croaching upon the usefulness of our co-workers in the Lord's vineyard. Truly the harvest is great, but the labourers are few. As Englishmen we sometimes boast of the progress which this country has made in civilization and education, and yet we are confronted with the fact that there are multitudes, even at our very doors, perishing for lack of knowledge. Ignorance and its companion, vice, are rampant in our midst, and are more than a match for the gospel machinery at present in motion. And why? Because the doctrine of faith alone as the cure for all spiritual diseases has obtained such a firm hold upon the minds of the people. Let us, as members of the New Church, guard against this error, and seek to unite Will with Understanding, Love with Intelligence, and Charity with Faith. Let us seek to be of that number of whom it is written-"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." SPIRITED PROCEEDINGS AT SWANTON ABBOT, NORFOLK.-In this parish, about twelve miles from Norwich, the New Church doctrines were warmly received about four years ago. Mr. Richardson, postmaster and grocer, a zealous friend of all that is good, and a Methodist local preacher, met with Mr. Giles' Nature of Spirit," and then the "Brighton Lectures." These opened to him a new world of thought, and what seemed to him so glorious he determined, as far as possible, his neighbours should share. He got dozen after dozen of the 'Brighton Lectures," and found they were acceptable to others as well as to him. After some time he determined to build an addition to his house, and use it for a preaching room. Into this often more than one hundred people crowd, and he has the best congregation in the parish. 66 At the annual tea-party, held at the Methodist Chapel, one of the ministers of the circuit resolved to deliver a lecture on what he called the "Errors and Delusions of Count Swedenborg." The parish and neighbourhood were placarded about, and great excitement caused. It was strange taste to serve up such a course at a tea-party, and wonderful that the Wesleyans should suffer such unprofitable proceedings; but so it was. Mr. Richardson wrote to Dr. Bayley asking him very earnestly to come down and reply to the minister. Dr. Bayley at some inconvenience, arranged to comply, and was present at the meeting after tea. The lecture was three hours long. Either the minister thought it well to prepare the people before the meeting, or he thought the whole composition too long for one dose, which indeed it was, or for three even. Which of these it was we know not, but he gave the first part, against the doctrines, chiefly the week before, and interlarded it with hard names and heavy condemnation. Swedenborg was a horrid old heretic, and other harsh names, which great prejudice and little knowledge have in such cases made and provided. The lecture Dr. Bayley heard consisted chiefly of portions of Swedenborg's experience and information concerning the other life. It was continued so long that half the congregation, which at first was crowded, went wearied away. As discussion had been refused, Dr. Bayley rose at the close and invited the people to attend the two following evenings to here the reply. He invited the minister also, and stated he would have full liberty to propose either questions or arguments at the close of each lecture. He added, for the comfort of the people, that the reply would not take half the time that the attack had taken, simply because the minister had not understood the subjects upon which he had spoken, and had gone round and round about them, and did not know what he was about. Mr. Richardson had put up a booth in front of his house, which would hold about three hundred people, and it was crowed two nights to hear the replies. As many were said to be outside as there were inside. The minister was there, and the second evening several brother ministers came to keep him in countenance. Dr. Bayley lectured about an hour and a half each evening. He showed that the doctrines of the New Church were the very truths of Scripture, rescued from the rubbish of the dark ages. They were exactly as Scripture stated them. The doctrines of the Old Church-three Divine Persons, one God pacifiying another, Scripture to be understood natur ally with no spiritual sense, the resur- were the means by which birds soar. rection of flesh and blood, and nobody True thoughts were the means by which having yet entered heaven or hell, or minds soar, and angels have true being able to enter until some unknown thoughts, and so have men. Men are period called the last judgment-were said in Scripture to mount up with extravagances not in Scripture at all. wings like eagles, to run and not be The people evidently saw the force of weary, to walk and not faint. truth, and passed very warmly a vote of thanks. The minister was invited to get up, but he declined. The meetings closed most unthusiastically, and Mr. Richardson believes he will have to keep his tent up all the summer. Births. On September 2nd, at 9 Whalley Range, Accrington, the wife of the Rev. Isaiah Tansley, of a son. On September 1st, at 72 Farringdon Street, London, Mrs. Henry Higham, of a daughter. The second night Dr. Bayley took the subject of the "Future Life." He began by stating that as a church declined from God it became Sadducean. It lost all knowledge of the spiritual world. The minister had often stated in his lecture that he could not understand the spiritual world being about man, or people being men and women in the human form in the other life, or correspondences, or heaven being in the human form, or horses and other objects being seen in the other life. Of course, Dr. Bayley said he did not understand them any more than Nicodemus under stood what the Lord said about being born again. But he ought to understand them. Swedenborg would teach ing ceremony. him to understand them if he would only learn. Marriages. On the 23rd August, at the New Jerusalem School, Kearsley, by the Rev. P. Ramage, Mr. Arthur C. Gee, to Evelina, eldest daughter of Robert Briercliffe, Esq. The parties being well known and highly esteemed in the neighbourhood, the large building was crowded to excess to witness the interest Obituary. It was to restore knowledge Jerusalem Church, Accrington, by the On September 13th, at the New to such as our friend that Swedenborg's Rev. R. Storry, Mr. Robert Angus spiritual sight was opened. Dr. Bayley Jackson, to Miss Martha Palmer. then dwelt upon each, and showed how the science of correspondence explained them, and evidently the people caught the ideas, for they exclaimed sometimes, "It's plain enough, only he did not know how to put it." The minister rose on the invitation at the end, and excused and softened some portions of what he had said, and added he did not go so far as some orthodox writers about bones coming flying through the air, and the ministers sometimes speak loosely about people going to heaven, when they have not been judged, but he said he would not dwell further, as he was going to publish his lecture. There was one thing he should like to know Dr. Bayley's explanation of, and that was