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tion of similar societies in the provinces, and would be glad to co-operate with such societies in furtherance of their great purpose, the dissemination of the Heavenly Doctrines. The Secretary of the Society is T. H. Elliott, jun., 122 Eaglefield Road, London, N.

mittee for Foreign Missions appointed by the last Conference desire to place before the friends of the Church the interesting circumstances which are transpiring in Italy, Copenhagen, and Stockholm, and to solicit their continued encouragement and support. The readers of the Repository will be aware that Signor Scocia, although labouring indefatigably at translation, had not for a considerable time preached or lectured in Turin, and had concluded that the tone of mind prevalent in that city was not adapted at present to make such efforts effectual.

The New Church friends in Florence have thought it would be well to try that city, and Professor Scocia has taken up his abode at Via Giotto, where also La Nuova Epoca is published.

SILENT MISSIONARIES.-An allusion is made in the Report of Mr. Gunton's missionary labours to the "Silent Missionaries" sold at the close of the lectures. These Silent Missionaries are three very excellent books, which are got up in elegant form, and sold after lectures under cost price. They can also be obtained of Mr. Speirs through the booksellers at a very cheap rate. These works are the "Brighton Lectures," by Dr. Bayley; the "Spiritual World and our Children there,' The Rev. A. Ford, who has long by Chauncey Giles; and the Future resided in Florence, and done all that Life," which is a popular edition of kindness and zeal for the truth could Swedenborg's Heaven and Hell. The do to advance the truth in a quiet way, circulation of these works cannot be and a small company of New Church otherwise than useful, and might be friends who have been in the habit of extensively promoted by members of the worshipping with Mr Ford at his house, New Church everywhere. countenancing and encouraging Professor Scocia in his new field of labour.

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TO THE EDITOR.-Dear Sir,-A report in the January number of the Intellectual Repository represents me as having said at Alloa that spiritual bread (referred to in Matt. iv. 4) is "truth from the Word, and this leads into the affection of good." As the internal sense of the Word is here involved, I wish to be allowed to correct this statement. The object of my discourse was to show that man can no more be saved by good alone than by faith alone. What I really said was, that spiritual bread is goodness, which the text shows is not sufficient to support spiritual life, unless conjoined with the Divine Truth of the "Word of God." The same report repeats a statement which has appeared before in your pages, namely, that the name of the new Association in the North is "The Scottish Association of the New Church." As the seconder of the motion fixing the name of our Association, I am able to say that the real name is "The Scottish Association of the New Jerusalem Church," which thus preserves the name given by Divine authority in the Word to the New

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A hall has been taken for public wor ship on Sunday afternoons at three, in the house No. 6, on the first floor in the Via degli Archibusieri, one of the most convenient and most frequented parts of Florence. The hall will conveniently seat more than sixty persons, and on the first Sunday in January 1875, when service began, a respect. able and attentive audience of Italians, French, Americans, and English, quite filled the room.

The first discourse was on the true character of the Second Coming of the Lord. Professor Scocia showed the irrationality of expecting the Lord's advent on a literal cloud, and by the Science of Correspondence the meaning of what the Divine Word teaches upon that subject. He then proceeded to point out that Swedenborg was an instrument chosen by the Lord Himself to untold the truths of the New Dispensation, and his preparation to do it effectually by the opening of his spiritual sight. He gave a brief biographical description of Swedenborg; but concluded by show ing that the whole work was of the Lord, who was blessing the world by ITALY AND SCANDINAVIA.--The Com- higher perceptions of truth, and very

Church.

JOHN F. POTTS.

effectively quoted the words of the Psalmist: Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it." This discourse of Professor Scocia was heard by all present with the most profound attention.

On the 10th of January the second discourse was delivered. Its subject was chiefly on the connection between this and the eternal world, and an explanation of the manner in which Swedenborg as to his spirit communicated with the inner world, and saw the wonders of heaven. This discourse, like the first, was heard with an attention which left nothing to be desired.

Professor Scocia will continue his discourses every Sunday afternoon at three, in the same hall, No. 6, first storey, Via degli Archibusieri (Gunner Street). His labours in translation and in the issue of his magazine still continue.

We are delighted to observe that Mr. Mullenseifen has sent about £15, and Mr. Mittnacht, of Stuttgart, 500 lire, or about £18, to aid the Italian Mission.

