tended on these occasions, so much so, that many go away without being able to gain admittance. We trust the Church will experience similar happy results here as in Accrington. I remain, Yours, &c., A LOVER OF THE NEW CHURCH. With the republished pamphlet of Mr. Pike there appeared a small slip from his hand, insinuating that mutilated and altered copies of Swedenborg's works had been fraudulently published by his friends. The following correspondence has taken place between Mr. Pike and Mr. Bayley on that subject: "Accrington, Feb. 5th, 1844. "Rev Sir,-In a reprint in this town of your Tract against the Swedenborgians, I perceive a notice, apparently from your hand, containing the following words. If they (Swedenborg's friends) have since published mutilated and altered editions of the Baron's writings, they are guilty of attempting a fraud upon the public, but quotations from the works as formerly published, are not rendered unfaithful by any deceitful efforts of his votaries to hide some portions of his system.' Being a receiver of the doctrines of the Word, as understood by Swedenborg, the above sentence appears to me to impute discreditable proceedings to the publishers of that author's writings, whom I know to be incapable of them, may I beg, therefore, that you will favour me with clear and distinct information as to whether you have any proof whatever of what seems to be thus imported. "Will you have the goodness to state whether you have any proof whatever that a mutilated copy of any work of Swedenborg's has been published by his friends? "Have you any proof whatever that Swedenborg's friends have attempted a fraud in this matter upon the public? "Have you any proof whatever that E. S.'s friends have made deceitful efforts to hide any portion of his system? "Are these imputations really meant in the above extract? "Waiting your reply, "I am, Rev. Sir, yours, 66 Derby, Feb. 8th, 1844. "Sir,-When I assert unconditionally that Swedenborg's disciples have actually "Accrington, Feb. 11th, 1844. "Rev. Sir, I have duly received yours, and have only now to express my deep regret, that an aged minister, who must be familiar with the gospel of love that enjoins us to do unto others as we would they should do unto us,' should have been so far betrayed by sectarian delusion, as to suppose that he has a right, without a shadow of proof, to insinuate that fraud and deception have been practised by his fellow men, and in reply to a respectful inquiry as to whether he supposes himself in possession of any evidence whatever of charges so grave, could send a reply equally destitute of the courtesy of a gentleman and the candour of a Christian. But this is thy work, O Calvinism! It is thou who hast seared and withered the kind affections of the heart, and made men harsh, unjust, bigoted, and severe, who would otherwise have been kind, gentle, just, and attentive to courtesy and love. "I have only to add, that it is my intention to publish the correspondence, as the best commentary upon the groundless and unjust insinuations to which you have lent your name. "I am, yours truly, "J. BAYLEY." LONGTON, STAFFORDSHIRE POTTERIES. On Tuesday evening the 26th December last, the annual tea meeting of the friends of the New Church in this neighbourhood, was held in the room belonging to the Society. About 30 of the friends were present. Cake and tea were given to the Sunday School children; the number of whom attending the school at present is about 26, but a considerable increase is expected ere long. THE time has now come when error, especially in religious creeds and opinions, must be exposed, condemned, and rejected. So long as error prevails in the understanding, the will must remain unpurified, and the affections will be gross and sensual,-bound to earth, instead of winging their ascent towards heaven, notwithstanding the external sanctimonious appearance which men may assume. It is not the genius of the New Church to assail and attack; her duty is to exhibit in love the light of truth, that error in its deformity and perversity may be seen and renounced. "They that take the sword, shall perish by the sword," that is, they who from false doctrines assail and attack what is true and good, will, if not converted from their false principles, finally perish. They, however, who in times of assailment and temptation "have not a sword, must sell their garment and buy one," that is, they must defend their doctrines and principles which they firmly believe to be in accordance with eternal truth, to the utmost of their ability, in dependence on Him "who is the captain of our salvation." Of all erroneous doctrines, that which is probably most pernicious to practical Christianity, and consequently to the salvation of the human soul, is the doctrine of "instantaneous salvation," which, when once adopted by the unwary soul, fastens, like a fiery serpent, upon its victim with fangs of venom, and easily consigns it to eternal perdition. Next akin to this dogma, so fatal to practical Christianity, is the "doctrine of assurance," and we consider, that by attracting the attention of the sincere and thoughtful amongst our brethren of the Wesleyan Connexion, we are performing an act of genuine charity.* All that is peculiar in the doctrine of the Methodists is, that no one is in a state of salvation who does not feel that he is so; this is called * The Methodists have, of late, in different parts of Lancashire, violently attacked some of the doctrines of the New Church. N.S. NO. 52.-VOL. V. the doctrine of assurance. As stated in a previous article, (in No. 38 of this Magazine,) it is on this just ground that the followers of Mr. Wesley have been accused of believing in "justification by feeling.” It appears that when Mr. Wesley read the apostolic declaration, (in Romans viii. 16.) that "The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God," his interpretation of the passage received a bias from his favorite, but unscriptural doctrine of Justification by faith alone. This bigoted doctrine admitting none to salvation but those who favour it, and who likewise believe what it believes, as that faith which alone justifies, naturally presented to Mr. Wesley the conclusion, that the saved consist of only one class of believers, all of whom necessarily experience, as he further concluded, the witness of the Spirit to their regeneration and salvation; so that to want this evidence of being saved, and to be without the assurance of eternal happiness founded on it, is a certain mark of being in a state of perdition. Had not this favorite doctrine blinded Mr. Wesley's judgment, and practically extinguished all enlarged and genuine views of the Divine benevolence in his mind, he would probably have seen, that the words of the apostle were addressed to, and spoken of a particular class of those who are saved, and that they are applicable