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It is no doubt a very possible thing for a man to be confirmed in a foregone conclusion, which is still a fallacy, and to believe all the while that he is resting in a genuine truth, seen in its own appropriate light. It is equally possible, on the other hand, that such a conclusion may be a genuine truth, which the holder of it may have no hesitation in affirming with the utmost confidence. A thing confirmed is not necessarily false, nor is it the effect of N. C. principles to weaken a rational assurance of the soundness of any deduction in science, morals, or religion. We are not able to see, therefore, that our correspondent's strictures on this head amount to much. It is no doubt well to be cautious and deliberate in coming to our conclusions; but when one is fully satisfied, on valid grounds, of the truth of certain convictions, he is unquestionably at liberty to say that they must "harmonize with the authoritative teachings of the New Church." "When the understanding," says Swedenborg, "is enlightened by Divine Light, it then perceives what is true to be true, it inwardly acknowledges it, and, as it were, sees it, such is the revelation of those who are in the affection of truth from good" (A. C. 8780). One, however, who is usually timid, vacillating, and feeble in his grasp of truth will be apt to be very backward in taking positive ground on any subject, and prone to read presumption and precipitance in the conduct of those who do.

So much for the first head. The same remarks apply in substance to the second. S. M. W. assumes that our views, as propounded in the pages of the Repository on the subject of Clergy and Laity are, of course, pre-conceptions, the fruits of our own self-intelligent reasonings, and not the result of an unbiassed study and fair interpretation of Swedenborg's teachings. His own construction is infallibly the right one, while ours is a mere inference resting on pre-established opinion, He then proceeds to argue the matter, and to show how grossly the views hitherto advanced by us distort and falsify our great teacher's real meaning. So perfectly palpable to him is the drift of our author's instruc tion on this theme that it is astonishing how any one can possibly see the matter in any other light, and the fact that he does is proof positive that he sees through colored glasses, instead of the transparent crystal which has aided the vision of our friend, the non-confirmator.

We have frequently gone over this ground before, but as rich gleanings always remain in the field of truth, we shall not refuse to accompany S. M. W. in his appeal to the oftcited chapter on "Ecclesiastical and Civil Government." And first, it is evident that our correspondent regards this chapter as a divinely appointed platform for the government, civil and ecclesiastical, of the New Jerusalem. This he endeavors to show by quoting certain passages in which it is said that the doctrine contained in the book "is for the New Church," and that it is heavenly doctrine as being revealed from heaven, and from its being in strict accordance with the spiritual sense of the Word. Now that the work in question is, in its general scope, designed for the New Church, we are ready to grant at once. But that the chapter in question was specifically intended for a directory to the New Church in the matter of its civil or ecclesiastical polity, we are constrained to deny. (1.) Our correspondent's quotation above given is sufficient to disprove it. "As to what concerns the following doctrine, this also is from heaven, inasmuch as it is from the spiritual sense of the Word; and the spiritual sense of the Word is the same with the doctrine which is in heaven." If this be so, the chapter under consideration accords, like the rest, with the internal sense of the Word, and is built upon it. But the internal sense of Priest and King is goodness and truth, and consequently, S. M. W. is not at liberty to take them literally. The New Church, so far as it is truly a spiritual church, founded upon the spiritual sense of the Word, knows no other than a spiritual priesthood and a spiritual kingship. (2.) The state of things which is described as making governors necessary is one toto cœlo different from what we are taught to regard as predicable of the New Jerusalem. "It is impossible that order can be maintained in the world without gover

nore, whose duty should be vigilantly to observe the proceedings of those who act according to order, and of those who act contrary to order, that they may reward the former, and punish the latter. Unless this were done, the human race would inevitably perish. The desire of ruling others, and of possessing their property, being hereditary in every individual, and being the source whence all enmity, envying, hatred, revenge, deceit, cruelty, and numerous other evils proceed; unless men, in the exercise of their prevailing inclinations, were, on the one hand, restrained by the fear of the laws, and the dread of punishment involving the loss of honor, of property, and of life, as a necessary consequence of a course of evil; and, on the other hand, encouraged by the hope of honor and of gain, as the reward of well doing, there would speedily be an end of the human race." Now, we would ask if any candid and intelligent man, with Swedenborg's explication of the last two chapters of the Apocalypse in his hand, can possibly suppose this description to be applicable to the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is a new church, in closest conjunction with heaven, and the men of that church are heavenly men, who are governed by other motives than the "fear of the laws, and the dread of punishment." Let the closing chapters of Isaiah be consulted, in which it is said of the New Jerusalem, that "henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean ;"" thy people shall be all righteous;" and the declaration of John in the Apocalypse, that "there shall not enter into the city any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie," and then let any one pronounce whether such necessities for restraining laws and rulers can exist in that celestial economy. The fact is, the author in this part of his work is treating of the institutions which in the Divine Providence prevail "in the world," ," "in the various societies of mankind," and his object is to declare that such and such principles, which are really N. C. principles, ought to pervade and animate them. This brings the subject within the general scope of the work, and this is its true relation to the whole. Nothing is more idle than to think of finding a formula of government, either for church or state, which the New Dispensation is to adopt, in the paragraphs referred to. Priests are entirely an exotic in the New Church, although there is a function of teaching, and, as Swedenborg says, dignity and honor are due to those who discharge this function, though it is rather to the employment, than to the person that this respect is to be rendered, it being separated from the person when the person is separated from the employment (H. D. 317). From this it would seem manifest that the function may be discharged by one who has ordinarily some other calling, and therefore is not raised by the office into a new and distinct rank or caste. Our correspondent seems to labor under the usual difficulty of conceiving that there can be a ministry of teaching without the creation, at the same time, of a perfectly distinct priestly order. But on this point we doubt if we can help his vision by any collyrium which we could administer to the optical organ.

