their sins.'

Lord Jesus. As the Lord said, 'He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.' The commonly received doctrine of 'Substitution,' these people say, has no foundation in Scripture. The Scriptures, they say, teach that redemption is the liberation of man's spirit from the bondage of Satan and the evil influences of wicked spirits, as Luke expresses it (i. 74), 'Being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, we might serve Him'-the Lord-'without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life;' so that they teach that redemption is the restoration to man of spiritual liberty; and salvation is through faith in the Lord, and a life according to His commandments, or through repentance-a turning away from evil-Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. The Lord Jesus, who is 'God with us,' came not to appease the supposed wrath of some supposed other Divine Being, but to 'save His people from Now the question is, Are their views true? If they are, would it not be as well for other denominations to teach them? What is the use of teaching doctrines which have no foundation in Scripture; and if they are not true, why don't some of the ministers attend the lectures and ask such questions as would show their erroneousness? Then, again, they say the Scriptures teach that man has a spiritual body as well as a material body, and that there is a spiritual world as well as a material world, and that the Almighty created both in the beginning, and that one is called heaven and the other the earth, and that all men who have died, which is nothing more than the separation of the material body from the spiritual body, still continue to live in the spiritual world, having spiritual bodies, just as Paul puts it, Absent from the body, present with the Lord.' And as the Lord shows clearly by the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. They lived on at once-immediately-and they had bodies, of course, spiritual bodies; the same sort of bodies that the multitude, which no man could number, had, as seen by John, and the 144,000 which had been redeemed from the earth.

“Really, Mr. Editor, I think these

people speak the truth so far as I have been able to compare their views with Scripture, and I intend to make myself further acquainted with them. Yours, etc., A Born Wesleyan."

SWEDENBORG SOCIETY.-Dr. John Jackson of Elk Horn, Oregon, has added to his already numerous gifts to the Society one for £100, the interest of which is to be used for general purposes. In his letter he significantly adds, "When I hear from you I will send another." It will be heard with regret that the Doctor's health is very frail, and that it is with difficulty that he is able to write.

Mr. Dadoba Pandurung of Bombay in a recent letter refers to the wide circulation the committee has given to his " Reflections" in the following words: "The name of Swedenborg, which was not even heard in this country (India) two years ago, is now in the mouth of every young and old native student. Even many Europeans here say the same in their own case. only the other day that I received from a European friend of mine the enclosed scrap, which he had cut from a Madras paper.

It was

The notice is evidently sent from some missionary of another denomination. I must confess I do not quite understand the purport of the somewhat threatening prophecy, as I take it for, with which the writer concludes his notice of my pamphlet." The following is an extract: "The author, who writes from the non-Christian standpoint with a certain pleasantness and frankness of utterance, and does not make his opinions offensive to any one, has covered many pages with his thoughts of how much better Christianity might have been if he had had the invention of it. The 'mild Hindu' has often a tendency to pick out the most diluted form of Christianity as something that may, according to his ideas of faith and morals, be tolerable in the East, and capable of recognition side by side with the multifarious rites associated with the existing traditions of Vedic religions. He, therefore, makes an invitation to the Swedenborgians to enter the lists of missionary controversy with the other divisions of Christendom, each of which have, since the days of St. Francis Xavier, contended with some success against the idolatry of the Hindus. We doubt if the Swedenborgians, who derive a

simple and sincere faith from a learned teacher, will be induced to embark in an expensive missionary scheme in the East, where they will find many 'coloured persons' ready to help them to spend their money. However, we are always glad to hear what the Hindus can say of us, though they may probably have within the next few years in India subjects of consideration which may engross their attention to such an extent that missionaries may fail to make their voices heard."

Mr. L. P. Ford of Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa, advocate, has recently applied, on behalf of the Pretoria Public Library, for a grant of works. The library was established in 1878, and the first annual report states that the subscribers number 160, that the books, formerly belonging to the library of the High School, had been handed over by the Government to the care and for the use of the subscribers, and that the Council felt that the present scope of the undertaking is but the germ of something yet greater and of larger usefulness. Under these circumstances the committee made a liberal grant of the works, which was supplemented by one from the Missionary and Tract Society. Mr. Ford was baptized into the New Church by the Rev. T. Chalklen at Cross Street Church in 1847. He states that, "coming out to the Cape Colony, as my parents and I did, while I was very young, I have had very little opportunity of enjoying New Church preaching and society. However, before leaving Cape Town, some thirteen years ago, my parents, brother, and a few others, with myself, formed a small Society, which is still in existence, but not increasing; and again, in the Diamond Fields I, by advertising, mustered about eight New Church people and formed another Society; but, unfortunately, one by one we were compelled to leave, and the result is that the Society is no more. In the Transvaal I am not aware of there being another New Churchman besides myself; but when the Swedenborg Society's donation of books arrives for our library I intend advertising their being here, which will, I trust, discover to me some isolated receivers. And in the meantime I wish to set about spreading a knowledge of our Church writings."

To assist Mr. Ford in his worthy labours the Swedenborg Society has

granted him 5 copies of the "New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrines," and 250 copies of the "Annotated Catalogue;" and the Missionary and Tract Society 20 "Silent Missionaries" and 1000 tracts, and it is hoped that much good will result from this new effort.

