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writer of the Letter holds Swedenborg and his mission in great estimation, and that he has a general view of the nature and tendency of the New Christian Church understood by the New Jerusalem, but that his general idea is not sufficiently enlightened by a number of particulars, through an extensive study of Swedenborg's theological writings, to guard him on some points against obscurity and error. "But he that is not against us is for us."

"This," says the reviewer, "is the first of a series of Tracts, the object of which will be to lead to a truer understanding of Swedenborg," and, if we may judge from this present number, to show the strong practical bearing of his thought upon the great movements of humanity. As they have taken the anonymous form, we do not feel at liberty to state who are to be the writers, and what the range of topics which they have sketched out for themsslves, so far as it has been intimated to us; although if we might do so, we should excite high hopes in not a few readers. We give them hearty welcome, and believe them timely.

"This 'Letter to a Swedenborgian' betrays strong marks of consanguinity with the Introduction to the Outlines above noticed;-the same tendency of thought; the same vigorous, quaint, complete expression; the same fearless originality blended with the same beautiful reverence. And this is in a manner a counterpart of the other. That was written to guard Swedenborg from the false medium of impracticable modern philosophy; this, on the other hand, to guard him from his friends, to administer a wholesome caution to those who are so prone to Swedenborgianize themselves and him. It is a rebuke to the sectarian exclusiveness of the so-called New Church, and takes for its motto the noble words of Milton: 'I fear yet this iron yoke of outward conformity hath left a slavish print upon our necks; the ghost of a linen decency yet haunts us.' It tells the members of the New Church that they entirely mistake Swedenborg when they suppose him to intimate any thing about a church in any exclusive sense of the word. 'The Church,' says Swedenborg, 'is a MAN,' and it involves therefore every rightful element of human life. By the Old Church he meant the constituted social order of Christendom, and by the New Church, therefore, the perfect social order which shall unite all human interests and relations in the bonds of perfect unity and love. Formerly the church, before its unity was shivered into fragments, was something more than a mere theological institution, and did regard the interests of this life, binding all ranks and classes together, and at least recognizing, if not in the wisest manner fulfilling, its duty of parental watchfulness over all human beings. In the middle of the last century the. Old Church died. Sectarianism

prevailed; doctrines and creeds took the place of living charity; the church threw off all responsibility for the present well-being of men; the principle of laissez faire and competition ran away with all that there was good in the new birth of liberty, and now there is no church; for there is no universal bond of charity."

"Our idea of the church is a very meagre and mean one. It is that of a collection of men, episcopally or otherwise organized, meeting together on Sundays for public worship. Abstract public worship, and you reduce the church to nonentity. It is with us an institution for public worship, destitute alike of civil and political significance, possessing no shadow either of governmental or magisterial influence. It is a thing as much divorced from the ordinary interests and life of humanity, and hence from heaven, as the institution of Freemasonry, being wholly set apart to the advocacy of our interests beyond the grave. As at present constituted, it is the citadel and shield of individualism, or the selfish principle, to the maintenance of which all its legislation is addressed. It wholly ignores all questions of political and social reform, or if it does recognize them at all, it is only to stigmatize their gathering urgency with the name of 'infidelity.' But if 'infidelity' do the church's proper work; if it receive the inflowing truths of heaven, and apply them to social practice; if it prosecute the relief of human woe, and the conquest of human wickedness; if it affirm every assured conviction of the intellect, and every innocent hope of the heart; then what is there to hinder 'infidelity' becoming the true church of God? Is God a respecter of persons? Does He care for names?

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"To ascertain, then, whether the church any longer performs its mediatorial function, and so remains the church, we have to inquire-not what Swedenborg or any one else says of it, but how it uses the universal truths of which it is the depository, whether for its own aggrandisement, or for the benefit of the common life of man? We have to inquire how it stands related to human progress, or what are the prevailing influences it sheds forth upon the nations? If its influence be to foster every improvement of the common life of humanity; if it cordially welcomes every addition to the sum of human comfort, and labours to give it diffusion; if it develops every truth of science and every method of art, whose effect is to equalize the enjoyment of human life; if, rejoicing to stand in the van of humanity and to be the channel of heaven's best gifts to earth, it postpones all question of its own revenues to the grand question of the redemption of the race from ignorance and sin, then no one can doubt that it is a true church, blessed both of God and man. But if it enact an exactly contrary course to this; if it accept no truth in science or art but what makes for its own glory; if it exalt its own dogmas into the standard of opinion for the race; if it monopolize to itself every advance of human invention, and become a miserable trader in the bounties of Providence, seeking always to make the rich richer, and the poor poorer; if, in short, in every practicable way, it deny the universal love and providence of God, and claim thereupon the allegiance of every other people, then can one as little doubt that it is a false church, accursed both of God and man.

