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It is this fact which should most distinctly be remarked, that both Dr. Colenso and the Essayists, while destroying with all their power the distinctive errors of the Old Church, either by implication or direct assertion, have set forth many of the most important truths of religion with a boldness and clearness altogether new in the Established Church. The imminence of God, His operation, not by irregular interpositions, but by immutable laws, working in eternal order; (Pent.) His oneness with a trinity of essentials; ("Essays," p. 87.) the moral freedom and responsibility of man; ("Essays," p. 80-87.) his salvation, not by the vicarious sacrifice of the Son, but by victory over the powers of hell; ("Essays," p. 80.) the denial of original sin, (p. 86.) of the saving efficacy of baptism; (p. 86.) the assertion of the true meaning of sacrifice, and of the symbolism of water, and the blood of the cross, ("Essays," p. 86.) by one or other of these gentlemen, are evidences of a power higher than human, watching over even the errors of men of earnest heart, and guiding them they know not where.* They are doing their work, and doing it severely. But let the Christian remember that until the ground is ploughed and broken up, the thorns destroyed, and its dark clods exposed to light and air, (Jer. iv. 3; Hosea, x. 12.) the seed of the Word cannot be sown. While there is no void in the mind, there is no want; but the effects of such exertions as those of the Essayists and the Bishop of Natal will be to produce such a breach in the old and effete theology of the day—or rather to show its emptiness and inefficiency so completely—that all its positions will soon be found untenable, and men will be driven to seek some other refuge. More than this, the very historical ground of the Word, on which the decaying religions of the past founded all its claims to holiness and power, being discovered to give way at times to the exigences of the spiritual sense, those claims to holiness and power which were solely founded on such historical ground must necessarily give way also; and when men find the foundations of their religion crumbling beneath their feet, they will in like manner be forced to fly and seek some other refuge. And where should they fly, with all their tripersonal notions of the Deity scattered to the winds, their trust in vicarious sacrifice shaken in pieces, the very parts of the Word of God seeming to float away down the stream of ages, destitute of authority, and little endowed with truth, leaving them comfortless and desolate before an imminent God, working by immutable law and order, holding men responsible for their actions, nothing left of Revelation but the Gospel of St. John as the only authentic expression of the mind of Christ; and then, with all the old creeds overthrown, how * See Professor Jowett's beautiful expression of this idea, "Essays,” p. 422.)

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shall the aching void be filled? In such a state, when in the mind of the individual man "the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken," (Matt. xxiv. 29.) then shall it not come to pass, as the Eternal Truth hath said ?-then shall not, to his darkened mind, "the Son of Man be seen coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory?” (Matt. xxiv. 30.) Shall not the Word, before so dim and uncertain, rise from its eclipse with a brightness that shall never fade? unite its parts, that seemed like scattered rays disappearing, into one great focus of spiritual glory? Shall not they who have arrived at the truth "through great tribulation," (Rev. vii. 14.) and who have passed through the "horror of great darkness," (Gen. xv. 12.) be comforted by the overshadowing wings of the Divine tenderness, and their hearts filled with His peace? We, as Christians, believe it will be so; and while we look with sadness at the dread ordeal through which the minds of the greater number of men will have to pass, in reference to their belief in the Divine Word, we must deeply sympathise with those who are now digging deep into the authenticity and reasonableness of things which have been sanctioned by the credulity and ignorance of ages. We should pray that "those days may be shortened,” (Matt. xxiv. 22.) and that soon brighter and more blissful states may dawn on their minds and on mankind.

We perceive that such states as those in which Dr. Colenso and the Essayists now are must be passed through; and with deep and powerful thinkers, earnest and sincere in all they do, changes are slow. Little minds are easily converted (this will account for the success of missionaries among nations with small intellectual powers, and yet not too debased to understand the current of civilised thought), while great ones, accustomed to deep research, rigorous inquiry, a careful balancing of every objection, argument, or assertion, and a constant concentration on one subject only at a time, bear with a steady weight and power on a course they have marked out for themselves, and, until they have mastered its exigencies and difficulties, as far as in them lies, will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. With a steady and majestic reserve they tread their silent and solitary way, far from the ordinary path of human thought; and, regardless of opposition, or persecution, or advice, will press on to the end. Therefore, it need not be such a matter of surprise that such thinkers do not often turn aside to the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. He is out of their way in every sense of the term. Regarded by the learned world as one of the mystics, who of all men are supposed to have least practical bearing on

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questions of vital import, living in a dark age-not even claimed by his warmest admirers to have possessed, or ever to have desired to possess, such critical sagacity as that of Scaliger or Spinoza-when they accidently meet with one of his works, they would be chilled by the calm diffuse breadth of his style, or scornfully amused for a moment by what they would consider the quaint dæmonology* of a memorable relation. But last of all, they would be deterred from studying his writings by the practical effects of such study on his followers, as it would appear in their eyes. That prospect would seem the most uninviting to a mind of great attainments and high powers, the tendency to confine their wide and generous aspirations within the narrow limits of a comparatively small and uninfluential sect.

For these reasons, and many others, it is most probable that the completeness of power and universal grasp of true Christian philosophy, and the invincible truth and infinite charity of true Christian religion, have never yet been displayed to the world at large with a publicity and power worthy of themselves. This is, of course, speaking externally, according to the way of the world; but still there is in it a ground of truth which it may be useful for us to consider.

