66 But the Lord instructs us how to form a true and genuine friendship, when he says,-" When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbours, lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee; but when thou makest a feast call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and blind, and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." (Luke xiv. 12-14.) By these words the Lord teaches the nature of true friendship, founded on disinterested love to each other, in which there is no view to any selfish end, and to which worldly interests are entirely subordinate. There is one great condition on which this friendship can be cultivated, namely, self-denial, or the renunciation of our proprium, our selfish and worldly love. Hence the Lord says,Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John xv. 13.) The life which we are required to lay down is the life of our selfish and worldly love; it is this life which we are required" to hate for the Lord's sake," that we may receive a new life of love from Him, our greatest Friend. Our friendship will become. pure and heavenly in proportion as we lay down this life, and the surest evidence of this heavenly friendship is the spirit of self-denial which actuates us in our transactions and our association with others. friendship is synonymous with genuine love and charity, which "seeketh not its own" selfish purposes. The Lord laid down his life for the sheep, his friends; He poured forth His soul unto death; and gave his life a ransom for many. This life which He thus laid down during the process of His glorification, was the life of the infirm human nature inherited from the mother. We in like manner, through His redeeming love and power, are required to follow "Him in the regeneration," and to lay down the life of our hereditary fallen nature, that we may enter into a covenant of friendship and love with Him, and with one another: "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." This Actuated by this friendship, we shall delight to promote each other's natural and spiritual good, and shall préfer one another, as the apostle says, in honour. To this end we shall delight in mutual communion and intercourse on subjects relating to the Lord's kingdom, the truths of the Word, the increase, support, and extension of the church; and to edify each other by example and conversation in spiritual 'states of charity and faith. "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name." (Mal. iii. 16.) APEX. CORRESPONDENCE AND METAPHOR. FROM a note appended to an article on the above subject, by a writer signing himself R. E., in the January number of this Magazine, I feel myself called upon to make some answer to certain observations therein made. In the first place, R. E. appears to misunderstand my meaning when I say that "true metaphor is derived from correspondence," as he takes the word correspondence to mean the figure, while I understand by it the fixed relationship: thus my proposition might read thus :-"True metaphor is derived from a fixed relationship;" but if by the word correspondence is meant the figure, I admit that a correspondence and a good metaphor may be identical; but a metaphor or figure may be either good or bad, while a correspondence must always be according to fixed relationship; this is the line of distinction" which I draw between the two words. 66 I must confess that I cannot, in any way, agree with R. E.'s statement that the term "metaphor" can only be applied to similes between natural and natural, nor does he, in his first article, appear to have taken that view of the question; for in the likeness between the eagle and Kirke White to which he referred, it must have been evident to him that the likeness, if any, lay between the natural qualities of the eagle and something in Kirke White's mental character; the expression "he bridles his anger," is also directly against R. E.'s assertion, and this is given as an example of "metaphor" in the authorised dictionary of the English language; yet R. E. says that "metaphor is entirely natural, and never enters into the domain of spirit!" As regards the assertion that there is no correspondence between nature and nature, or spirit and spirit, I will refer R. E. to the following passage from Swedenborg :-" There is a correspondence of sensual things with natural things, of these with spiritual things, of these with celestial things, and of celestial things with the divine of the Lord, thus there is a succession of correspondences from the divine to the last natural."-A. C. 5131. Here it is plainly meant that correspondence is between different degrees, and not merely between natural and spiritual, unless R. E. can prove that either the word spiritual or celestial is equivalent to natural. Hence it will follow, that if, as appears from the above quotation, there is a correspondence between the things which are entirely of the other world, namely, between spiritual and celestial, there is also a correspondence between different things in the natural world, such as between the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms; the N. S. NO. 99.-VOL. IX. 1 mineral kingdom performing similar uses for the vegetable, as the vegetable does for the animal. Again, there is a correspondence between different degrees of the same kingdom, such as between the heart and the cerebellum, the lungs and the cerebrum. From correspondence, also, are derived such likenesses as exist between youth, spring, and morning, and between age, winter, and night; for life, the year, and the day, are but greater or less circles whose degrees correspond. W. M. N. