think that heaven was a nursery of vice, as a state of inaction. Indolence is not more irreconcilable to virtue, than perfectly incompatible with happiness. 'A want of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant is a mind distrest.' All the powers conferred by a wise Creator necessarily imply their application and use; and the more life any being possesses, the more energy and activeness will distinguish him, unless he is in a state of perversion or restraint. But what are the employments in heaven? Of this we are sure, that there will be none of those mean and degrading toils which arise now from the necessities of our nature, or from luxury and pride. Neither will there be any of those religious exercises which pertain to a state of imperfection. Yet it is said, 'They serve Him day and night in his temple.' The common notion of always standing up and singing is too childish to be entertained. We have no doubt but that there may be stated assemblies for adoration and praise. But Christians are said to be still praising Him now; and they do this, not by acts of worship only, but by performing his will,—by filling up their stations in life properly, and promoting the welfare of all around them; and his work, even here, is honourable and glorious." Here Mr. Jay closes his observations on this point, obviously being of opinion, that God will employ his people in heaven as he employs them here-in keeping his commandments of love, as the most acceptable worship they can possibly render. If this work, even here, "is honourable and glorious," it cannot certainly be omitted in heaven, where all that is here honourable and glorious, will become so in a hundred-fold degree, with continual increase. 66 But all the portions of Mr. Jay's paper are not equally enlightened as the foregoing extract. He has no idea that the Lord's Humanity is Divine, for he says, But is heaven a place? Our Lord has a body like our own, and this cannot be omnipresent." It is presumed that when Mr. Jay reads the words of our Lord, "Lo! I am with you even to the end," he thinks of the omnipresence of what is called the second eternal Person in the Trinity, excluding the idea of the Lord's Humanity. How important it would be to shew to the Christian world clearly, in what sense it is that Jesus is called in the Scriptures the Son of God, and to prove that it is solely as to the Humanity born in time, born of Mary, and "the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," that He is so called; and proving, of course, at the same time, that there was no Divinity in the Lord, as the Son of God, except the Divinity of the Father. * * * MAN'S CONNEXION WITH THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. MR. MORELL, in his very able work (noticed in our present number), when counteracting the deadly effects of sensationalism, which, when carried out to its ultimate results, terminates in atheism, and the no less fatal effects of idealism, which, when also carried out, terminates in pantheism, says : "We believe that the history of every mind, if it be closely examined, "and the history of humanity in the mass, all tend to prove some con"nexion with a spiritual world, without which man were a problem "utterly inexplicable; and we look with jealous eye upon any system "which tends to absorb the notion of the human spirit, or the Infinite "Spirit, in that of nature, to cut us off from that which gives us all our dignity, and lends to human action all its grandeur and elevation."Vol. I., 60 p. 421. Here is an admission by the acute and pious thinker, and the learned philosopher, that man's connexion with the spiritual world is not only a great reality, but "the source of all his dignity, grandeur, and elevation." Every right thinking mind, who knows any thing of the constitution and destiny of man, and especially every sincere Christian, will gladly admit this declaration as the great stand-point (to use a German expression) of all genuine philosophy. Why has speculative philosophy, in all its phases, of sensationalism, idealism, scepticism, mysticism, &c. been hitherto so fruitless in satisfying the just and reasonable requirements of the human mind, in its sincere and honest inquiries after truth? Because it has not been seen and admitted, except dimly in the philosophy of Plato, that man is connected with the spiritual world; that, as to his mind, he is already an inhabitant of that world, and that the laws of that world are the laws of mind. It consequently follows that all metaphysical and intellectual philosophy which proceeds from sensationalism only, or from idealism only, without a knowledge of the inner or spiritual world, and of its connexion with the outer or natural world, will terminate, as so many attempts, even by the most acute thinkers, have hitherto done, in confusion and darkness. And this, indeed, is confessed by some of the most candid thinkers, who have well studied the various systems of speculative philosophy. The great desideratum, therefore, of all intellectual and metaphysical philosophy is a knowledge of the spiritual world, its relation to the natural world,—the laws of that relation,—the influx or action of the spiritual into the natural world;—the mode of their distinction, and of their union;-the nature of that union, not by continuity,—but by contiguity,—not by continuous, but by discrete degrees, and the laws of correspondence, which explain both their union and distinction. Thus the doctrine of Discrete Degrees* is the key which opens the treasury of all * See this doctrine explained by Swedenborg in his work on the "Divine Love and Wisdom," part III. knowledge respecting genuine intellectual and spiritual philosophy. Without this doctrine it is impossible to rise into a higher sphere of thought, and to take a proper view of the phenomena of mind, and thus contemplate from the world of essential causes the world of effects. We say essential or primary causes, because the mind does not come into genuine light, or into pure philosophical truth, and consequently does not find its rest and peace until it comes into the light where causes operate, and this light is the light of the spiritual world. Now this world is opened to the intuitions of the rational mind by the doctrine of Discrete Degrees, and by a knowledge of the correspondence, established by the divine order itself, between things natural, intellectual, spiritual, and divine, or between all things created and the Creator Himself. The doctrine of Discrete Degrees will be found, next to the Divine Revelation of the Word, to be the greatest discovery ever made known to man. This doctrine opens the mind to the intellectual philosopher, shews the distinction between its internal and external faculties, and their natural relations; points out the order and condition of its development, and at the same time shews its relation both to the external, or natural, and the internal, or spiritual world. How much have the terms space, time, substance, &c. occupied the attention of