John, ft. Epift. Chap. v. 20. 21. Hence it appears, that unless the Lord had come into the World, no Flesh could have been faved. The Cafe is precifely the fame at this Day; and therefore, unless the Lord cometh again into the World in Divine Truth, which is the Word, no Person can be faved.

The Particulars of Faith on the Part of Man are these : (1.) That God is One, in whom is a Divine Trinity, and that He is the Lord God and Saviour Jefus Chrift. (2.) That a faving Faith is to believe on Him. (3.) That evil Actions ought not to be done, becaufe they are of the Devil, and from the Devil. (4.) That good Actions ought to be done, because they are of God, and from God. (5.) And. that they fhould be done by Man, as of himself; neverthelefs, under this Perfuafion and Belief, that they are from the Lord, operating with him and by him. The two firft Particulars have Relation to Faith; the two latter to Charity; and the laft refpecteth the Conjunction of Charity and Faith, and thereby of the Lord and Man.

An Address to the true and fincere Followers of the Doctrines of the New Difpenfation.

W

HEN darkness is to be diffipated and to give way to light, when diffimulation is to be completely ex-. pelled from among men; when genuine wine is to be poured from its lees, and when all appearances are to be properly diftinguifhed from realities, it is not to be wondered at if many temptations of the fevereft kind arife in unfettled. minds, with regard to a judicious choice betwixt the two oppofites. The habit, contracted in youth from education, of being more influenced by the authority, judgment, and sway of others, than by the nature of things themselves, does alfo too frequently concur in throwing many infurmountable difficulties in the way; which none but the LORD can conquer, and that only to far as mankind fuffer themselves to be led by his all-powerful influence.

If in the common occurrences of life, it be highly proper that people fhould be duly acquainted with each other, it is certainly much more needful with respect to religious concerns, that perfons of fimilar fentiments, especially those who agree in affections, fhould duly know one another; that they may

open

open a communication by correfpondence, and thereby unite their combined efforts and ftrength in breaking through the thick veil that hides the genuine light of truth from the eyes of mankind. It is a duty we owe to government, to ourselves, and to our fellow-citizens of the refpective focieties we live in, to make ourselves openly known, and honeftly to throw off every unneceffary difguife: but above all, it is criminal in the highest degree, to difown, or to be afhamed of having our hearts kindled with the pure of immortal truth, or, having received it, not to endeavour, as far as in us lies, to diffufe every way its genuine and falutary light.

Thefe and many other motives have induced the Editors of this Magazine to propofe to every fincere friend to Truth, that they would be pleased to send them their names and addrefs, with permiffion to enter it in fome of the following numbers, that it may operate as a powerful encouragement to all other well-difpofed minds, who like Nicodemus would draw near the Lord, but at night; or perhaps like Peter, may fee the divine light daily approaching, and yet, like him, openly deny they know the man.

Many indeed have already embraced the New Doctrine, and many alfo are admirers of the fame, and we would earnestly recommend to all who are inclined to receive the bleffed truths of this new difpenfation not to fuffer themfelves to be dangerously influenced by others who may be mere fuperficial readers of the writings, but to fearch for themselves, and being convinced, to hold fast the truth without wavering.

Such friends as may be pleased to avail themselves of the opportunity of conveying their fentiments through the channel of this Magazine, may at the fame time reft affured, that no person's name or address fhall be printed without their express confent; the chief motive and wifh of the Editors being to open a correfpondence and communication as well for the benefit of individuals, as of the church at large,

To the Editors of the NEW-JERUSALEM Magazine.

GENTLEMEN,

S you were fo kind as to communicate to me your Intended appeal to fuch readers of Emanuel Swedenborg's theological writings as may be difpofed through the channel of your ufeful Magazine openly to avow before the face of the whole world, that they have readily accepted of the important truths therein fo abundantly treasured up; approving very much of your intention in the faid appeal, and even hoping fuch an unreferved avowal of our real fentiments relative to this highly illuminated author, may have the good effect you are only aiming after; as tending to prove the reception of truth in the very ultimates, having by the greatly fignalized bleffings of the God of all mercies towards a poor undeferving mortal, been one of the firft here in London, who fully accepted of his meffage, I make no fort of fcruple or the leaft hesitation to authorise you, in full length to publish my name, as one of the greatest admirers of all and every particular doctrine therein contained, and would to God I could in all juftice add alfo - One of the ftricteft followers of thefe doctrines of immortal truth. But fhort as ever I may come in this refpect, the God who infpired him with all these celeftial doctrines, even the bleffed Jehovah Jefus, the only God of all things, knoweth however, that it has ever been, fince the happy moment in which these never fufficiently valued writings fell in my hands, and I truft ever will be by his all-fufficient help, the very with of my innermoft foul, to frame the reft of my life upon the truly beautiful pattern of the true chriftian!!! May this open teftimony of a poor foreigner have upon all the inhabitants of the noble island on which I have fojourned during fix and twenty years of my painful pilgrimage through the valley of the fhadow of death, the fame good effect, as that of the woman of Samaria had on the men of that city; may it induce them all, without exception, to come and fee for themselves and by themselves what unfpeakable treasures of fpiritual and celeftial faving truths were found in thefe writings by a loving fellow-creature who dares not call himself their brother, though his moft fanguine with ever will be, that they may all find therein a

