metaphysical inquiries which never have and never can lead to anything. The truth is truth because it has some definite existence; its existence is that wherein we can alone recognise it. Therefore, when we speak of the church as containing principles that are true, it is to be understood that those principles always lead the mind to the perception of some object or some duty that belongs to the individual who receives the truth. When the Lord said, "I am the Truth," He pointed to Himself as being the great impersonation of every truth which the word contains, and therefore He has declared Himself to be the Word. The Word is not to be understood simply as an utterance, but it is to be understood as a reality; and every truth taught in the Word has its origin in the Lord, and is intended to produce a form in us that shall have some resemblance to its excellence in Him. When He taught us to love Him above all things, and to love our neighbour as ourselves, He did not teach us some abstract idea, but a grand truth for our practical and daily observance; and it is a reality just as far and no farther than we bring it into our daily practice. And this truth which we thus practise must have its own vitality in the love of the goodness to which it leads. Truth may, therefore, be regarded as a light leading us to the possession of some great good; it is a finger-post leading us to something heavenly and good, and those are the principles which really constitute the Church of the Lord. Those are not simply external truths to be viewed by the external man merely, but internal principles having reference to the spiritual life of the individual who receives them; and those principles, if properly received, are eminently adapted to enlarge the mind, to purify the heart, and to regenerate the individual. whatsoever is capable of Christianity, or the truths of Christianity, is capable of improving the character of a man; it is capable of doing the same for twenty men -for a hundred men-; -yea, for a nation, for our race. The Christian principle, therefore, of our Lord's Church is to exercise the supremacy of its principles and truths over the hearts and minds of the people; and if the principles of the Church do not exercise this supremacy, it is not doing what it was intended to do. The

And

more, therefore, we receive of the truth, and the more devoutly we love it and make it known,so much the more we shall receive

the church into us and become individual churches; and as individuals increase in their numbers, so does the church increase. The church increases numerically by this means, and it will be folly to expect the church to increase in the world if we neglect to increase it in our own hearts, upon which that depends. Let us, then, as professing members of the New Church, take those things to heart, and remember it is our individual duty to love truth and goodness above all things; to love them because they are heavenly graces; to love them because they are calculated to bring down something of heaven amongst our fellow men; to love them because they are calculated to regenerate our characters, and prepare us to ascend to that kingdom where all is love and brightness and beauty, and where the church is triumphant.

Mr. GOLDSACK was appointed to speak on the supremacy of the church in the individual life. He said-The supremacy of the church means the supremacy of those principles which constitute the church-the dominion of the Lord's love and wisdom. The church embraces the good among all climes and classes of people, being, as Swedenborg truly says,

the Lord's heaven on the earth." While we fully recognise the greatness and inclusiveness of the Lord's Church throughout the human race, we must come to the smaller circles of our own dominant principles, and trace here a meaning to our subject. As far as we can read its history, the world never has been without a church, that is, an earthly embodiment, in one form or other, of the Lord's heaven or kingdom. In form and nature it descended with man in his departure from the pure and holy, but even though running to ruin, over the wanderer and over the ruins stood the church. And now, as we look upon our own nature, we feel that though built over ruins it is indeed a glorious temple. It is not that to the soul of man other delights are wanting, but that these of the church are seen and felt to be supreme. seems at first that nothing can surpass the magnificent palaces of thought and feeling raised up by the science of astronomy, as world on world, system after system, open up stores of thought and worlds of feeling which at first seem the highest and best the soul can have. However varied and beautiful these systems, another fairer than all below ever stands towering above them in splendour

