At all events, there is no such word now. Three in one is enough for us. Then Swedenborg, and we after him, try to illustrate this by the love, motive, or affection which is the inmost of our nature, by the thoughts in which this inmost essence comes forth into existence and consciousness, and the activity which comes when the love through the thought leads to, and clothes itself with, the actions of the man.

Or we think of the soul, the body which the soul forms and uses as its instrument, and the activity of the soul through the body. Or we find a still more universal illustration in the fact that whatever exists must have an end for which it is, a form or method of existence by which this end may be accomplished, and a use or effect in which that primal end is clothed, and comes down into effect. And all this comes into the form of a spiritual or religious truth.

We know that God the Father is infinite and inconceivable love, and wisdom, and power. That He comes down in Jesus Christ, begotten by Him alone and born of a virgin, and without a human father, to be Immanuel, or God with us, no longer inconceivable and beyond all reach of thought, but our Father as a Divine Man, who may be to us an object of personal worship and love. And then,we know that the Divine Spirit, the spirit of love and wisdom from the Father and the Son, is eternally employed in helping us to become happy forever.

This is a simple view, needing no metaphysics, apprehensible in its simplest terms by a child, and attended with no difficulty or obscurity; unless we try to deal with this truth as no religious truth, and no truth but one of natural science can be dealt with, unless we try to do what the angels cannot do grasp and measure the infinite. The only essential is to believe that our Infinite Father came to us as Jesus Christ; is even now with us, clothed in all power, and using it with unspeakable watchfulness and tenderness for our salvation. This is all; one may ask if we should not try to have some rational comprehension of this; most certainly

we should. Of the infinite help, comfort, and strength this truth gives to our love and faith, I will not try to speak, for I cannot. But it is all endangered by that self-love from which none are free, and which makes us, when an angel would veil his face and bow down, open our eyes in the belief that if any truth be, then we can see it all. Oh! how this form of self-love clouds and darkens us, and often, unconsciously, because we cannot see all quite clearly, makes us lose our hold upon what we can see and feel. One of the very reasons for which clouds and darkness rest upon His throne, is that we may humble ourselves before Him, and cast out these devils of self-trust. And then, if we do this, He will make the clouds His chariot, and "come to us in the clouds."

A.

MAN'S SPIRITUAL CREATION.

THERE are two Divine Elements Love and Wisdom. From these, through their united action, all created things are produced. These elements may therefore be denominated First Principles. They not only created, but they also pervade and sustain, the entire universe.

Now, although these elements are distinctly two, yet they are inseparably one. In the Love there is Goodness; in the Wisdom there is Truth. And, spiritually speaking, Truth is a male element, and Goodness a female element. Hence everything is produced from the united action of male and female elements. Nothing moves, internally or externally, without their union and force. Not a breath in heaven nor on earth stirs without their mutual action. Nothing commences but from the embrace of these male and female elements. Every emotion of heart or head, feeling or thought, is theirs.

The intellectual of the thought is male, and the voluntary of the thought is female. And whenever the thought and affection move, it is in the union of the will and the understanding; and they give birth to an act; they produce some

thing. The third principle here manifested is simply the living energy of the male and female elements. By these elements everything has life, and is always in effort to produce its kind.

In the single ray of light from the sun we have the male and female elements. The light which we see contains the male element; and the heat which we feel contains the female element. And when in thought we ascend, by correspondence, through the heat and light, towards first principles, we have these male and female elements in Truth and Goodness. Here they are heavenly principles flowing from Divine Love and Wisdom. Thus the Divine Love is ever giving forth the female element, and the Divine Wisdom the male. And all nature is thereby filled, from God, with those elements.

