number disposed to listen to him. Still it is a ground for benevolent rejoicing, that receptive minds are now supplied with an additional and most effective medium, by which the sublime doctrines of heaven, skilfully accommodated to their perception, are "made easy" of attainment. To say that this work must be a universal and permanent favourite, is scarcely to say enough. The church has cause to rejoice, and greatly to rejoice in its acquisition, both for the sake of the public, and of her own members. And here we cannot but perform an act of justice to the various writers who, at great labour and frequent loss, have advocated the cause of the New Church. We venture to affirm, that greater and more disinterested devotedness to a cause has never been exhibited than by these deserving, but not always duly appreciated individuals, even within the New Church. With an almost certainty of loss, they undauntedly set to work, and in order to benefit others, they rendered their publications most costly to themselves, while they were least so to their purchasers. They have been accustomed to compress, generally, the largest compass of readable type, into the smallest quantity of paper. They knew before hand, that New Church people are so satisfied with possessing a “Swe denborg Library," that they are by no means liberal book buyers, beyond the Writings themselves; and especially, perhaps, the remark applies to the always employed and successful money-getters amongst them, who have " no time for reading," and therefore require very few books, while they have as little time to talk about the truths of the Church to persons who are without," and are, therefore, little interested in getting books to lend. But still the discouraged authors have persevered. All honour to their disinterestedness and truly benevolent zeal! We had marked many passages in Mr. Madeley's work for selection; but we have no room for any in the present article. To the contents of the work, the reader is guided by an index; and the valuable character of them, as above presented, may be sufficient to enlist his regard we are confident the perusal will not disappoint him. If an extract be given at all, it must be in a future number. For the present we must be content with sincerely congratulating the Church at large upon this important addition to her authors; and most heartily do we congratulate the Bir mingham Society, to which Mr. Madeley has so long and diligently minis tered, on possessing a spiritual guide so learned and talented, and so well qualified for his office in every respect, intellectually, morally, and spiritually. Mr. Madeley, we are aware, possesses a select, valuable, yet somewhat extensive library, and his work now before us shows that he has made good use of it, and that, with him, books are not merely a portion of household furniture. And while we present this tribute to encourage our new author, we have sincere pleasure in adding, what is so well known, that his talents and character are highly estimated by his respectable fellow-townsmen; and thus reflect credit on the society connected with him, as well as the Church at large. We shall be glad to welcome further contributions from his able pen, should he not be discouraged by the too probable apathy, or neglect, of our "book-buyers,' (and the consequent loss to his publication) from making future attempts. He has certainly done all he could to invite their patronage, by making his book very cheap at the price. We regret to find that Mr. Madeley. had to prepare this work during a protracted period of severe indisposition. We beg to tender him our affectionate sympathy. Before closing this article, we are bound in conscience to notice the introduction of one argument (page 23) which, in our opinion, is not a legitimate one. Swedenborg affirms that there is a Divine Word in heaven. This idea is very repugnant to the notions generally current in the Christian Church. Hence it is highly important that all attempts to substantiate it from the Word should be just and forcible. We regret that the mere current of the words of a particular passage has too often misled not-sufficiently careful citers of them, and been, through want of attention to the context, injudiciously taken advantage of by New Church advocates. It is in the 119th Psalm," For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." Now in order that this passage may be fairly available to prove the existence of an angelic Word, "heaven" must here mean the heaven of angels; and yet it is palpable, as shewn in an article in our number for June, 1842, page 220, that “heaven" here means the visible or astral heavens. Nothing damages a good cause so much as an illegitimate argument. Mr. Madeley, in borrowing this argument too hastily from others-for we are sure it could never have been original with him-has not the countenance of Swedenborg, (if any dependence is to be placed on Indexes) who would not have overlooked such an important evidence, had he esteemed it to be legitimate; neither has Mr. Noble, in his Plenary Inspiration, referred to this passage, because his great sagacity would tell him at once, it was not applicable to prove the existence of an angelic Word, however true the fact itself may be. * * However much to the point the passage may appear to be, and however suitable to our purpose, it is useless to oppose the universally acknowledged sense of it. Thus Bishop Horne's Commentary is as follows:-"Even in this world, the unwearied heavens continue to perform invariably their operations upon themselves and the bodies placed in them." "The heavens and the earth continue this 2 K N. S. NO. 107.-VOL. IX. * * One of Mr. Madeley's mottoes is taken from the Bible translation of Psalm cxxxviii. 