Church, who till then never heard thereof. I should be glad to receive a handbill at any time (post paid of course) and will acknowledge its receipt. "Trusting that what I have now written may be of use to some situated as I am, "I remain, rev. Sir, 66 "Yours in the New Church, "JOSEPH BERREY. "Mill-street, Bideford, Devon, February 7th, 1859." Melbourne. Visit of the Rev. E. Madeley. The members and friends of the New Church society at Melbourne have been much gratified by a visit from the Rev. E. Madeley, of Birmingham. On Sunday, January 23rd, he delivered two sermons, one in the morning, the other in the evening, both of which were well attended. In the afternoon, the Lord's Supper was administered to all who chose to attend and partake. On the ensuing Monday evening, a teameeting was held in the chapel, after which Mr. Madeley gave us an interesting address, showing the anti-sectarian tendency of the New Church, that it was not exclusive, but for the good of all, and of a truly universal and catholic spirit. A long and interesting conversation then followed, relating chiefly to the interests of the church here; for, owing to several causes, the principal of which is the removal of members, some of whom have emigrated, others gone to places where trade was more flourishing, and yet others who by death have passed into the spiritual world, there has been a decrease in our numbers, which has not been met by a corresponding accession. And it is only occasionally that we can avail ourselves of the services of a regular minister and pastor, so that when the opportunity does occur, it is the more welcome and acceptable; and it is hoped that Mr. Madeley has, by the remarks he made, and by his suggestions, aroused in us a more zealous and hopeful spirit. An attempt is being made to re establish a Sunday-school in connection with the church, and a meeting is to be held weekly for the purpose of reading and conversing upon the New Church writings, and other kindred topics. The society also hopes soon to be able to avail itself of missionary aid at regularly recurring periods, and steps have been taken with this end in view. Altogether we have been cheered and strengthened, and trust that our present and future efforts will be so blessed by the Source of all Good, that the result may be a permanent benefit to the society, and to the church at large. W. A. Bury, Lancashire.-Lectures by the Rev. J. B. Kennerley.- Mr. Kennerley has recently delivered, in the society's meeting-room, Henry-street, a course of four lectures on some of the leading doctrines of the New Church. Not having received any report of them, we are unable to state any particulars beyond their having been tolerably well attended, and left a favourable impression on those who heard them. A course of three lectures, on successive Thursday evenings, has been commenced in this suburban village. The lecturers are the Revs. W. Woodman and J. B. Kennerley and Mr. Geo. Parry. We hope to present a full account in our next. Worsley. A series of seven lectures is also in the course of delivery in the society's place of worship, Old-lane. The ministers, &c. taking part in them, are the Revs. E. D. Rendell, J. H. Smithson, R. Edleston, J. B. Kennerley, and W. Woodman; and Mr. A. Haworth, of Accrington. A future number will contain full particulars; we may, however, state, that considerable interest has been excited, and thus the attendance has been highly satisfactory. Haslingden.-During the months of November and December last, a course of lectures was weekly delivered at Haslingden, which has excited considerable interest and appears to have been very favourably received. There was a very full and attentive audience at each lecture, especially the second and third, which subjects attracted more crowded audiences. The following were the lecturers, with the subjects upon which they lectured:-Mr. A. Haworth, on Repentance, &c. Rev. R. Edleston, on Heaven and its Delights. Rev. J. H. Smithson, on Luther, Wesley, and Swedenborg. Rev. J. Boys, on Saving Faith. Rev. E. D. Rendell, on Eternal Life, the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is never to be quenched. Rev. W. Woodman, on Free Will, and its Compatibility with the Foreknowledge of God. All the lectures were excellent, many persons expressing the gratified feelings with which they had listened to the views presented, and some have attended the whole course. From the opinions expressed, there is every reason to hope and believe that these lectures will have done much towards weakening the strong prejudice which existed, and correcting many false ideas as to what the doctrines of the New Church really are. To what extent the good impressions formed will ripen into established conviction cannot now be asserted; but let us hope a sincere and earnest search after truth were the actuating principles, and we need not fear the result. To support the doctrines so ably set forth in the lectures, from 70 to 80 dozen tracts and Pithy Tracts were distributed to perform their silent but useful work. T. R. GENERAL RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. HEART RELIGION. "Superstition is not