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Birth.

was drawn by the company of many old At Paisley, on May 13, Mrs. James friends. He rejoiced in the truth, and

S. M'Gallan, of a son.

Obituary.

He

Mr. C. W. Smith, of 40 Penn Road Villas, Holloway, London, departed this life, May 15th, aged 66, after a few weeks of severe illness, borne with fortitude and Christian patience. For fifteen years he had attended the church in Argyle Square, and filled many of its most important offices, having several times represented it in Conference. He was greatly interested in the Cromer Street New Jerusalem Day-schools, of which he was Treasurer up to the time of his decease. Mr. Smith was first impressed favourably by the New Church, at the discussions carried on at the Mutual Improvement Society's meetings, to which he had been invited by a friend. The young men at that period debated a wide range of questions, literary, political and religious. Mr. Smith remarked their freedom of thought and speech, and at the same time their entire kindness of feeling and constant courtesy. thought that the church which produced such young people, and inculcated integrity, truthfulness, and a noble life, must have a great amount of good about it, and though its regard for Swedenborg's spiritual experience, and the spiritual sense of the Bible, must be looked upon as weak points, as he then thought, yet they should be borne with for the sake of the rest. He had not, however, attended the public service long before he became fully convinced of the truth of the Science of Correspondence, and of the entire New Church views, and thence forward rendered every service he could, and his consistent life made him esteemed and loved by a wide circle of New Church friends. He had a severe blow to his affections in the sudden bereavement two years ago by the loss of his beloved wife. On one Sunday forenoon, during his absence at divine service, she was fatally taken ill and expired. He never was quite well after it. It seemed as if part of his being was rent away. He has gone to rejoin her, and his mourning family and friends find comfort in their conviction of the higher happiness now enjoyed by those whom they have not lost, but who have only gone before. Latterly, Mr. Smith had worshipped at Kensington, to which he

the truth had made him free. He passed away peacefully and hopefully as a child on the breast of its mother.

George March, of Brightlingsea, passed away from earth, on the 18th May, in the 78th year of his age. He had been connected with the Society for upwards of fifty years, during which time he was a useful and consistent member of the New Church. For some time past his health had been very precarious, but his long and intimate acquaintance with the Word and the Writings enabled him to look forward without anxiety to the great change that should enable him to participate in the delights and employments of the kingdom of heaven. His end was extremely peaceful. He had in life gained the victory over death; and the congregation assembled in the church on the Sunday after his removal felt that there was a delightful appropriateness in singing the hymn commencing

"Blest is the man who dies in peace,

And gently yields his soul to rest; Who gains from earth the kind release, Leaning upon his Saviour's breast.' On May 26th, Alfred J. Gardiner, eldest son of the Leader of the St. Osyth Society, after a long and painful affliction, was released from his sufferings at the age of twenty-one. He died in the assurance of an immediate and joyful resurrection to eternal life, where 66 they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.'

The

Frederic Salter, aged 84 years. At Winchester, 29th May, Mr. Thos. deceased was the son of one of the earliest metropolitan receivers of our doctrines, but, at the wish of his mother, was educated according to the principles of the Church of England. On the demise of his father, however, he inherited gion," and a perusal of the section on a copy of "The True Christian Relithe Trinity convinced him that the views presented therein were so immeasurably superior to anything which he had before heard, that he determined to ascertain where these beautiful doctrines were publicly taught. He accordingly, in 1827, went to Hanover Street, where the Rev. S. Noble announced that on the following Sunday the church, Cross Street, Hatton Garden, would be reopened for New Church worship. From that period he took an active interest in all the affairs of the Society,

and was greatly respected for his quiet and consistent demeanour by the large circle of friends in London and the provinces with whom he was acquainted. On the decease of Mr. Thomas Jones he was appointed Treasurer of Conference, and on his retirement, in 1851, after twenty years' service, a special vote of that body testified to the kindness and care with which he had discharged his onerous duties. He was also one of the Trustees of Conference South of Trent. Our brother resided in Aldgate Within for nearly half a century, and in various ways made himself useful as a citizen. A portion of the period he was one of the City common council, and there, as elsewhere, his modest, gentle manners and unwavering fidelity to principle were generally recognized and appreciated. After retiring from business, and temporarily living in the south of London, he finally settled at Winchester, but was denied the privilege of joining the little band of receivers there owing to the feeble state of his health. His departure to the spiritual world at a ripe old age is acutely felt by those who knew him best, but they are comforted by the conviction that he was evidently prepared for the solemn change. He joined the Camberwell Society a few years ago, and only twelve days before his death derived great consolation from the administration of the Holy Supper at the hands of Mr. E. Austin, who happened to be in the neighbourhood.

