an inward peace and joy, which was sufficient testimony for me of their divine origin, without demanding any further proof of the heavenly mission of their excellent author.

"I have translated that little work of Mr. Clowes', entitled 'A Few Plain Answers to the Question, why do you receive the Testimony of Baron Swedenborg? into German; in about a fortnight I shall send it to Dr. Tafel at Tubingen, who intends to publish it. I think it is calculated to awaken the minds of the Germans to a sense of the clearness, simplicity, and scripturality, of the heavenly writings, because it states in a series of contrasts the new doctrines with the old, from which I am inclined to believe, that a great many, who are principled in good, will be convinced of truth when they see it in its obvious light. And, being a pamphlet, a great number may be shortly distributed; but as Dr. Tafel is much straightened in pecuniary circumstances, from the Consistory of Wurtemberg not allowing him to enter into any public employment, I fear he will not be enabled to publish many. Dr. Tafel has already translated and published two volumes with a learned and apologetical preface, viz: the doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord,-concerning the Holy Scripture,-concerning Life,-concerning Faith; and of the Last Judgment and Babylon Destroyed. He has also published one volume of the Apocalypse Revealed, and the other will appear very shortly. He translates with the greatest preciseness, and renders it as literal as possible. His inquisitions and learned annotations respecting the misprints and mis-cited passages in the original, are calculated to put away every means, that the enemy of truth might seize as a weapon to defend himself against its penetrating rays.”

Here follows a notice of the highest importance :

"A passage from the learned remarks of the Consistory at Gottingen concerning the undertaking of Dr. Tafel's, I think will not be uninteresting to you. "We have nothing against it: it is our wish and desire that the writings of Swedenborg may be translated and published collectively; we have endeavoured for a long time to become better acquainted with them, but have not been enabled. They are of very great historical, physiological, and religious importance: there are excellent ideas and rational views of the christian religion to be found in them." This from an Ecclesiastical Consistory! Surely the time to favour Zion, even the set time, must be nearly come. We hope our friend will favour us with information of the date of this notice, and the channel through which it appeared, that advocates of the New Church may be enabled to quote it with all the circumstances necessary to its authentication.

The writer of the letter adds this appropriate expression of his feelings : 'May we suffer ourselves to be led by this affection for the heavenly doctrines to all those sublime heights of heavenly love and life, to which it is willing to conduct us, and that for this purpose, we may pass from the plough to the harrow, from the harrow to the sickle, from the sickle

to the barn, and the threshing instrument therein, from thence to the mill, until our corn is made completely fit for the owner's use; or to speak without a figure, that we may suffer truth to conduct us to its proper good, patiently submitting ourselves to all that trial and suffering, which is necessary for the purification and separation of that good."

The other letter, dated Feb. 3, 1825, contains the following very encouraging statement respecting the improving prospect in regard to the reception of the doctrines of the New Church: "When I first adopted the doctrines of the New Church as the only true and genuine system of religion, which is contained in the divine Word, I thought it would be expedient, as I met with such repugnance concerning the fundamental truths of the Christian faith, to withdraw myself entirely from the connexion in which I had entered: but I perceive that at length an affection is awakening in the hearts of several young ecclesiastics for the new doctrines, which appears to excite them to become acquainted with our author's writings in their fullest extent. I must indeed consider this as a peculiar direction of Divine Providence, that I did not, at the first, leave the connexion entirely; for if this affection should grow and not be suffocated by the swarm of prejudices which every where accompany the name of Swedenborg, great may be the consequences. This is an institution where between 30 and 40 young men are educated in the ministry of the gospel for the heathen world, and particularly for the German colonies in Russia and on the confines of Persia. If this should be the case, I shall indeed consider myself truly indemnified for those severe controversies and sharp collisions, which I have very often been obliged to experience."

We will not suppress the following remarks on our Inquiry respecting the mode in which the Word has been preserved in its integrity, though the writer seems to have understood Swedenborg's observation upon it in the manner which we consider inaccurate, and not to have seen the view we have given of the labours of the Masorites; but his concluding sentiments are most excellent and just.

