saints in light&quot; will be permitted to contemplate. 

 Over this part of the divine economy a veil of 

 darkness is spread, which, we have reason to 

 believe, will be withdrawn, when that which is 

 perfect is come, and, &quot; when we shall know even 

 as also we are known.&quot; It is also probable, that 

 the leading facts in relation to the history ofbther 

 worlds will be disclosed to their view. The his 

 tory of the different planets in the solar system, 

 and of those which are connected with other 

 systems in the universe the periods of their 

 creation, the character of their inhabitants, the 

 changes through which they have passed, the pe 

 culiar dispensations of Providence towards them, 

 and many other particulars, may be gradually 

 laid open to the &quot; redeemed from among men,&quot; 

 for enlarging their views of the divine govern 

 ment. By meuns of such communications they 

 will acquire a clearer and more distinct con 

 ception of the moral character and attributes of 

 God, of the rectitude of his administrations, and 

 of &quot; his manifold wisdom 1 in the various modes 

 by which he governs the different provinces of 

 his vast empire. Under the impressions which 

 such views will produce, they will rejoice in the 

 divine government, and join with rapture in the 

 song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song 

 of the Lamb, saying, &quot; Great and marvellous 

 are thy works, Lord God Almighty! Just and 

 true are thy ways, than King of saints . &quot; 



Thus I have briefly stated, in the preceding 

 pages, some of those branches of science which 

 will be recognised by the righteous in a future 

 state. Several other departments of scientific 

 knowledge might have been specified ; but my 

 intention simply was, to present to the view of 

 the reader, a few specimens as illustrations of rny 

 general position, &quot; that science must be consi 

 dered as having a relation to a future world.&quot; If 

 it be admitted that any one science will be cul 

 tivated in heaven, it will follow, that the greater 

 part if not the whole, of those sciences which 

 Vring to light the treasures of useful knowledge, 

 will likewise be prosecuted by superior intelli- 

 Cences. For all the useful sciences have an inti 



mate connexion with each other; so that an ac&amp;gt; 

 quaintarice with one department of knowledge u 

 essentially requisite to a clear and comprehen 

 sive view of another. Astronomy supposes a 

 knowledge of arithmetic, geometry, trigonome 

 try, conic sections, and other parts of mathema 

 tics : experimental philosophy supposes a previous 

 acquaintance with natural history and physiology, 

 and is intimately connected with chymisfry, mi 

 neralogy and botany ; and anatomy and physiology 

 suppose a knowledge of the leading principles 

 of hydrostatics, pneumatics, and optics. The 

 principles of one science run into another, and 

 reflect a mutual lustre on each other, so that all 

 the sciences, when properly conducted, asd 

 viewed in their true light, have but one object in 

 view, namely, to ascertain the facts existing in 

 the universe, their connexions and relations, the 

 laws by which they are governed, and the illus 

 trations they afford of the power, wisdom and 

 benevolence of the Creator. 



In order to elucidate this topic a little farther, 

 the following brief remarks may be stated. It is 

 admitted, by every believer in Revelation,* that, 

 at the close of the present arrangements respect 

 ing our world, &quot; All that are in their graves shall 

 be raised to life i&quot; and that, however different 

 the constitution of these new-modelled bodies 

 may be from their present state of organization, 

 they will still be material vehicles, furnished with 

 organs of sensation as the medium of perception 

 to the immaterial spirit. In what manner the 

 disembodied spirit views material objects and re 

 lations, and applies the knowledge of them which 

 it acquired while united to an organical structure, 

 we can have no conception whatever, till we be 

 actually ushered into the separate state ; and 

 therefore, the observations already made, or 

 which may yet be thrown out on this subject, are 

 not intended to apply to the intermediate state 

 of the spirits of good men. That state, what 

 ever may be the modus of perception and enjoy 

 ment in it, is a state of imperfection, and, in 

 some respects, an unnatural state, if we suppose 

 that the spirit is not connected with any material 

 vehicle. Now, if it be admitted, that the spirits 

 of the just, at the general resurrection, are to be 

 reunited to material crganical structures, it must 

 also be admitted, that those structures must have 

 some material substratum on which to rest, or, 

 in other words, a material world or habitation in 

 which they may reside. This last position is 

 also as evident, from the declarations of Scrip 

 ture, as the first. For, while we are informed 

 that the elementary parts of our globe shall be 

 dissolved, we are at the same time assured, that 

 &quot; new heavens and a new earth&quot; shall be pre 

 pared, (&amp;lt; wherein the righteous shall dwell;&quot; 

 that is, a world purified from physical and moral 



The followers of Baron Swedenberg only e- 

 cepted. 



