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condition would communicate his ideas, is quite another question. It may, however, be well not to pass the subject altogether without notice, as to leave it might seem, with some readers, an evasion of the chief difficulty. Language, as it has existed within the historic period of man's residence on earth, is probably a very different thing from that which was in use before the Fall, and may only have arisen on the accomplishment of that catastrophe. It is not even necessary to suppose that the language of the first men, in their state of innocence, was articulate, or what is the same thing, vocal. Of the language,' says Schlegel, which may have belonged to the first man before he lost his original power, perfections, and dignity, we are not, with our present organs and senses, in a capacity to form an idea.'* Swedenborg, in the 'Arcana Cœlestia,' (607, 608, and 1118-1120) states most distinctly that language, considered as a system of articulate sounds, only came into existence after the Fall, and was indeed one of the actual results of that event. Another remark or two on the language of the "Garden of Eden," will be found in section 12.

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11. How far the articulate language which came into use after the Fall may have been shaped by the intellectual character of the men who had sustained it, and on whom it devolved to construct an articulate system of words, is a question of far more interest to our present inquiry, while its solution is at the same time much more accessible. It may fairly be presumed that its essential features would be derived entirely from what they had brought with them, intellectually, from their purer state. Now the Hebrew language, which is one of the oldest that existed upon earth, and which, perhaps, it may be safely said, is closely allied, at least, to the first articulate language that was used by man, is correspondential to a most remarkable degree. Before. the Fall the intuitions of the mind were infinitely more vivid with respect to the correspondences of spiritual and intellectual things with natural ones than they have been subsequently to that event; it is highly probable, therefore, that the wonderful completeness of the Hebrew language as a correspondential one, resulted from the still-active though greatly-subdued perception of the men who lived immediately after its consummation. There is no reason, however, for believing that the Hebrew language, as we have it, is the actual primitive tongue, though such is supposed by many writers. Even the Mosaic writings, (which are cited in support of the opinion) were not the first, as Moses himself testifies. In Numbers xxi. 14, he refers, for instance, to "The Book of the Wars of Jehovah," and at the 27th verse it is said, "Wherefore

* Philosophy of Language, page 396.

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say the Enunciators" ( hammoshelim, i. e., the books of the Enunciators,) just as we speak of the Prophets,' meaning the books of the Prophets. There are references also to another ancient writing, The Book of Jasher,' in Joshua x. 13, and in 2 Samuel, i. 18. The ordinary English version of the Bible does not exhibit these remarkable facts with the prominence they deserve, owing to the mistranslation of the second of the passages, and to none of the titles being distinctly given as such. But they are palpable enough to the Hebrew scholar. In addition to these direct references, it is tolerably clear that Moses derived the particulars which he has narrated in the early part of Genesis from ancient documents, on account of the great difference in the style of that portion of the Word from what succeeds it. Another most interesting inquiry is thus here suggested to us, namely, the origin of writing, and the era at which it was first used. We are of opinion that written language was little less than cotemporaneous with spoken language. To go into the reasons for this belief would, however, here occupy too much room, and delay our especial subject far longer than the discussion itself would justify. Whatever other views may be held regarding it, the Hebrew tongue is still the prototype of all others in regard to the essential character of language, namely, that its terms shall all have reference to the correspondences of physical with immaterial things. Whatever, therefore, may have been the vocabulative and grammatical character of the first language, there can be little doubt that in essence it was but the human side of what was in its earlier state divine.

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12. Reasonable and consistent as we conceive to be the views which we have been stating, we are nevertheless quite willing to admit, with the writer in the Penny Cyclopædia, (article Language') that in the absence of all written evidence, the actual origin of articulate language, like that of man himself, must for ever remain unknown;' and that 'whether man, being originally endowed with the power speech, gradually formed language under the impulse of his instincts. for social life, and the guidance of his intellectual powers; or whether language, and not the bare faculty of speech, was conferred on him by the same power that called him into being, no one will ever be able to say positively.' If any inference is to be forced out of the strictly literal reading of the Mosaic narrative, we grant also that it is in favour of the opinion that language was given to man, a conclusion which, as we have already said, is considered by many writers, and perhaps by all persons who have not investigated the subject, to contain the only answer to the question. But we would remind those who take this view that God is

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said to have brought the animals and birds to Adam to see what he would call them;' and that to a reasonable mind the statements of God's conversing or talking with Adam can scarcely address themselves as literal, if by conversing' they understand the using of articulate words. God, who is a spiritual existence, does not converse with man in the oral language of material humanity. But he does speak to him through the medium of his conscience and of his spiritual perceptions, and man replies. Except in this way we do not see how the pious and intelligent can understand the passages. Besides, to be consistent, it must also be believed that the Serpent' shared the same oral language which man enjoyed in common with his Creator.

(To be continued.)

THE NATURE OF THE DIVINE JUDGMENTS.

If it be true, as remarked by the late Robert Hall, that "the level of human character rises or falls with the character of the deities worshipped," of what paramount importance must it be that we should entertain correct views of the character of that Divine Person in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, the only potentate of heaven and earth, before whom, as the "Judge of all the earth," we must finally appear to render an account of the deeds done in the body.