“I think it laudable that the editors of the Intellectual Repository undertake to scrutinize a subject so important: however, if we consider the statement of Swedenborg, we shall find that the members of the New Church have not the least cause to oppose each other in their views respecting the genuineness of the different MS. copies, and still less to suffer themselves to be led into any controversial discussions; for Swedenborg says that it has been a peculiar providence of the Lord, that His Divine Word should be kept, amidst all those dreadful disturbances and wars in the Christian Church, pure and uncontaminated, so much so, that not a single word is changed or mutilated. The Jews have highly distinguished themselves above the Christians for the preservance of their Divine oracles in their pristine purity and genuineness. We see them, in the third and fourth centuries of the Christian Era, form an academy for the

sole purpose of transcribing the Old Testament from the original MS. [was the original manuscript then in existence?] with the most scrupulous exactitude; and who, at the same time, made a collection of critical, grammatical, and exegetical observations, which they called Masora (tradition). They carried their observations so far that they counted the verses, words, and even the single consonants in each book. They marked also the verses in which all the consonants of the Hebrew alphabet are to be met with I myself have a Masoretical Bible. The Christians of the present day censure the Jews for their child-like play and useless scrupulosity, as they call it, with the Divine Word: but who does not see in all this the all-protecting hand of a Divine Providence? The Jews will now resign their tedious business into the hands of a new people, who will not be less scrupulous in preserving the divine oracles in their pristine genuineness, and this not from a blindfold cause, but from a just perception of their divine contents, and from an inward affection of their inestimable value." The following information is truly interesting: "With respect to the valuable little book you mentioned, the Summary Exposition of the Prophets and Psalms, Dr. Tafel was so good as to lend it me for a few weeks. As I thought I should never be enabled to procure it in the original, I purchased a copy of the Prophets and Psalms in Hebrew, and in binding had it interspersed with paper, upon which I transcribed the Exposition by the side of each chapter. This affords me infinite pleasure, because I am certain, with you, that the prophets can in no wise be understood without it, and this from a twofold reason: 1st. from an interior perception: and 2dly. from a practical experience in the different colleges, where I have heard the exegetical explications from several of the most celebrated doctors of the day. Some treat upon them in an historical manner, applying all the rules of rhetoric and grammar, giving a circumstantial account of the political state of Egypt, Assyria, &c. and the different relations in which they stood with the Jews; in short politizing and sensualizing the Divine Word, so that at length it is entirely subordinated to the writings of a Cicero or a Plato. Others again put them entirely aside, saying they cannot understand them in any connexion; and some passages they reject as senseless. The Old Testament is therefore prohibited by the Consistory of Wurtemburg to the clergy, so that they dare not choose their texts from it, only from the New! I communicate this in order that you may have a greater insight into the present deplorable state of the Christian church, and of its intelligence with regard to the things which concern the Lord and his kingdom, and that at the same time you may more clearly see the great necessity of a new dispensation."

This does indeed proclaim, with a voice of thunder, the necessity that exists for a new dispensation, and is calculated to make us value the opening of the Word now made known as we ought. Contrary to the Lord's own declarations, his Word assuredly would, ere long, pass away,

being rejected, in part or in whole, by all who profess Christianity, and by none regarded as what THE WORD truly is, were not the Lord to fulfil his promise by making his Second Advent, in the clouds of the letter, with power and great glory.