It

and majesty, opening up greater wonders, revealing deeper love, and bringing more lasting joy. The church is man's spiritual home, that home of thought, feeling, and life, based on the doctrines of truth as drawn from the Holy Word, wherein we have a supremacy in all that can engage man's attention or charm his soul. The mind must be interested in a thing for the soul to love it. The soul must love it, and learn to feel its worth, before it gives its tone and character to the life. Now I do not see how we can grant this exalted character to the church without having so great an interest in it that it must affect the individual life. A man's thoughts and feelings form the basis of his existence; he lives from them, and every action does but give expression to some thought or feeling within. If, then, the church be supreme, the mind derives its highest gratification in pursuing the subjects of study unfolded in the Word, and the Bible opens to him a vast field of heavenly truth, every page offering a beautiful study. He may enter into the wonders of man's first formation, as unfolded in Genesis; trace out there the beginning of that nature which has now a soul refined and elevated; or, turning on to Joseph's eventful history, or Gideon's strange career, may look within at stranger scenes, and peel off the veil that covers up the sweet and cheering truths. Then in the individual in whom the church is supreme is his study and delight, a delight which no other study can give. So in love, nothing can so stir up the very depths of man's heart as the exhibition of the love the church unfolds. It is here that he first catches a glimpse of the true love of God. It is here that first repentance, then sorrow, then love, then humility move the heart, and break up its own false and feeble affections for the Divine and heavenly feelings to enter. Who has learned to love his God, and despise himself as the man who has living and moving within his breast the sweet and tender affections which inspire angelhood with life, the man in whom the church is supreme? And to pass on from thought and love to life, we may fairly ask who lives so nobly and so bravely? It is not till the church is entered by the knowledge of the Word and its teachings that the heart is moved with those feelings which constitute the life, in which the supremacy of the church most thoroughly manifests its true glory.

It is in life that thought and love are cultivated or brought into actual being, and where the church is supreme at all it comes forth in action, the principles and precepts of the Word form the basis of all that is said and done. I know many of us, perhaps most of us, must look at our life and say such is not the case, that other principles and other precepts are acted upon, still I suppose in each of us there is a struggle going on. The world, the flesh, and the devil, do not have it all their own way. Let us fight on, then, until the church is supreme.

Mr. JOHN PRESLAND, of Derby, was called to speak on that part of the subject which related to social life. The church is the Lord's heaven upon earth. Whatever on earth corresponds to and is in harmony with the heavens is the church, whatever upon earth is in antagonism with heaven, or is in any way incompatible with heaven, is heathen and gentile. The Lord's church consists in the dominion of love and truth, and the supremacy of this church in social life would be the supremacy, in all our dealings with each other, in whatever capacity, of affection, love, and charity, directed by the principles of intelligence and wisdom. The first existing cause of social life is the necessity we are under of earning our bread by the "sweat of the brow." In pursuing our work we are necessarily brought into connexion with our fellowcreatures. It is of paramount importance that in all the affairs of business the principles of heaven should be supreme. This is the grand essential means of purifying life. When we look at the commercial world, what do we see? Is it not a fact that business is at its heart rotten and unsound? The leading principles which pervade are selfishness and the acquisition of means for the pursuit of selfish ends. There are some who will tell us that the supremacy of the church in business life will not pay. If but a few men would strive to render the church supreme in their business relations with their fellow-men, they would, however, not only find the inestimable reward of a quiet conscience, but also the respect of those with whom they had commercial dealings, and the losses which they might fear would actually be changed into benefits and blessings. With respect to domestic matters, it is our duty to strive to render our homes earthly images of that home which we trust shall become ours hereafter. The sweet so

ciety that collects around us in our domestic relations is nearest and dearest to us. When the Lord God said that "it was not good that man should be alone," the next operation was to inaugurate the grand arrangements which lay the basis of our homes. Who can describe the blessings of a happy home? Is it not desirable that the principles which make the church should be so supremethat bad tempers should be banished, that principles of selfishness and overbearing should give place to mutual forbearance and the desire to bless and render all at home happy? The grand thing we are sent on earth for is to subdue selfhood, and what could there be in the whole universe that would tend to subue selfhood like the influence of home. The man who has a home is obliged by the holy influence implanted in his nature by the Most High to be an unselfish man. The religious life is a social life. How essential and important that we should strive with our might to render the church supreme in our respective societies! The speaker concluded by exhorting his hearers to maintain the supreme principles of the church inviolate, both in public worship and in private devotion, as well as in all the social relations of life.

