constitute a complete body of instruction, amazing as to its mass, overwhelming as to the variety of its parts, and most marvellous as to the light it sheds on so many mysterious subjects on which strong minds have ever delighted to meditate. The points which can be labelled "not proveable" are very few indeed, as compared with the immense number of points which are susceptible of various kinds and degrees of proof. Each separate class of instructions may be detached from the others, although not without detriment; but these few "not proveable points" may easily be detached, and yet not sensibly impair the entirety of the system.

The system, as a system, rests on the sure foundations of an enlightened philosophy, and of the Divine declarations of the Sacred Word. Men will receive of it according to their ability, for it is adapted to all. Many, for example, will accept the cardinal doctrines of faith, who will not be able to accept, or even to comprehend, the full disclosure of the internal senses of the Word. Some will be able to accept the spiritual sense in regard to detached portions of the Word, who will never master the far-reaching and all-comprehensive philosophy. A few may accept the philosophy, but who will hesitate at a full reception of all the incidental statements which Swedenborg makes as a Seer. There are those who will receive and believe the whole. It is, therefore, inevitable that there will ever be many "partial receivers of Swedenborg; but, in every case, the acceptance of Swedenborg as an authority is the triumph of liberty, and not its immolation. Men will receive his teachings and his testimony to this extent, and no farther,— according as they find him a teacher capable of instructing; and a witness inspiring them with confidence, and making himself believed. Those who pretend to accept him on other grounds, or farther than to this extent, only deceive themselves, either by regarding as belief what is not belief, or by failing to trace and discern the true grounds on which they really do believe. As Swedenborg heard the angels remark, so all intelligent minds must say, even to Swedenborg himself,-"How can I believe a thing when I do not see whether it is true or not? If I must believe, cause me to see it." Because Swedenborg offers such overwhelmingly convincing proof of almost everything he teaches, therefore we may well believe those things. Concerning the very few things which he asserts, and which cannot be proved, we may say, as he himself instructs us,- I do not know whether this is true or not, therefore I do not yet believe it." (D. F. 2.) These things, however, are comparatively so unimportant, that they do not affect his general

system; and they are so few in number, that suspending our judgment about them need not lessen our conviction of the truth of all his other instructions. On these other points he so enables us to see, to be so certain that we do see, and to so rejoice in the light we have received, that we are, in and by the very exercise of our liberty, compelled to acknowledge that he is an authority in matters of faith.

JOHN HYDE.

GENERAL CONFERENCE.

The ensuing General Conference will be held at Salford, commencing on Tuesday, August 11th, 1868. Secretaries of Committees who have not yet forwarded their reports to the Secretary should take an early opportunity of doing so. F. PITMAN, Secretary,

20, Paternoster-row, London, E.C.

The Salford friends desire to receive immediately, from the Secretaries of such New Church Societies as are distant more than twelve miles from Manchester, the names and addresses of the ministers and representatives attending the ensuing Conference. Address, Mr. E. J. Leeming, Savings Bank, Manchester.

The following programme is intended to be carried out, as far as possible :

Monday evening. The Secretary of the Salford Society will be in attendance in the upper School-room, Irwell-street, from 6 to 8 o'clock, to supply information.

Tuesday evening.-Service in the Temple; to be followed by the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The offerings are appropriated to the Ministers' and Widows' Pension Fund.

Wednesday evening.-Tea in the School-room, to be followed by a Soirée, in the Salford Town Hall.

Thursday evening.-Tea in the School-room, to be followed by a Public Meeting in the Temple. Subject of discussion: The Supremacy of the Church,-in the Individual Life; in Social Life; in National Life; in the Heavenly Life.

Friday evening.-Tea in the School-room, after which the Choir will give a selection of Sacred Music in the Temple.

Dinner will be provided each day of Conference, at the Albert Hotel, Albert Bridge, New Bailey-street, for members and friends; price 2s. each.

REVIEWS.

