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"Worship and Love of God," and one number of his "Explanation of the Miracles," &c.

"Permit me to congratulate your society on its present flourishing condition, and to offer you our best wishes for your spiritual welfare. We request you to pray for us to our blessed Lord, that he will direct all our efforts for promoting the interests of his Church-that he will enable us to exercise all that wisdom which shall be necessary to silence or to support the reproaches of our enemies, and to persuade the charitable and conscientious to unite with us, in learning and practising the truth."

Extract of a letter dated Bedford, July 12, 1816.
Dear sir,

I delayed thus long in acknowledging the receipt of your circular publication of the 1st March, and of your friendly letter of the 6th February last, because I really had not time to notice it in such a way as I wished. I am now happily enabled to dedicate some of my time to the Lord's New Church, which I desire most ardently to promote. With this view, and under a hope I may do some good, I proceed to answer your communications. From the particular situation of the readers of the New Church. here, at this time, it has been found inconvenient to organize them into a society, upon the plan suggested in your circularof course, no official corresponding secretary has been regularly appointed; but it has been generally understood amongst them that this duty should devolve upon me, and I now enter upon it willingly, and with much pleasure.

I have made out a list of the members of the New Church in this place and its neighbourhood, which is herewith transmitted. This list will be made more interesting to the members of your society, by giving you a concise history of the introduction of the Doctrines of the New Church in this place, with a partial notice of such peculiar circumstances connected therewith as may be deemed worthy of record.

About the year 1784, a Mr. Glenn, (since resident at Demerara, in South America,) arrived in Philadelphia, with a box of the translated works of Baron Swedenborg, from England. It may perhaps be recollected by some of the elder members of the New Church in Philadelphia, that he attempted to promulgate these doctrines there, by public lectures, and explanations of the

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doctrine of correspondencies-but without any apparent effect. He soon after left this country, leaving, either by accident or design, the box of books in the printing office of Mr.

At that time, Miss Hetty Barclay, a pious and intelligent lady, was residing in the family of Mr. ;-she had the curiosity first to open and examine these books, and after a long and serious examination of the new and sublime doctrines which they contained, she fully embraced them. Mr. and Mrs. about the same time, or soon after, also received them-forming a little society in their own family, the first in the United States.

About the year 1789, Miss Barclay paid a visit to her brother, then unmarried, and residing in this place. She brought some of those interesting books with her, which were partially examined by her brother, Mrs. and myself. I was then but a boy, but the high respect I had for Miss Barclay (for she was an uncommonly interesting and intelligent woman) left an impression on my mind favourable to the system, not then fully understood.

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Shortly before the marriage of her brother, Miss B. re-visited Bedford, which she afterwards made her permanent residence. It was then, through the medium of her intelligent and spiritual conversations, and a variety of the Baron's works which she brought with her, that a number of us openly avowed ourselves recipients of the New Dispensation; among whom were the late and Mrs. the aged mother of Mrs. continued, until their deaths, zealous members of the New Church. Miss Barclay continued to reside in her brother's family until her death, in 1796, of which the following notice was published in the Pittsburg Gazette of the 19th March, afterwards.

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"On Sunday, the 28th of February last, at Bedford, Pennsylvania, departed this natural life, in the fortieth year of her age, Miss Hetty Barclay.

"The absence of this amiable lady will long be lamented by those who were acquainted with her superior virtues.

"Her unspotted life; her chaste and instructive conversation; her rigid virtue and uniform opposition to vice in every shape; her candid simplicity, mixed with philosophic greatness ;-all powerfully testify of her heavenly and enlightened mind.

"Her friendships were uncommonly warm and disinterested; -those who enjoyed them, will experience a loss that cannot be supplied but by few.

"Use, the greatest end of man, was always her object; and, (as far as her feeble constitution would admit,) her life was a life of uses.

"For the last ten years, she was an affectionate lover of the sublime and heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem Church: and, with an increasing confidence in their celestial origin, closed, with gratitude and joy, this mortal life!

"But is she dead? no, no-she lives;

Her nobler spirit flies

To heav'n above, and there receives
The long expected prize.

"In robes of innocence and love

Her virgin soul is dress'd,
And all the angel hosts above

Rejoice, to see her bless'd."

