But our space does not allow us to dwell longer upon these striking evidences of the results of the Lord's second advent. We beg to solicit attention to the immediate operations of this Society. Since we relinquished the printing of Swedenborg's theological writings to the London Society, we, of course, have suspended our operations in this great and primitive field of the Society's usefulness. Our attention has consequently been confined to the printing of Mr. Clowes's works, together with the writings of others who have successfully exerted themselves either in illustrating or vindicating the doctrines of the New Jerusalem. Dr. Tafel's Refutation, noticed in our last report, has been distributed by Mr. Clissold to several reviews, and to various libraries, where it was likely to attract attention, and be of some service in defending the Truth. Many copies have also been sold in America, and more are wanted. As, however, it is a controversial, or polemical work, it is not attractive to every reader, but only to the more learned, whose duty it is, either by the voice or the pen, to vindicate the cause of Truth. It is, however, desirable that every reader and receiver of the Heavenly Doctrines should be able not only "to give a reason for the hope that is in him," but to be capable of vindicating his doctrines when attacked, and of refuting the various flimsy objections which may be brought against them. And this learned Refutation of Dr. Mohler by Dr. Tafel we think affords abundant materials for this purpose. We, therefore, especially recommend all ministers, leaders of societies, and missionaries to furnish themselves with this work, as an armoury of weapons in defence of the Truth.

"

We beg also to impress upon the attention of all who are interested in the establishment of the Lord's New Church, that the volume of Theological Lectures, by the able pen of the venerable Samuel Noble, so long and so successfully a labourer in the Lord's New Vineyard, is eminently worthy of their serious perusal and study. This volume comprises a great variety of subjects essential to the cause of true religion, so ably and Scripturally discussed, that deep convictions of the Truth cannot fail to be established in every calm and reflecting mind. We cannot but express our surprise that this work has not been more extensively sold. The Americans no sooner saw it, than they acknowledged its eminent worth, and reprinted it. But in England, its excellence and worth, we think, have been scarcely acknowledged.

We cannot but express, on this occasion, our gratitude and praise to the Lord's Providence, that the Minor Works of Swedenborg, comprising the "Doctrine of the Lord," "Scripture," "Life," "Faith," "Influx," and "Heavenly Doctrines," &c., "Brief Exposition," &c.,

and "Last Judgment," have all been published by the Manchester and Salford Tract Society, and brought out in most accurate editions, and at the cheapest cost. We see in this movement, so successfully carried out, the principal object for which this Society, in 1782, was established, and we cordially congratulate the public in thus being enabled, almost "without money and without price," to procure the leading Doctrines of the New Church, as explained in the Minor Works of Swedenborg. When we look back and see that that which was formerly sold for a shilling can now be had for twopence or threepence, in a more correct, as well as in a neater form, we have certainly great grounds of thankfulness to our Heavenly Father for these increased facilities of making known the Doctrines of the New Jerusalem.

Your Committee beg to state, that the members of the Church in these parts have been favoured with a visit by Madame Ehrenborg, from Sweden. This lady, whose husband, to the period of his death, was a high official in his own country, has, for many years, been a devout and earnest receiver of the Doctrines of the New Church; and her motive and object in visiting this country was chiefly to see the members, and to join with them in the public worship of the Lord, a privilege, from the want of religious liberty, not yet enjoyed in her own country. During this lady's visit amongst us, in the month of May last, your Committee thought it might be useful to the cause of the New Church in Sweden, and in itself a graceful acknowledgment of the pleasure we experienced in this visit of a countrywoman of Swedenborg, to present her with a copy of every work published by this Society We are also glad to inform the public of the New Church, that chiefly through this lady's exertions, several of Mr. Clowes's works have been translated and published in the Swedish language. The Committee have likewise presented a copy of several new editions to the Library of the London Printing Society.

We have also to state that one set of the Society's publications has been claimed, (according to Rule XI.,) in virtue of a share in this Society's stock possessed by the late Mr. Dawes.

This Society begs to acknowledge the handsome donation of £10., presented by the Rev. A. Clissold, in consideration of their translating and printing Dr. Tafel's Refutation of Dr. Mohler. In acknowledgement of this donation, your Committee have presented Mr. Clissold with twelve copies, for the purpose of distributing them where he thought they might be useful.

Your Committee for revising and superintending works through the press beg to state, that they have employed the greater part of the year

in revising and preparing for the press a new edition of the Gospel of John, in the same manner as in the previous year they had revised and prepared the Gospel of Luke. As these works on the Gospels, by the late venerable Clowes, are calculated to be of increasing importance as the minds of men awaken to the perception and love of the genuine Truths of the Word, your Committee have considered that no labour should be spared in giving these works the highest degree of perfection of which, from careful study and revision, they, in the present state of things, are susceptible; accordingly the Greek text has been closely examined, and not less than 233 new extracts from the works of Swedenborg have been added to this new edition.

