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For its bearing, then, on these several points of deep interest, as well as for the pleasure we are sure its perusal will afford to all lovers of sacred melody in verse, we cordially recommend to all our friends this gem culled from the dark ages of literature, yet bright with the reflected radiance of that Divine Light, which belongs to no age and no country, but is ever and everywhere present to bless and enlighten, wheresoever a human soul is humbly willing to receive it. M. C. H.

LAY LABOUR.

"All religion has relation to life, and the life of religion is to do good." Ir may be assumed that our clergy do not object to laymen addressing themselves to the task of teaching and enforcing the Truth. It may, on the other hand, be questioned whether the laity are not rather lax in the performance of the duty, for it is a duty the proper performance of which will greatly strengthen the hands of our ministers. Considering the enormous extent of the field of labour, the "labourers are few." It should be an encouragement to us that "the harvest truly is plenteous," but we must not forget that it cannot be gathered without reapers. We submit, then, that it becomes a very grave consideration—a question of profound importance,-How can human instrumentality best coöperate with the Divine Providence in the diffusion of the Truth?

"The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light." Let us exert, in the cause of religion, as much energy, discretion, and enterprise, as we see displayed, and sometimes ourselves display, in worldly affairs. Let us verify the words of our Lord and Saviour "The poor have the Gospel preached to them." And what a stupendous mass of human beings,-immortal creatures,come under the denomination of "the poor"! for may not all who are not in the possession of heavenly truth be denominated "the poor"? "The poor" is no more an expression confined to those whose earthly possessions are scanty, than "the heathen" is restricted to the natives of lands where the name of our Saviour has never been heard. Amongst all classes in this country are to be found "the heathen "-men of good character, but who cannot embrace the truth because it has not been presented to them in an acceptable form,-men who could not surrender their reason captive to unintelligible dogmas.

But among the poorer classes especially are many who have not the ability to read for themselves, but who nevertheless are quite as much in need of the guidance and consolation of the Gospel as their neighbours in better circumstances-perhaps often more. For instance, the

temptations to theft must be great in cases of abject poverty, the power of resistance being much weakened by the contaminating influence of evil associations and the attenuation of mind resulting from imperfect education. In such cases guidance is required to be enforced by the authority of the Divine Law of the Holy Word. That consolation is much needed requires only to be stated to be assented to; for when, in numberless instances, sickness and mental anguish are added to poverty, how much is the condition of the sufferers aggravated! In such circumstances, will it be surprising if they murmur against the goodness and justice of the Divine Being, and if they doubt the existence of an overruling and particular Providence? Nor is it only to the poor, both naturally and spiritually considered, and to the civilised heathen, that we should endeavour to present the Truth. The Jews of this generation have no fair opportunity offered to them of seeing that the Messiah has already come, except in the doctrines of the New Church, which, insisting on the Unity of God, uphold a fundamental truth of the Hebrew belief. While the Tritheistic scheme, so diametrically opposite to the Old Testament (as well as to the New), repels the Jews, might not the New Church view of the Trinity in Unity, and its explanation of the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies, claim the acceptance of some expectants of the Messiah? Here is a wide field for the exercise of Christian philanthropy, the ignorant poor, the civilised heathen, and the modern Jews.

It now becomes a question how to acceptably present the truth, with a view to its favourable reception by them each and all. The chief responsibility doubtless rests with our clergy and with our missionary societies; but there are many laymen, with leisure and ability for the task, who perhaps only require to be convinced that it is their duty, having "freely received, freely to give" the knowledge of the Truth to all to whom it may be in their power to impart it; and this conviction should so impress the voluntary principle as to cause it to go forth into act-charity conspicuous in good works. And what can be a greater act of charity than this impartation of the Truth? Is it not giving the cup of cold water in the name of a disciple of our blessed Lord? The Lord reproaches us with our want of practical charity when He says that we see Him in prison and visit Him not, naked and clothe Him not, &c., when we neglect to do these acts of charity to our fellow-creatures. These are duties that we must not leave undone, although there are others that we are as imperatively called upon to do. No doubt the mission of the New Church is principally of a spiritual character, but it is not on that account less of a practical nature. Our Divine Saviour, when on earth, inaugurating the First Christian Church, gave a new [Enl. Series.-No. 108, vol. ix.] 36

commandment, that we should "love one another." It is the duty of the Second Christian Church to adopt and to carry out this new commandment with all due obedience and zeal.

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The New Church is the religion of Love. This is the broad line of demarcation between the New Church and the Old-between the religion of Truth, Charity, and Works, and that of Faith alone. Although we are as yet comparatively a small band, and in any efforts for ameliorating physically the condition of the poor we can do only a little, that little should be done. We are told so to let our light shine before men, that they may give glory to our Father who is in heaven." Truth should be manifest in the works of Charity. The lay members of the Church should, as far as they are enabled, visit the sick and imprisoned, and clothe the naked, spiritually as well as naturally, by endeavouring to impart such a measure of goodness and truth as is needful for the various states described; embracing every opportunity to impart genuine truth, whether it be mere ignorance, scepticism, falsity, or any other form of evil that is to be contended with. Let it be our constant desire, for it certainly should be esteemed an especial privilege, "to justify the ways of God to man." The occurrence of calamities in sudden and wholesale loss of life, are among those permissions of Providence which none but the doctrines of the New Church can satisfactorily account for; and the assertion, in a tone of confiding trust, of the goodness of God even in such trying circumstances, with a reason for our faith in His over-ruling Providence, may be effectual in drawing souls to the Truth.

