15. And also that all that was holy, true, and good, as preserved in the few remains that had been stored up against the time when he was to be reformed, might be made available.

16. And that he might possess an intellectual principle meet to receive by hearing the truths of faith, and that in him there might be scientific, rational, and intellectual degrees (so that there might be influx from the Lord into the intellectual, thence into the rational, thence into the scientific of the memory, without which it would be impossible for man to have life; for although man is immersed in falses and evils, yet still there is an influx of the life of the Lord through the things of the will and of the understanding, but then the things which thus enter by influx are received into the rational part according to its form, and hence comes man's power of reasoning, and of reflection, and of understanding what is true and good).

17. These things were thus ordained and provided, because there was now approaching such an inundation of evil and the false as would extinguish all truth and goodness, and close up the way against remains, so as to prevent their operation, which remains were the spirit of life; for the intellectual things of truth, and such things of the will as originate in good, were about to become separated from the corporeal principle; and when this is the case it is impossible for man any longer to live, even as to the corporeal principle (for what sustains man is his conjunction with heaven, i.e., by heaven with the Lord; and man's conjunction with heaven and the Lord is through the medium of remains; and whatsoever prevents the operation of remains, prevents the operation of angels, so that man can no longer be protected by them, but is entirely possessed by evil spirits, whose sole study and desire is to extinguish man. Thus would all the posterity of the most Ancient Church destroy themselves, for all internal respiration would cease, even among those who had remains of perception, and man would perish by an inundation or influx of lusts and phantasies from evil spirits).

18. Wherefore means were now provided for raising up a New Church, in which man might be regenerated, and receive to himself truths and goodnesses from the Lord in pairs, or truths adjoined to goodnesses.

19. Thus, with regard to the understanding, all scientific and rational truths were to be accompanied with their corresponding delights in pairs, that both might receive life by regeneration (for before man is regenerate there may exist with him rational and scientific truths, but then they are not alive; there may also exist a kind of voluntary good, like what exists among the Gentiles, yea among brutes, but neither are

these alive, nor are they ever made alive in man before he is regenerate, and they are thus vivified by the Lord).

20. Thus in pairs were all things rational, voluntary, and scientific or sensuous, to be regenerated.

21. And to this end the man of the Church was to procure to himself all things which might serve as means of regeneration; i.e., in the will, all the good and delightsome things of his affections; in the understanding all truths from the Word of the Lord, and from every other source whereby those truths might be confirmed, and with which he could store the memory (for without goodnesses and truths so gathered, by which as by means the Lord may operate, it is impossible that man should ever be regenerated).

22. And both in respect of the understanding and will, the man of the New Church called Noah acted accordingly. (Such was the order of regeneration in the Church of Noah, with respect to things intellectual.)

ON THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE NEW CHURCH.

THE increase of members of the Lord's New Church is an event, the accomplishment of which is almost universally desired by the receivers of the heavenly doctrines, and, to aid which, they willingly give personal and pecuniary assistance. All this is as it should be; for it would ill become those who feel that they are in possession of an inestimable and inexhaustible treasure to be niggardly in its bestowment upon others. Nevertheless, there is another mode of insuring the spread of the New Church doctrines, and one more certain of success, that is too frequently overlooked, because its adoption requires a denial and renunciation of self, which is accompanied with pain to the natural man, from the dominion of which we are only freed by frequent and grievous temptations. If we turn to Gen. xii. 1, 2, we shall find that the promise contained in the latter verse,-" And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing," depends for its fulfilment upon Abram's obedience to the previous command-" Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land which I will show thee." The above verses are fraught with the deepest interest to mankind; and before applying them to our individual instruction, it may be well to remind the reader, that in their primary sense they relate to the Lord's first consciousness of evil to be shunned in the external man, and to his progression from the obscure state of perception pertaining

to his infancy, to one more advanced. Thus these simple but comprehensive words contain within them arcana relating to the first steps in the great work of redemption, and are well calculated to inspire us with humble awe and admiration, when we meditate upon that Infinite love and condescension which induced our Divine Saviour to assume our defiled human nature, that "in that He hath suffered, being tempted, He might be able also to succour them that are tempted."

