would bring its due reactions. Their anticipations have not been disappointed. Personally, Mr. Ballou is held in the highest honor as the patriarch of the church, and his theory as to punishment still has its believers; but for the last thirty years the movement of opinion has been very decidedly away from it, and a considerable majority, both of ministers and people, now hold to the continuity of character, insisting that those who die in sin must take their character and its consequences with them, and that they are to be saved only because they will at some time comply with the conditions of salvation.

So early as May 25, 1790, "the representatives of sundry societies believing in the salvation of all men," convened in Philadelphia, bore testimony against offensive war and against slavery, recommending "a total refraining from the African trade, and the adoption of prudent measures for the gradual abolition of the slavery of the negroes in our country, and for the education of their children"; and ever since, while it has not been without the usual differences of opinion among its individual members, the Universalist Church, as a church, has been with those most advanced and emphatic in its utterances and labor against slavery, intemperance, and capital punishment, and in favor of peace, prison reform, Christian legislation against the liquor-traffic, and all efforts looking to the relief of the poor, the rescue of the perishing, and the triumph of justice and purity in the world.

THE CONDITION OF THE CHURCH.

The "Register" for 1886 recapitulates the statistics of the church as follows: General Convention, 1; State Conventions, 34; parishes, 933; families, 38,675; churches, 633; members, 34,261; Sunday-schools, 577; members, 55,857; church edifices, 741; value of church property, $7,118,205; number of ministers in fellowship, 680.

There were twelve schools and colleges connected with the denomination, having an estimated property valuation of $2,467,000. They were:

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Tufts College, The Divinity School of Tufts College, St. Lawrence University, St. Lawrence Theological School, Lombard University, Lombard Theological Department, Buchtel College, Clinton Liberal Institute, Westbrook Seminary, Dean Academy, Goddard Seminary, and Green Mt. Perkins Academy.

The Universalist General Convention appropriates each year a certain amount to assist worthy young men who may desire to enter the ministry of the Universalist Church, after a course of study in one of its theological schools. This aid is given, when needed, through the Trustees of the General Convention, and on the terms and conditions herewith indicated: He must well sustain an examination in the following branches of learning: Rhetoric, mental and moral science, and English prose composition. It is desirable, also, that he be acquainted with the Greek of the New Testament and with logic. He shall make declaration of his desire and purpose to devote his life to the ministry of the Universalist Church, and affirm his acceptance of the Winchester Profession of Faith. It is only in view of such a desire and purpose that he is aided.

The following days of special observance are recommended by the Universalist General Convention: 1. Christmas Sunday. 2. Easter Sunday, a service of Recognition. 3. The third Sunday in May, as Educational Sunday. 4. The second Sunday in June, as Children's Sunday. 5. The first Sunday in October, as Memorial Sunday. 6. The first Sunday in November, as All-Souls Sunday.

These several Sundays are to be observed each year by pastors and churches for the purposes designated by the topics suggested.

CHAPTER XLV.

THE NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.

Emanuel Swedenborg-Swedenborg's Doctrines-The Atonement-The Sacred Scriptures-The Resurrection-The Church in the United States.

T

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

HOSE who compose this body of Christians are popularly called Swedenborgians, from Emanuel Swedenborg. They hold to the doctrines of the supreme divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the full inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures, and the necessity of a good life.

To understand their system of religious belief, something must be said concerning their founder.

This remarkable man, the son of Jesper Swedberg, Bishop of Skara, in Sweden, was born in Stockholm, January 29, 1688. His father was highly esteemed as a man of piety and learning, and held important positions in the church. His son, early received a good education, and careful religious training, and exhibited, at a very early age, a strong inclination towards pious and holy meditations, which seemed to foreshadow his subsequent remarkable spiritual experiences. He was not, however, educated for the ministry, but graduated in his twenty-second year, as Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Upsala. He early manifested a strong taste for mathematics, and soon began to publish works on scientific subjects, after spending four years in travel in Europe, and becoming distinguished as a man of science. Charles XII. appointed him Assessor of the Board of Mines, of Swe

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den, an office which was regarded as one of great import ance, requiring an extensive knowledge of metallurgy and mechanics.

From this time Swedenborg devoted himself to science, pursuing various studies and publishing valuable treatises on different subjects, which embraced algebra, mechanics, metallurgy, mining, chemistry, anatomy, and physiology. His largest work, entitled "Opera Mineralia et Philosophica," was published at Leipsic and Dresden, 1733, in three volumes, folio. Two other works which have attracted the attention of the learned are "The Animal Kingdom," and "The Economy of the Animal Kingdom." These works were written in Latin. The last two have been translated into English, and one volume of the first named. After receiving various marks of public favor, having with his family been ennobled by Queen Ulrica-the name being changed from Swedberg to Swedenborg-he resigned his office of Assessor in the year 1747. As a further mark of esteem, the queen continued his salary during life. His retiring from public office was in order that he might devote himself to the study of spiritual and divine subjects. He declared that the Lord called him to a higher office, and that in the year 1745 his spiritual senses were opened so that he could see and hear things in the spiritual world and converse with angels. In justice to Swedenborg, it may here be stated, that it does not appear that he sought intercourse with the world of spirits, and he solemnly affirmed that the privilege was granted to him that he might communicate to the world a knowledge of the spiritual sense of the Divine Word, and of the philosophy of the future state, in order that ignorance might be removed and infidelity overcome.

Swedenborg never attempted to establish a church or found a sect, and never preached. He printed his works at his own expense, without profit, and seemed to entertain no doubt of the ultimate reception of his doctrines by large numbers; although, he said, their reception would be very slow. He died in London, March 29, 1772. He was never married. Before his decease, a few distinguished scholars and divines

of Sweden, Denmark, and England received his doctrines, but it was not until some years afterwards that any considerable number of persons openly espoused them, or made efforts to propagate them.

SWEDENBORG'S DOCTRINES.

These doctrines may be summed up as follows: He maintains the absolute unity of God and the identity of Jehovah with Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh, having a human nature like other men, but a Divine nature within, as the soul in the body. The human nature was assumed that the work of redemption might be accomplished, which was done through temptations admitted into the human nature, and combats and victories over the powers of darkness, collectively called in the Scriptures "Satan" and the "Devil." He arose from the dead a glorious Divine Man, "God over all, blessed forever." Swedenborg does not deny the trinity in a proper sense, but says there are not three persons, but three essential principles in one Divine Being, all centered in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. These three he distinguishes as the Divine Love, or essential Divinity, called the Father; the Divine Wisdom, or Word, or the Humanity, called the Son; and the Divine proceeding life or influence, called the Holy Ghost or Spirit. As to the atonement, he teaches that it was not the sacrifice of one being to satisfy the wrath of another; but the reconciliation of man to God, through the power of the truth by which evil was overcome and a way opened for man to approach God, the humanity of Jesus being the medium or mediator through which the reconciliation was effected, according to the saying of the apostle, "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself" (2 Cor. v. 19). As to the Sacred Scriptures, he teaches that such books of the Bible as contain a spiritual sense are the very Word of God, and, consequently, Divinely inspired and holy. These are the five books of Moses, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, the Psalms and the Prophets in the Old Testament, and the four Gospels and the Book of