for the subjective Christianity of individuals, or even for systems, to maintain with precision the equilibrium which has been so laboriously won for its members by the action of the early church. In the Roman communion it has long seemed to observers from without, as if much of what belonged to the humanity of Christ in the first forms of Christian belief, and according to the common creeds, were virtually intercepted by devotion primarily addressed to intermediate objects, and too often apt to rest there. In England, and, as some think, still more in Scotland, there is on the other hand a tendency among imperfectly informed Christians practically to merge the humanity in the divinity of our Lord, to underrate or overlook its continued existence and action, in some cases even to suppose that it terminated with the theophany, or manifestation of the Divine Person in the flesh." 66 The question really discussed in "Ecce Homo is the humanity, or, rather, the human side of the person and character of the Lord. In this discussion the New Church is intensely interested. She possesses a distinct and strongly affirmative doctrine of the Humanity of the Saviour. In this doctrine the Humanity is not "merged in the divinity," but contemplated as a distinct divine-human essence and form-the glorified and glorious body " of the Saviour, "in which dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily." The development of this great truth in the Gospel narrative is not made suddenly, but by successive disclosures of light, and power, and love in the teachings and miracles of the Lord in the earlier Gospels, by distinct and lucid statement and exposition in the Gospel by John, and by a full and glorious apocalypse in the Revelation of John. "The Lord," says our great Author, " was as another man in every respect, except that he was conceived of Jehovah; nevertheless He was born of a woman, a virgin, and, consequently, by such nativity, He derived infirmities from the virgin mother such as are common to other men. These infirmities were of a corporeal nature" from which He should recede. "Another arcanum is that the Lord's Humanity was made Divine. In Him alone was there a correspondence of all things which belong to the body with the Divinity, and such a correspondence 66 The as was most perfect, or infinitely perfect; hence there was a union of things corporeal with Divine-celestial things, and of things sensual with Divine-spiritual things. Thus He is the Perfect Man, and [in the strictest sense] the only Man." A. C. 1414. This assumption of humanity, in the words of Mr. Gladstone, was no light question. No question of a meteor flitting or flaring across the sky, mounting in glare and then descending into gloom. astounding fact of the manifestation of the Lord of Glory in the veil of human flesh may, and does, stagger in some minds the whole faculty of belief. Those minds, however, guided by equity, will admit that if this great Christian postulate be sound, much must follow from it. For then we must in reason expect to find, not only an elaborate preparation in the outer world for an event which, by the very statement of the terms, dwarfs the dimensions of every other known transaction, but likewise a most careful adjustment of the means by which, being so vast in itself, it could find entrance into the human mind and heart." Again-" Provision had to be made not only for establishing aright the relation of Christianity to the world which it was to conquer, but for the subsequent regulation and due balance of the internal forces by which the new community was to live and work. 'Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, even Jesus Christ.' The basis of the kingdom of God was to lie in Emanuel, God with us, God made man, God in a human form, assumed and worn for our sakes." The world had been to some extent providentially prepared for this great truth of God incarnate. The Jews had been prepared by many intimations, by many promises and narratives in Holy Scripture; and the Gentiles by the old mythology of Greece, which "had for its central figure, in a carnal way, that very idea which the Gospel was to reveal in a Christian way, namely, what is called anthropomorphism, or the humanising of its gods. . . This close union of the two worlds and of the two natures had supplied the Greek poets with the chief part of their materials, and had been the inspiring principle of Greek art." While, however, this preparation facilitated the reception of this great truth on the one hand, it exposed it to danger on the other. "For the rule itself by which all was to be measured had gone awry; that form or matrix was itself deformed, and in receiving the idea was but too likely to deprave and distort it." The public mind required, therefore, to be cautiously trained to admit this great idea of God-man. 66 The pupil of the general eye was contracted, and it had to be trained by truth and care to admit the light; most of all, to be trained so to admit it that the light, after being admitted, should not become darkness, for great would have been that darkness." In these circumstances Mr. Gladstone finds a reason for the method of disclosing the Divinity of the Lord observed in the Gospels, and dwelt upon at length in the second part of his essay. On the argument elaborated in this part of his essay our space forbids us to dwell. The conclusion at which he arrives is thus stated::-"It appears then, on the whole, as respects the person of our Lord, that its ordinary exhibition to ordinary hearers and spectators was that of a man engaged in the best, and holiest, and tenderest ministries, among