She was buried on the farm of her brother, adjoining the town, and the following is a copy of the inscription on her tombstone, furnished by her friend Mr.

"Here lies the Body

of

HESTER BARCLAY,

who changed her mode of existence

6 Early in the morning of the first day of the week,'
February 28th, 1796–40.

Aged 40 years, 6 months, and 26 days.

Releas'd from pain and agonies,

This holy virgin, truly wise,

With trimmed lamp, has gone to meet

Her heav'nly Groom with hasty feet."

I delight to dwell on the character of this valuable lady. She was dear to us all; particularly so to me; for she was, as it were, my guardian angel, at a time when youth and inexperience is prone to go astray, and when wrong impressions might have been eternally injurious.

Her memory ought to be dear to the New Church generally,. for through her agency, either directly or indirectly, almost all the members of the Church westwardly have received their

first favourable impressions. The amiable and persevering Mr. Thomas Newport, through whom so many subjects have been enlightened, received the doctrines first by reading a copy of the "Treatise on Heaven and Hell," sent by Miss Barclay to a brother she had then living on the banks of the Monongahela.

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Mr.

-, and Mrs.

Mr. have each of them large families, all of whom are taught to respect the New Church = above all others. Some of the children are amiable, intelligent, and promising, in a high degree, and begin to evince their love of the doctrines, and a knowledge of their heavenly truths.

Mr. and Mrs. have no children, but have raised two boys, who promise, by their morality and industry, to remain worthy members of our society. There is something so interesting and unusual in the progress of Mrs. -'s advance in the knowledge and adoption of the doctrines of the New Church, that I shall notice her particularly. Her early education was of the most contracted kind. When she became acquainted with Miss Barclay, she was barely able to read the Bible in German. Being piously disposed, and naturally of a strong and correct mind, she became interested in the conversations of Miss Barclay on spiritual subjects. She obtained a few small tracts of the Baron, translated into German, which she read with great affection; and such was her love of truth, after she had tasted of it, that, after the age of forty, she commenced learning the English language, without the smallest assistance; and by her perseverance (using only the Bible and the books of the New Church) obtained such a knowledge of it, that she has been enabled to read, with great · advantage, all the translated volumes of our author, &c. which she could obtain, including the twelve volumes of the Arcana Cœlestia.

We rejoice to find that our favourite city, Philadelphia, is becoming conspicuous in promoting the knowledge of the truth. Our hearts are with you, and we pray for the prosperity of your society, both generally and individually.

It gives us much pleasure to learn, that we may annually, or oftener, expect some spiritual food, through the medium of your society. We desire that you would not forget us. We live, as it were, in the wilderness, and we look to the east for heat and light.

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PLEASING INTELLIGENCE.

The Rev. Mr. Hargrove, of Baltimore, has received a letter from a minister of the New Church in London, under date of the 12th March, 1817, in which it is stated, upon the most unquestionable authority, that upwards of forty clergymen of the Church of England are known to be receivers of the doctrines of the New Church. The writer continues thus:

"I am glad to hear of the growing prosperity of the Lord's New Church, in America; its light now begins to manifest itself more and more throughout the various parts of the earth: We are assured that this spiritual kingdom will consume all other kingdoms, but itself shall stand forever: And however Heaven and Earth may pass away (as indeed is the present case) yet the Divine Truth stands fast to a thousand generations."

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On an account of the "Swedenburghians," in a late publication.

"Be well minded to thine accuser."-Matt. v. 25.

These words of our blessed Lord will ever be kept in mind by the members of his New Church. From the increasing attention which the propagation of the doctrines will attract, and the violent opposition they must receive from various quarters, we shall have frequent occasion to exercise the virtue which this divine precept enjoins. Reversing the maxim of the world, which has so long taught, that a friend should be treated as one that may become an enemy, it is our duty to treat an enemy as one who may be. come a friend. The Church has heretofore been sufficiently exercised by idle stories, detailed in thoughtless conversations; these, in fact, were hardly worthy of attention, but were to be numbered with those daily scoffs at serious things, in which the unthinking are seeking for amusement, and by which they injure none but themselves. A more important occasion for the exercise of charity towards the accuser now presents itself to the zealous and affectionate receivers of the New Jerusalem dispensation. A gentleman in holy orders, professing to treat of divine

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