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understand. If a fruit tree fails to pro- at Peter Street invited the members of duce fruit, it is called barren, and the the Conference to a social meeting in owner repeats the command, Cut it their school-room, which was elegantly down, why cumbereth it the ground?' decorated, and had all the appearance of And in every living thing throughout a well-appointed drawing-room. nature, productive life is the criterion choice selection of vocal and instruof worth. Men judge of a thing's value mental music was well rendered by a by what it does; and men judge of each number of musical friends. The preother by what they do. The test of sence of friends from all parts of the human worth is executive ability. In kingdom, and especially of the President every office, power to achieve, to execute of the American Convention, the Rev. and do is the one test of human worth. Mr Giles, so well known by his many And though in religion the doctrine of admirable and useful publications, added substitution has been invented, a doc- zest to this assembly. Short addresses trine that results in salvation by faith were delivered during the evening, the alone, yet we hold to the broad principle greatest interest attaching to that of the that a man is no better than his works Rev. Mr. Giles, who was received with make him, and that in religion, as in warm applause. On the subsidence of every thing else, this principle holds repeated cheers, Mr. Giles thanked them good-that man is judged by what he heartily for the reception, which he redoes. ceived entirely in his capacity as representing the New Church friends across the Atlantic, and which, when he went home, he would endeavour to tell something about, though necessarily very inadequately. He had been asked to say something that night with regard to the growth and condition of the New Church in America. This was no time for statistics, and he would not introduce them. They had in America all the elements that constitute the New Church which we have here. They had nearly, if not all, the difficulties; and they had, he was happy to say, good, strong, hearty men and women in the New Church in America, who went steadily forward in endeavouring to build up the Church there, as was being done here. The growth of the New Church was necessarily slow, and, in one sense, it was slow because the Church, where genuine, was made up of men and women not merely of natural minds, but of a purer, and nobler, and finer quality than mere natural minds could produce. For that reason the growth_of_the Church must, in one sense, be slow; but it was growth. It was very difficult to describe growth, to show how it adSOCIAL MEETINGS OF THE CONFER- vanced; and there were some people in ENCE. One of the most agreeable, and America, as here, who were impatient, probably one of the most useful features and seemed discouraged at times, beof the Conference, is the many pleasant cause the Church did not grow fast re-unions and attractive social assemblies enough. Having spoken of people who that are held during its session. Some take sown seeds up again and again to of these are private, and are held in the see whether they are growing, and who homes of members of the Church, and thereby prevent the growth, he said others are of a more public kind. On there were some who seemed inclined to the Wednesday evening, the Society pull New Churchmen up by the roots,

'Religion is like the perfume to the rose, the flavour to the fruit, the lustre to the diamond; take perfume from the rose the body of the flower may remain; so take flavour from the fruit and the body of the fruit may remain; or lustre from the diamond and the body of the stone is yet there; but when these are gone their priceless worth is gone; the body is there but the soul is wanting. So with the actions of our life. Take from the actions of our life the principle of obedience to the commands of God the principle of religion—and outwardly the bulk of life's actions will remain the same, just as the body of the rose may remain after the perfume has exhaled, but the immortal worth of life's achievements has then departed, and whatever we then do lacks the one vitalising element of spirituality, and sinks to the level of nature."

Several other speakers gave short addresses during the evening. The proceedings were also enlivened, and the numerous assembly delighted, by several pieces of sacred music, which were very efficiently rendered by the choir.

to see how they were growing. We must wa't patiently. To make a New Church man was the growth of a life, and we must not be discouraged because progress was slow. The Lord was at work making New Churchmen, which meant making men, and it must be remembered He had never made a man yet. He had been at work making men and women for thousands of years, and after they were removed hence He still worked upon them, giving them a touch here and a touch there, moulding them into more perfect beauty, and giving them strength and perfection; and it would take Him all eternity to make a man, and then He would not have finished the work. In the New Church they had all the materials, the means, and the processes to make men and women, and America and England had simply to use those materials and means according to the best of their ability, first for their own development and growth, and then to communicate them to others; and if they could communicate those truths to men and women, they would be doing the greatest service one human being could render to another. No one could tell the service that the person did to him (Mr. Giles) who first put a book of the doctrines of the New Church into his hands; and that was a service they could all render to others. The New Church was growing in America, putting out its roots and developing strength. They had had "hard times" in America, but hard times to the men of the world were easy times for the Church. In the winter the roots of trees grew deep and strong, and if there were no winter, no permanent growth could be expected. They had all kinds of New Churchmen in America. Some were timid ones, who were afraid to

speak of the doctrines above their breath, and these were not New Churchmen exactly, but it was hoped they would be. Others were not able to stand alone, but required to be held up and strengthened; these were like infants, and it was necessary to foster and nurse them. But they had also men in America who could stand up and stand alone, though they were the only New Churchmen in the world; and there were also such men here. He could not close these remarks without saying that he knew the American New Churchmen, and if they were there that night he

knew they would fully and heartily reciprocate all the kind feelings expressed, and would give, if not an English welcome, at any rate a Yankee one, and that, he guessed, was a right hearty one. In conclusion, Mr. Giles addressed a few words to the young people present in the assembly, exhorting them to be determined to make the most of themselves, but not to think they were doing this while making money, riding in carriages, wearing fine clothing, or gaining worldly honour, but only in so far as they were purest in mind and noblest in all the relations of life; and there was no way of doing this equal to learning the doctrines of the New Church and applying them to their daily life.

