circular has been printed, and forwarded to those ministers whom your Agent is about to visit. The results of this enterprise have been, as might have been expected, various; but so far as the work has progressed, it has been in the main satisfactory. With three exceptions, your Colporteur reports that he has been well, and with some even kindly received and invited to return. The Committee, with a view of promoting "the delivery of lectures, has directed that a small supplementary grant shall be acceded to small Societies, or to a small number of receivers of the Doctrines of the New Church who may be wishful that lectures explanatory of the Doctrines should be delivered, and are yet unable to defray all the expenses of lecture-room and advertising, and this will be carried out when the season for lectures arrives." The statistical table of the Sunday School Union gives 4,958 scholars in the schools of the Union, with an average morning attendance of 2,171 and afternoon attendance of 3,330. The increase in the schools has been 279, the decrease 51, leaving a total increase of 228. The number of teachers is 646; of junior members 438. From the Secretary's report we gain the following information respecting the circulation of books: "Minute 14 of the last meeting, which recognised the great uses performed by the Union in the distribution of New Church literature at reduced prices, recommended the establishment of Book Clubs. Your Board has not ascertained in how many schools Book Clubs have been formed; but the spirit of the Minute has been nobly carried out by the energetic action of Book Stewards, which has resulted in the sale of 12,044 books and pamphlets during the year, amounting to the sum of £322, 18s. 7d. Of these books nearly 1,000 volumes are of the writings of Swedenborg. "This being the twenty-fifth year of this department of work contemplated by the Rules of the Sunday School Union, to many of our friends it will be interesting to know what has been done during that time; we therefore present them with the following tabulated ac count of the sales to the schools ::Hymns for Sunday-school use. 24,795 for use in the Church. 8,259 Works by Swedenborg 10,935 This circulation does not include the Juvenile Magazine, which is published by the Union, and has a monthly circnlation in the schools of over 1200 copies. Such is a brief review of the work that has been done, and is still being done by our public institutions. Measured by the works of the institutions of the large Christian communities around us, our labours seem small indeed; but we are taught not to despise the day of small things. Compared moreover with the number of members of the New Church, with the smallness of our societies, and the difficulties often experienced in providing for their immediate wants, we have reason to be thankful for the manifestation of zeal and Christian devotion which they present. We earnestly desire, however, for all these institutions larger constituencies. In a healthy living body, every organ and every fibre is animated with its life. The Church is the Lord's body, and every member should be animated with His life of love to others, and active in efforts to extend to others the knowledge of the truth, and to build them up in the faith and hope of the Gospel. This is pre-eminently our mission. We hold, not for our own advantage, but for the benefit of those around us, the priceless treasures of wisdom which are disclosed at the Lord's second coming. May we be increasingly alive to the duties which are involved in this exalted privilege the duty, having freely received, of freely giving both of our labours and our worldly means to the great cause of which we have been permitted to see the beginning.-RICHARD STORRY, President of the Sixty-sixth General Conference. PUBLIC MEETINGS DURING THE CONFERENCE.-The Societies of the Metropolis availed themselves of the holding of the Conference in London to arrange a number of public meetings in the several churches, at which addresses could be delivered by the ministers and leaders from the country. The London New Church Association undertook the task of appointing and advertising these meetings. One of the features of the Conference was the appearance of reports in the public press, two of which have also published leaders, both respectful, concerning its proceedings. We are informed also, by a correspondent, that a portrait of the President will appear in the Illustrated London News, of Saturday, August 29th, together with a brief account of his life and labours in the New Church. As already stated, this has been chiefly effected by the members of the Auxiliary Missionary Society, who now look to their friends to aid them by the circulation of the paper. The efforts of this Society, combined with the cooperation of other friends, has enabled us to present the following brief report of each of the public meetings held during the Conference week. time. The programme consisted of a selection of sacred music alternated with speeches. The music was judiciously selected, and was sung and played with much taste and musical ability. The subject of the addresses was the character of the New Church signified by the New Jerusalem. The Rev. Dr. Tafel, who occupied the chair, began by stating that this meeting was intended to welcome the members of the Conference and other friends, by those who worshipped in this church, and who make it the outward