The Rev. JOHN HYDE, who treated the subject of the supremacy of the church in relation to national life, said that many persons would perhaps take exception to some things which had been said as being altogether too refined to be practicable. If such an objection has presented itself to the mind of any one present, it may be well to remove it. It is important that man should have the highest ideal of existence, and live up to it to the best of his ability. If the supremacy of the church is the domination of love to the neighbour, seeking ever to secure the good of others, it applies to nations as well as smaller communities. There is a national ideal as well as an individual ideal,-that of liberty, peace, and prosperity. God would have been contrary to Himself if He had not implanted in nations, as well as individuals, the desire to ascend in the principles of goodness and truth which constitute the church; and therefore the supremacy of the church in the national existence is not a contradictory phrase. It is certain that if men really believe in the supremacy of goodness and truth, they could not be indifferent

spectators to those great contests of thought which have agitated the political circles of the world. We are members of society, and that which mightily moves the interests of the masses should never be a subject of indifference to the unit. It is the duty of every man to fight resolutely and act persistently in the vindication and maintenance of his opinions. With regard to the national life and the supremacy of the church, I think that that form of establishment, that order of political government, which enables each to have the greatest freedom for mental, moral, and social development is the true one; for if it be a fundamental truth that the purpose of the Creator was to give to every man an ideal that he might work it out, anything that impedes the working out of that ideal is contrary to the order of Divine Providence, and it should be the duty of every man to sweep such obstructions away. I think the great question of the day with regard to the Irish Church is to be approached on the ground of broad principles, and not on the ground of mere technicality; but in so far as it prevents the free development of a great people, in so far as it is a heart-burning to the people, in so far as it is a reproach to the great country to which we have the honour to belong, on these high grounds it ought to be swept away. Mr. Hyde concluded his speech by assuring his hearers that as Providence has implanted in the minds of his people a national ideal, he will also help them to work out that ideal, and that if there be any truth in God's word, there is great progress in store for the nations of the earth, if mankind will work the will of the Lord.

This

The Rev. O. P. HILLER said that there had been great error for ages as to what constituted the church. The church, as many people suppose, is simply a council composed of men sitting in their seats and expressing their opinions. definition was applied to the Romish and the Anglican Churches. This constitution of church is however a perversion of the true order of things,-the civil rules the natural, and the natural rules the spiritual. This is a state of things which cannot long remain; it will soon pass away, and whatever is not founded on the rock of truth will fall. It is possible that such a perversion may take place even in the New Jerusalem, both in this country and in America. In order

to preserve and maintain the true church we must be guided by the advice of Swedenborg, who tells us to beware of councils, and go to the Word of the Lord. The true church consists in the principles of goodness and truth. The visible church consists of those people who profess to hold the doctrines of the church and live the life these doctrines teach. There is an important distinction between the church universal and the New Church. The former is composed of the good in all parts of the world, and the latter of those who acknowledge and receive the new doctrines as laid down in the theological writings of Swedenborg. He who receives these doctrines and produces them in his life, is already living the heavenly life, and has heaven within him. Mr. Hiller, in concluding, described what the heavenly life would be hereafter, by taking illustrations from the life of the good in the world.

After making a few concluding remarks, the president closed the meeting by pronouncing the benediction.

On Friday evening the choir of the Salford society gave a selection of sacred music in the temple. Advantage was taken of this meeting to afford Professor Tafel an opportunity of delivering an address on the church in America and the object of his visit to Europe.

Professor TAFEL, on being introduced, remarked that as he had his impressions of America fully on his mind, the subject he would gladly address them upon was the state of the New Church in America, comparing it with the Church in Great Britain and with what he had seen that day. The true New Churchmen all over the globe are one and united. There is a family likeness impressed upon them all; and wherever one New Churchman meets with other New Churchmen there is at once a homely sphere experienced, and he feels as if he had known them for years. I have, he said, experienced this to-day; although there is a family likeness, there are also differences, which belong more to the organization and forms of the church than to its essentials. Just as the Englishman is different from the German and the American, so the New Church must have in each of these conntries a fashion of its own. There is a difference between the New Church in America and in Europe. Although America is the daughter of England, yet here the church is quite different, and, what would perhaps seem strange to some

