maintaining their edifices in repair, is all but virtually relinquished; and a prayer to the legislature to reform the very articles and liturgy, expounding her doctrines and expressing her worship, has been presented. What will be the issue whenever the Parliament shall concede this request it is impossible to divine; yet come it most certainly will, and that ere long.

With respect to the Continental nations, they seem to be just recovering from the collapse which succeeded the last spasmodic struggle for freedom in 1848. With politics, as such, we have no concern in our pages. As signs, however, of a deeper action, the present yearning after greater freedom of expression and action in Prussia, and still more, the abolition of the last vestiges of European slavery in the serfdom of Russia, cannot be otherwise than deeply interesting and hopeful to the intelligent New Churchman, since all true progress tends to the development of freedom of action, of expression, and consequently, of thought. Of Russia it is stated that the Sunday School system of our country has been imported there under the highest auspices.

These new activities, however, not only point to the heaving up of the deep religious elements out of which they arise, but, side by side with them, the efforts for religious liberty are taking more definite shape. Germany, and especially Sweden, Belgium, Sardinia, and even Italy, are arousing themselves to throw off the incubus of priestly domination; and though France is as yet dormant, when once the tide has fairly set in towards the attainment of these objects, she will not be an apathetic nor inactive spectator. The progress may indeed be slow, and the cup when seemingly approaching the lips may again and again be dashed to the ground; but those who have eyes to discern the character of the agencies at work, can no more doubt of their onward march to their final issue, than they can believe that the tide of the ocean can be stemmed, or the sun turned back in his course. These are the coruscations of the dawn which will usher in a new day. The progress may seem tardy, and at times it may be doubted whether we are advancing or receding; but it is to be remembered that everything truly valuable is of slow

growth; even the oak requires centuries ere it attains maturity; the clouds which brought rain to the land of Israel, after three years and a half of famine, in their arising, were not larger than a man's hand; the stone cut out without hands, which became a great mountain, and filled the earth, in its beginnings was small and the "kingdom of heaven" in its initiaments, is likened to the smallest of all seeds - the grain of mustard seed, which nevertheless becomes a tree in the branches of which the birds of the air can find a shelter and abode. Let no one then despise, nor despair of the "day of small things." The glimmerings which now faintly irradiate the east, are the sure earnest that the sun approaches the horizon. No earthly power can stay its progress till these first gleams of light attain to a meridian brightness. To change the allusion, as the waters of the sanctuary, which in their onward course rose to the ankles, the knees, and the loins, and ultimately became waters to swim in, so will "the knowledge of the Lord cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, when there shall be one Jehovah, and His Name one, and He shall reign over all the earth."

[Our intended remarks on the retrospect of the New Church must be deferred till next month.]

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE

BRITISH.

The Metropolis.-A series of twelve lectures has just been concluded in the Cross-street and Argyle Churches in London. The subjects- "Antediluvian History," "Science of Correspondences,' "The Name of the Lord Jesus -Mighty God," "Reconciliation of Man to God," "Biblical History-Abraham to Moses," "The New Jerusalem," "The Name of the Lord Jesus-Everlasting Father," "Salvation the Result of Regeneration," "The Mosaic Dispensation," "Swedenborg the Man of the Age," The Name of Jesus-Prince of Peace," and "The Life after Death." The lecturers are the Revs. Mr. Bruce and Dr. Bayley, with Messrs. Madeley and John Hyde, jun. We have not heard any particulars connected with the deli

lectures, in which Messrs. C. Koch, T. A. Reed, C. J. Light, J. W. Barnes, J. B. Keene, H. Bateman, and W. Biden will take part. Among the subjects are-Education, the Five Senses, Abolition of Slavery, Physiology of the Eye, Matter, &c. &c.

Deptford. A course of Lectures proving the doctrines of Swedenborg to be those of the sacred Scriptures, is also being delivered on the following subjects: the Descent of the New Jerusalem; Sole, Supreme, and exclusive Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ; the Atonement; the Plan of Salvation; the Second Coming of the Lord; the Spiritual sense of the Word.

Salford. The Rev. J. B. Kennerley has, we understand, been lecturing at the Temple, Salford, for several Sunday evenings past to very crowded and interested audiences. We have not heard any further particulars.

