in Italy before anything can be effected. Schools and education must also be promoted before the light of Truth from the Word can be manifested. This work, however, is going on as far as circumstances will permit; but I think, that in agreement with the suggestion in your last number, we also ought to do something to introduce the Heavenly Doctrines into Italy.

My immediate object, however, in now addressing you, is to communicate the following extract from the Essay on the "Tendencies of Religious thought in England" about the middle of the last century, from the celebrated "Essays and Reviews," which shows, from impartial testimony, the dreadful state of society, as to moral life, amongst the masses, and especially among the higher classes of society in England, at the period of the Last Judgment in 1757. This extract, together with the striking testimonies which Mr. Clissold has adduced in his various publications, especially in his work on "The End of the Church," plainly shows, I think, the truth of Swedenborg's declaration about the End or Consummation of the Church.

Although the writer (Mr. Pattisson) alludes to various testimonies in proof of this all but universal corruption, yet he says

"I shall content myself with producing here one statement of contemporary opinion on this point; for which purpose I select a layman, David Hartley. (Observations on Man,' vol. ii. p. 441.)

"There are six things (says this writer) which seem more especially to threaten ruin and dissolution to the present States of Christendom. "1st. The great growth of atheism and infidelity, particularly amongst the governing parts of these States.

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2nd. The open and abandoned lewdness to which great numbers of both sexes, especially in the high ranks of life, have given themselves up.

"Srd. The sordid and avowed self-interest which is almost the sole motive of action in those who are concerned in the administration of public affairs.

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4th. The licentiousness and contempt of every kind of authority, divine or human, which is so notorious in inferiors of all ranks.

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5th. The great worldly-mindedness of the clergy, and their gross neglect in the discharge of their proper functions.

"6th. The carelessness and infatuation of parents and magistrates with respect to the education of youth, and the consequent early corruption of the rising generation.

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All these things have evident mutual connections and influences; and as they all seem likely to increase from time to time, so it can scarce be doubted by a considerate man, whether he be a religious one or no, but that they will, sooner or later, bring in a total dissolution of all the forms of government that subsist at present in the Christian countries of Europe.'

[Enl. Series.-No. 90, vol. viii.]

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"Though there is entire unanimity as to the fact of the prevailing corruption, there is the greatest diversity of opinion as to its cause. Each party is found in turn attributing it to the neglect or disbelief of the abstract propositions in which its own particular creed is expressed. The Nonjurors and High-Churchmen attribute it to the Toleration Act and the latitudinarianism allowed in high places. One of the very popular pamphlets of the year 1721 was a Fast sermon preached before the Lord Mayor by Edmund Massey, in which he enumerates the evils of the time, and affirms that they are justly chargeable upon the corrupt explication of those words of our Saviour" My kingdom is not of this world"-i. e., upon Hoadly's celebrated sermon. The latitudinarian clergy divide the blame between the Freethinkers and the Nonjurors. The Freethinkers point to the hypocrisy of the Clergy, who, they say, lost all credit with the people by having preached 'passive obedience' up to 1688, and then suddenly finding out that it was not a Scriptural truth. The Nonconformists lay it to the enforcement of conformity and unscriptural terms of communion; while the Catholics rejoice to see in it the Protestant Reformation at last bearing its natural fruit. Warburton characteristically attributes it to the bestowal of 'preferment' by the Walpole administration. (Dedication to Lord Mansfield, Works, ii. 268.) The power of preferment was not underestimated then. George II. maintained to the last that the growth of Methodism was entirely owing to ministers not having listened to his advice, and made Whitefield a bishop.' Lastly, that every one may have his say, a professor of moral philosophy in our day is found attributing the same facts to the prevalence of that low view of morality which rests its rules upon consequences merely.""

This impartial testimony of corruption abounding in the Christian Church in the last century plainly shews, I think, that Swedenborg's statements respecting the end or consummation of the Church, are fully verified. This will also become more evident, when we take into consideration the nations of the Continent. In Germany and France, it is well known that corruption and infidelity were everywhere manifest, and especially among the higher classes, who had great influence on society at large. It is to be hoped that the state of things is now, through the amazing spread of the Scriptures, and through the influence of a more general education, much improved. At least, in the external of society this is the appearance. But in the internal, “in the inside of the cup and of the platter," there is still reason to fear that there is much corruption arising from the inordinate love of self and of the world, especially from the love of speedily getting rich; (see 1 Tim. vi.) and also from the dreadful propensity there is in the minds of various nations to go to war with each other. All this shews that the internals of human minds are seething and rankling with corruption, howsoever ^he external may be covered over with a superior civilisation.

MARCUS.

THEODORE PARKER'S "DISCOURSE OF MATTERS PERTAINING TO RELIGION."

Sir, I enclose an extract from the above work, which states the case of those whose idea of God is that He is a spirit, which in their mouths means a something without form, so plainly that it is possible to put in juxtaposition the teachings of Swedenborg, which maintain the very

It is somewhat extraordinary in the case of Theodore Parker, as in that of the writers of the "Essays and Reviews," that many authors as they quote, and deeply read as they evidently are, the works of Swedenborg are never in the slightest manner alluded to. One would think, that even for the purpose of refuting his views, some notice would have been taken of a man who is either a deceiver of himself and of others, or, as he himself professes to be, the revelator for these fallen times.

