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Scriptures to the extent of about thirtyeight millions of copies in Great Britain, Ireland, and the Colonies, the Society is prosecuting its work in all the countries of Europe, as well as among the principal Asiatic and African nations, in Madagascar, in the chief islands of the South Pacific, in South America, Mexico, Labrador, and Greenland; and is ever ready to furnish Christian missionaries with the Word of God in the languages of the nations amongst whom they labour. The receipts from ordinary sources for the year ending March 31, 1875, have amounted to the sum of £222,062, including £119,093, applicable to the general purposes of the Society, and £102,968, receipts for Bibles and Testaments. Adding £129 dividends on stock invested on account of Lieut.-Colonel Roxburgh's Fund for Colportage in India, the total net receipts have amounted to £222,191. The total net payments of the year have amounted to £217,390. The Society is under engagements to the extent of £107,777. The issues of the Society for the year are as follows:-From the depôt at home, 1,473,027; from depôts abroad, 1,146,400-2,619,427 copies of Bibles, Testaments and portions. The total issues of the Society now amount to 73,750,538 copies.

London City Mission.-This Society has been forty years in existence. During

this time it has received more than a

whom had been seen and spoken to, as well as prayed with, by the missionaries."

WESLEYAN CHAPEL BUILDING FUND. We have occasionally called the attention of our readers to our New Church Building Fund. It may stimulate our zeal in support of this fund to see the

use of a similar fund in another Chris

tian community. The following is a brief notice of the Wesleyan Fund:

Since the establishment of the fund in 1861, the Rev. Gervase Smith (the secretary) reported that forty-four new chapels had been erected, with 41,000 sittings. A hundred new chapels, however, are needed if the Wesleyan Methodist Church is to take one-tenth of the work of providing the chapels now needed. The fund has lent nearly £34,000, and the sanctuaries in the erection of which it has aided have involved an expenditure of about £260,000. The new chapels now have a membership of over 8000 persons, and the various connexional funds are largely aided by the churches which have been gathered."

"THE ANGELS."-A pleasing and sympathetic review of this interesting New Church publication appears in the "The Literary World of May 7th. writer, "the belief suggested in the pregdoctrine of Correspondence," says the nant form of a question by Milton in the following language :—

'What if earth Be but the shadow of heaven, and things therein,

Each to other like, more than on earth is

thought?'

million of money, and, looking back upon the work that has been done, is satisfied that the money has been well spent. Its missionaries enter the darkest places of the metropolis, and during the year have engaged in some special missions. One of these has been visits to the public-houses, which, in some cases, the doctrine which, we believe, forms have been encouraged by the landlords. the essential basis of the theology and During the year "nearly three millions teachings of the disciples of Swedenof visits had been paid by the agents, borg, is here applied to the study of 275 to the sick and the dying, 3,500,000 angels, and the result is, we have a tracts distributed, 1,900,000 persons had book deeply interesting, and, if one has attended cottage meetings and meetings leisure, well worth reading. Such inin mission-rooms, 7,000 Bibles dis- quiries are not exactly frivolous. . . . tributed, 200,000 persons spoken to in One reads so much about angels in the factories, many more in hospitals and Word of God, they form so distinct and workshops, amongst whom other 53,000 prominent a feature in all theology, books had been lent. Among the results whether true or false, that there must tabulated were 1,600 drunkards re- be a doctrine concerning them to be claimed, 1,600 new communicants added believed." From this the reviewer gives to churches, and about 300 restored to a general description of the book, folfellowships from which they had fallen. lowed by an extract on the origin of Nearly 8000 persons had died, all of angels, on which he remarks" Our

poet Young seems to have had some inkling of the doctrine when he wrote

'Angels are men of a superior kind;

Angels are men in lighter habit clad.'

Origen also held similar views when he wrote that some of the angels in heaven had been men on earth, who had passed from the rank of men into that of angels. If all this be true, what about the devil, who is certainly credited, at any rate by the unreasoning and ignorant multitude, with far more mischief than even he, if he were as malignant as the devil of Milton's sublime epic, could have produced? On this head we learn that neither do Jude or Peter declare as original information the circumstances to which they refer. If, again ask others, if the devil were a murderer from the beginning, how could he have been created an angel of light?" An extract on modern spiritualism leads to the following concluding remarks of this notice :-"With this passing shot at some of our modern mediums, from a believer, we close our notice of this little book, which is well got up, and which few can read without gaining something. For one thing we have to thank the Swedenborgian Church, differ from it as we may, and the present writer is certainly no Swedenborgian, and that is for their grand doctrine that earth is the portal of heaven, that here all is typical and suggestive, that what we dream now to be shadow shall by and by ripen into perfect day. Assuredly it is better so to consider it than as, in the language of good Dr. Watts, a

wretched land

'That yields us no supplies.""

ever station or situation they might be. Speaking of sudden conversions he maintained that, like earthquakes, they were exceptional things, and should not be relied on. He did not believe in that wild excitement which seemed to be running like an electrical current through the land. He believed in a more sober, more consis tent godliness.