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"I speak with no unrighteous warmth. Who in view of the light which is pouring into the world at every inlet, and inciting men to an ardour of philanthropic inquiry

and action such as they have never before felt; who that beholds the vigorous and searching criticism of our social evils which now abounds,-sure precursor of their speedy disappearance!—and witnesses in our legislative halls, in our scientific and literary assemblies, how the popular heart warms to every avowal of manly or charitable sentiment; who, in short, that witnesses the new birth which faith and hope and charity now find in every breast, and sees its divine ground and warrant in the universal truths of the church, can help glowing with shame and indignation, to see those truths systematically perverted from their healing and legitimate purpose, which is the upbuilding of universal humanity, into the exclusive service and glory of the old, and, to all human ends, worthless sectarianism ?"

"The true church, then, must identify itself with all forms of human progress. It is the ideal of the true state of humanity, of men in perfect spiritual unity with one another through love, which is the constant signal of God's presence. Now there cannot be perfect spiritual unity among men, while any portion of mankind is left out, while there is any exclusiveness. The Universal Unity of the race, materially, intellectually, socially, spiritually-this, and nothing short of this, satisfies the idea of a true church."

"For spiritual Christianity has always disdained territorial limitations, and the true Church of Christ, consequently, as Swedenborg shows, has ever been coëxtensive with the human race. Whosoever lives a life of charity-I do not mean a life of almsgiving, nor a technically devout life, but a really humane life, by the conscientious avoidance of whatever wrongs the neighbour-is ipso facto a member of that church, though he himself have never heard the name of Christ. In a word, true humanity constitutes the Church of Christ, and every thing else is 'mere leather and prunella.' This sentiment is getting a wide and deep acceptance of the human mind, and any sect which arrogates to itself another basis, is sure accordingly to reap an increasing harvest of contempt and obloquy. A sect may increase numerically, as the Romish and several of the others are now doing, but strength lies no longer in numbers, but in truth. The strength of a sect is to be computed now, not by its numbers, but by its relation to human progress, by the measure of its recognition of the enlarging sphere of the human mind. Only in the degree in which it allies itself with the legitimate activity of the human faculties, only as it strives to keep in view the everwidening horizon of truth, is it strong. For truth alone is strong; truth as the instrument of human good. It is becoming stronger than all men, and the sects of the old world, accordingly, once so formidable to its dominion, are now rapidly losing their power to injure its feeblest follower. In this new world, we may say they are already totally impotent. The common life of humanity disowns them all. They exist among us wilfully, or as a fruit of the competitive spirit, and not of an honest natural necessity. They represent the conflicting individual opinions, not the calm and unitary sentiment of the nation. They belong to the old times, when rank was every thing, and man nothing. Their meaning is personal, not human. They are the machinery of sect, not of religion."

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'We close with one more long extract, which fully accords in spirit with all that we have thus far been endeavouring to set forth, in our

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more feeble way, respecting the nature and destiny of man. most manifestly “Associative" tendency in this whole essay on the church. It is Fourierism in the sense which alone does justice to the thought of Fourier. It does not postpone the true life of man into another world; it does not deal with mere theology, but seeks to make the actual present life religious, and to give a social body to Christianity. We sincerely trust, as intimated below, that the future issues of these Tracts may shed light upon the question-How is this new condition of humanity to be actualized?"

