CHAP. XXII

The Twenty-first General Conference assembled in the New Jerusalem Temple, Newhall Street, Birmingham, on Tuesday, the 12th of August, 1828=72, and continued its sittings, by daily adjournments to Saturday, the 16th of the same month. The Representatives from the several Societies having presented the verifications of their respective appointments, and each Minister and Representative having signed the Conference Roll, it was declared, that the seven Ministers and thirteen Representatives then present constituted the Twenty-first General Conference. The Rev. DAVID HOWARTH was then unanimously chosen President, and Mr. JAMES SHIRLEY HODSON Secretary.
Reports of Committees appointed for various purposes, and communications from different Societies, were read, which afforded much satisfaction.
The members of the Committee appointed to prepare the New Liturgy, who were present in Conference, stated, that they had completed the work assigned to them, and laid a copy of each edition (18mo. and 4to.) on the table: on which it was Resolved unanimously, {480}

“That the Conference hereby declares such Liturgy to be the Liturgy of the General Conference of the New Church; and in thus expressing its approbation of the work now happily completed, acknowledges with thankfulness the merciful care of the Divine Providence over his Church, in having raised up instruments for the execution of such an undertaking; and the Conference has reason to believe, from the number of copies already disposed of, and from the favourable reception it has generally met with, that this Liturgy will prove an important benefit to the Church at large.”

On considering the subject of the Ordering of the Ministry, for which Committees of Ministers had been appointed at Several Conferences, but from which measure nothing definite had yet resulted; and on reading a letter from Mr. R. G. Sheldon, of Liverpool, thereon; after fully and deliberately weighing all the difficulties attendant on this subject, it was Resolved unanimously,

“That considering the present state of the various Societies of the Church, this Conference is of opinion, that it is inexpedient to proceed further in this business.”

An Address from the Convention of the New Church in America, held at Baltimore, in June, 1827, in reply to the communication from the Nineteenth Conference, having been read, it was Resolved unanimously,

“That this Conference receives such Address with feelings of much gratification, and is happy to find that the intercourse between the two most general bodies of the New Church in this kingdom and in the United States of America, had not been broken off, but only temporarily interrupted; and trusts that the interchange of sentiment thus established, will be regularly continued in future with increased affection.”

A Code of laws for the use of the New Church having been fully considered, and, after much serious deliberation, finally agreed to, it was Resolved,

“That such Code of laws is hereby recommended for adoption by all Societies in the Church, subject nevertheless to such additions and alterations as the peculiar circumstances of each Society may render necessary; and that it be printed in the Appendix to the Minutes of this Conference.”

The appropriation of the dividends of different legacies for the benefit of the New Church having been concluded upon, Committees were appointed to see the same carried into execution.
The plan suggested by the Conference Committee for the custody and preservation of Registers of Baptisms in the New Church, was considered; and it was Resolved unanimously,

“That this Conference, deeply impressed with the importance of making provision for the preservation of such Registers, directs that each Society be furnished with one or more printed sheets uniform with the Conference Register of Baptisms; and the person performing the ordinance shall, immediately after making the necessary entry in the Society’s Register Book, make a similar entry in the Register Sheet, filling up each column according to the printed example to be found in the Minutes of the Seventeenth General Conference, page 20, and shall duly sign the same, so as to form a Duplicate Original Register. These sheets to be returned to Conference annually, or as soon as filled up, and be preserved amongst the Conference Papers.” [The form of entry here alluded to may be seen in the Appendix to this History.] {481}

It appearing by a letter from Leeds, signed by four members of the Society and six other individuals, that some misapprehension exists among some persons respecting the following clause in the Ordination Service in the new Liturgy:
“And I do further promise and declare, that I will submit myself to be ordered and governed by such laws, rules, and regulations, as the General Conference has adopted, or shall hereafter adopt, for the ordering of the concerns of the said New Church;” it was Resolved unanimously,

“That, in the opinion of this Conference, a declaration to the above effect is necessary for the preservation of that Order in the New Church of the Lord, which its heavenly doctrines so continually insist upon; and that the form of it, as contained in the Ordination Service, is approved by this Conference as incapable of admitting any improper sense; it being one of the first principles of morals, that no engagement made by or to men can oblige any person to the observance of any regulation incompatible with the prior engagement which every one is under to observe the laws of God; consequently the above declaration cannot justly be understood as involving any such improper obligation.” [The above clause in the Ordination Service has since been amended, much to the satisfaction of the Church.]

It was Resolved as the opinion of this Conference,

“That no person, whose name is omitted from the list of Ministers recognized by the Conference, can with propriety be permitted to exercise the functions of the Ministry in any Society of the New Church in connexion with the Conference.”

Some additions were made to the Rules for Conference (two of them being rescinded), and to the Rules for the Committee of Conference, and ordered to be printed in the Appendix to the Minutes.
The Conference of last year having appointed the Rev. Samuel Noble, of London, to the office of an Ordaining Minister of the New Church, and the ceremony of inaugurating him into such office, according to the Conference Liturgy, having been performed by the Rev. Richard Jones, in the presence of this Conference and other members of the Church; it was Resolved unanimously,

“That this Conference has witnessed, with feelings of great interest and delight, the first performance of this solemn and impressive service.”

After passing a variety of other Resolutions, which were thought needful in the present state of the Church, the next Conference was appointed to be held at Derby on the second Tuesday in August, 1829=73.
The Appendix to the Minutes of this Conference contains an account of the different letters sent by Societies and individuals. Among these is a letter from Mr. Alexander Chambers, of Lucea, in Jamaica, dated April 22, 1828, which states, that there are about fifteen or sixteen receivers of the heavenly doctrines in Jamaica, residing in the several parishes of Hanover, St. James’s, and Westmoreland; as many of whom as find it convenient, meet for divine worship at Mr. Chambers’s house, on Sunday mornings, using the London Liturgy, and reading the printed sermons of Mr. Clowes, and other New Church writers. Those who are unable to assemble at Mr. Chambers’s, perform the same service at their respective homes. {482} They set apart every Wednesday evening for reading the writings.
Two letters were received from Sweden: one from Dr. Knoos, Professor of the Oriental languages in the University of Upsala, and the other from Mr. L. J. Ehinger, of Stockholm; both of whom are known receivers of the heavenly doctrines. From these communications, dated respectively, the 7th and 15th of July, 1828, it appears, that there is no separated New Church in Sweden, there being, as it is represented, no occasion in that country for separate worship according to the heavenly doctrines, on account of the nature of the rituals of the Swedish Protestant Church, which, it is alledged, accord, in essentials, with the principles of genuine truth. The numbers of readers of the writings in Sweden, it is stated, is probably increasing; but there are no assemblies among them for reading the writings, or conversing upon the doctrines. The association of receivers of the doctrines, called The Exegetic Society, originally established in 1787, has been renewed under the appellation of the Society Pro Fide et Charitate, or Society for promoting Faith and Charity, and is now engaged in printing some of the writings. The legal and other institutions of the country are represented to be extremely favourable to liberty in spiritual things; in proof of which Dr. Knoos states, that he has lately published a work in defence of the heavenly doctrines, and, to use his own words, “neither this publication nor its well known author has experienced the least persecution, either from civil authorities or from the Clergy.”
An Address from the New Church in America to the New Church in Great Britain is also given in the Appendix. This Address, signed by Mr. John Hargrove, in behalf of the American Convention, was received by the Conference with the highest marks of its approbation, as being well calculated to strengthen and increase that mutual affection, which has ever subsisted between the members of the New Church on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Tenth General Convention of the Members of the New Church in America was held at Boston, in the month of August, 1828. Three Ministers, viz., the Rev. Mr. Hargrove, the Rev. Dr. Beers, and the Rev. Mr. Weeks, were prevented from attending through sickness and infirmity. It appears, that in Boston, and its vicinity, more attention has been lately paid to the doctrines than ever, and that the Church is on the increase. The same may be said of various other places. In Philadelphia the Church is steadily advancing and improving, both in life and in numbers. There are three Ministers, who regularly preach the new doctrines in that city, viz., the Rev. Mr. Carll, the Rev. Mr. Roche, and Dr. Atlee. {483} In the vicinity of Philadelphia, a considerable number of individuals have embraced the truths of the new dispensation. Mr. Roche’s Society is about to erect a place of worship; the number of hearers, readers, and receivers of the doctrines, having much increased during the last year. They have taken the name of “The Second New Jerusalem Church of Philadelphia.”
At Miamisburgh, in the State of Ohio, the doctrines were first received in the following manner: Mr. William Schlatter presented, some eight or ten years ago, to a merchant of Dayton, in this county, the treatise on Heaven and Hell, and one or two volumes more of Swedenborg’s works, who threw them by as useless, for a considerable time; when one day in conversation with an old gentleman, formerly a Deist, and now a very warm recipient of the doctrines, he told him of the singular present of Mr. Schlatter, and requested him to accept the books. He accepted the valuable present, and the consequence of his reading them was a conviction of the great truths of the Christian religion, and his becoming a firm and zealous New Churchman.
The Convention recognizes eight Ordaining Ministers, six Priests and Teaching Ministers, and twelve Licentiates, who are engaged in teaching and preaching: and there are about eighty places in the United States, containing Societies or individuals receiving the doctrines of the New Jerusalem.