Nature did not work its beautiful changes by revolutions. What made the trees unfold their leaves, the tender grass to sprout, and the flowers to bloom? Was it not the gently falling rain, the sunshine, and the winds of heaven, acting upon the earth and upon them, and bringing all those things forth in a simple natural way? And so it was with the Christian life."

SWEDENBORG. - A well-conducted weekly local paper, The St. Pancras and Holborn Guardian, has recently commenced a series of articles entitled, "Men connected with St. Pancras and

Holborn." The issue of May 15th contains a long and interesting account of Emanuel Swedenborg. The writer has evidently well studied his subject, and thrown into the article a spirit of fairness, combined with a boldness in viewing the real character of Swedenborg's domestic and official life, that we do not always see in such publications. The writer appears to have searched a whole library of Swedenborg's biographers, and gives his readers some idea of the ap parent merits of each; he apportions a good deal of his space to a personal description of Swedenborg, and treats mostly of his early life and parentage. We observe it is to be continued in subRELIGION IN DAILY LIFE. The sequent issues, and that portfon of the correspondent of one of the evening illustrious Seer's life that will be of papers gives the following description most interest to New Churchmen will of a sermon at Clayton-le-Moors, by be treated on in the next number. We the Bishop of Manchester:-"His lordship delivered a fifty minutes' discourse, in which he reviewed the bearing of religion on the everyday conduct of life. He showed that it was absurd for a church or for people to expect the bishops, priests, and deacons, to do all that was required from a religious point of view in the world, and, as every man received a gift from God, he urged that it should be employed in preparing the way for God's Kingdom by leading a moral and reproachless life, in what

His

give our readers the following extracts:— "Swedenborg is one of the world's puzzles. He bothered Emerson, one of the deepest thinkers of the age. writings,' says Emerson, would be a sufficient library to a lonely and athletic student.' Few great men were ever fully appreciated till long after they had passed beyond the reach of their contemporary critics; but it requires an extraordinary greatness to survive for more than a century the bitter opposi tion and abuse of the world at large.

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The heap of obloquy and prejudice if the duty of chronicling his career fall poured upon the name of Swedenborg into the hands of an honest and friendly for a number of years was so great, that critic. Dr. Johnson had his Boswell, even now, when he is beginning to be Charles Dickens his Forster; many better appreciated, it envelopes his others of our great ones have had a kind works as with a Scotch mist, and in and capable hand to gather up their some circles a man had need of moral literary remains and decently inter them courage to pass through that mist to the in the hands of some enterprising pubother side, seeing that to do so he must lisher, 'in the hope of a speedy and leave old friends and associates behind. sure resurrection.' Not so of SwedenAs Fletcher says, Swedenborg, in the borg, of all men most liable to be miseye of that hydra-headed monster, understood, and therefore most needing 'public opinion," is looked upon as the such kindly offices. One self-constituted type of mysticism, the exponent of authority stoutly maintains he was mad, eccentricity, the high-priest of hetero- but naïvely declines to read his works; doxy, the promulgator of a madman's another as stoutly holds him forth as creed.' And 'fling the faintest whisper the very quintessence of philosophical of Swedenborgianism on the wind, and acumen, shrewd common sense, and there is a hum and murmur among the sound piety; while a third will give hoi polloi-learned and foolish, married him the infallible honours of a pope, not and single, washed and unwashed, jab- only unsolicited, but against his will. bering and stammering, flouting and Not that there are no biographers of shouting, groaning and weeping, holding Swedenborg. Dr. L. H. Tafel, of Tütheir breath and gathering up their bingen (a relative of the Rev. Professor garments as though a pestilence passed Tafel, of the New Church in the Camden by that way. Road), collected in 1839 into one 'Book of Documents' an enormous number of letters and documents relating to Swedenborg, and out of the material thus furnished several biographies were published in America and England. Amongst these we know of none equal, as regards beauty of language, fairness of criticism, and grasp of his subject, to that published in 1849 by Dr. Garth Wilkinson.'

