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members. No difficulty need be felt as to commencing the classes. However small the society, if there be but three or four children, commence with them, and it will soon be found that an hour's instruction on the Sabbath, including an address from the minister, or some other qualified person, will have its effects and be the means of establishing and encouraging habits of order and a love of goodness and truth that will grow and form the commencement of the Lord's kingdom within them. These classes may be supplemented by junior members' mutual improvement societies. For whatever tends to foster a love of the church by drawing young minds into association with each other, and encouraging a love of growing wise and good, is worthy of our best consideration and earnest support. It would promote their progress also if some general plan for carrying on the work were proposed and adopted. If this were done by us as a body, the attention given to the subject would, in all probability, produce for us a literature suited to our young people, and calculated to draw forth their powers of thought and affection. And we may mention as a model and useful work, "Scripture Emblems," recently published by Pitman, London.

J. SMITH. JOURNAL OF THE GENERAL CONVENTION OF THE NEW JERUSALEM IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. This journal, with its accompanying documents, forms a neat octavo pamphlet of upwards of one hundred pages. The meeting of the Convention was this year held at Cincinnati, the session extending from Friday, June 7th, to Tuesday, June 11th. Eight associations and four societies, apparently not connected with associations, were represented in it. Its members consisted of twenty-one ministers and seventy-seven laymen. In the absence of Dr. Worcester, the president, the chair was occupied by the vice-president, Mr. J. Young Scammon. The subjects brought before the Convention were of the kind usually occupying the attention of public bodies of this kind, and showing the continued interest felt in the prosperity and order of the church. The American Convention appoints a larger number of committees to sit during the year, and gives to them a greater power than is the custom of the General Conference in England. The reports of these committees are not un

frequently documents of considerable interest, indicating careful attention to important subjects, and embodying hints of great value for the continued growth and stability of the church. Some of the reports, which accompany the minutes this year, are extensive and interesting.

The report of the committee on missions gives an account of several missionary visits performed by the recognised ministers of the church, and shows opening fields, apparently white for the harvest, which the committee are unable to occupy. The report of the committee on the organisation and instruction of Sabbathschools is valuable for the practical suggestions it offers. "What is most needed now," says the committee, "to make the teaching of these effective, is some work that will so far point out the best system of instruction, for children of different ages and attainments, as to supply in a measure the want of experience. A complete system of organisation is especially important in the Sabbath-school, where there is an absence of internal restraints, and reliance must be had altogether upon moral influence and example. As the organisation is in so large a measure dependent upon the superintendent, the greatest care should be taken in the selection of this officer. He should be a man of method, of kindliness of disposition, and heartily enlisted in the work he has to perform. . . . Classes should be organised, not with reference to teachers, but with reference to some such system of instruction, in which each class has its definite and understood place and work.

In arranging any system of instruction for our schools, reference should be had to an orderly progress from the knowledge of the natural sense to the intelligent comprehension of the spiritual sense, and an understanding of the relation between the two." For the full illustration of the doctrines of the New Church, and of the science of correspondences, we require a knowledge of both worlds. All the sciences contribute assistance to this end. "Teachers generally, therefore, need instruction as much as children, and the body of teachers should be formed into such a normal school as would greatly increase their usefulness, and bring them each Sabbath prepared to give the necessary food to their scholars; and no teacher should ever come without previous preparation."

The report of the committee on a theological school, describes what has been done towards the establishment of a theological institute for the education of young men for the ministry. One short session of the institute has been held, at which six young men enrolled themselves as students for the ministry. In addition to class instruction, thirtytwo lectures were given, by fourteen lecturers, on subjects of theological study and pastoral work. Arrangements have since been made for a longer session and more systematic course of instruction. "Students for the ministry from all parts of the church, and others desiring to avail themselves of the course of study, have been earnestly invited to attend, from whatever portion of the church they come. The tuition is given free to all." The question of the publication of the writings of Swedenborg in elegant editions by some of the publishing houses in the States, was the subject of a discussion in the Convention, ending in a resolution of approval. The not less important question of the Latin manuscripts of Swedenborg is discussed at length in a well-written report presented to the Convention and published in the appendix. The committee on this subject strongly urges a complete and careful examination of all the manuscripts, and the publication as early as possible of those thought worthy of preservation. The reports of the several associations present, also, many interesting facts to which our space will not allow us to refer.

