THOMAS HITCHCOCK, Treasurer, in account with the General Convention of the New Jerusalem in the United States of America.

The foregoing balance of $1,824.22 to the credit of the Convention is on deposit with the United States Trust Company, New York. The Treasurer has also in his possession three U. S. six per cent. Gold Bonds, redeemable in 1887, for $1,000 each, making $3,000 in all, which are held on account of the Wilkins Legacy. The other securities, reported a year ago, have been sold.

NEW YORK, May 1, 1870.

THOMAS HITCHCOCK, Treasurer.

Examined and found correct.

VOL. XLIV. 3

L. S. BURNHAM, Auditing Committee.

No. 3.

1870.

- STATEMENT OF THE TRUSTEE OF THE RICE LEGACY.
SAMPSON REED, in trust, in account with the Rice Legacy.

June 7. Cash on hand as by account rendered

1871.

Income since received

Cr.

June 2.

427 65

$456 01

9.00 323 26

$788 27 $788 27

The books have been distributed through the agency of the Massachusetts New Church Union, in the name, and as the gift, of the General Convention. Four hundred and fifty-seven volumes of Swedenborg's works have been donated. Two theological students and twenty-nine free public libraries have been supplied with them. Special care has been taken, in their distribution, that they should be placed where they would be fairly treated and freely circulated. They have been received with thanks. The value of the legacy, at the present market value, is about $7,000.

No. 4.

STATEMENT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE ROTCH LEGACY IN
RELATION TO THE FUNDS.

The Trustees made an arrangement with the Committee of the Convention on the Manuscripts of Swedenborg, by which they advanced the sum of $2,500 (twenty-five hundred dollars) as a loan, agreeing to receive, as collateral security, certain copies of the printed or photographed books. In pursuance of this agreement, the Trustees now have in their possession 20 (twenty) complete copies, which they hold as aforesaid. But as a considerable time may elapse before the loan will be repaid, the Trustees propose to put the copies they hold, or a portion of them, to some use, by depositing them in responsible quarters, where they may be kept securely, and yet be referred to and examined by those interested in the doctrines. As this disposition of some of the photo-lithographed copies of Swedenborg's works may have some bearing upon the publication and sale of those works by the Convention, the Trustees would be glad to know that their plan has the approval of the Convention, and for this purpose they propose the annexed

vote.

SAMPSON REED,
THEOPHILUS PARSONS,
P. W. CHANDLER.

BOSTON, June 3, 1871.

VOTE ABOVE REFERRED TO.

Voted, That the suggestion of the Trustees under the will of Mrs. Rotch, made in their statement to the Convention, has the approbation of the Con

vention.

No. 5.- REPORTS OF THE COMMITTEE ON ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS.

The Committee on Ecclesiastical Affairs, to whom was referred the subject of the proper time and mode of celebrating the Holy Supper, present the following report, to which they have unanimously agreed:

Concerning the Holy Supper, we are taught in the Word that while the Lord and the twelve were reclining at the table eating the Passover,

"Jesus took Bread, and blessed, and brake, and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is My body.' And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, 'Drink ye all of it: for this is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.'"-Matt. 26-27. Nearly the same is said in Mark and Luke, with the addition, in Luke, of "This do in remembrance of Me."-See also T. C. R., 703.

In the doctrines of the Church we are taught that,

"It is the most holy thing of worship."-T. C. R., 699. "A most holy Sacrament."-T. C. R., 700, 709. That "An inward sanctity is concealed in it."-T. C. R., 701. That "It is the most holy act of worship."-T. C. R., 709.

That "It contains universally, and singularly, all things of the Church and heaven."-T. C. R., 711. That " In it the Lord is present with the whole of His redemption."—T. C. R., 716.

227.

