SWEDENBORG'S ALLEGED MONOMANIA. To the Medical Receivers of the Doctrines of E. Swedenborg. GENTLEMEN, WHEN I consider what highly respectable members of your intellectual body we can number amongst our despised community, I see an additional proof of the injustice of the contempt awarded to us by the bigots in religion, and also in literature. You are aware that the favorite charge against our illustrious author is, that he was afflicted with monomania. WHO SO FITTING AS YOURSELVES TO REBUT THAT CHARGE? You are able to do it; are you not willing to make your brethren the wiser by making them sharers in your ability, either through the pages of the Magazine, or, more elaborately, in a separate publication? You only are acquainted with the accepted definitions of monomania; and you only, therefore, can best shew that the case of E. S. does not, and cannot fairly be made to fall under them. FRATER. ON THE DESIGNATION "NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH." To the Editors of the Intellectual Repository, &c. GENTLEMEN, THERE is nothing like setting out well, and proceeding on a solid foundation. We have assumed the title of "The New Jerusalem Church." I should be obliged to any one of your readers who would shew me in the writings of E. S. a clear authority for this title,—if he can do so without feeling offended at my ignorance. I only desire a good foundation for what we are doing. I can see abundant authority for the title "New Church;" or, perhaps, also, "New Christian Church." E. S. speaks of "the New Church signified by the New Jerusalem," in several of his title pages. With all humility I beg to observe, that as "Jerusalem" means the Church,-to say "the New Jerusalem Church," sounds to my ears something like the New Church Church. If Jerusalem means the Church, I presume I may insert the word "church" in the place of "Jerusalem," and then the result is as just stated. It is a strange oversight, if we have set up a designation which lacks authority. A MEMBER. REVIEWS. Dissertations on the Regenerate Life, and Subjects connected therewith: in harmony with the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. BY JAMES ARBOUIN, Esq. Enlarged and improved edition. London: Hodson, pp. 195. MOST persons who have met with the original edition of this work, will have recognized in some of the sections a description of states of mind and affection very similar to those which they have themselves experienced; for, although every one's identity effectually precludes the possibility of the same series of events happening towards individuals, yet points of close resemblance are of frequent recurrence; and on such occasions our sympathies are powerfully excited. The book, therefore, was often read, not only with much practical benefit, but also with great and increasing pleasure. A dispassionate examination of it, however, would evince, that although constructed of materials of sterling value, such as would stand any test that could be applied to them, the workmanship in many places bore marks of haste or negligence greater than could be easily accounted for, except by regarding it as the result of the writer's being too much engrossed by the matter to allow of his giving due attention to the manner. In the arrangement of the sections, no order was discoverable, the phraseology in many instances obscured the sense; the punctuation also was defective. These blemishes no longer exist. A classified arrangement is introduced; some of the original subjects are more fully wrought out, while others are ably discussed at considerable length, in eleven new sections, by the editor of the present edition, the Rev. W. Mason. He has also given a Memoir of the author; from which it appears, that he underwent greater vicissitudes than falls to the lot of most men; which, doubtless, suggested some of the most valuable ideas in the book. The work is increased to more than twice its original size; and let us hope that its usefulness also will be extended in a proportionate degree. We trust that we shall be considered as having rendered a service by thus calling attention to an improved edition of a standard New Church work. By way of specimen, we quote the shortest of the new sections, or "Notes," by the present editor. A NOTE ON THE SPECIFIC DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE FIRST CHRISTIAN tial and spiritual truth, which mankind were not prepared to receive at the commencement of that church, partly through the want of a secure basis for it in natural science. The Church which attains to the subjugation of the love of the world, but not of the love of dominion, is only a spiritual Church; and such, it appears, was the Church established by the apostles, and hence it was that it maintained its fidelity only so long as it was under persecution; but when the enjoyment of civil prosperity and power called into activity the love of dominion in its leaders, it began to depart from its simplicity. But the New-Jerusalem Church is to be a celestial church, when, through the medium of genuine celestial and spiritual truth which it possesses, it has subjugated the love of dominion. In this church there will always be some who have subdued in themselves this most direful principle, and therefore this church will never come to an end. Such being the true, and distinctive quality of the New-Jerusalem Church, it should be the anxious desire and care of every sincere believer in its doctrines, to guard himself against the encroachment of its most insidious enemy,-the love of dominion grounded in the love of self, and which takes the various forms of a desire to rule the opinions and actions of others, and to receive homage and submission from them. In all its forms it is "the strife, who shall be the greatest." In the present day, it is not very likely that such a strife will be carried on under an open avowal of it; but the principle itself may as really exist under the mask of various subtle forms and pretences of zeal for effecting some laudable or apparently useful purpose. In calling to mind, and in applying to his own case, the Lord's rebuke to his first disciples for striving who should be the greatest, the member of the New Church will contribute, in the most effectual manner, to the descent of the new dispensation from heaven into the world, by the firm establishment of it in his own soul.