sanctuary of what each was striving to become-a living temple of the Holy Spirit. The Rev. W. Bruce, in his remarks on the subject for the evening, said that he supposed that those he was addressing were not only acquainted with the doctrines of the New Jerusalem, but were members of it; members of it not only in the sight of men, but in the sight of Him who sees the hearts of all. The New Church was a higher, purer, nobler development of Christianity, and distinguished from the first Christian Church by a discrete degree. The distinction between them was similar to that between the soul, the natural and spiritual the letter and the spirit, the body and worlds, all of which are united by correspondences on different planes. The privileges and duties of its members from the higher truths which they poswere therefore proportionately higher sessed. Buttesland Street.-This society held a meeting on the Wednesday evening. The friends present partook of tea, after which the proceedings were commenced, the leader of the society, Mr. S. B. Dicks, presiding. Mr. Dicks having heartily welcolmed, on behalf of the society, those friends present not connected with it, introduced the subject announced as the text for the evening, viz., "The Religious wants of the Age. This was spoken to by Revs. T. L. Marsden, J. Presland, W. C. Barlow, and Messrs. J. Deans, W. H. Bastow, P. Ramage (formerly minister of the society), and E. M. Pulsford. Each of the seven speeches was heartily enjoyed by the friends, some of the addresses touching a responsive chord in the hearts of all present. A hymn was sung at the close, followed by the benediction. The attendance, considering the counterattractions of Camden Road and Camberwell, was very satisfactory. It is with this society and its young and second advent; the time which kings energetic leader as yet "the day of and prophets have desired to see: and small things," and a hearty and harmonious meeting such as that we have we ought to account it one of our highest chronicled is calculated to effect much privileges to hasten that coming. We in promoting the growth of charity and brotherly love among the members, and thus in strengthening their power of usefulness. Camden Road. The meeting at this Church was numerously attended both by the friends of the Society and by the members of Conference, many of whom saw this beautiful church for the first If we then failed to realize these in ourselves, we failed to come up to the higher standard which our principles set before us, and which as members of the New Church we are bound to cultivate. The sole purpose for which the Church exists is to promote the union in man of goodness and truth. We ought to be grateful to the Lord that we live in the time of His are faithful when we propagate our doctrines, not in words and by books only, but when we do so in our lives, letting our light so shine before men that they may glorify our Father who is in the heavens. The Rev. W. Westall said there were many aspects of the New Church, but that it is properly regarded as a grand system of truth, having for its object the propagation in man of a new faith, and a new order of life. As there was a new and higher system revealed at the Lord's first coming, the same was to be expected at His second. The distinction between the Jewish and the Christian Church showed the nature of the distinction to be expected between the Christian Church and the New Jerusalem, one pre-eminent characteristic of which was its spirituality. It rested upon no human arguments, no finite basis, but on its own inherent power and truth. The Rev. S. Pilkington noticed as a feature of the New Church, that it is new. The prophecy concerning it says, "Behold I make all things new;" but as there is nothing new in God, or in what proceeds from Him, the newness consists in a reception differing from that of former churches, each of which has had its peculiar character. Divisions have prevailed in the Christian Church, but the New Jerusalem will bring together all the principles which go to form a true religion. The length, breadth, and height of the New Jerusalem being equal, indicated the equal measure of faith, charity, and works required in the church and in man. For as length without breadth and height was a mere mathematical term and nothing, and only became something when it acquired breadth, and not breadth merely, but height, so with faith; it became an entity when it was not only believed and loved, but when in addition it was lived. Mr. R. Goldsack said that the state of life then made it impossible for the middle ages to produce a faith_suited to our times. They could produce it as little as they could produce the art, science, and mechanical agency which we are now employing; but which they lacked the power and faculty to discover. Light does not illuminate one object only, or one class of objects; it manifests all. And the progress going on was not confined to the physical plane, but affected the domain of spiritual life as well. Our writings are capable of showing those inquirers who have already seen glimpses of the truth, that what they are seeking and what they have partially found, the New Church can fully supply. The Rev. J. F. Potts, B.A., said they heard much of the Lord's New Church as being an invisible church, but as in the Word there were three senses, so in the definition of the New Jerusalem. In the celestial sense the New