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the mitigation of its misery and trouble which is possible, come also from doing good; but they do not come, in hell, from the doing of good willingly, but because the Lord compels, by various means, those who are in hell, and who love only self, still to be useful in many ways. And He so compels them, because this is the greatest mercy He can show them.

None go into hell but they who refuse to permit the Lord to lead them into heaven; and they are called devils.

You may think the Lord could give them truths, which would teach them to do better; but it is not so, because this would only make them more miserable. If one were so unhappy as to be obstinately bent upon indulging some evil passion, and determined that he never would resist it, do you not see, that if any one insisted upon telling him the truth which forbids that evil, he would only be vexed and angry, and more wilful than ever, and would turn away without listening, that he might be wicked without disturbance? Thus you may see that wickedness blinds one to the truth, and this is

the case with all who are in the hells; and thus you may understand the words in John, third chapter, from the sixteenth to the twenty-first verses.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already; because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation; that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light; neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."

LESSON

FOURTEENTH.

There is something more I have to tell you about the sun and moon; and about a useful truth you may learn from them.

I do not know how much you have been taught of astronomy, as I said in the sixth lesson, but I suppose you know that all the light of the moon comes from the sun. The moon is as dark as our earth; but when the sun shines on it, we see it; for then it is bright and full of light. I want you to be sure you understand how this is; and if you have any doubts about it, and will ask your teachers, it will be fully explained to you.

You remember, I suppose, that the sun corresponds to charity, and that the moon corresponds to faith. Charity belongs to the affections, and you have it or are without it according to what you love, and also according to how much you love. Faith belongs to the understanding, and depends upon what and how much you know. But it does

not depend upon this alone; because, as all the

light of the moon comes from the sun, so all the light of faith, that is, all the true and useful light of a true and right faith, comes from your affections. Or, as it may be said, in a more general way, all true faith is derived from charity. I will try to explain this to you as well as I can.

Suppose you have been told that the Lord governs all things; and you know and believe that it is so. Now there are two ways in which you may believe this. You may believe it only because you hear it, and without any care about it, and without any wish that it should be so. But there is nothing of love or affection about such a belief as this; it does not come from love, and your knowledge is not made warm and alive by any affection, and such a knowledge or belief as this is not faith.

But suppose that you look upon the Lord as your Father in heaven, who loves you, and provides for you carefully and tenderly, and wishes you to have every thing which can make you truly happy. Then you will be very glad to learn that the Lord governs all things; you will wish

very much indeed that it should be so; you will desire to believe it, and you will believe it very earnestly. There will then be in your belief, love and warmth; and such a belief as this, is faith.

You may have knowledge of a truth because you may hear or read that it is so, and nevertheless, not believe it. You may know it, and believe it, and yet not have any faith respecting it, because your knowledge and belief may not have any thing to do with your wishes and affections. But if your knowledge and belief arise from your wishes and affections; if your wishes and affections lead you to inquire and to listen, and if they make your knowledge the clearer, and your belief the stronger, then you have something which is more and better than mere knowledge and belief; you have faith.

This faith it is, which the moon corresponds to. The Lord made the moon, as we have already read, "to rule the night." And such a faith as this, "rules the night," in a spiritual sense; and no other faith can. I will try to explain this.

You remember, I suppose, what I said to you about the night of the soul in lesson seventh.

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