persons, the New Church in America is rather more stiff than in England. But America is a very large country, and this stiffness vanishes as we go west, and by the time we reach St. Louis we find that most of it is gone. The New Church accordingly differs in its organisation in the West from the Eastern States. Another element that enters very largely into the given form of the church is, that the more freedom there is in a country, the more room is there for a New Church; and the more despotism and the more slavery there is in any state, the less room is there for a New Church. Where there is no freedom of thought the New Church cannot flourish; there is no soil upon which it can grow. The organisation of the New Church will also be very much determined by the form of government which the people have. This may be seen by contrasting America with England. The feeling of the English people tends to London as to a centre. In America there are as many centres as there are states, and every state has its own government. Every state, too, has its own New Church and its own association, at which most of the business which is done at our Conference, such as the making of minutes. &c., is carried out, so that there is not much for the convention to do. The Americans are great wanderers. They don't think much of travelling 200 miles to a convention. At the last convention held in Massachusetts there were representatives from almost every state in the Union, and many letters were received from the Southern States. So long as slavery was carried on in the South there was no New Church with the exception of a little gathering in Virginia. The New Church of the West gained strength during the war, and on the abolishment of slavery in Missouri the New Church gained a footing there. With the beginning of this year the spirit of the West seems to have taken hold on the people of St. Louis, where a New Church has been organised based on the two witnesses-the acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus Christ as the only true God, and the necessity of living a life according to His commandments. laid down this platform all the spirit of disunion seems to have flown away, and on uniting they felt themselves strengthened, and found that they had not only one minister but many. A larger sphere of action was contem

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plated, and the organization of the Association of Missouri was commenced. Letters were received from all parts of the States, and from as far as the Rocky Mountains. Another doctrine that we brought out clearly and distinctly, in St. Louis, was the acknowledgment that the doctrine of the New Church is the law of the New Church, as contained in the writings of Swedenborg and the internal sense of the word. In these doctrines the Lord makes His second advent into the world. They are Divine truths, and as such they are the Divine law. The question with a New Churchman ought to be, What do the writings teach? What is the law of the New Church? It is the doing of the law which constitutes the New Churchman, and which makes the New Church. Another advance that the New Church has taken in America is that the writings are published by one of the largest houses in the United States, and from this house they are sent to agents in every state, so that every book agent is an agent for New Church writings. He proceeded to state the object of his visit to Europe. The New Church is for all mankind, the high and the low, the philosophers and the men of sciences. The New Church should try to reach all classes of persons. In the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, before his illumination, there is a wealth of philosophy and of science which a world of philosophers want, and it is our duty to give it to them. Some of the most important of these scientific works not only remain untranslated, but still in manuscript. The most important of all Swedenborg's scientific works is the one on the Brain, which is reported to contain some 1,400 pages. The Americans feel it their duty to give these works to the world, and they have appointed me to make a most careful investigation of Swedenborg's manuscripts, and report to them. There are three scientific men, professors, one of whom is president of the institution to which I belong, and all of them New Churchmen, who are interested in this work. Professor Tafel concluded a very interesting speech by thanking his audience for their kind attention.

the morning from Zech. ii. 1—5, from the spiritual sense of which he deduced the important lesson that we ought to examine ourselves individually, and as a Church to ascertain the quality of the goodness and truth dwelling in us. His remarks showed that in the future glory of the Church militant, all classes of mind, all varieties of character, being principled in the love of goodness and truth, would find ample scope for active exercise; and that a glorious future awaits humanity, when men shall know what it is to have that love one towards another which is productive of their highest and eternal good. The evening discourse was from Mark xiii. 14-16, the literal sense of which refers to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, in the 70th year of our Lord; while the spiritual sense was shown to have reference to the destruction in our inmost affection, the holy place, of all true thought of God and the worship of the Lord as God,-false doctrines of the Lord leading to desolations, and against these this association had to battle.

On the Monday evening following, Mr. Presland delivered a lecture in Kingstreet Chapel, Keighley, on "That old serpent called the devil and satan, which deceiveth the whole world," based on Rev. xii. 9. In this discourse the popular notion of a personal devil was shown to have had its origin in Persian mythology, and to have been still later taught by Milton in his description of the "rebellious angels," in his "Paradise Lost." The fallacy of this opinion was exposed, and the reference in 1st Peter and Jude to the angels that fell, proved to be derived from an apocryphal source, and much misunderstood. It was clearly shown that life is an effort, a voyage in which opposing obstacles have to be encountered, and that these are the principles of evil which are ever contending in mankind. The animals of creation were shown to be Bible emblems of these principles, and the serpent which creeps and feeds on the dust is the lowest and vilest, and therefore a true type of the sensual degree. To this sensual degree of the mind we appear to act of ourselves, and by this are beguiled into evil and selfishness, which when exalted deceives, and betrays, and brutalises mankind.

The supporters and friends of the association met on Tuesday afternoon at Keighley, and spent a couple of hours very pleasantly together in Hawkcliffe