Sufficient funds having been provided by the accumulated dividends from the estate of Mr. Tonslanovsky, the committee have asked Mr. Mittnacht to place in the printer's hands the MS. of the "Heaven and Hell" in Polish. Five hundred copies will be printed at a cost of about £80. These will be stitched only, not bound. Mr. Mittnacht is of opinion that this work will sell more readily than the “Divine Providence," and he will do all he can to circulate it as widely as possible as soon as he receives it.

The Society was represented at the funeral of the late Mr. Watson by the chairman, treasurer, secretary, and the Rev. W. Bruce; and a resolution was unanimously passed by the committee expressive of the feelings of condolence with Mr. Watson's family and the sense of loss the committee has sustained in Mr. Watson's death. This resolution was suitably acknowledged by Mr. T. G. Watson on behalf of the family.

AUXILIARY NEW CHURCH MISSIONARY AND TRACT SOCIETY.-The fifth annual festival of this Society was held on the 23rd October in the Lecture Hall of the church in Camden Road. The first part of the programme was devoted to an explanation of the objects of the Society by the president, Mr. Charles Higham, the secretary, Mr. H. T. W. Elliott, Mr. Denny, and Mr. E. C. Clarke. Dr. Tafel read an address to the members, explaining very lucidly the true spirit in which all missionary operations should be conducted; and Mr. Gunton also addressed the meeting, offering, on behalf of the Missionary Society, any pecuniary assistance that might be requisite. A selection of vocal music under the direction of Mr. C. J. Whittington followed, and the friends present then adjourned to the room below to partake of the refreshments provided for them. Amongst those present on the occasion were the Revs. Dr. Bayley, J. Presland, and W. C. Barlow, M.A.; and the Rev. Wm. Bruce wrote regretting that he was pre

vented by indisposition from taking part in the proceedings.

DERBY.-The harvest thanksgiving services at this church were held on Sunday, October 19th, the minister, the Rev. J. Ashby, preaching morning and evening. The church was decorated with various fruits, and collections, amounting to £5, 4s. 9d., were made in aid of the General Infirmary.

on

On October 21st a lecture was given by the Rev. W. O'Mant of Nottingham "Authors, Books, and Reading. ." There was a good attendance, and the meeting was distinguished by the presence of ministers of other denominations. The Rev. W. Wilkinson (Congregationalist) was in the chair, and opened the proceedings in a cordial and sympathetic address. The Rev. J. H. B. Shaw (Methodist Free Church), in proposing a vote of thanks to the lecturer, congratulated the Mutual Improvement Society on being able to obtain a lecture from a gentleman so well able to teach. The world had need of such teaching, and he felt certain that the young people would not be slow to profit by it. He also intimated that he had invited Mr Ashby to visit and address his people on some week day evening. The lecturer commenced by saying that a lecture on the subject announced was like a man swimming in the sea. He will not swim all over it, but then he has plenty of room for his exertions and enjoyment. It was impossible to read all the books on any one subject. The lecturer gave a selection of works in the several departments of literature, with interesting illustrations, ending with present-day books in theology, in which he recommended Bushnell on the "Supernatural," Grindon on "Life," and the works of Swedenborg. Of the latter he would say what Emerson said of Euclid and Laplace, "If you have not read Euclid and Laplace, you have no right to give an opinion on geometry.' So on theology; if a man has not read Swedenborg he has no right to give an opinion on theology. In conclusion, he paid a high tribute of veneration to the Bible. Its value as a Divine revelation was unspeakable, and he exhorted his hearers to become well acquainted with its contents and laws of construction, and they would be able to repel all modern attacks upon its inspiration.

66

IPSWICH.-Two lectures were delivered to crowded audiences in the Lecture Hall of this town-a building capable of seating 750 persons-on the evenings of Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 10th and 11th, by the Rev. J. Deans, Brightlingsea. The subjects being, "If God is Love why is there a Hell?" and "Is Hell eternal?" One of the clergymen in the town having announced a course of lectures on the Non-eternity of Hell," it was thought to be a good opportunity to make our views known. The various points were ably and lucidly explained. The audience sat with wrapt attention, and evinced their approbation by their cheers. Many were present both evenings, and as every seat was occupied not a few stood throughout. Sixty copies of the "Silent Missionaries" were sold, and about 1500 tracts given away. The meetings were the largest and most successful ever held in Ipswich.

LEEDS.-The Yorkshire Independent of October 17th contains a short article entitled "With the Swedenborgians." After a description of the old chapel in Albion Walk, Leeds, the writer says: "Like the rest of their co-religionists, our friends, the Leeds Swedenborgians, are liberal in theology and charitable in spirit. They are also noted for their efforts at proselytizing; but they are equally famous for the manner in which they go about it. Though they lose no opportunity of converting people to their views, I always find them as little obtrusive as possible. They buttonhole you, it is true, but their manner is gentle and suasive, as if they were sure of their ground, and that they could afford to wait until the seed sown shoots up the green evidence of truth as it is in Swedenborg. They are wonderfully systematic in the distribution of their literature-which, by the way, is very voluminous-and to their credit be it said, they have full confidence in its truth and power. It is, perhaps, as transcendental as it is voluminous, and as a consequence it is difficult to summarize the doctrines taught, but there is no gainsaying their founder's religious and philosophical capacities. His scientific and literary attainments were simply miraculous. His definition of religion is sublimely unique and worthy universal acceptation. Here it is: All reli