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She had an extensive knowledge of the doctrines of the New Church, as contained in the writings of Swedenborg, reading them constantly ;-the largest work, the Arcana Cœlestia, having been, it is said, read through by her several times.

acquainted with the new doctrines 7 years before he became a member of any New Church Society. About two years before his death, he joined the Church in Roseplace, Liverpool. He took an active part in the affairs of the society, and occasionally assisted the leader in public worship and preaching; he also conducted a weekly Being unmarried, she lived with her meeting, for the improvement of the father, to whom she was warmly attached; members in the knowledge and love of indeed, a more tender and affectionate the heavenly doctrines. His life was dis- daughter never breathed. After the death tinguished for meekness, charity, patience, of her mother, in the year 1829, she was her and zeal for the good of others; his end father's constant companion, and adminiswas peace. On the Sunday following his tered to his wants with that close assiinterment (which took place according to duity and unremitting attention, which the beautiful form in the Conference Li- plainly evinced the depth of her affection. turgy), a funeral sermon was delivered in She possessed an active and vigorous mind, Rose-place, to a crowded congregation, joined, in her earlier years, to an active from Psalm xxxvii, 37. body, whose powers were ever exercised for the service of others; but many a night of sleepless watching by the bedside of her friends, had helped to impair her constitution, and she was unable, in her latter days, to perform those active uses which she formerly took so much delight in.

R. G. S.

DIED, on November 1st, 1845, in the 32nd year of her age, Mrs. Watson, the beloved wife of the Secretary of the Argyle Square New Church Society, leaving five young children to the care of their afflicted father. Mrs. Watson was much esteemed for her amiable character, and distinguished by an affectionate and meek disposition. She took great delight in the doctrines of the New Church, in which she had been educated from her childhood, and has doubtless been removed to increase the number of the New Christian Heaven.

On Sunday morning, the 16th November, Miss Sophia Sibly was removed to the Spiritual World. She was the third daughter of the late Revd. Manoah Sibly, who was so well known to most of the elder members of the Church, as having for fifty-two years preache 1 the heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem. Miss Sibly was baptized when an infant, at the same time with her mother, into the faith of the New Church; and she evinced in after life, a sincere and ardent affection for its doctrines, which nothing could quench, as all who knew her can testify. They were the delight of her life, and nothing gave her greater pleasure than to hear of their reception in the minds of others.

She was remarkably fond of young children, so much so, that she was seldom without their society; and only eight months before her death, she had received into her house two of the orphan children of her late nephew, Thomas Sibly Allum, with the view to cherish and educate them in the faith of the New Church.

The disorder which terminated her earthly existence was a disease of the heart, which had been coming on for the last five or six years, and had greatly increased during the last few months. Though at all times cheerful, she could not help feeling the tedious confinement that her ill health induced upon her, and in her last illness frequently expressed a wish that she might soon be released, although with a full reliance that her sufferings were of the Lord's mercy, for a good end. "What signifies" said she,

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a few weeks' pain and suffering, if by this means we gain another step of the heavenly ladder in the regenerate life ?"

After a week of severe suffering, in which every day was expected to be her last, she expired peacefully, in the fiftyseventh year of her age.

ERRATA in Mr. Mason's paper in the last number.-In page 445, line 10 from the bottom, erase the word and, together with the comma before it.

In page 446, line 12 from the bottom, for this reader substitute the reader.

Cave and Sever, Printers, 18, St. Ann's-street, Manchester.

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ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT SOURCE OF INCREASE TO THE NEW CHURCH WHICH ARISES FROM THE CHURCH ITSELF.

WHEN We contemplate the views of goodness and truth possessed by the members of the New Church, and the great principles of use to which they may direct and apply their energies, we cannot suppose otherwise than that they must produce a marked result, both in the conduct and the effects flowing from that conduct, as displayed by every honest and sincere mind that adopts those principles. If the practice of such receivers of the doctrines of the Church, correspond entirely with their principles, this will have the effect on all who come within the sphere of their influence, of inspiring love and regard. Such conduct will be the best and most powerful means of promoting the extension of those principles among all with whom they mingle; while, at the same time, it will be a manifestation of obedience to the teaching of the Lord, who has said,-"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

It is true that the dark cloud of prejudice, arising from cherished preconceived opinions, when these are contrary to genuine truth, might veil from the sight the inherent beauty connected with these truths, and consequently prevent those thus imbued from being benefited by the extension of the genuine principles of the Church into their minds;and so long as they undoubtingly cherished such preconceived opinions, nothing contrary to them, however pure and elevated it might be, could possibly gain admittance. But the source of increase to which I wish to call your attention is not that which arises from without, but that which arises from within the Church itself; and here, if the same means are used, there cannot possibly be a failure, for children have no N. S. NO. 74.-VOL. VII.

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preconceived opinions; and if their education be conducted with due care, no positively false opinion can be formed, but the mind will be conducted to the reception of truths of a genuine character. It must, then, be one of the most important duties in which any one can engage, properly to train the young mind, so that all the faculties are led to a harmonious action.

The subject of education now occupies the attention of the reflecting part of mankind, and it is now generally admitted that the former practice, and still too much of the present, is very defective. Too little attention is paid to the education of the feelings and the propensities. In most schools the intellect alone is educated;-at play, the children are left to educate their own propensities, without that due care being exercised over them which would be salutary to the progress of goodness; and for the cultivation of the moral feelings, they almost entirely depend on parents or guardians at home.

The best education, certainly, is one which equally trains all the powers of the human mind to a proper end. Intellectual greatness is not of itself lovely unless united with amiability of mind, which latter, again, cannot be guided to useful ends without being connected with an enlightened intellect.