Tribute of Affection and Esteem to the Rev. Samuel Noble.- The Society in Cross Street, Hatton Garden, London, in consideration of the eminent services which Mr. Noble has performed to them in particular, as an upright, pious, and able Minister, and to the Church at large, as a distinguished and most successful public advocate of its doctrines, came to the resolution of presenting him with a handsome GOLD CUP, value L65, in testimony of their affection, esteem, and gratitude, and at the same time to mark the high sense they entertained of his superior talents, both as a Minister and an Author. It was resolved that no individual should be permitted to give more than ten shillings; but the subscription was soon filled up, unknown to Mr. Noble, by the members of his congregation, and by others who were anxious to join them in this demonstration of affectionate regard to their worthy Pastor. The number of subscribers was upwards of two hundred. When the Cup, which was made for the purpose by Messrs. Rundell, Bridge, and Co., was ready, and the proper inscription engraved upon it, a meeting was held on the 4th of March, 1829, (the day on which Mr. Noble completed the 50th year of his age,) at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand, for the purpose of presenting it. One hundred and sixty ladies and gentlemen assembled; and certainly a more respectable and happy meeting has never been witnessed in the New Church. {484} The company having taken tea and coffee, Dr. Spurgin was called to the chair; upon which he addressed them on the interesting occasion which had brought them together. The Cup was then carried up the centre of the room by Mr. Thomas Jones, the chairman of the Society’s Committee, conducted by the stewards and other members of the Committee, with white wands in their hands. Mr. Noble, who sat at the right hand of Dr. Spurgin, the chairman, at the head of the table, now rose from his seat, and while Mr. Shaw, in an eloquent and animated manner, was addressing Mr. Noble in the name and on behalf of the Congregation, the Cup was presented by Mr. Jones, and accepted by Mr. Noble.
Mr. Noble’s reply was so appropriate and becoming, as to call forth the repeated greetings and applause of the whole company. It is, indeed, impossible to do justice to the ability and feeling which he manifested on the occasion: the effect produced on his audience was great; and the interest, which all had taken in the previous steps of the proceeding, was raised to a very high pitch.

“He expressed his gratitude for the testimony of affection and regard thus paid him by his friends, but much regretted that they should have taxed themselves to the extent which was required to exhibit those feelings in so expensive and splendid a form,- a measure which he considered to be altogether uncalled for, as it had never entered his thoughts that he had any claim to any thing of the kind. He, however, had known nothing of what was going forward till within a few days past, when remonstrance would have been too late.
“If he had made some feeble efforts in the course of his life for the promotion of the cause so dear to them all – the cause of the New Jerusalem – it was because the heavenly doctrines of that Church had taken possession of his affections at an early period of his existence. More than thirty years had passed, since, by providential means, those doctrines were first presented to his mind. He immediately saw, in the writings of the Lord’s servant, Emanuel Swedenborg, the pure truths of heaven beaming with such splendour, as completely to dissipate the darkness, uncertainty, and consequent anxiety, respecting the things of eternal moment, by which he had before been embarrassed, and to convince him that the light, which in those Writings exhibited such radiance, was a real and most important gift from heaven, manifesting, in fact, the second advent of the Lord. What he thus perceived to be so heavenly, saw to be so eminently calculated to bless the human race, and felt to be so delightful, he inwardly determined from that very time to make the great object of his life; he felt a desire to live mainly for this end,- to contribute, by such humble means as his abilities and opportunities would permit, to promote the establishment of this blessed Church in the world,- the diffusion of these blessed principles among his follow-creatures.
“About ten years ago, an orderly way appearing to be opened by the hand of Divine Providence, when a call of the most urgent nature was made upon him by his brethren, and the continuance in existence of one of the principal Societies of the New Church appeared to be suspended upon the result, he had found it his duty no longer to decline entering upon the Ministerial office, to which he had been repeatedly invited before: he had therefore ventured to withdraw from all secular avocations, to relinquish all worldly advantages, and to abandon all temporal prospects, that he might devote himself altogether to the service of that Church, which alone in its principles contains the efficient antidote to all human ills, and opens to man the door of entrance to all heavenly blessings. The manner in which he had performed the duties which he thus undertook, had been very far indeed from being satisfactory to himself; he was sensible of great failures and deficiencies; but he had been greatly upheld by the unfailing kindness and support of his brethren. His situation, indeed, had been attended with few grounds of vexation, and with many of satisfaction; for what more real grounds of satisfaction could a Minister enjoy, than those which arose from presiding over a united Society,- a Society in which, since he had been thus connected with it, the voice of dissension had never been heard, or, if ever raised for a moment, had been instantly suppressed by the decided refusal of the body to give it entertainment;- {485} a Society, indeed, all the members of which seemed to be united as one man in desire and effort to promote the great cause for which they were associated together, and of which the Minister, in the performance of his sabbath-day duties, appeared only as a mouth-piece, to give utterance to the sentiments, and expression to the feelings, which lived in the hearts and minds of all. In such circumstances, his situation could not but have been easy, and his task delightful.
“With respect to what he had attempted for the service of the Church as an Editor of the Intellectual Repository, he had there enjoyed the assistance of able and judicious coadjutors, to which the success of the work, and the uses promoted by it, were as much owing as to any thing done by him. In his endeavours, also, to promote the objects of the Society for printing and publishing the writings of the Hon. E. Swedenborg, he had been but the organ of many; for that those invaluable writings should be rendered, and preserved, accessible in the English language, and that in as correct a form as possible, was but the common wish of all who know the value of the truth which they contain; and multitudes would be as ready as he had been, under the same circumstances, to assist in the attainment of this object, and actually were doing so, though in other ways. As for the works, in which he had endeavoured to recommend the truths of the New Church from the press, which had been adverted to in the Address, in terms so far exceeding any merits to which they could possibly pretend, they owed their origin to circumstances apparently accidental, though, he was willing to hope, in reality, providential, and were mainly the result of the zeal and excitement of others; while for the truths contained in them, no praise was due to the writer, but all to the Lord, who, by the discovery of the genuine doctrines and spiritual contents of his Holy Word, in the writings of Swedenborg, had opened a fountain at which he had been permitted to drink, and the waters of which were inexhaustible, and would flow on for ever.
“The comfortable and respectable place of worship, in which the Society had now the privilege of assembling, had also been adverted to. He had, indeed, been one of the first who saw clearly that the means of obtaining such an establishment had been put by Providence into the Society’s hands: but had not the representation which he had made to this effect, been seconded by the active concurrence of the Society at large, who, on that occasion, displayed a liberality beyond all precedent, no result could have followed; and if, as the proposer of so beneficial a measure, he was enabled to look back upon his share in the transaction with satisfaction, much more ought they to do so, whose generous exertions had alone, with the divine blessing, made it successful. Here, however, he could not avoid expressing the concern he had felt, that he had of late been so little able to apply the advantage which the Church at large enjoyed in the Society’s possession of the Church in Cross Street, to the use for which it was so well adapted,- that of laying the heavenly doctrines before the public; he having been visited with indisposition, which, for some months, had disabled him, in a great measure, for the performance of all his duties. By divine mercy, however, he was now in a great degree recovered, and he hoped to be enabled, for some time longer, to fill his ordinary post among them. The testimony of approbation now conferred on him, and the affection of which it assured him, would be to him, as long as he lived, a source of encouragement. Even the sense, which he could not but feel, of his own unworthiness of such honour, must the more endear to him the kindness, which could so overlook his deficiencies as to bestow it upon him. As long as his services were acceptable to his brethren, and appeared to be conducive in any degree to the establishment and extension of the true Church of the Lord, he hoped to continue to render them; and ever to do this with gratitude at being permitted to act as an humble instrument in so excellent a cause.
“He would only say, in conclusion, might the truths they all acknowledged more and more live in their hearts: might they be more and more earnest to extend the influence of those truths on themselves, as well as on others; and might all honour conferred on any, be referred, through and by the receiver, to the Lord alone!”

When Mr. Noble had finished his Reply, which was heard with the Most respectful attention, and followed by continued greetings, the Cup being now supplied with wine, he stated that the first use he should have the pleasure to make of it would be, to drink the health of the friends assembled. {486} Having pledged them accordingly, and having requested that the Company would do him the honour to partake of wine with him out of the Cup, the Chairman availed himself of that opportunity to propose Mr. Noble’s health. This proposition, which was received with strong manifestations of regard towards the object of it, gave rise to not the least entertaining part of the evening’s proceedings; for, as the Cup circulated amongst the company, several gentlemen took occasion to express their sentiments in addresses, which, whilst they partook of that variety which rendered the whole pleasing, as well as acceptable, were so far in harmony with the particular purpose of the meeting, as to give occasion to the manifestation of the deep feeling of heart-felt pleasure and gratitude, which pervaded the assembly in reference to the occasion for which the meeting was held.
After a few concluding words from the Chairman, the company separated about 11 o’clock, thankful to the Giver of all good for the enjoyment of a delightful evening, and highly gratified with the whole order of the proceedings.
On one side of the Cup is engraved Mr. Noble’s Coat of Arms, and on the other side the following inscription:

To
THE REV. SAMUEL NOBLE,
Minister of the New Jerusalem Church, Cross Street,
Hatton Garden,
And Author of “The Plenary Inspiration of the Scriptures
Asserted;” An Appeal in Behalf of the New Church,” &c.
Presented by his Congregation,
in Testimony of
Their Esteem, Affection, and Gratitude,
Founded on a deep Sense of
His distinguished Learning and humble Piety,
His powerful Talents as a Minister and an Author,
and his eminent Services
as a disinterested, upright, and successful Defender of
The Truth.
London, March 4, 1829.*
* This Cup was left, along with Mr. Noble’s other property, to the Cross Street Society, by whom it was sold. It is now in the possession of Samuel Dean, Esq., of the Gothic, Kentish Town, London- ED.