SWEDENBORG SOCIETY.-The Address of the Chairman, the Rev. A. Clissold, which he delivered at the anniversary meeting, in June, he has since published under the title, "The Literal and Spiritual Senses of Scripture, in their Relations to each other and to the Reformation of the Church," in the form of an eighteenpenny pamphlet. Of this important document he sent copies to all our bishops and many other clergymen, and gave one to each of the committee. With a view of making it still further known, the committee have purchased 100 copies, to be presented to the clergy and other ministers of religion. Individuals may also very usefully bring it under the notice of ministers in their respective localities, the subject being one which is now engrossing much attention, and on which great want of information is prevalent.

A new edition of " The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrines," revised by the secretary, is in the press.

The disastrous fire at the Crystal Palace last year, among other valuable property, destroyed its entire library. In order to accommodate their numerous readers, the directors are desirous to reinstate it, and many individuals have made them handsome presents of books. The committee of the Swedenborg Society, having ascertained that the donation would be acceptable, have voted a complete set of the works in English. They will be inserted in the catalogue when printed, and will thus, doubtless for the first time, come under the notice of many of the intelligent residents in that neighbourhood, and of other visitors.

BRIGHTON LECTURES.-The committee of the Missionary and Tract Society have determined to stereotype and publish these lectures in a cheap form for general circulation. The volume consists of six lectures delivered at Brighton by Dr. Bayley, and afterwards published in a volume of 216 pages. This volume it is now proposed to publish in neat boards at sixpence per copy. To accomplish this, and to render the work as extensively useful as possible, the committee ask the co-operation of the societies and friends of the church. At least 3,000 copies should be subscribed for to justify the undertaking.

MAGAZINE FUND.-We regret to find that a mistake has occurred in the announcement of the subscriptions of the Manchester friends to this fund. The names and amounts were communicated in the postscript of a note, partly on Magazine business, from a friend, and were understood to be for the Magazine fund. Their publication has elicited that they are really promised to a somewhat similar fund, not at present publicly before the church, but in which both the writer of the letter and the subscribed are interested. The withdrawal of these sums reduces this fund to very small dimensions. Will not the wealthy members of the church give to this subject a more thoughtful and earnest attention? For the attainment of a social reformation, the "Alliance" raised, last year, by subscription, and expended upon its two publications, the "Alliance News" and the "Meliora," upwards of £300., over and above the income received from their sale. Surely the members of the New

Church, to promote a spiritual and religious reformation, will contribute what may be needed to give efficiency to the Conference Magazine. To the former list we have only to add the names of Mr. F. Pitman, London.. £1 1 0 Mr. T. Bragg, Birmingham 1 Mr. Jas. Fletcher, Kersley 1 1 0 Mr. John Fletcher 66 1 1 0 R. S. NEW CHURCH COLLEGE. Our first term commenced with one theological student and one pupil In its course two lay students have been added, and two additional pupils. We expect our second term to commence with an additional theological student, who will have to pass his matriculation examination with us prior to being entered. We have also promises of additional pupils, and my second surviving son will then probably enter upon his studies and reside at the college. It is well we had not a full number to begin with, for there were so many arrangements to be made for their comfort and convenience that we should have had great difficulty in

adequately meeting their wants. Having commenced with the least possible number, and growing from that, we have been enabled to adapt our means of teaching, &c., to their requirements, more perfectly than would otherwise have been possible in a new building and under new circumstances. The good work is advancing slowly and securely, under, we trust, the Divine auspices of our Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name and to whose glory the college has been erected. The want of such an institution has been long felt by many sincere New Churchmen, who have been anxious to have their children surrounded by the sphere of the New Jerusalem at school as well as at home. That want is now supplied, however imperfectly, and every succeding term will, we have no doubt, secure increasing advantages to our younger brethren in connection with the New Church College.

The next term begins on the 14th January, and we would advise our friends to remember that due notices must be given to the present schoolmaster of their children before they can be removed to the college school.

H. BATEMAN. MISSIONARY LECTURES.-CHATTERIS AND WOODBRIDGE. Our zealous friend Mr. Gunton visited these places in

November last. At Chatteris, he gave two week-day lectures, and one on the Sunday evening. The attendance was not large, though several strangers were present. At Woodbridge, the lectures, given in the Lecture Hall, were on "The Bible a Revelation from God to Man on

Spiritual Subjects," and "The Second Coming of the Lord." Tracts were distributed at the close, and questions allowed by the audiences.

