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a variety of oppositions. These are described by the various circumstances attending the Israelitish journey, and particularly by the wars in which the Israelites were engaged with their enemies. The object of this paper, however, is not to enter into these varieties, but simply to notice the one that is described by the perpetual war which Jehovah will have with Amalek from generation to generation.

To have a correct knowledge of this subjsct, it will be necessary to trace Amalek to his origin, and to show what this name, in the original language, spiritually implies. With respect to Amalek, he was the first of Eliphaz, by Timna his concubine, and Eliphaz was the first-born of Esau. From this Amalek sprung the Amalekites, and as all names were originally designed to mark and express the quality and state of the person or thing named, so the word Amalek, in the original language denotes smiting, assaulting, or striking; and the Amalekites, an assaulting people, or those who take delight in opposing and destroying all who are not of the same stamp. From this signification of the word we may see the ground of this perpetual war with Amalek, and that it is not a war with persons, but with principles,—with such as oppose our spiritual journey, our intellectual improvement and progress in Divine things. The Israelites under the superintending care of the Almighty, signify the church of the Lord in its progress to perfection, and abstractedly from persons they denote the Divine Truths which lead and direct us in the way of life. Now inasmuch as the Amalekites fought against Israel, and thus obstructed their journey, it is evident that they must denote those false and perverted principles which oppose the steady march of Truth, and act as so many hindrances and oppositions to our spiritual improvement in the Divine life.

Amalek, then, considering it abstractedly from person, and viewing it according to the original meaning of the term, signities a false, perverted, and opposing principle, grounded in interior evil, and of course Amalekites in the plural, denote all the false principles in the complex, originating in interior evil, as their parent stock. It may, in this place, be necessary to say a few words respecting INTERIOR EVIL, which in reality is the life and the soul of Amalek. There is EVIL which is perfectly external, brought into the open day, so that every body can see it and avoid it; but there is an internal evil which lurks secretly in the human heart, and when occasion offers, it pours forth its destructive poison by disguised means, and thus attacks us when we least expect it, and are the least able to meet it. This latter evil is of a more direful and treacherous stamp than the former; and this is the reason

why Jehovah will have a perpetual war with this evil, this AMALEK from generation to generation. "Interior evil is what lies inwardly concealed with man, stored up in his will, and hence in the thought, nor doth any trace of it appear in externals, as in the actions, in the speech, and in the face; they who are in such evil, study by every method and art to conceal and hide it, under the appearance of what is honest and just, and under the appearance of neighbourly love; and still they think nothing else with themselves than to be able to accomplish evil, and so far as they are able they do accomplish by others; being cautious on the occasion lest it should appear to be from them; they also colour over the evil itself, that it may not appear as evil; the greatest delight of their life is to meditate such things, and to attempt them in concealment; this is called interior evil." A more direful and treacherous principle cannot exist, it is the soul of Amalek, and all the false, perverted, and deceitful means and principles, artfully employed to accomplish the evil purpose are Amalekites, with whom Jehovah will wage a perpetual, an eternal war. The term JEHOVAH, as applied to the Divine Being, denotes the Divine Good, or the Divine Love, which in itself is perfect, pure, and ardent in promoting the eternal good and felicity of the human race. The Divine Love, denoted by Jehovah, and which, operating in man, promotes his happiness, and the interior evil, denoted by Amalek, are complete opposites; the evil cannot be converted into the good, nor the good into the evil, they never act in unison with each other, but always contrary; this contrariety and opposition, grounded, not in revenge, but in dissimilarity of quality, is described by the perpetual war which Jehovah will have with Amalek from generation to generation. This then is the nature of the war which Jehovah will have with AMALEK; it is a WAR worthy of the purity and goodness of the Divine Being. It is a war that will not depopulate nations, nor entail misery and wretchedness upon the human race; but on the contrary will insure the harmony, the sincerity, the peace and happiness of mankind.

The object of true religion, is not to amuse the understanding, and to please the ear with the tinkling cymbals of speculative theories; but to reach the heart, and thus by purifying the life, promote the best interests of man. Thus each person may profit by these remarks, if the work of self-examination be faithfully attended to. The mind is the land or house in which all our af fections, principles, and thoughts, as our spiritual family, dwell, and the enquiry of every faithful man, who is just to himself, will be "Is Amalek among them ?" if he is he must be rooted out be

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fore happiness can be enjoyed; for there is an eternal, but a righteous war carried on by Jehovah with Amalek, from generation to generation. If we put ourselves under the protection of Jehovah, our Almighty parent, and desire to be ruled and governed by him, then we shall experience the fulfilment of these divine words, where Jehovah says, I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven." Exod. xvii. 14. Let us then do, and do faithfully and honestly, the work of self-examination, and see whether Amalek is dwelling in our land. If we find that he is, let us oppose his reign, and by the power of Divine Truth which we receive from the Lord, we shall both conquer and root him out; by so doing we shall advance in true wisdom, purity, and happiness; we shall make advances towards the Holy Land, and finally obtain in the Heavenly Canaan, that fulness of joy and felicity, which will increase and multiply in us, to all eternity.

GULIELMUS.

REFLECTIONS OF THE LAST DAYS AND THE DESCENT OF THE NEW JERUSALEM.