Turning now to the interior sense of these words, as they refer to the Church, we find that it will enjoy the spiritual blessings typified by the words of the second verse, in proportion as corporeal and worldly things, exterior and interior, are receded from, signified "by the forsaking of country, kindred, and father's house." These commands being attended to, the increase of things celestial and spiritual is the result, good and truth are multiplied, and the Church becomes a blessing, because it is united to the Lord. Thus, receiving life from Him, it is a medium of imparting it to others, and, in the words of the Sacred Scriptures, its name becomes great-that is, its quality becomes celestial. For the love of self being overcome, celestial love has taken its place, and we are told that its essence is such as to lead its possessor to desire to communicate all that he has to others, and to be "the least of all, and the servant of all;" name and glory having so different a signification, in the internal sense, from that which they bear in the external sense;" In heaven (says Swedenborg,) all who desire to become great and greatest are rejected, because such desire is contrary to the essence and life of celestial love, which is from the Lord. Hence also it is that nothing is more contrary to celestial love than self-love." (A. C. 1419.) Bearing in mind that the state of the Church is ever dependent upon that of each individual member, we can see that if we sincerely desire for it the blessings included in the above promise, we shall earnestly strive to fulfil personally the conditions which lead to their reception. The first duty, therefore, which will demand our attention will be the subjugation of our natural desires, as the foundation of all advancement in the regenerate life. This end can only be attained by closely inquiring into the state of our affections, as it regards corporeal and worldly things, accompanied by earnest prayer to the Lord that He will deliver us from those evils "which most easily beset us." When we reflect that the Lord is ever watching over us to infuse into us His holy Spirit, according to our willingness to receive it, we shall feel that true spiritual prayer is, in other words, but an appropriation of the divine life, or the Lord's Love and Wisdom, according to our finite capacities; so that it is most true that he that asketh, receiveth, and he that seeketh, findeth."

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What gracious encouragement does this assurance afford us, to lay bear our most secret thoughts at the Throne of Grace, humbly seeking the light of Divine Truth to enable us to perceive our evils, and to hate and forsake them! We must endeavour to find out what motives influence us in our worldly pursuits, whether in our wish to acquire riches we are actuated by a desire to procure them for the sake of the uses which they will enable us to perform, or from a love of them for their own sake, and on account of the influence and power of self-gratification they generally give to their possessor. If we are governed by any of these latter loves in the pursuit of wealth, we may indeed be numbered among the members of the New Church, but are still under the influence of self-love, and have not advanced from the natural to the spiritual state. In regard also to the fulfilment of our duties in all the relations of life,―civil, social, and religious, it becomes us to inquire, whether we have such a sincere love to all as would lead us to act with honesty, industry, and fidelity, in all we have to do; looking upon our fellowcreatures as brethren whose good we should ever seek to promote, and endeavouring to employ our leisure moments in planning or executing schemes which have for their end the advancement of knowledge and civilization, and an improvement of the spiritual state of all around us, trusting to Divine Providence to increase our opportunities of usefulness, according as we neglect none that are granted in our immediate sphere.

In the regulation of our worldly affairs, also, it behoves us to exercise caution, lest we should injure or defraud others by our carelessness and inattention; for however we may shrink from the thoughts of actually depriving others of their property, we are equally guilty of a breach of the seventh commandment if, by any oversight or neglect of duty, we occasion pecuniary loss or damage to the property of others. In intercourse with others, it is well to seek that our conversation should be not only innocent, but instructive, and adapted to the states of those with whom we converse, gaining their ear by showing that we feel an interest in them, and that their joys and sorrows meet a sympathising chord in our hearts. The privilege of doing good, by the medium of conversation, is one that all may enjoy, giving utterance to no sentiments but such as are pure and gentle; repressing, by our example, all harsh and uncharitable judgments and disposition to dwell on the faults of others; and leading the mind to the contemplation of what is good and praiseworthy, and calculated to suggest matter for profitable reflection. If due attention be paid to these particulars, which involve the putting away of selfish and worldly motives, the Church, in its individual and aggregate

form, will be in a state to realize the fulfilment of the promised blessing, viz., the fructification of things celestial, and multiplication of things spiritual, resulting from a recession from an obscure state, or one of merely external worship, signified by Haran, and an advancement towards the celestial things of love. The characteristic of that state is thus described :

"The celestial principle of love is such, that he who is under its influence does not desire to be his own property, but that of all; so that he is willing to give all his own to others, for in this consists the essence of celestial love. The Lord, as being love itself, or the essence and life of the love of all in heaven, is desirous to give all that is his to mankind, which is signified by the Lord's saying, that the Son of man came to give his life a ransom for many.'" (A. C. 1490.)

It is in this state that the Church, or man of the Church, is blessed. The term blessing, as Swedenborg says,

"Involves all things, both collectively and individually, which are from the Lord, including all that are good and all that are true-consequently things celestial, spiritual, natural, worldly, and corporeal; all which things, when they thus succeed each other in orderly arrangement, are good, and have in them happiness." (A. C. 1422.)

From the above passages an important truth is laid open to us, that upon our own personal advancement in holiness, primarily, if not entirely, the prosperity of the Church depends; and that it is only by this means our desire for its establishment and enlargement can be attained. "To go into the land of Canaan," signifies to advance towards the celestial things of love, in which is the very light of the soul; then is granted perception with the celestial, and dictate of conscience with the spiritual, more or less clear as he is grounded in the celestial things of charity, for in them alone the Lord is present. Guided by these words of Holy Writ, in our efforts to spread abroad a knowledge of the heavenly doctrines by seeking to build up the Church in our own souls, we shall daily realize more and more the truth of that promise,—— "Behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy."

M.

LETTERS TO THE YOUTH OF BOTH SEXES IN THE NEW CHURCH.

MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,—

II.

IN my last letter I described to you what is required of you by the church in which you have been born, and shewed that you should