On Sunday the 8th of March, 1829, a place of worship for the use of the New Church was opened in Nottingham, and three discourses delivered in it, by Rev. W. Mason, who went from Melbourne by invitation for the purpose. On the Monday evening, by permission of the Mayor and Corporation, Mr. Mason gave a lecture on the Word in the Exchange Room, which was attended by several of the Aldermen and Ministers of the town. This discourse, as well as those at the Chapel, is spoken of in very high terms of approbation. Thus the New Church is beginning to make its appearance in another of the principal towns of the kingdom, in which, till recently, its doctrines were entirely unknown, and which is supposed to afford a soil highly favourable to their reception. {487}
The New Jerusalem Temple in Waterloo Road, London, which has been re-erected in consequence of its having become necessary to take down the former structure, erected ten years ago, on account of a defect in the foundation, was opened and consecrated on the 19th of April, 1829. The Ministers who officiated at the opening, were, in the morning, the Rev. R. Hindmarsh*; in the afternoon, the Rev. M. Sibly; and, in the evening, the Rev. E. Madeley, from Birmingham. Mr. Madeley also preached three times, to good congregations, on the Sunday following. Besides the debts remaining on the former building, an additional expense has been incurred, by the present edifice of between L1400 and L1500. The difficulties, therefore, which this Society has to contend with, can only be surmounted by perseverance, and continued success in the cause which they have adopted.**
* Whose Sermon preached on the occasion was published, and had an extensive circulation.- ED.
** This Society is mentioned among those in connexion with the Conference, in 1834, for the last time; and all communications from it then cease. The place was afterwards sold, and is now occupied by a Baptist congregation.- ED.
The Eighth Report of the London Missionary and Tract Society contains gratifying accounts of Missionary visits, by Rev. T. Goyder to Nottingham and Chelmsford, by Rev. S. Noble to Norwich, and Rev. W. Mason to Loughborough and Nottingham. Mr. Mason reports as follows:

“On the 1st instant (March, 1829), I visited the Society of the New Church (or rather congregation, as a Society is not regularly formed,) at Loughborough, and administered the holy supper to eighteen of the friends. In the evening, a collection was made in aid of the expenses incurred by the Society at Nottingham, in fitting up a new and eligible place of worship. I am happy to say, that there is every prospect of a permanent Society in this town (Loughborough); the place of worship (a part of Mr. Dean’s premises temporarily appropriated for the purpose) will hold about seventy persons, and in the evening it is frequently overflowing. As soon as circumstances favour the undertaking, a Chapel will be erected, when, in consequence of such a place of worship being more freely accessible than that in use at present, and furnishing better accommodation, no doubt many new hearers, and finally receivers, of the doctrines will be obtained. It gives me pleasure to say, that Mr. Dean’s services are very acceptable to, and highly esteemed by, our friends, who consider him as their leader. Mr. Dean is assisted by a relative, formerly a Preacher with the Primitive Methodists.
“On the 8th instant, agreeable to advertisement, I officiated three times in the new place of worship at Nottingham, which is capable of seating from two to three hundred persons. The Chapel is well fitted up; and, considering the inability of the Society to bear so great an expense, the undertaking shews great zeal, and confidence in the benevolent assistance of their brethren.
“From the liberal and inquiring spirit supposed to distinguish the inhabitants of the town of Nottingham, it was expected that our advertisements and bills would have brought us overflowing congregations. This, however, was not the case. The Chapel was not full at either of the services, but was nearly full in the evening. In the morning, I shewed that the Trinitarians and Unitarians respectively build their doctrinal systems on separate declarations of the Lord concerning his person and character; that the passages relied on by the one party are virtually rejected by the other party, by no doctrine being drawn from them; that the Trinitarians’ passages furnish nothing to the Unitarians’ doctrine, and the Unitarians’ nothing to the Trinitarians’; and that if each party were to strike out the passages which furnish no countenance or actual support to their system together, they would strike out {488} ALL that the Lord has revealed in the Gospel concerning himself! I shewed the inconsistency of supposing one portion of the declarations of Divine Truth less instructive and less necessary to sound doctrine than others; since if all are alike Divine Truth, all must have been intended to perfect a genuine faith, rendering it full, complete, and harmonious. I then shewed, that a mode of interpretation, wanting such an harmonious combination and construction of the declarations of the Word, must be radically detective; and that this was not the case with the New Church method, agreeably to which every jot and tittle of Divine Truth was equally necessary to the exaltation and perfection of her system of faith and doctrine. I cited ALL the passages, in which the Lord described his relation to the Father, and the Father’s to him; which declared what the Father did in reference to the Son, and what the Lord did in reference to the Father; thence deducing the operation of the Divinity and the co-operation of the Humanity, by which the latter was perfected and glorified; and thus justifying the assumption of Jesus Christ to himself, even as to his Humanity, of the attributes and powers of Jehovah. In the afternoon I recapitulated the former discourse, and shewed from the Lord’s own words, that he, as to Humanity, named Jesus Christ, is the only Fount of life, light, love, power, peace, joy, &c., and indeed of all God can give, or man receive; and thus I established the true nature of his Mediation, according to the words of Paul,- ‘To us there is One God, and one Mediator between God and man, the [Divine] Man Christ Jesus. (1 Tim. ii. 5.) Hence I insisted on the duty of approaching Jesus Christ alone in worship, to pray for the blessings which we need, and which he alone can bestow; and to thank him for the blessings which we enjoy, and which we owe to his grace and Providence alone. In the evening I took a general and comparative view of the doctrines of the New Church, pointing out the discrepancies in those opposed to them, and shewing their superiority, both in regard to their consistency with reason and the Word, and their holy and heavenly tendency; and thus, in their joint effect in exalting both the will and the understanding to a similitude of, and conjunction with, the Divine Love and Wisdom. I had no reason to complain of any want of attention in my hearers.
“After the evening service, it was announced, that the Society would meet me at the Chapel at four o’clock on Monday, for conversation; at which meeting strangers were invited to be present. I believe, however, that only two strangers came, being two gentlemen, one a Unitarian, and the other a Sceptic, intelligent and well conducted. With these gentlemen, I had much conversation, which I am not without hope may have produced some beneficial impression, particularly on the latter.
“On Monday evening I delivered a lecture, by the kind and liberal permission of the Mayor, in the Exchange Rooms, in demonstration of the divine sanctity of the Word on new and incontrovertible principles. About 400 persons were present. This respectable assembly heard the lecture with marked attention, which lasted about two hours. Nor was any diminution in a becoming seriousness manifested, even when I announced my belief that Emanuel Swedenborg was prepared to open the spiritual sense of the Word, by being admitted to a sight of the spiritual world, and of the things and beings in heaven and hell. The course of my argument was as follows:- That God is infinitely good; that in his infinite goodness he created man for the enjoyment of his communicated goodness and happiness; that therefore God must seek the accomplishment of his gracious purpose; but that this cannot be effected except so far as man becomes like him; and to this end it is indispensable that man should be made acquainted with his perfections; that therefore God must reveal himself; that man by the progressive character of his reason, and his capability of imitation, is adapted to profit by a revelation; and that therefore a revelation must always have existed in the world, and does now exist: that because Infinite Goodness must regard ALL mankind, of every description and character, such revelation must be adapted to all: that such an adaptation could only be effected by its possessing a literal sense adapted to the lowest capacities and attainments, and a spiritual sense adapted to the highest; that the Holy Word claims for itself a spiritual sense, and that this claim was never called into question by ancient Christians. I concluded with illustrations of the nature of the spiritual sense.
“At the close of the services on Sunday, and also at the close of the lecture on Monday, the tracts were distributed (agreeable to my announcement) by persons standing at the door, holding the tracts in their hands, to such persons as ASKED for them. I adopted this mode to prevent their being wasted upon persons who had no desire to possess them. {489} At the close of the Monday’s lecture, I also announced, that Catalogues of the writings of Swedenborg might be seen at Mr. Dearden’s, a respectable bookseller in the town; and I left with that gentleman a copy of Mr. Noble’s Appeal and Plenary Inspiration, its samples whereby books might be ordered from London. Although, upon the whole, I see no reason to expect any particular results from this public attempt made in a populous town heretofore little acquainted with even the name of Swedenborg, yet I venture to hope, that the divine blessing so far attends us, that nothing has been done to the prejudice of the great cause we advocated; but, on the contrary, I think the effort may tend to check the belief of the usual false reports against us.”

