within itself, and by such concentration, bounding all its activities in such a manner, that itself, and not its original, is regarded as their common centre, controller, beginning, end, and all. Such is the nature and origin of that most defiled of all human evils, marked by the name of self-love. "Hence then it may be manifest to a discerning eye, that though the life of man, in its essence, be LOVE, yet this love may be of two distinct kinds or qualities; viz. orderly love, consisting in the submission of itself to the order of its parent, the DIVINE LOVE; or disorderly love, consisting in the exaltation of itself to a lawless and criminal pre-eminence above its parent. Hence too may be discovered, by the same eye, the true ground and origin of all human delights, or of those several gratifications which are in the order of God; and at the same time, the true ground and origin of all inhuman pleasures, or of those gratifications which are opposed to such order. For every gratification, whether of mind or of body, of which man has the slightest sensation, is in evident connection and agreement with his love; since from such connexion and agreement it derives solely its characteristic quality as a gratification; it being an universally acknowledged fact, that what is opposed to a man's love, or even in any degree of disagreement with it, cannot possibly be a gratification. But the love-principle of man, we know by experience, whether it be orderly or disorderly, branches out, like the trunk of a tree, in a thousand directions, which varied directions may not improperly be denominated the love-affections; each distinguished from the other according to the indefinitely varied objects towards which it bends, and to which it attaches itself. "Let us here stand still a moment, to contemplate the interesting prospect presented to our view from the high ground on which we are elevated. "The ALMIGHTY AND MERCIFUL CREATOR, in gifting his creature man with love, has endowed him at the same time with a capacity of tasting and enjoying myriads of distinct gratifications, in agreement with the distinct and ever-varying ramifications of that love, as diverging from its first DIVINE FOUNTAIN, and extending to the multiplied and countless objects of creation. Yet the principle of love alone, could not possibly be a source of gratification, even in its extent to the most multiplied objects, unless some previous harmony had been established by the GREAT CREATOR between the love and those objects; the law and condition of which harmony should be, that when the love and the objects came into contact together, the result would be the birth of an agreeable sensation, and not a painful one. To this wonderfully constituted harmony, then, we are to refer the source of those innumerable gratifications, which we daily and hourly derive from our connection with the world of matter in which we are placed here below, the component parts of which world, in agreement with the appointed order of GOD, harmonize with our love-affections; and this in such a sort, that in whatso ever direction we turn ourselves, amidst the enchanting scenery with which we are encompassed, some new sensation of delight is excited; some new satisfaction is added to the materials necessary to constitute our happiness. The bodily senses, it is evident, are the five open doors through which these satisfactions gain admission; each sense adininistering to the introduction of guests, not only perfectly distinct from those which enter at the other door, but also perfectly distinct from each other. For such, in many cases, is the variety of those guests, and the rapidity of their succession, that it is absolutely out of the power of man either to compute their number, or to arrest their progress. What arithmetic, for instance, can reckon up all the delights, which, in the course only of a single day, enter through the single door of the eye alone? What attention too can note their vicissitudes, whilst one suddenly supplants another, and this other is again compelled as suddenly to give place to a successor? But if to this account we add the ingress of agreeable sensations admitted through the four other senses of hearing, of tasting, of smelling, and of touching, and flowing perpetually from the endless variety of objects which compose the three kingdoms of outward nature, we are lost in the contemplation of a wonder, which defies all our powers of adequate apprehension, and thus at once humbles and exalts us, by inculcating a double lesson of self-abasement, and of gratitude; of the finiteness of our own understandings, and of the infinite provisions made for our happiness by AN ALMIGHTY and MERCIFUL CREATOR." We might, almost without selection, continue to delight our readers with extracts from this interesting work: but this can scarcely be expedient: for, after the specimens already given, we think every lover of true wisdom must be desirous of possessing the Treatise itself. It is, however, lamentable to observe how the land of Natural Delights is in possession of the great enemy of our salvation, and that before we can enter upon the enjoyment of it, we must remove those obstructions which he has interposed, and which prevent the influx of the healing waters issuing from under the threshold of the sanctuary eastward, by which the mul titude of the fish of the sea, shall be healed. Hymns for the use of the New Church signified by the New Jerusalem in the Revelation. Compiled by Order of the General Conference. 18mo. pp. 432, price, Large Paper, 5s. in boards, Small Paper, 3s. bound. The Praises of the Lord. A Sermon delivered at Hanover Street Chapel, London, Sept. 12, 1824, on occasion of the Introduction of the Hymn-Book compiled by Order of the General Conference, By S. Noble. price 6d. Small 8vo. pp. 32, Price 1s. 12mo. pp. 24, It is with the greatest satisfaction that we are now able to congratulate the Church on the appearance of the Hymn-Book which had long been preparing under the auspices of the General Conference, and which we have no doubt, from our knowledge of its merits, must, under their sanction, be speedily introduced into every Society of the New Church in the kingdom; at the same time that it will form a favourite companion of most of its individual members. We should enter rather largely into the subject: but we find this ready done to our hands in the second article announced above: wherefore, after first stating the general nature of that Discourse, we will make an extract from it, which will at once serve as a sample of the Sermon, and as a Review of the Hymn-Book. Mr. Noble has taken as an appropriate text the hundred and fiftieth Psalm, which consists of an earnest exhortation to praise the Lord, and to employ the sound of all kinds of musical instruments in that duty. After a view of the wonderful faculty which man possesses of modulating his voice either in the tones of singing or in those of speaking, tracing these to their origin in the divine love and wisdom of the Lord, and deducing from them a striking practical