Departed this life, on the 31st of May, aged 56, Mr. Thomas Ogley, of Barnsley, after an illness of ten weeks. The deceased first went, without serious intention, to hear Dr. Bayley's lectures in Barnsley in 1868. The appearance of the lecturer so affected him, that he listened with the greatest attention, and never afterwards neglected hearing the Doctor on his visits to Barnsley. The popular religious teaching had involved him in perplexity, in which he continued until November 1873, when Mr. Gunton came to Barnsley, and gave a course of lectures and two Sunday services. Mr. Gunton brought some books for sale. Our friend purchased the first volume of "The Arcana Cœlestia," and per ceiving he had got the very thing that would open the treasures contained in the Word, he went home rejoicing. It is impossible to describe the joy he manifested on reading this book.

Amongst other strong sayings, he exclaimed-"had it not been for this book falling into my hands, I should have died a fool." About a fortnight before his death he expressed his gratitude to the writer for causing the lecturers to come to Barnsley; and to Mr. Gunton, a week before his death, he said, “I am sure I shall go to heaven, and shall meet you there." He and Mrs. Ogley met with us regularly at our Sunday afternoon meetings, and we miss him much, but trust he is employed in a much higher sphere. He ordered volume after volume of "The Arcana" to the fourth or fifth volume, which he studied very closely, and which he appeared to receive intuitively. At the particular desire of his bereaved partner, the beautiful Burial Service of the New Church was read at the Cemetery Chapel by Capt. Bufham. The people listened with the profoundest attention. This is the first time the New Church service has been used at any funeral in Barnsley.

A Devonshire newspaper gives the following notice of the departure of our friend, Mr. Joseph Berry. In addition to what is here stated, we may add that he was also an occasional contributor to our Magazine :-"Bideford has lost an old and much respected inhabitant of the town in the person of Mr. Joseph Berry. He was well known, not only in the town of Bideford, but over a very large district, as he combined with his shop keeping the subsidiary occupation of newspaper correspondent, with the occa sional additional task of poetry writing. He found time to produce a number of poems which have been read with plea sure by a wide circle. He was unique in one respect in the district—i.e., his religion; having for many years been a staunch advocate of the revelations and doctrines given to The New Jerusalem Church' by its founder, Swedenborg. Mr. Berry was completely isolated in this respect in the district; but though he made no converts to his faith, yet neither did he make any enemies. In character he was highly esteemed by all classes. He was a great reader, a deep thinker, and a skilful debater. He was the local correspondent of the Exeter paper, the Western Times, for many years, and most efficiently performed the duties. He was in the 71st year of his age when he expired. He had only taken to his bed on the previous Friday.'

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THE world in which we live invites to an investigation of causes, and the rational nature which we possess cannot rest satisfied without a perception of them. We are liable, however, to confine our investigations to too low a sphere. We can trace natural effects to natural causes, and hence are disposed to rest in the conclusion that everything in nature can be accounted for on natural principles. But no man can come to this conclusion, to the denial of a Great First Cause, who has not first said in his heart, There is no God. This is the secret source of atheism; and when a man sets out with such a negation in his mind, it is not difficult for him to confirm it to his own satisfaction. Although matter implies the existence of a cause, it does not discover, nor afford the means of discovering, what that cause is.

This is declared by Revelation alone. In the Divine Volume we are furnished with information calculated to relieve us from all perplexity and error on this important point; we acquire from its sacred pages the knowledge of the self-existent and infinite Being who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and to whom we and all other beings owe our existence. The same Book of Inspiration declares that the Divine Hand is still extended to uphold and to regulate the Divine work, and that even the most minute of man's states and concerns are matters of this paternal circumspection of Him who inhabiteth eternity.