Our correspondent is strong in the assurance that Swedenborg no where teaches that the hells, or any thing pertaining to the hells, are or ought to be governed according to the laws of order. This, however, we set down to the account of inadvertence. S. M. W. will not deny that the following passage discloses very unequivocally that the hells are governed, in some sense, according to order, or the laws of order. "It is to be noted that there are innumerable hells, distinct according to the genera of all evils and falses thence derived, and according to their species, and the particulars of the species; and that in each hell there is an order which is preserved by the Lord, both immediately and mediately by the celestial angels; occasionally also angels are sent thither to reduce into order what is disorderly therein" (A. C. 6370). Of course it is not implied that the order of hell is precisely the same with that of heaven, but still there must be of necessity the prevalence of some kind of order in every part of the Lord's empire. "The power of the Lord is not only over heaven, but also over hell, for hell is kept in order and connexion by

oppositions against heaven; for which reasons he who governs the one must necessarily govern the other" (A. R. 62). Such, then, is the matter of fact. The hells are governed by, or rather from, the laws of order which are adapted to the internal states of their inmates, albeit it is the order rather of permission than of providence. Still it is proper to

say that the hells ought to be in the order of the heavens, for it is owing to an abuse of their freedom that they are not; and so likewise it is proper for Swedenborg to declare that both the church and the world ought to be ruled by the internal principles of the Lord's kingdom, which are the principles of the New Church; and this we suppose him to have done in the work in question.

We had remarked upon the peculiar phraseology of Swedenborg in speaking of the duties of priests, to wit: that they are to teach the people "according to the doctrines of their church (ecclesiæ suæ) derived from the Word," and observed that there was in it an intimation of a diversity of churches incompatible with what we are taught respecting the structure of the New Church. The import we suppose to be that as a matter of Christian honesty and integrity every so-called priest was morally bound to be faithful to his convictions, and teach what he and the church to which he adhered sincerely believed to be the genuine doctrines of truth derived from the Word. And is not this a principle of the New Church, that every man is to be faithful to the light he has, even though that light may not be the light of genuine truth? Is it wrong to give counsel to men adapted to their present states, even though those states be very defective in many respects? If so, what shall be said of Swedenborg's Scortatory doctrine, in which he undeniably adapts his suggestions to the states of natural men who are not yet prepared to act from higher promptings? Now, the reader will notice that S. M. W. offers no solution whatever of the problem involved in the peculiar phraseology adverted to. He declares, with a holy shudder, that it cannot possibly imply that Swedenborg would prescribe the teaching of doctrines that are totally false and lead to hell, and yet he does not condescend to inform us what it does mean, or how it is to be construed so as to be consistent with his view of what our illuminated author intended to teach. Here the expression stands as a fact that is in some way to be disposed of, and yet it is a burden resting upon his argument which our critic does not deign to lift with one of his fingers. The phraseology is not uncommon in our author's writings, and we may safely appeal to general usage as a key to his meaning in the passage before us. Thus, "those who are of the external church, are clearly in its externals, but obscurely in its internals, whereas those who are of the internal church are clearly in internals, and obscurely in externals; but those who are in exter. nals, and not at the same time in internals, are not of the church; all those are in both who are in the good of life, according to the doctrines of their church (ecclesiæ suæ); but those are in externals without internals, who are in worship, and not at the same time in the good of life according to the doctrines of the church" (A. C. 8762). "Those who are in the affection of truth from evil, that is, who desire to know truth merely for the sake of honor, gain, reputation, and the like, do not see truths, but only such things as confirm the doctrines of their church (ecclesiæ sua), whether they be true or false” (A. C. 8780).

