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addressing the relatives and friends who surrounded his bed in the most edifying manner on the all-important subjects of religion and eternity. He was like a dying patriarch, bequeathing to his family and those who remained behind him the soundest lessons of wisdom. At length he became too weak for utterance; and on the evening of the day mentioned above, exchanged the chequered scenes of time for the uninterrupted enjoyment of a blessed eternity.

Jan. 21st, 1850.

S. N.

[This little memoir would have appeared sooner, but for the illness of the friend who was looked to for its preparation.]

Died suddenly, Sept. 2nd last, at his residence in Bolton, Mr. James Tickle, in the 55th year of his age. This gentleman had been a recipient of the doctrines of the New Church from his youth, and since the existence of a society in Bolton, had always been a liberal supporter. He was distinguished for his unostentatious and friendly demeanour, and was ever ready to be useful in carrying uses relating to the church into effect. He was, up to the time of his death, a teacher in the Sunday school, much beloved and respected by the senior girls, whose class he superintended. But although his external presence has been withdrawn, his relatives and friends feel confident in the hope that he is but removed to a higher sphere of usefulness, where he is internally near them as one of the spiritual mediums in the Lord's kingdom, for the reception of the eternal truths of the Divine Word, and the establishment of the church upon earth.

leader to the society in Bolton. When he went on these excursions, (for he resided several miles distant) our friend was his constant companion; he often used to say to him, that when he became acquainted with the New Church views of theology, he had found the "pearl of great price" for which he had so long sought. For Mr. Dawson, as well as for the late Rev. J. Clowes and Mr. Hindmarsh, he always evinced the greatest esteem; and his highest gratification seems to have consisted in disseminating a knowledge of the truths they so ably advocated and defended. He died in the year 1806. The management of his father's business devolved, at the age of nineteen, on his son, the subject of this notice, which he continued to conduct till a change in the position of affairs obliged him to withdraw. As a master, and, in his latter years, as a commercial traveller, he was respected by all who knew him, for the conscientiousness, integrity, and kindness of his dealings, as well as for his gentlemanly and unpretending demeanour. It was his daily practice to read a portion of Scripture morning and evening; and he most sedulously encouraged, by his example, the important duty of family prayer: thus he was enabled to persevere " in following the Lord in the regeneration." It was his greatest desire throughout the period of his earthly career, to keep this sole object constantly in view, to permit the sublime truths of the Holy Word, as opened by the doctrines of the New Jerusalem, to quicken aud purify his will, to enlighten and renovate his understanding, and to govern his life. Truly may it be said of him that his individual church was 66 T. M. a city set upon a hill,” which could not Died, on the 22nd of October last, at be hid; for certain it is, that he was the residence of his sister, Bolton-le- deeply imbued with those principles of Moors, in the 61st year of his age, Mr. humility, sincerity, justice, mercy, innoPeter Tickle (brother of Mr. James Tickle, cence, and peace, which form, in loveliness above). The deceased had known the and beauty, the Lord's kingdom within doctrines of the New Church from his the soul. Only seven weeks had elapsed early youth. When about eleven years of between the removal of his brother (to age, his father's attention was attracted, whom he was affectionately attached) and whilst reading the newspaper, to an adver- himself. May the Lord, of his infinite tisement of the treatise on "Heaven and mercy, endow us with diligent watchfulHell." The idea having occurred to him ness, as we know not what hour the Son that this book must contain information of Man may come. His affectionate widow wonderful and necessary to be known and family have indeed suffered an irrerespecting man's eternal condition, he pur- parable loss, by the removal of so exemchased it, and then made inquiry where plary a husband and father; but their the opinions which it appeared to main- especial consolation will be found in retain, could be further expounded to him. signation to the Lord's will, knowing that This led to his becoming a frequent at- all the operations of His Providence are tendant on the ministry of the late Mr. directed to the accomplishment of eternal Dawson, who, at that time, officiated as ends-the salvation of man. P. T.

