Boston Monday Lectures. Swedenborg discriminates between the guilt of the various forms of the sins against chastity; but he never calls evil good, and good evil; he never encourages brutal neglect, nor treats any woman with absolute heartlessness. But well was it written: "No might nor greatness in mortality Can censure 'scape: back-wounding caluminy In striking contrast to Mr. White's opinion (1867), we cite the following from "SWEDENBORG, A BIOGRAPHY AND AN EXPOSITION" by Edwin Paxton Hood, in reply to one who some years ago asserted that "Swedenborg is the encourager of vice; he sanctions fornication, concubinage, and adultery; he allows his followers one wife and one concubine at a time." This is fearfully false. On the contrary, Swedenborg denounces throughout all his writings all adultery and fornication as crimes most deadly to the soul, corrupting it, and proving its absence from the kingdom of light and purity, and its residence in the kingdoms of darkness and lust" (p. 397). And again, in the chapter on the wonderful mystery of marriage and the origin and destiny of the sexes, this same author says, "No doctrine of Swedenborg has been more misunderstood than that of marriage and conjugial relations, or the relations of the sexes. To the pure all things are pure; some teachings can only be pure to the pure; and there are some of the passages in the Conjugial Love' which are of this order; and yet let the reader beware how he rashly pronounces a stern judgment on the subject, for there is nothing in the book under consideration more open to misconstruction than passages in the Old Testament prophets" (p. 313). These are the words of one who had studied his subject with the whole of Swedenborg's views on this subject before him, as Mr. White had in 1856. They are not the words of a fanatical Swedenborgian, but of one who conceived he had received much benefit from the study of the works of Swedenborg." We indorse these sentiments. and again protest against the notion that we as husbands and wives, as fathers and mothers, should be thought capable of circulating the works of one who attacks the great Christian teaching of the sacredness of family life, of one who sees God's Word on the side of license, of one who teaches infamous things, and encourages the brutal neglect of any class of women, of one who justifies things that would give Sodom gladness. Swedenborg is preeminently distinguished for his reverence for the marriage state and for his condemnation of every act that would violate the bonds of "family life." THE RESURRECTION BODY.-Mr. Cook, in a prelude on "The Resurrection Body," is careful to state that the views he has advanced upon the subject of the spiritual body are not the views of Swedenborg. Mr. Cook adopts the views of Julius Müller: "It is not the sarx, the mass of earthly material, but the soma, the organic whole, to which the Scriptures promise a resurrection. The organism, as the living form which appropriates matter to itself, is the true body, which in its glorification becomes the soma pneumaticon. The Scriptures teach that the soul between death and the resurrection remains unclothed." Mr. Cook observes, "This is language forty years old, and represents the truly orthodox view of the resurrection" (Third Series, p. 168); and proceeds to state that "Julius Müller's teaching is far from being that of Swedenborg. There is nothing in the creeds of the Church against the doctrine of a spiritual body as now existing in us and as an organic principle which will ultimately assume a resurrection body. This is the doctrine which Julius Müller derives from the scriptural assurance that there is a spiritual body and there is a natural body; that is, that now and here we have a natural body, and now and here we have a spiritual body" (p. 169). Swedenborg's doctrine is quite in harmony with the sentiment that "now and here we have a natural body, and now and here we have a spiritual body;" but Mr. Cook is quite correct in assuming that the doctrine of Julius Müller (if Mr. Cook here rightly represents it) is "far from being that of Swedenborg." Swedenborg's doctrine is that the spiritual body is the resurrection body. The view which Mr. Cook indorses as orthodox may be orthodox, but it certainly is not the view taught in the Scriptures. We do not know where "the Scriptures teach that the soul between death and resurrection remains unclothed." The Apostle Paul's argument is that death does not really unclothe man: "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life" (2 Cor. v. 1-4). The Apostle's argument about the "earthly house and the "house not made with hands" is exactly analogous to that concerning the "natural body" and the "spiritual body." WE HAVE them both, and hence when the earthly house is dissolved, we shall not be unclothed, but clothed upon with our house which is from heaven; or in other words, the natural body being cast off, we shall continue our real substantial existence in our spiritual body. Mr. Cook in defending Müller's views says (p. 168): "In these positions Julius Müller is not denying at all the scriptural assertion that there will be perfect identity between the resurrection body and the body laid down at death. The Scriptures assert that there is a sameness between the body which we bury and the body which is to be raised." Again, we are at a loss to know where the Scriptures assert this doctrine. There is a passage that asserts the