In the distribution of tracts the Committee continue to find the most grateful employment. At Norwich, Chelmsford, Loughborough, Melbourne, Derby, Dalton, Sheffield, Winchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Scotland, and America, they have had the pleasure of employing them: a few also have been made useful in Ireland. But although everywhere productive of good, their utility at Birmingham has been such, that all which has ever been said in their praise is being realized. This success is, no doubt, owing to the judicious manner in which they are employed. They are not given, but lent to the parties desirous of reading them; and it commonly happens, that when the first tract is called for a second is requested, and a third, until the parties have made themselves acquainted with nearly every doctrine of the Church; and the result, in a great number of cases, has been a complete reception of the truth. In this way several additions have been made to Mr. Madeley’s congregation, and there can be no doubt that the same means will continue to procure more.

It is observed in the Report, that

“In London, except amongst those known as serious, or religious people, tracts are held in little estimation, not to say contempt. By most they are supposed to be overcharged with enthusiasm; and by many, to be the receptacles of sickly cant. The myriads which absurd doctrine have generated, and filled with, ridiculous stories illustrative of monstrous and irrational views of religion, are certainly calculated to obtain for them such a reputation; but this is not the character of the New Church tracts, the contents of which consist of all that the rational, the consistent, and the pious can desire; and, therefore, even in London, we should look forward to their successful employment in conveying the truth to all classes, particularly if a reputation was procured for them, by the adoption of a plan like that in use at Birmingham.”

The Twentieth Report of the London Printing Society evinces the continued usefulness of this institution. A complete collection of the works of E. S. in English, and many of the Latin, have been presented to the London University, and deposited in its Library. Eight of the works have been presented to, and accepted by, the Union Street Theological Library of Edinburgh; the same to the Robertsonian Library at Glasgow; and the same to the Public Library of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. Eight works have also been deposited in the Circulating Library of Messrs. Collins and Page, St. Helier’s, Jersey; and five in that of Messrs. Crew and Spencer, Lamb’s Conduit Street, London. Six works have been presented to the Society at Nottingham; and twenty-four copies of the Four Doctrines to the Manchester Free-Day School Society. Thirty-one advertisements have been inserted in various papers. {490} The Society is proceeding with new editions of several of the works. It has lately received from Mr. Peckitt, son of the late Mr. Henry Peckitt, at whose expense (in conjunction with others) the Latin edition of the Apocalypse Explained was printed, the invaluable present of the original Manuscript of that work. This is the work, one of the volumes of which was endangered by a fire which consumed Mr. Peckitt’s house, but was providentially preserved, as already described in this History, p. 32.

It having been found inconvenient to carry on the education of Females, at the Woodford School Establishment, under the same roof with that of the Boys, it has been judged proper to discontinue that part of the plan from Midsummer, 1829. But a New Establishment has been formed, under the superintendance of two ladies well known and much respected in the New Church: the one is Mrs. H. C. HODSON, widow of the late Mr. H. Hodson, and daughter of the late Dr. Hodson; the other, Miss POULSON, sister of Mrs. Wood, whose husband is an active and distinguished member of the Church in London. That such an establishment as this, for the education of female children, according to the principles of the New Church, should exist, must be considered as highly desirable by every one who is sensible of the great disadvantages, under which the rising generation, both male and female, has hitherto laboured. What Mr. Malins, in his excellent Address to the Church on the proposed establishment of the Woodford School, says on the necessity of a strictly New Church education, may with great propriety be repeated in this place, to shew the dangers to be avoided, and consequently (by contrast) the benefits to be derived from such education.

“Why should we give our children to be educated in the paths of error, by persons who are ignorant of the nature of the human soul; who are capable of doubting whether it is the galvanic or electric fluid; and whether man has life in himself, or whether it is the accidental concatenation of matter,- the mere result of organization? If we wished them to be brought up in the acknowledgment and worship of a Plurality of Gods, what surer method could we devise, than to send them to a Seminary where that doctrine is taught? Or if we desired to bring them up without tiny religious principle, what mode could be better calculated for such a purpose, than to send them where no religious instruction is imparted? Or where we have early stored their understandings with a knowledge of the doctrines of the New Jerusalem, what more probable method could we adopt to weaken their reliance on those doctrines, than to send them to a School where they are held in derision; where the master [or mistress], to whom they ought to look up with respect as an authority to be relied on, denounces them as false and fantastic; and their playfellows, as frequently happens, makes them a theme of mirth?”

It is highly satisfactory to remark, that a remedy for these inconveniences and dangers is now provided, by the establishment of a New Church Boarding School for the instruction of Female Children, in all the useful and ornamental branches of education, which are calculated to promote their welfare in this life, and their eternal happiness in the world to come. {491} Such is the institution now set on foot by Mrs. Hodson and Miss Poulson, in Myddleton Square, Pentonville; a situation that admits of the young ladies attending public worship at the New Jerusalem Temple, in Cross Street, Hatton Garden.*
* This School appears to have continued something over four years; as the last mention of it made in the Intellectual Repository was in the No. for May, 1833, when its want of patronage was deplored.- ED.

Some pleasing information was given in a former part of this History, (p. 417,) respecting the zealous labours of Dr. Tafel, of Tubingen, in the kingdom of Wurtemburg, in translating and publishing the writings of E. S. in the German language, till, on his appointment, provisionally, by the King to the office of Librarian of the University of Tubingen, he was strictly prohibited from continuing his exertions. But recently a letter has been received from him, which again opens the dawn of hope for the future success of the Lord’s New Church in Germany. Dr. Tafel writes as follows, under date of August 20, 1829:

“I take the liberty to communicate to you something respecting the propagation of the heavenly doctrines in Germany. After I had published, in the years 1823 and 1824, the Four Leading Doctrines, with an Introductory Preface, together with the Treatise concerning the Last Judgment, and the first six chapters of the Apocalypse Revealed; and also the Catechism explained by Mr. Clowes, and the tract, A few Plain Answers, &c.; and as I was about to begin a Magazine for the New Church, I was, as you know, all at once interrupted in the good work; and the various attempts that were made here, and in England, at different times, to place me in circumstances in which I could continue independent of any public office, and be enabled to proceed on with the work I had undertaken, did not succeed. I was therefore obliged to wait till the Lord should open a door for active usefulness; and with this hope I was consoled, that in the course of a short time I should be enabled to resume my labours in the good cause.
“In consequence of extraordinary events, and at the proposal of our worthy friend Mr. Frank, at Potsdam, [in Prussia,] to supply the means of printing the second volume of the Apocalypse Revealed, and to enable me to dispense the works already printed, gratis; I immediately made an appeal to the King, [in March last,] resolved rather to give up my office than to remain inactive in the cause of the New Church. I also wrote to the Secretary of State, declaring my intention, and explaining my motives: and, at the same time, I addressed the Minister for the Home Department, who superintends the Church and School Affairs of the kingdom. Upon this I received an answer from the Chancellor of the University, that his Majesty had been graciously pleased to grant me my petition, and that the conditions, according to which I was altogether to refrain from publishing and propagating the writings of Swedenborg, should be abrogated. A short time afterwards, on the 20th of May, his Majesty, moreover, quite unexpectedly, granted me the settled appointment of Librarian to the University, which office I had, up to that time, only held conditionally.
“The two witnesses, therefore, viz., the Doctrine of the Lord, and the Doctrine of Life according to the Ten Commandments, had lain in the street three and a half years (Ap. Rev. 515); and now we have every reason to hope, that the spirit of life from God will come upon them, and place them upon their feet. (Ap. Rev. 505, 510.) – People are by no means satisfied with the present state of things, and the want of a higher and better light is beginning to be more and more felt.
“The students at this University are by no means satisfied with the old doctrines: one of them, a most amiable and excellent young man, and a candidate for the Ministry, is devotedly attached to the new truths, which have already struck deep root in his heart, and the expostulations of his friends are of no avail to bring him from their influence. {492} Several other candidates for the Ministry are also reading the doctrines with approbation.”

With respect to the Church in France, the fruits of the publication of many of the works of E. Swedenborg, in the French language, within these few years past, are beginning manifestly to a pear. A highly respectable and intelligent gentleman from Nantz, the chief city in the ancient province of Britanny, whom I had the pleasure of seeing lately in London, has kindly drawn up, for the information of the Church, a very interesting account, the substance of which is as follows.