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"It is not, however, necessary to become a Swedenborgian before one is able to regard Swedenborg and his works with that common respect due to all, and without that prejudice which makes unjust judges. We believe Swedenborg wrote simply for the sake of the truth, and in the honest conviction that what he wrote was the truth. No man can do more-none should do less. Never were literary labours so freely placed at SWEDENBORG SOCIETY BRITISH AND the feet of mankind as these Herculean FOREIGN.-The sixty-fifth anniversary tomes of Swedenborg; there is nothing of this Society will be held at 36 said about translation reserved,' or Bloomsbury Street, London, W.C., on copyright,' or 'royalty,' no more than Tuesday June 15th. Dr. Stocker will in the case of the Bible. Like the take the chair at seven o'clock precisely. Book of books, the works of Swedenborg The Report of the Committee and the seem to have been 'cast upon the Treasurer's account will be read, and waters' of human history, to be ac- the officers for the ensuing year elected. cepted or rejected just as men in the By means of the Attwood Fund the exercise of their freedom may elect. Committee has been enabled to dispose When we find an author enthusiastically of the largest number of copies of the praised by all who have read him (and True Christian Religion ever known in by such thoughtful readers as Emerson, this country. The presentations to Coleridge, Paxton Hood, Kant, Dr. ministers are 4041, and in addition the Mill, Morell, Garth Wilkinson, and sales of the same work are 1010. It is many others we might name), and almost reasonable to suppose that the necesnever blamed by any but those who sarily extensive advertising required for have not read, one is apt to consider that the presentations has familiarized the there is something in it.' In 'judg- public with the name of Swedenborg, ing a man as we find him' much depends and probably prepared it to make upon how we find him, or, if he be dead, inquiries respecting his works, and thus who has biographed him. create a further demand. Many of the letters received from recipients of the

"It is a good thing for an author's fame

another local minister. Several other

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True Christian Religion contain comments which indicate a high apprecia- lectures have subsequently been detion of the principles embodied in that livered, pro and con, and the interest work. The Committee's Report will con- in consequence had obtained a high tain some of the more interesting of pitch. A few friends considered this these comments, and also several other a good opportunity to offer the New matters of importance in relation to the Church views of the question at issue, welfare of the Society. The Committee and of our general doctrines. They earnestly hopes that the members and invited and gained the assistance of the friends who can conveniently do so will Manchester and Salford Missionary be present at the meeting, and support it Society, and the Rev. P. Ramage was in still further extending the great uses deputed to deliver two lectures. The of the Society in making known to the rev. gentleman consented, and chose world at large "a knowledge of the for his subjects The Immortality of real nature of Divine inspiration, and of man: where do we go when we die?" and the true method of interpreting the "Judgment, Individual and Generalmessage of God to man as contained in the great white Throne." The first was the Holy Scriptures." Subscribers are given on Tuesday, April 20th, and the reminded that overdue subscriptions second on the Thursday following, must be paid prior to voting. The They were well attended, and listened address of Mr. Watson, the Treasurer, to with rapt attention and intense inis, 19 Highbury Crescent, London, N. terest. This was even more noticeable at the second lecture (and the audience, on that occasion, withal appeared to be of an intellectual standard). The lecturer treated his subjects in a masterly way; being clear and graphic, full of apt illustration and simile; and, though teeming with New Church thought and ideas, plain enough for the simplest mind. The seeds cast forth cannot fail to bring forth fruit in our Lord's own time, as all connected were working for the good of others, from the lecturer himself to the boys who distributed the tracts. These silent messengers were gratuitously supplied by the Manchester New Church Printing and Tract Society, and the London New Church Missionary and Tract Society. There were several inquirers after the last lecture, and a few sales of books were effected. It is hoped that a result of these lectures will be an impetus to the small gathering which takes place every Sabbath. It might be mentioned that these lectures were arranged by the Liverpool Branch of the London Auxiliary New Church Missionary and Tract Society, of which Mr. Parker is the secretary and trea surer.

BATH.-The Society of the New Church in this city was favoured with a visit by Mr. Gunton, the "National Missionary," who delivered two discourses on Sunday, April 11th, a lecture on Wednesday evening, April 14th, and also attended a social meeting of the Society held in its library on Tuesday, the 13th. This visit has been felt to be of great service in calling the attention of many to a consideration of the principles of the New Church, and also in infusing additional life into members of the Church who had become somewhat languid. All the meetings were well attended, both by the members and friends of the Church, and by strangers; and the minister, the Rev. James Keene, as well as other members and friends, expressed a desire that the Society might be again visited, with a view to the accomplishment of the same purposes. Not only the attendance was good, but the attention given to the subjects was all that could be wished, and no less than 160 copies of the "Silent Missionaries ,, were sold.