lesson; the Discourse proceeds to unfold and to apply the spiritual import of the text, as describing a state in which all the affections of the heart and mind spontaneously join in the worship of the Lord. The use of singing in worship, at the present day, is then considered: when the writer proceeds to the subject of the new Hymn-Book, and concludes the Sermou in the following manner: and we make the extract as fully expressing our own sentiments, and as calculated, we hope, to recommend the Hymn-Book, and the Sermon too, to the favourable attention of all who may peruse it. 66 Singing, then, in worship, may, we see, be productive of highly beneficial results, since it tends to inseminate and confirm heavenly affections in the minds of those who assist. But to do this in the fullest manner, it is highly important that the compositions which are sung, be of themselves expressive of such affections, in union with their proper corresponding perceptions of truth: for it is an eternal law of divine order, that all affection derives a quality from the nature of the sentiments of truth with which it is united. Certainly, then, the church is furnished with better means of advancing towards her high character as the bride and wife of the Lamb, as she has compositions for the expression and. elevation of her affections in worship: and the use of such compositions in private, either in singing or reading, (for we have seen that poetical compositions, even when merely read, are closely allied to the affections,): is certainly a powerful means of building up the true principles of the church in its individual members. It undoubtedly then was of Divine Providence that the New Church has not been left unprovided in this respect; but that, almost as soon as she began to shew herself in an external form, the Rev. Mr. Proud was led to prepare a set of Hymns for her use. I consider Mr. Proud's Hymn-Book, viewed as the work of one individual, and composed, as it was, in a very short time, as a very extraordinary performance, and am fully satisfied that he must have had assistance from above for its production. While, however, it contains a considerable store of valuable Hymns upon the distinguishing doctrines of the New Church, such as the Sole Divinity of the Lord, the Second Advent, the Spiritual Sense of the Word, and the true nature of the Life after Death; and also includes many excellent compositions on the true nature of the Regenerate Life; yet on the latter subject, particularly, there is not a sufficient variety to suit every state of persons in their spiritual progress. Several subjects, also, which are capable of being impressed upon the feelings and recommended to the affections by being embodied in hymns, are altogether omitted. In short, valuable as this work truly is, the general opinion has long been, that it would admit of improvement, Its use, also, has never been universal in the church, but several of the principal societies have had Collections of their own. A suggestion therefore having been made to the General Conference the year before last, on the utility which would arise to the Church from its having a more complete Collection of Hymns which should be universally adopted, measures were taken to effect that object: the work thus originated is completed, and is recommended by the last Conference to be used in all the Societies in the kingdom. From all that I have been able to learn, its excellence is generally acknowledged. It contains the best hymns in Mr. Proud's and all the other New-Church Collections; beside many original ones, and a number from other sources; and as I, though one of the Committee for preparing it, had not any considerable share in its production, I may perhaps be allowed to repeat what I have heard affirmed by others who have examined it; that it is, beyond comparison, the very best Collection ever brought before the public. This certainly ought to be its character; for it contains the most excellent parts of nearly every other Collection, frequently much exalted and improved. The poetry which it contains is not that of words, but of sentiment. It embraces every important subject of doctrine and practice. It breathes the highest sentiments of genuine divine truth, and the sweetest strains of pure heavenly affection. No one No. IV.-VOL. I. TT it appears to me, can read much of it seriously in his closet, without feeling impressions of pure devotion and celestial charity springing up in his breast. No one, I should think, can read the ascriptions of praise to, and the descriptions of the nature, character, and perfections of, the Lord God our Saviour, without experiencing an elevation of his heart towards him, in feelings of pious awe and exulting gratitude. No one, surely, can read the descriptions of the various stages of the regenerate progress, without seeing his own state, past and present, depicted, his wants pointed out, and the source for supplying them indicated; and being animated to walk in the heavenly road to the end. And no one can read the views that are given of the glories of the life hereafter, and of the value of this life, as a period of probation, in which the state of mind suited to the enjoyment of those glories is to be acquired, without being stimulated to make the proper use of the one that he may secure an inheritance in the other. In fine, hymns might be pointed out which breathe all the affections referred to in our text. In those which exalt the Lord and breathe love to his name, we hear the sound of the trumpet:' and the numerous sublime compositions which describe his nature, character, and works,— which deliver, combined with their proper affection, the truths belonging to the doctrine of his sole divinity, and to the duty of exalting him to the supreme seat in our hearts;-these 'praise him with the psaltery and harp.' So those which breathe the affections of spiritual love,-of love to our neighbour in its various forms, which include the love of all things good and heavenly, always acknowledging the Lord as their source;-these 'praise him with the timbrel and the pipe:' and in the great variety which assume as their subjects distinct spiritual truths,—which treat of the means by which spiritual love is acquired,-of the nature of the Church, of the Word, and of man,-of worship, the regenerate life, its virtues and graces, eternity and heaven,-may be heard the distinct and discriminatory sounds of stringed instruments and organs.' And surely in some of those which treat of the mighty acts' of the Lord in his works of redemption,-of those which illustrate the necessity of bringing down charity and faith into obedience and use,-and of those which urge the importance of preparing for eternity, we may praise the Lord upon the loud cymbals, and upon the high sounding cymbals.' "Do we desire then to glory in the Lord's divine love,-to 'praise him with the sound of the trumpet!' Let us appropriate as our own such sentiments as the following, uniting them (for that is every thing) with their proper affection; Love divine for ever flows, |