Another social assembly was provided on the Saturday afternoon by the generous hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Mather, who kindly invited the members of Conference and the several friends in whose houses they had been entertained, to a social party at the Royal Hotel, Alderley Edge. Over 150 persons were present to enjoy the hospitality of these warm-hearted friends, and to participate in the enjoyments of the evening. Short addresses were given by the President of Conference, by Mr. Mather, and Mr. E. J. Broadfield.

RELIGIOUS SERVICES DURING THE CON

FERENCE.-The growth of the business of the Conference has diminished the public services which were wont to take place during the session. Beyond the daily opening and closing of the Conference, the only Conference service is that held on Tuesday evening, the service on the Friday evening having for some years past been relinquished. The Society in whose church the Conference is held usually arranges a series of services during the time of Conference, which are publicly announced, the pulpit in Peter Street was occupied on and are of considerable interest. This year Sunday, August 8th, in the morning by the Rev. Mr. Wilkins, of Nottingham, and in the evening by Mr. Ashby, of Derby. On Tuesday, as stated in our report of Conference proceedings, the Rev. Mr. Potts, of Glasgow, preached, and on the following Sunday morning (August 15th), Rev. Mr. Giles preached in the morning, to a crowded congregation, a sermon of singular power Books in the Judgment; and in the evenand impressiveness on the Opening of the ing Rev. Mr. Presland, of London, closed the Conference services with a discourse on the words, "Freely ye have received, treely give."

At Heywood, advantage was taken by the minister of the nearness of the Conference to obtain the services of ministers in attendance on the Sundays preceding and succeeding the session. On the first of these, two discourses were delivered by the Rev. T. L. Marsden, of Snodland; and on the second, by the Rev. W. O'Mant, of Leeds. The attendance at these services was good, though in the evenings somewhat thinned by the attraction of the opening services at Ramsbottom, which the congregation had been exhorted by their minister to attend. Those in attendance were much interested in the somewhat novel, but lucid, and interesting discourses of Mr. O'Mant. In the first of these discourses, on the words, "As the days of a tree are the days of my people,' the preacher presented the spiritual truths involved in the text from a wide basis of natural knowledge respecting the growth and structure of trees. The same mode of expounding his subject was adopted in discoursing, in the evening, from the text, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." The sermons showed a mastery of the science of correspondences and accurate acquaintance with the doctrines of the New Church. We cannot but hope for this esteemed minister, who has just entered the Church from another communion, a future of eminent usefulness.

Similar services to those we have noted were held in other neighbouring churches, but of these no particulars have reached us.

GENERAL CONVENTION. The meeting of this large and influential Association of the New Church in America was held this year in the city of New York, in the month of June last. There were present forty-four ministers and one hundred and twenty-three delegates. The Messenger gives short notices of the several days assemblies, which appear to have been conducted with great harmony and a manifest desire to promote the prosperity of the Church. A prominent feature of the meeting is the number of religious exercises and of social gatherings. Speaking of the Sabbath services, the Messenger says:"There was a large attendance at the religious exercises on Sunday. The Rev. William B. Hayden, of Portland, preached an excellent discourse, which was listened to with profound attention. The Sacrament of the Holy Supper was administered at 4 P. M., to two hundred and thirty-two communicants. It was a season of delightful communion with each other and with the Lord. We do not yet fully appreciate the use of such seasons. How much is done, at such times, to bring

us into closer union with each other, and into conjunction with the Lord, we can never know. But we have every reason to believe that they have a most important and powerful influence upon us in harmonizing our own natures and imbuing them with power from on high."

