ing in America, and we trust that we shall soon be enabled to collect such intelligence of its extent, as will equal our most sanguine calculations. The society will take pleasure in answering any inquiries upon the subject of books, and will render assistance in the importation of such as are not to be procured in the United States. By order of the society, The foregoing is a copy of a notice published in the eight gazettes of this city. Presuming that you are equally anxious with ourselves, to promote the design which we have in view, we have taken the liberty of requesting that you will give as much publicity to it as lies within your power, by causing it to be published in some, or all of the newspapers in your town or neighbourhood, and by circulating it in any other mode which you may deem advisable. We should esteem it as a particular favour, if you would communicate to us, at an early period, a list of the names of the members of the New Church, in your vicinity, thereby commencing a correspondence, which may be highly serviceable to the cause in which we are engaged. Annexed is an advertisement issued by "The American society for disseminating the doctrines of the New Jerusalem Church," on the first of January last, accompanied by a circular letter, which has been transmitted therewith to some individuals of all the societies in the United States, of which we had any knowledge. It is the desire of the society to possess itself of all the infor mation practicable in relation to the progress of the New Church in the United States, and as this should be effected by the least expense of postage, and the least labour of correspondence, which are compatible with the attainment of the object in view, it is respectfully suggested That the members of the church who reside in any particular town, county or neighbourhood, should form themselves into a society, and appoint a corresponding secretary from among their number, upon whom shall devolve the correspondence of such association. The advantage of such an arrangement must be evident to all who are aware of the multiplied duties which would otherwise be attached to the corresponding secretary of the general society. If this proposition be adopted, the first measure which we would recommend would be the transmission to the society at Philadelphia, of a list of the names of the members of the New Church, containing a statement of their residence, age, place of birth, doctrines when received, and of the church to which they were formerly attached. The society at Philadelphia purposes to publish periodical reports of its proceedings, and of the state of the church throughout the world, as far as it can be collected, and to transmit to the secretary of each society a copy thereof, for the information of its members. Such a document must be highly desirable to all who have sincerely at heart the true interests of the Lord's New Church, and we trust that its beneficial tendency will induce our fellow members at a distance, to favour us with an early communication. The society has written to London for a supply of the works of Baron Swedenborg, and of subsequent writers, a catalogue of which, with the prices, when they arrive, will be transmitted to each society. As the general society is desirous of seeing amongst its members all their fellow christians who have embraced the doctrines of the new dispensation, they take this occasion to inform them, that a subscription of three dollars per annum, will entitle to membership. Should it be desirable for our distant friends, to assist by their contributions, the dissemination of the important truths of the New Church, they are invited to transmit their names through the secretary of their society. The officers of the society for the present year, are JONATHAN W. CONDY, President. WILLIAM KNEASS, Recording Secretary. CONDY RAGUET, Corresponding Secretary. CHIEF ARTICLES OF FAITH OF THE NEW CHURCH. The heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem teach, (1.) That Jehovah God, the Creator and Preserver of heaven and earth, is essential love and essential wisdom, or essential good and essential truth: that he is One both in essence and in person, in whom nevertheless is a Divine Trinity, consisting of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, like soul, body, and operation in man: and that the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is that God. (2.) That Jehovah God descended as Divine Truth, which is the Word, (nevertheless he did not separate therefrom the Divine Good) and took upon him human nature, for the purpose of subduing and removing the powers of darkness, of restoring the spiritual world to order, of preparing the way for a New Church upon earth, and thereby of accomplishing the great work of redemption: that through the process of sufferings and temptations he also glorified his Humanity, by uniting it with his essential Divinity and that all who believe in him with the heart, with the understanding, and in the life, will be saved. (3.) That the Word of the Lord, or Sacred Scripture, was written by divine inspiration: that it contains three distinct senses, celestial, spiritual, and natural, which are united by correspondencies; and that in each sense it is divine truth, accommodated respectively to the angels of the three heavens, and also to men on earth. Now since the Lord and his word are one, and since thereby man is conjoined to heaven, it is highly necessary, that the genuine books of the Word be distinguished from all other writings whatever. The following, therefore, are acknowledged as constituting the perfect and complete Canon of Holy Scripture: in the Old Testament, the five books of Moses, called Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; the book of Joshua, the book of Judges, the two books of Samuel, the two books of Kings, the Psalms of David; the Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and in the New Testament, the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; and the Apocalypse. (4.) That all evils, whether of affection, of thought, or of life; ought to be shunned as sins against God, because they proceed from the devil, that is, from hell, and destroy in man the capacity of enjoying the happiness of heaven. But that, on the other hand, good affections, good thoughts, and good actions, ought to be cherished and performed, because they are of God, and from God and that every act of love and charity, of justice and equity, both towards society in general, and towards individuals in particular, ought to be done by man as of himself; nevertheless under the acknowledgment and belief, that they are really and truly from the Lord, operating in him and by him. (5.) That immediately on the death of the material body (which will never be re-assumed) man rises again as to his spiritual or substantial body, wherein he exists in a perfect human form, with every faculty both of mind and body which he before enjoyed: thus that death is no other than an entrance into the spiritual world, and a continuation of life, which will be happy or miserable to eternity, according to the ruling love acquired in this present world, and it's conformity or non-conformity to the divine truths of the Holy Word: for every man in particular is judged after death either to heaven or to hell, according to the deeds done in the body, that is, according to his past life, whether it has been good or evil. (6.) But that, with respect to children, dying before they come to the use of reason, and the exercise of judgment, all such, whether baptized or unbaptized, whether within the christian church or without it, and whether they be the offspring of godly or of ungodly parents, are received into heaven by the Lord, and after instruction, or improvement in understanding and wisdom, participate in all the happiness and perfection of angels. (7.) That adequate means of salvation are, by the divine mercy and providence of the Lord, extended to all of the human race without exception; and consequently that men of every persuasion or denomination upon the face of the earth, whether they be Christians, Jews, Mahometans, or Pagans, may be saved, if they live in mutual love and charity from religious motives, according to the best of their knowledge and understanding. But that nevertheless the new and true christian religion, inasmuch as it is more immediately derived from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is the One Only God of heaven and earth, is of all religions the most capable of effecting close and intimate conjunction with him; and on that account is to be esteemed more excellent, more heavenly, and more divine, than any other. (8.) That every event or occurrence in human life, whether of prosperity or of adversity, is under the immediate superintendance and direction of the Divine Providence; and that nothing does or can befal man, either in his collective or his individual capacity, but what even in the most minute, as well as in the more important circumstances attending it, is made to contribute, in a way known only to Infinite Wisdom, to his final benefit and advantage. (9.) That true conjugial love, which can only exist between One Husband and One Wife, is a primary characteristic of the New Church, being founded in the marriage or conjunction of good and truth, and corresponding with the marriage of the Lord and his church; and therefore it is more celestial, spiritual, holy, pure, and clean, than any other love in angels or men. (10.) That man is not life in himself, but only a recipient of life from the Lord, who alone is life in himself; which life is communicated by influx to all in the spiritual world, whether in heaven, or in hell, or in the intermediate state, called the world of spirits, and to all in the natural world; but is received differently by each, according to the quality of the recipient subject. (11.) That the last judgment, so frequently spoken of in the Gospels, and in the Apocalypse, being a separation of the evil. from the good in the spiritual world, where theretofore they had been collected and mixed in society together, from the time of the Lord's first advent into the world till the time of his second advent, was actually accomplished in the year 1757; when the former heaven, and the former earth, or the Old Church. passed away |