very opposite of that which is asserted by Mr. Cook, "Some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest NOT that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body" (1 Cor. xv. 35-38). The Scriptures assert the perfect identity between the people who die and those who live hereafter, but never does it hint at the perfect identity between the body raised and the body buried. The spiritual body is the real man, and this continues to exist despite the casting off the material body by the act of death. In this spiritual body man rises again immediately after death, not in an unclothed state, but clothed upon with the house from heaven. The earthly body is but as a mere tent or tabernacle, a fitting habitation for a temporary pilgrimage; the spiritual body is a building, a house adapted for man's eternal home. As for the body that is buried, the life is departed from it, and having served its purpose of sheltering man during the pilgrimage of earthly life, its use has been accomplished. The BODY THAT IS BURIED is purely physical; and there can be no sameness between a purely physical body and a glorified spiritual body from which everything that is physical has been elimin ated. Mr. Cook wisely hesitates to indorse the idea that the resurrection bodies will be physical bodies. He says, "It is unnecessary to go back with some mediæval teachers to ask whether any part of the body that is buried is preserved and is used in that glorified body" (p. 168). We believe it is quite unnecessary, and it is equally so to contend that "there is sameness between the body which we bury and the body which is raised." The explanation of the sense in which this "sameness" is to be understood is ingenious, but not satisfactory. "The scholarly presentation of the manner of the resurrection asserts sameness between our present body and the resurrection body much in the same sense in which it asserts sameness between this present body which I now possess and the body I had when I was five or ten years old. Every particle of that earlier body has been changed, but the organic principle is unchanged. . . . And so when we lay down the fleshy body at death, we retain the organic principle which has already assumed several bodies. At the Resurrection Day it will assume a glorified body" (pp. 168, 169). This brings us to the question, Is the organic principle buried in the grave? Mr. Cook says, No. "Three things are to be distinguished from each other: the present body of flesh, the present organic principle or spiritual body, and the resurrection body" (p. 169). Now the first of these, "the present body of flesh," is buried at death; and unless the second, "the present organic principle or spiritual body," is buried with "the present body of flesh," the assertion that the spiritual body will "assume a glorified body" at the Resurrection Day does nothing to prove "that there is sameness (or identity) between the body which we bury and the body that is to be raised." The real truth is that "when we lay down the fleshy body at death WE RETAIN the organic principle." WE continue to live after the fleshy body has been laid aside; "the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit unto God that gave it." The organic principle is the basis of identity, identifying the child of ten with the man of forty; and when the spiritual part of man, to which alone resurrection is promised, lays aside the natural body, the spiritual body ascends into the spiritual world, and is the resurrection body of man. The raised body of man is the spiritual body, at least so says St. Paul (1 Cor. xv. 44); and lest we should imagine that the raised spiritual body is a newly-created one, or one that only comes into existence on the Resurrection Day, St. Paul adds, "There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body," meaning, as Mr. Cook and Müller justly consider, "that now and here we have a natural body, and NOW and HERE we have a spiritual body. A SWEDENBORGIAN. EXTRACTS FROM SWEDENBORG CONFIRMATORY OF THE ETERNITY OF HELL. C. 2871.-A certain evil spirit was in the persuasion that such things (his life's loves) might be removed from him, and that thus he might come unto heaven, consequently that his life might be miraculously transmuted into heavenly life; wherefore those loves with the lusts thereof were taken from him, which is effected in another life by dissociation, and he then manifestly appeared like an infant spreading out his hands, which he could scarce move, and at the same time he was in a state less capable of thinking than any infant, neither could he speak or understand anything. But presently he was restored to his delight and thereby to freedom. Hence it evidently appeared that it is impossible for any one to come into heaven who has formed his life according to self-love and love of the world, and who is consequently in the freedom of such love; for if that life were taken away from such a person, then would not remain anything of thought and will. A. C. 2881.-If it were possible for man to be reformed by compulsion there would be no single man in the universe but would be saved, for nothing would be more easy to the Lord than to compel man to fear Him, worship Him, yea, as it were, to love Him, the means of doing so being innumerable; but inasmuch as what is done in a state of compulsion is not conjoined with, consequently not appropriated to man, therefore nothing can be further from the Lord than to compel any one. A. C. 2401.