open to the very light and heat of heaven, and in this his discourse with God, angels would say of him, "Behold, he prays!" The worldly man has ten thousand excuses for not contributing to the wants of others, because he has not yet satisfied his own. The spiritual man delights to increase the happiness of others, because his own wants are few and easily supplied. The worldly man is dissatisfied though surrounded with wealth, while the spiritual is contented with what he possesses, and enjoys his daily bread. The worldly man's charity begins and ends at home-the spiritual man's charity begins at home; but, like a delicious stream, it flows to all around: in fact, worldly men dwell in appearances, but the spiritual in Divine realities. Of the mere worldly the Lord speaks, and cautions us to beware of them; "they love," saith the Lord, "to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men; verily I say unto you, they have their reward." (Matt. vi. 5.) Yes, it is indeed true that they have their reward!—they seek the praise of men, and they get it.

True prayer, at once acceptable to God and beneficial to man, is to be considered more in reference to a certain state or condition of mind, than to any utterance of words or gestures of body; it effects rather an alteration in man than in God. This is evident from the fact that the seasons or times of prayer are mentioned in Scripture in such a way as to give the idea of perpetuity and continuance without intermission. Thus in Luke xviii. 1, the Lord says, that "men ought always to pray, and not to faint." David says, "Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud." (Psalm lv. 17.) Paul, in 1 Thes. v. 17, says, "Rejoice evermore and pray without ceasing." Again, in Ephes. vi. 18, he says, "Pray always with all prayer and supplication," and with respect to the places of prayer, these are so numerous as to include all places. We are commanded to pray in the assembly of the uprightin the congregation-in the closet-in the temple. Prayer was offered up upon the house-top-on the sea shore-in the garden-on the mount-in the wilderness-upon the bed; and the Apostle says, "Pray every where, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting." (1 Tim. ii. 8.) If, then, we consider prayer in its true light, as denoting the elevation of the soul, with the opening of all the affections and thoughts to God, so that the Divine blessings which eternally surround us may enter in and dwell there, to enrich and render the man truly blessed, we may soon see the force, the beauty, and the reasonableness, too, of praying without ceasing, of praying always and everywhere. In all the varied circumstances of human life, wherever we are, and whatever we are doing, the mind should be open to the Divine Influences. Whether we be in the city or in the field—in the house of

merchandise, or in the house of God, in our worldly or in our heavenly callings, if our minds are open to the Lord, we shall be in a state of true prayer, and a consciousness of the Divine omnipresence would be the bliss of the soul, and the spring of every true delight.

A particular description of the true Christian in a state of prayer is given in Matthew's Gospel; and to impress this all-important subject upon the mind by representing it as Discourse with God, where nothing worldly or external is to intrude, the Lord says, "When thou prayest enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." (vi. 6.) Here the particular injunction is to enter into the closet and shut the door, then the praying in secret will bring the open reward.

Here allow me, gentle reader, to impress upon your mind this fact, that the Word of God, within its letter, contains throughout a spiritual and divine sense relating to the soul of man, and to all the states of his life. Without this admission we cannot see the necessity, when we pray, of entering into a closet and shutting the door. In Scripture the mind of man is frequently compared to a house, and the inmost affections, and desires thereof to closets and inner chambers: but what is here rendered a closet, would be more correctly translated a treasure house or house of dainties, which denotes the inmost of the mind, where the true spiritual treasures are stored up. To enter into this treasurehouse, is to enter into an inward state of love to God and purity, while to shut the door is to exclude all worldly influences and motives, that so the prayer may be sincere and real. The discourse with God would then be carried on without interruption. The Divine Goodness, denoted by the Father in secret, would descend and fill the soul with all possible joy and blessing; the brightest consolations would be felt in every external action, and would thus produce that reward openly that yields the truest and purest pleasures.

By considering, agreeably to truth, that prayer is an opening of all the powers and faculties of the soul to God-a receiving of his love and wisdom, and that this effects a mighty change in man, adapting him to receive and enjoy the celestial state with all its never-dying pleasures, and that without this, there can be no religion, no heaven, no happy immortality;-considering the subject in this light, we may see the truth of our Lord's words, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. It is impossible for the praying man to faint, but he who only says his prayers will faint, and be pleased when he comes to the Amen. Those who really pray are waiting upon the Lord, and "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with

wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." (Isa. xl. 31.) They shall run, or progress in Divine goodness, without being weary-they shall walk, or advance in wisdom, without fainting. Love excludes the idea of being weary-wisdom brings delight and alacrity, not fainting.

It is not the intention of the writer to make any part of this essay doctrinal; but nevertheless he cannot conclude without offering a few remarks to direct the mind of the reader to that Divine Object to whom all prayers should be addressed.

The solemn truth announced by Revelation, and to which all nature joyfully responds, is that there is ONE and but One God of heaven and earth, the Creator, Redeemer, and Supporter of the world, and that He is a Single, Divine Being.. Any creed that denies this is false and worthless;-it perverts Revelation, deadens the judgment, and destroys reason; corrupting, at the very fountain head, the most precious and glorious truths of Christianity. That Divine Being in whom all fulness dwells, and of whose fulness we receive, is the true Object of all prayer and praise. Do you, reader, ask, Who is this Divine Object? We answer, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily-in Him was life, and that life is the light of men. His essential Divinity, or all-creating Love, is the Father within Him, and sees in secret. His Divine Wisdom, Truth, or Light, manifested in the Person of Jesus Christ, is the Son, the express image of the Father's glory; and His Divine operative Power, which enlightens and quickens all with life, is the Holy Spirit, which, as the living breath of Jesus, gives life, illumination, and activity to all.