BURY. -The society at this place erected, in the year 1861, a neat church at a cost of £880. Half this amount the society collected from its own members and friends and from neighbouring societies of the New Church, leaving a balance of £444. This debt was provided for by a loan from the Sundayschool Union of £200., which is being steadily repaid. The remaining sum of £244. was cheerfully advanced by the society's treasurer, and allowed to remain, free of interest, until the debt owing to the Sunday-school Union was discharged. The sudden death of the treasurer, Mr. Clifton, causes a peremptory demand of this money, and the society are most anxious to raise the sum without having further recourse to borrowing. The son of their late treasurer has offered to subscribe, for this purpose, if the money can be speedily raised, the sum of £42. Other subscriptions at Bury and the neighbouring societies have been offered, amounting altogether to £180. In the effort to raise this sum the society have nearly exhausted their home resources, and must look to their friends at a distance to help them to completely accomplish their purpose. What the society desires, is promises of support to be redeemed within six months. We strongly urge the claims of our friends on the attention of the church generally.

HULL. We have received a short notice of an interesting lecture on Swedenborg, delivered in the Unitarian School-room, in this town, by the Rev. J. M. Dixon, the Unitarian Minister. Mr. Dixon, who is known to some of our friends in the West Riding as a partial reader, and an estimable and liberal-minded man, seems to have briefly noticed some of the scientific works of Swedenborg, and to have dwelt at length on his theological teachings. There had been, he said, many great men who had investigated portions of our human nature, but Swedenborg

had expounded the whole. He had shown that while man was living in the natural world, he was at the same time connected with the spiritual world. He dwelt on the New Church doctrine of the Godhead, and on Heaven and Hell. The lecture seems to have been warmly appreciated by his audience, and in the brief notice of it in the "Hull News," the writer says that "the lecturer treated the subject in a very able manner, and in the course of his remarks, set forth very clearly the religious views of that remarkable and good man.

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The New Church Society in this town continues its useful labours. The Rev. Mr. Wilkins, who some years since acted as their minister, but has since conducted a separate worship, has recently closed his ministry in Hull, and our friends on the occasion invited the children of the Sunday-school connected with his charge to join their school in Luke-street. considerable number went over in a body, and will thus afford to the members of the society increased opportunities of usefulness. Mr. Deans was to preach for them on Sunday, the 15th of December, and lecture on the Tuesday evening following.

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LIVERPOOL.-Four lectures have been delivered in the Church in Bedfordstreet during the months of November and December last, by Mr. Goldsack. The subjects of these lectures were such as were calculated to attract the attention of the public, and be instructive and useful to the church. The first, which was introductory, was on "Revelation and Popular Theology," discussing particularly the views of the New Church on the sacred Scriptures. The following lectures were on "The Creation and Fall of Man," "The Flood," and "The Ark." In Liverpool, as in many other large towns, is a weekly publication devoted to a free criticism of passing local events, and occasional reviews and literary notices. This publication, entitled "The Porcupine," on the 23rd of November last, contained a notice of White's "Swedenborg." A few sentences will show the stand-point of the writer:-“If a man of sufficiently evident genius, or with a genuinely original message, presents himself to society as Divinely inspired, the first duty one owes to oneself is to reject his pretensions; the second is to receive with careful, appreciative, and even devout attention all that he says upon the problems of being and religion. Dunces

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and dullards cannot enlighten us even when they go mad. But a man of genius is not the less likely to afford food for thought and profitable suggestions for independent belief, because he has lost the balance of his reason so far as to fancy himself Divinely commissioned to upset or qualify existing creeds. We say his intelligence is liberated by his hallucination. All his derangement

cannot hide from one the great advantage he has over the sanest man who merely echoes, as nearly all men do (and it is a proof of their sanity), the belief of their pastors, masters, and contemporaries. Without qualification, a lunatic Swedenborg is more likely to illustrate the truth than the sanest echo of Dwight, or Butler, or Edwards. One of the first fruits of Swedenborg's lunacy was a noble common sense." It is not the first time that the bearer of a Divine commission has been accounted mad. Of the Saviour it was said "He hath a devil, and is mad;" and to Paul-" Much learning doth make thee mad." These reproaches have always been regarded as the utterances of malice or prejudice; but according to this new prophet madness is a positive advantage, giving liberty to the imprisoned intellect, and opening a pathway to wisdom! There is one hopeful sign in this strange fantasy,-it encourages the careful reading of Swedenborg, and thereby supplies the means of correcting the hallucination of the writer.