A similar vein of remark is applicable to what S. M. W. says also in the last of the above paragraphs. He admits the truth of the position which, upon the authority of Swe denborg, we have assumed relative to every man of the church being a church in the least form. This, he says, no Newchurchman denies. What then is it that he denies, or what fault has he to find with it? "It is the inference you draw from this declaration." And what is the inference objected to? Why, that if every man of the church is a church in the least form, all the constituents of a church are epitomized in him. Is not this a fair inference? Does it not in fact inevitably follow from the premises? If not, why does not our correspondent attempt to expose its fallacy? Why does he assume magisterial airs, and read a homily on human imperfection in general, when his business is to detect and show up the particular imperfection of our reasoning?

But we leave the matter to the good sense of our readers. They will, with us, give our critic credit for aiming to perform a kind office in the capacity he has assumed of correcting the logical or ethical errata which he fancies himself to have detected in the various impressions that we have given of our views on several different topics. At the same time, it will be no difficult task, we opine, to perceive that he has not, in the above article, given token of possessing all the requisites in himself necessary to render him a very efficient rebuker of other men's infirmities.

ARTICLE III.

THE PARABLES EXPLAINED.

No. IX.

THE PARABLE OF A CERTAIN MAN WHO HAD TWO SONS.

"A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not; but afterwards he repented and went. And he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir; and Whether of them twain did the will of his father," &c., &c.-MATT. XXI.

went not.

28-33.

Q. WHAT do you here understand by a certain man, and his two sons?

A. The term certain is not in the original, but is added by the translators. In the original, therefore, it is said, a man had two sons, and by the term man is here meant, the Lord in His DIVINE HUMANITY, who is, properly, the ONLY MAN, whilst all other men are men by derivation from Him, or in consequence of the life which He continually imparts. By the two sons, therefore, of this man, are figured and represented two distinct classes of people, comprehending the whole human race; one of which classes, as it afterwards appears, is principled in an obedient will, but not so much in an enlightened understanding, whilst the other is in possession of an enlightened understanding, but is deficient in the point of obedience, or of a submissive will.

Q. But it is written of the above man and his two sons, that He came and said unto the first, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. What do you conceive to be the force and import of the two expressions here used, He came and said?

A. Two distinct expressions are here employed to denote the two distinct principles of the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom; the former of which is involved in the term came, whilst the latter is involved in the term said. Thus the two terms combined denote the marriage-union of those two divine principles, and inculcate, further, the edifying lesson, that before the ALMIGHTY can address man to advantage with His divine wisdom, He must first come, and move man's affections by the presence of His divine love; in other words, man must begin to regard an eternal end before he can be qualified to understand the eternal truth.

VOL. V.

30

Q. And what do you understand by the command here given, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard?

A. By the vineyard, here spoken of, is spiritually understood the Lord's Church here on earth, agreeably to what is written in the Prophet, The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel (Isaiah v. 7). And the church is a vineyard in consequence of cherishing the principles of heavenly truth from JESUS CHRIST, who, as being the divine fountain of truth, calls Himself the true vine (John xv.) To go, then, and work in this vineyard, is the important duty binding on all the children of men, as implying a life in conformity to the truth, signified by the term go, and also co-operation with JESUS CHRIST in opposing those affections, appetites, and passions, which are contrary to the truth, signified by the term work. It is said to-day, because by to-day, according to the spiritual idea, is meant, to eternity, and therefore, the expression is used in order to instruct mankind that they ought forever to cherish in their minds the principles of heavenly life, by combating all contrary principles, and thus rendering themselves receptive, to all eternity, of the divine love and the divine wisdom.

Q. But it is written of this first son that he answered and said, I will not; but afterwards he repented and went. What do you conceive to be involved in this reply, and in the son's consequent con. duct?

A. The reply and consequent conduct of this son involve in them two distinct considerations; first, that the understanding of this son was not in agreement with his father's requirement, which disa greement is marked by his saying, I will not; for saying has reference to the thought or understanding; and secondly, that the will of this son was not opposed to the father's command, on which account it is said that afterwards he repented, and went. By this son, therefore, as was above hinted, are represented and described all those of the human race who externally, or in thought, oppose divine counsels, but who yet inwardly, or in affection, do not oppose; thus by this son are represented and described specifically the Gentiles, who are not in possession of the Word of revelation, and who, consequently, cherish thoughts, ideas, and persuasions, which are not in agreement with that Word, but who, yet, notwithstanding this disagreement in their intellect, are still, by reason of their simplicity and sincerity, disposed to admit the ETERNAL TRUTH for the rule and government of their lives.

Q. And what do you conceive to be the import of the reply and consequent conduct of the second son, as expressed in these words, I go, sir, and went not?

A. The reply and consequent conduct of this second son involve in them the true state of his mind, which was such as to enable him to discern clearly what his duty was, and how he ought to comply with his father's will, whilst, at the same time, his own will was inclined to act contrary to his father's, and also to oppose his own sense of duty and obligation. Thus, this second son is a representative figure of all those of the human race whose understandings are enlightened to see what line of conduct is good and right for them to

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