E. S. teach in his writings (for we have only to do with the teaching of E. S. in the question), that the objects, events, and phenomena of the natural world are in the same relation to man as an inhabitant of the natural world, as the objects, events, and phenomena of the spiritual world are to an inhabitant of that world?-EDITORS.] EXTRACT FROM SENECA. "WHEN the day shall come that will separate this composition, human and divine, I will leave this body here, where I found it, and return to God; not that I am altogether absent from Him even now, though detained from superior happiness by this heavy earthly clog. This short stay in mortal life is but the prelude to a better and more lasting life above. As we are detained nine months in our mother's womb, which prepares us, not for itself to dwell always therein, but for that place whither we are sent, as soon as we are fit to breathe the vital air, and strong enough to bear the light; so in that space of time, which reaches from infancy to old age, inclusive, we aspire after another birth as from the womb of nature; another beginning, another state of things awaits us. We cannot as yet reach heaven till duly qualified by this interval. 66 Look, then, with an intrepid eye upon that determined happy hour. It is not the last to the soul, if it be to the body. Whatever things are spread around thee, look upon them only as the furniture of an inn. We must leave them and go on. Nature throws us out of the world as she threw us into it. Nay, even a great part of that which attended us when we came into the world must be thrown off. This skin, which nature threw over us as a veil, must be stripped off; our flesh and our blood, which so wonderfully circulates through every part of it, must be dispersed, as also the solids, the bones, and nerves, which supported the fluids and weaker parts. This day, which men are apt to dread as their last, is but the birth-day of an eternity" (Ep. 102). ON THE DESIGNATION "NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH." To the Editors of the Intellectual Repository. GENTLEMEN, I THINK that you, in your editorial capacity, should have satisfied the " very proper request" of "A Member," who, a year since, de sired to be informed by what authority, if any, the church is designated the "New Jerusalem Church ;"* by your referring him for the required information to the preface of the New Church Liturgy. His letter in your last number exhibits him still in the dark respecting this weighty matter. I am surprised that a member desirous of knowing the real name of the church should remain so long in ignorance of what the most superficial inquirer may learn from the first page of the preface of the "New Church" Liturgy. This circumstance shews a "Member" to be a superficial member indeed, and I fear he is not alone in his glory; that many members from their inattention to, or rather negligence of, their religious duties, may be his parallels. I therefore feel convinced that you would do an essential service to the church by giving an extended publicity, through the Intellectual Repository, of the following extracts: "Without the worship of the Lord, there can be no church and no religion; nor, when not restrained by the violence of persecution, can any church continue to exist which does not celebrate its worship in a public manner, and assemble its members, at regular periods, to send their united prayers and praises to the Author of their mercies. The 'NEW CHURCH,' therefore, signified by the New Jerusalem in the Revelation, most solemnly and willingly acknowledges this indispensible duty. It may be proper, in this place, explicitly to state her views on the subject. "Instructed in the genuine doctrines of the Word of God, and brought acquainted with the interior truths of divine revelation, the New Church is far from substituting external worship for internal, or from supposing that the most exact attendance upon the outward forms of religion can in any degree compensate for the neglect of its essence and life; but while the doctrines of the New Church dwell copiously upon the life of charity and faith, which is to the forms of religion what the soul is to the body, they constantly assume external and public worship to be a duty, which none who make any profession of religion can think themselves at liberty to neglect. They consider it to be very possible for a man to be attentive to the outward forms of religion and yet to neglect its substance; but they regard it as impossible for a man who is imbued with the substance of true religion to disregard its appropriate forms. Thus they consider external worship to flow naturally and necessarily from internal, as an effect from its cause; and where the cause exists, they assume that the effect will unavoidably follow." * * This is no other than the vulgar appellation. "Closely connected with the maintenance of public worship is the observance of the Lord's day, in regard to which the doctrine of the NEW CHURCH may be given in the following brief statement :'After the Lord came into the world, when the representations of him (established in the Israelitish church) ceased, the Sabbath-day was made a day of instruction in divine things, and thus likewise a day of rest from labour, and of meditation on the subjects of salvation and eternal life, as also a day for the cultivation and exercise of love towards our neighbour.' 