That thence "It is the holiest solemnity of worship."-H. D., 210. That "It is the second gate to eternal life."-T. C. R., 721. That "It includes and comprehends the whole of the Divine worship, instituted in the Israelitish and Jewish Church."— H. D., 214; A. C., 2161, 3596, 2171, or 7, 2811, 2341, 4211; T. C. R., 222. That "It is a holy feast.”. 2341, 2811; T. C. R., "The flesh of the sacrifices, and especially the flesh of the passover, was holy, and was eaten as a holy thing."— Jer. xi. 15; Hag. ii. 12; T. C. R., "And near the altar." - T. C. R., 727; A. C., 8682. If the flesh of the sacrifices was holy, "How much more," says Swedenborg, “the bread and the wine, and the paschal flesh at the supper of the Lord, who offered Himself a sacrifice for the sins of the world."-T. C. R., 727. "It was instituted as the conclusion of the Jewish, and the commencement of the Christian, Passover.-T. C. R., 704. "It includes all that relates to blessing." - T. C. R.,

727.

715.

"The Bread, and the Flesh of the Son of Man, and the Wine and His Blood, correspond to and signify the Divine Good of His Love, and the Divine Truth of His Wisdom."-T. C. R., 703–705. "In the natural sense, by His Flesh and Blood is meant the passion of the cross, which we should remember."-T. C. R., 704; A. C., 4735, 9393.

"The Flesh and Blood signified by the bread and wine in the Holy Supper is the Lord's proper human principle."” — A. C., 4735. "And it was instituted to prevent the violation of the Lord's Divine Human, and of all the holy things of heaven and the Church derived from Him." -A. C., 4735.

"To

those who come to it worthily it is a sign and seal that they are the sons of God."-T. C. R., 728. "It effects introduction into heaven."-T. C. R., 721. And "Conjunction with the Lord."- T. C. R., 725, 6-7; A. C., 2177, 2735, 4217, 4211, 2341, 9393, 6789. How this conjunction is effected is told in A. C., 4211, 2177, 3310, 3735, 4217, 9393, 6789. "The virtue and potency of the holy Sacraments is from correspondences, which possess such power and efficacy," says Swedenborg, "that it may be called the power and efficacy of the Divine Omnipotence." (E. Swedenborg's Invitation to the Church.) "To eat is predicated of the appropriation and conjunction of good, and to drink, of the appropriation and conjunction of truth." — A.C., 3168, 3513, 3832, 9412.

"The angels understand these things according to their spiritual sense.' A. C., 10121. And "Hence, holiness from heaven flows in with men of the Church, when they receive the Sacrament of the Supper with sanctity."— A. C., 6789. And "effects conjunction with the Lord."— 1519, 3464, 3735, 5915, 10521, 10522. "By the paschal supper, Ex. xii. 13, 22, 23, the angels in heaven understand the same as by the Holy Supper, instituted by the Lord, in which, instead of the paschal lamb, are the bread and wine, etc., etc.” Ap. Ex., 329. Such being the nature and uses of the Holy Supper, it is evident that it is to be observed in the Church forever. And this we are taught, with sufficient clearness, in T. C. R., 700, where it is said that the Lord has been pleased to reveal the spiritual sense of the Word, thus making known the nature of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Supper, that the New Church may come into their very use. That the "Church may come into the real use of them," they must of course remain.

And now we come to the question of the proper times, and manner, of celebrating this Holy Sacrament:

The early Christians partook of the Holy Supper, at first, every day, at the close of their common meal, which common meal all in any one place ate together, as a feast of love or charity. The Holy Supper was not the same as this meal, but was partaken of at the close of it. Afterwards they received it only once a week, on the Lord's day, after their common meal. After some time, as brotherly love grew cold, it came to be observed still less frequently. Its real character was but dimly seen. The idea of a feast and a sacrifice, of thanksgiving and humiliation, of the real presence and a mystical presence only, seemed all to mingle together in cloudy vagueness in the minds of the first Church from the earliest times. And each of these different ideas at length attracted followers, until Christendom became distinguished into sects according to their view of this Sacrament, each celebrating it at such times, and after such manner, as most agrees with that feature of the Sacrament by which they are most strongly attracted.

We can therefore receive but little assistance in our inquiry from the history and customs of the past church. We must draw our conclusions from the Word, the Doctrines of the New Church, revealed therefrom, and a general view of the Sacrament itself.

From the Word we have seen that it was instituted at the close of the Jewish Passover, and was to be observed "in remembrance " of the Lord. From the doctrines we have learned that it was appointed in place of all the Jewish