But it is taking a much too narrow view of education, to suppose that it consists simply in imposing tasks and getting perfected in lessons. Experience has taught the reflecting, that children are shrewd observers of every circumstance coming within their observation, and thousands of principles are impressed on their minds from such observation; and this fact imposes a duty on all who wish their children well,— the duty of most carefully guarding their own conduct, lest any spirit or feeling, unworthy or impure, be manifested; for assuredly if it is, it will certainly make an impression on the young mind of a corresponding character with itself. As an example of the acuteness of children, I may extract the following from Mr. G. Combe's Notes on America :

"In the course of my lecture," says Mr. Combe, "I urged the necessity of women being thoroughly educated, for the sake of guiding the opening minds of children; and this evening one of the Society of Friends whom we visited read to me, in illustration of the subject, a part of a letter which she had just received from a married sister. The latter described the questions put to her by a child on hearing part of the Scriptures read. The child insisted on being informed whither Annanias and Sapphira went when they were struck dead: 'To Hell?' asked the child. The mother gave an evasive answer. 'To Heaven?' 'No.' 'Where then did they go?" On hearing the description of Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac, and of his being at last told to spare his son and sacrifice the ram, the child exclaimed, 'Well, I do say that that was cheating.' The mother could go no further. Mr. C. adds—“It would be very interesting and instructive to parents or teachers if a record were published of

the observations of children who have large moral and intellectual organs. Such a record would show the relation in which these stand to the human mind in its natural condition, before it has been influenced by commentaries and explanations, and indicate what portions of Scripture are calculated most directly to benefit the juvenile faculties."

Many instances might be given of the acuteness of children, but at present this is unnecessary: enough is known by all to show that every parent, as well as every good man and woman, should be exceedingly careful what they do or say in the presence of a child. Should we be so inconsiderate as to indulge in any thing improper before a child, the doing so would check in him, in some degree, the implantation of states of innocence and charity; which, as implanted in the minds of children, are called in the writings of the New Church-“REMAINS,"* and as it is just in proportion as remains are implanted that regeneration is possible, therefore to aid in their implantation should ever be a matter of primary importance to all who have an opportunity of coming into contact with children.

Where children have been brought up without much care being exercised over them as to moral training, and where they see little good example, it is not wonderful that they display evil in their lives, from which it is exceedingly difficult to extricate them. In the Chaplain's Report of the Preston House of Correction, presented at the October sessions, 1844, the following remarks are made on relapses into crime :

"The majority of these cases," says the writer, "refer to the young, and I need scarcely again repeat observations which I have too often had occasion to make in former reports, as to the difficulty of reforming a child who has been born and reared amidst poverty, neglect, and ill example."

This is a proof of the correctness of the statement we have already made, that reformation and regeneration are always according to the quantity and quality of remains; because remains are those seeds of goodness and truth which flow directly from the Lord into the inmost of the human mind, and by which man has the human character. The fullness of the implantation of those principless of goodness and truth, previous to the fall of man, is described by Jehovah "breathing into man's nostrils the breath of lives." By the expression-" and man became a living soul," is signified the extension of those principles, and their operation in his whole external life and conduct.

Since the Fall we have only the "remains" of that high and exalted state communicated unto us, in consequence of our inheriting from our parents hereditary tendencies of a counteracting character, tending to obstruct our reception from our Heavenly Father of that inflow

* See Index to A. C.

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ing life from Him into our souls, and also to pervert the external part of our nature; so that, instead of those seeds of good and truth flowing forth naturally into the external life and conduct, they have there no operation, and hence man, instead of being a living soul," is now, in reference to spiritual life, dead; from which state, however, he may be awakened and brought into "newness of life" by the proper operation of those means which the Lord has most wisely appointed for man's good.

Swedenborg, who of all writers has shed the most light on theological subjects, says, in reference to remains :—

"Every man is called a living soul by virtue of the living principle which is with him; it would not be possible for any man to live, especially to live as a man, unless he had with him some living principle, that is, unless he had with him somewhat of innocence, charity, and mercy, or somewhat thence derived of a similar nature, and bearing a resemblance thereto. This somewhat of innocence, charity, and mercy, man receives from the Lord during his states of infancy and childhood. What man receives at that time are preserved with him; the things thus preserved are called in the Word remains, which are of the Lord alone with man, and these cause man to be man, as may appear from this consideration, that man is not born into any exercise of life, like the brute animals, but has all and every thing to learn, and what he learns becomes habitual to him, and thus as it were natural; for he connot even walk or speak unless he be taught, and so in all other cases, which things by use become as it were natural to him. This is the case with the states of innocence, of charity, and of mercy, with which in like manner he is affected from infancy; and unless these states were present with man, he would be much viler than a brute. These states, however, are such as man does not learn, but receives as a gift from the Lord, and which the Lord prcserves with him. These states, together with the truths of faith, are what are called remains, and are of the Lord alone. In proportion as man in adult age extinguishes these states, that is, closes them up by persisting in a life of evil, he becomes dead. When man is about to be regenerated, these states are the beginnings of regeneration, and he is led by them, for the Lord, as was said, operates by remains."-A.C. 1050.

Swedenborg elsewhere compares remains "to a sort of heavenly star; the less it is so much the less light proceeds from it; but the larger it is so much more light it emits;" and "the fewer those remains are, the less capable man is of being enlightened as to things rational or scientific; for the light of goodness and truth enters by influx from the remains or by the remains from the Lord." From these extracts we learn that remains are from the Lord alone; that as the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on tables, so He writes or implants the principles of remains in the tables of the human mind. It is by these remains that good and truth from the Lord flow into man, which influx is variously received according to the state of life and faith in him; and hence, in reference to children where great care has been exercised in checking evil, which has a tendency to suffocate the remains of good and truth within,

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