-If it was possible that spirits might believe and become good by instruction alone in another life, there would not be a single one in hell, inasmuch as the Lord is desirous of elevating all, whosoever they be, to Himself in heaven. A. C. 4747.-They within the Church who have confirmed themselves against Divine Truths, especially these, that the Lord's Humanity is Divine, and that works of charity contribute to salvation. If they have confirmed themselves against them by doctrine and life, have reduced themselves to such a state as to interiors that afterwards they cannot in anywise be brought to receive those truths, for the things that are once confirmed by doctrine and life remain for ever. They who do not know the interior state of man may suppose that every one, however he had confirmed himself against the above truths, might yet afterwards easily receive them if he was only convinced; but that this is impossible has been given me to know from such in the other life by abundant experience. For what is confirmed by doctrine taints the intellectual principles, and what is confirmed by life taints the will principles, and what is thus rooted into the life of man cannot be rooted out, the very soul of man, which lives after death, being formed thereof and can in no wise recede therefrom. A. C. 5071. They who are on the left hand are called cursed, and their punishment eternal fire, as it is written: "Then shall He say to them on His left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into eternal fire prepared for, the devil and his angels;" again, "These shall go away into eternal punishment." The reason is because they averted themselves from Good and Truth, and turned to Evil and False. Curse, in the internal sense of the word, signifies aversion. The eternal fire into which they were to depart is not elementary fire, nor torment of conscience, but the concupiscence of evil, for the concupiscences appertaining to man are the spiritual fires that consume him in the life of the body, and in the other life torment him; from those fires the infernals torture each other in direful ways. A. C. 6368.-It is to be noted that no one can be plucked away and delivered from hell unless in the life of the body he has been principled in spiritual good, that is, in charity by faith; for unless he has been principled in that good by faith, there is not anything to receive the good which flows in from the Lord, but it is transfluent and incapable of being anywhere fixed. Hence such cannot be plucked away or delivered from hell, for all the states which man hath acquired to himself in the life of the body are retained in the other life, and are filled the states of good appertaining to the good are retained and filled with good, and by those they are elevated to heaven; and the states of evil with the evil are retained and filled with evil, and by them they slide down into hell. This is the meaning of what is said, that as man dies so he remains: hence it is evident who they are that can be delivered from hell by the Divine celestial principle from the Lord. A. C. 6571.-He who is in hell cannot in anywise be in heaven, for the ends are in conflict together, and the good ends conquer because from the Divine. Hence also it may be manifest that they do not think truly who believe that every one can be let into heaven from mere mercy alone, for if any one who is an evil end comes into heaven, his life is in painful agitation, like one who lies in the agony of death and is direfully tortured, besides that in the light of heaven he there appears as a devil. A. C. 6977.-There is also a total inversion of state in the natural principle when it is entirely occupied by falses; this is rarely the case with man whilst he lives in the world, but in the other life it is the case with all who are cast into hell. The reason why it is rarely the case with man whilst he lives in the world is because he is then continually kept in a state capable of being reformed if from a free principle he desists from evils. But after death his life follows him and remains in the state which he had procured to himself by the whole course of his life in this world. Then he who is in evil is no longer capable of being reformed; and lest he should have communication with any society of heaven, all truth and good is taken away from him, in consequence whereof he remains in evil and the false, which principles increase according to the faculty which he has acquired to himself in the world of receiving them, nevertheless it is not allowed him to pass beyond the acquired bounds. This inversion of state is what is here meant, which is of such a nature that it cannot any longer be amended as to interiors but only as to exteriors, viz. by fear of punishments, which being often endured compel the spirit at length to abstain from evil, not out of freedom but by compulsion, while the lust of doing evil still remains; which lust is kept in check by fears, which fears are the external and compulsive means of amendment. This is the state of the evil in another life. A. C. 7186.