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genuine sincerity and solemnity in this;-I cannot imagine that they entered 66 the mere performance of a religious rite," or conducted it with an unmeaning ceremoniousness, uttered in a thoughtless manner. Indeed, to guard as much as possible against such an irreverent mode of procedure, the person who officiated had been previously well approved, " of good report," and set apart for the work of the ministry by ordination. But how can "personal piety be supposed" to exist in the mind of the officiator, at one and the same time with the idea, that "reading decently" is all that is required. What says E. S. of the holy supper? He says, "The holy supper contains, both universally and singularly, all things of heaven and the Church." (T. C. R., 711). "The Lord, both as to his divinity and glorified humanity, is entirely omnipresent in the holy supper." (Ibid. 716). Again: "These two sacraments are as it were two gates leading to eternal life. By baptism, which is the first gate, every Christian is initiated and introduced into the doctrines which the Church teaches from the Word respecting a future life; all which are so many means to prepare him, and conduct him to heaven. The other gate is the holy supper, through which every one who has suffered himself to be prepared and led by the Lord, is introduced and admitted into heaven. There are no other universal gates but these. After passing through the first gate he comes to a plain, over which he is to run a race; and the second gate is the goal wherein is the prize to which he directs his course; for the palm is not given till his race is run, nor the prize adjudged till the contest is decided." (T. C. R., 721). "These two sacraments may also be compared with a double temple, one of which is below, and the other above. In the lower, the gospel of the Lord's new advent is preached, and also regeneration and consequent salvation by him; from this temple, near the altar, is an ascent to the upper temple, where the holy supper is celebrated; and from thence is a passage into heaven, where the worshipers are received by the Lord." (Ibid. 669). From considerations like these, any thing like burlesque, in word or deed, on the administration of the "most holy institution of worship in the Christian Church," should be strenuously avoided. The objectionable assertion is made where the New Church is the subject of remark. The communicants therefore know, or ought to know, from the spiritual sense of the Word and the science of correspondences, the genuine signification of the natural elements and emblems in the holy supper, and how the celestial and spiritual sustenance they represent and signify is to be received and appropriated by man. And is the "ministerial dispenser" to be excluded as having

no part or lot in the matter? Is one to be the exception, and the other the rule? Is he to be supposed to raise no spiritual affection to heaven, from an earnest desire that he also may be fed with the bread of life, and receive from the Lord that divine good and divine truth of which the sacramental elements are so appropriately and spiritually significative? Is it to be imagined, much less intimated, or implied, that, as an automaton, a speaking automaton, he has merely to read the service decently, perform his part well as to outward shew and oral precision, and that this will suffice? Strange doctrine this! And yet, forsooth, he is supposed to be "pious." If this is piety, 'tis piety in masquerade. The sanctimonious aspect may be exhibited ;-the "hypocrite of a sad countenance" may perform his part in externals to the satisfaction of all, and as far as that is concerned the performance go off well;-but has he "the satisfaction of a good conscience towards God?" Was any conjunction of spirit with the Lord effected? No matter (it may be said) it is but a ceremony that required to be decently read. But, in such a state, how could the divine influences from the Lord be received?

We are thankfnl, however, that in the New Church all such notions are exploded, as foreign to the whole of the writings of E. S., and of the holy Word, and are not, therefore, to be found in these writings, even by implication, in the most attenuated form. On the contrary, we read, "The Lord is present and opens heaven to those who ap proach the holy supper worthily, and present with those who approach it unworthily, but does not open heaven to them. Those who approach it unworthily, confess not the Lord in their souls, but only with their tongue, and exercise charity towards their neighbour with their hands only, and not in their hearts. These are described as the workers of iniquity in the words of the Lord, 'Then shall ye begin to say, Lord, we have eaten and drunk in thy presence; but he shall say, I know you not whence you are; depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.' (U. T., 719, 723.) I know a minister in the New Church, who, long previous to his ordination, refused many solicitations to administer the sacraments, knowing too, that ordination would "confer no spiritual or peculiar gifts or graces:" his refusal was principally based on his aversion to any thing like an infringement of the order of the Church. I approve his conduct, his adherence to order, consistency, and propriety for what is a Church without external order, so frequently insisted upon by E. S.?

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And when we reflect upon the application of the above passage of the Word, by our author, connected with his preceding statements,

does not the mind recoil at the idea of approaching the sacred ordinance with cold indifference, or as a mere ceremonial, and without a previous preparation of mind, after the understanding is enlightened as to its internal sanctity? Yet, I think I may again with propriety take upon myself the not very "onerous" duty of exculpating the ministers of the New Church from these lax notions in reference to administering the holy supper; and affirm, that while they agree with J. W. H., that the "ministerial dispenser" should have "the facility of reading decently," as a thing that "ought to be done," still there is something, of far greater importance to himself, that ought not on any consideration to be left undone.