Jerusalem signified the communion of saints and had reference to goodness. In the spiritual sense it meant the system of doctrine which belongs to the New Church, and refers particularly to truth. Both these are invisible churches of whose members no man, but the Lord alone, is cognizant. But in the inner historical sense the New Jerusalem means the visible church, just as the Jewish Church which was formed of the Jews was a visible church, and is referred to in the Word as such. The New Jerusalem as a visible church is comprised not of the men and women as men and women, but of them as moulded in the principles which the church teaches. The bond of union between New Churchmen is not as belonging to the communion of saints, or to the invisible church, but we meet our distant friends as members of the same visible church. It did not follow that the visible and invisible church were divided. They ought to be as the soul and the body: but to believe in an invisible church as entirely distinct and severed from the visible church, was to believe in a soul without a body. He believed in, and would maintain, our claim to be the New Church signified by the New Jerusalem. The Rev. Dr. Tafel said the celestial sense like the spiritual always rests on the letter of the Word, passing through the lower degrees. The church in its threefold sense rests each on its lower degree, and all therefore on the visible church. The Conference and other similar organizations do therefore represent the internal historical sense, and are the visible church. The second coming is represented by the white horse as well as by the New Jerusalem, and in taking the city only we have only a partial view of the subject. The white horse, the rider upon which was the Lord Himself, represented the interior understanding of the Word. This has been revealed by the instrumentality of Emanuel Swedenborg, who brought down to man the very internal sense, or Divine Truth, which constituted the Lord's second coming. After the meeting in the church the friends adjourned to the library and lecture-room, where refreshments were worlds of literature, science, and theserved; and where in greetings and ology, which, to him, were cogent conversation with friends the pleasant arguments that the "Descent of the New evening ended. Jerusalem" is taking place, and making its influence manifest in mundane affairs. Camberwell, (Flodden Road).-We extract the following brief account of the meeting at this church from the South London Press. A short report of this meeting appeared also in the Camberwell and Peckham Times. In celebration of the Conference, a tea and social meeting was held in this church, to which all the friends attending the Conference, not otherwise occupied, were invited. After tea, the chair was taken by the minister, Mr. E. Austin, who having heartily welcomed his country colleagues around him on the platform, called upon them to address the meeting upon "The Descent of the New Jerusalem." The Rev. J. J. Thornton, of Accrington, thought that one of the best ways to promote the descent of the New Jerusalem into ourselves personally, or into the world at large, was to cultivate that spirit of childlike innocence which forms a groundwork for everything good, and tends to create in man the desire to make others happy. Mr. J. R. Boyle, of Bacup, said that many people connected the idea of the New Jerusalem with that of heaven, and this was no doubt mainly correct, since of the two great divisions of the church heaven is the greatest-the church triumphant; therefore the descent of the New Jerusalem is the more full reception by man of heaven or heavenly principles, which takes place to the extent that man prepares the way in his heart and mind for such reception. The Rev. W. Bates, of Blackburn, suggested that as all the speakers were to treat on the same topic, some sameness might be expected in their addresses; but as in the city New Jerusalem there were four sides, and on each side three gates, so there were many sides and aspects to the Divine truth which that vision foreshadowed. Strict uniformity was undesirable and unnatural -harmony in variety was God-like. Further addresses were delivered by the Revs. T. K. Payten, J. Boys, and Mr. G. H. Smith. Mr. J. R. Rendell, a student for the ministry, in a speech at once forcible and eloquent, drew attention to the signs of the times in the 66 Interspersed between the addresses, the anthems, "Incline thine Ear," and the "Gloria" and Sanctus," from Mozart's 12th Mass, were given by the choir. In addition to these, the Sunday scholars sang three pieces selected from a "Service of Song" in so pleasing a manner as to elicit a hearty vote of thanks to them, proposed by Mr. Parkinson of Preston, and seconded by Mr. Clemson of Derby. Argyle Square.