-They who believe that man can be immediately introduced into heaven, and that this is of the mere mercy of the Lord, are much deceived; if this were possible, all, as many as are in hell, would be elevated into heaven, for the Lord's mercy extends to all. But it is according to order that every one carries with him his life which he had lived in the world, and his state in the other life is accordingly, and that the mercy of the Lord flows in with all, but that it is diversely received, and by those who are in evil is rejected. And whereas they have imbued evil in the world, they also retain it in the other life; neither in the other life is amendment given, for the tree lies where it falls. A. C. 7502.-Yea, in such ignorance are men that they teach and believe that every one is capable of being admitted into heaven, some from the power which they arrogate to themselves, some from the mercy of the Lord without any regard to the man's life, and scarce any know that heaven is given to man whilst he lives in the world by the life of charity and faith, and that that life endures. A. C. 7541.-They who are casting into hell, and afterwards when they are cast, endure evils continually more grievous, and this until they dare not occasion evil to any one. And afterwards they remain in hell to eternity, whence they cannot be extracted, because it cannot be given them to will good to any one, only not to do evil from fear of punishment, the lust to do so always remaining. A. C. 7721.-When the evil are devastating in the other life, it is given them often to perceive whence they have the evils of punishment, to the intent that they may know that the Divine is not in cause, but that themselves are. Such things also frequently occur to those who are in hell, but at the time when they are in a quiet state. This is done for several reasons, principally that they may remember the evils which they had done in the world. A. C. 8227.-The Divine permits [evils] because He cannot hinder nor take away; for the Divine wills nothing but good. If therefore He hindered and took away evils, viz. of punishments, vastations, persecutions, temptations, and the like, He would then will evil; for them there could be no amendment, and in such case evil would increase until it had dominion over good. The case herein is like that of a king who absolves the guilty. In so doing he is the cause of the evil afterwards done by them in the kingdom, and also the cause of licentiousness thence derived to others, besides that an evil person would be confirmed in evil; wherefore a just and good king, although he is able to take away punishments, still is not able, for thereby he doeth not good but evil. It is to be noted that all punishments and also temptations in the other life have good for their end. A. C. 8232.-Casting into hell is only a closing up by mere falses which are from evil, in which they were principled when in the world. When closed up by these falses they are then in hell, and the evils and falses in which they then are torment them. The torment does not arise from grief at the evil which they have done, but the feeling that they cannot do evil, which is the delight of their life; for when in hell they do evil to others, they are punished and tormented by those to whom they do it. They do evil especially to each other from the lust of commanding and subjugating others, which is effected by a thousand methods of punishments and torments; but dominion there, which they continually aim at, is in a perpetual state of vicissitude, and thus those who punished and tormented others are in turn served the same, till at length such ardour abates from fear of punishment. A. C. 8265.-The life of those who are principled in what is false and evil, is distressed by the Divine presence, and in such case feels hell in itself according to the degree of presence. But lest those who are in falses and evils should be altogether destroyed and tormented, they are veiled with their own falses and evils, as with mists which are of such a nature that they break the influx of the Divine or repel or suffocate, as earthly mists or clouds are wont to do the rays of the sun. A. C. 8622.-For that false [Amalek] prevails amongst infernal genii who live for ever. A. C. 8700.-The Divine Truth which proceeds from the Lord is what makes order and is order itself, hence everything which is according to Divine Truth, inasmuch as it is according to order, is possible; and everything contrary thereto is contrary to order and impossible. That this is the case may appear from examples. It is according to order that they who have lived well will be saved, and they who have lived evilly will be condemned. Hence it is impossible that they who have lived well should be cast into hell, and that they who have lived evilly should be elevated into heaven: consequently impossible that they who are in hell, by the pure mercy of the Lord can be brought forth thence into heaven and saved; for it is the reception of the Lord's mercy, during their abode in the world, by which every one is saved. . . . Hence also it is evident that it is not possible for those to be saved who are in hell, etc. etc. A. C. 8991.-It is said to eternity, because they who do good from the obedience of faith and not the affection of charity, in the other life can never be brought to a state of good, that is, to act from good, for every one's life remains with him after death. Such as man is when he dies, such he continues, according to the vulgar saying, as the tree falls so it lies. Not that he is such as he is about the hours of death, but such as he is when he dies, in consequence of the whole course of his life; wherefore they who during their life in the world have been imbued with the principle of doing good only from obedience and not from charity, remain such to eternity; they are perfected indeed as to obedience, but they do not reach to anything of charity. A. C. 9008.