LONGTON, STAFFORDSHIRE.-The Rev. John Hyde paid a visit to this society, on November 13th and 14th of last year, and, under the auspices of the Manchester and Salford Missionary Society, delivered two lectures, in the Court Room, on "The Bible the holy Word of God." The subject of the first lecture was-"Is the Bible Inspired? What is the right mode of Interpreting It?" and of the second"The Science of Correspondences the only Key to Bible Mysteries." The lectures were listened to with deep attention by excellent and thoughtful audiences. At the close of each lecture suitable tracts, supplied by the Manchester and Salford Tract Society, were freely distributed; and it is believed that as these lectures have certainly stimulated a spirit of inquiry, they will have done good, and will have been of use to the society, and to the church at large. Since the lectures, two applications have been made for books from the library.

MALVERN. Since the lectures at this town, noticed in our last, a lengthened review of Noble's "Appeal" has appeared in "The Malvern News." The notice is written in a candid and liberal spirit, and very long extracts are given from the work itself. The review is carried through three of the weekly issues of the paper, and thus affords an opportunity of gaining knowledge of some of the leading doctrines of the New Church in the words of one of our most esteemed writers. The result cannot be otherwise than useful to our infant cause at this place.

NORTHAMPTON.-Mr. John Smith, of London, visited this society on Sunday, November 24th. He delivered two discourses and conducted a conversational meeting after the evening service; and on Monday evening, the 25th, he gave an admirable lecture on "the Sin against the Holy Spirit." The sermons and lectures were rather thinly attended, but those who were present experienced great delight and expressed great satisfaction.

SNODLAND. PRESENTATION TO MRS. HOOK.-Amongst the chief supporters of the New Church here, Mrs. Hook and family have long occupied a distinguished part; and the friends are indebtedunder the Divine Providence of the Lord-to them, for an exceedingly neat place of worship; well fitted up, and decorated with good taste. And since our present minister has had the oversight of the society, they have provided additional pews. The friends, unknown to the family, resolved to unite their efforts to present Mrs. Hook with a token of their affection, and the 24th of last November was selected for that purpose. The Rev. T. L. Marsden having opened the meeting, by stating to those present why they were called together, the two senior deacons, Mr. J. Privett and Mr. G. Randall, each holding a copy of the Bible, advanced towards our minister, and requested him, on behalf of the congregation, to be the medium of presenting the same, together with an address, to Mrs. Hook, as a memorial of their esteem, and a token of their appreciation of her many valuable services to the cause of the New Church in Snodland.

Mr. Marsden said, he acceded to their request the more willingly because, until the last moment, he had taken no part in the matter. The larger Bible was a handsomely bound and illustrated quarto, for family use; the second was a small

octavo, designed for service in the church. The address is elegantly written, on an embossed card; the following is a copy of it:

"To Mrs. Hook, Snodland.

"We, the undersigned, on behalf of the friends of the New Church, Snodland, having experienced many substantial proofs, in the past, of your kindness and desire to sustain the glorious cause— the new dispensation of the Lord predicted in the 21st and 22nd chapters of Revelation-beg your acceptance of a copy of the Divine Word as the most valuable token we can think of to express that attachment to yourself and family which prevails amongst us. That your life may long be spared, and your mind daily enriched with ever-increasing lessons of wisdom and love, found only in the Word of the Lord; and that His Holy Spirit may lead you so to understand and practice its principles of holiness that new States of blessedness may be opened in time, to fit you for the higher felicities of eternity, is the sincere desire of yours, very affectionately,

THOS. LEWEN MARSDEN, Minister. GEORGE RANDALL, Deacon. JOSEPH PRIVETT, Deacon. WILLIAM PENNY, Secretary." The Rev. T. L. Marsden, in presenting the Bible and address to Mrs. Hook, said: "It is my pleasing duty to tell you that the friends now present have long admired your unwavering attachment to the glorious doctrines of the New Jerusalem, so little understood even by those who ought to be the leaders and teachers of the people. If your friends in the congregation cannot adequately express their attachment to yourself and family, they know how to appreciate those many kindnesses which have come to them through your liberality and generosity in the past."

C. Townsend Hook, Esq., rose and said: "Dear friends,—It is my duty to respond on behalf of my dear mother, with whose feelings I deeply sympathise. Indeed, when I listened to the address, accompanied with the handsome present to my dear mother, I was reminded, by the state of my inner feelings, of the saying of old, 'Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh;' but, in acknowledging the pleasure which the events of this evening have given me, individually, I find it so exceedingly difficult to give utterance to my present impressions, that I beg of you to be con

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