Religion," neither is the exhibition of a gilded prayerbook, Religion. Fashionable Religion imposes only a little periodical restraint, but demands no abnegation of self generally. It is not the external display of piety, but the habitual bias and devotion of the heart, that is acceptable to that Almighty, percipient Being, who requires to be worshipped "in spirit and in truth," whom no veil of appearances can deceive no mere profession can satisfy. The state of the heart is the sine qua non (so to speak) with our holy, all-righteous heavenly Father. With him the beggar's petition, if humbly offered, is as available as the more formal and cere monious one of "the well to do" wor- Believe O man, that heartfelt prayer, L. THE "CONSTITUTIONAL PRESS" AND SWE- The Constitutional Press is a weekly newspaper recently established in the interests of the Church; the exponent of that section-and let us hope a small one-whose religion (?) consists in an overweening conceit of their own supe. riority, and contempt for all who differ from them. The animus which actuates the conductors may be gathered from the following characteristic avowal of their sentiments:-" People may call us bigoted if they will; but we have no great opinion of the sagacity of any Englishman who is not a member of the Church of England"! With sentiments of which the preceding is a sample, the treatment the works of our author would receive at such hands may be divined with tolerable accuracy; and our readers will not be surprised that the notice of Swedenborg's "True Christian Religion" should be the occasion of strong expressions of dissent and disapproval, though they will hardly be prepared for such a tirade of low abuse and scurrility as characterises two notices of this volume which appear in the impressions of Dec. 4 and 11. Take the following as a specimen:-"Some visionaries live by railroad speculations. Steam was a great deal too tame for the spiritual Swedehe determined to speculate in a bible of his own. Of course there would have been a risk in this, without the employment of extraordinary means. Swedenborg did not give lectures, nor advertise, nor make an exhibition of himself; but, quietly and unostentatiously, and without even packing up his things, taking sandwiches, or even insuring his life, Swedenborg went to-heaven. This was a great deal better than merely writing a paragraph for the newspapers, and announcing that a new Bible, spiritually arranged, was about to appear. The writer in this case had been to heaven; he came back, looking remarkably well, and was not above noticing his friends. This shewed that Swedenborg had no false pride. He had been to heaven: he had seen where the Jews were, and where the Germans were, and where the English were,- he had seen all this. He knew what was true, and no one else did. He had conversed with 'angels and satans'; and was so full of the 'marriages in heaven,' that we believe the old gentleman, during his stay, had given away as many brides as the Duke of Wellington did subsequently here on earth." After this specimen, we are sure our readers will excuse our not entering into á serious refutation of an attack more suitable for Billingsgate than the columns of a religious journal. SWEDENBORG'S STATEMENT THAT THE SOUL DOES NOT QUIT THE BODY TILL SOMETIME AFTER THE FUNCTION OF BREATHING HAS CEASED. We extract the following from the "Swedenborgian:"-" Proofs of Death. -At the late sitting of the French Academy of Sciences, M. Collongues announced a discovery he had made in auscultation.* From numerous experiments made in the hospitals of Toulouse, Montpelier, and Paris, it appears that immediately after death a murmuring sound is heard in the body, lasting five, ten, and even fifteen hours. It diminishes gradually, and cease first in the parts of the body which are farthest from the heart. In an amputated member the same sound is heard for several minutes. The non-existence of this sound may be considered a sure sign of the total cessation of life. M. Collongues called this branch of auscultation dynamiscopia.-New York Times. "This discovery is particularly interesting, as adding another to the numerous confirmations which modern science has already furnished to the truth of announcements made through Sweden borg a hundred years ago. He declared that the spirit was not separated from the body until the entire cessation of the motion of the heart, which frequently does not take place until the third day after respiration has ceased. Man's spirit,' he says, speaking on the subject of death, 'remains a little time in the body, but not longer than till the cessation of the motion of the heart, which takes place sooner or later, according to the nature of the disease of which the man dies. With some the motion of the heart continues a long while after the body is apparently dead, but with others not so long. The reason that a man's spirit is not separated from his body before the motion of his heart has ceased, is, because the heart corresponds to the affection that belongs to the love, which is the very life of *The act of listening or hearkening to. man; for it is from love that every one derives the vital