-Spiritual death is damnation, hell eternal unhappiness. The reason why they who are in hell still live is because they were born men, and thence in the faculty of receiving life from the Lord and also they receive so much of life from the Lord that they can think, reason, and speak, and thereby exhibit the evil. appertaining to themselves so that it may appear as good and the false as truth, and thus play the part of phantoms of life. A. C. 9122.-They who have not received conscience in the world, cannot receive it in the other life; thus they cannot be saved, because they have not a place into which heaven may flow in, and by which it may operate; that is, the Lord by heaven, and bring them to Himself, for conscience is the plane and receptacle o the influx of heaven; wherefore such in the other lief are consociated with those who love themselves and the world above all things, who are in hell. A. C. 9224.-The doctrine of faith separate from charity induces errors, such as that man can will evil and believe truth, consequently that truth agrees with evil. Also that faith can make the life of heaven with a man whose life is infernal, consequently that one life can be transcribed into another, and thus that they who are in hell are capable of being elevated into heaven, and of living amongst the angels a life contrary to their former life. D. P. 96, p. 55.-There is conjunction of the Lord with every man by reason and free-will, wicked as well as good, therefore every man has immortality; but he alone has eternal life, that is, the life of heaven, in whom there is a reciprocal conjunction from inmost parts to ultimates. A. C. 4721.—Heaven is not denied by the Lord to any one. H. H. 527.—I can testify from much experience that it is impossible to implant the life of heaven in those who in the world have led a life opposite to that of heaven. THE RELIGIOUS IDEAS OF THE AFRICANS, REMNANTS OF A PURER SYSTEM. HE subjoined extract from Professor Max Müller's "Lectures on the Science of Religion" is particularly interesting, as taken in connection with what Swedenborg says of the African races in the "Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom," No. II. It is further curious to observe that the old people spoken of all refer the most spiritual ideas of their religion back to the sayings of people old to them, and imply that they themselves no longer entertain these ideas. We believe the same is the case with all the religions the onward, or rather downward, course of which Professor Müller traces. First the pure and limpid water, then the gradual pollution of the stream. How does this concord with the evolution theory, which is now so largely applied to morality and religion as well as to material existence, and by which we fear Professor Müller is himself a little tainted? He asserts, it is true, that man has a religious faculty by which he discerns truths that are beyond the ken of the senses; but we do not discover in the lectures of 1870, nor in the first of the series on the Origin of Religion, now being delivered in Westminster ChapterHouse, any reference to a spiritual influx into man of the truths above the ken of the senses; and where this is absent it seems to us that the religious faculty, or "potential energy" (as the Professor now redubs it in deference to certain critics), is nothing more than a capacity for metaphysical reasoning, and thus religion becomes after all nothing more than an evolution of the human intellect, with no reality behind it. The "yearning after the Divine," and the various forms this assumes in men's minds as they progress in culture, is thus the utmost we can attain to,-direct revelation from God to man is excluded. Yet to us it seems as nonsensical to suppose that God has endowed man with power to discern spiritual truths without revealing to him these truths, as it would be to suppose that God had given us senses through which to discern the material world and then had withheld that world from us. Every faculty must have its field to work in. Man sees the material universe and gradually learns to know it. In like manner he perceives spiritual truths when they flow into him from the spiritual world, but he can as little evolve the one as the other out of his own brain. "Even among the black races of Africa,* where we least expect it, we meet with the most touching yearnings after the Divine, expressed in language half-childish and half-childlike. One of the Zulus, whose confidence Dr. Callaway † had gained, said to him :— "We did not hear first from the white men about the King above. In summer-time, when it thunders, we say, The King is playing. And if there is one who is afraid, the elder people say to him, It is nothing but fear. What thing belonging to the King have you eaten?' "Another very old man stated: 'When we were children it was said, The King is in heaven. We used constantly to hear this when we were children; they used to point to the King on high; we did not hear His Name; we heard only that the King is on high. We heard it said that the Creator of the world (Umdabuko) is the King which is above.' "A very old woman when examined by one of her countrymen said: "When we speak of the origin of corn, asking, Whence came this? the old people said, It came from the Creator who created