immorality and profligacy, or the hypocritical semblances of piety and virtue he may have put on, prove any hindrance to his being instantaneously pardoned and justified by faith in the vicarious sacrifice of the substituted victim. The individual may thus, to use Luther's expression, have "sinned mightily:" no matter; the faith in the vicarious atonement infused into him at a given moment, as counted by the clock, will, at that very moment, render him, in the sight of God, whiter than the driven snow!

But further, we would point out that the theory under discussion makes no account whatever of man's powers of co-operation with the Lord in the work of his regeneration.

This

In fact, man is said to be wholly impotent in the matter. doctrine of man's utter impotency in matters pertaining to his salvation, which, at other times, is carefully kept out of sight, is strenuously insisted on in seasons of religious excitement, such as that which is now passing over this metropolis. Accordingly, it is asserted that man has nothing whatever to do in these matters. And that assertion is reiterated in an almost infinite variety of forms, and, as just observed, strenuously insisted upon, on the specious plea that, for man to add anything of his own to what is commonly termed "the finished work of Christ," would be to say in effect that that work had not been completed, and thereby to rob Christ of His glory! Then this teaching is bolstered up by sundry Scripture passages, carefully and dexterously severed from their context, that they may seem to afford it support. And this doctrine is inculcated, not only to adults from pulpit and platform, but also to children in the little publications intended for their perusal. We have now before us a Number of one of these juvenile publications, bearing the title of "Seeds of Truth for the Young," in which is to be read the following dialogue :'James and Charles-James, what must I do to be saved?' 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.'-' But I mean, James, what work must I do?'-'Why, Charles, "this is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." But, must I not do my part, James?'' You have no part to do, for Christ on the cross said, "It is finished." But I want to work out something.'-' God giveth righteousness to him that worketh not-(Rom. iv. 5.)'-(No. for August 1873). Such teaching, thus bolstered up by mutilated Scripture texts, it may be readily perceived, systematically, and of settled purpose, excludes all co-operation on the part of man in the great work of his regeneration; thus assimilating him to a stock or a stone in all matters pertaining to salvation and eternal life. Thus, then, may be seen that the numberless Divine and apostolic exhortations to cease to do evil and learn to do well," and to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling," are by such teachings absolutely set at nought, and "made of none effect." But,

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If these doctrines be followed out to their ultimate consequences, they will land us into the abominable and revolting dogma of absolute predestination. For, in the crowds that usually attend religious

services, in general and "Revival" meetings in particular, there are, besides the "converted characters," two classes, and two only ;-those who undergo the process of "conversion" described in our former paper, and those who do not. Now, since neither the one class nor the other have any part to do" (see above), and since both are said to lie under the same curse and the same Divine displeasure, it is plain that those whom God is pleased to select, as subjects of His converting grace, must needs be selected altogether irrespectively of any antecedent qualification in themselves which would render them fit objects for such selection; and, on the other hand, that those whom God leaves untouched, must needs be so left, also irrespectively of any antecedent disqualification in themselves, which would render them unfit for the reception of the same converting grace. So that the selec tion of some and the rejection of others would appear to result, not from any fixed principles of action in the Deity, but solely from arbitrary will. And, since God had had this selection and this rejection in His Divine Mind from eternity, the horrible dogma of Absolute Predestination must follow as a necessary consequence.

Nor are we left to mere inference on this point. In a sermon, published by Mr Spurgeon last year, containing his deliberate utterances, since he himself revised it for the press, occurs the astounding declaration that "the Jewish law of the ten commands was never intended to save any man!" and, further on, the implied assertion that there are men "whom God does not intend to save!" Now, these are not sentiments that might have prevailed in a former age, but are now generally exploded; they are sentiments which are in the present day cropping up, side by side with rationalism and infidelity, with more luxuriance than ever.

Shall we go on? No. What we have advanced is amply sufficient. Now, what we are particularly desirous of impressing upon ourwe cannot help thinking-somewhat over-sanguine friends, is this FACT, which has assumed of late unusual prominence, namely, that the doctrines which, according to Swedenborg, have sounded the funeral knell of the first Christian Church (vide T. C. R. 132, 133), so far from receding before the new Truths now coming to the light of day, are, on the contrary, presenting a bolder front than ever, and exhibiting themselves in all their naked ugliness. Nay, that they are held up by their teachers as "The Gospel, the whole Gospel, and nothing but the Gospel." Thus that all teachings which would imply that man has aught to do, nay, that he can do aught in the matter of his salvation, are shown up as "robbing Christ of the glory of His finished work," and therefore as soul-destroying heresies. And thus that the Apocalyptic prophecy is at this day being fulfilled under our very eyes, "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Apoc. xii. 12).