While to Revelation alone belongs the discovery of these great

truths, nature affords abundant means of confirmation. This is all that nature is capable of doing.

Spiritual and Divine truths are beyond the sphere of nature, and consequently can never be discovered by any evidence that originates within it. Yet natural truth, being from the same source, cannot but harmonize with all truths of a higher kind; and therefore must be confirmatory of them, although it never can be sufficient without them-never sufficient to give man a knowledge of the cause itself which produced nature.

But even those who, from Revelation, acknowledge the Divine origin of the natural world, do not generally recognise the existence of any intermediate or instrumental spiritual causes employed by the Divine Being in creating and sustaining it. Some Christian authors indeed have given their opinion in favour of the idea that there is a gradation in the scale of moral being, as there is in that of natural existence; that as there is a regular succession of links in the chain of creation, from the highest subjects of the animal kingdom down to the lowest of the mineral, so is it probable that man is but the lowest link in the chain of rational existence which depends immediately from the Deity? But few perhaps will be found inclined to admit that the spiritual world, as a part of the creation of God, was the instrumental cause of the existence of the natural world, and is the instrumental cause also of its subsistence.

The prevalent obscure, and in some respects erroneous, notions concerning the spiritual world, and respecting the natural world, as regards its creation, are unfavourable to such an opinion. The spiritual world is almost universally conceived of as a mere expanse, of which nothing like form or substantiality is predicable. This idea of the spiritual world appears to have been derived from the common fallacy of supposing everything unsubstantial which is not perceivable by the bodily senses. A similar idea is also perhaps impressed on the minds of the most simple respecting some of the most powerful agents in nature; but those of deeper research know that the invisible powers of nature are not the less entitled to the name of substances than the gross matter which we tread upon. In Scripture heaven is described in language equally expressive of substantiality with the natural, but the descriptions are generally regarded as figurative. Nothing possible is believed to be deducible from Scripture on the subject; and we can only therefore hope to make an impression on the mind by reason and analogy. Reason is undoubtedly in favour of the idea that the world, which is highest in the scale of creation, should be the most perfect;

and that, as it was created to be the abode of human beings in a higher stage of existence, it should be in its nature as much more perfect than the natural world, as the human soul is more perfect than the human body, or as spiritual beings are more perfect than material.

But another obstacle to the admission of the idea that the natural world is but an effect from the spiritual world, is the notion that the world was created out of nothing by the mere fiat of the Almighty. This opinion has not been derived from the Word; but has been adopted in opposition to the doctrine of atheism,—that the world always existed, or was formed by chance out of pre-existing matter. In order to escape the Scylla of one error the Church has rushed into the Charybdis of another. Every one who thinks from reason can see that the universe was not created out of nothing, because he can see that out of nothing nothing can come; for nothing is nothing, and to make anything out of nothing is a contradiction, and a contradiction is contrary to the light of truth which is from the Divine Wisdom; and whatever is from the Divine Wisdom exists in and by the Divine omnipotence. It may be asked, then, from what was the universe produced? We may answer in the words of the Apostle-"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that things that are seen were not made of things which do appear." In these words the Apostle, while he states that the world was not made out of any pre-existing natural substances, such as those which the earth is seen to be composed of, yet does not by any means say that the world was made out of nothing. On the contrary, he leaves it to be inferred that the worlds were made out of things which do not appear. And what are those things but such as are spiritual, which do not appear to the natural eye? To say that natural substances were formed from spiritual substances will no doubt in some minds excite surprise. But it is to be considered that it is not contrary to our ideas of the order of creation, even as we see it manifested in natural things, that one thing should be produced from another, as an effect from its efficient cause. That things in themselves spiritual should be the means whereby the Almighty gave existence to things natural, and thus that the spiritual world was the proximate cause of the natural, is agreeable to the order of the Divine operation. From God himself all things that exist must have proceeded-first, spiritual things, and by these natural things. "Every one who thinks from clear reason must see that all things were created out of a substance which is substance in itself; for this is the real principle of being

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