the state of purification just described, and consequently the light which attends the thinking of God from the ground of a realized and comparatively perfect image of Him; or because this light (supposing the holy state just described to be actually realized) is clouded over by the mists of false doctrine, educationally received, and so interwoven with conscientious convictions (which the Lord never violates) that darkening influences cannot be prevented from rising up, through the operation of the spirits of darkness upon congenial dark and erroneous doctrinal views, existing in the memory of such teachers. It is owing to one or both of these causes, that God is sincerely asked by such characters, to show more mercy than he has shewn, or does shew, either to themselves, or to others. If man were in illustration from true doctrine, no such idea could come into expression, except as an apparent truth, in which the genuine truth is, by being clouded over, accommodated to weak minds, and even to strong minds during the temporary weakness incidental to a state of temptation. No such idea of God's partial respect of persons, implying that his essential love is diluted by counteracting feelings in his own bosom, or that his infinitely loving impulse is restrained by some feeling of displeasure at, or comparative dislike of, certain individuals, no such idea as this could possibly come into existence were it clearly seen, that the Divine love is infinite and immutable," an everlasting love"-and that it is so only because there is nothing in the Divine Nature, as in the nature of man, by which Divine Love can be compounded, and so be restrained and diminished at its source.

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Even a good man, that is, a man in whom the spiritual mind has attained some degree of development, can, and does restrain that spiritual principle which is the glory of his nature, and bind it, and sometimes turn it aside, by admitting more or less of the counteraction of selfish influences. This he does whenever his generous love, which flows freely and fully to those who are agreeable to him, becomes diminished by the selfish feeling called forth by those who are not agreeable to him. But the Universal Father cannot thus change the degree and kind of his love, making it great, greater, or greatest, to different persons! Degrees of comparison do not apply to the uncompounded essence of the Infinite. God has but one unvarying feeling towards all, a feeling which regards saints and sinners with the same desire, and the same degree of desire, that is, an infinite desire to promote the end of their creation in the best possible way, and by the use of all the energies of Omnipotence; and the end of the Divine Love in creating man was, and is, to conjoin man with Itself by means of a

similitude of quality produced by Itself, (while man coöperates with the Divine Operation by obedience) and so to make man happy in Itself. In God, who is Love Itself," there is no variableness or shadow of turning."

But although Divine Love cannot be restrained at its source in the Divine bosom, by anything which is in the Divine Nature, and although it thus admits not of degrees, but is in the same degree towards every one without any possible exception, it may be restrained in its entrance into man, by man's perverseness, and become perverted by the yet unrectified recipient forms existing in man's nature through the fall. But this evidently is altogether owing to man, and not at all to God. If God could compel the sin and infirmity of man to give way, so as to admit divine purity to enter in their place, in any one case, then He could do so in every case; and if Infinite Goodness could do this, then would all of necessity be saved; but all are not saved, whence it follows, that Divine Goodness can only save man according to its own infinitely wise, and therefore unimprovable, and therefore unchangeable laws of order, which are framed so as to meet man as a free agent, or as a being who cannot be compelled in spiritual things, even by Divine Power Itself, without the entire destruction of the essential elements of which his nature, from creation, was constituted.

God is not the less benevolent because man will not allow himself to be made happy by Him! Who would say that an adviser, for instance, is more kind in giving counsel, when, and because his advice is received, than when, and because it is rejected? God offers all that He is, and has, to every one; but only so much can be received as man is willing to receive, or as he has, by divine preparation, become able to receive, in consequence of his compliance with the laws of Divine Order. An adviser cannot compel a free agent to accept his advice, neither can God compel a free agent to be happy against his will.

This grand idea of the Divine Goodness, as being perfectly free and unfettered, because perfectly uncompounded and unalloyed by anything like self, is essential to man, in order that he may "press forward to the mark for the prize of his high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (the Divine in the Human); and that he may obtain an insertion into the Lord as the spiritual vine, and be perfected from day to day, so as to become more receptive of the Divine life of the Divine Human, and bear more fruit to his Saviour's glory. Having this idea,—that he is born to bear eternally in heaven, the perfect image of the uncompounded Divine Nature, and of that unbounded, unmixed, unrestrained, undiminishable Divine Goodness which is its essence, how earnestly

will he strive to "die daily" to self,-to get rid of his dross, that receiving more and more of that "fine gold" which is given only "to him that overcometh," in proportion as the alloy is removed, he may have a proportionably enlarged consciousness of the blessedness of those who do the Divine commandments, and do them with all their heart, and soul, and mind and strength.

BENEVOLUS.

AN APPEAL TO THE MEMBERS OF THE NEW CHURCH IN BEHALF OF EDUCATION.

