been found who are particularly prone to depreciate, lessen, and throw a shade over the character of others as virtuous and upright as themselves, or more so. And what is also to be lamented, others are too apt to listen to discourse of this nature. So we may say, as is said of the dishonest,—“If there were no receivers there would be no thieves,"-if there were none to hear what defamers have to say, there would be no defamers. When any one mentions what is prejudicial to the character of another, unless you are convinced he is speaking the real truth, and not from prejudice or ill-nature, but from a pure and just motive of real good and use, it would be well to turn a deaf ear to him, for this would prove an effectual way to silence the tongue of detraction. When detracters are not encouraged to speak ill of another, but receive such a proper and appropriate check, perhaps they may then learn to speak well of them, instead of ill, and this will indeed be a great point gained. There really are persons who either from hereditary disposition, or acquired habit, are so accustomed to this hurtful practice, as to do it without considering the consequences or the evil nature of it. And while others hear them with attention, and manifest no disapprobation, they give a sanction to the conduct, encourage the speaker, and become partakers of the evil. So that if it be as it certainly is-a very great fault uselessly to speak ill of another, it also is a great fault to sit and hear it without giving a check to it in some way or other. But, nevertheless, it must be confessed, that there are occasions, when it is necessary to give information of another's delinquencies, in order to warn those who would otherwise suffer from them. If this were not done, society and individuals would become a prey to the wicked, who would triumph in the impunity that such misplaced lenity would afford them. It is, however, the sacred duty of every one to take care that he never speaks ill of another but from the necessity of the case, and only for the sake of use.

Every honest and upright man's character is to him a jewel beyond all price, and he who robs him of that is guilty of a most cruel theft; nay more, it is a kind of spiritual murder. We will not suppose any professed member of our holy Church can deliberately be guilty of an evil so great. But that we may carefully and religiously avoid every thing that bears a resemblance of this injurious conduct, let us constantly remember, that the essential principle with us, is Charity, or the loving our neighbour as ourselves. Now, whenever or wherever this love

is in exercise and prevails, there you will not hear one word of evil speaking, detraction, or defamation. If I love my neighbour as myself, I shall be as tenacious of his character and reputation as of my own; and I never yet heard of any one who endeavoured to injure his own character. Let every one who hopes to "ascend into the holy hill" of Charity, take heed how he "backbites with his tongue, or takes up a reproach against his neighbour."* Let every one labour and strive to see the evil of which I have been speaking, in all its parts and degrees, bearings and consequences, in its true and proper light. And if there be a disposition in any one either to a careless kind of speaking disrespectfully of others, or to the hearing of it, be it his care to avoid it in future; suppress it in others; and ever shew a marked disapprobation of every thing of the kind. It would be endless to enter upon the ill consequences of it; the injury it does in religious society, the uneasiness and pain it gives to worthy Christians, and how offensive it is to the LORD. Upon this subject the wise king of Israel has said a great deal in little compass, and excellently adapted," He that hateth, dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him. When he speaketh fair, believe him not; for there are seven abominations in his heart. His hatred is covered by deceit, but his wickedness shall be shewed before the congregation. Whoso diggeth a pit, shall fall therein and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him. A lying tongue hateth those who are afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.Ӡ From these words, we learn that detraction, evil speaking, and defamation have more or less attached to them hatred, dissimulation, deceit, wickedness, lying, flattery, and seven abominations! And, if so, in what a horrid and infernal light does the evil appear! And, nevertheless, how ready are too many professed Christians to give into it, without considering its nature or consequences. In fact it is thus, not only with this evil, but almost every other, people do not properly reflect that in all evil, public or secret, more atrocious or less so, there is somewhat of hell, of death and destruction! They know not apparently, as our author teaches, that "all evil is to be shunned because it is of and from the Devil." And as in every good, the very least good, of the LORD's kingdom, there are a thousand beatitudes and delights treasured up, so, in the least evil of the infernal kingdom, there are a thousand miseries and sorrows! + Pro. xxvi. 24-28.

*Psalm. xv.

With what earnestness and fervour should we then adopt the words of Divine inspiration, as delivered by David, and say of all evils, "I hate them with perfect hatred, I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting!"* May we then, as sincere and spiritual Christians of the LORD's new and everblessed kingdom, constantly live in the exercise and under the influence of that DIVINE CHARITY "which suffereth long, and is kind, envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, seeketh not its own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth." Then shall we be as tender of our neighbour's character as of our own; and in this case all detraction, envy, evil-speaking, and defamation will be given back to their own polluted and dark abodes! Tranquillity, harmony, and peace will reign in the Church. Friend will be united to friend, brother to brother, constituting a family of pure and confiding love; and the God of peace and love will be with us for ever!

SECTION XXX.