All hope, therefore, that the Truths of the New Dispensation can ever be successfully grafted upon the decaying and already rotten

trunk of that which is passing away, must in the end prove vain and delusive. While, then, we would have Christian courtesy and Christian kindness shown in all our intercourse with the teachers and favourers of those doctrines which-let the truth be spoken-we would fain see sent back to the place whence they originated, let us at the same time never forget that stern duty forbids us to suffer "that woman Jezebel, which called herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce the servants of the Lord to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols."

F. D.

Reviews.

THE UNSEEN UNIVERSE. Macmillan & Co. Pages 212.

THIS work is published anonymously, but is said to be the production of two professors who stand in the first line of scientific men of the day. Its object is to show that science points strongly to the necessity of acknowledging the existence of a spiritual universe, everywhere pervading the physical one, just in the way familiar to all who receive the doctrines of the New Church. The authors are not New Churchmen; they write entirely from the scientific standpoint, yet their work is most significant for its faithfulness, its breadth, and its liberality.

There is a school of scientific men that affects to ignore all that cannot be tabulated in mathematical and chemical formularies, and is quite as narrow as that of theological bigots, which dreads the inquiries and deductions of science. The writers of the "Unseen Universe" belong to neither of these classes, and they have produced a work which is well worth close and diligent study.

They give first, a chapter, which they call an " Introductory Sketch of the history of the 'Doctrine of Immortality,'" not of course so copious as the American Alger's book on that subject, but still a clear and instructive notice; and, towards the end of this portion of their labours, they introduce Swedenborg in a very respectful manner.

After referring to the fancies of some who have given their maundering ravings as revelations from the unseen world, and who may at once be set aside by scientific minds as the victims of delusion, they remark (p. 38)—

"There is, however, one system which merits fuller treatment, inasmuch as it has led to a mode of viewing the spiritual world which has many followers at the present day. Emanuel Swedenborg, the apostle of this system, was in many respects a remarkable man. Living more than a century ago, and during the time when science was pausing for the spring she has since made, he seems to have foreshadowed, if he did not anticipate, many of the doctrines of the present day. We are not, however, now concerned with his purely physical speculations.

"Swedenborg has written at great length regarding the nature and destiny of man, and the constitution of the unseen world, into which he asserts he had the power of entering."

They then, through several pages, give with tolerable accuracy an outline of Swedenborg's system of the spiritual world, and then observe (p. 40)—

"We have now said enough to give our readers some idea of Swedenborg's spiritual system. Unquestionably, it is the system of a profound thinker, and many great men have not hesitated to express their admiration of Swedenborg and his works. It is one thing, however, to admit THE BEAUTY, THE PHILOSOPHICAL COMPLETENESS, and even the POSSIBLE TRUTH OF MANY OF HIS STATEMENTS, and another thing to believe

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that he actually conversed with the inhabitants of another world in the way in which one man converses with another.

"But, after all, suppose that the everyday experience of men is that only he who lives in the world, as not of the world, lives a true life, and that is the Bible teaching, whose, then, is the true doctrine? Swedenborg errs if he claims this as his exclusive personal experience (which he does not). Paul claimed it as belonging to all men. Surely men of science should of all men claim this likewise."

They proceed to declare their conviction of Swedenborg's unquestionable honesty, and then intimate very gently the possibility of his open intercourse being doubtful, which they are led to hesitate to admit from his information respecting the planets, not taking in the undiscovered planets Uranus and Neptune; and from the circumstance of his describing Jupiter, Saturn, and our moon, as being inhabited, which they conceive from scientific analogy is hardly likely to be the case. With all respect to the distinguished authors, we cannot regard either of these objections as so weighty as they believe them.

Having spiritual intercourse does not imply that the person so situated shall discover everything or know everything. Paul had abundance of revelations, he tells us, and was admitted to hear and see things in the third heaven, but he gives no hint that anything was revealed to him respecting the astronomical system of the universe at all. As to the habitability of Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon, science is confessedly uncertain, and therefore can really only rightfully assume a state of mental

suspense.

Swedenborg is named and referred to in several other portions of the work, and always with a tone more or less appreciative.

