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at the same time are detected many dangerous errors on the subject, which are at this day circulating in the Christian Church.

6thly. As suggesting many important truths respecting the creation and preservation of the universe, all tending to fill the mind with magnificent ideas of the love, the wisdom, the power, and providence of the Divine Architect.

7thly. As opening, in a new and edifying light, the grand subject of CHRISTIAN REDEMPTION, and thus proving it to be a DIVINE WORK, or the operation of an OMNIPOTENT GOD, tending to restore to their lost order, all things both in the visible and invisible worlds.

8thly. As explaining in agreement with the ETERNAL TRUTH, the nature of CHRISTIAN REGENERATION, and thus vindicating the important doctrine from all that mistake and misapprehension concerning it, which at this day has left it nearly an useless and unmeaning doctrine, to the entire exclusion of all the brightness of its light, and of all the power of its consolations.

9thly. As convincing man of his possession of those inestimable gifts, the Freedom of the Will, and Rationality, properly so called, and thus leading him to the right exertion of those wonderful faculties, by which alone he is capable of averting himself from destruction, and of choosing and laying hold of an ETERNAL GOOD.

10thly. As bringing man better acquainted with the nature of his own being, by unfolding to him the spiritual properties and qualities of his soul, and pointing out the nature of its connexion with the eternal world, and the certainty of its immortality.

11thly. As presenting the most encouraging and consolatory views respecting the second advent of JESUS CHRIST and the descent of the New Jerusalem, all grounded in divine predictions, and calculated to impress the mind with grand and solemn ideas of the divine mercy, providence, and government, as exercised both in heaven and on earth.

12thly. As confirming man respecting his future destination, by proving to him, in the most convincing manner, that all are created for heaven and none for hell; but that the determination of his final lot to all eternity, either in heaven or hell, will depend on the use or abuse of his free will, consequently on the quality and state of life which he acquires to himself during his state of probation in this transitory world.

A thousand other most interesting considerations might be added in regard to the numerous and sublime truths unfolded in the above Writings, but it is hoped that those already adduced will be sufficient to convince every well-disposed reader, that they merit his most profound attention, and that although the Honourable Author has been confounded by the thoughtless with the common enthusiasts of the day, yet his testimony is as remote from enthusiasm as light is from darkness, being grounded in combined piety, wisdom, philosophy, rational and analogical argument, which are alike at utter variance with the reveries of the visionary, the delirium of the enthusiast, and the conjectures of the self-taught and self-intelligent dogmatist.

N. B. The following works of the above Author are more particularly recommended to the reader's attention :

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1. The Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem.

2. Doctrine concerning the Lord.

3. Doctrine concerning the Sacred Scriptures.

4. Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem.

5. True Christian Religion, or the Universal Theology of the New Church.

6. Apocalypse Revealed, in 2 vols.

7. Treatise concerning Heaven and Hell.

8. Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Providence.

9. Arcana Cœlestia, or an Explanation of the Books of Genesis and Exodus, in 12 vols.

Resolved. That the Printing Society in Manchester be requested to insert the above advertisement in the Courier, Times, and Morning Chronicle, London papers, and in one of the Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Glasgow papers, and in such others as the Printing Society may think proper.

Resolved. That from the experiment already made of the benefit which may be looked for from the appointment of a proper Missionary, or Missionaries, in the LORD's New Church, it is the unanimous opinion of this Meeting, that such appointment merits every encouragement and pecuniary support from the members of the Church at large, and that the best thanks of the Meeting are due to the reverend gentleman who has hitherto, with so much labour and ability, discharged the important duties of that arduous office.

EXTRACTS

FROM THE WRITINGS OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHARITY.

"It is a common saying, that a man's nearest neighbour is himself, and that therefore, charity should first begin at home; but the doctrine of charity teaches how the case herein is; every one is neighbour to himself, not in the first, but in the last place; others who are in good are in the prior place; a society of such, is in a place still prior; a man's country is in a prior place yet, and the church is above a man's country; and still higher is the Lord's kingdom; and above all and all things, is the Lord.

"The saying, therefore, that every man's nearest neighbour is himself, and that charity begins at home, is thus to be understood; every one is bound to provide for himself the necessaries of life, viz. food, raiment, habitation, and several other things which the necessities of civil life, in the country in which he lives, require; and this not only for himself, but for his family or dependents; and not only for the present time, but also for the future: unless a man thus procures for himself the necessaries of life, he cannot be in a state to exercise charity towards his neighbour, being in want of all things.