Our worthy friend and fellow-labourer, the Rev. Mr. Boyesen, continues his services at Copenhagen with increasing success, and is translating the work on Conjugial Love, as well as seeing the True Christian Religion and the Divine Providence through the press. He has, besides, undertaken, at the request of the Swedish friends of the New Church in Stockholm, and not only commenced a Society there, but arranged to visit them from time to time.

to keep my promise to come to Stockholm, in order to attend a New Church meeting which was to be held there on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of October. Hoping that this meeting would be the forerunner of the coming glorious day of the New Jerusalem in Sweden, I was glad to go to the fatherland of the great Herald of the Lord's Second Coming. With great pleasure I give our dear friends of the New Church in England an account of this meeting, by translating a notice from one of the Swedish newspapers, which runs as follows:

"A Meeting of Swedenborgians, that is to say, confessors of the religious doctrines of the celebrated Swedish learned Emanuel Swedenborg, who lived in the last century, has taken place in the city on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of October. (The Swedenborgians call themselves "New Churchmen.") The meeting, which Mr. Laurell had advertised in many of the Stockholm newspapers, was on the first day attended by 50 to 60 persons, and on the two other days by about 80. Two peasants from the neighbourhood of Enköping attended the meeting and signed their names as members of the Society. Mr. Laurell, who had summoned the friends to come together, explained that he had requested them to assemble in order to give them an opportunity to be acquainted with each other, and to unite in the great work of making the doctrines of the New Church known to their fellow-men. Pastor Boyesen next addressed the meeting. He is a We subjoin his letter, which will best Norwegian by birth, and for some years inform our friends of his labours; and we has been minister of a Swedenborgian most earnestly request those friends who Society in Copenhagen. He had been aided us last year to lend assistance to invited hither to attend the meeting. these worthy brethren, as well as all others The Rev. Mr. Boyesen delivered a lecture who value the eternal truths of the New appropriate to the occasion, and in conDispensation, and who also admire good clusion expressed his hope that this men faithfully struggling under diffi- meeting would be a blessing not only to culties to serve the Lord and promote the friends of the New Church, but also the highest good of mankind. to the Swedes in general. When Pastor Boyesen had finished his lecture, Professor Cronhamn rose to ask him if he, besides his translating and missionary work in Denmark, would sometimes come and preach publicly in Stockholm. This proposal was unanimously adopted, and as the Rev. Mr. Boyesen consented to come, about 500 Rigsdalers yearly (about £28) was subscribed to cover the expenses connected with the journey to Stockholm and the preaching there. At the proposal of Mr. Laurell, those who attended

66

Missionary Visit to Sweden.

"Dear Friends,—In my report to the Intellectual Repository last year, I mentioned that at a meeting of New Church friends in Copenhagen, there was concluded to be held a similar one at Stockholm this year. For several reasons I did not think that there was going to be any meeting at Stockholm this year; but some days ago I got an invitation from our zealous friend, Mr. C. Laurell,

Births.

the meeting formed a Society, which, under the name of The New Church On the 16th October 1874, the wife Friends, is to meet at Stockholm every of Mr. Jno. Macgallon, Barclay Street, Sunday. Pastor Boyesen was elected Paisley, of a daughter. President of the Society; Mr. Thyboni, Royal Chamber Musician, Vice-President and Leader; Mr. Abrahamsen, Secretary, and Professor Cronhamn, Treasurer.

"It is told that in London alone there are eight Swedenborgian congregations, and in North America such congregations are almost innumerable. Here in Sweden there is none, but we are told that in Skaane, Westergötland, and other places, the Swedenborgians are not so few in number. In Christianstad there is a Society, which has caused many of Swedenborg's theological works to be translated from Latin and printed in the Swedish language. They say that even several ministers in this country favour the Swedenborgian doctrines, and preach in that spirit. Some ministers who are still living, and others who long ago are dead, have published several pamphlets in which Swedenborg's doctrines are advocated. About fifty years ago, a clergyman by the name of John Thybeck was pended because he preached the Swedenborgian doctrines, but afterwards he published many writings, in which he defended this doctrine. Some of these writings were assailed, but they were not condemned by any court of justice.'

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"Before leaving Stockholm I delivered three lectures, and the attendance increased every day. Those friends who were present were much interested, and full of hope for the future. There is good reason to believe that the New Church will make good progress in Sweden when a Society has been formed, and the friends of the Church can have public worship every Sunday.-A. TH. BOYESEN."

J. BAYLEY, Chairman.' R. L. TAFEL, Secretary. Subscriptions are requested to be sent to Mr. Watson, the Treasurer, 19 Highbury Crescent, London, N.

On the 27th October 1874, the wife of Mr. Caldwell, Stevenson Street, Paisley, of a son.