There is a great danger of small societies of men, associating themselves for purposes which they can effect better by association than by any other means, falling into, or laying themselves open to the charge of, the littleness of sectarianism. Such a charge, we may venture to believe, would be unfounded as made against New Church Societies; but it is doubtless well to avoid, as far as possible, even the appearance of it, and to cultivate the most catholic spirit in regard to those members of the church universal who may yet differ with us in some points of doctrine; and more, we learn from Swedenborg (T. C. R., p. 4) that at the Last Judgment the twelve apostles were sent out again by the Lord to preach the Gospel in the world of spirits. This may afford a practical lesson to Christians who profess to be disciples of the Lord at this His Second Advent. It may teach us, that although we are not required to go forth into all the world proselytizing, as the primitive Christians did, yet that there is a mission and duty we owe to our neighbour beyond that of a blamelsss life. That duty will resolve itself into our strongest and most universal efforts to diffuse the true catholic Christianity by all the intellectual channels which are open to us; to endeavour, to the best of

This term, as applied by the learned to the systems of Gnostics and Mystics, means good angels, or spirits of any kind, the supernatural machinery in general of their systems, not evil spirits only. See Millman's History of Christianity, vol ii., p. 118, et seq.

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our ability, to raise the doctrines we believe to be so glorious to their true place, even in the eyes of the world, and to demonstrate their Divine superiority beyond the circle of our own societies, in a wider and more active field.

And now the question arises--What effect will the works we have been noticing, and chiefly that of the Bishop of Natal, have on New Church theology? That it will have some effect, it will be impossible to deny. Many people, however, trusting entirely to the glory of the spiritual sense, regard his statements and arguments in reference to the letter with supreme indifference. It is needless to remark that this must be a great mistake; but it is not needless to remark that it will tend greatly to retard the progress of New Church doctrine among solid and critical thinkers, who reason on the natural plane. And we are told by Swedenborg that "the literal sense of the Word is for man in this world," and still farther, "that all doctrine must be drawn from the letter of the Word, and confirmed thereby." In this case, therefore, and when we recollect that in the literal sense the Scripture "is in its fulness, its sanctity, and its power," it becomes us to regard with extreme concern, and deliberate investigation, every statement and text called in question; to follow the critical investigations now going on with an intense and personal interest; to ascertain, by comparison of the literal and spiritual senses, how far, and in what exact particulars, the letter gives way to the spirit; to distinguish between real truths and apparent ones (which would yet be literally true to the people and times when they were written, as far as their experience or knowledge was concerned); to ascertain the real value of every doctrinal text, as to its literality, with its positive or relative bearing; and lastly, to discover how far each prophecy or expression referred to events which were then passing, as well as those which were to happen in after times, and thus to ascertain, and prove to others, the double relations to visible events which undoubtedly exist in the Bible. (See Bunsen on Isaiah liii.) This careful tracing of a path of light, through the dark and uncertain wilderness of critical inquiry; the patient unravelling of points which appear entangled and inconsistent; the determining the purest and most correct version and rendering of every word and sentence in the Bible; are of inestimable importance. They are arduous, wearisome, and difficult; but they are the tasks which these men, and many others, with the light they possess, have set themselves to do. The New Church Christian, jealously following the same line of enquiry, with the glory of the spiritual sense to guide his way, will be able to enforce their discoveries, to check their errors, and to guide their investigations to a

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true result, with unfailing accuracy. May they fearlessly set themselves to the work, and they will soon be able to discover and demonstrate to these writers that the Word, even in its literal sense, has an unfailing foundation, on a rock which cannot be moved; and so they will "go out and teach all nations"-not literally, as the apostles did at the Lord's First Advent, but as at His second coming, in the power and spirit of His Word-and so employ, as nobly as they may, their own feeble powers towards bringing about the increase of their Father's kingdom.— I remain, Rev. Sir, yours truly,

Birmingham.

J. W. T.

To the Editor.

LETTER FROM DR. TAFEL.

Tübingen, March 8th, 1863.

My dear Sir,-To-day I received an answer from a well-educated English lady, which is of some value to us, as it shews the nature of the temptations and impediments to the reception and conservation of truth, even in sincere and well-disposed minds. Will you therefore allow me to insert her own words, accompanied with some remarks taken from my own experience? She says

"I am afraid you will be sorry to hear I have found more and more consolation in the truths of the Word without the interpretation of Swedenborg. I cannot think that Paul and Peter and the other apostles could have been allowed by the Lord to grope in darkness, and to teach wrong doctrine-they who have been the personal companions of our Lord Himself;—and yet the teaching of Paul cannot be reconciled with the doctrines of Swedenborg. The New Church does not recognize the Epistles as canonical. Do you remember that young lady in London, who came with her Bible in her hand to argue with you against Swedenborg? She could not say anything for her own faith but this-'I feel that it is true.' And I believe that all arguments on religion, with really sincere and pious people, resolve themselves into this internal evidence. We cannot demonstrate by argument the Truth of God. One must feel it by an inward light. My dear and good friend, remember your promise! I believe I feel more affectionately to you now than ever, and I reverence your good and holy mind; and I believe and pray we may both be taught the truth of God.-Ever your sincere and grateful friend."

Now what can we reply to her and to many similar ones, who, like myself when I was seventeen years of age, fall into such temptations? For persons who at the same time entertain such friendly sentiments towards New Churchmen, cannot be given up and abandoned entirely to themselves. But I begin with the young lady. What I remember concerning her is quite the contrary. She shewed great ability in defending three Persons, vindicated the Divine justice, vicarious satisfaction, justification by faith alone, and displayed great power of influ

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