how angels could be of the same race as men, when angels had wings and men had not. Dr. Bayley complimented him on having made some advance on old ideas, and exhorted him to go on and cultivate his knowledge of correspondences. He did not understand the question about angels' wings, because he did not understand correspondences. Wings Departed this life, at Thorner, near Leeds, on the 22nd of August, Mr. William Mawson, aged 73 years. Mr. Mawson had been through life an intelligent receiver of the doctrines of the New Church, and an affectionate and exemplary member of the Society at Leeds. In this town he resided until the infirmities of age led him to seek the retirement of the village in which he has spent the last few years of his life, and whence he has taken his peaceful departure for his final home. Mr. Mawson was a man of quiet demeanour, affectionate disposition, and exemplary Christian character. The general esteem in which he was held led to his appointment as Leader of the Society when without minister. This office he filled for many years. His piety and evident sincerity made his services acceptable and useful. In his family he was uniformly kind and self-forgetful. He has borne with patience a painful illness, and finished a useful life on earth by a peaceful departure to a better home. We have seen that there is a real connection between the New Church and the Old, that this connection is founded upon the principle of REMAINS, and that to cut off the connection between the two, is to deny the existence of REMAINS. In this case, there can be no relation between the New Church and the Old, simply because the Old Church has ceased to exist, and left not even a wreck behind. It is upon this principle that some appear to maintain, that the New Church is so entirely independent of the Old, that there is nothing in common between them; and that the New Church must regard the Old as having no existence thus ignoring a fundamental principle of the New Church itself. Notwithstanding this inconsistency, we have seen that in matters of religion every man must be left to the convictions of his own Conscience. But we are told in the Arcana, that inasmuch as the Conscience is formed by the truths of faith, so likewise those truths are not truths except in proportion as they have in them the good of charity which makes them truths; that they have Conscience who have received a new will from the Lord; and that as the good of charity makes the new will, so also it is the good of charity which makes Conscience. In this case, to leave a man to act in matters of religion according to his own Conscience, is to leave him to act according to the good of charity; and this he will do according to that degree of genuine charity of which he is possessed; in which case we must especially bear in mind the rule-"Judge not, that ye be not judged; for with whatsoever measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." It has indeed been affirmed in the Apocalypse Revealed,1 by certain spirits distinguished for their wisdom-"Some of us have lately been favoured with enlightenment from heaven; in which state we had a perception, that at this day there is no longer any Church throughout the Christian world, because there is no religion." Undoubtedly, in a general sense, we admit this to be true: there may be no Christian Church as such, but yet there may be Remains; for if there were not, there would be no materials out of which a New Church could be formed; nor could it be true, that the Lord has always a Church upon earth somewhere or other, for that otherwise the human race must perish. Now, if we admit that in a mind in which there is an absence of the good of charity, externally true doctrine becomes internally false; and that where the good of charity predominates, externally false doctrine is accepted as internally true, it is evident in this case, that there may be instances in the Old Church in which a higher type of character may be presented than is to be found in particular cases in the New; as is known to those who are well acquainted with the state of Remains in the Old Church. The same rule is applicable not only in cases where there is an absence of the good of charity, but also in proportion to the degree of its presence. In the individual mind, true doctrine is true only in proportion to the presence of that good, whatever may be the external profession. We are told, indeed, that provided a man be in the good of charity, he may be regenerated by any doctrine whatever. We must, however, bear in mind, that it is the good of charity which makes the Conscience; and that all doctrines which are opposed to the good of charity, and as such tend to destroy it, tend also equally to destroy the Conscience. This is the case with those who hold the extreme doctrine of Justification by Faith alone.--" Why should I know anything about evil?" says one; "for if I have faith evil does not condemn and why should I know anything about good, for good cannot save me? Salvation is of Faith alone in Christ; and that faith by which I secure my salvation has nothing to do with personal holiness. 1 Art. 675. me; Christ has done all for me, so that not only I need not do anything, but if I would be saved, I must not attempt it." "Weary, working, burdened one, Cease your doing all was done "Till to Jesus' work you cling By a simple faith; "Cast your deadly doing down— Stand in Him, in Him alone, It is in this way that, without any repentance, by a momentaneous act of faith, the believer all at once stands complete in Jesus: a sudden faith ensures a sudden imputation of the righteousness of Christ, without repentance or anything having anything to do with a man's life and conduct. Doctrine of this kind is even now rife in some parts of England; and as it tends to destroy Conscience, so also it tends to destroy every vestige of Remains. Notwithstanding, however, the deadly nature of this doctrine, there are often Remains in those who teach it; and it is in virtue of these Remains that their teaching is made to be inconsistent, without their being aware of it. The following incident, for instance, is recorded as having taken place in Moody's Enquiry-Room :-"Do you mean to tell me," said the young lady, looking up in my face, "that I cannot be saved until I forgive her."—" No, you can't; and if there be any others whom you hate, you must forgive them also."-She paused for a moment, and then she said "I will go."-Deadly, therefore, as the doctrine is to which we have referred, it is often neutralized by Remains; and serves to illustrate the true meaning of our Lord's statement, "If they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them." We now proceed to show the relation of Remains, in their various degrees, to the Athanasian Creed. This Creed was originally intended to be opposed to Arianism and Sabellianism. It is also appealed to in the present day, as a bulwark against the doctrines of Socinus. In all these respects its object we regard as good. "The Athanasian Creed," says Swedenborg, "was per'Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord. art. 57, etc. 1 |