Cave and Sever, Printers, 18, St. Ann's-street, Manchester.

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SOWING and reaping, seed-time and harvest, are expressions which, together with their cognate terms, are of so frequent occurrence in the Sacred Word, and, in their literal acceptation, so well understood, even by the most unlearned, that no explanation of them is here deemed necessary.

It may, however, tend to edification to notice, very briefly, the views taken by commentators in general of these terms as they occur in the Psalm referred to.

The most generally received opinion is that the Psalm, taken as a whole, refers to the troubled state of the Jews in the land of Canaan after their return from captivity. They were infested by depredators who lived by plundering those who had seed to sow, wherever they could find it, and who, if they could not obtain the seed, were vigilant to seize on the crops and carry them off before the rightful owners could reap them. Such a state of things rendered sowing a very doubtful, if not hopeless process; and hence came the expression, sowing in tears. But when the husbandman, after the exercise of long patience, waiting for the early and the latter rain, actually reaped the precious fruits of the earth,—the reward of his toils-the produce of his precious seed safe from the ruthless hand of the spoiler,-then he returned, bringing his sheaves with him;-hence the expression, reaping in joy.

Now this may be, and most probably is, the literal import of the language used in the Psalm; and such a view is confirmed by the testimony of travellers, who relate that they have seen, in open and unsettled parts N. S. NO. 124.-VOL. XI.

K

of the East, the seed corn secreted for safety in dry pits or cisterns, and, in some instances, in the churches; and that the presence of armed men is often found necessary to protect its conveyance to the field, and the cultivators of the soil in the operation of sowing it. And as matter of merely historical record, it may be very useful to reflect on such a state of things as is here presented to our view. The contrast which we perceive between our own circumstances and those of the Jews in Judea at the time referred to, cannot fail to remind us of the great blessing of civilization, for which we cannot be sufficiently thankful. Compared with the Israelites in question we may be said, in regard to our agricultural pursuits, to sit, every man under his own vine and fig tree, none daring to trouble us, or to make us afraid. But glowing as our gratitude ought ever to be for all the temporal blessings and bounties of the Divine Providence, the heart-stirring beauties of the spring, and the golden exuberance of autumn, we should fall far short of appreciating the import of this portion of divine truth if we confined it to the benefit which man receives from "bread alone," "the meat which perisheth," instead of considering it as descriptive of "the food which endureth unto everlasting life."

From exceedingly numerous parallel passages of Scripture, to some of which we shall have occasion to refer, there can, we think, be no doubt that the language of the Psalm in general, and that of the last two verses in particular, has a direct bearing on the all-important doctrine of man's regeneration, and the eternal happiness consequent on its completion.

A very general illustration of this may be obtained from the indubitable fact, that the varied states through which the Jewish nation passed were representative of the Christian life. To what else can the apostle allude when, in substance, he informs us that what things soever were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, through the patience which the Scriptures enjoin and so fully exemplify, and by the motives of consolation which they supply, might have hope? (Rom. xv. 4.) And again, when speaking of the way by which Jehovah led Israel through the wilderness, he affirms that all these things happened to them for ensamples (TUTоi, tupoi, types), and that they are written for our admonition on whom the ends of the world (the last age, the age of the Messiah) are come? (1 Cor. x. 11.) Thus it is that the Holy Scriptures, the writings of the Old Testament, the WORD at large, which was spoken by holy men, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, or by inspiration of God, become profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Tim. iii. 15-17.)

Now if we carefully study the history of that people as recorded in the Old Testament writings, we find that the most prominent feature in it was that of suffering affliction. To enter into particulars here would be altogether unnecessary; the only use we would make of the circumstance is to shew that, in this respect, all that befel them was representative of the Christian life, which, in the words of the Psalm, is described as sowing in tears;-going forth weeping and bearing precious seed.