This most weighty consideration has induced the writer to offer a few thoughts on what he conceives to be a most dangerous misrepresentation of the divine character widely prevalent in the religious world. Many words are not necessary to describe it; it may be seen at once in the following brief sentence, which is ofen used by the leaders of public worship in their addresses to the Hearer of prayer:-"We know that thou delightest in mercy, and that judgment is thy strange work."

Now this mode of expression, taking the words in their common acceptation, conveys the idea that mercy and judgment are opposite or antagonistic principles in the government of the Divine Being;-that He delights in the exercise of mercy, but is so averse to that of judg ment, that with Him it is a strange, wonderful, uncommon, and almost unknown thing,—a mode of procedure to which He has recourse only on very extraordinary occasions.

A few remarks on the etymology of the word judgment will considerably aid us in forming correct views on the subject, and will, it is hoped, be found far from being uninteresting or unprofitable to the reader.

The primary meaning of the Greek word Kpivo (krino) is, "I sift, I separate the bad from the good ;" and hence it is transferred to the act of judging, which is, or at least ought in all cases to be, the sifting of evidence, with the view of deciding or determining which is preferable, or arriving at the truth itself, and pronouncing accordingly. And here it is deemed appropriate to remark, that from this same Greek primitive comes the term Kpivov, (krinon) the name of that most beautiful "flower of the field," the lily, the soft velvet-like surface of which, from the peculiar arrangement of its cellular tissue, reflects the whole prismatic colours in one pure and inimitable white, far surpassing in beauty the splendor of Solomon's glory. (Matt. vi. 29.) And it is admitted by all, that candour (which literally means whiteness) is an indispensable qualification in a judge; his mind ought to be free from every bias, pure, open, fair, ingenuous, reflecting only the colourless lucidity of truth itself resplendent with goodness. Hence, no doubt, it was that among the ancients the aspirants at offices of honour or preferment wore white garments, the well known symbol of purity of mind, and were thence called candidates.

Now just such a judge as the above epithets imply, but in their highest possible sense, is the Lord, who alone executes judgment on the children of men, and is best known among them by the judgment which he executes. (Psalm ix. 16.) The very essence of all divine judgment is the awarding to every man according to his true character, whether he be good or evil. Among men there may, and perhaps there often does exist the anomalous character called an "unjust judge;” such a character might, from impure motives, or from ignorance, be inclined to a decision which would appear very merciful to the delinquent; but inasmuch as such a decision would be deficient in justice, it would, in the same degree, be destitute of mercy; for, according to the whole tenor of Scripture, the execution of judgment by the Lord, which ought to be the pattern of all human judgment, is neither more nor less than the exercise of mercy in the proper sense of the word; and hence it is said:" Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy, for thou renderest to every man according to his works." (Psalm lxii. 12.) In illustration of this view of the subject we might easily fill a volume, but how unnecessary would be the task! We take it for granted that the reader admits, as a first principle, that justice and judgment form the very foundation, so to speak, of the throne of the Eternal;-and if so, then must he also admit the grand truth so luminously displayed throughout the writings of Swedenborg, that what are commonly termed "Divine judgments," and which are so generally

mistaken for indications of anger, fury, rage, wrath, &c., are only so many instances of the interference of the Divine mercy,-just to keep EVIL in its proper place;-to break the arm of the oppressor, and to let the oppressed go free. What unutterable mercy shines out in the following few words of the Psalmist :- -"A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widow, is God in his holy habitation!" (Psalm lxviii. 5.) And should any one hesitate to admit that this one passage contains, in epitome, the true philosophy of the subject, let him carefully peruse, and seriously meditate on, the contents of Psalm cxxxvi.

And here we might safely leave the subject, but having no desire to shrink from the most rigid investigation of it, we shall very briefly notice two passages which, at first sight, seem to militate against the view we have offered. The first of these is Isaiah xxviii. 21:-" For Jehovah shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act." Here, without going into particulars, it may be readily seen that the subject treated of is the advent of the Lord for the redemption and salvation of the human race. This is indisputably clear from what is said in verse 16 of the same chapter, which see. Now wherever this great event is mentioned in the Old Testament, we find it uniformly described as pregnant with blessings of the most invaluable nature, and of eternal duration; and at the same time as being accompanied with the most fearful and calamitous events: put then these together, and what is the amount? Simply this, viz., on the one hand, the most wonderful display of the divine mercy ever made to man; and on the other, the direful consequences of all human efforts to resist, or in any way to interfere with the eternal order in which that mercy flows. Here we behold Jehovah in human nature, with his fan in his hand, separating the chaff from the wheat; sifting the nations of the earth as corn is sifted in a sieve; sitting as a refiner and purifier of silver; purging men as gold and silver, that they may offer unto him an offering in righteousness; taking unto him his great power, and reigning as King of kings, and Lord of lords; making bare his arm to save the meek of the earth; sending out his judgments that all the ends of the earth may see his salvation;-in a word, we behold him as a king sitting on the throne of judgment, and scattering away all evil with his eyes, (Prov. xx. 8.) and hear him declare — “For judgment I am come into this world." (John ix. 39.) The work of judgment, then, is evidently the great work for the accomplishment of which Jehovah assumed the humanity; and surely no one will say that

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