ENTHUSIASM.

The pursuit of religious and spiritual knowledge is commendable; and when sought in order that such knowledge may be reduced to practice, the pursuit of it is spiritually and eternally useful. To make use of all suitable means and opportunities to acquire such knowledge, appears, therefore, to be an important duty. But as the best things are sometimes perverted to the worst purposes, so it is necessary for us to guard against every degree and kind of perversion. I shall therefore submit to my brethren a few thoughts upon enthusiasm, a heated imagination, and fanciful ideas. Of all men the members of the New Church should be the last to become enthusiastic, our author having so clearly warned us of the cunning wiles of those enthusiastic spirits who delight in making men as great enthusiasts as themselves.

*Psalm cxxxix. 22, 23, 24.

1st Cor. xiii. 4-8.

It is well known that there have been members of the Church -men of learning, science, and apparently strong intellectwho nevertheless have given into extravagant ideas, enthusiastic conceptions, and wild reveries of imagination; who not being satisfied with being wise by what is written, have pretended to be wise above what is written, and by artful reasoning from the natural man, have fascinated others. Thus the most irrational and enthusiastic sentiments have been dignified and represented as sublime and elevated truths above the conception of common understandings, and the speculative author of them was supposed by some to be (as no doubt he supposed himself) an oracle of superior wisdom and heavenly intelligence. Such characters conceive themselves vastly superior to other men, their self-derived intelligence having, in their own imagination, elevated them to the third heaven, and they look down with proud compassion upon the sober, rational Christian who prefers the slow and sure course, as deluded by error, walking in darkness, knowing not whither he goes, and obstinately refusing the superior illumination which this fancied oracle of wisdom could communicate to his inferior mind. Whenever we hear of any person who has received the doctrines pretending to understand the writings of our author better than any other men, or that he is himself equally enlightened as, or even more so than, our heaven-taught teacher, we may venture to conclude such a man has elevated himself into the wild regions of self-derived intelligence. His head has become giddy by the height to which he has soared; and it is a thousand to one that he soon falls from his exalted station into the mire of absurdity, the dregs of error, or is found raving in the jungles of insanity! Such characters connect themselves with disorderly and enthusiastic spirits in the world of spirits, receive their influx, and willingly enter into all their delusions. We very seldom find that such men ever return to sound, sober reason, plain truth, humility of mind, and the pure teaching of the divine Word and Spirit of their God and Saviour. So awfully dangerous is it to give into enthusiastic, wild, extravagant, and fantastic sentiments, while professedly under a dispensation of pure spiritual and rational truth, like that we at present enjoy. And whatever our opponents may say to the contrary, we are quite sure that our principles, doctrines, and truths stand at the utmost distance from all kinds of enthusiasm, wild reveries, and fantastic imaginations. They lead us

to a firm and solid faith in the LORD and his Word, and to a pure spiritual love, and these supersede and disown all fanciful and groundless communications. Such a love and faith must elevate us into that divine heat and light, which is as far superior to the illusive will o' the wisps of imaginary spiritual dictates and fancies, as heaven is high above the earth. But, nevertheless, while we are in the world, and during temptations have to pass through the hells, and while infernal and enthusiastic spirits who aspire to be "as gods," are so active to draw us into any thing which has a tendency to divert us from the straight road, to injure our states, and if possible, to destroy our souls, we have great cause to watch against all their foolish but dangerous devices, and keep close to the plain truth, the sound faith, and the pure love of the rational, enlightened, and solid Christian!

There are two descriptions of persons more especially subject to enthusiasm, fantasy, and delusion,-weak uncultivated minds on the one hand; and on the other, men of strong wills, joined with strong intellects, improved by science.-Persons of either class are more especially liable to delusion when they receive the doctrines only in the understanding, and under the influence of the affections of the natural man, unbroken and unprepared by true penitence and humiliation of heart. The man of a weak, uncultivated mind, is easily seduced by the influx of disorderly spirits, to believe their suggestions and dictates to be from heaven. Once allowed to gain possession of his understanding, his will soon follows the deception, and he begins to conceive wonderful things in his mind; bows with reverence to his deceivers; and almost adores them as deities, until he admits falsehood for truth, imagination for enlightened reason, and possibly thinks he sees angels, hears voices, is much in the world of spirits, is wiser, and more highly favoured than his fellows! But all the while he is actually absorbed in mere fantasy and delusion, and led captive by the enemies of his soul! Such things have been; and what has been may happen again. Let us take warning from experience.

The man of strong will and intellect improved by science, who has not passed through states of genuine repentance, and is not so humbled as to receive the divine verities of the heavenly kingdom in a reformed and regenerate state of mind, is also susceptible of delusion; because, entertaining a high opinion of his own understanding, proud of his science and learning.