Chatteris.-Nov. 18th.-At the earnest request of the New Church friends of this interesting agricultural town of Cambridgeshire, I send you an account of my recent lectures there, and the progress of the little society. I arrived at Chatteris from Cambridge in the middle of the day of Tuesday, Nov. 15th, and was welcomed by our worthy friend Mr. Payten, who assured me that every arrangement for the lectures had been properly made, and he was satisfied there would be an excellent audience. The subject for the evening was the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins; and for the second lecture, on the following evening, the Mediation and Intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the time for the commencement of the service, seven o'clock in the evening, the public room, which is the property of our excellent friend Mr. Lyon, was tolerably filled, and, during the evening, became thronged. We had a hymn, a short prayer, and then I entered at once upon the subject. The spiritual sense of the parable was evidently seen, and interesting to the people. They listened intelligently and devoutly, and when the awful mistake of the foolish virgins of lighting their lamps with truth, but not accompanying the light by the reception of the oil of love into the vessels of the will, and the forlorn disappointment they met with when running to get oil from others at the last, were depicted, it was plain from the deeply-riveted atten

or

tion of the people, they felt the living lessons the parable was intended to teach. After the lecture, it was announced that questions might be asked, difficulties propounded, upon the subject of the lecture. A young gentleman arose after a little pause, and said he wished to ask some questions, but not on the subject of the lecture. He was answered that such questions could be asked to-morrow if they bore upon the subject of the following lecture, but we could not deviate from our rule. The questions must be on the subjects we advanced, and the minds of the people must not be distracted by things foreign to the subjects. He pertinaciously persisted to ask that he might put his questions, for he thought no one could object to what they had heard that evening, but he regarded what they had heard as only a bait for rats, to cover the poison which was behind. He was unconscious, apparently, of the insult implied to his fellow-townsmen, in comparing them to rats, as well as to those who offered what they as sincerely believed to be truth, as he believed his views to be true when he regarded them as persons purposely offering gilded poison. He was told he could not put questions of a general character during the meeting, but if he would call upon the lecturer after'the meeting, he might put whatever he would. But he insisted that what he wanted to put was important to the public to know, and he wanted to put them there. He was then told that if he thought he had something wonderfully strong against the New Church, but not on these subjects, if he wished, he might have a public discussion, and state what he pleased. From this, however, he backed out, and with much disapprobation from the thoughtful portion of the meeting at his unreasonable procedure, he withdrew. He did not accept the invitation to come for private conversation; but the next day I happened to meet him, and accosted him in the street, and found that he had really nothing of any importance to say, and had formed his ideas from very defective information.

The next evening the place was densely crowded. The subject of the Lord's Mediation and Intercession formed the theme, and was listened to with close attention. The text was— "There is one God, and one Mediator

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and worthy man, but really he could not see any use for this New Church. He was the appointed guardian of this parish,belonging to the old Catholic church. Now he wished to ask the lecturer one question, and it could be answered by Yes! or No! and he should very likely only add another. Can people be saved who profess the doctrines of the old church? I answered “Yes! and not only good Christians, but good Jews, Mahometans, and Pagans." "Then," said the vicar, triumphantly, "what is the use of Swedenborgianism?" I answered by saying I would ask him a question, and hoped he would answer it Yes! or No! Could good Catholics be saved before the Reformation? He did not seem to like the question, and fenced, but upon being pressed answered Yes! "Then,” I said, "with your reasoning where was the use of Protestantism?" The vicar was evidently taken aback by this, and he said "Now, Dr. Bayley, you know that Papal errors had crept in and covered the truths of the Gospel, and at the Reformation we protested against these errors and threw them off, and went back to the real old Christian doctrines. But, after all, I think pounds, shillings, and pence had much to do with it. However, no doubt we were right in going up the stream, for the nearer to the fountain the purer is the water. Now, we want nothing new, for it is a remark that was once made, whatever is new cannot be true, and whatever is true cannot be new.'"