all the saddest of human miseries and trials;-of one teaching in word, too, the best, the holiest, and tenderest lessons, and claiming, unequivocally and without appeal, a Divine authority for what He said and did, but beyond this asserting respecting Himself nothing, and leaving Himself to be freely judged by the character of His words and deeds." Throughout the whole of this essay the writer expresses a full belief and cordial reception of the great doctrine of the Lord's Divinity; we naturally infer, as that doctrine is held by orthodox believers. No intimation is given, however, of a Son born from eternity, or of God as in any sense separate from the Great Father of All, descending and being made man. All that is here written is in much greater harmony with the New Church doctrine of the descent of Jehovah, the Creator, to become the Redeemer of His creatures. And the intimations that are given of the Lord's work in the world are also more in harmony with the New Church doctrine of redemption, than with the popular doetrine of the vicarious sacrifice. "So then," we say with the author, "through the fair gloss of His manhood we perceive the rich bloom of His Divinity;" and from the author we accept his moving precept-" Cling closer to Christ, cling ever closer to Christ." THE FUTURE. Under the title of "Our Future," the 66 English Independent " has a leader on the prospective changes in the Church of England, and in Christian society generally, and on the probable growth of the Congregational body from these changes. It is the course of wisdom to forecast the future, and to adapt ourselves to its requirements, to anticipate its evils, and to be prepared to take advantage of its good. This is not less the duty of individuals than of communities. Now the present condition and future prospect of the church is hopeful, in the estimation of the writer, for the growth of Nonconformity. As members of the New Church, we are little interested in the prospective growth of any particular form of ecclesiasticism, but may yet carefully ponder the signs of the times, and be willing to be instructed by the prudent and wise reflections to which they give rise. In the estimation of this writer, "Ecclesiastically we are in the midst of a tidal flow, and far into the history of an epoch. The tendency in all things and everywhere is in the direction of freedom. Religious thought cramped up for centuries in the moulds of antiquity, has been so vitally growing of late that it is bulging out on all sides, and the old moulds must soon split in pieces. The mind of the Church, long docile to the rule of dead centuries, is beginning to ask the reason why;' and the end of that must be, ere long, emergence from the sepulchre, and free walking in the living light of to-day. The rubrics must go. The creeds will soon follow. And when these foundations are shaken, the righteous will flee to freedom as dwellers in a city that is rocked by an earthquake seek shelter in the open plain. It is an undeniable fact that in our universities, and among the cultured generally, there is a very wide disbelief and rejection of 'the Gospel according to the Church.' It is not an irreligious scepticism; not an undevout thing: these men hold to the great religious facts; they are Christian men; but they do not believe the stereotyped formula, and so the Church is no home for them." This class of minds, then, may be attracted towards Independency, but how? For them there needs as much freedom as is possible to be 66 lievers in a revelation. Another thing that they will demand, also, will be reality and earnestness. These things in themselves are the source of their present dissatisfaction with the Church. They know that much of it is shammuch of it mere performance and pretence; and the last thing they will ever come to is performance and pretence. Above all, inasmuch as their present looseness to old ecclesiastical attachment is the result of the growth of a fine manhood-an intelligent cultured thing that must compel the respect of all who can appreciate it-no community that lacks manhood can hope to offer them an anchorage or a home." The requirements thus sketched, the writer supposes to be possessed in a high degree by the Congregational community. The claim is not made, however, without some misgiving. "Free (he says) as we profess to be, we may be just as rigid and unpliable in our ways as if we were bound. We may be as jealous of change in form and speech, as well as of more vital things, as if we believed in the inspiration of the Puritans. We may sternly refuse to revise our methods or to adapt ourselves to new circumstances, and so be every whit as unpliable as if we were environed with law. And if we be, we shall not become that nucleus for the church of the future which surely we may have the ambition to be, and which our principles at least would enable us to be, if we are wise and Christian in the use we make of them." Revision and change are thus seen to be essential to freedom and necessary to adapt this great community to the growing intelligence and wants of the age. Genuine freedom, however, can only be secured in connection with wise thought and sound doctrine. And it is in the possession of this latter requirement that the New Church possesses, even as a separate religious community, such an incalculable advantage over every other religious body in its adaptedness to the wants of the age. Freedom without the guidance of sound doctrine is vacillating, changeable, and uncertain. The mind without a clear knowledge of first principles is occupied with vague, shadowy, and indefinite conceptions