all things; but we do not know Him. When we asked continually, Where is the Creator? for our chiefs we see, the old men denied, saying: And those chiefs, too, whom we see, they were created by the Creator. And when we asked, Where is He? for He is not visible at all; where is He then? we heard our fathers pointing towards heaven and saying, The Creator of all things is in heaven. And there is a nation of people there too. . . It used to be said constantly, He is the King of kings. Also when we heard it said that the heaven had eaten the cattle at such a village (ie. when the lightning had struck them), we said, The King has taken the cattle from such a village. And when it thundered the people took courage by saying, The King is playing.' "Again, another very old man, belonging to the Amantanja tribe, who showed four wounds, and whose people had been scattered by the armies of Utshaka, said: "The old faith of our forefathers was this: they said, There is * Max Müller: Lectures on the Science of Religion, delivered at the Royal Institution, 1870. Lecture IV., March 12, 1870. + Unkulunkulu, p. 19. Unkulunkulu, who is a man, who is of the earth. And they used to say, There is a King in heaven. When it hailed and thundered they said, The King is arming; He will cause it to hail; put things in order. As to the Source of being, I know that only which is in heaven. The ancient men said, The Source of being (Umdabuko) is above, which gives life to men. It was said at first the rain came from the King, and that the sun came from Him, and the moon which gives a white light during the night, that men may go and not be injured.' "If lightning struck cattle, the people were not distressed. It used to be said, The King has slaughtered for Himself among His own food. Is it yours? Is it not the King's? He is hungry; He kills for Himself. If a village is struck by lightning and a cow is killed, it is said, The village will be prosperous. If a man is struck and dies, it is said, The King has found fault. with him.' "Another name of the Creator is Hongo, the Spirit, and this is the account given by a native: 'When he says Hongo, he is not speaking of a man who has died and risen again; he is speaking of the Up-bearer of the earth, which supports men and cattle. The Up-bearer is the earth by which we live; and there is the Upbearer of the earth, by which we live, and without which we could not be, and by which we are." MISSIONARY AND TRACT SOCIETY OF THE NEW CHURCH. ANNUAL MEETING. 'HE fifty-seventh anniversary of this Society was held in the New Jerusalem Church, The Mall, Kensington, on Wednesday evening, May 29th, when upwards of 150 were present. The Rev. Dr. Bayley took the chair at seven o'clock, and the proceedings began with the singing of the 22nd hymn, after which Dr. Bayley offered up a prayer. Messrs. W. Spear and Horton were appointed scrutineers for the balloting. The Chairman, after some observations of a prefatory nature, proceeded to remark upon the necessity for Christian fellowship, quoting the “Arcana Cœlestia," Nos. 1799, 1285, and 2385, where Swedenborg says that in the Ancient Church all were united in the bonds of charity, and although differing in minor doctrinals and rituals, all agreed to love the Lord and to seek to carry out His Divine law. In animadverting upon the historical difficulties connected with the literal interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis, the speaker referred to a recent number of a magazine, edited by the Rev. S. Cox, where the writer said that the early chapters of Genesis are to be called the mythical part of the Sacred Scriptures. The writer placed the first eleven chapters, up to the birth of Abraham, in this category, and, in fact, followed exactly the division of the New Church. Since then he had seen another gentleman, a minister, advocating the same kind of treatment, and in Scotland such opinions are especially prevalent. Long before this want was felt they had the satisfaction and enjoyment of possessing the necessary knowledge for properly understanding and meeting all these difficulties. It is a great privilege to be permitted to work with the Lord, and to impart to our fellowcreatures such things as are infinitely better than gold and silver or fortune, as it is commonly understood, in any shape or form; to be enabled to show to a man the truths which will lead him to higher and happier states as the world rolls on. Let them bear well in mind that if they could help a brother or sister to see those great truths which free the spirit from superstition and error of every kind-encouraging them to feel that they could be realized, could be really brought into practice-they were then giving them that which is more precious than silver and gold, or any blessing which could be imparted from man to man; and in doing this the Lord would bless them hereafter, as He has said, for in keeping His commandments there is great reward. The Secretary then read the minutes of the last annual meeting, which were duly adopted and signed as correct by the Chairman. From the Secretary's report it appeared that much good work is being done by this old-established Society; and during the past year the agent has sold upwards of one hundred pounds' worth of books, exclusive of others sold by Mr. Gunton at his lectures to the value of over twenty pounds. Several thousands of collateral works have been printed and purchased by the Society during the