PARKER.

being whom we can know all about.' He has the thoughts, feelings, passions, limitations of a man; is subject to time and space; sees, remembers, HAS A FORM! This is Anthropomorphism. It is well in its place; some rude men seem to require it. They must paint to themselves a Deity with form, the Ancient of Days, a venerable monarch seated on a throne surrounded by troops of followers. But it must be remembered that all this is poetry; this personal and anthropomorphic conception is a phantom of the brain that has no existence independent of ourselves. A poet personifies a mountain in the moon; addresses it as if it wore the form of man, could see and feel, had human thoughts, sentiments, hopes, and pleasures and expectations. What the poet's fancy does for the mountain, the feelings of reverence and devotion do for the Idea of God: they clothe it with a human personality, because that is the highest which is known to us. Men would comprehend the Deity; they can only apprehend Him. A beaver or a reindeer, if possessed of religious faculties, would also conceive of the Deity with the limitations of its own personality, as a beaver or a reindeer whose faculties as such were perfect; but the conception, like our own, must be only subjective, for man is no measure of God."-Parker on Religion, p. 107.

SWEDENBORG.

against it and victories over it; whereby he subdued it, and reduced it to order and 'under obedience to Himself. It is a universal of faith that He came into the world, to glorify His humanity, which He opened in the world; that is, to unite it with the divinity of which it was begotten (Divino a quo); thus He keeps hell eternally in in order and under obedience. As this could not be effected except by means of the temptations wherewith He suffered His Humanity to be assaulted, even to the last and most extreme of all, which was His passion on the Cross, therefore He endured that suffering These are the universals of faith.

"The faith of the New Heaven and the New Church in its particular form is, that Jehovah God is essential love and essential wisdom, or that He is essential good and essential truth, and that as to the Divine Truth, which is the Word, and which was God with God, He came down and took upon Him human nature, for the purpose of reducing to order all things which were in heaven and in hell and in the church; since at that time the power of hell prevailed over that of heaven, and on earth the power of evil over that of good, in consequence of which a total damnation was at hand, and threatened every creature. This impending damnation Jehovah God removed by His Humanity, which was the Divine Truth, and thus He redeemed both angels and men; and afterwards He united in His Humanity divine truth with divine good, or divine wisdom with divine love, and thus returned into His Divinity, in which He existed from eternity together with and in His Glorified Humanity. This is signified by these words, in John-‘The Word was with God, and the Word was God: and the Word was made Flesh;' (i. 14.) and in another place I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world;' again—' I leave the world and go to the

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Father;' (xvi. 28.) and again—'We know that the Son of God hath come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.' (1 John, v. 20.) Hence it is manifest, that unless the Lord had come into the world no flesh could have been saved. The case is similar at this day; and, therefore, unless the Lord come again into the world in divine truth, which is the Word, no person could be saved.

"The particulars of faith on man's part are-first, that God is One in whom there is a Divine Trinity, and that He is the Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ; second, that a saving faith is to believe in Him; third, that evil actions ought not to be done, because they are of the devil and from the devil; fourth, that good actions ought to be done, because they are from God and of God; fifth, and that a man should do them as of himself, nevertheless, under this belief, that they are from the Lord operating with him. The first two particulars have relation to faith, the next two to charity, and the last respects the conjunction of charity with faith, and thereby of the Lord and man.

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The reason why it is requisite to believe, that is, to have faith in God the Saviour Jesus Christ, is, because such faith is directed towards a visible God, in whom is the invisible; and faith towards a visible God, who is at the same time Man and God, gains admission into man."-True Christian Religion, n. 339.

"What is faith, without a term or limit of direction, but like an unbounded view, extending through the universe, when the sight of the eye, falling as it were into an empty world, is lost?"—Ibid.

"The light of faith, when directed towards an invisible God, is a false light, like that from the tail of a glow-worm, or from decayed wood, particularly when God is conceived to be a Spirit, and spirit is conceived to be like ether. For what must be the consequence of such a conception, but that man will look upon God as he looks upon ether, and will thus seek Him in the universe, and not finding him there, will fancy nature to be the God of the universe. This is the prevailing source of the naturalism of the times."-Ibid.

"Those who fancy themselves able by their own intelligence to procure any knowledge of God, of heaven and hell, and of the spiritual things of the church, do not consider that the natural man, regarded in himself, is in opposition to the spiritual man."-Ibid, 276.

"The will (of the natural man) being evil, and the will leading the understanding, robs it of the truths which it has received from the Word. If man could have known of himself that there is a God, and a life after death, why has he never discovered that a man is a real man after death?"-Ibid, 274.

STATES OF LIFE REPRESENTED BY THE DIFFERENT AGES OF MAN.-Lev. xxvii. 2-7. (From Swedenborg.)

"Man, from first infancy to extreme old age, undergoes several states as to his interiors, which are of intelligence and wisdom. The first state