between God and Man, the Man Christ Jesus." The office of the Lord's Humanity as a Mediator was unfolded, and the intercession of the Lord's Holy Spirit in our souls, suggesting our prayers and all our good desires, as mentioned by the apostle, Rom. viii., 15, 26, 27, was dwelt upon, and the crowded auditory were evidently interested in no common degree. After this lecture a gentleman said he had been highly pleased, but there were two or three things he wished to ask. He said that he read in John that no man had seen God at any time, while we also proved that Jesus Christ was God the Father Himself. Now he would be glad if I could reconcile these. I replied, that the whole passage in John would reconcile the subjects itself. It stated, No man HATH seen God at any time BUT the Only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father. He hath brought Him to view." Before the Lord was incarnated God had not been seen, but when He assumed Humanity, then God was manifest in the flesh. He thanked me, and then asked in reference to an assertion and illustration in the lecture, in which I had said that the Lord willed to make man happy in this life, and to give the farmer a good harvest, but man must cooperate with Him and His laws, or he could not be successful. The gentleman said, after the best exertions, sometimes blight and failure would come; how is this? The answer was that the Lord sees whether external prosperity would be really beneficial to a man, or prejudicial, and where he sees that adversity would be best for man's eternal interest, a temporal evil is permitted for an eternal good. He again thanked me, and said he had one further remark to make. Here were these New Church people come to Chatteris, and laid themselves open to question and attack. They invited all ministers to attend, and here we have six ministers in this town, and they are always telling us that these New Church principles are pernicious, and we must be valiant for the truth, but where are they now? Where is the valour for the truth? The vicar of the parish was present, and had been present during part of the evening before. He spoke up upon this, and said he did not wish to say anything uncourteous to the lecturer, whom he felt sure was a sincere

After complimenting the vicar on his calm good temper, I replied that the vicar had been taking for granted that the doctrines of the New Church were a substitute for what our Lord and His Apostles taught. This was an error. Our doctrines were exactly those of the Lord and His Apostles. Whatever they taught, we implicitly believe. Our charge against the Old Church was, that, like the Jews in our Lord's time, they had made the commandments of God of none effect, by their traditions. Now, the Reformers protested against some of these superstitions and traditions, but they left the roots in the doctrine of three divine Persons, and the other parts of the tripersonal scheme. Now we renounce these. And if the Reformers had a right to go back several hundred years, why might not we go back the rest, right to the fountain?

If the nearer the fountain the purer the stream, then at the fountain itself the water must be purest of all. This is where we go. We will not have the Athanasian Creed; this was made hundreds of years after the Lord's time, and when the Church had become very corrupt. We will not have the three divine Persons, nor two; for there is nothing of this in the Word of God, the divine fountain-not a word. Our doctrines are new, not in themselves, for they are eternal truths, but in the same sense that the Lord spoke of this commandment:-A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another. In the New Church every truth is like the treasure of the householder mentioned by our Lord, who brought out of his treasures things new and old. There was to come a time when all things should become new. (Rev. xix. 5.) If the Church is a thing, it was to be made new. The vicar, after that, said he must still remark that there was no nse for this Swedenborgian Church. For you know, Dr., he said, the old doctrines are clear and plain, and we want nothing else. I remarked that I was glad to hear that he acknowledged that doctrines should be clear and plain; for we con sidered it was one of the great objections against the old doctrines that they were great mysteries; no one could understand them. Our doctrines were clear as crystal-our very children could understand them. In describing the old doctrines as speaking of the Father and Son to be two Persons when the Scriptures declare them to be one, the vicar interrupted me and said, he did not say the Father and Son were two separate persons. I said I hoped he would not say so next Sunday. Oh, but, he said, he should lecture against these new doctrines next Sunday evening, and many more, but he should do it in all charity. These doctrines were not new; they were only Sahellianism revived. I remarked that one thing I would observe to the vicar, that when he understood our views he would know that they were not Sabellian, as was shewn by the Rev. Mr. Clissold, once a minister of the vicar's church, but now a New Churchman. I trusted he would read his late pamphlet, A Voice from the New Church Porch. He said he had read it. I then closed the meeting with a few kind remarks, and a short

hymn was sung, and the meeting dismissed with a blessing. The friends at Chatteris were greatly delighted with the proceedings, and with the progress which the Church is making in their town. They now have a separate meeting of their own on the Sunday, and the New Church views are evidently gaining in public estimation. J. BAYLEY.

From the subjoined communication, received since, it appears that the vicar has endeavoured to indemnify himself by a somewhat scurrilous lecture against us from his own pulpit, and that Dr. Bayley has in consequence paid a second visit:

A great deal of excitement existed in this place after the lectures delivered by Rev. Dr. Bayley, on November 16th and 17th. The Rev. M. A. Gathercole, vicar of the parish, placarded the town announcing that on the following Sunday evening he would lecture in his church

on

"Swedenborg and his Followers," and in doing so to a very large audience he spared no pains to disparage and vilify the name and character of our illustrious seer, quoting some detached and unconnected passages from his writings to make them appear objectionable and ridiculous, pronouncing Swedenborg to be mad, and his followers not a whit better, and in his attack seemed to lay to himself the flattering. unction of having well nigh crushed the cause against which he was so much exasperated. Several of our friends went to hear, and took notes of his discourse. Application was immediately made to Dr. Bayley, who kindly consented to give two lectures in reply to the Rev. vicar, which he did on the evenings of November 30th and December 1st. In the first lecture he with great amplitule, noticed the vicar's objections, and in the estimation of many persons present, hushed them into everlasting silence. The subject of the second evening's lecture was "Jerusalem a city compact together." This lecture, which occupied about two hours and a half, was so simple that all could understand, and so transcendently beautiful and grand as to furnish a treat rarely to be enjoyed. The chinky doctrines of the old church were exposed to view in all their deformity, and contrasted with the heavenly teachings of the new. A favourable impression was evidently produced in the minds of many. The lecture-room was

crowded on both occasions to excess, and many were unable to gain admission. Every means was tried to bring the vicar to public discussion, but without success; he was determined (to use his own words) not to be "clap-trapped." The cause is going on well. A Baptist minister said "It is no use to oppose the New Church, it has been tried over and over again, but has always failed to put them down. Let them alone."

St. Ives.-Lectures by Dr. Bayley. Two Lectures were delivered in the Public Institution, in this town, by the Rev. Dr. Bayley, on the evenings of Thursday and Friday, November 18th and 19th, 1858. The subject of the first lecture was the "Rod of Moses, a serpent out of his hand and a support when in it." The lecturer very lucidly traced the many absurdities and atrocities which have existed, and do still exist, among professing Christians, to the fact of their abiding in the "letter which killeth," and their rejection of that which is spirit and life, shewing that the words thus become a serpent; but when in the hand, when received in all its fulness, the Divine Word becomes a rod to support the Christian in every phase of the regenerate life. The subject of the second lecture was the "New Jerusalem, a golden and crystal city," in which was shewn, with earnest eloquence, that the religion of the new dispensation was a religion of light and love, and that it is our privilege to be clear-headed and loving-hearted. Such labours cannot fail to be useful. We feel greatly obliged to the London Missionary and Tract Society, and to the Rev. Doctor, for the assistance thus kindly afforded us, and although the insidious opposition of the old church appears to be more virulent than ever, the little society in this town is determined to use every possible means in their power to promote the cause of truth.

Liverpool, Limekiln Lane.-From a handbill forwarded to us we perceive that a course of Lectures are now being delivered in the above church, on Sunday evenings. The subjects embrace most of the leading doctrines of the church, with a lecture in which infidelity is opposed and refuted on new grounds. The lecturers are Messrs. R. G. Sheldon, G. Leyritz, and J. Brierley.

The Keighley Visitor.-We have received the November number of this

periodical, in which is a sermon of Mr. Storry's, recently preached in the Keighley New Church. The subject is, "What is Truth ?" What makes the circumstance the more interesting is, that it was inserted at the request of the Editor, who though evidently not unfriendly, yet does not rank himself amongst us. A brief statement of our views on some of the leading points is also given.

Middleton. The excitement at Middleton seems not to have altogether subsided yet, as will appear from the subjoined extract from a letter of Mr. Robinson:-"We lectured last night in the Temperance Hall, Middleton, on the question, 'Do the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg encourage adultery?' do not like to say much about my own performances; but I may say that the hall was full of people, and that they sat quite still while I delivered a lecture of an hour and three-quarters; some of which was of a most trying nature to those belonging to the Old Church. But you will probably hear more about it from Middleton."

From the same communication we learn also that the controversy in the "Middleton Albion" is likely to be resumed.

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Lectures.-A course of lectures has been delivered at the Public Hall, Stretford, a village about four miles from Manchester, on the following subjects:-"The one God of Revelation fully revealed in the person of Jesus Christ," by the Rev. E. D. Rendell. on the 23rd November. What is Salvation-how is it attained ?"—by the Rev. J. H. Smithson, on the 30th November. "The Bible-why is it the Word of God, and how may its Divinity be fully demonstrated?"-on the 7th December; and, "Shall we know each other after Death?"-on the 16th Dec. by the Rev. W. Woodman.

The audiences, if not large, were very attentive; and several of those present, who have lately had their minds directed to the doctrines of the New Church, have probably had many doubts dispelled which the mistaken zeal of some of the spiritual teachers the locality had raised in their minds, by publicly denouncing the writings of Swedenborg as being dangerous in their tendency. The Rev. E. D. Rendell's very useful works-" The Peculiarities of the Bible;" "The Ante.

of