“The New Church foretold by St. John in the Apocalypse, under the denomination of the New Jerusalem, and the actual arrival of which has been announced by E. S., is beginning to be established in the city of Nantz; where the first knowledge of it was introduced about the year 1824, by the late Mr. J. J. Bernard.
“Mr. Bernard was a native of Nantz, and captain in a regiment of infantry. He was a man of the most elevated piety, well versed in natural knowledge, and eminently so in spiritual, and united a true and firm faith with the most tender and heart-felt charity. He was very intimate with the late Mr. Goubert, who on his part considerably contributed to circulate the doctrines of Swedenborg in Paris. They might both be considered as apostles of the New Church in France.
“During his stay at Nantz, Mr. B. had instructed verbally, or by simple extracts, some pious people, who afterwards completed their knowledge by reading the Holy Scriptures, and by prayer. He also induced some others, among those who are pleased with philosophical researches, to read attentively the writings of Swedenborg. The good effects of his labours were beginning to develop themselves, when Nantz was visited by Madame Renaud de St. Amour, in the month of September, 1828. This lady, in the beginning of 1829, founded at Nantz a small Temple, where some friends of the New Jerusalem assemble every Sunday, to offer up together their adoration to the Lord Jehovah – Jesus Christ, the Creator, Saviour, and Sanctifier; to be edified with the Holy Word, to read the works of E. S, to contribute to each others improvement, and from time to time to administer to themselves the holy supper, although no person on this occasion fills exactly the office of Minister. Each of the communicants endeavours to elevate his mind to this grand act of correspondence, for which he has prepared himself by repentance, and afterwards partakes of his part of the bread (divine good), and of the wine (divine truth).
“The progress of the New Church at Nantz extends itself, within certain limits, to various degrees. On every account, prudence there sets bounds to proselytism. The fear of persecution has very little to do with the reserve maintained in this respect; for the French laws do not authorize it, notwithstanding the displeasure, on this account, of the Roman Catholic clergy. But it is thought that we ought not rashly to circulate the new revelation, for fear of occasioning profanations; and perhaps, also, for fear of weakening, by untimely controversies, the religious sentiment which still exists in many Catholic minds. They reason thus: ‘If the New Church is to be established on our earth, God will know how to accomplish it by happy influences given to his fervent worshipers, without man’s interfering by substituting for them his own contrivances! Hence it results, that, as just observed, there are different degrees, requiring a distinct classification, among the friends of the New Church at Nantz.
“Thus we only reckon about a dozen persons, who have formally renounced the old religion, and have embraced the new.
“The number of persons, who dare not break off from their former faith, which they received without examination, but who, with profit and delight, join in their devotions with the receivers of the New Jerusalem, may be felt times as many.
“Next come readers, who are astonished and edified by the works of E. S., and who, either attracted by curiosity, or by the secret designs of Providence, daily become more numerous. We see some who are shaken in their preconceived opinions, on beholding a system of Christianity which appears to them more reasonable, but which they still balance against the arguments supplied by the old system of theology; others, drawn from that deplorable state of indifference to religion, in which they were miserably vegetating: and, finally, others who have been snatched from vice and obstinate incredulity by the force of the demonstrations of the wise and learned Emanuel. {493}
“The first class, that of confirmed receivers, includes individuals of various characters; as ladies of elevated piety; young persons of simple and candid minds; men of mature judgment, not exactly men of learning, but enlightened by an ardent faith; and, finally, the most learned, the most sincere, and the most eloquent friend of religious philosophy that France at this day possesses. This faithful seeker of truth was at first enlightened at the torch of natural science: piety and prayer have since done for him the rest.
“In the second class are to be found persons of wealth, and of the most elevated rank. Among the latter are some, who, at first friends of science, have since become devoted, above all things, to truth; which, however, notwithstanding their ardent prayers to the Lord, they think is not yet fully unveiled to their sight, as far as relates to the theological or positive part of the writings of E. S. They admit the sincerity of this theosopher in the recital of his visions; but they are apprehensive lest these
should still be only a natural physiological phenomenon, analogous to the Scotch second-sight, which, till now, has not been sufficiently studied. Hence they hesitate about believing, that Swedenborg really had a special commission from God to communicate to mankind a new revelation. They conceive the possibility of it; they desire its reality; but they are not yet convinced of the fact. With regard, in other respects, to the interpretation of doctrines and mysteries, the existence of which they acknowledge, but not, as yet, their incontrovertible explication; they agree completely with the doctrine of the New Jerusalem on the points of the Unity of the Lord; life communicated by him; the reception, by influx, of divine heat and light; the freedom of the will, through an equilibrium between heaven and hell; the incarnation of our Lord; redemption by him; the sanctity of the Word; its efficacy when read or listened to in dispositions of love, rather than a spirit of human curiosity; the assistance obtained by prayer against the assaults of evil spirits; the indispensable union of faith and practical charity; the denial of self; and the certainty that, in all that man does which is good, it is not himself but God that operates, making use of him as an instrument, &c.
“The third class is composed of different sorts of persons, but chiefly of such as have already received a good education, and who no longer combat, in the name of rational philosophy, against the reality of a spiritual mode of existence. These have still much to do; some to free themselves, in religion, from natural ideas of time and space; others, to yield to the phenomena of spiritual communications; these to admit the existence of substantial forms without space, and states without times; those, to conceive of the science of correspondence as anything else than simple allegories.
“As to the rest, in all these classes there exists a fervent love of God, which cannot fail of producing good fruits.
“Such is the information which I am able to give of the state of the New Church at Nantz. I cannot well say what is going on in the other towns in France. I only know that there are receivers at Paris, at Besancon, at Gap, at Tarbes; and that most of the officers of the regiment, in which Mr. Bernard served, meet to worship God in the sentiments of the New Church.
“The brethren at Nantz were without a liturgy: I shall carry them that which is adopted at Hatton Garden. They have translations in French of most of Swedenborg’s works, but not the Arcana: I shall convey to them the English edition. They are impatiently expecting the publication of a work prepared by Mr. Edward Richer, of Nantz, on the New Jerusalem: it is only delayed through the want of funds. Mr. Richer has already published a pamphlet, containing a very eloquent apology for the writings of Swedenborg, and for the doctrines which they announce.”*
* This paper was drawn by M. L. de Tollenare, of Nantz- ED.

A letter has since been received from the writer of the above, dated Paris, Sept. 9; in which he states, that several of the principal scientific men of Paris are beginning to speak of Swedenborg with the respect due to his merits, and that the receivers of the New Jerusalem will soon cease, in France, to be objects of ridicule. He also mentions, that he had received a letter from Mr. Richer at Nantz, containing the sentence, “Our Temple is already too small;” which, as he explains it, does not imply that the worshipers are extremely numerous, the building being very confined, but it indicates that they soon will be so. {494}

The Thirteenth Report of the Manchester and Salford Missionary Society conveys, as usual, much gratifying information. Eighteen Societies have been, more or less, under the fostering care of this institution; though it has not been able to do quite so much as formerly, owing to a diminution in the number of disposable visitors. The Report contains letters from Mr. O’Connor and Mr. Howarth, giving accounts of the latter gentleman’s visit to Ireland; from Mr. Sheldon, on his visit to Upholland; from Mr. Taylor, including notices of thirty-six visits paid by him to Bolton, Worseley, Leigh, Heywood, Radcliffe, Middleton, Stockport, West Houghton, Ringley, Tyldesley, and Northwich; from Mr. Lowe, on his visit to Renacres and Upholland; with several other communications. The following interesting letter is from Mr. David Howarth.