heat; wherefore so long as this motion continues that correspondence continues, and consequently the life of the spirit in the body! (H. H. 447.) And this revealed truth may now be regarded as resting upon the basis of or at least as finding confirmation in--scientific fact." CONSECRATION OF CHURCHES. The Repository for January has, in page 43, an article advocating the consecration of churches. To "consecrate," Does the writer of that article really says the dictionary, is to make holy. think that brick and mortar can be made holy, even by "orderly ceremo nials"? A bishop may be seen consecrating churches and cemeteries, but we know that this practice is simply a remnant of Romish superstition. Our Conference, according to its services, dedicates places of worship, and in this the Conference is right. I will The above-mentioned article has a passage, or part of one, not correctly translated, from Swedenborg. here give the whole passage, with a true rendering, from which it will be seen that the author does not mention consecration; and that he is simply using what he says about a temple, as a comparison to illustrate the way in which man is to make approaches to the Lord in order to conjunction with Him. Swedenborg says "Glorification was the uniting of the Lord's Humanity with the Divinity of His Father; this was done by successive steps, and was fully completed by the passion of the cross; for every man, on his part, ought to make approaches towards God, and as he so approaches, God enters, on His part, in the same proportion. It is in this case as with a temple; this must first be built, and this with the hands of men, and afterwards it must be inaugurated, and lastly prayer must be made, that God may be present, and unite Himself with the church there." (T. C. R. 126.) As to the Lord, or His divine life of love and wisdom being present in His church, Swedenborg says "It is not in place, but with those and in those who are in place according to reception; inasmuch as neither place nor progression from one place to another is predicable of love and wisdom, or of good "94. Resolved, That those societies which have neither resident ministers nor leaders authorized to administer the Sacrament of the Holy Supper, be recommended to the President of the Conference, who shall arrange with them to have a minister sent to them if possible for that purpose, whose travelling and other expenses may be paid out of the funds of the National Missionary Society." Up to the present time only two applications have been made for the service here named. At a time when small societies are multiplying, and isolated receivers are uniting themselves more closely together to study the Heavenly Doctrines, it is desirable that their attention should be called to the importance of observing the Lord's command to receive the ordinance of his Supper, in remembrance of himself. It is a clearly recognised truth in the writings of the church, that all the precepts of the Lord are given for the spiritual benefit of his disciples. And in no command is this more truly the case than in the one respecting his Supper. This ordinance to the devout recipient is a means of opening heaven to the soul, and of uniting the church on earth to the church in heaven. Its habitual and devout reception by the members of the church would strengthen in them all the better influences of our holy religion, unite them more perfectly in one by the bonds of charity and mutual affection, and aid and dispose them to build up the walls of Jerusalem as a city that is compact together. It is a strong impression of these truths which has led the Conference to make the utmost provision in its power for the orderly and extensive administration of this sacrament, and repeatedly to call the attention of the members of the church to the subject. The Conference has deemed that it could not better employ a portion of its mission funds than by seeking to unite and build up through this sacrament our small and rising societies, and I sincerely hope that many of these will yet avail themselves of its offer.-I am, &c., RICHARD STORRY, President of the 51st General SUGGESTIONS FOR EXTENDING A KNOWLEDGE OF NEW CHURCH DOCTRINES. Two communications have been received containing suggestions on this subject. One of them, which suggested a special mission to the professors of infidelity, we briefly noticed in our number for November last. As the subject is of importance, not having room for the communication entire, we extract the most striking portions:"A Special Mission for the New Church. "To the Editor. "Dear Sir,-I have for some time past entertained a fixed idea that greater efforts ought to be made by the church in the direction of converting the heathen. We need not travel far to do this. Infidelity stalks rampant in the island we inhabit; and weak indeed are some of the weapons by means of which Christians seek to combat with or guard themselves from its benighted influences. I allude to the weapons possessed by the majority of Christian professors, who must provoke either pity or scorn when they offer, as the doctrines of the Bible and of Divine Truth, their views of the Trinity,-of