in the creation-the infinite all; but as One having personal attributes,―sympathy, heart, will, reciprocation. God, in nature, seems too diffusive-too vasttoo impersonal, to meet the demands of our hearts as they now are. We require to have Him brought, as it were, into a certain place and form; in other words, to have Him personalized, in order to draw forth to Him the supreme sympathy of our indifferent spirits.

"Another aspect in which it seems to us He ought to appear in order to produce this effect is, Secondly, as unquestionably placable. Man everywhere, in all parts of the globe, in all stages of civilization, and in connection with all religions, has a deep sense of guilt. This impression is co-ordinate with moral thoughts. As soon as men begin to think upon their moral relations, they feel the poignant pang. It is the cause of most sacrifices-the spirit of all superstitions-the emphasis of all woe-the deepest groan of the world. We may differ in our methods of explaining this fact, but on the question of its existence, there can be no debate. Now, this fact we regard as one of the greatest obstructions to the awakening of supreme sympathy to God in the heart. And why? Because the mind, under its influence, invariably regards God as a Being of vengeance, and regarding Him as such, can never love Him. Whether there is anything of wrath in the Divine nature answering to this apprehension of a guilty spirit, or whether the Divine anger is nowhere but in the excited imagination of the sin-convicted heart-though a question of profound interest to the philosophic theologian, is of no importance to my argument. It is a fact that this outward, in relation to us, is dependent upon our state and condition. Alter my senses and you will alter the material universe to me. I say, to me. The universe is not altered in itself, when changes take place in my physical organs. God is immutable, whatever changes may pass over my heart. But relative to me, though not in themselves, and not to others, all things without, change with the changes within. Man, under a sense of guilt, feels that God is angry whether he is absolutely so or not. His imagination clothes Him with attributes of vengeance and terror, and his spirit crouches before Him as before an infuriate Moloch. So long as the mind has this idea of God, all attempts to awaken supreme sympathy towards him must prove futile. For who can love vengeance? Who can be attracted by the "consuming fire" of an indignant God? From such a being the mind flees in terror, and cries for rocks and mountains to hide from his presence. What is wanted is such a manifestation of God as would satisfy the heart that He is placable-that He will pardon our sins—smile propitiously upon us, and make us happy.

"Thirdly. As individually merciful.

"Fourthly. As supremely lovesome.

"Now comes the question,-Is there a revelation which presents God to man in these aspects? I have no hesitation in declaring the affirmative. Yea, I devoutly thank my Maker, and rejoice that I can do so. Christianity unfolds the Eternal in all the varied phases which the heart of humanity requires.

"Here He is in Person.-In the Man Christ, we have God incarnate. He is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person.' In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.' 'No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father has declared Him.' In Christ this personality has a twofold peculiar attraction; it is

·

in our nature. Had He appeared in the nature of some superhuman existence there would not, we think, have been such an appeal to the sympathies within us: and it is not only in our nature, but in the tenderest relationship-that of a father, Philip saith unto Him, Lord, show us the Father and it sufficeth us; Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? HE THAT HATH SEEN ME, HATH SEEN THE FATHER.' Philip's request was but an echo of the deep, constant, world-wide cry of humanity, for a parental God. Not the God of the Pantheist-identical with the universe; nor the God of the Deist, in the heights of heaven, away in his pavilion, uninterested in the concerns of man; nor the God of the narrow Theologian, wrathful in feeling, and arbitrary in power; but a parental God the world wants; and the life of Jesus is a response to this cry of souls. 'He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father.' If it be asked, How can the infinite appear in the finite person of man? I attempt no exposition of the mystery; but I ask, how does the infinite appear in nature? Is not the universe, however great, infinitely less than infinitude? Christ brought the Eternal Person close to the eye of the world's heart.

"Here He is all Placable.-In this revelation the Absolute One appears to us mercifully offering to forgive our sins-to blot them out of His book-to bury them in the sea from our view. Here He is in CHRIST RECONCILING THE WORLD UNTO HIMSELF; saying to us in a thousand forms of touching speech, 'Come now and let us reason together; though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.' 'Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return unto the Lord and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.'

"Here He is supremely Lovesome.-There is not a property of moral goodness, of which we can form any conception, that we have not embodied in the highest conceivable form in the life of Jesus. The refulgent rays of holiness, as they stream directly from the central Sun of the Absolute, are too strong for our gaze; but in Jesus, they come mildly and fascinatingly reflected from the alldeep and pure humanity of our nature. What, then, is the sum of my argu ment? Why, supreme sympathy with God being the necessary impulse to true progress, and the revelation of God in Christ being necessary to produce this impulse; the sum of the whole is expressed in the language of Jesus,' Apart from me ye can produce no fruit.'"

The preceding extracts are all from the third lecture; but I will now give only one extract from the fourth lecture (The Obstructions to true Progress):

"Those which are wrong in relation to His character.-There are ideas of God entertained and even advocated, by some, which are essentially incompatible with the spirit of progress. Sometimes he is regarded as callous. He is almighty and all-wise, but without feeling and heart. He is enthroned in His dominionssees the tide of ages flow-witnesses the out-birth of new worlds and systems, and the decay and wreck of old ones-hears the songs of virtue-the shrieks of vice, and the cries of penitence, but feels nothing. He is heartless. Sometimes He is regarded as arbitrary. He is guided in His operations by no reasons

appreciable by His creatures. His conduct is not to be explained by any principle of right. He has power to do whatever he pleases. and He does it. His delight in the infinitude of His power is the main-spring of His conduct. He translates Manassehs to heaven and consigns the unconscious infant to the flames; because, the "potter hath power over the clay, to make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour." Sometimes He is regarded as revengeful. Humanity has sinned against Him, and He burns with anger and whets His glittering sword; though Adam and his posterity sink to bottomless perdition,' He must be revenged-He must have suffering for the insult-nothing will appease Him but agony. Christ appears as man's substitute, and

'Rich were the drops of Jesus' blood

That calmed His frowning face;

That sprinkled o'er the burning throne,

And turned the wrath to grace.'

