suffer them, but that the love and practice of evil is the cause of misery in all its forms.
A brief, but clear and satisfactory exposition of this subject may be found in the treatise, entitled "Heaven and Hell." It is there shown that the passages, in the Divine Word, which refer to the torments of hell, if rationally understood, must be interpreted, according to the laws of correspondence, between spiritual and natural things; that, "by fire is meant the lust which is of self love, and the love of the world, and by smoke thence is understood the false from evil." In this connection, occur the following, among many other equally important passages:
"Inasmuch as by infernal fire is meant every lust to do evil flowing forth from the love of self, hence also by the same fire is meant torment, such as exists in the hells. For the lust derived from that love is the lust of hurting others who do not honor, venerate, and worship self; and in proportion to the anger thence conceived, and to the hatred and revenge from that anger, is the lust of cruelty against them. When such lust is in every one in a society, which is restrained by no external bonds, such as the fear of the law, and of the loss of reputation, honor, gain, and life, then every one from the impulse of his own evil rushes upon another, and so far as he prevails, also subjugates and reduces the rest under his dominion, and from delight exercises cruelty towards those who do not submit themselves. This delight is altogether conjoined with the delight of bearing rule, insomuch that they are in a similar degree, since the delight of doing harm is in enmity, envy, hatred, and revenge, which are the evils of that love, as was said above. All the hells are such societies, wherefore every one there bears hatred in his heart against others, and from hatred bursts forth into cruelty, so far as he prevails. These cruelties, and the torments thence, are also understood by infernal fire, for they are the effects of lusts."
********"The reason that torments in the hells are permitted by the Lord, is, because evils cannot otherwise be restrained and subdued: the only means of restraining and subduing them, thus of keeping the infernal crew in bonds, is the fear of punishment; there is no other means given: for without the fear of punishment and torment, evil would burst forth