Now every human mind, whether male or female, is made capable of receiving these two elements. The will is the receptacle of the female element, and the understanding of the male. When the Truth comes from God, or from His Word, it is, in itself, the embodiment of both elements. But the understanding sees only the male element the truth, or the surface. Yet, if we are in a state to love the truth, the will will receive the female element, or the goodness which that truth possesses within it. Thus the goodness enters the will, and the truth the understanding. But in doing this they are not separated from each other. They are above time and space. And the result is, they bring the will and the understanding together into union. The will now loves the truth, or is wedded to the Word, and is ready to do what it teaches. This is, so far, spiritual creation.

But, in man's fallen state, the will is not disposed to receive the good when the understanding first sees the truth. Thus man can then see that what the truth teaches is right, when he does not love it. He can therefore transgress the law when he knows better. In this case, though the understanding sees the truth, yet the will will not receive the good which that truth brings with it.

Now the only way for him to receive that good is to yield his will to that truth, and obey it until he loves it. This he is free to do or not. The will is the female department of the mind, and the understanding is the male department. The truth is male, and good is female. And in order for a spiritual creation, the will must yield to the rational entreaties of the truth, and freely obey, embrace, and receive it. The truth then deposits its goodness in the will, and the will thereby loves the truth, and becomes impregnated with its life. And as it lives out that life in the world, it gives birth to a new nature of justice and mercy.

Thus we are to be spiritually created. A new man is to be developed from conception to maturity. And as this new man is gradually developed, the "old man " is put down

crucified with his deeds. It is therefore from perfect correspondence that regeneration is called a "new birth." We are said to be born of God, because we are born of Goodness and Truth.

During the "Fall," the will, which was then the receptacle of goodness, gradually became corrupted, so that the female element became evil instead of good. And as the will became corrupt, it caused the understanding, the receptacle of truth, to become deceitful. Thus Eve gave to Adam, and he did eat. And the male and female elements of the human mind, in consequence of the fall, were no longer Truth and Goodness, but falsity and evil. Man, by the abuse of his freedom, engendered an evil will and a false understanding; and thence he perverted those noble elements, Goodness and Truth, given him as his true life; and the consequence is, all the crime and misery of the race.

And now, it is only by the conception and birth of a new will and understanding, with the united action of goodness and truth, that man can become regenerated; having a will again wedded to the truth, and an understanding to goodness, so that all his words and actions, yea, his whole life, is the lovely offspring of that heavenly marriage, ever giving forth "Peace on earth and good will toward men.”

A. S.

THE SOWER.

"Behold, a sower went forth to sow."

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PERHAPS he ploughed yesterday and will harrow to-morrow, but to-day he is a sower. If he is a good sower, if he sows well, then he has natural qualities which a man must have in order to become a good sower, and in addition to this he must have had practice — must have learned to sow; for no human being is born a sower, or a shoemaker, or a carpenter. Then he goes forth. He does not sit down for fear he may sow badly, or too much, or too little. Nor does he sit down and say that because God made the seed, and makes it grow, that God can sow it without his hands. He puts his left arm through the bail of his basket, and goes forth, playing with the seeds with the fingers of his right hand, as pleased as if he had made the seed himself, and much more pleased, if he is a good man. absolutely his as anything can gift of God, only his to use.

The seed is as truly and as be his, but it is only as the He is perfectly free to use it

as he will; he can make it into flour or sow it; but he cannot take it out of the Lord's world, nor away from the Lord any sense.

in

It is not for bread, for he is going to throw it down in the dirt. Is it less precious to him for this? Do men select the best wheat for bread, or do they save the best for seed? He goes forth; and what next? He sows, and sows broadcast. There is a great difference between sowing and planting; and this parable is about sowing. Planting in hills, or drills, is in order that we may see to it, and help it along while it is growing. We can hoe up the weeds, and loosen the earth around the plants. Sowing broadcast leaves the seed for the Lord to take care of more directly. seed is sown and harrowed, or brushed in, we (not even pull up the tares) until the harvest. hoe, water, weed, and toil. Sow and wait, pray. He

After the do no more Plant, and

watch and

He goes forth to sow; and how does he sow?

Does