Many who profess to acknowledge the Truths of the New Church, still neglect to furnish themselves with the works in which those Truths are, for the most part, beautifully explained and illustrated. The literature of the Church is already very extensive; but there is reason to fear that the desire to read and to instruct the mind is by no means so extensive. It was a remark of the venerable Clowes, that the "food provided for our support is a great blessing, but that it is a still greater blessing to have an appetite for the enjoyment of the food;" this appetite, however, we fear, from the comparative small demand for our works, is not good and healthy. Blessed," says the Lord, "are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." The appetite to enjoy Truth is verily a great blessing; let us, then, endeavour to live so that this appetite may be awakened and increased within us, and we shall hunger after that Spiritual Food, that Bread which cometh down from heaven, and which the Lord, in His Mercy, has so abundantly provided through the opening of the Spiritual Sense of His Word, and by making known the genuine Truth and Doctrines of His Church.

66

ON THE WORD OF GOD AND THE EXCELLENCE OF ITS STYLE, AND ON NATURAL THEOLOGY, PROVING THAT THIS DOES NOT EXIST EXCEPT FROM THE WORD.

(Now first translated from the Diary of Swedenborg.)

I ONCE heard, amongst those who in the world had been learned, some from the Word and some from merely natural light or intelligence, a severe disputation. The learned, who derived their light or intelligence from the world, maintained that natural theology was sufficient, and that it could, without the Word, teach, yea, illustrate the human mind,

and demonstrate the existence of God, of heaven and hell, that the soul is immortal, and that there is eternal life. Whereas those who were learned, or intelligent from the Word, maintained that it was only the Word of God that could teach and illustrate the mind as to those important subjects. The spirits who maintained that natural theology could do this, greatly infested those who maintained that the Word alone could do it. This infestation they carried on for some days, thinking in their hearts and at length asserting, that the Word is not any thing, that in many places it is written in so simple and so obscure a style that it can teach nothing, and still less give any illustration, and that the writings of the learned, such as those of Cicero, of Seneca, &c., and of certain learned men of the present day, were more excellent. But it was told them that the style in which the Word is written is infinitely more excellent than the style of any of the learned that have ever lived in the world; because in the Word there is not a single sentence, or word, or even letter, which does not contain in itself something of the Lord, and hence something of heaven and the church, because it has come from God, and hence has in its bosom what is spiritual and divine, which lies hidden within it as the soul in the body, and which, whilst a man, from a sense of holiness, is reading it, is evolved in order before the angels, who are affected with the sanctity hence arising, and communicate their holy sensations to man. Hence it is evident, that the style of the Word, howsoever simple it may appear, is infinitely more excellent than any style which characterises the writings of the learned in the world; which style, although it may appear elegant and sublime, yet it does not communicate with heaven, and thus, in respect to the style of the Word, is altogether vile.

The spirits who were for natural theology heard these things, but still they rejected them, because whilst they were in the world, they had held the Word in utter contempt; and those who in the world contemn the Word, and confirm their contempt by passages from the Word,—— such after death hold the Word in constant contempt. For every principle formed and confirmed in the world concerning God and the Word, remains after death enrooted, nor can it be plucked out. As, therefore, these spirits did not communicate with heaven, but with hell, they began to associate themselves with certain satans in hell, so that at length they and the satans began to converse together, and gnashing with their teeth, they breathed the destruction of those who were for the Word; they could, however, do no mischief whatever to them, for the Lord was for them, and Satan was for the others, wherefore the former were received into heaven, and the latter sank down into hell.

The angels afterwards said, that natural theology without the Word reveals nothing; but only confirms those things which are known from the Word in the doctrine of the church; and that confirmations from nature by means of rational light, corroborate spiritual truths, because every one must have some natural idea concerning spiritual things, in order that he may retain them in his memory, and hence bring them forth into the thought, and rationally revolve and consider them; wherefore if from nature, or from natural theology, confirmations can be derived, the truth is thereby corroborated. But a man must be especially on his guard, that he do not assume a false principle in the place of a true one, because the false, when assumed as a principle, may be confirmed by ingenious reasoners, equally as well as the true. Hence it is that heretical, or false principles may be confirmed even to the destruction of the Truth itself. The angels also added that no one can from, or by means of natural theology, enter into spiritual theology; but that every one can from, or by means of spiritual theology, enter into natural theology, because this is according to divine order; but from natural theology to enter into spiritual theology is contrary to divine order; for the natural principle is gross and impure, and the spiritual is subtle and pure, and it is not possible for what is gross and impure to enter into what is subtle and pure. Thus the angels can look below themselves, and see all things which are there, but no one from inferior principles can see the things which are in the heavens, yea, an angel can see a spirit who is in a grosser sphere or in grosser principles than himself, but a spirit cannot see an angel who is in purer principles than himself. Wherefore when such spirits ascend into heaven where angels are, which often occurs, they see nobody, not even their houses, and they go away, saying that they see nothing at all but what is empty and deserted. It is similar with the Word: those who do not believe in the Word from the Word, can by no means believe any thing Divine from nature; for the Lord says:- They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them; if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead." (Luke xvi. 29, 30.) In like manner, it would be the case with any one who, having rejected the Word, wishes to believe from nature alone.

The ancients who were Pagans, such as Aristotle, Cicero, and others, have indeed written concerning the existence of God, and the immortality of the soul, but they did not first know these things from their own natural light or intelligence, but from the religion of the ancients, with whom there was a divine revelation, which was snccessively propagated to the nations of [Greece and Italy.]

(To be continued.)