Such are the false views that some men have of God, and which, I regret to state, are found in the theology of some churches. Since supreme sympathy with God is the necessary impulse to true progress, are not such views necessary hindrances to soul advancement? For who can love a revengeful, a callous, or an arbitrary God? Men may hypocritically profess to love such a being, and they may sing his praise with their lips; but the divine laws of their moral constitution will preclude, for ever, the rising of any grateful affection towards him." The following subjects are treated in a masterly manner:—

"The view

"The view which regards religion more as a letter than a spirit." which regards religion as a thing rather of miraculous production than of personal cultivation." "The view which regards religion as pertaining to certain parts of life, rather than to the entire circle of existence." "That which regards religion as a means to an end, rather than the highest end itself."

I might have given many more extracts which would have been deeply interesting to New Churchmen, but space would not permit. Those which have been given may induce many to read the book, and perhaps lend it to others, as it may be read with interest and profit, while a book written by a professed New Churchman would be laid aside

at once.

It is evident from this book that the author has imbibed, if not the true doctrine of the Lord, something much resembling it; and that he denies the necessity for a vicarious Atonement.

It is a very rare thing, out of the New Church, to deny the vicarious Atonement and yet acknowledge the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ; but it is now becoming a little more common, and we are assured that as the New Heaven is gradually enlarged, the light descending from that heaven will enable thinking men to see the beauty and consistency of the former true doctrine, and the absurdity and falsity of the latter. Glasgow.

J. F.

SUMMARY OF THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE BOOKS OF GENESIS AND EXODUS, AS DERIVED FROM THE ARCANA CELESTIA.

(Continued from page 32.)

THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

Chap. XI.

CONTENTS.-Concerning the First Ancient Church which was after the flood, to ver. 9; its first state, that all had one doctrine, ver. 1; its second state, that it began to decline, ver. 2; its third state, that it began to be ruled by falses grounded in evil lusts, ver. 3 ; its fourth state, that its members began to assume dominion by means of divine worship, ver. 4; the state of the church changed, to ver. 6, so that none were principled in the good of faith, to ver. 9. Concerning a Second Ancient Church which had its name from Heber, its derivation and state, how it ended in idolatry, to ver. 26. Concerning the origin of a Third Ancient Church, which from being idolatrous, became representative, to ver. 32. 1. And in the First Ancient Church (which was that of Noah) there prevailed every where, in its first state, one doctrine in general and in particular; (which was the doctrine of loving the Lord above all things, and our neighbour as ourselves. Hence, notwithstanding the differences of worship both internal and external which prevailed, the innumerable societies of the church upon earth, as of the church in heaven, formed a one.)

2. And it came to pass, that as men receded from charity, their worship also receded from internal worship to that external worship whose internal is profane, in which state of worship they abode.

3. And began to frame to themselves falses from evils originating in self-love; so that they maintained falsehood for truth, and were principled in evil lusts instead of goodness.

4. And from these falses and lusts they framed to themselves doctrine and worship, which worship was the worship of self; in which state they exalted themselves above all others, so as to cause themselves to be objects of worship, and to have dominion over the things which are in heaven, that they might derive a reputation for power, and thus prevent others from disobeying and rejecting their claims. (The dominion of such is greatest over those who have some principle of conscience; for these they lead at pleasure whithersoever they will; but those who have not this principle, they govern and rule by various external bonds.)

5. And there was a Divine influx from Jehovah, to explore the per

verted doctrine and profane worship which they had fabricated to themselves.

6. And it was seen that, at first, they had all been in possession of one doctrine of love to the Lord and to the neighbour; but that now they were beginning to be of a different quality, and that unless their state were changed, they would be restrained in nothing which they imagined to do.

7. And an influx of evil spirits was permitted in order to darken, obliterate, and dissipate the things appertaining to doctrine, so as to leave no truth remaining, to cause all men of this church to be at discordance and variance with each other, and thus to execute judgment.

8. In consequence of this, their doctrines were at length not acknowledged or received (for the doctrine and worship, which were full of self-love and self-worship, were not permitted in the Ancient Church.)

9. Now the kind and quality of this worship was signified by the name Babel, and indicated that internal worship had become dispersed and annihilated; (for they who adopted it could not be otherwise in the church than as a kind of leaven, or as a firebrand causing a general conflagration. When from this cause the danger of the profanation of what is holy threatened the church, then, by the Lord's Providence, the state of the church changed after this manner, namely, its internal worship perished whilst its external worship remained, which is here signified by Jehovah confounding the lip of the whole earth.' Hence also it appears, that such worship as is called Babel, did not prevail in the First Ancient Church, but only in the succeeding churches when men began to be worshipped as God, especially after death; whence came so many gods of the Gentiles. The reason why it was permitted that internal worship should perish and external remain, was, in order to prevent the profanation of what is holy, which brings with it eternal damnation. Thus was the First Ancient Church deprived of the knowledges of truth and goodness; and the nations which constituted it, became for the most part idolaters, and still retained a sort of external worship. The lot of those who are idolaters out of the Church, is not so bad as that of those who are idolaters within the church; the former being only external idolaters, whereas the latter are internal idolaters.)

10. With respect to the Second Ancient Church and its internal worship, the following are the origin and derivations of its forms of doctrine and of its internal worship. The state of this church in the beginning was that of science, after which commenced a second period of the church, or a second postdiluvian church.

11. And the internal worship of this second church, in its first