“Having, agreeably with your request, paid a Missionary visit to the city of Dublin, a brief account of my labours there may possibly the better enable you to judge, whether they have been of any use in extending the knowledge of the heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem; the insemination of which is the primary object of your excellent institution.
“I left home on the 19th of May, and, after a pleasant passage across the channel, arrived safely at Dublin early on the morning of the following day, and was received by our good friends, Messrs. Norton, O’Connor, and others, with a hearty welcome. During my stay in the city, I abode in the house of Mr. Norton, and it would be ungrateful to omit stating, that I experienced all the time such marks of kindness and devoted attention to my comforts, as will never, I trust, be erased from my recollection. As the members of our infant Church in Dublin do not enjoy the inestimable advantage of having, what many of us in England possess, a place of public worship, the first thing to be done in furtherance of the mission, was to obtain a room or Chapel for the delivery of a course of lectures; and having understood that a large room in the Royal Exchange, likely to answer our purpose, was at liberty, we immediately made application for it, and found that we could have it at such times as would meet our wishes, except on Sunday mornings, it being regularly occupied at those times by a body of professing Christians denominated Walkerites. We were anxious, however, to have public service, if possible, on the Sunday morning: this, therefore, caused a little demur; but after seeking elsewhere without success, we finally engaged this room, which is in a perfectly eligible situation, and sufficiently capacious to accommodate, I should suppose, not less than four hundred persons. Having thus secured the use of an appropriate place, the following subjects were selected as most proper for the lectures; namely, lst. Concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, shewing that he is the Only God.- 2nd. On the Divine Trinity.- 3rd. On the Atonement.- 4th. On Free Will.- 5th. On the Sacred Scriptures.- 6th. On the Second Coming of the Lord, and the Descent of the New Jerusalem.
“These subjects were inserted in two popular newspapers, and announced by the circulation and posting of printed bills, one of which I herewith inclose, and also a copy of one evening’s hymns; for, having very few hymn-books, it was deemed advisable to print the hymns separately for each night, to enable the congregation to join in the singing, and also to facilitate the future remembrance of the lectures. To expatiate upon what was advanced, in explaining the doctrines of the New Church upon the above subjects, is, perhaps, unnecessary: however, my object and endeavour was to exhibit them, even to men of ordinary understanding, in a plain, intelligible manner, to support them by Scripture testimony, and to confirm the same by rational induction. The attendance each evening was both numerous and very respectable, and, in some instances, the room was crowded to excess. {495} Amongst the auditors were clergymen of both the Established and Roman Catholic Churches, and likewise several Dissenting Ministers. The whole of the lectures were listened to, generally, with becoming attention; and frequently it was not only becoming, but vivid and fixed. The countenance of my hearers, as might reasonably be expected in a mixed multitude, pourtrayed very different emotions; some were indicative of dissatisfaction, some of astonishment, and others of delight; and almost every evening several were observed apparently engaged in taking notes.
“Upon the whole, I have reason to believe, that some good impressions, in favour of the truths of the Lord’s New Church, were made upon the minds of many who hitherto knew little or nothing of them, and that the unfounded prejudices of others were considerably allayed. At the conclusion of the last lecture, I mentioned the writings of E. S., and recommended the careful and candid perusal of them to the audience. I then adverted to the disingenuous clamours that have been raised against both the author and his works; and, lastly, stated, that descriptive catalogues of his writings, and of others in agreement with them, would be put into the hands of every bookseller in Dublin, who would thus be in possesssion of the means of supplying any one that gave an order.
“As said above, we could not have public worship on Sunday morning; but wishing to make a profitable use of that part of the Sabbath, I met the members of the Society at the house of Mr. O’Connor; where I read, and in part expounded, the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to John, and afterwards answered some queries respecting free-will and election, shewing who are meant by the “remnant,” and “the elect,” mentioned in the Holy Word, and why they are so called. During this meeting, and at its conclusion, a general feeling of pious satisfaction appeared to prevail. On the morning of the following Sabbath we assembled in one of the rooms at the Royal Exchange, when, after reading and offering some observations on the 5th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, I administered the sacrament of the holy supper to seventeen persons, ten of whom were females; and the whole appeared much impressed with the importance of this sacred ordinance. One of the communicants subsequently desired me to baptize his young family, consisting of four children, into the faith of the New Church, which I accordingly did at his own house, in the presence of several strangers, who appeared much gratified with the service,
“I feel great pleasure in mentioning the warm-hearted interest, in behalf of the New Jerusalem verities, manifested by our venerable and zealous friend, W. Sturgeon, Esq., who, although in the eighty-ninth year of his age, travelled, in company with his daughter, Mrs. E. and several of her amiable family, upwards of thirty miles, with all the cheerfulness, ardour, and, I had almost said, activity of youth, for the purpose of being present during the delivery of the lectures.
“After my public labours in the city were over, Mr. Sturgeon and Mrs. E. very kindly invited me to pass a few days with them in the country. To this I cordially acceded, and on Wednesday, the 3rd of June, we left town, and in a few hours arrived at their residence, which is beautifully situated on an eminence near the town of Wicklow. Here I remained until the 8th, alternately enjoying the pleasures of religious conversation with the family, and of admiring the romantic scenery and luxuriant beauties of nature in the surrounding country. I had also, while here, several interesting conversations with a pious young Clergyman of the Church of England, a converted Jew, relative in particular to the Holy Word, the Second Corning of the Lord, and the Restoration of the Jews to the land of Canaan. These conversations led to the delivery, by this gentleman, on the following Sunday, of two lectures on the last- named subjects; in which, as well as in our conversations, he laboured to prove, that the Lord’s second coming would be literally in the visible natural clouds, that he would then again establish the Jews, as a people, in Canaan and Jerusalem, and reign over them there as King a thousand years. I listened to these lectures with great attention, and, I trust, with Christian candour. The sincerity and ardour manifested in their delivery, I greatly admired, and have to regret, that I cannot say the same as to the validity of the proofs; for, with respect to these, while the Rev. gentleman was giving them, and I attempting to follow their direction, we seemed like those mentioned by Isaiah, where he saith, ‘We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes.’ And I could not help deeply lamenting the absence of those resplendent truths, which are so amply unfolded on these subjects in the doctrines of the New Jerusalem, and at the same time desiring that my Rev. friend would open his eyes to behold their beauty. {496}
“I left the hospitable mansion of my kind entertainers early on Monday morning, the 8th of June, for Dublin; where the members of the Society once more assembled in the evening at Mr. Norton’s, when I read and commented upon a portion of the Word, and afterwards answered various questions relative to our doctrines, and some apparently difficult passages in the Gospels, particularly our Lord’s words when on the cross,- ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ Matt. xxvii. 46; and those spoken to Mary after his resurrection,- ‘Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and unto my God, and your God,’ John xx. 17. This was, I have no doubt, a profitable and happy meeting.
“The next evening I met, at the house of one of our friends, some of the members and a few strangers, amongst whom was a Minister of the Wesleyan Connexion, with whose Christian spirit, philosophic mind, and liberal sentiments, I was truly gratified. We had a good deal of interchange of ideas, chiefly concerning the early part of the book of Genesis, as distinguishable from other parts of the Word,- the garden of Eden, the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil,- the fall of man,- the serpent,- eating the forbidden fruit, &c. I am happy to say, that the views given of these subjects appeared perfectly satisfactory to all, particularly to a lady of the Roman Catholic persuasion, who appeared much delighted, and had not, I think, heard any of our doctrinal sentiments before. The day following, several of our kind friends accompanied me to Kingstown, where I bade them farewell, went on board a steamer for England,- landed at Liverpool, after a sweet sail of something less than twelve hours, and arrived at home on the 11th of June.
“As far as I can judge of the state of religion in Ireland, it is chiefly that of Catholicism, on one hand, and of high Calvinistic Protestantism, on the other. Both parties are, I fear, considerably shackled by priestly influence, and the delusions of a borrowed faith. Probably, therefore, it may be difficult, at present, to implant the doctrines of the New Church in that country, to any considerable extent; but in proportion as the people become liberated from the bonds of Papal purgatory, and Calvinistic reprobation, the sublime truths of the Lord’s new dispensation, may find an almost unobstructed resting- place in their open-hearted bosoms. These bonds appear to be considerably weaker than at the time I visited Dublin three years ago; and if other Ministers of the New Church could be conveniently sent there once or twice annually, I conceive that great good would result from their labours.
“The whole expense of this visit has been paid by the Society in Dublin, and they are willing to exert themselves to the utmost, whenever a suitable person is sent amongst them, on a similar mission. In conclusion, allow me to say, that my best thanks are due to each of our friends in Ireland, for the affectionate regard and kind solicitude for my welfare, which they invariably manifested.”

The Seventh Report of the London Free School Society evinces, that the beneficent labours of this institution continue to be prosperous. The number of children in the school, at the last annual Meeting, was 360. There are now 471, namely, 284, boys, and 187 girls. The whole number received into the building since its erection, is 720. The income of the Society for the past year has been L298; of which L92 arose from subscriptions, L129 from the children’s weekly two-pences, L60 from the Chester legacy, and the remainder from collections, &c.
The Second Report of the Manchester and Salford Free Schools Society, affords pleasing evidence of the complete success, which has attended those recent establishments. The Trustees of the Church in Peter Street having offered the gratuitous use of the large school-rooms adjoining that place of worship, the Committee, in January, 1829, opened one of them for the reception of two hundred boys. There are now 210 boys receiving education in Peter Street, Manchester, and 93 in the School in Bolton Street, Salford; making together upwards of 300 free day scholars. Mr. Moss, who had conducted the school in Salford from its commencement in so satisfactory a manner, was appointed the master of the larger school in Peter Street; and Mr. J. Bayley was engaged to superintend that in Salford. {497} The boys regularly attend, twice every Sunday, the respective places of worship. The Committee regret their being compelled, from the crowded state of both the schools, to refuse many applications for admission into them. It is intended to open the upper school-room in Peter Street, for the instruction of girls, as soon as funds to defray the increased expense it would occasion, can be raised. The whole income of the institution for the past year has been L180; of which L62 were from subscriptions, L67 from the children’s weekly two-pences, L36 from the Chester legacy, and L15 from the Manchester Printing Society.
From the Fifth Report of the North British Missionary and Tract Society, established at Edinburgh, it appears, that this Society continues to perform uses in the Church, though but of a very limited extent. The Rev. S. Noble lately paid a Missionary visit to that portion of the British empire; on which occasion near 3000 tracts, supplied by the London Society, were distributed among the public. One object of Mr. Noble’s visit was the ordination of Mr. W. Bruce, whose introduction into the Ministry is considered an important acquisition to the Church. He is now the regular Minister of the Edinburgh Society; and it is gratifying to notice, that, since his appointment, he has had the pleasure of uniting parties in the sacred bond of marriage, according to the order of nuptials prescribed in the Liturgy of the New Church,- the laws of that part of the United Kingdom not requiring the ceremony to be performed in the Established Church.