2. Now if the proper construction of the passage be that contended for (and not questioned) in our number for July, 1847, page 256, the relevancy of it for the purpose which it appears intended to subserve in the title page, may be questioned. We have felt obliged to notice these mistakes, as we deem them, lest our readers who should take the same view of them might think, that the strong commendation we have given of the work in which they occur, was given without due discrimination. day according to thine ordinance," O Lord, “ for all things are thy servants." Dr. Watts versifies the passage thus: "The starry heavens thy rule obey, The earth maintains her place; And these thy servants night and day Thy skill and power express." We do not see how the passage, after these evidences, can be misapplied again by any of our advocates, by making it refer to the Word in the angelic heavens, without the danger of being regarded by our enemies with ridicule, and our friends with sorrow. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.. ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEW CHURCH AT (From the Jersey News.) "ON Wednesday, September 20th, the society of the New Jerusalem Church at St. Heliers, Jersey, held their twelfth anniversary, and upon this occasion they laid the foundation stone of a Temple, which they are about to build in a piece of ground bordering on Victoria-street. The members, and the children belonging to their Sunday-school, assembled at their present place of worship at two o'clock, and then they walked in procession to the ground. The proceedings commenced by the children singing a hymn, composed for the occasion, expressive of the sentiment that the corner stone about to be laid was representative of the primary and leading truth held by this people-that Jesus Christ is the God of heaven and earth. After this another hymn was sung by the congregation, which declared Him to be the only object of worship in their Church. The leader of the society, Mr. T. Brown, then offered up a prayer for a divine blessing on the undertaking. After this, some silver coins, indicating the reign in which the building was commenced, were deposited in a hole made in the bottom stone, over which was placed a plate of copper, with an inscription thereon, setting forth the date when the foundation of this Temple was laid, and the names of those members and friends who were present on the occasion. A sheet of metal was placed over it, and the hole filled up with melted lead. Then a large block of granite was lowered upon it. The leader of the society having used the hammer and trowel to fit the stone, he said, 'I lay this stone in the name of Jesus Christ, who has all power in heaven and on earth, and in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.' Hughes then read the declaration of faith from the Catechism. Mr. "Mr. Brown addressed the meeting in an energetic speech, pointing out the representative nature of the corner stone, and the leading feature of the doctrine, which is a belief in the Deity of Jesus Christ. "Mr. Le Cras (editor of the Jersey News) then addressed the people to this effect:My Christian friends,-I congratulate you, not only those who are members of our society, but all others, and even the community at large, on the auspicious event of this day. It is now about twenty-eight years ago that I first proclaimed the doctrines of the New Church in this island; and we have gone on, from that time to this, increasing in numbers, and adding to our means, by little and little, until we have been enabled to purchase a piece of ground to build a Temple upon, which is to be dedicated to the worship of the Lord. In prosecuting our views, we have now laid the foundation stone; and as all things and their uses have a representative character, this stone is laid to indicate that great and primary truth on which our Church is founded, viz, that Jesus Christ is the supreme God of the universe. This is our fundamental doctrine - the basis upon which all others rest; hence "the stone which the builders rejected is now become the head of the corner;" in other words, that truth which the Jews repudiated is now received as the greatest and most important of the Church. Since we believe Christ to be God, it necessarily follows that we worship God as a man, believing that He really did once reveal Himself by a personal manifestation, when Divinity was clothed with Humanity, as a medium to approach the human race. Hence, in the Divine economy towards His creatures, the Supreme Being has appeared in the three relations of Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, which have caused Him to put on the three characters of Father, Son, and Spirit, and this has given rise to the common opinion that there are three Divine persons, and consequently three Gods. Now, we believe that there but one person, Jesus Christ, who is the only God, in whom a divine trinity exists of Divinity, Humanity, and their proceeding influence, like the human trinity of soul, body, and operation in man, which make one person. Thus, we have only one object of worship, a revealed, and in some measure a comprehensible God, one whom our thoughts and affections can embrace. In consequence of the fall of man-or, in other words, his moral degeneration-we believe that this God came into the world to effect the redemption of His creatures; not a ransom, by paying the price of their sins, but to emancipate them from the power of hell, or the influence of those wicked spirits that held their minds and hearts in bondage, which produced misery, in order that their affections and their thoughts may return again to Him, the source of all happiness, and who confers it on those who are regenerated and capable of enjoying it. This redemption was accomplished in the invisible world, or that of causes, whence all our thoughts and affections are derived, through ministering spirits; and the effects of it have been to place us in a proper position towards our God, not by reconciling Him to us, but rather by changing our state and condition to reconcile us to God. Now, this can only be effected by our becoming images and likenesses of Himself, by receiving His divine love and wisdom, which are the essentials of His own being. This love and wisdom in its origin is infinite, and therefore it surpasses our state of reception; hence it has been found necessary to finite it by successive degrees, until it became so modified or attempered as to meet our fallen state. Thus, that which at first was Divine love and wisdom, ultimately became goodness and truth, which when received