The World of the Unseen; An Essay on the Relation of Higher Space to Things Eternal

by Arthur Willink

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1893. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... VIII CONCERNING THE DEPARTED We have now seen some of the principles on which we are to depend, and are sufficiently equipped to proceed to the discussion of some of the questions which we are to consider. The first of these is a very interesting one. It is this. Where do they dwell that are departed hence in the Lord? What is their condition? These are questions which have received very many answers, and these answers by no means agree together. When we speak of the Departed we are obliged to use the greatest caution; and I cannot think that our thoughts of them are even tolerably satisfactory. 5a We speak of them as being happy. We believe that they are in a state of happiness. We are right in doing so. But while we are sure that they are happy, we are compelled to acknowledge that this conveys absolutely nothing to our minds as to the manner of their happiness. The fact of their happiness is established. The manner of it is most obscure. There is a fundamental obstacle to the understanding of our words. So far as saying that they are at peace, where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest, that they are in safekeeping, in a better world, and so on, we are sure that we are making no mistake, because we receive these statements on the most certain warrant of Holy Scripture. But when we come to think more closely about it, we find that so far as our description has. gone, the happiness of which we have been speaking consists in the absence of disturbing elements, i.e. our description of it has been characterised by negatives. Now we cannot understand a purely negative happiness. So long as we can only say that in their life there is not this or that to which we are accustomed, the only idea that is definitely presented to us is this, that their sta...

28 pages, Paperback

First published July 24, 2009

Reviews

[Araminta Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flatland explained this concept better, but I appreciated the connection to the supernatural here and the logic used to support the claims.