-The principal public meeting of the Conference week is held on the Thursday evening, when ministers in attendance on the Conference are expected to deliver addresses on a subject previous selected and advertised. The usual practice has been to select some leading doctrine or doctrines of the Church, and to give the meeting somewhat of a missionary character. It is an assembly of the General Conference of the New Church, and the opportunity was seized of giving reasons for the faith we profess and are seeking to promulgate. This year another idea was introduced, and the subject selected had more immediate relation to the Church itself. It was "the Duties, Wants, and privileges of the New Church." This meeting was held this year in the Church, and was very numerously attended, the spacious building being comfortably filled. The President, in speaking upon the subject, said he was happy to see that those who selected the subjects to be discussed had shown great consideration for the Church. They had not cared so much for the outside public as for their own community, and in doing that they did what a good many people did notnamely, minded their own business. The word Church, as they employed it, might be used in two senses, the broad sense and the narrow sense. In the broad sense they regarded all persons as belonging to the Church of the Lord Jesus who were good men. dispensation of goodness and truth com. mencing in the present time, they regarded in the New Church as the good working in men's hearts. In the New Church they claimed the broadest Catho The licism, for all the great, and good, and holy men in the world of to-day they regarded as members of the Lord's Church. All those who sought the knowledge of Jesus Christ and kept His Commandments they held to be members of the Lord's Church. As the Lord could only have one Church, therefore, no matter how much men might differ from some of them in connection with the New Church, all the good men were considered as members of the Church. The spirit of inquiry was never so rest less and never so reverent as it was at the present moment, and men now wanted new light to enable them to comprehend the dark places of the Divine Word. By the narrow sense of the Church was meant the New Church and its various societies. They did not differ with persons, however, because those persons might differ in some respects from them. Perfection was found in diversity of opinion and thought and in all things, and it was a proof of excellence to be different, for God Himself had made no two beings alike. They were privileged to accept the true solution of many problems which had been discussed for ages. They were privileged to see and to understand the true solution of the written Word of God. Swedenborg taught them that it was allowable to enter intellectually into matters of faith, and to have furnished to the mind rational reasons why it should believe. One of their first duties was a practical and personal one-to do good to each other and to themselves. The moral philosophy of the New Church was the highest and the purest system of philosophy in the world other than that contained in the New Testament. They wanted not so much a revival of faith as a revival of life, and their Church would bring that desirable end about, and spread love and Christianity throughout the world; for the doctrines of the New Church helped considerably to form a spiritual and a moral character. Their morality was based upon the plainest precepts of revelation, and it was a morality which brought them nearer to God because it filled them with spiritual life. They must avoid superstition, however, as well as asceticism and selfish indulgences, and endeavour to attain to that middle state which realised the immortal bliss of their Divine Father. There was nothing so obnoxious or dis agreeable as a man of one idea or a man of one book, who was constantly endeavouring to force upon persons his one idea or his one book. The consideration of privileges will lead them to a percep tion of their wants. What they wanted at the present time was a robust faith, based on an intelligent appreciation of truth. He insisted upon having an intellectual perception of that which he was expected to believe, and when that was obtained it was the only effectual faith in the world. A New Churchman should endeavour to become earnest, intelligent, and devout. What was wanted was spirituality of the mind. There was a great difference, though, between an intellectual eagerness to know and a spiritual endeavour to apply. They did not want sickly sentimentality or a mere maudlin desire after spiritual excitement, which, after all, was mainly a form of spiritual dissipation. Their great need was men, but he was glad to see the type of men who were coming into the church much higher at the present time than they were formerly, and he looked forward to the day when New Church Conferences, conducted by such men, would be a great power for good in the world. The Rev. Mr. Presland, Minister of the Argyle Church, next addressed the meeting. He said he thanked all those who had attended the Conference from the country. That was the fourth Conference that had taken place in the Church since it was founded. The first was in 1844, the next in 1851, and the third in 1862, and finally the fourth in 1874, and he might say that at no Conference before did they meet with more kindly feelings towards one another than their last. It would be one, no doubt, which would be conducive of much good. He tendered his thanks and the thanks of the congregation to those who had attended the Conference. The Rev. Mr. Storry said the Church was variously spoken of as a body, a building, an army with banners, and as the light. As a body its want was vitality and the extension of this vitality to all its members. They should endeavour, as much as possible, to make every member of the Church as useful as possible in his or her own particular sphere. The Church was sometimes called a building. To have a proper building they must have the orderly arrangement |