THE TWENTY-THIRD REPORT OF THE MANCHESTER SOCIETY FOR PRINTING THE WRITINGS OF THE HON. EMAN. SWEDENBORG, &c., has recently come to our hands; and it fully evinces that that excellent Institution is going on in its usual steady and efficient inanner in promoting the great objects for which it was established. As its members seem to be encouraged in their exertions by beholding the efforts making in other quarters for the furtherance of the same glorious and heavenly cause, as by the London Printing Society, the General Conference, and the Missionary and Tract Society,-of the labours of all which this Report speaks in the most handsome and gratifying manner; so is it indeed a source of encouragement to all, who, in any way, have the same objects in view, to know that they have at their back a body of such tried and steady friends as constitute the truly respectable Printing Society of Manchester;-& Society by whose early efforts, almost entirely, it was, that the Writings of our heaven-taught Scribe were first made easily accessible to the British public; and who have by degrees raised so considerable a capital, which is constantly employed, under the direction of the utmost zeal and prudence in conjunction, in diffusing, far and wide, the fertilizing streams of pure Divine Truth through this favoured land,-yea, through all lands, where the now almost universally cultivated language of Britain is spoken or understood. Long may all its members enjoy the reward of beholding a divine blessing crown their labours while they remain below! when they remove hence, may they all receive the crown of glory above! and may their names be held in honour, by multitudes who continue to derive the highest benefits from the Institution they have founded, to the remotest generations!

The present Report has appended to it a Catalogue, occupying seven pages, of books, the greater part of which have been published, and are still kept on sale, by this Society. "The Society, since the publication of their last Report, have been enabled to print the following works :"From the Society's Private Fund.

"A few Plain Answers," on fine paper, 3rd edition
'Sermons on the "Beatitudes," and on several other important
Subjects of Christian Life and Doctrine, by the Rev. J. Clowes,
M. A. price 8s. 6d.

"Letters to a Friend on the Human Soul; its Immateriality and
Immortality; and more especially on its peculiar Characteristic,
as being a Form and Substance deriving its Life continually
from God. By the Rev. J. Clowes, M. A. price 3s.
4 K

No. VII.-VOL. I.

COPIES.

"From the Annual Subscription Fund. "A few Plain Answers," 3rd edition, on common paper

500 In regard to "Foreign Intelligence," the Report complains of that dearth of communications which we have noticed at the commencement of the preceding article: it nevertheless contains extracts of two pleasing letters from America, one dated Bath, State of Maine, Jan. 3, 1824, and the other dated Philadelphia, July 26, 1824. Most of the information contained in these letters has before been anticipated in our work: the following paragraphs from the first, have not however become obsolete: "We have now, in the United States, 43 religious periodical works, 23 of which are in Newspaper form, and published weekly, the oldest commencing only so far back as the year 1816. These afford great facilities for the circulation of religious intelligence, and the peculiarities of the New Dispensation are frequently noticed in them, though seldom with candour. Nevertheless, the notice has the effect of bringing the subject under public inspection, and the observations of the editors are generally so intemperate, or untrue, as to produce, in many instances, results in direct opposition to their design.” "The Baptist minister at Trenton has been dismissed by the Baptist Society, but has established an Independent Society, professing the leading doctrines of the New Jerusalem, and has a larger congregation than before his dismissal. Mr. Roche continues to attract great attention. His congregation is increasing, and is industrious in circulating the Writings. He visited Lancaster, Harrisbury, and Bedford, very considerable towns in Pennsylvania, during the last summer, and there is reason to believe that his preaching has not only excited attention to our doctrines, but has been productive of good. He still continues to preach four times a week. Our able and excellent brother Weeks continues zealously and successfully employed in the interior of the state of New York."

The following paragraph, of the second letter, relating to our much respected friend Mr. Carll, and his reception in England, is very pleasing: "We have great cause to be thankful to the LORD, for restoring our worthy brother Carll to his family and friends in good health, and also to our friends in England for their very hospitable reception of that gentleman, which will never be forgotten; and we hope we may some day have the pleasure of making a return to a minister of the New Church from England." And the remark in the following extract, is consoling and judicious: "Our annual convention was held in June last, but the report has not yet been published. When it comes out I will send you a copy. "I have nothing very interesting to communicate at this time on Church affairs. We are progressing a little, but there has not been so great an increase during the last twelve months, as during the two years preceding. This was to be expected, and ought not to discourage us, since there must be time for the children to grow."

THE FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE LONDON MISSIONARY