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THE JOYS AND GLORIES

while here on earth. And those objects, as before observed, must be as much more beautiful and magnificent than the objects of this material world, as the Sun from which they are all derived, is more perfect than our natural sun,—or as spirit is more perfect than matter. So, also, the spirit then beholds the inhabitants of that world, constituted of the myriads and millions of men, who from the beginning of time have passed out of this material sphere into the spiritual, and thus have entered upon the scene of their eternal existence. All these spiritual objects, whether things or men, are invisible to us now, simply because our sight, which in itself is spiritual, looks at present through the organism of material eyes. But as soon as we are withdrawn from this organism, or drop this day by death, it will be like dropping scales from the eyes, and we shall find ourselves at once looking upon magnificent scenes,—in the presence of great companies of spirits,—and standing under the light of the spiritual Sun, "the Sun of Righteousness,"—under the very Eyes, as it were, of our God.

Such is the answer to the question, "Where is the spiritual world?"


But now, before we can get a complete view of the glories of the spiritual state of existence, and of the life eternal, we must take a still wider range of thought. It is to be remembered, that we have all the time been speaking of but one spiritual world, as of but one natural world. In describing the spiritual world, as so vastly populous,—as containing at once the men of all past generations,—a vast sea, as it were, having a thousand inlets and no outlet,—into which fresh streams