BIRKENHEAD-Lectures by Rev. Mr. Ramage. During the last few months Birkenhead has been the scene of a very BIRMINGHAM.-In our number for spirited discussion on the "Immortality March we gave some interesting inof the Wicked." The controversy, it formation respecting the intended New appears, was opened in a lecture by a Church and schools, Wretham Road, local minister of the Evangelical Birmingham, and the liberal subscrip Church, on The final Annihilation of tion then commenced towards repaying the Wicked," and this was replied to by the cost. We are happy to hear that the

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amount now promised exceeds £2700, groups-the one, our Lord blessing little entirely from the congregation. The children, and the other, our Lord with works are now commenced, the school- Mary and Martha-" she hath chosen rooms and the Church-keeper's house the better part. The other details of being nearly ready for roofing. The this window will comprise emblems of foundations for the Church are also com- the four evangelists,-lily work, crown pleted, and the walls just appearing above ground. In March last the question of adding a tower and spire was under consideration. Since then the plans and estimates have been received. The Committee were, however, unwilling to incur so large an additional expense, but they have just received from their liberal friend Mr. Bloore (the contractor) an offer that if they, the Committee, would undertake the spire and tower, he would at his own cost face the whole of the tower and frontage of the edifice with stone, instead of brickwork as specified. This offer the Committee have now accepted, and although the extra cost will be over £600, yet such has been the willing and noble response made by the congregation to the first appeal for funds, that little fear is entertained of an early liquidation of this further amount. The edifice will now have a much more elegant and complete external appearance, and will be visible from considerable distances all around. But the most gratifying news is, that many, and indeed most, of the windows will be filled, by various private donors, with very beautiful and artistic works in stained glass. The one for the chancel (given by a lady) is in five compartments. The centre three lights will contain a work to represent "The transfiguration of our Lord; "the side lights will contain single figures; one, our Lord as the Sower; the other, our Lord as the Good Shepherd. The quatrefoil and other ornamental piercings in the arched head of the window will be filled by various symbols, such as the open Word, the sacred monograms IHS; the A and the O (Alpha and Omega), the radiant triangle inscribed, "Love,' "Wisdom," " Power," and enclosed in a flaming circle; together with lily, rose, vine, and other beautiful details. The window for the west end over the doors (given by a gentleman) is in four compartments, of which the two inuer ones will have single figures; the one of John the Baptist preaching repentance, and the other of our Lord-"Behold, I stand at the door and knock;" and the two outer ones will be occupied with

and palms of victory, and, in the centre quatrefoil, wheat sheaves in a radiant circle, and motto, "I am the Bread of Life." Two or three of the aisle windows will also be filled with charming floral or subject decorations, the gifts of other friends. And, as if such liberality on the part of a few individuals were indeed infectious, it was no sooner suggested that the eighteen clerestory lights should be also filled with elegant and varied geometrical designs in stained glass, than the various institutions of the Church came forward, and, together with some individuals, subscribed for the whole number. The children of the Sunday-schools, the teachers, the two senior classes, the social party Committee, the elocution class, the Dorcas Society, and Mr. Rodger's Sunday morning class, each commissioned one window. A monogram will be placed in each one, at the choice of the respective donors. It is to he hoped, therefore, that both in its external and internal aspect this new edifice for the New Church worship in Birmingham will be a pleasing contrast to the place at present in use. Nor are the important matters of ventilation and warming being neglected. Each of these will be amply provided for. The warming, especially, being a point involving considerable expenditure, has been well considered, and every possible arrangement has been made both for schools and church to meet the extremest cold, whilst the apparatus will be so well under control, that the transitions from cold to warm weather can be suitably met. The Committee will take advantage of the intended visit of Dr. Tafel to Birmingham on the 13th inst. to have the memorial stone laid. honour of performing this ceremony has been accorded to a lady of the Society, and it is fixed for 3.30 P. M. on Wednesday, the 16th inst. After the ceremonial the company will adjourn to Summer Lane, where tea will be served, and a meeting held in the evening. The presence and support of every friend of the church in the neighbourhood is earnestly asked, and the company of any visitors from a distance will be

The

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