year, besides considerably over a hundred thousand tracts and pamphlets of various kinds. In addition to this 230 volumes have been presented to public libraries in various parts of the country, including London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds. About 500 copies of each of the missionary numbers of the Morning Light have been distributed amongst ministers of religion, members of Parliament, editors of newspapers, hotel proprietors, etc., besides which, a goodly number of books have been offered to and accepted by various editors, clergymen, and literary men, amongst them being a copy of "The Spiritual World and our Children there," presented to the Rev. Canon Farrar, whose discourses in Westminster Abbey, on Future Punishment, have attracted so much attention. Mr. Gunton (the missionary appointed by Conference) has preached and lectured 114 times during the past twelve months in different portions of the United Kingdom. (Applause.) The Treasurer, Mr. R. Gunton, then read his report, which showed a balance in hand of £222, 6s. 9d. to the credit of the Society. Mr. H. T. W. Elliott next read his report as Secretary of the " Auxiliary Missionary and Tract Society of the New Church," which showed this branch of the parent Society to be in as flourishing a condition as its paternal namesake. During the past year the number of members has increased from 97 to 125, of which 23 are active, 55 are corresponding, and 47 are honorary members. The operations of this Society are well known to most of our readers; we may, however, remark that its chief work is to communicate with the author of any work, or the editor of any newspaper, which touches in any way, either favourably or unfavourably, upon the teachings of the New Church, in order to bring before him the doctrine of the Church bearing on the subject, and where necessary to defend Swedenborg or the New Church from calumnious or ignorant statements. Several interesting letters of this character, necessarily anonymous, were embodied in the report; including cheering communications from a clergyman of the Church of England, a Baptist minister, a Unitarian minister, and the Principal of an educational establishment belonging to the Congregational body. Mr. Dicks moved the adoption and printing of these reports under the supervision of the new committee, and in doing so he paid a graceful tribute to the Secretary, Mr. Jobson, for the manner in which he performed the arduous duties of his office: he was sure no one worked so hard on behalf of this Society as their worthy Secretary. The motion was seconded in an able speech by Mr. Orme. Mr. Jobson proposed and Mr. Bateman seconded the following resolution: "That all licentiates of the Conference who conduct the worship, and administer the sacraments as ministers to any of the New Church Societies in London, be ex officio members of the Society." Dr. Stocker rose from the body of the meeting to raise an objection, but on further information being given by Mr. Dicks and other speakers on the subject of the resolution, it was then put to the meeting and carried without a dissentient voice. A solo, "Consider the lilies how they grow," was then beauti fully sung by Miss Hill. Mr. Browne proposed "That Mr. Gunton be the Treasurer of the Society for the ensuing year." Mr. Higham seconded the resolution in a neat and complimentary speech, and it was carried with acclamation. Mr. Jobson proposed, and it was unanimously resolved, that Mr. J. Gallico and Mr. J. Browne be the auditors. The company then adjourned to the anteroom for refreshments and conversation; and upon reassembling the Secretary read out the names of the newly appointed committee, and afterwards Mr. Bateman, F. R.C.S., moved the following resolution: "That in view of the failure that has attended the literal and materialistic interpretations of the Divine Word by the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches, more especially in seeking in the first chapters of Genesis for an account of the physical creation; and next, in their application of Divine prophecy chiefly to external, political, and historical events, this meeting gladly acknowledges that in the rational and spiritual doctrines of the New Church are those Divine truths which alone can vindicate the Word of God from infidel objections and satisfy the religious wants of the age." Mr. Bateman supported the resolution in a lengthy speech, in which he dealt chiefly with the influence of the Established Church of England, which he regarded as certainly one of the most admirable forms of the Old Church that exists. Although it had failed and done mischief in the past, he believed that there is a great deal of health in the Establishment yet, and that it is doing a great deal of good. The Church in the present day is permeated to a very considerable extent with a more rational, spiritual knowledge of Divine Truth; and few as are the members of the New Church, he believed that they have been the means of improving the condition of the Church of England and of all the other Churches, of causing them to do more good work, and less mis chief, than they did a hundred years ago. The Church of England had failed because of her inability to understand to any extent the resurrection of anything but a natural material body, and any other doctrine than that of tripersonalism. But the New Church views were permeating to a very great extent those who still professed the |