of things; and while professing to be wise, really becomes foolish. The grand centre of the Christian system is the Divine Humanity of the Christian Saviour. It is the ensign lifted up to the nations, and is destined to collect the scattered of Israel and the dispersed of Judah, and re-unite them in one. As a Christian community, possessed of this doctrine, and of a doctrine for the interpretation of the Word, the New Church is best adapted to supply the wants of the age, and to provide for the religious necessities of the minds of highest culture and truest manliness. But while we possess these advantages, we may fail to adapt ourselves to the moral requirements of the world. Our doctrines may be imperfectly apprehended, and their moral influence feebly reflected in our own characters and conduct. Much that is said in the concluding paragraph of the article which has led to these remarks, is well deserving of thoughtful attention by members of the New Church, as well as of other Christian communities. "If the spirit of our churches be a narrow and bigoted spirit, and that which is least intelligent and Christian among us be allowed to make the most noise and exert the greatest power, then they who are cut adrift from their old moorings by the axe of the spirit of the age, will pass us by with contempt, and cast our own principles in our teeth. If the religious teaching amongst us for the next five-and-twenty years be manly and thoughtful, neither timid of novelty nor contemptuous of the past;-if our church life be simple and earnest, neither ascetic nor careless;if our religion be as full of common sense as it is of real love and faith;-if, holding to the old Gospel, we are wishing to let it shape itself to the new forms that new times demand; specially, if we are ready to correct the mistake of our ancestors in respect of worship, and take care to provide the living spirit that is in us with more and more suitable modes for its expression; and, finally, if we see to it that rudeness and ignorance do not rough-ride it over meekness and culture, and that narrowness and Pharisaism be not allowed to lord it over thoughtfulness and sincerity, then we may hope to be a power in the shaping of that great change which is inevitable, and whose beginnings are even now to be perceived.” THE CHURCH AND THE WESLEYANS.A number of letters has lately appeared in the "Guardian," urging the desirableness of a closer union between the Es tablished Church and the Wesleyan Methodists, and suggesting plans for its accomplishment. The Wesleyans have long been regarded by the Church as least hostile to her social position and political pretensions. They have long been spoken of by dignified Churchmen with respect, and their return to the fold from which they had strayed earnestly desired; but no efforts have been made to secure their re-union. Now the subject has not only been urged in the letters we have named, but also made the subject of an earnest debate in the Convocation of the province of York. The subject was introduced by Archdeacon Hamilton, who gave a large number of evidences of the general and growing desire for closer and more cordial union among Christian communities, and offered a number of special reasons for seeking this union with the Wesleyans. On the general question of the desirableness of this union he expressed a confident opinion that the house would be unanimous. The debate that followed showed that in this expectation he was not mistaken. The number that objected were few indeed; and the chief objections related rather to the mode of seeking this union than to the union itself. The discussion ended by the unanimous adoption of the following resolution:- "That whereas the union of all faithful Christians is earnestly to be desired, and as many of the causes which originally led to the separation of the Wesleyans from the Church of England are sensibly diminished, this house would cordially welcome any practical attempt to effect a brotherly reconciliation between the Wesleyan body and the Church of England." NORWAY.-To the Editor.-My very dear Sir,-Also this year we have to thank you for the precious gift of your Repository. I do it with sadness, feeling how very little I am able to do for the cause I so heartily love; indeed we seize every opportunity to enlighten any receptive soul, but working daily and steadily for the necessities of a large family, our endeavours cannot in any way satisfy our longings. This year we have to lament the loss of our zealous brother, Adolph, who has obtained a situation as teacher at the University of Urbana, Ohio, North America. He and all of us greatly desired to see his trans lation of "Heaven and Hell," edited in our language, before he left his country; but instead of this, we must regret the wide extension of a miserable book of a Danish clergyman, with the title-"Letters from Hell." Still, one thing has this book brought to light,-that our people indeed want to know something about the other world. To me, who can compare the spiritual state of the people now with what it was twenty years ago, it is evident that the Spirit of Truth is working powerfully amongst us. Knowing the kindness with which you regard our little affairs and doings, I cannot refrain from telling you some instances from my own experience, hoping not thereby to be intruding upon your time and attention:-Having twice a-year to travel about 600 English miles, in my military capacity, I take every opportunity to bring out as much as a considerate observation of the circumstances allow me of the truths that make me so happy. I once went on board a steamer, almost