In different parts of the treatise they admit the reality of the spiritual body, of our Lord's glorified body, and avow their belief in a spiritual universe, as the result of the closest scientific examination, and of the doctrine of a particular Providence as explained by Swedenborg. They speak of the resurrection of the very same earthly body as one of the MOST absurd conceptions of immortality.

We have long been of opinion that this doctrine would be the first part of the old system universally discarded.

They discuss the great subjects they have in hand under the following heads-PHYSICAL AXIOMS, THE PRESENT PHYSICAL UNIVERSE, MATTER AND ETHER, DEVELOPMENT, THE POSSIBILITY OF SUPERIOR INTELLIGENCES (and they conclude that man in his capabilities is the highest order of intelligences), THE UNSEEN UNIVERSE, and, amongst the many evidences of the absolute existence and nearness of the spiritual world, they quote the narrative of Elisha and his servant (2 Kings vi. 15-17), just as New Churchmen do.

Our aim being rather to review and describe the work, and commend it to our readers AS A SIGN OF THE TIMES, than to discuss every portion of it, we must draw our notice of it to a close. We cannot, however, do so without referring to one subject which occupies a considerable portion of the book, and which, although expressed with all the energy of a strong conviction, we cannot but commend to their reconsideration again and again. They state their belief that the visible universe will at some immensely distant epoch be worn out and cease to be. They base this first upon Scriptural assurance, and secondly, on scientific observation; and on the earth, of the exhaustion of coal and iron (p. 155).

With relation to the first part, we may remark that the learned writers would doubtless admit it as a subject rather of interpretation than of science. It is now very generally admitted by theologians that the passing

away of heaven and earth, and the creation of new heavens and a new earth, have no reference to the physical universe, but only to the passing away of one dispensation or system of church and state in the world, and the creation of another. This has been abundantly shown in works both in and out of the New Church, and is so obvious in the sacred writings themselves, that we need only indicate it on the present occasion (Ps. lxxv. 3; Isa. li. 16, lxv. 17, 18).

The second, namely, the philosophical reason for the limited duration of the stupendous system of the visible universe, we cannot but conclude is based on very insufficient data, and will not bear thorough examination, any more than the asseverations of Whiston and others, the scientific men of one hundred years ago, who speculated, some that comets would set us on fire, some that they would drown us, and some that they would knock us to pieces, while others maintained that the earth was gradually limiting its orbit and approaching the sun, and therefore certainly would, one day, be drawn into and lost in that luminary.

It is now known that comets are very harmless things, and if our earth were to pass right through one we should probably scarcely observe it, any more than the comet some dozen years ago obscured Arcturus, when the star was seen, night after night, as brilliantly as ever shining right through its body.

How can there be any data to lead to the conclusion that the earth is slowly approaching the sun, when the exact distance of the earth from the sun was one of the questions which it was hoped would be satisfactorily settled by the numerous and diversified observations of the last transit of Venus, over the sun, only A FEW MONTHS ago?

The distinguished authors of the work before us conclude that the sun will be exhausted at some period, however remote, and with the sun, his system of worlds, from his abundant supply in all directions, and his lavish waste of energy. But, does not this go on the assumption that at the creation there was a limited stock of energy given, and there has since been no supply?

One principle, often advanced by Swedenborg, removes the whole difficulty, PRESERVATION IS CONTINUAL CREATION. He who created the sun at first, is constantly creating. Energy flows out, but energy flows in. The supply is infinite. How then can it be exhausted, and all visible things perish.

Such considerations as the diminution of our stock of coal and iron in the earth can hardly be allowed to lead us to the idea that the earth itself will expire, for to say nothing of possible supplies being formed now in other portions of the terraqueous globe, we must remember that these are only required by our present civilization, and the present transition state of scientific information. We may get our supplies of heat, light and power, from other less cumbrous agencies, long before we need feel any alarm from our decreasing coal. Had some scientific man before the fourteenth century predicted the end of the world, from the diminishing trees that could be used for fuel; and we had happened to come across his lucubrations at the present time, when we are using a thousand times as much heat as they did before the discovery of coal, and yet our forests, as beautiful, as rich, and as flourishing as ever, we should only have smiled at another illustration of the grand proverb, "Man's necessity is God's opportunity." Geology enables us to look back to the creations, formations and changes of some THOUSANDS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS, in which the general conditions of life on the earth, as to land and water, cold and heat, light and shade, with various seasons, must have been tolerably similar to what they now are