only to internal spiritual men;-for such the first Christians must generally have been, or they could not possibly have endured the severe trials to which they were exposed; thus that they referred to Christians who had made considerable advancement in the regenerate life, and by the attainment of the Divine likeness in a high degree, had entered into a close conjunction with the Lord, and so had become interiorly sensible of his near presence. In this case, Mr. Wesley would have seen, that the words of the apostle could not, with any propriety, be applied to that large but relatively inferior class of Christians afterwards added to the Church, and who could not then be brought into it for the following reasons. This class consists of external men, who are greatly under the influence of external circumstances, being discouraged by those which are adverse, and stimulated by those which are accordant with their natural feelings and wishes. Being much influenced in their judgment by appearances, they would necessarily conclude, that Divine approbation could not accompany those who were left by Divine Providence a prey to persecution; and thus judging, the doctrine of the cross, and of taking up the cross, became to them a stumbling-block, which they could not surmount. Not having, therefore, the incitements to join the Church which were adequate to their low mental condition, or that generous courage which was required to encounter its difficulties, they remained connected with either the Pagan or Jewish communities, until the smiles of the great and powerful on the new doctrine should set them at liberty from their fears or false impressions, "to go with the multitude,”—not to do evil-but to do good. As the apostolic declaration was not applicable to this external class of Christians at the time it was uttered, so neither is it applicable to them now. It does not describe the character of those relatively weak, simple-minded, timid, fair-weather Christians, who dare not encounter the world's vengeance for the Lord's sake, but for whose well-being in eternity the Divine Mercy nevertheless provides, equally with those who possess a more elevated character. They are saved in their degree, and will eventually find a heavenly mansion adapted to their attainments, at a corresponding distance from the eternal throne. But while they stand aloof from the Christian's dangers; or while they yield a reluctant or limited service; they cannot be favoured with a full measure of the Christian's joys. They cannot have the witness of the Spirit spoken of by the apostle. But to suppose, therefore, that they are in a state of perdition, requires that false doctrine should first have wholly veiled the Divine Love, and substituted feelings of bigotry for all those tender emotions, which Divine Love insinuates into the mind from the earliest years. On Mr. Wesley's principle of applying the words of the apostle, we must conclude, that the members of the Israelitish Church were all lost; because there is no evidence that they had any such inward "witness" to their adoption into the family of heaven as the apostle speaks of; nay, the very existence of heaven was not revealed to them with any degree of clearness or certainty. And as for the good Gentiles, whose safety the apostle had just declared, (Rom. ii. 10.) as these cannot be supposed to have the witness of that Spirit in which they have not learned to believe, on Mr. Wesley's principle, they must also be lost. They cannot show the required seal to their salvation, and therefore they are not saved! Could Mr. Wesley have been ignorant that there exist in the Christian world, and, indeed, in the Christian church, (as consisting of all who in any degree believe the New Testament, and according to the light they have, live in conformity with it,) persons whose state of mind more resembles the obscure state of the good Jews and Gentiles of old, than the lucid state of those who have attained to all the higher privileges and enjoyments of the gospel? Or, knowing the existence of this estimable and worthy class, could he be so bigoted as to deny that they had been justified by faith, and thus admitted within "the gates of salvation," because they had not the experience of the witness of the Spirit vouchsafed to persons in higher states of light and love? And could he complacently hand over to Satan all those who remained without this witness, notwithstanding his preaching, because they were too honest to fabricate, at his invitation, a counterfeit imitation of it? Could he be so unfeeling as this? Alas! such is the consequence of a bigoted attachment to a particular doctrine, that it almost extinguishes every generous impulse. When we consider Mr. Wesley's eminent endowments (for as to his conscientiousness, or the quality of it, that is no business of ours,) we cannot but lament the answers truth compels us to give to the above questions. He knew this class of persons existed, but in obedience to his favourite dogma of Justification by faith alone, he even outstripped the Calvinists whose doctrine he opposed, by condemning the whole of that class to perdition for want of, and until they should obtain, an inward certainty and assurance of their salvation. That all must be lost who do not feel that they are saved, he, and his zealous coadjutors, did most positively affirm; and it is nothing at all to the purpose, or in his favour, to say (what indeed might be said truly enough) that he also taught that persons might be "growing in grace" (which obviously implies a state of salvation) long before they get justification, and its accompanying evidence in the feelings; for, said he, when justification comes, this feeling always comes with it. This glaring inconsistency in the Wesleyan doctrine,* while it shows that Mr. Wesley's views were rather of the weathercock species, affords no plea whatever in favour of either one or the other of his opposite notions. A man has no right to take advantage of his own wrong. On the same principle, the Methodists have no right to take advantage, as they do, of their leader's inconsistency, by quoting his writings as furnishing an authority for totally opposite opinions. Thus, should any one say to their preachers, “I have not the witness of the spirit of which you speak," they might probably reply, "Ah, but Mr. Wesley grants that you may nevertheless be in a state of grace, although you have not as yet got this witness." But should it appear likely on another occasion, that by the influence of the peculiar talents of some preacher, a number of persons may be driven by means of strong excitement into the connexion, in consequence of their getting justification, then the doctrine of " assurance" is confidently held forth, and without the least relaxation or qualification; and * See more on this subject in the work called "JOB ABBOTT," pages 96-109. |