Thus have I discharged what I conscientiously believed to be a duty, in publishing these remarks, for the information of all whom it may concern, whether belonging to the Church or not; but more especially for the latter, in whose hands the Intellectual Repository may occasionally be placed. It is right they should know that we claim no apostolic succession, so far as the ministers of the Church are concerned, and that they do not profess to be endowed with apostolic power or authority; that the ministers of the New Church disclaim having received any mystic or supernatural power by ordination, or of being able to impart that power to others when ordaining; that the sanctity and efficacy of the sacraments do not depend on the administrator; that there does not exist any such established ministry as, what is commonly called, by way of derision, "a priestly cast:" in a word,— that wherever superstition erects its pompous standard, prefers its claims, and awards the crown;-there the New Church entwines the the cypress-wreath. Leeds.

ON THE NEW CHURCH MINISTRY.

To the Editors of the Intellectual Repository. GENTLEMEN,

J. C.

SEVERAL months ago, I was requested by a friend to write my views on the nature and duties of the ministerial office in the New Church, and I had, in compliance with this request, begun a paper upon the subject, with the intention of sending it, when finished, for insertion in the Repository; if you thought it fit: but I had not written much, when a paper upon the same subject, in the number for August, came under my observation, from the pen of your intelligent correspondent, J. W. H., with whose views, as expressed in that paper, I heartily concur.

But, having thus had my attention doubly drawn to the subject, if you think the following remarks and reflections, which are the result thereof, are worth inserting, in addition to what J. W. H. has said, they are at your service; and by inserting them, you will much oblige Yours truly,

J. ROBINSON.

SWEDENBORG, at the end of the Arcana Calestia, lays down the doctrine of the church relative to governments and governors, both ecclesiastical and civil; and points out the uses and duties of each. But I am not aware that he any where says a word as to who are to choose and appoint, either ecclesiastical, or civil governors; nor as to what mode is to be adopted in doing so. Neither is it likely he would. For the doctrines of the New Church, which he was appointed to unfold and set forth, are universal in their application, and not confined to the modes of government or of worship, which prevail in any particular country. All modes of government, both ecclesiastical and civil, and all modes of worship, are things of an external kind; and are various, and even diversified in their nature, according to the peculiar genius of the people in each different country. But the doctrines of the New Church are internal, and capable of entering into, and giving life to all such diversified forms of both governments and worship; provided only, that they be such as to allow each individual the exercise of that principle of FREEDOM, which is the essential human principle, and upon which alone, as a foundation, the walls of the New Jerusalem can be built. Every thing, therefore, in every country's government, and in the government and worship of the church, particularly and universally, which obstructs this all-powerful and allessential principle, must crumble to dust before the mighty effort to establish it, with which, at this day, the spiritual world is pregnant! As to the appointment of persons to the ministry, the Lord himself may be said to appoint them, so far as this, that he gifts persons with the ability of teaching. But it depends upon the person himself, how far he cultivates that faculty with which the Lord has provided him ; and also, how far he practises the truths he teaches. For Swedenborg says, "Priests ought to teach men the way to heaven, and likewise to lead them; they must teach them according to the doctrines of their church, and they must lead them to live according to it."* The duty of the priest, or minister, therefore, is two-fold, teaching and leading; the ability to do it is provided by the Lord, together with an affection prompting to the cultivation and development of the powers given;

* A. C. n. 10,794.

but, beyond that, it depends upon the person, how far he, from freedom and the love of use, developes the powers of his mind. And as to the appointment of any such person, who has this aptness to teach and lead, to be the minister of any particular society, this must, of course, depend upon the choice, or as J. W. H. says, "the will of such society." And the terms upon which he serves them, must be according to the agreement made between himself on the one part, and the aggregate of the members, acting as one man, on the other. If they choose to confer upon him, in confidence, a considerable share of the management of the external affairs of the society, in addition to the duties of teaching and leading to the good of life, which alone are truly ministerial duties, he has authority to act to the extent of such conferred power. And if, in regard to any public or general assemblies of the church, they choose to make him their representative, or one of their representatives, he has, of course, power and right to act in their behalf; but he has no power legitimately to act in such an assembly, merely because he is an acknowledged minister of the church, or, as is commonly said, "by virtue of his ministerial office." The ministerial office confers no power of itself, beyond the right of performing the duties belonging to itself; which are those of teaching according to the truths of doctrine, and leading to a life confirmative of them. This power a minister has "by virtue of his office," whether he be the permanently resident minister of a particular society, or not; and in my humble opinion, he has no further power, beyond what his society chooses to confer upon him. And with due respect and deference for both the ministers and the public institutions of the church, I beg to submit, in agreement with the conclusion just expressed, that I, along with many others, consider the constitution of the "GENERAL CONFERENCE," and of the "SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION," defective in this respect. That the ministers of the church, as a body, are the best qualified to devise plans for the general government of the church, I am quite willing to admit ; and that, consequently, they ought, one and all, to attend Conference: but, no doubt, each society knows the worth of its own minister, and would, invariably, choose him as one of its representatives, and as the only one, if it could send no more than one. But, at present, both in "Conference,” and in the "Sunday School Union," the ministers are a sort of" intruders on the fair and equal representation of the general body of the Church: and, while such is the case, I don't wonder that so few ministers, comparatively, attend; for I am sure, if I were to attend on such a footing, I should consider myself, and feel myself too, to be an "intruder." Besides, I can truly say (though I am sorry any

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