The Twenty-Second General Conference was held in the New Jerusalem Temple, London Terrace, Derby, on Tuesday, the 11th of August, 1829=73, and continued, by daily adjournments, to Saturday, the 15th day of the same month. Six Ministers and fourteen Representatives were present, besides others of the friends who were desirous of witnessing the proceedings. The Rev. WILLIAM MASON was unanimously chosen President, and Mr. JAMES SHIRLEY HODSON, Secretary.
The preliminary business, directed by the Rules for Conference, having been gone through, various reports, letters, and other communications, were read and considered. The disposal of the proceeds of the Chester legacy, &c. &c., was determined upon. The Hymn Book, which was stated to be again out of print, and of which, it appeared from the Conference Committee’s report, nearly 4000 copies have been circulated in the Church, was ordered to be immediately stereotyped and printed. {498}
The set of Questions on the Four Leading Doctrines of the New Church, which were referred by the last Conference to the Rev. R. Hindmarsh and the Rev. S. Noble, to be revised and prepared for immediate publication, were now stated to be ready; and printed copies of the same were laid upon the table.
A Committee was appointed to consider the propriety and practicability of forming a third order of the Ministry; particularly with a view to the devising some means by which the Conference may be enabled, without an infringement of order, to sanction the administration of either or both of the sacraments by persons who are, at present, not considered qualified for that purpose.
On revising the list of Ordaining and Ordained Ministers, the Rev. Samuel Noble laid upon the table the requisite Certificate of the Ordination of Mr. William Bruce, as a Minister of the New Church, such Ordination having been approved by the last Conference.
A further effort was made to introduce an orderly system of keeping the Registers of Baptisms in the Church; a point of much consequence, as great doubt has hitherto existed as to the legality of such Registers; but the investigation, which has been made into the subject under the direction of the Conference, and the information collected, have shewn, that, if regularly entered, and uniformly kept, such Registers are legal and valid.
Information having been received, that it was the intention of the majority of the Proprietors and the Editors of the Intellectual Repository to discontinue that work upon its present foundation, after the completion of the volume now in course of publication, [Vol. III. of the New Series, for the years 1828 and 1829,] and that they wished to relinquish it altogether in favour of a Periodical Work to be undertaken by the Conference itself; and the Conference being deeply sensible of the great uses performed through the medium of the above- named publication, and fully impressed with the importance and necessity of devising means for the establishment of a Periodical Work, as the authentic and recognized organ of the Church; it proceeded to consider the expediency of undertaking such a publication; when, after mature deliberation, it was Resolved unanimously,

“That a Magazine be commenced under the sanction of the Conference; that the work be called The Intellectual Repository and New Jerusalem Magazine; that the Imprint on the Title- page and Wrapper be, ‘Printed for the General Conference of the New Church, signified by the New Jerusalem in the Revelation;” that such Magazine be commenced on the 1st of January, 1830, and be published every two months; and that the price thereof be One Shilling each Number.”

It was also Resolved unanimously, {499}

“That the Editors be appointed by the Conference, and that they be three in number; That the following gentlemen, each having been separately proposed and seconded, viz., the Rev. ROBERT HINDMARSH*, the Rev. SAMUEL NOBLE, and Mr. THOMAS JONES, be the Editors of such Magazine: That in the event of any vacancy occurring in the Editorial department, the remaining Editor or Editors shall have power to fill up the same, with the approbation of the Committee of Conference for the time being, until the meeting of the next Conference: That such Magazine, with the exception of the usual Editorial duties, be conducted by, and published under the direction of the Committee of Trustees south of Trent, who are hereby invested with every requisite power for that purpose: That such Committee of Trustees appoint a Treasurer, either of their own body or otherwise, and lay before the Conference an annual general statement of all the receipts and payments, and all demands owing by the Conference in respect of such Magazine, up to the 30th day of June, preceding the meeting of Conference: That such Committee of Trustees shall set forth at the foot of such statement, and under a separate head, an account of the moneys due from all persons in respect of such Magazine; and, under another head, an account of the stock on hand: That the proprietorship of such Magazine be vested in the Trustees of the General Conference for the time being, as Trustees for and on the behalf of the Conference: That the Conference earnestly requests, that the literary friends of the heavenly doctrines, and particularly the Ministers of the Church, will afford every assistance in their power to the Magazine, by contributing matter for its pages, in the way of essays, information, &c.; and that Ministers and other influential and zealous friends of the cause of divine truth, will exert themselves in their respective spheres for the extension of the circulation of the work.”
* It is proper here to remark, that on account of my intention to remove from London to Canterbury, as well as of my advanced age, I was under the necessity of declining the distinguished office, to which the Conference had, in my absence, appointed me. Sensible as I am of their too favourable opinion of my abilities to perform the duties, which might be required of me, as one of the Editors of the proposed publication, I cannot help expressing my acknowledgments for the honour intended; but having good reason to know, that the other gentlemen nominated to that important situation, are eminently qualified for the task set before them, and that a third party of their own choice, sanctioned by the approbation of Conference, will give them additional strength, I think I may safely congratulate the Church on the cheering prospect of its continuing to enjoy, as it has long done, the advantages of a respectable, interesting, and well-conducted Periodical Publication.- R. H.

A cheap edition of a Selection from the Liturgy, for the use of Free Schools, Sunday Schools, &c., containing the Morning and Evening Services, with the Glorifications, the Articles of Faith, and the Chants, was directed to be printed, at the expense of Conference.
Mr. E. W. Brayley, the Secretary for foreign correspondence, having, from unavoidable circumstances, such as his intended removal from the metropolis, and some new engagements about to be entered upon, found it necessary to resign that office, the duties of which he had so ably performed; Mr. J. H. Smithson was unanimously appointed to it; a gentleman, who, from his having resided some time abroad, from his personal acquaintance with some of the leading members of the Church on the Continent, and from his general knowledge of the principal languages spoken there, is eminently qualified for the office.
Agreeably to a notice given for the purpose, the Conference proceeded to consider the propriety of declaring its sentiments on certain opinions, which an individual, professing to be guided by the doctrines of the New Church, has lately attempted to introduce as founded on the writings of Swedenborg; when, after very mature deliberation, it was Resolved unanimously, {500}

“That the Conference is always unwilling to interfere, by offering an opinion upon the varieties of sentiment which may arise within the Church, respecting the right mode of understanding minor points of doctrine; but it regards the declaration of its sentiments as a solemn duty when it beholds an effort perseveringly made by an individual to substitute, in the minds of the receivers of the heavenly doctrines, views respecting the very first truths of the Church, totally opposite to those constituting the genuine doctrine of the New Jerusalem, as revealed from heaven, in the writings of the Lord’s servant, Emanuel Swedenborg. The opinions here alluded to are, 1st. That ‘the finite apprehension of the Infinite is the Divine Human of the Lord;’ and 2ndly. That ‘the Lord’s glorification only consists in the reception of him by man;’ thus confounding the Divine Person of the Lord itself, and the glorification of his Humanity, with the mere thought or apprehension of him by human creatures. The Conference therefore declares, that, in its judgment, all such notions are most awfully erroneous; and would affectionately caution the Church at large against them, as utterly, repugnant to the Holy Word, and to the doctrines of its enlightened expositor, Emanuel Swedenborg; since they destroy all reality in the Divine Person of the Lord, and abolish altogether the idea of him as an actually self-existent Divine Man, which idea it is the great object of the new dispensation to establish, and without which there can be no saving conjunction of man with the Lord. The Conference also would earnestly intreat their brethren not to allow the circumstance, that such injurious sentiments have been broached in the Church, to disturb their minds; but to remember ‘that it must needs be that offences come;’ and that, if the apostle John found it necessary to caution the Primitive Christians respecting the heresy that arose at the very beginning of Christianity, denying Jesus Christ to have come in the flesh, there is no room to wonder that similar errors should be attempted to be introduced at the commencement, also, of the New Jerusalem dispensation. Such things are permitted for the trial of the humble and the sincere; and the fermentation, which they occasion, will eventually be made conducive to the fuller understanding of the truth, the purification of the Church, and to its edification in the genuine principles of life and doctrine, in which the true Church consists.”

After a variety of other Resolutions were passed, all calculated to advance the general welfare of the Church, the next Conference was appointed to be held at Manchester, on the second Tuesday in August, 1830=74.
In the Appendix to the Minutes are contained Rules, Regulations, Recommendations, and Reports on the usual subjects; also a Declaration of the Obligations and Duties which necessarily devolve on those who become members of a Society of the New Church; an Abstract of Letters to the Conference, including an Address from the Convention in America, to the Conference in England; and a List of 49 Societies in the United Kingdom, in connection with the General Conference; with various other points of useful information.
In the Report of the Secretary for Foreign Correspondence, is contained a communication from Mr. Jacob Olbers, of Gottenburg, who states, that in the town of Gottenburg there may be from fourteen to sixteen readers of the New Church writings, and that there are a few others in the vicinity. They have not hitherto held any meetings for worship, or for other purposes connected with the profession of the doctrines of the New Church. The ecclesiastical laws, Mr. Olbers states, will not permit religious meetings, at least not in country places; and the attempt to hold them would incense the Clergy, especially those of the diocese of Gottenburg, who are in general strongly opposed to the heavenly doctrines. In the town itself, he observes, such meetings might be attended with less opposition. {501} But the general opinion in Sweden is represented to be, that the doctrines will gradually become known, through the instrumentality of the future Clergy, who, it is expected, will become receivers of them at the Universities, and will then communicate them to the people at large.
The Address from the Convention in America to the Conference in England, is an interesting specimen of the affection subsisting between the Church in the West and the Church in the East; and at the same time gives the pleasing assurance, that the light of divine truth, which first dawned on the horizon of Britain, is now irradiating the heretofore desolate places of America. The Address is here transcribed.