To some it may appear rather strange that we should thus speak of the Christian life; that we should depict the process of regeneration as one continued scene of mental affliction; and it may be, we shall be charged with the crime of exhibiting the Christian system as one of gloom, and destitute of all real consolation. Not so, however, is the truth. For while we must see what the apostle Paul calls the afflictions of the gospel to be so intense, that only the heart which feels them can judge of their bitterness, they are mingled with, or rather productive of, a joy of which no stranger to them can conceive; the world at large is utterly ignorant of such sorrow and of such joy; the things belonging to the spirit of an individual can only be individually known; religious experience may, in some of its broadest features, be said to be common among Christians; nevertheless it has, in the strictest sense of the word, its individuality; no two cases can be exactly the same; hence is opened a wide field for the exercise of charity, the highest of all the Christian graces.

In order to convey correct ideas of the nature of the process of regeneration, it is of the utmost importance that we should be very definite in the use of the terms we employ, and that we should most carefully distinguish between affliction in general and that particular kind of affliction which regeneration always implies.* Thus, for instance, although we know that, in consequence of the existence of sin, man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward;-that though no age, sex, degree, or condition of life is exempt from what are commonly termed "the ills that flesh is heir to," we equally well know that such afflictions do not, though really intended for that purpose, promote, in any degree, the restoration of their subjects to the image of God;—on the contrary, painful as the admission is, it must be made, that, in numerous instances the natural mind, which is at enmity with God, when visited with affliction in the ordinary course of Providence, instead of bearing the rod, and obeying Him who hath appointed it, only revolts more and more, and

* For a clear, comprehensive, and luminous view of the uses of affliction, the reader may, with much profit, consult No. 25 of Mason's "Tracts Theological, Practical, Controversial, and Psychological."

not unfrequently blasphemes. Calm and unmurmuring submission to the will of God in states of trial, and a well-grounded conviction that all things work together for good, imply no small advance in the regenerate life. Happily, however, we have an unerring guide on this subject in the very words of our Lord himself. Thus in Matt. xix. 28, he designates his disciples who had forsaken all and followed him, as those who had followed him in the regeneration;-and in the parallel passage, Luke xxii. 28, he says of them," Ye are they who have continued with me in my temptations;" thus beyond all controversy identifying regeneration with states of trial or temptation: both passages, we submit, refer to the same thing, and plainly teach that man's regeneration is effected by mental trials, afflictions, or temptations.

But to be more particular, let us here notice a few of the expressions used in Scripture to denote the real nature of regeneration. Regeneration itself is simply the restoration of man to the image and likeness of his Maker, in which he was originally created, but from which, in the lapse of time, he fell, or averted himself, in so much that he is now born into the world in a state of total destitution of such image and likeness; and hence, in order to his again becoming a subject of the kingdom of heaven, it is declared by the Lord himself that he must be "born again,” or created anew, by the admission of divine truth and divine good into his inmost soul, for the purpose of banishing thence all that is false and evil. This is a rule that admits of no exception; a law which, from the very nature of things, is as immutable as the Eternal Himself; therefore let no one deceive himself; let no mortal being, how near soever he may appear to be to the kingdom of God, suppose that he can enter it without undergoing this change.

What, then, is this process? It is described in Scripture in terms that would appear absolutely extravagant, perfectly hyperbolical, were not their real meaning, their spiritual import, clearly elucidated and fully borne out by the sense in which we find them used in other portions of the Divine Volume. This doctrine was virtually taught by John the Baptist when, in the true spirit of Elias, he told the Jews that the axe was laid to the root of the tree;-that natural descent from Abraham could avail them nothing; and that they must break off their sins by genuine repentance, and perform works meet for, or consistent with such repentance. But when it was announced in its naked simplicity by the Lord himself, it seemed to confound with astonishment the most conscientious, candid, and inquiring of the Jewish rulers; so little did the spiritual guides of that day know of the import of that law which they professed to expound.

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