speculative philosophers! But as to space and time, the doctrine of Discrete Degrees shews that they are the especial properties of nature, having no existence in the spiritual world, and consequently no existence in the human mind; but that the mind, whilst living in the body, which belongs to the natural world only, necessarily thinks in space and time, although in itself it is above those conditions of nature, and when separated from the body enjoys, if spiritual, intelligence, wisdom, and happiness, indefinitely transcending its former state, when bound down to the conditions of space and time. Nevertheless, by an enlightened philosophy, and by a genuine theology (that is, by a proper intellectual and spiritual training) the mind even here may, in some measure, be elevated above the conditions of space and time, and have a rational conception and view of angelic wisdom, which coincides and agrees, by the laws of correspondence between things natural and spiritual, with genuine philosophy and enlightened theology in the church on earth. It is thus that a genuine philosophy will always harmonize with genuine Scripture theology, and both together form a palace of intelligence and a temple of wisdom in which God, the only author and giver of all intelligence and wisdom, can dwell with his people, and they with him. But we would ask Mr. Morell whether any system of speculative or metaphysical philosophy has ever yet conducted its disciples to this state so devoutly to be wished by every good mind? The system of Plato has probably come the nearest to this, because it has, more than any other, the acknowledgment of the spiritual, or intellectual world, at the basis of many of its principles. But have not the systems in general, especially as they have existed in modern times, been most hostile to theologywe do not mean theology as existing in the perverse creeds of the different sects of Christianity, but theology in the abstract, as revealed in the Scriptures? Is there, consequently, not wanting a system which shall bring philosophy and theology into harmony with each other?-a system which shall serve as a splendid portico to the magnificent temple of wisdom? This system, we verily believe, is supplied in the theological writings of Swedenborg; and Mr. Morell is especially solicited to study those writings, that he may see the truth of his declaration at the commencement of this paper,-that man is not only connected with a spiritual world, but that he hence derives all his " dignity, grandeur, and elevation." Now, it certainly follows from this declaration, that the more we know of the spiritual world, the more our minds, if we are faithful to our perceptions, can become susceptible of that" dignity, grandeur, and elevation," of which Mr. Morell speaks; or, in other words, the more our intellectual, moral, and spiritual life can be improved, in righteousness and holiness, for it is these sacred principles alone which lend dignity, grandeur, and elevation, to the character. REVIEW. AN HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL VIEW OF THE SPECULATIVE PHILO- WE wish that it were within our power to enter upon a detailed review of the many interesting subjects which are discussed in these most able volumes; for never has "Philosophy" been brought so thoroughly home to English readers as by Mr. Morell. It is better, however, to declare at once that it is beyond our power to do any critical justice to this author, and that our business with him at present rather concerns what he has said of Swedenborg and the New Church, than his account of, or strictures upon, Philosophy generally. At the same time, it is only bare justice to testify to the extraordinary qualifications which our historian has brought to his task, and to the successful issue of his researches upon the whole. He has contrived to make a bulky book on Philosophy as readable as a biography or a new novel. He has handled every subject as it arose with great dexterity of manipulation, and seen it through his own pellucid medium. He has distributed the parts and the lesser divisions of the history with great order, and with logical approaching to organic power. He has condemned the baser doctrines of the past with a mild dignity and a judicial calmness, and glorified the nobler and the virtuous with the serene light of a splendid eloquence. Altogether, in these volumes there is the peace of mind, and calmness of manner, and fine crystalline flow of style, which is indispensable for whoever would so record the intricacies of metaphysical doctrine as to make them wear a passing interest to other minds. For that must be no rude hand which can hold up one bubble after another before the reader's eye, and continue the process for a series of thousands, so that the peculiarities of each filmy surface shall be recognized, as well as its effect upon the landscape which is seen dimly through it. As a tribute to the excellence of these volumes, we may inform the reader that the first edition was published only last year, and already the second has appeared. The second is greatly enlarged and amended, and Mr. Morell has been particularly anxious to do impartial justice to Swedenborg therein; for the first edition was somewhat marred by the cursory and incorrect notice it contained of our great author. Without more preface we now proceed to lay before the reader what Mr. Morell says on this head, as follows: "But the most wide-spread school of religious mysticism, which arose during the eighteenth century, was that of Emanuel Swedenborg. To give anything approaching to an adequate view of the Swedenborgian philosophy, we feel to be a matter of great difficulty, and, indeed, in a brief compass, almost impossible. The difficulty of the case arises partly from the amazing fertility of his writings, partly from the frequent obscurity with which his thoughts are expressed, and partly from the differences of opinion upon many important points, which exist amongst his followers. Although, according to his own testimony, he was accustomed from a child to think much upon spiritual things, yet his earlier manhood seemed to be altogether engrossed in scientific pursuits. The results of these studies exist to the present day in the form of volumes and tracts, which travel over almost the whole surface of natural history and science, and in which, it is only justice to say, are found, more or less obscurely, many of the germs of recent and brilliant discoveries. "It was in the 'Prodromus,' a brief treatise upon 'The Infinite and the Soul,' that the philosophical and theological thinking of Swedenborg began. I say philosophical and theological, because it was his firm conviction from the first, that revelation and philosophy were fundamentally identical, that all religion was to be made scientific, and all science to be made religious. 66 "The first question which suggests itself with reference to the Swedenborgian philosophy, is this, What is the method it proposes, by which truth is to be attained? |