What does a Saviour do?

The Kingdom of Heaven is within you is true. Each particle―or atom has an external existence―or an indestructible nature, and this could only be done by making its inmost of His own nature―or substance. The outer―or natural form is induced by its uses and surroundings. Hence, all things are possessed of this indwelling divinity―or they could not be at all. It must be so, as a part of the one system, which is the same in all God's creations.

In Letters from a Spirit, Mr B. [Spirit] asks to be shown a thoroughly evil soul, that is, one as totally evil as a soul can be, passing through changes until it is purified and glorified.

The teacher replies that to bring such a soul there would be to inflict unendurable agony upon it and that could not be permitted even for illustration. Instead, he resolves to represent the final triumph of good over evil— 

The place about the Spirits darkened, and began to grow cold, and with a thrill of dread, they drew closer together, as there appeared before them a dark, dismal, rocky cavern with a man's body lying on the floor.

So black and evil was his face, and so vile and horrible the surroundings, that they did not need to be told that he was as evil as humanity can become―a murderer and a fugitive in the earth.

As they watched, the Spirit became visible, escaping from the form until it was just above it, and it was loathsome, black and deformed.

Nearly animal, yet human enough to be horrible, it did not even stand erect, as the body had done in earthly life, but grovelled on all fours, like a beast. We take up the representation—

Oh, it was too awful! and I gasped out the question that would come.

But is not a human soul like a human body?

The teacher looked on me so sadly, as he said, Such as you see, the soul imbruted by vile animal passions becomes when the flesh is laid aside. You will understand that for such a spirit, and there are myriads of them coming from earth, long years―or rather ages are needful to restore it to the innocence, which its infancy possessed. An innocence, which yet contained the germs of this monstrous development.

Other ages must pass before from that restored, 

ignorant innocence can be developed the angelhood, 

which it contains.

I can represent to you in hours that which ages 

would be needed to effect. It is but a representation.

Father said, It seems strange to us that sin, which could have had but a few years to work out such results should so have debased the whole nature, as to require ages to erase its effects.

Our teacher replied, The human race has become exceedingly complex by its mixture of good and evil. It is difficult to explain in any reasonable compass how all things of his being, material, natural, mortal and spiritual are partly evil and partly good. Every grain of wheat has its root of tares growing beside it, and thus the purification of even an average human being consumes in many instances, as long time as the whole of its earthly life. But when the being chooses to render every particle of its nature, in all its complexity, evil, and has made every fibre of its many natures, one infolded in the other, utterly subject to its worst passions, it must necessarily be a long labour to cleanse and purify.

The work of restoration must commence in the first place by the (hu)man's own desire, for all are in freedom. When this desire is formed, which is often after long experience and satiation with evil, the inmost spark of divine life must proceed first in the regeneration―or cleansing of the spiritual, then of the intellectual, and finally of the natural. A debased natural by closing natural avenues debases the mental and a debased intellectual condition almost necessitates a low spiritual state.

Hence (hu)man by closing the doors of the natural 

to good debases all his being at once. But on the 

contrary, the inmost life must commence with that, 

which is nearest its own substance―or the spiritual.

A rational, spiritual condition may exist with a 

great amount of intellectual darkness, as no doubt 

your earthly experience is still recent enough to 

recall.

We could all recall any number of stupid, good people―or moral persons, and said so.

Our teacher proceeded. When the spiritual is awakened―or cleansed, the enlightening and awakening of the intellectual follows, and finally, the cleansing of the natural―or ultimate follows.

We professed to understand the reason of the length of time required for the regeneration, though I doubt if I did fully, for I have thought of it ever since. It has revealed to me what a mass of differing appetites, passions and desires we are―or as the guide expressed it, How complex.

During this explanation, we had continued to watch the creature in the cavern.

It had grovelled and crept about until finding itself hungry, though our teacher explained that this was simply the easiest representation of longing―or desire, and that it was not an actual need of food, and finding its desire could only be gratified by standing upright, arose and stood erect.

It began presently to look on its surroundings with great disgust, which might be interpreted as the satiation, which came of long experience of its effects, and as the work of long periods of time.

At last, as if attracted by the light from the entrance of the cave, it slowly went in that direction, hesitating, shading its eyes, stopping, then going forward, but never quite turning back, much to Mr B.'s delight who found therein the confirmation of his lifelong faith [the final triumph of evil over good].

Arrived at the entrance, the creature who was perfectly black and covered with long matted hair—oh, it was ugly—stopped to gaze at a very forbidding landscape of desert sand and rocky formation under a leaden sky.

However, as Mr B. remarked, He has gotten out of that cave.

He went on at last, often stumbling and falling, as if from dim sight. He went on, and at last we perceived that the land sloped upward, and by very slow degrees led to an eminence.

He still went upward, and we began to notice that every time he rose after a fall, he moved more vigorously, and was not quite so black.

But how to describe his many delays and backdrawings before he could pass through a stream of water, ditch water at that, but he did at last, and our teacher explained it as representing a very low form of truth, such as he could receive.

When he emerged on the farther side, his skin was smooth and human, so that he lost his animal coat―or exterior by immersion in even such truth.

He appeared to be pleased and examined himself with much interest, looking to see where the rough hair had gone.

By slow degrees, as he journeyed, he ate, selecting the green food that grew in the more fertile spots, and rejecting coarse dark food beside it, and drank water, rejecting what looked like liquor.

Very slowly, oh, so slowly, his exterior changed and he became white―or rather less black, and cleaner until he appeared like a coarse, rough man, such as we see in mortal life.

Then there came in his way a poor cur, limping along, and for a time he did not notice it, but then knelt, called the dog, and tried to bind up its broken limb.

That was a great step—Again he crossed a stream of purer water, very reluctantly, and after many attempts to find a shallow place.

He could not, and was swept off his feet, and only saved by the dog, which he had helped, and which he patted, and was grateful to. This the teacher explained was his first perception of gratitude, the lowest form of love. Thence again up another long ascent, where trees, poor, scrubby trees, but living growths were, and where he rested and chose their fruit, in place of that growing on the ground.

His progress was much more rapid now, and he came among beings like wretched women and sick children whom he tried in his poor way to help, and grew more human in the effort.

His outer form did not as yet appear more refined, but he had a light from within.

His eyes grew clear and bright, his skin fairer and clearer, and his step more springing and elastic. So on and up until he stood before us, glowing and radiant, with the glory streaming from his refined and purified body through garments whitened as no fuller on earth can whiten them.

I have omitted many steps in his regeneration, 

though I ought to say that the final glorification came 

upon him when he knelt in humble supplication and 

adoration before his unseen guide and saviour.

It was a marvellous teaching, and scarce less marvellous to see the radiance, which came from every face, as the mighty truth took possession of us of a Saviour for all.