exclusively crowded with young students, who were going home in the vacation of the University. On the table of the saloon lay the "Letters from Hell;" and looking at the book, I made some brief remarks on the many errors it contained. Some questions and answers from me drew attention to the subject, and a lively conversation ensued. Of course the certainty with which I spoke of the to all unknown country, occasioned great surprise, and the question whence I had my knowledge was near. tioning the name of Swedenborg, I perceived a disbelieving smile upon many faces, and even some inward struggle, but it only for a short time interrupted the conversation, in which the whole band contributed, every one taking a part. So long as, while unfolding the laws of the spiritual world, I was able to show their reasonableness by comparisons drawn from spiritual experiences in this, all went on smoothly; but being thereby emboldened, I at last encountered a storm of opposition, then I stopt short, remarking that our conversation ought not to create unkind feelings with any one. But to my agreeable surprise, they pressed me to proceed, assuring me that the matter highly interested them; and that opposition was partly on account of the newness of my views, and partly to give me an opportunity to unfold them more fully. Twenty years since, a man On men uttering such views was looked upon as fit for a lunatic asylum. Travelling on land, I am glad when I get an opportunity to speak of religious matters; and as the people are of an earnest and thinking character, I very seldom fail to get the conversation turned upon it. Indeed the best fruits of our good public schools is in the taste they give the people for thinking rationally; and I was often struck, as well as delighted, by their questions, and the facility with which they understood my explanations; some even embraced them with such warmth that they pressed my hands, assuring me that they did not remember ever having had so delightful a conversation, many of them desiring me to give them directions where to get books, by which they might learn more of it, and fix in their memory what I had said. I trust in the Lord that the time may come when I can put in their hands suitable tracts! If we could now get "Heaven and Hell" published with us, the most craving want, I think, would be supplied. The wide circulation of the "Letters from Hell" has made it evident that people have a longing for knowledge about the other world; and, next to the Lord, we trust in the charity of our English brethren; having already helped us to get more than half of the work printed, they will not now forget us. With sincere thanks for all the kindness bestowed upon us from our English brethren, I remain, dear Sir, most affectionately yours, S. F. BOYESEN. JERSEY.-To the Editor.-Dear Sir,One of our friends, zealous in the cause of the Lord's New Church, although not a member of our society, has contributed the sum of £50. towards the commencement of a fund, to be devoted, under the auspices of the said society, to the bringing over from England of a pious, learned, and energetic minister, to stay in Jersey during a period of one year at least, in order to explain and enforce our heavenly doctrines, not only at St. Helier but in all parts of the island where we can obtain a hearing. As for St. Helier, the inhabitants are not averse to giving us a hearing, thanks to the flying missionary visits we have from time to time received from New Church ministers; and which have in no small degree contributed to soften down former prejudices. But what we now want is, that the few sparks of affection for the truth which have been kindled by those visits, should be brought into one focus, and so fanned into a steady and constant flame. And our friend above mentioned thinks this cannot be more effectually done than by the residence amongst us for some considerable period of a man who, to the graces of a persuasive oratory-which is never more nobly employed than in the cause of genuine truth-would unite an intimate acquaintance with the sacred languages and with the natural sciences, so as to be capable of giving a ready reply to old Church objections derived from Biblical criticism, and at the same time of overturning the old system of literal interpretation by, say, geological and ethnological considerations. He would also have to be well versed in the science of Correspondences, so as to be able effectually to enforce the New Church system of spiritual interpretation. With such a man among us for say a twelvemonth, both our friend and ourselves are tolerably confident that, by the end of that period, our numbers would have so increased by the accession to our ranks of men of means—already friendly to and somewhat conversant with our doctrines-that the residence among us of such a minister would, in all probability, become permanent-that is, if he found it comfortable to himself. The brethren here would, I am sure, promote his comfort by all the means at their command. In the meantime, I would say that whilst we shall be thankful for any donation that may come unsolicited for the accomplishment of our object, we intend relying chiefly on ourselves for the increase of our fund, until it reaches a figure adequate to the maintenance of a man such as we have in our mind's eye in respectability and comfort—I remain, dear sir, yours in the cause of genuine truth, F. D. January 19th, 1868. NEW CHURCH COLLEGE.-We learn from a correspondent that the college is actively pursuing its career of usefulness. Arrangements have been made to render the theological education of Mr. Chester |