"The end regarded, declares plainly how every man is neighbour to himself, and how he ought first to provide for himself; if this end be to grow richer than others, merely for the sake of riches, or of pleasure, or of eminence and the like, it is an evil end; wherefore, he who from such an end believes himself to be his nearest neighbour, hurts himself to eternity: but if the end be to procure wealth for the sake of the necessaries of life for himself and for his family, or dependents, that he may be in a state of doing good according to the precepts of the doctrine of charity, he provides for himself to eternity. The end regarded constitutes the man, for the end regarded is the man's love, inasmuch as every one hath for an end what he loves.

"How this case is, may be further manifest from this further view of the subject: every one is bound to provide food and raiment for the body; this is a first and principal object, but this is to be done to the end, that there may be a sound mind in a sound body; and every one is bound to provide food for his mind, viz. such things as relate to intelligence and wisdom, to the end

that his mind may thence be in a state to serve the Lord; he who thus acts, provides for his own good to eternity. But he who provides for his body, merely for the sake of the body, nor thinks concerning soundness of mind, and who provides for his mind not such things as are of intelligence and wisdom, but such things as are contrary thereto, he provides for his own mischief to eternity. From these considerations, it is evident how every one ought to be his own neighbour, viz. not in the first place, but in the last, for the end regarded ought not to respect himself, but others, and where the end regarded is, there is the first.

"This case will admit of comparison with that of a man who builds a house; the first thing is to lay the foundation, but the foundation must be for the house, and the house for a place to dwell in; thus every man must provide for himself, yet not for himself, but that he may be in a state of serving his neighbour, thus his country, the church, and above all things the LORD: he who believes that he is his own neighbour in the first place, is like unto him who regards the foundation as the end, not the house and habitation, when yet the habitation is the very first and last end, and the house with the foundation is only a mean (or medium) to the end.

"As it is with wealth, so it is also with honours in the world, and every one may provide them for himself, yet not for the sake of himself, but for the sake of his neighbour; he who provides them for the sake of himself, provides for his own hurt; but he who provides them for the sake of his neighbour, provides for his own good: for he who turns ends to himself, turns himself towards hell, but he who turns ends from himself to his neighbour, turns himself towards heaven."

"A society is more a neighbour than an individual man, because it consists of several; charity is to be exercised towards it in like manner as towards an individual man, viz. according to the quality of good appertaining to it; thus in one way towards a society of well-disposed persons, and in another way towards a society of ill-disposed.

"A man's country is more a neighbour than a society, because it is like a parent, for it is the place of a man's birth, it nourishes him, and protects him from injuries. Good is to be done to a man's country from a principle of love, according to its necessities, which principally respect, the sustenance of bodily life,

of civil life, and of spiritual life. He who loves his country, and from a principle of good-will, does good to his country, in the other life loves the Lord's kingdom, for there the Lord's kingdom is his country; and he who loves the Lord's kingdom, loves the Lord, because the Lord is all in all of his kingdom; for what is properly called the Lord's kingdom, is the good and truth appertaining to its inhabitants from the Lord.

"The church is more a neighbour than a man's country, for he who provides for the church, provides for the souls and eternal life of the men who inhabit the country: and the church is provided for when man is led to good, and he who doth this from a principle of charity, loves his neighbour, for he wishes and wills heaven and happiness of life to eternity to be the portion of another. Good may be insinuated into another by every one in the country, but not truth, except by those who are teaching ministers; if others insinuate truth, it gives birth to heresies, and the church is disturbed and rent asunder. Charity is exercised, if by the truth which is of the church, the neighbour is led to good; if in the church any thing be called truth which leads away from good, no mention is to be made of it, for it is not truth. Every one ought first to acquire truth to himself from the doctrine of the church, and afterwards from the word of the LORD, and this truth must be the object of his faith.

"The LORD's kingdom is a neighbour in a higher degree than the church where any one is born; for the LORD's kingdom consists of all those who are in good, both in the earths, and in the heavens; thus the LORD's kingdom is good with all it's quality in the complex: when this good is loved, the individuals are loved who are principled in good.

"These are the degrees of neighbour, and according to these degrees charity ascends; but these degrees are degrees in successive order, in which a prior, or superior degree is always preferred to a posterior or inferior; and whereas the LORD is in the supreme, and He is to be respected in each degree, as the end to whom each tends, therefore He is above all, and to be loved above all things." Arcana Calestia, 6933 to 6938, and 6820 to 6824.

ON A BLIND FAITH.

"To persons of a shallow understanding it seems impossible that all things relating to the New Church can appear in light, but let

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