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"Father, steer at me," as a specimen of her ballad style, but we fear it is too long for our space. We heartily commend our readers to the book itself, which will amply repay its possessor. We will, however, finish with another genuine bit of charming poesy.

SMILING FACES.

Smiling faces! how they cheer us!
They are like the sunshine bright;
Shedding round us, while they near us,
Gemlike rays of golden light.
When our hearts with care are weary,
Do they not to comfort seek,
Helping us like voices cheery,

Though we cannot hear them speak?

Smiling faces! may they ever

Pierce the storm-clouds of life's hours,
Bringing with them brighter weather,
Perfumed as with June's sweet flowers.
Little suns are smiling faces,

And we each should do our part,
Bearing light to darksome places,
Cheering men when sad at heart.

J. B.

Correspondence.

(To the Editor of the Intellectual Repository.)

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

DEAR SIR,-Allow me to invite the attention of your readers to the claims of the British and Foreign Bible Society upon New Churchmen. In the midst of so many calls of a denominational kind, and in this time of severe financial distress, it may be said that such remarks as follow are out of season. But let me state that my desire is rather for an official support, however small, than for grand amounts. And let the fearful ones take comfort in the hope that when we, as a body, rise to the level of practically acknowledging our duty and privilege in aiding the British and Foreign Bible Society, our denominational funds will not be the losers, but most assuredly the gainers thereby.

I suppose there is scarcely a Society of the New Church in the United Kingdom but has amongst its members one or more subscribers to the Bible Society. What I wish to recommend is that their gifts should always go in the name of the New Church. Our ministers and leaders could easily arrange this. The amount at first might be very small, but as times grow better other subscriptions would come in, till the figure would become one of which the Society need not be ashamed. We are told not to despise "the day of small things."

Briefly as I can I will set forth a few reasons why New Churchmen, and especially New Church Societies, should by name, and officially, support the Bible Society.

1. Prejudice is the great barrier against a favourable and widespread acceptance of the New Church doctrines. And in no point is prejudice more dense than on the way in which we regard the Scriptures-especially the literal sense. A very common idea is that we do not believe the Bible at all. Others say our notions of religion are so mystical and fanciful as to be quite beyond common understanding, and wholly above the plain sense of Scripture. Now, nothing that could be suggested would more rapidly remove such

prejudice than our general and open support of the Bible Society. I know that in one large town this course has had a remarkable effect. It tells on the large local committee of the Society, which always comprises the ministers and leading Christian men of various denominations. These gentlemen one day sat around the board-room table, and the local agent announced the formation of a new Branch Society, that of the "New Jerusalem Church." "Where is that?" "Who are they?" "I've heard strange things about them," said one to another. But, however ignorant till then of their locality or of their belief, it is quite certain that a general feeling of congratulation was expressed that they were not the Mormon-like or infidel-like people that some had hitherto thought. From the conversation that arose it was quite evident that from that moment the "New Jerusalem Church" stood on a higher basis and a truer one of esteem in all their minds. Another incident will illustrate the value of action such as I now recommend. A leading clergyman of the same town (he is now a colonial bishop), in one of his sermons alluding to the various heresies by which his people were surrounded, mentioned "Unitarians, Swedenborgians, and Mormons." He was immediately taken to task by letter, for what was practically bearing false witness against the neighbour; and was reminded that so far from being fitly placed by Unitarians, the New Church worshipped the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as the only God; and with regard to their relationship to Mormons on the other side, he was informed that the Swedenborgians in his own town, although a small body, subscribed more to the British and Foreign Bible Society, through its branch association, than did his own very large congregation. Upon this he promptly replied, and in the most courteous manner expressed his regret. He will never again so speak of us! Is it not thus our duty to let our "light so shine before men, that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven"?

2. Of all the agencies in the world that under the Divine Providence are preparing the way for the Lord's descent in the doctrines and life of the New Church, not one is laying so wide, so broad, so solid a basis as the Bible Society. It publishes the Bible in two hundred and fifteen languages. It is constantly adding to the number of new translations. It distributes them by every possible agency in every corner of the world. Its outlay annually is over £200,000. Its issues of Bibles, Testaments, and complete portions is nearly three million copies per annum. In its seventy-four years' existence it has printed and distributed over eighty-two million copies. And yet in its list of auxiliaries not more than three or four New Church Societies

(if so many) appear. What are we dreaming of as a body, not to own its God-like work! Surely it will not be long before our Church by name will gladly ally itself with so noble a Society, and very generally support its claims.

3. The Bible Society is the only large religious agency that is perfectly unsectarian in its constitution and operations. Its books

are always "without note or comment." No creed governs its conduct except the Divinity of the Bible. Men of all shades of religious thought are welcomed to aid in its work. I know that New Churchmen would be most welcome on its local platforms as speakers and on its committees as workers. And who of all the world should or could be more appropriately there? I trust the time may not be far distant when Exeter Hall may ring with the eloquent voice of a New Church minister at one of the famous anniversaries of the Bible Society! Full liberty is given to speakers to advocate its claims from their own views; and how delighted would such an audience be to hear the heavenly doctrine of the New Church on the Divinity of the Word popularly advanced as a new argument for the Society! Its printed reports are nearly verbatim and are circulated by the hundred thousand. But we must first show that we believe in its work. It is, in fact, the only grand religious work of Christendom in which we as New Churchmen can heartily and unreservedly unite. Let us at once begin.