thousand

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thousand and ten thousand fold more abundant bleffings for their fouls than ever he did for his.

Your very humble fervant,

BENEDICT CHASTANIER,

of N° 62, Tottenham-Court-Road, London.

A few Hints towards framing a rational and useful external mode of warship for the New-Jerufalem Church, accommodated to the prefent ftate of Man, communicated to the Editors by one of their correfpondents from abroad.

Į.

W

HEN the profeffors of the new doctrine, from fatisfactory and cogent reafons, are refolved to feparate themselves totally from the old chriftian church, it will be neceffary to frame and affent to a rational and useful mode of external worship.

II. The functions or offices belonging to the external church and its adminiftrators the minifters, in a true christian church, are only two, Baptifm, and the Lord's Supper. The former is a token of reception or introduction into the church, and of reformation; the latter is a ceremony of confirmation, and of introduction into heaven, or a token of regeneration.

III. All other offices exercised at this day, except Baptifm and the Holy Supper, do not exift agreeable to our Lord's inftitution. Preaching or difcourfing on religious fubjects belongs to every chriftian received into the church. Nevertheless for the fake of use and order in the Society, the two following may be adjoined to the function of the miniftry, namely, Confecration of Marriages and Preaching.

IV. External worship confifts therefore in these four ceremonies, Baptifm, the Lord's Supper, Confecration of Marriages, and Preaching. More than these four I cannot conceive; for as to burials or interments, they belong properly to the office of the civil magistrate; or if performed by the minifter, he ought not to be confidered as officiating in the character of a clergyman but of a magiftrate. Let the Dead bury their Dead.

V. These four, viz. Baptifm, the Holy Supper, Confecration of Marriage and Preaching, in regard to external worhip are diftinct forms of fervice, and have no combination with each other; they therefore ought to be performed at

different

different times, with different ceremonies, and without any connection with each other, that the abufe, at this day fo prevalent throughout the chriftian church, may be guarded againft, of making Baptifm and the Holy Supper mere appendages to worship, and Preaching the chief object of religion or of the temple.

VI. In my idea of the external form of a church for the New Doctrine, I represent to myself two apartments one within the other; the exterior dedicated to preaching and baptifm, the interior for the administration of the holy fupper and the confecration of marriages. Thus in the exterior part will be performed thofe ceremonies which belong to the implantation of truth, but in the interior fuch as regard the implanta tion of good, or rather the marriage of GOODNESS and TRUTH.

VII. The exterior apartment I represent to myself as calculated for a place of meeting for converfation, with an ifle in the middle, feats on each fide, and a roftrum or elevated platform at the upper end, on which is placed a chair where the moderator or minifter is to fit with a table before him. Now with refpect to the mode of worship here; and first to speak of

Preaching.

This fhould be conducted exactly in the manner of a decent and orderly converfation, either delivered extempore or from a written difcourfe; which latter in fome refpects is to be preferred, as being in general more connected and methodical, and less liable to the rant of enthusiasm. Preaching was ordained for the purpofe of inftructing and opening the mind rationally in fpiritual matters; therefore, when the congregation is affembled and the moderator feated, he ought to open the bible and read the Lord's Prayer, the congregation standing uncovered, but afterwards they may remain covered if agreeable and the climate requires it. The moderator then propofes the fubject and delivers a fhort difcourse thereon; after which any member may rife and farther enlarge by remarks or elucidations on the fame fubject. The fentiments of the congregation being delivered within a certain portion of time allotted, the moderator may collect the fubftance of the difcourfe, and fum up the whole in a short addrefs. It may then be concluded with the Lord's