On the 4th November 1874, the wife of Mr. Murray, Castlehead, Paisley, of

a son.

On 24th December 1874, at 4 Lawford Road, Kentish Town, Mrs. J. Gallico, of a daughter.

On the 2nd January 1875, the wife of Mr. Leggatt, Barclay Street, Paisley, of a son.

On 11th January 1875, at Priory Cottage, Blantyre, near Glasgow, Mrs. J. F. Potts, of a son (Rudolph).

Marriage.

On the 26th December 1874, by the Rev. John Presland, brother of the bride, Mr. Edward M. Pulsford, Leader of the New Church Society at St. Heliers, Jersey, to Ruth, second daughter of Mr. Thomas Presland, of 8 Lady Margaret's Road, Kentish Town.

Obituary.

Departed this life, on the 23rd December, Maggie (aged 24), the eldest daughter of Mr. Fleming, the President of the Paisley New Church Society; and on the 26th of the same month,

Mrs. Fleming, his wife (aged 56),

received her call into the other life. This double bereavement is softened by confident hopes that the departed were fitted by all the spiritual discipline which is incident even to the most retired domestic life, to enter into a state in which the gentle affections cultivated in a loving home will have a wider range and a more extended ministry. They rest from the trials of this life, but are not sleeping, nor far removed from the sorrowing family and friends who know how precious in the New Church are the words of the Lord, "I am the Resurrection and the Life.'

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THE general proposition, stated on pp. 5, 6 of the Intellectual Repository for January, asserted (1) that the Lord's miracles were representative of His spiritual operations; (2) that the spiritual operations thereby typified are supernatural; (3) that the spiritual operations thus represented continue to be performed. It was also stated that this view would supply a reason for the fact that " "faith was the prerequisite of the literal and typical miracle, as it is ever a prerequisite of the spiritual miracle; and further, why so many of the most remarkable miracles wrought by the Saviour were witnessed only by those who already believed in Him, and, still further, why the Lord's immediate followers possessed and continued to exercise similar supernatural, or miraculous, powers.

We have already shown that "the Lord's miracles were illustrative rather than evidential;" we have now to show that "the spiritual operations thereby typified are supernatural."

One of the doctrines which are peculiar to Christianity is that of the "new birth "-regeneration. The notion of God being incarnated was not altogether new various mythologies had taught it; Buddhism was built up on this notion in respect of Chrishna. The moral precepts uttered by the Saviour had at least their counterparts in moral maxims of various teachers. Both heathen philosophers and the earlier writers in the Talmud anticipated, in many respects, the ethics of the Gospel. Nor did the notion of exorcism originate in New Testament times. In teaching the necessity of a "new birth," how

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ever, the Divine "Householder" had brought forth from "His treasure" a new thing. The doctrine has proved as startling to every new learner as it did to Nicodemus. "Ye must be born again," was a new message delivered to mankind.

In teaching this doctrine the Saviour provided a new basis for Christian morals. All previous systems of morals contemplated the possibility of building up a reformed nature on the basis of the old nature. Christianity lays the axe to the root of the tree by insisting on the birth of a new nature. The old nature of selfish and worldly loves was thus pronounced incapable of developing the graces of the Christian character; the reformation must begin in a re-formation of character, the birth in the soul of an entirely new quality of affection, thought and life, to be afterwards matured into "a new creature in Christ Jesus our Lord." Just as the old nature-" born of the flesh" -had its impulses, its instincts, its enthusiasms, all leading to the ultimate gratification of self; so the new nature-yevvylý ävwdev, born from above-should have its impulses, its instincts, its enthusiasms, leading to self-denial as to the lower nature, the sacrifice and consecration of self to goodness and to God. Regeneration was to consist in the beginning, formation, birth and development of a new will, a new understanding, and a new life, which, as they come from heaven, were to be devoted to heavenly things. This was to be in the case of all the fulfilment of the prayer of the Psalmist, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me the accomplishment to the Christian of the heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh" (Ezek. xxxvi. 26).

(Ps. li. 10); it was to be Divine promise, “A new

This new birth is ever described as a supernatural work. Those thus "born from above" are described as "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John i. 13): they had "received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." The Spirit itself bore witness to their spirit that they were the children of God; "and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. viii. 16, 17); they had become "partakers of the Divine nature," they were sons of God" because "born. of God." The possibility of this spiritual life is mercifully implanted in all. In the conception of this new nature there co-operate something Divine from the Eternal Father and something human in the receptive soul. That something Divine is

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