ANGELIC PHILOSOPHY OF THE DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM. Translated by R. NORMAN FOSTER. Philadelphia: J. B, Lippincott and Co. 1868. Ir is certainly most desirable that in this reading and, to a certain extent, inquiring age the writings of Swedenborg should be presented to the public in translations whose style is, as far as possible, adapted to the public taste, for in this way we may expect to obtain for them a wider circle of readers. This Mr. Foster has attempted to do in his version of the treatise on the Divine Love and Wisdom. To readers who are as yet unacquainted with Swedenborg's writings this translation will, we venture to say, be more acceptable than any previous English version of the same work. By students, and those of the initiated who care little for the graces of style, and have become familiar with peculiar terms and forms of expression, the work in its present dress may not be so favourably received. We are not therefore surprised that there should be some difference of opinion as to the merits of the translation. There are, it is true, some few renderings the correctness of which may be questioned; there are one or two expletives introduced which do not accurately express the author's meaning; there are distinctions and niceties in the original which are not always preserved in the translation; there is an occasional toning down of the author's language, which savours a little of yielding to prejudice, rather than of conforming to refined taste; but notwithstanding these, most of which the translator might, if he thought fit, amend with advantage in a subsequent edition, the translation gives on the whole a very good idea of the original of this most profound and most beautiful work.

In reading the work, we had marked some portions of it with the intention of subjecting them to a friendly criticism; but when there is much to approve, it is ungracious to object; besides, we have indicated the points on which we had intended to speak. It ought, at the same time, to be mentioned that the new translation throws light on some parts of the work which former translations had left obscure.

This issue of the Divine Love and Wisdom, like the recently published edition of the Heaven and Hell, is beautifully printed on fine toned paper, and elegantly bound, forming a most handsome volume.

IS DEATH-BED REPENTANCE EFFICACIOUS? London: Alvey. THIS tract, written to enforce a truth, is published to promote a benevolent object,-to assist the funds of the British Orphan Asylum, Mc.Kenzie Park, Slough. In his zeal to combat a prevailing error, the

writer has over-stated his case, and over-strained his argument. It is true that a death-bed repentance is of no avail; but it is also true that what appears as a death-bed repentance may be a providential crisis in the soul's spiritual life. We are told, in the Writings, of a certain class of persons who have no very strong religious convictions or impressions except in times of misfortune, sickness, and imminent death; and yet these persons are in a salvable state, and, dying in such a state, would enter heaven. No doubt the sins of a whole life of impenitence cannot be wiped away by death-bed remorse, which is often mistaken for repentance; but it ill becomes us, who believe in the boundless mercy of the Lord, and in the power He has taken to himself, by redemption and glorification, to save them unto the uttermost that come to Him, to narrow the gate of life. If it were true, as the author of the tract asserts, that "the work of regeneration must not only be begun but finished upon earth; (that) no imperfect saint, no offender in one (even the smallest) point can enter heaven," we fear there would be little ground of hope for any of us. On this point we learn again from the Writings that, if the work of regeneration is begun on earth, the soul's entrance into heaven is secured. The little work contains, however, much that is excellent.

"A DEFENCE OF SOME OF THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE NEW CHURCH, in a Letter addressed to the Rev. S. Fisher, minister of the Independent Chapel, Grove-street, Boston, Lincolnshire. By JAMES H. MOORE." pp. 32. London: Pitman.

THE writer of this instructive tractate, we learn from the concluding paragraph, has been summarily dismissed from the School and Union of the Independent Church, and his religious opinions unfairly and ungenerously represented as "too horrible to mention." The object of the publication is, therefore, to give a brief but accurate view of the leading doctrines of the New Church, of which he is a receiver, and which have been thus mis-represented; and to afford the young men connected with the author's class, the teachers of the school, the Deacons of the Church, and others the opportunity of judging righteous judgment on the subject. In prosecution of this object, the author has penned a defence free from bitterness, and shedding light upon a great variety of subjects, all of which are copiously illustrated by Scripture texts, and their appropriate exposition. The work is well suited for circulation, and cannot fail to leave on the minds of candid and thoughtful readers a favourable impression.

MISCELLANEOUS.