the Atonement,-of Salvation by Faith alone,-of the Resurrection of the body,-of the Holy Word, having to be all literally, and only literally, understood; and of Baptism being effective of immediate regeneration. These and kindred doctrines, beset with anomalies and absurdities (to enlarge on which I will not trespass on your valuable columns), when presented to an infidel, who, I believe, usually prides himself especially on his rational faculty, and names his periodical par excellence The Reasoner,-these doctrines, I say, must provoke either pity or scorn, particularly when presented with the dictum that they are mysteries which it is not only useless but impious to endeavour to understand; that Christian faith prohibits the exercise of reason; and that he must believe, though he cannot understand. In this land of freedom, and this age of rationality, the human mind cannot be shackled thus; and I cannot help thinking that it behoves those who have the power, to originate and cherish the will, to convert the heathen. * * Twenty years' experience of the progress of the church has proved to me that dealing with the preconceived errors of religious professors, does not promote the extension of the church in the ratio that might reasonably be expected; and it strikes me rather forcibly, that if we could point to success where others have failed, and are still failing, it would be the means of attracting the favourable attention of the Christian world to the doctrines which had effected such results. I think it highly probable that our doctrines might find a more speedy reception in minds not already preöccupied by the prevailing erroneous views." The second suggestion,—the establish ment of colporteurs in the New Church,occurs in a communication from a correspondent, near Barnsley, Yorkshire, who, from seeing in the intelligence from America, in the December number, that the plan has been successful there, is anxious to see it adopted here, and willing to enter heartily into the work. We have handed his communication to the secretary of the Manchester Tract Society, and we doubt not the suggestion will receive the serious attention of the Committee. INVITATION TO MINISTERS AND OTHERS FROM NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE. The society at Newcastle-on-Tyne will be glad to receive overtures from preachers in the New Church, for short visits during the ensuing spring and summer, whose expenses will be defrayed. Address T. Catcheside, Pilgrimstreet, Newcastle-on-Tyne. [We understand the object of our friends to be,-to arrange for a Series of Discourses on Prominent Subjects, and to advertise them. It is hoped that all who can spare a Sabbath or two from home, or can make arrangements to meet the views of the Newcastle Society, will comply with their request, to carry out the desirable effort to make known to their townsmen the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem.-EDITOR.] NEW PUBLICATIONS. The Apostle Paul's Doctrine concerning Justifying and Saving Faith: a Lecture delivered March 14th, 1858, in the Back Wood-street Sehool, Middleton. By Thomas Robinson. London: White, 36, Bloomsbury-street, New Oxford-street, (W. C.) 1858. "Prove all things, hold fast that which is good." (1 Thess. v. 21.) This is a companion lecture to the one, The Doctrine of Justification by Faith alone the Curse of Christendom, which we noticed a few months since. The name of the writer is a guarantee that it contains deep thought aud clear logical argument, and those who peruse it will not be disappointed in their expectations. The positions of Mr. Robinson are well fortified by abundant quotations from Scripture, and many of the applications carry great weight. Take the following brief extract as an example:-"I know that those who advocate the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, tell us that Christ hath fulfilled the law for us; meaning thereby, INSTEAD of us. But this, I affirm, is contrary to the Scriptures. He hath indeed fulfilled the law for us, but not instead of us, but that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled IN us.' (Rom. viii. 4.) 'Jesus was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour,' being the captain of our salvation, made perfect through sufferings,' by means of the flesh and blood' which he, like us, was partaker of, and sanctified himself for our sakes, THAT WE MIGHT BE SANCTIFIED THROUGH THE TRUTH.' (John xvii. 19.) Not, therefore, instead of us; but that both "he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified' may all be one." We might extract much more, but the above must suffice. We most cordially commend this little tract to our readers, especially those who desire to furnish themselves with weapons for the defence of the New Church view. The New Churchman's Almanack. By the Rev. Dr. Bayley.-An almanack is quite a novelty in New Church literature. Dr. Bayley thinking, we presume, it might be made a vehicle for conveying some general information relative to the church, has published one. With much that is interesting there are some things which, in our opinion, it would have been better to leave out. Further experience will, |