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. AN APPEAL TO THE MEMBERS OF THE NEW CHURCH IN GENERAL, IN BEHALF OF THE WORSLEY SOCIETY. The undersigned have sincere pleasure in complying with the request of the above society, to lay before the church at large the claims of that society to the assistance of the church. a It is now more than fifty years since meetings for New Church instruction first commenced in Worsley. For some years they had been held at a friend's house, when, in 1811, (Sept. 1st) the friends of the New Church formed themselves into a society. They accordingly obtained room at Worsley Mills, where public worship has been celebrated ever since, and established a Sunday school. For several years their affairs appeared to go on prosperously; their numbers increased, and their school flourished. But unfortunately they did not entirely separate themselves from the Old Church. Some of the members held offices in the establishment, the leader of the society being headwarden, and superintendent of the several Sunday schools connected with the Parish Church. The Sunday school was conducted on the principles of the Old Church (where the scholars also occasionally attended), rather than on those of the New. Worship was only celebrated once a fortnight-(an arrangement which continued until the spring of last year, when weekly services were commenced) many of the members attending the Establishment on the other Sabbaths. The consequence was, that when school accommodation was provided in connection with the Parish Church, the scholars were removed from the New Church school to the former. Thus our friends were deprived of that most valuable auxiliary to the church-a Sunday school. The result has been, that as the original members have been removed by death or otherwise,--comparatively few having joined the society of late years,-its numbers have gradually dwindled from upwards of thirty down to nine. These circumstances led the remaining members to the determination of making a strenuous effort to raise up the society from its drooping condition, and to infuse new life and activity into its proceedings. Accordingly, at their request, the Rev. W. Woodman delivered a course of lectures, at the house of one of the members, in the latter part of the year 1845, which occasioned considerable excitement, and appear to have left a lasting impression on some; and at a meeting held June 28th, 1846, they commenced a subscription, for the purpose of building a room in a more eligible spot,* which might serve both as a school room and a place of worship. The proceeds of this subscription now amount to £28., in addition to which the Kersley friends have contributed £16. 10s., and the sum of £13. has been promised, besides the support of several other friends. The expense of building the room is estimated at £150. The society consisting almost entirely of the labouring class, the amount of the subscriptions of this small band is an evident proof, and sufficient guarantee, of their having taken up the matter in earnest. For ourselves, we most unhesitatingly and cordially state that, to the best of our judgment, they are worthy of the confidence and assistance of the church, and that in contributing to *The room where the society now holds its meetings is in the third story of a cottage, and in a part of Worsley which is by no means favourable to the society. enable them to carry out their present object, the church will efficiently promote the good cause. (Signed) DAVID HOWARTH, J. H. SMITHSON, WOODVILLE WOODMAN, "The child born," "A son given," &c., till its final and full development as Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." The unfolding of this magnificent and beautiful passage according to the soul-cheering views of the New Church, was truly delightful. Mr. T. G. Beedle, as a former stranger ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEW CHURCH to, but now a fellow-member in the SOCIETY, BRISTOL. On Sunday, the 17th October, the Rev. Thos. Goyder, of Chalford, preached two excellent and very impressive sermons; that in the morning from the First Book of Kings, vi. 7; and in the evening from Isaiah, vi. 6, 7. Collections were made for the London Missionary and Tract Society. On Monday evening was held the second anniversary meeting of the society; upwards of fifty members and friends assembled to tea at six o'clock. At seven the chair was taken by Mr. Wm. Dimock, the leader of the society. After the opening of the meeting with singing and prayer, and a few introductory remarks by the chairman, the report was read by the secretary. It showed that the income of the society during the year exceeded by a trifle its current expenses; and that the balance of debt against the society, at the close of the year preceding, had been reduced from nearly eleven to less than five pounds, chiefly by contributions for that express purpose. It showed an increase, in the same time, of nine members of the church,-making the number now in communion twenty-one. It stated also that peace and harmony prevailed in the society; and it contained several salutary suggestions and admonitions tending to the preservation of its order, and to its increase in truth and goodness. The Rev. T. Goyder, in addressing the meeting, enlarged beautifully on spiritual sense of the Word; and by a comparison of two passages, Isaiah ii. 4, and Joel iii, 9, 10, illustrated its power of reconciling even those passages which in the letter seem absolutely contradictory. He spoke of the very favourable opinion beginning to be entertained in the scientific and literary world, on the merits of Swedenborg as a philosopher, also of the dawnings of theological light in the same quarters. the The Rev. J. W. Barnes, taking up the sublime declaration of the prophet, Isa. ix. 6, described the character of the LORD, under the various titles of "A society, expressed the pleasure he felt in assembling with them. He had for many years known the happiness resulting from the sincere reception of the doctrines of the New Church, and he felt that every year he lived contributed to increase that happiness. Mr. Bragge, taking as the ground of his observations the remark made by Mr. Goyder as