Rom. xi. 7. "Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest are blinded." Now, who are those whose eyes are said to be blinded, and their hearts hardened? They are Jews, who "loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." They were foreknown by the Divine introspection of their ruling disposition, as those who could not profit by the light of the Gospel, because of the hardness of their hearts. "Whom he did foreknow," as suitable from their character to his saving purposes,"he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son," or Divine Humanity, according to the higher standard of the Gospel; but those whom he foreknew as not suitable or congenial to the Gospel dispensation (in order to save them from the greater condemnation of having the light and walking contrary to it, for want of capacity to improve it), he is described as having mercifully blinded and hardened, that is, they were left in their already existing blindness and hardness; not, however, to perish, of necessity, but to be amended under the lower law, the law of nature, or the external law, suited to the low state of merely external characters, such as that given to the Jews in the Old Testament.

"Israel" (taken generally) sought to be restored by the Messiah to her political glory; for this, according to her understanding of the prophets, constituted all that she expected, and all she desired the Messiah to bestow, but this she "obtained not." Instead of this, a very few of the Jews, who had improved the law of Moses by discharging the duties it imposed, forming 66 a small remnant," were "elected" to receive the spiritual blessings of the Gospel,-the blessings predicted by the prophets, such as they really were, and "the rest were blinded” to the perception of their true, that is, their spiritual value. That it is the Lord's prerogative exclusively to give that portion of light which he sees good for the individual, appears from his saying to his disciples, 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." Those he had thus chosen were the election who obtained" the blessing. But on what principle were they elected? The Lord's words following explain this:'BECAUSE ye were not of the world, I have chosen you out of the world." (John xv.) (John xv.) This principle of election to the light of the Gospel-because they were really religious, and not worldly men, nor hypocrites, like the Pharisees, and thus "not of the world,"-is further established by the Lord's words to the unbelieving Jews,-" How can ye believe which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Had ye believed Moses ye would have believed me; but if ye believe not his writings, [practically as well as

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professedly] how shall ye believe my words?" (John v. 44.) And what can be clearer than the following declaration :-"He that believeth not, is condemned already; and this is the [nature and cause of the] condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." (John iii. 18.) Thus it appears that the qualification to receive the Gospel was none other than the improvement of previous privileges, Jewish or Gentile ; the Apostles were of the former; and Cornelius (Acts x. 31.) of the latter class. Thus "in every nation he that feared God and worked righteousness.was accepted with Him," proving that God is "no respecter of persons," (Acts x. 34.) as the doctrine of the disciples of Calvin represents Him to be. That light is given exclusively to those who are prepared by a good life to receive it, (that is, the true light, not the transient light into which the lovers of self force themselves, in order to gain their selfish ends by a false profession) appears from the Lord's words,- If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God;" (John vii. 17.) also, "He that followeth me shall have the light of life." (Ib. viii. 12.) No doubt, as the laws of the Divine government are immutable, a similar rule governs the reception of the doctrines of the New Church at the present day. RESPONDENT.

MORAL TRAINING OF CHILDREN, OR HINTS TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS.

EDUCATION has two objects to accomplish,-instruction and training; the former relates chiefly to the understanding, the latter to the will. Of the relative importance of these two objects of education, training is, no doubt, the greater and the more essential, since it has to do with the will, which is the essential principle of man. For "out of the heart, which is the will, are all the issues of life." The will, therefore, is the primary, but the understanding is the secondary essential of man. Instruction should no more be separated from training, than the understanding from the will; both together form the man, but of the two the will is the greater, since man is ultimately considered, appreciated, and judged, not according to his understanding, but his will. "The Lord looketh not on the eyes,-the understanding, but the heart,-the will." (1 Sam. xvi. 7.) Education has been hitherto conducted in too partial a manner; the understanding has been too exclusively regarded, and the will too much neglected; hence with some, education has

fallen into disrepute; vice and crime, it is alleged, have not diminished but increased, although during the last forty years so much has been done in education, and so much useful knowledge, so much moral instruction, has been imparted to the millions.

Now comes the great question;-how can the will be trained but by the understanding, since this is the way and that is the life, and we cannot arrive at the life but by the way? True; the understanding is the way to the will, which is the life; but in education we sometimes stop in the way, and do not proceed to the life. Here is the defect and the shortcoming in education. It stops on the way; for intellectual instruction is not necessarily moral training, and without this latter there can be no plane for religious and spiritual life. Hence the importance of moral training, or the education of the will.

There are many ways of training the will, as there are of instructing the understanding. The entire system of things is a system for training all the faculties of man. The world is a seminary and nursery for heaven. As the will is the primary faculty of man, the first principles and rudiments of its training are “celestial remains" (see A. C. 1050, 1916.) of innocence, love to parents, mutual love to brothers and sisters, kindness to all, &c. These remains the Lord treasures up in the first periods of infancy and childhood, and the parents, especially the mother, is the first guardian of these precious rudiments. Under her affection and care they germinate and grow. The will is their especial abode; hence the will is the first and the last principle in man; in childhood it is the first contemplated; in death it is the first regarded in estimating his character, and in eternity he remains such as his will was, as to its governing principle, when he departed. But the understanding is secondary, and as to its rudimental principles, is afterwards formed and developed. The heart lives in the embryo, the lungs do not; the will lives in infancy, the understanding is not yet developed. Thus the will is the first and last object of care-all other things are intermediates and means for the training of its nature and character.