The Convention this year misses the presence of its venerable president, the Rev. Dr. Worcester, whose place in the presidency is filled by the Rev. Chauncey Giles. One of the great works of which the Convention has taken note, is the gratuitous distribution of the True Christian Religion to the clergy and ministers of all denominations. This work has been initiated and prosecuted at the sole charge of Mr. L. C. Tungerich. The work commenced in September 1872. Three agents and trustees have been appointed to carry on this good work, and they have presented an interesting report to the Convention. In two years and a half between seven and eight thousand copies of this work have been applied for and received by clergymen and students; and during two years five thousand copies of Heaven and Hell have been distributed in the same manner by the American New Church Tract and Publication Society. And now the benevolent promoter of this great work is commencing the distribution of a work on the Spiritual Sense of the Word in the same manner. The Apocalypse Revealed has been selected for this purpose; the first edition of one thousand copies is exhausted, and a second edition is in course of distribution. demand for all three of these books steadily continues. As showing the desire and anxiety of many to get possession of these books, it may be mentioned that the agents have received certificates of ordination and certificates of post-masters and other officials to establish the fact that the applicants were entitled to the books under the terms of the offer. In receiving this report, Hon. Theophilus Parsons said: It is my conviction that the efforts of this gentleman are the greatest ever yet performed by the New Church on earth. I could indulge myself by speaking at much length upon this subject if he were not present; but knowing him as well as I do, I feel that it would not be pleasing to him. His marvellous munificence has brought to my mind a circumstance I shall relate. Over two hundred years ago, in England, a worthy and benevolent man died, and requested that the following epitaph should be placed upon his tomb. It was placed there, and remains to this day.

"What I spent I kept; What I saved I lost, What I gave I have.

The

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econd Advent of the Word or of evening's entertainment.
Divine Wisdom coming in clouds of
ory, which are those of the Scriptures;
ad which imply a new manifestation

r revelation of Divine Wisdom.

"Fifthly: that the scene of the vakepalaiwois at the Second Advent, a the Apocalypse, lies primarily in the piritual world and subordinately in the atural; in like manner also as at the Virst Advent.

"And lastly: that the result of the vhole process of judgment and creation ire New Heavens, a New Earth, a New Age or Economy, and a New Church, called in the Apocalypse the New Jeru

salem.'

"All applications, with name and address, to be made to Mr. Speirs, the Society's Agent, 36 Bloomsbury Street, W.C.. Sent also by post, on receipt of one shilling in stamps."

The progress

made thus far by the Brisbane Society has
led some of our members to consider the
advisability of our combining with the
sister Societies in Australia, to secure the
services of
could spend a portion of each year in each
an ordained minister, who
colony.

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, July 11th, a lecture on Tuesday evening, July 13th, and also attended a social meeting of the Society on Monday, the 12th. Not only the attendance was good, but the attention was all that could be wished, and no less than 100 copies of the "Silent Missionaries" were sold. An earnest desire was expressed' that the Society might be again visited by Mr. Gunton.

on

BLACKBURN.-The second anniversary of the opening of the present church in this town, was celebrated on the BRISBANE, Queensland. The annual 13th of June, when the venerable Rev. meeting of the members of the Brisbane E. Madeley, of Birmingham, officiated. Society of the New Church was held on the 4th of April, when the various reports In the morning he delivered an earnest were brought forward and adopted, and and interesting address to the scholars office-bearers elected for the ensuing year. and teachers of the Sunday-school; The resignation of the leadership by Mr. in which he inculcated the duty of Diggles having been read and accepted, punctuality and obedience to the young; Mr. John Garsden (who has been inde- and an earnest, attentive and diligent fatigable in his work for the advancement preparation on the part of the selfof this Society) was unanimously elected as sacrificing, useful teacher, without Leader. Quoting from the Secretary's which their labours could not be Report, it appears that the affairs of the crowned with that success which every Society are in a flourishing condition:"We have now nearly forty members on one desired. The afternoon's sermon the roll." Services have been held in the was "That disciple whom Jesus town-hall on Sunday morning and evening loved" (John xxi. 20). The discourse for two years without intermission; the feelingly portrayed the leading charaverage attendance in the morning being acteristics of the great, distinguished, about twenty, and in the evening fifty. and good Apostle John; from his first We have a Sunday-School, but in this de- becoming a disciple to his crowning partment of our work I regret to say that work of receiving the divine Revelation we have made no progress, so far as regards at Patmos ; and, no doubt many of the number of children attending. We have also a free library, containing nearly 200 interesting incidents of John's chequered volumes of New Church literature, which life will be long and affectionately rewe find an invaluable auxiliary. With membered by all who had the pleasure reference to the financial position of the of hearing this discourse. The evening's Society, a favourable report was given last sermon was from the tenth chapter of year the debts of the Society were £23, Numbers and 29th verse, and was a vivid they are now about £13. With the increase description of the trials and changes the number of members, we look with which the Christian experiences before confidence to having a balance on his triumphant and glorious victory over at our next annual meeting. On the the enemies of his own household, and April we held our anniversary tea Owing to unfavourable weather, before the Lord Jesus can give him the ut sixty-five members and friends good land flowing with heavenly milk ociety were present. Some read- and honey. Both discourses were attenting to the New Church, inter- tively listened to, but the unpropitious ith music, afforded a pleasant state of the weather, no doubt, pre

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