into the heart and mind, and carried out into all the uses of life, makes us new creatures- the children of God instead of those of the devil. In short, we believe that the Divine wisdom, which embodies the Divine love, was let down by degrees, called celestial, spiritual, and natural, until it became clothed with such modifications as enabled it to reach the carnal mind. Now to do this, facts and circumstances, objects and their uses, were assumed as a basis in the memory of man for the Divine truth to rest upon-the outward and visible things corresponding by exact relation to those inward states of mind which they represent. Hence we believe that the Scriptures are really the Word of God, and therefore that they contain a store of wisdom suitable both for angels and men, which if affectionately received and acted up to in all the relations of life, is calculated to make us good, wise, and happy. In our system of faith we have no antidote for sin but righteousness, believing that the dispositions for the first must be removed, in order that those for the second may take their place; not that we think men may not go to heaven by any other system-far from it; but that ours strikes at the root of the evil which exists in theirs, by relieving the mind from the distraction that must arise from a divided worship of three beings of different and opposite characters, on the one hand, and the adoration of something which the mind has no tangible idea of, on the other; then as a necessary consequence, emancipating us from the dogmas which flow from it. Our doctrines only require to be fairly represented and properly understood to gain the admiration of all reflecting people. As we believe that there are different states of happiness as well as of înisery hereafter, which are adapted to our diversified qualities, we consider that our system is calculated to ensure a greater amount of happiness than any other, because it elevates the moral character of man, by fostering all the virtues and discouraging vice in every shape. It will make us better fathers, husbands, and citizens than any other. With regard to the future state, our views respecting it are somewhat peculiar. In the first place, we believe that there is no chasm or gulf between this world and the next, but that the two are closely united; that as soon as we die, or cast off the body, we pass into the other world, or a new state of existence, and associate with kindred spirits or beings like unto ourselves-this likeness does not arise from any consanguinity of blood, but from affinity of affection; that we carry our heaven or hell with us, and realize the happiness of the former, or the misery of the latter, not by an arbitrary judgment, but as the necessary consequence of our quality, condition, and capacity, to enjoy one or the other. Now, we believe that when man dies, as to his body, he still lives as to his spirit in human form, and is conscious of that existence that all his thoughts and affections which belong to his spirit go with him and make up his identity; that when he comes to be judged by the great Author of his existence, his book of life is opened; in other words, the two faculties of his soul, his will and understanding, unfold all their affections and thoughts, which have been treasured up as in a store-house, and that whatever might be their predominant character, whether good or evil, he receives his reward. Hence we do not believe in the resurrection of the body, nor the personal coming of the Lord in the clouds of the sky, nor the last day or general judgment, nor the burning of the world; but, nevertheless, we believe in certain spiritual events which the Scriptures, from whence those notions have been erroneously drawn, plainly foretold. One of these is the second advent of the Lord, which we believe is to be a spiritual one, and effected by a revelation of Himself in His Word; He is said to come in the clouds of heaven, which are its literal truths, with power and glory, by a development of their spiritual contents. In the second coming He puts on a new character, one which transcends every other. He is now known as the Supreme God of heaven and earth. We mean to erect a Temple here dedicated to His worship, and for that purpose have laid this stone. May God send His blessing on the undertaking! "Another hymn was then sung, after which the benediction was pronounced, and the meeting separated. 66 THE TEA SOIREE. TO 'At five o'clock, the members and their friends, amounting to about 200 persons, assembled at the Temperance-hall, where the tables were profusely loaded with good things, and took tea. After this was over, the choir sang a hymn, and then the meeting was organized. Mr. T. Brown was called to the chair, who was supported by Messrs. Le Cras, Hughes, De Faye, Mallett, and Hepburn. The 21st chapter of Revelations, having been selected for discussion, was read, upon which "Mr. Le Cras rose and made some prefatory remarks, to explain the nature of Revelation, but more especially its peculiar characteristics. "Messrs. Hepburn, Baxter, and Martin, having each briefly addressed the meeting on the subject, "The Chairman then introduced a friend from Manchester, who was on a visit to the island, on account of his impaired health. 66 "Mr. Hughes addressed the meeting nearly as follows:-It perhaps becomes me, in the first place, to unite my congratulations with those of preceding speakers, on the interesting and important event which we have met to celebrate this day. I expected on visiting the island to find it embellished with beautiful bays, to find its valleys teeming with luxuriance, and its hills clothed with verdure to their summits; but, I confess, that I looked forward only to a comparative wilderness of the New Church, expecting to find a few receivers of its doctrines meeting in some obscure corner. How agreeably I have been undeceived in this respect! I have found a large and flourishing society preparing to build themselves a Temple in which to worship the only true Godthe Lord Jesus Christ. And at this great distance from my home, instead of finding myself in a land of strangers, I am in the midst of warm-hearted and affectionate |