The mother is the first appointed guardian and trainer of the will; she has the strong, disinterested, self-sacrificing affection for the work; the "milk of the Word" should be first imparted by her; the affection is there to imbibe the first principles of truth and of heaven. The tender plant can only be effectually guarded and trained by her. She should speak to the child of the heavenly Father, of His kingdom, and its happiness; she should associate all good with Him, every good and perfect gift as coming from Him; every comfort and blessing for the body,the food, the clothing, the warmth, the health, and even the toys

of amusement, should be referred to Him as the gifts of his love. It is thus that the love of the parent, inspired by the Divine Father, is the plane upon which the love of the Lord,—the first and universal principle of all moral training, and of religion, is based. She should speak to the child of evil as coming from hell, and of all evil tempers and dispositions as excited by evil spirits, and thus train the young immortal to spiritual combat, "to fight the good fight," to shun and abhor evil in all its forms, as separating us from God, from his Kingdom, and its happiness, and as leading us into miseries of every kind, both natural and spiritual, temporal and eternal. O ye mothers, how high and holy is your office! The final destinies of the race are chiefly entrusted to your care; the seeds of every virtue should be sown by you; the first principles of aversion to evil, of abhorrence of sin, should be awakened and strengthened by you; the first combat in the church militant upon earth-the great battle of life, should be led on by you, and the first victory over selfish and evil tempers and propensities should be achieved under the banner of parental guidance and love. If this banner is not unfurled in childhood, it will never wave successfully over the strong holds of vice, and the fortress of sin. When, in after life, "the enemy comes in like a flood, the standard of the Lord will not be raised up against him," (Isaiah lix. 19.) because it was never unfurled in childhood, and because the child had never been trained to the resistance of evil. Here is the first school for heaven, here is the first seminary of moral and spiritual order; if this school is neglected by the parent, the teacher afterwards labours, most frequently, in vain; and the exertions of the minister are, for the most part, as hopeless as the preaching of temperance to swine, or of meekness to wolves.

But this can only be accomplished by mothers in proportion as, in the training of their children, "they seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness;" if they seek the world first and its wealth, fashion, pride, pleasure, power, and fame, as the commanding objects of life, the children will never be reminded of heaven as their final home; the blessings of this life will not be associated with the divine Father as the giver; good from him will not be cherished as a principle of action to guide and govern them through life; the pure milk of the Word will not be instilled; evil will not be represented as coming from hell; evil spirits will not be mentioned as closely associated with the depraved propensities of our fallen nature; no combat against evil tempers will be awakened, no banner of heavenly truth unfurled when the tempter approaches;-the world will be all in all, and heaven as an idle tale." Thus the plane of moral order and religion, of heavenly and spiritual.

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life, will not be formed. The parent has neglected her duty; the golden link in the chain of truth and love, intended to join us to our heavenly Father, has been broken, and but faint hopes can be entertained, "that glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and good-will towards men," can be established in the soul and life of the neglected offspring. Thus the parental home, as the first school of moral order and of genuine religion, cannot be too earnestly enforced upon the attention of parents.

Let us for a moment follow the neglected children into the world, and see the fruits resulting from such sinful neglect. The child having been nurtured not "in the fear and admonition of the Lord," but in the suggestions of his own wayward propensities and of his selfish proprium, rushes forth, without any but the merest external restraints, into every selfish and worldly gratification. Not prepared in the family circle, by the salutary exercise of family prayer and devotion, he feels no delight in the public worship of the Lord; the house of God, and the courts of thanksgiving and praise, have no attractions for him; the "spirit of heaviness comes over him whenever he is invited to attend; the Sabbath is, of course, lightly esteemed, and he experiences no gratification but in "speaking his own words, and seeking his own pleasures, on that holy day." In the world he has no inherent power to resist any allurement, and to withstand any temptation. He is carried away with the stream, and engulphed in the whirlpool of worldly pursuits and selfish pleasures. No fixed purpose of usefulness animates his breast; he settles to no regular honourable employment, but settles only like Moab, upon "his lees," and revels and riots in dishonourable scenes and debasing pursuits. If he procure employment, his duties are frequently neglected, his trusts violated, and his solemn engagements broken and annulled by his unprincipled conduct. His character is consequently disgraced and branded with infamy. Here the parent's trial begins; the salutary and wise discipline,-the breaking of the stubborn will,—— the suppression of evil tempers in childhood,—all this salutary discipline is now changed into a rod for the parent's back. Action and re-action are equal; and as the parent in childhood did not act for the real spiritual good of the child, the re-action upon the parent is dreadful. Who can tell of the anguish of that heart, labouring and sighing under a sense of disgrace which the wicked son, or the beguiled daughter, has brought upon the parent's name! Again we repeat it, the basis of all moral order, or of all religious and spiritual life, must be laid in childhood; the cultivation of the will is the great employment of the parent,