“Philadelphia, Dec. 6th, 1828.

“To the President and Delegates of the next General Conference to be held in England, and through them to the Friends of the New Jerusalem Church in Great Britain: Greeting.

“Agreeably to the following Resolution, passed at the last General Convention of the New Jerusalem Church of North America, held at Boston, on the 14th, 15th and 16th of August, 1828=72; ‘Resolved, That a person be appointed to address a letter to the General Conference in England, containing the friendly and Christian greetings of the American Church; and also a suitable apology for the omission of this duty the last year.’
“It is with unfeigned gratitude and thankfulness to our common Lord, and at the same time with deep humility, that in the course of his Divine Providence, so feeble an instrument should be selected to accomplish the important work of transmitting to the English Church of the New Jerusalem, the friendly salutations of their American brethren. But it affords me peculiar pleasure, inasmuch as the performance of the task revives many pleasing recollections, and brings vividly to my mind those of my brethren with whom I have the pleasure to be personally acquainted.
“Many are the topics of praise and gratitude to our Divine Master, which we as a Church are called upon to express. The light of the new dispensation is no longer confined to the Eastern hemisphere, but has penetrated even to the west; ‘from the rising of the sun, even to the going down of the same.’ And, like Jacob, we may exclaim, ‘With my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands.’ But how shall I enumerate the subjects of thankfulness, or declare the mercies of the Lord, which stand so thick around us on every side? What shall we render unto him for the unspeakable blessing of ‘bringing us out of darkness into his marvellous light;’ for permitting us to see his glorious appearance in the clouds of heaven; for preserving us in peace amidst the wars and rumours of wars, and earthquakes, with which the earth is disturbed and shaken to its foundation; for providing a city of refuge, and a mountain to which all may flee for safety and protection, even the divine love proceeding from the Divine Humanity of our blessed Redeemer; for that confidence and perfect assurance which we enjoy in the promises concerning the glory and excellency of the heavenly Jerusalem, and the unobstructed clearness with which the glorious Saviour shall be seen and acknowledged? – that the glory shall be seen in the cloud,- that ‘all nations shall come and worship before thee,’ and that ‘the veil shall be destroyed that is over all nations,- that the beautiful city shall be seen descending from God out of heaven, adorned as a bride; not a city such as the children of men delight to build, and which, from the time of Cain, they have been striving to construct of and for themselves, but a city not made with hands, ‘a city which hath foundations, whose builder and whose maker is God.’ The light (doctrine) of this city shall be like unto a stone most precious, even like a Jaspar stone, clear as crystal.
“Nor are the subjects of encouragement less numerous than those of thankfulness and gratitude. If we turn our eyes to the Eastern hemisphere, what do we behold? We there see our brethren labouring with zeal, prudence, and ability, in the glorious cause, and perseveringly co-operating with the Lord in instructing, elevating, and preparing human minds for his coming. {502} To this end we see the work of writing, printing, and preaching, continuing with unabated perseverance; we behold a laudable and indispensable attention paid to the education of the rising generation, in the establishment of schools for the poor and destitute, and a most noble and liberal institution for persons whose circumstances are less limited; and thus a plan is forming, in the natural Principle, for a reception of those pure and lofty and elevated sentiments which appertain to the new dispensation, by a corresponding elevation of the human mind.
“We see works elucidating these doctrines presented to colleges and libraries, and the public kept advised, through the medium of the public prints, of the existence of these invaluable writings. We hear of new Societies forming, and new buildings erecting for their accommodation. We see the principle of civil and religious liberty beginning to shed their bland and cheering influence over your land, and the veil which has been spread over all nations gradually drawing aside, through the Power and influence of a brighter light. We witness those worthy veterans, who have stood in the fore-front of the battle, removed one by one, whilst their place is occupied with more youthful champions, willing to fight under the banners of the Prince of Peace.
“The American Church is not an idle spectator of these achievements: they afford us strength, and stimulate us to perseverance, and an imitation of your excellent example. We are following your footsteps, and the Lord is crowning our labours with success. Every year witnesses new accessions to our little band, solitary places are becoming glad, and the wilderness will ere long begin to blossom as the rose.
“For a more particular account of the state of the New Jerusalem Church in this country, I refer you to the Journal which accompanies this letter. Permit me, in conclusion, and in the name of the Convention, to express my regret, (which you will be pleased to accept as an apology,) that the letter or the English Conference for the preceding year remained unanswered; and at the same time to assure you, that measures will be adopted to prevent a similar occurrence.
“With sentiments of respect and Christian love, permit me to subscribe myself,
“Your brother in the Lord,
“M. M. CARLL.”

The Society in Salisbury has lately found it necessary to relinquish the place of worship, which was built for them in 1827. The expenses of keeping it open pressed too heavily upon them; and an offer having been made for the purchase of it by the members of another profession, the Society agreed to dispose of it. Another place was immediately obtained, which is stated to be more commodious, and within the means of the Society to support. This was opened on the 18th of October, 1829.*
* This Society no longer exists.- ED.
A Society has recently been formed for public worship in Bath, which meets twice every Sabbath, in a respectable house, for that purpose; and on Thursday evenings, for the discussion of theological subjects. The Society consists of about twenty regular members; but the receivers of the doctrines in Bath, and its environs, are estimated at more than forty.*
* The Bath Society now consists of 125 members; and Mr. J. Keene has long been the leader. A very neat and respectable place of worship has been erected in Henry Street.- ED.
The Missionary visits, which have been paid to the metropolis of Ireland, by the Rev. Mr. Howarth, under the auspices of the Manchester and Salford Missionary Institution, have been the means of effecting much good. The first New Church place of worship, that was ever established in that part of the United Kingdom, was opened in December, 1829; when the services, which were performed by two of the members, were very respectably attended. {503} The building is a very neat little Gothic Chapel, erected for the use of the Society, at a small rent, by a builder, who belongs to the Methodist Connection but who, with his wife, had attended several times since the opening. The services on the Sabbath are usually attended by about thirty individuals: but on the Monday evenings, when a meeting is held for conversation and discussion on the doctrines of the New Church, (a plan which has for some time been adopted, and from which some good has resulted,) many strangers attend, and join in the conversation; and the members have hitherto been able to overcome all opposition to the doctrines, which has been made by any of the speakers. They are ably assisted in this by an individual, who has lately become a recipient of the truths of the New Church. This gentleman is represented as a person of very great talents and acquirements, of extensive reading, and acquainted with several languages. He was educated for the Established Church, and intended for a Missionary; but having taken disgust at the absurdity of the dogmas taught and insisted upon as the pure truths of Christianity, he entirely abandoned this intention, and became an avowed Deist. Being settled in Dublin, he was by some means led to attend these meetings for public discussion, when he usually opposed the views offered. But one of our friends, thinking that he was sincere in his opposition, offered to lend him Mr. Noble’s work on the Plenary Inspiration of the Scriptures; and it is gratifying to know, that it has been the means of removing from his mind his disbelief in the Divinity of the Scriptures, and of his embracing with affection the views of the New Church in regard to them.*
* This Society has long been out of existence.- ED
A general meeting of the Society in Newcastle-upon-Tyne was held on Christmas day, 1829, on occasion of the first Anniversary of its organization by the rules adopted for its government. It was convened in the Joiners’ Hall, a large room used for public meetings. Fifty-seven persons were present; and Mr. Rendell, who occupied the chair, took occasion to address the meeting on the state of the Church throughout the world. He combated the idea of the Church’s supposed insignificance by those who are without her pale; and deduced, from a variety of facts, arguments which had a tendency at once to brighten the prospects, and cheer the anticipations, of sincere recipients, relating to the future greatness of the heavenly cause. He also made some interesting remarks on the present political and ecclesiastical establishments of Europe in general, as contrasted with what they were some few years ago; and drew a favourable augury for the future from the many extraordinary circumstances of our times, which seemed to be “preparing a highway for our God.” {504} The meeting was closed, a little after 10 o’clock, with a hymn and a short prayer.

On taking a retrospective view of the proceedings of the Church in general, and particularly of the labours of Conference, in bringing to maturity the various suggestions of its intelligent members, and thus endeavouring to consolidate the interests of the whole, as one united body, it is gratifying to be enabled to remark, that the exertions of those who have taken an active part in disseminating the knowledge of divine truth in this and other countries, has been eminently successful. Notwithstanding the many difficulties and prejudices, which from time to time they have had to encounter, arising from a blind attachment to the prevailing but ill-founded opinions of the religious world in general, a number of individuals from almost every class of professing Christians, associated together for the purpose of dispelling those mists of error and superstition, which had so long overclouded the spiritual horizon, have now the happiness of seeing the New Church established upon a secure and permanent basis. As citizens of the New Jerusalem, we are all embarked in the same glorious cause; and there is great reason to hope and believe, that the Divine Favour, as it has already accompanied the Church in her progressive steps, from the earliest period of her existence to the present time, will continue to guide her with its superintending care, and at length cause her to become a blessing to all nations, and literally, as the prophet says, “a praise in the earth.”