"If history makes any one universal affirmation, it is this: that the grand disturbing element in human affairs, the one great obstacle to the Providential evolution of human destiny, has been the spirit of individualism, the spirit which prompts man to aggrandize himself at the expense of the common wealth. And if history makes any one promise accordingly more prominent than another, more instinct with divine truth than another, it is this: that this disturbing influence shall yet be tranquilized, and individual aggrandizement be brought into strictest harmony with universal well-being. I conceive that no person can read history, uninfluenced by private ends, without finding this promise at its very dawn, much more along its middle progress, and most of all in the events which now indicate its rapid fulfilment. Look at the whole Providential history of human nature, at those events which separate the human life from the animal, and compel the instinctive belief of a majestic and elevating Providence in human destiny. First you see individualism in man softened by subjection to the family-and next the tribal-bond; the patriarchal order being the earliest social form known to the race. Afterwards, as population increases, you see it still further mitigated by subjection to the municipal bond, the individual being brought into unity, not merely with one family or tribe, but with all the families or tribes of one town; which is the ancient civilization, or the era of Athens and Rome. And, finally, you see it still further modified by subjection to the national bond, which brings the individual into unity, not only with all his fellow-townsmen, but with all his fellow-countrymen. This is our present civilization. Thus you see the individual unit expanding successively into the family and tribal unity, into the municipal unity, and finally, into the national unity. Its great final development into the unity of the race, is what remains for us to see; that development which shall make all the nations of the earth one society, or one united family, when a man shall love and serve, not his own nation merely, but all the nations of the earth; when, in a word, his sympathies shall flow forth towards every brother of the race, purely according to the good that is in him. Let no good man doubt this consummation; the divine existence is thereby doubted. All history yearns for it. The whole course of Providence ensures it. Who that traces the beautiful Providential order by which the individual rises into the brother, the neighbour, and the citizen, can doubt that the crowning rise shall as surely be seen; that, namely, whereby the individual, having already proceeded from the brother to the neighbour, and from the neighbour to the citizen, shall from the citizen rise into THE MAN,-rise into unity with all his race, giving to all men an equal regard, because all have the same divine parentage, and the same divine destiny.

"Surely this is the Christian idea of human progress. Every dimmest prophecy is inwardly radiant with it; every mournful psalm is cordially joyful with it. The whole life of Christ was a sacrifice to it. How, then, has the church failed to enact it? Mainly, as Swedenborg has shown, by its persistent identification of goodness with mere merit, by its habitual degradation of virtue into a mere instrument of personal gain. Christian men have looked upon virtue, not as the absolute end of their existence, but as a means to that end, which is individual aggrandizement. They have accepted virtue as a divinely-appointed means to a divinely-appointed end, which is the individual aggrandizement of a portion of the race. They have regarded it as the established price of the divine favour, as entitling the saint to a more benignant treatment than the sinner, but as not in itself the sum of the divine bounty. Hence the morality of the church claims no root beyond the most superficial and variable ground of the imaginative faculty, and utterly disclaims the support of the serene and unitary reason. It presumes upon the Divine regard for persons

and classes, and denies His solicitude for humanity, or the race. It sees, accordingly, in man only a form of self-love, and not of charity, or use. Thus, while it has done much to avouch the accidental and superficial differences of the race, it has done almost nothing to demonstrate its substantial unity. Hence the imperishable interests of morality, or the fulfilment of the divine ends in humanity, imperatively demand the establishment of a new church, which, being based upon the deepest intuitions of the reason, shall also put itself in harmonious relation with the laws of Divine Providence, as revealed in the principles of natural order.

"How this new condition of humanity is to be actualized, is a question which I do not propose to discuss with you. I hope, however, that the future issues of these Tracts may shed much probable light upon it. The question resolves itself into this: whether it falls within the scope of divine power to create a virtuous race upon the earth. The Titular Church takes the negative side of this question. It affirms that self-denial is of the essence of virtue; that man can not be good without it; and that any attempt of the Divine, consequently, to institute a virtuous progeny on the earth, a progeny in whom interest and duty, pleasure and conscience, shall perfectly harmonize and prompt to like issues, must necessarily prove fallacious. In short, it denies the glorious kingdom which the Scriptures predict for the Christ on earth, and insists that the work of redemption is perpetually, and of its own nature, incomplete. The New or Spiritual Church, on the other hand, most definitely affirms the question. It declares this regenerate condition of Humanity to be the distinctive promise of Christianity; to be the inevitable implication of the truth of the Divine Humanity, and to constitute an indispensable basis and guarantee of the stability of the highest heavens. Remove this hope, says the church, and you convert Christianity from a divine and universal truth into a passing superstition; you vacate the actual unition of the divine and human natures in the Christ, and, consequently, reduce the Divine into a wholly inoperative or impotent relation to His universe. The church concedes, indeed, that all the actual virtue of our past history has involved self-denial; but, then it alleges, that this has been only because humanity hitherto has been so little subject to divine order; because there has always been so unrighteous a conflict between nature and spirit, between interest and duty, as to make it impossible for man wholly to follow the one without doing violence to the other. But while reason bids the church regard this as the infantile experience of humanity, revelation bids it behold in God-Man both the source and the pledge of a maturer development, when

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