It is a grave question whether some members of the New Church do not allow their minds to be almost engrossed with speculating on the Truth, rather than in striving to render it practical. We ought to endeavour to diffuse the precious knowledge of the fundamental truths which we possess,-those which can make "wise unto salvation,”those which teach that a man who leads a good moral life from a religious motive is in a state of salvation,—that it is required of us to shun evil because it is sin against God,-that as evil is desisted from and repented of, God will infuse goodness into our hearts, and that it is indispensable that evil shall be removed before goodness can be implanted.

Let us be thankful to the All-wise Ruler of the kingdom of uses if we are in a position in this world to occupy ourselves in the eminent use of bringing others to His kingdom; so shall we be doing His will in being instrumental in promoting our neighbours' good, and providing for the welfare of our own immortal souls.

Z.

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THE CELESTIAL AND SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES.

AMONGST other expressions to be met with in the writings of Swedenborg of which it is desirable to obtain a clear and definite meaning, is the 'celestial principle," which we learn is divided into the interior, exterior, and celestial-spiritual. The interior celestial principle is love to the Lord and towards our neighbour; the exterior is every affection of good and the pleasure derived from the exercise of those affections; and the celestial-spiritual principle is derived from the affection of truth, which is generated from the affection of good. In. other words, the love of doing what is right, because it is pleasing to the Lord and will benefit our neighbour, is the essential celestial principle; the pleasure which is perceived when these loves are brought into exercise is the exterior celestial principle; whilst the truth which is sought after for the sake of enabling us to gratify those loves is the celestial-spiritual principle.

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When viewed by the light of the spiritual sense, the command given to Abraham, who represents the celestial man, in reply to his inquiry, Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it (the land of Canaan)?" becomes most instructive, teaching us that to obtain the consolatory assurance that we are heirs of the heavenly kingdom, we must, by means of temptation patiently endured, confirm in our minds those celestial and spiritual principles represented by "the heifer of three years old, and a he-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon; for by those animals are signified such things as appertain to the church, and by the land of Canaan itself is signified the church." (A. E. 277.)

The "spiritual principle" being derived from the Lord through the celestial, naturally attracts our attention next. The spiritual principle is the light of truth from the Lord flowing into the rational and natural principles, and the celestial principle is the flame of good from the Lord. (A. C. 3374.) The spiritual principle leads a man to think, inquire, and debate whether anything is true before he practises it; whilst the celestial principle gives the knowledge and perception of a truth without any argument, and lays open a field of wisdom leading even to the Lord. (4. C. 2718.) They who are in the celestial principle never reason concerning faith and the truths thereof, but being in the perception of truths from good, they say of every truth that so it is; but the spiritual only arrive at a consciousness of what is good from truth. (A. C. 2708.) Thus the spiritual principle leads man to do what is right, from a truly rational conviction. The reason why with the spiritual good is respectively obscure is, that their will-principle is in a ruinous state, so

that they receive no good thence, and therefore good is implanted by the Lord in their intellectual part; it is the will-part in man which principally lives; the intellectual part derives life thence. Since, therefore, the will-principle with the spiritual man is in so ruined a state that it is nothing but mere evil, and yet there is a continual influx of evil thence into the intellectual part, or thought, it is evident that good therein must needs be obscured. This obscurity is represented by the wilderness in which Ishmael dwelt; it was called the wilderness of Paran, to signify the illumination of the spiritual principle by the Divine-Human principle of the Lord; therefore the children of Israel journeyed from this wilderness to the land of Canaan, to signify that only by means of the Divine-Human can the spiritual man, or they who are in the spiritual principle, be saved; for the essential Supreme Divine principle cannot be received where good is so defiled with evil and false persuasions; but hence it may be evident that the cause of the Lord's coming into the world was for the sake of the spiritual, that they might be saved. (A. C. 2715, 2716.)

The different state of illumination and perception with those who are in the celestial, and those who are in the spiritual principle, is beautifully described in the Lord's own words :-" He calleth His own sheep by their name, and leadeth them forth; and when He hath led forth His own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him, because they know His voice;" but of the spiritual He thus speaks:'And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also must I bring with me, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one flock, and one Shepherd." (John x. 3, 4, 16.) M. B.

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APPOINTMENT AND PERMISSION.

ONE of the most useful principles which we derive from a right interpretation of the Word and ways of God, is that which enables us accurately to distinguish between Divine appointment and Divine permission. It enables us to see that all things, all beings, and all acts, are under the Providence of God, but that there is a clear and impassable line between what He does and what He permits to be done. Some things He rules, some He overrules. His government extends over all, for there is nothing left to chance; but the good are governed in one way and the evil in another. The good are governed by internal bonds, which are restraints of conscience; the evil, by external bonds, which are the fear of punishment. But however different the

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