to the introduction of the views of Swedenborg into the regions of literature, cited no fewer than five remarkable instances of this, some of them, he believed, known to many in the meeting; but others perhaps not so known. On Tuesday evening, the 19th, the Rev. T. Goyder delivered a short and interesting lecture on several portions of the first chapter of the Revelations, and the remainder of the evening was spent in the proposing of questions by several of the hearers, and answering them on the part of Mr. Goyder. In this way came under consideration the terms, "the Son of Man," the "selling of all, and giving to the poor," required of the young man who came to Jesus, and others. The answers were exceedingly interesting, and generally very satisfactory. All the services of this anniversary, from beginning to end, were fully attended, and the feelings experienced appeared to be those of unmixed delight. J. K. B. SUGGESTIONS REGARDING THE NEW CHURCH TRACTS. To THE EDITOR. SIR,-As the tracts are published with a view to distribution chiefly amongst strangers, perhaps their usefulness would be increased were a list of the writings, with a notice to the following effect inserted in each of them, viz. :-"These works, the subjects of which are of the utmost importance at the present time, are published in-[Here insert the names of the London and other publishers]—and may be had at the prices affixed, through the medium of any bookseller; or a perusal of them may be had by applying to the librarian, or to any member of a New Church society." The advantages of such a plan with tracts given away at missionary lectures, it is thought, will be readily seen; and the writer has sometimes thought that, if he had had a catalogue to offer to a stranger with whom he had been conversing on the doctrines, it might have been a means of recalling attention to the subject, and of creating a desire to read. And if this plan were adopted, the possessor of tracts would always have a catalogue at hand, and might be able, on presenting it, to accompany it with a disquisition on some suitable subject. Thus the tracts would aid in advertising the works, and the catalogues in distributing the tracts; whilst the public would be made better acquainted with the character of the new dispensation. If thought proper, the plan might also include Swedenborg's philosophical works, and the works published by the Manchester Printing Society; perhaps four pages, tract size, would contain the whole. And as the benefit would be mutual, it is supposed the printing societies would furnish their respective catalogues, and that the tract societies would be at the expense of stitchng them in; or some other means of meeting the expense might be found. Should the suggestion appear worthy of consideration, its insertion in the magazine will bring it at once before all the parties concerned. February, 1848. W. L. LONDON MISSIONARY AND TRACT SOCIETY. This institution, like every other that has a noble end in view, can only be maintained in an efficient state of active usefulness by being efficiently supported. At the present time, there is a general feeling of dissatisfaction abroad as to many points of doctrine that have for ages been regarded as almost too sacred to be questioned. Many persons, therefore, are quite prepared to throw off the shackles by which the human mind has hitherto been held in bondage. In contemplating this state of things, every sincere member of the New Church must feel that the doctrines he has the happiness to possess are well calculated to meet the emergency, and to satisfy the cravings of all who are thirsting for spiritual knowledge. Now, judging from experience, this institution is one of the best means that has been devised for effecting such an object, and yet it does not meet with that encouragement and support which might reasonably be expected. At the last anniversary there was a large amount due to the treasurer, which, although much reduced, is not yet liquidated; there is also a printer's bill outstanding. The committee have nevertheless continued the operations of the society, by sending missionaries to various places, and making grants of tracts, though not on so liberal a scale as is highly desirable. They therefore urgently and affectionately call upon the members of the church at large to assist in placing their funds in a more healthful position. Many subscriptions are in arrear, which it is hoped will shortly be paid; many friends, either from not being aware of the extensive field of uses occupied by the society, or from other causes, have not yet enrolled themselves as members;-such, by now coming forward, would render timely and valuable assistance. Societies, too, it is hoped, will respond to the appeal for them to have collections, at least once a year, in aid of the funds of this institution. Remittances and communications may be made to the treasurer, Mr. Newbery, 11, King-street, Holborn, or to the secretary, Mr. Butter, 48, Cloudesleyterrace, Islington, London. There is a large stock of tracts on hand, which it is very desirable should be purchased and circulated. NEW CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA. 66 (From the South Australian Register, July 14th, 1847.) The Swedenborgians,' or "New Church" community, held their third anniversary on Wednesday evening last, at the Music Saloon, Gouger-street, which was well furnished and neatly decorated for the occasion. The charge for admission being but one shilling, nearly two hundred persons assembled, although no publicity had been given to the intended festival,-not exclusively, we thought, to hear the members of the sect propound their crced, but to regale themselves at the cheap rate with a good cup of sober souchong or mocha, and the more substantial sandwiches which were unsparingly supplied to all visitors who arrived previous to the New Church "feast of reason" and Swedenborgian "flow of |