THE coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh to accomplish the redemption of mankind and to establish a purer system of religion and morality than was enjoyed in any of the ages that preceded that event, is a circumstance that has admitted of more doubts and cavillings than perhaps any other subject connected with the Christian Religion. Those who object to the Christian scheme, do so upon a very frivolous ground; thus we find that great numbers ground their disbelief of Christianity upon the following, I think, futile objection. "If the Christian Religion be true, and calculated to bring so many blessings to mankind, by exhibiting to our view the true God and the only acceptable way of worshipping him -and if the common parent of mankind be infinite in goodness and mercy, and delighting in human happiness-why did he not reveal this day of glory before? why was this greatest of blessings kept till the last; and mankind suffered so long to wander in gross darkness-in uncertainty and doubt upon a subject of such infinite moment ?"

If any weight at all is to be attached to this objection, it ought also to be brought as a ground of objection to every other subject connected with the Divine economy, and with the Almighty's dealings with his creatures. Thus if the creation of this world be a good work, as it is expressed in Gen. i. 10, why did not the Almighty do this good work sooner? why did He not bring man into existence sooner than he did, and thus make him happy in the

enjoyment of life? again; why did the Almighty suffer his chosen people to wander in the wilderness forty years, and indure the most severe trials and strugglings, suffering hunger and thirst, and many other calamities distressing to human nature, instead of bringing them at once as it were into the land of Canaan, to enjoy its milk and honey? In fact a vain objector may take up this ground and say, "Why were not the Holy Scriptures, if they are calculated to reveal the Being of a God, and to show mankind the way to heaven and happiness,-written at a much earlier period than they were; and why keep the world so long without that Book, which contains so much light and heavenly information? These vain objections may be urged against every thing-against every dispensation of Divine Mercy, yea against every improvement in science, and against the progress of literature in general.

Such objections to the Christian Religion as these, ought not to be ranked among the number of objections at all; for if they are examined they will be found to be poor, weak, and futile. The coming of Jesus Christ into the world took place in what the Holy Scriptures term the fulness of time (see Gal. iv. 4) the fulness of time implying the most proper season for such an event, the time which was exactly suitable for such a revelation of the divine goodness and mercy. Every dispensation of truth to mankind must have a commencement, and whenever this is made to enlighten mankind, and to bless them with higher degress of knowledge and goodness; they should rejoice and be glad in the day of light, and not presumptuously arraign the Divine Being and say "Why was not this revelation made before " O! thoughtless, erring man! think of the sin of such a vain objection, and hide thy guilty head!

A similar objection to the above is frequently made to the doctrines of the New Jerusalem: thus many object to them by saying "What! have all the bishops of the Christian Church, and all the great, and good and learned men who have written in defence of the Christian Religion from the Apostolic age until now—have all these been wrong in their judgment, and have they all propagated false doctrines? and if the doctrines of the New Jerusalem made known in the Writings of Swedenborg, be true-if they unfold the true spiritual sense of the Scriptures, and reveal clearly the knowledge of Jesus Christ as the One true and living God of heaven and earth, and otherwise bless the human race with superior views of heaven and eternal life-why was not this Revelation made known before? why keep all this fund of light and knowledge back from mankind until now?" These objections can be answered, and are most satisfactorily answered by a single sentence of our Lord's

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"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now," John xvi. 12. The Lord, who alone knoweth the hearts of his people, is the best to judge of that state of the mind, which is suitable to receive a dispensation of Divine mercy; for it certainly would be useless to communicate any spiritual knowledge of Divine things, if the state of the mind and life was not able to receive it. How important then, are these words of our Lordcan ye not discern the signs of the times?" Matt. xvi. 3. Are we so taken up with the cares and follies of this life-so absorbed in the things of sense, as not to discern the spiritual things of heaven, and the state in which these things can alone be received? There is every reason to believe, that man, as a rational and intelligent being, is capable of perpetual improvement. The great progress which is now being made in the arts and sciences, and in every branch of literature is a proof that no limits can be set to human improvement, and that the happiness of the human race will increase in proportion to the growth of true science, intelligence and wisdom. If, then, no reasonable and valid objection can be made to the progress of natural science, and to that knowledge which is connected with the arcana of nature, I see no reason why we may not improve in religion, and greatly increase in the knowledge of those important realities which are connected with the imperishable soul of man, and with the vast concerns of an eternal state! It cannot be unreasonable to suppose that we are capable of this spiritual improvement, but highly reasonable, and nothing but the most blind attachment to old things will prevent us from rising in divine knowledge, and obtaining clearer views than we now possess of the pure doctrines of the true Christian Religion.

Our Lord, when present with his disciples in the flesh, taught them to expect in the latter times, a brighter day of light and glory than existed at that time! a day in which he would no longer speak to us in proverbs, but would show us plainly of the Father, a day in which he would clearly reveal those many things which he could have made known in the days of his advent in the flesh; but which were in mercy kept back, because the state of the people could not bear the splendour of so exalted a light. Are we then, never to expect the arrival of this bright day of religious glory? are we to reject all new discoveries of truth and righteousness upon the ground that they are new, as if the Lord had never given us any expectations of a further revelation of himself? Surely not; for this would be the very extreme of folly. We cannot, then, reject the doctrines of the New Jerusalem because they were not made known before-now is the appointed time! the fulness of time! and the bright day of salvation.

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