* He who, in the professing New Church, subdues in himself the love of the world, but, for want of sufficient watchfulness, suffers himself to become unknowingly the prey of the love of dominion, disguised under some illusive character, although he be a member of the spiritual church, he is not, as yet, interiorly a full member of that true celestial church which is emphatically signified by "the Holy City, New Jerusalem, the bride and wife of the Lamb;" and if there were none in the church of higher attainments in the regenerate life than himself, the "New Jerusalem,” properly speaking, would already have fallen to decay. The highest degree of the good of innocence communicated from the Lord's Humanity, denoted by "The Lamb," can only be received by those who have subdued in themselves the love of dominion grounded in the love of self, and have substituted for it, through the Lord their Saviour operating in them and with them, the love of dominion grounded in the love of use; in which case, honor and distinction, power and influence, will only be desired for the sake of those ends which originate in love to the Lord and love to the neighbor. The distinction between a celestial and spiritual church is further explained in other parts of the Dissertations. The reader is also referred to the following passages in our great author's works, as affording a just ground for the foregoing remarks. Arc. Cal. 4489, 5733; Apoc. Rev. 912; Apoc. Expl. 1029. *For this rebuke, see Luke xxii. 24—27. The Sabbath. By HENRY A. WORCESTER. Pp. 126. Otis Clapp, Boston, U. S. THIS production of one of our American brethren is on a subject that concerns every Christian in both hemispheres; but which, if we mistake not, is too little regarded by many; and we avail ourselves of the opportunity afforded by our noticing this book to present a few remarks to our readers; in doing which we sincerely hope we shall not give offence to any one; our object simply being to call upon those who are conscious of negligence to amend for the future, and upon those who are in the right path to persevere. That the Sabbath should be duly observed is admitted by all; but the manner of observing it varies according to the tastes and states of different parties. In the mode of keeping it, opposite extremes are exhibited, some persons deeming three times not too often to attend public worship on the Sabbath, scarcely permitting any thing to interfere with their discharging this duty, and not allowing the remotest allusion to the affairs of this world, but devoting the rest of the day to serious reading and meditation; while others are contented with attending once, which even a trifle will induce them to dispense with, and occupying as on any other day those portions of the Sabbath that are not spent at church. It must, of course, be left for every one to decide, according to his spiritual appetite, how frequently he shall unite with his brethren in publicly offering prayer, thanksgiving, and praise to their common God and Lord. There is one point, however, which is too often disregarded, although there cannot be two opinions respecting it. We allude to PUNCTUALITY in attendance on worship. The extremely injurious consequences of neglecting this duty will be evident, if we give the subject the slightest consideration. No man of business would retain in his employ a clerk or servant who failed to be at his post in time: and do we not weaken the tie that should bind us to our heavenly Master, if we are less careful to be punctual in His service than in our transactions with our fellow-creatures? Common courtesy com pels us to keep our appointments with our equals; it must then be a delusion produced by our secret and wily enemies, that prevents us from delighting to keep our engagements with our best Friend. Who that had the honor of being invited to a feast provided by an earthly noble, would fail to attend in due time? or who would be so bold as to present himself after the feast had commenced? And can we pay less respect to an invitation from the King of kings?-from Him who N. S. NO. XIII.-VOL. II. E will not compel our attendance, because to infringe on our freedom would be to destroy our noblest characteristic. Various considerations may be offered as incentives to punctuality. Our Lord himself set us the example of attending public worship; and it is as easy to conceive that he could break one of his own commandments as that he was late in presenting himself in the temple. Young persons, and those in subordinate stations in life are powerfully influenced by their seniors and those they are accustomed to look up to for example. Every well disposed person will be careful to avoid whatever may be disagreeable to his neighbor; yet what can be more disagreeable and injurious than to have the attention diverted by a late comer, when the mind has been elevated from earth to heaven. Does it, we would ask, ever happen during the prayers, that a person, whose seat is at the farther end of a pew, disturbs three or four in their devotions, who happened to be in their place at the commencement of the service? We had the pleasure, a few months ago, to learn—we are ashamed to confess we did not know it before-that habitual punctuality was possible in a New Church society. A friend who was at Glasgow, at the meeting of the British Association, mentioned that he attended worship with our Society there, and that every one was in his place before the service commenced, except two visitors from London. Swedenborg tells us that, in heaven, if any one stands behind the pulpit, the preacher is confused; it is no wonder then, with us, if the minister should be confused and make mistakes, if his attention is distracted by persons coming in during the service. We all know what a trifle will cause the thoughts to wander. Habit reconciles us to many things which will not bear examination. We, in London, think little of persons coming into church just before the sermon, or even after it has commenced; but if any one were to quit during the sermon, it would perhaps be considered a personal insult to the preacher. There appears to be, at least in practice, some diversity of opinion as to which is the more important part of worship, -the prayers and thanksgivings, or the instructive part, the sermon. Those who enter after the Word has been read, and the prayers are concluded, seem to prefer the sermon. But we have dwelt, perhaps, long enough on these topics. They have been often and much better urged before, but will bear repetition. The book before us is a familiar account of a Sabbath spent with the family of a friend, and much of it consists of a relation of the conversation in which the head of the family delivers his sentiments. It is |