4. New Churchmen point to this Society and its magnificent operations as one of the most striking proofs of the commencement of the new age. And justly so. Three-quarters of a century ago it sprang into existence, and see what it has done! Or rather, who can conceive what it has effected? Could Sunday-schools, could universal education, could religious toleration and freedom, could the myriad religious activities of modern times have existed without it? The gigantic machinery of Foreign and Home Missions have been chiefly useful as the means of carrying the Bible and giving the power to read it over the whole earth. Nor could these missions have existed but for its help. Pages might be filled with details of the illustration afforded by the activities of this grand Society, that now is the time of the Lord's second coming, viz. "in the clouds of heaven." And should not we who see the meaning of this expression proudly enrol ourselves as supporters of such a Society? Here are Christians outside the knowledges of the distinctive doctrines of the New Church erecting the most gigantic monument to its descent-the base of which is coextensive with the reading population of the globe; the height equal to the loftiest understanding of the Holy Word; the sides emblazoned with texts of Scripture in all languages; its summit to be crowned with the unquenchable light of the Lord's last revelation of Himself, and yet New Churchmen, who better than all others know its full significance and prophetic glory, stand aloof, silent, and inactive! Not individually, but as a body, this is true.

And lastly, I am convinced that so far from causing any diminution in any one of our distinctive funds, whenever the New Church as a body acknowledges and supports this grandest of all public religious societies, our own resources for all church uses will swell and increase exactly in the ratio of our zeal to promote the ends of the Bible Society. To commence with one penny per month from every member of the New Church sent in as Society contributions from each of our sixty Societies would be a good beginning. Every county association

would then see what we mean, and every minister and leader would soon be entitled to a seat on local Bible Society committees. Every New Church Society should in fact become a Bible Society auxiliary! Great good in many ways could not fail to result from such conduct on the part of our ministers and their Societies.

And is it possible for one moment to suppose that by such an effort of ministers and people throughout the Church, our own noble "Swedenborg Society," "Augmentation Fund," "Building Fund," "Missions," ‚" "Conference," "College," or any local and Society finances could be injured? On the contrary, they would all be blessed and benefited! The Lord's sunshine warms and His showers fertilize every plant in His garden equally.

May it then soon be thus seen that the "New Church" claims its rightful place and takes its proper share in the work side by side with good men in all denominations as allies in this noblest common religious work of the new age-the British and Foreign Bible Society.

J. B.

THE CHRISTIAN WORLD NEWSPAPER AND THE NEW

CHURCH.

(To the Editor of the Intellectual Repository.)

DEAR SIR,-At the request of the Manchester and Salford branch of the Auxiliary Missionary and Tract Society I write to ask you to permit me to call the attention of your readers to a means of serving the Church which has not been used at all by many of our Societies, and which has been fully used by none.

The Christian World is a penny weekly religious newspaper which has an immense circulation amongst English-speaking Protestant Christians in all parts of the world. Very many of its columns are filled week by week with news of the doings of all the denominations. Episcopal, Congregational, Baptist, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist, Methodist Free Church, Methodist New Connection, Bible Christian, and Unitarian movements are all impartially reported under the heading of the "Chronicle of the Churches." The Editor has been asked to open these columns to the New Church. He has, in the handsomest manner, consented to do so. He wants only facts, and facts stated in the fewest and the simplest words, but as many of these as he can obtain. And for such facts about the New Church so stated he is ready to give us as much space as we can use. The Church has been for some time informed of this generous offer, but the response to this offer has been very poor. Perhaps our Societies are uncertain as to how they are to get their news into the hands of the Editor of the Christian World; in that case they should write at once to Mr. T. H. Elliott, jun., 122 Englefield Road, London, N., the kindly, intelligent, and energetic secretary

of the London Society. Perhaps they are uncertain as to the kind of news that will be regarded by the Editor as suitable for his columns. In that case they should look at the next number of the Christian World and see what it is that the Editor accepts from other sections of the Christian Church. Annual meetings, anniversary services, missionary efforts of all kinds, ministerial removals, ministerial exchanges, the establishment of classes; in fact, everything that tends to keep us before the eye of the world, especially everything that tends to show that we believe that God has given us a great and distinctive work to do, and a great and distinctive word to speak, should be promptly and briefly but clearly noticed in the Christian World. Every Society would surely find it easy to appoint some one who would be able and willing to send up every week immediate notice of every movement small or great that is taking place within its borders. Anything that is welcomed by the Editor of Morning Light for insertion under the heading of "News of the New Church" would be as warmly welcomed by the Editor of the Christian World for insertion, of course in a very condensed form, under the heading of the "Chronicle of the Churches."

I cannot believe that any of our Societies can be blind or indifferent to the great importance of keeping open continually so immensely and so deservedly popular a religious paper as the Christian World, as an unrivalled channel for the conveyance of news of that Church which, though small, is the very brain and heart of Christendom.

Thanking you for the space which you have permitted me to occupy, I remain, dear sir, your faithful and obedient servant, CHARLES H. WILKINS.

ALEXANDRA PARK,

MANCHESTER, July 12, 1879.

LINES TO EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

DEAR FRIEND,-I cannot ever hope to pay
The debt of gratitude I owe to thee,

For thou hast given me vast, unbounded wealth,
My dower for time and for eternity.

From the deep mine of God's own precious Word
What stores of wisdom hast thou brought for me,
What golden truths, what fairest gems of thought,
Each in itself a full felicity!

O man of matchless mind and purest heart,
That was indeed a sunny day to me

When thy disciple humbly I became,

And learnt of Christ and Truth and Heaven from thee.

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