EDUCATION, universal and entire, secular and religious, natural and spiritual, is the most efficient means, in the hands of Providence, of establishing genuine Christianity, with all its train of virtues and felicities, upon earth,—of realising the greatest good for mankind, both in time and eternity. To the members of the New Church, the education and training of the mind must appear as necessary, if we are to become truly rational and spiritual, as it is to train the feet to walk, the hands to perform their proper uses, and the tongue to speak. How helpless and useless would a human being remain who could not perform these external bodily functions, all which must be acquired by training and use! But there is the most perfect correspondence between training the voluntary functions of the body to perform their uses, and the education and training of the voluntary powers of the mind. Hence the necessity of educating man; he is what he is, by virtue of training and education. The animal, on the contrary, grows up instinctively, without the aid of instruction, to perform its uses; it speedily arrives at the entire perfection of its nature, beyond which it cannot pass; and it as speedily decays, and disappears from the stage of existence altogether. Not so with man,―he commences in the greatest possible helplessness and imperfection, from which, as a starting point, he is destined, by the laws of his creation, to advance from one degree to another in perfection for ever. Every day, corresponding to the improved states of his mental and spiritual character, is to become a brighter and happier day throughout eternity. But all this exalted and boundless good can only be attained by the process of instruction, education, and training. In short, the world is, properly speaking, a school, in which, by the Great Teacher Himself, we are instructed, educated, and trained for heaven,— this is regeneration.

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The New Church, from its commencement, has been the greatest friend and abettor of education. The universal cultivation of the intellectual faculty, such as is now in progress, is one of the attendants of the Lord's New Church, yea it is one of its principal harbingers, preparing the way for the descent of the New Jerusalem upon earth. Popular and universal education commenced soon after the doctrines of the New Church were first promulgated in the world. Every man can now, through the opening of the Spiritual Sense of the Divine Word, spiritually and intellectually discern the things he is required to believe, as the means of his salvation. Every man must now read, think, judge, and choose for himself. Mental liberty is now the birthright of every child of man. And every individual of the human family is now, by the extraordinary circumstances which mark the present age, placed in such a position as to be constrained to exercise his mind as well as his body. How important then it is to come to the assistance of childhood and youth, to teach them, intellectually, to see aright, to train them to walk in the paths of rectitude and order-the ways of religion, and to teach their hands—their active powers, to perform their proper uses, in their respective callings, in the best possible manner.

The two great signs which especially distinguish the present age, are the wonderful distribution of the WORD in all the languages of the earth, and the universal education of the human race, combined with the extraordinary diffusion of useful knowledge. These signs are, at the same time, the indications of the Lord's second coming. They are the means by which the human mind is prepared to receive HIM, who is the TRUTH and the LIFE. And shall the members of the New Church look upon these signs with indifference! Ought they not to be hailed as the harbingers of that brighter, happier day which every member of the New Church delights to contemplate, and which he knows has now commenced ?

It is interesting and useful to trace the efforts which the genius of Education has put forth, and which have, at the present time, acquired so great a power. During the latter part of the last century, many extraordinary workings and movements in human society became visible. It was as though some fermenting substance had been cast into the corrupt masses of human society, which set all its springs of action in vehement motion. The good and the evil in human nature were brought into violent collision. Evil, like an overwhelming torrent, was determined to sweep every vestige of civil and religious order from the face of the earth; and dreadful, indeed, were the scenes enacted in nearly every part of the world, but especially in the centre

How delight

of Christendom. The primary cause of this mighty movement was the Last Judgment, which had, some years previously, been accomplished in the spiritual world. No sooner, however, are judgments executed in the earth, than blessings of a peculiar nature are opened to mankind. The spirit of mental, religious, and civil liberty began to breathe a new life into the dead elements of human society. Slavery, in all her forms, held up her chain-bound hands, imploring deliverance, and the new and mighty power which has been set in motion, has, to a certain extent, broken the "rod of the oppressor," and cast away the chains and cords of slavery from mankind. The work has commenced, it has made a certain progress, but it is far from being accomplished. At the same time, a new impulse was imparted to education, and our Sunday-schools were the first fruits of this benign and wonderful power. Small and feeble in the beginning, how soon they spread over the country! fully attractive their influence, bringing multitudes of benevolent individuals together into a field of labor, which was truly delightful to contemplate. But the great work of education cannot be done on the Sabbath-day; every day in the week is required for this immense work. And the Sabbath is preeminently a day of religious instruction and edification; no secular knowledge should be imparted on that day. The week should not be brought into the Sabbath, but the Sabbath should be carried into the week; that is, the holy influences of religion, acquired and strengthened on the Sabbath, should be carried out and applied to all the duties of the week. Day-schools are, therefore, required; and the New Church, during the last twenty years, has most successfully laboured in this field of usefulness. As a religious body, it was the first to institute day-schools on the plan which is now about to be generally adopted. Its schools serve as a model to those which are to be so generally established by every denomination of Christians. A powerful rivalry is active, and every exertion is to be employed, to see who can educate the children of the people in the most efficient and satisfactory manner. This new spirit has sprung up since the government measure of education was defeated. And are we, as members of the New Church, who have already laboured in this useful field during the last twenty years, who have opened the path, and shewn the way,-are we, in the midst of this new movement, to put forth no extra exertions?

While other denominations are subscribing their tens, yea, their hundreds of thousands, to establish day-schools in every quarter, are we to remain in the same state, without kindling into a brighter glow N.S. NO. 51.-VOL. V.

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