Let, then, our prayers be addressed to the Lord God the Saviour! Let them flow in sincerity, warm from the heart! We shall soon feel the quickening power of Jesus, and know of the doctrine whether it be of God!

G.

LETTER TO A CLERGYMAN OF THE CHURCH OF

ENGLAND,

ON THE CLAIMS OF SWEDENBORG'S WRITINGS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLD.

(Concluded from page 287.)

A GENERAL feeling with regard to the Second Advent pervades Christendom at this day, similar to that universal expectation which is represented as prevailing about the time of the First Advent. The Baptist that proclaimed the arrival of Advent was disbelieved,

and his testimony rejected by the rulers of the Church. Nevertheless, Messiah was come. In the present day all are expecting the Second Advent, and ONE proclaims its arrival. Thus far the two eras correspond: would that they did not correspond in another particular, namely, the rejection of the Witness, without the examination of his testimony! But Swedenborg is classed with Brothers, Southcott, &c. Nothing but gross ignorance or malicious wickedness could make such a classification; yet it is made, and he is rejected in the same category with them. And thus was the Baptist rejected, and esteemed of no more account than Theudas, who boasted himself to be somebody," or "Judas of Galilee, who drew away much people." Brothers, Southcott, &c. have perished, like Judas and Theudas; but has Swedenborg perished with them? No; he remains, like the Baptist. His testimony has stood the trial of nearly a century, (from 1749) and its adherents are at this moment increasing in every quarter of the globe. This, certainly, is no proof of its truth; but it is a presumption in its favour, and a strong argument for the propriety of investigation.

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And does not the present state of the Church furnish an additional argument for such a procedure? What is her present aspect? "A house divided against a house." Will it ever be united? or will it realize the title of a late sermon of Mr. Clifford's? Never, perhaps, was there a time when the minds of all who love religion were more intensely excited. From the proud and gorgeous Mystic Babylon, down to the quiet and simple Quaker,-Christian and Jew, all are in commotion: the Roman conclave rejoicing in the prospect of England's conversion; the English clergy apparently hastening with all their might to justify this expectation; the various bodies of Dissenters, far from being united, (as twenty years ago they appeared to be by the Bible Society,) now only united when opposing the Established Church. In the bosom of the Church itself one dignitary (Bishop Watson) says to his clergy in a charge, “I think it safer to tell you where the doctrines of Christianity are to be found, than what they are." Another, (Dean Vincent) "Would to God that questions of this sort had never been agitated, or professions of this kind never been required of us! Reason and language fail us while we mention these subjects; and while we are compelled to renounce the doctrines of our adversaries, we tremble at the ground we stand on ourselves." Dr. Hey, formerly Norrisian Professor at Cambridge, and whose works are even now read as preparatory to entering into orders, says, "We ought least of all to condemn and persecute our brethren, perhaps for no better reason than because their

* "The Church's last Struggle. A Sermon preached in the Church of St. Matthew, Bristol, by the Rev. J. B. Clifford, M.A."

nonsense and ours wears a different dress." Again, Dr. Hey is supposing the case of a person about to subscribe to the Liturgy and Articles, and endeavouring to shew in what state of mind he may do this conscientiously, so as to subscribe to the common doctrine of a Trinity in Unity. The following are extracts from his supposed reflections :-"When it is proposed to me to affirm, that in the Unity of this Godhead there be three persons of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I have difficulty enough! My understanding is involved in perplexity,―MY CONCEPTIONS BEWILDERED IN THE THICKEST DARKNESS." Again,-"Still there is one thing never to be forgotten for a moment; that is, the Unity of God: however the proofs of the Divinity of the Son and the Holy Ghost may seem to interfere with this, nothing is to be allowed them but what is consistent with it: the divine nature or substance can therefore be but one substance; the divine power can be but one power. But does not this confound all our conceptions, and make us use words without meaning? I think it does; I profess and proclaim my confusion in the most unequivocal manner. I make it an essential part of my declaration. Did I pretend to understand what I say, I might be a Tritheist or an infidel; but I could not both worship the One True God, and acknowledge Jesus Christ to be the Lord of all!!"*

These are awful, MOST AWFUL considerations! and I cannot help thinking that were I at this moment a young candidate for the priesthood, deeply conscious of sincerity towards God, yet agitated, perplexed, confounded by this subject, as these dignitaries describe themselves to be;-and seeing that those to whom I should look up were as ignorant and as confounded as myself-I should unhesitatingly take refuge in the bosom of professed infallibility. Two or three years ago I wondered at the progress of Puseyism: that wonder is now considerably abated.

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I have, dear Sir, a much-esteemed friend, a countryman of yours, and a learned man. Five-and-twenty years ago he was an opponent of Dr. Chalmers On the Christian Revelation and Modern Astronomy," and, incidentally, also of Swedenborg, in the same volume. His work was very highly approved by some very learned and eminent men, among others by my late revered pastor, the Rev. Thomas T. Biddulph. My friend (A. M.) was at that time, and for some years after, a member of the Independent Church in London under Dr. Winter, and was for eighteen years a regular monthly preacher. In the year 1821, a member of the same church requested him to have some conversation with a friend of his, to shew him the fallacy of the Swedenborgian theology, * These extracts are from Clissold's "Illustrations of the End of the Church."