'On the Lord's day (Rev. 1, ver. 10)' signifies influx from the Lord: for on that day is experienced the presence of the Lord, because the day is holy.' "But the duties of public divine worship are needful, it is generally acknowledged, even for angels; much more then must they be necessary for man, though man in this, as in every thing else, is so much more apt to neglect his duty; and that angels, including even those of the inmost heaven, though not, as commonly imagined, employed in acts of external worship without ceasing, do yet engage in them at regular seasons, and in a public manner, bearing a close analogy to the public meetings for worship of the members of the Lord's church on earth, is expressly maintained in the doctrines of the New Jerusalem. For a person, then, to profess those doctrines, and yet wilfully to neglect the public worship of the Lord, would be equivalent to proclaiming that, in his own estimation, he ranks higher than the angels, "On the usefulness of divine worship many valuable quotations might be made. The following contains the beautiful sentiment, as to the reason of the Lord's requiring it, which is introduced in the Invitation to Worship in the morning service: It is imagined that the Lord, because he is to be adored, worshiped, and glorified, loves adoration, worship, and glory for his own sake; but he loves them for man's sake, because man thereby comes into such a state that the divine operation can flow into him, and be received by him; for thereby man removes his selfhood, which prevents such influx and reception; because his selfhood, which is the love of self, hardens the heart and shuts it. This is removed by the acknowledgment that from himself is nothing but evil, and from the Lord nothing but good: hence there result a softening of the heart and humiliation, from which flow ado. ration and worship.' According to this statement, without the worship of the Lord, man can receive nothing from him." I hope that you will coincide with me as to the propriety and usefulness of giving these extracts a place in one of your pages. Many a member who reads the Magazine, will be instructed thereby, in an essential course of duty. To peruse occasionally the entire preface, would be found profitable to one's edification; indeed, for that purpose, it would form a good subject for occasional family reading. I must add one word more; I consider "A Member's" designation of the church erroneously inappropriate, for we are not new Christians, but members of a NEW CHURCH. [As our correspondent has appealed to us in the above paper, we will merely state, that the question concerning the Designation of the New Church, is a different thing from the Meaning of what the New Church is: respecting the meaning, there can, we think, be no doubt, even in the minds of those, whom our correspondent rashly calls "superficial." As editors, we are as much the guardians of charity as of truth, and we utterly deprecate all rash and unbecoming expressions. It has long been experienced, that the designation "New Jerusalem Church," is not a suitable designation, since it is constantly giving rise in the minds of strangers to misapprehension and erroneous impressions. We have long since thought, that the designation" New Christian Church," as recommended by our correspondent of last month, (see p. 85,) is more appropriate and correct, and more calculated to convey a proper view to the world, of that which the New Church professes to be, viz., a New Dispensation of Christianity. In government papers and others documents, we are sometimes called " Swedenborgians," and sometimes "New Jerusalemites;" both which designations we utterly repudiate. Hence, therefore, it becomes indispensably necessary, that as a body, we should adopt that designation which is the most suitable to convey the truth, and the least liable of misapprehension. We would, consequently, recommend that the Conference adopt the designation "New Christian Church," of course, the explanative may be added, viz., "signified by the New Jerusalem in the Revelation." To some, this may probably appear an arrogant assumption; but this we cannot help. Truth is truth, whatever be the views of men respecting it. This designation will not appear arrogant to those who know, that the Old Church is so completely destroyed, that "not one stone is left upon another."EDITORS.] A FEW REMARKS RESPECTING TWO LINES IN HYMN 28 OF THE CONFERENCE HYMN BOOK. To the Editors of the Intellectual Repository. GENTLEMEN, BEING recently engaged in reading Swedenborg's admirable treatise on The Divine Providence, my attention was powerfully arrested by several of the luminous and edifying articles contained in that excellent book; one of these is n. 337, in which the immeasurable greatness and unceasing goodness of the divine mercy, in behalf of man, are exhibited in a manner exceedingly brief and comprehensive; and it seems hardly possible to suppose that it can be read, with the seriousness which a subject so important deserves, without exciting in the mind devout feelings of gratitude to the Lord, and stirring up and strengthening every feeble resolve to follow our gracious Exemplar,—to realize, practically in ourselves, the indestructible blessedness promised in His divine and tender invitation, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matt. 11, ver. 28, 29). Having thus glanced at the happy and primary tendency of the article adverted to, allow me to observe, before quoting it, that the immediate object of this attempt to bring it under the notice of your readers, is, comparatively, of secondary importance, but nevertheless, it is hoped, not altogether useless. The article brought to remembrance, and seemed to have a close bearing upon, a discussion which took place at a late meeting of the General Conference, on an objection, very seriously raised, against two lines in hymn 28 of the Conference Hymn Book, and an earnest request to have them altered or removed. The lines are "Love divine, our race to save, The objection and reply may be thus briefly stated:—the lines were said to express an idea contrary to what is taught in the writings of E. S., which is to the effect that the Divine Itself cannot suffer, consequently, that suffering and death cannot in anywise be predicable of divine love, or of love divine. The majority, however, thought this objection not sufficiently strong and palpable to require alteration; because, although in a specific or restricted sense, it was objectionable |