ings of EMANUEL SWEDENBORG, and who are not acquainted with the internal of the facred pages. Nevertheless, the author is perfuaded that fuch perfons will not be able to find a doctrine or fentiment throughout the whole volume, but what is confiftent divine upon with pure christianity-founded truth-and calculated to promote real goodnefs of heart and life. He laments that chriftians in general are fo much divided in their faith, as to the object of their worship, the doctrines of truth, and the chriftian life, that the traditions of men have fet afide the commandments of God; that christians appear to have lost their way, wandering in labyrinths of their own making, and refufing the hand of truth which would lead them in the right way to the kingdom of heaven. That chriftians are fo divided, that they are thus wandering in the paths of error and mistake, is too obvious to be denied; whatever their lives may be, their FAITH is certainly wrongRarely can two men be found (however learned, wife, and pious they are) who do not effentially differ in judgment concerning the doctrines of the bible. How many deno ་ denominations are formed, and ftand diftinguished from others, by their peculiar faith and opinions! What various notions are conceived concerning the one true God of heaven and earth-some worshipping three Gods, others three diftinct perfons, which they call one God-fome denying the divinity of Jefus Chrift, and afferting he is a mere man; others owning his divinity, but not allowing him equal with the Father-with a thousand other fentiments equally as abfurd and unfcriptural. And, if fo materially divided in their fentiments as to God himself, can we wonder that they differ in every other article of the chriftian faith? Are not these things certain undeniable proofs, that the chriftian church is awfully fallen from its primitive state? Can we read the twenty-fourth chapter in Matthew, without being convinced that those predictions are fulfilled? That the fun is darkened, the moon does not give her light, and the stars are fallen from heaven! Would to God that the good and pious of all denominations (for many fuch I trust there are) would eyes to the light of divine truth now their open A-3 beaming beaming upon the world! that they would lay afide their prejudices, receive the message from heaven, and turn to the Lord Jefus Christ, that the vail might be removed. Long did the Jews expect the coming of the Meffiah to fave the world, but when he came they rejected him, and why? His character, his appearing, his life, and death, exactly agreed with the predictions of their prophets; but not with their carnal views. Chriftians have long expected the second appearing of the Lord; many of the learned and pious have written concerning that great event-the exact time of its commencement few have attempted to afcertain; but most of them have fuppofed it not VERY DIS TANT. Now the Lord is come, how few believe it! And why? Because he comes not in the manner they expected, nor to do that which they fuppofed he would do. Judging of the holy word by the letter only, and not entering into its true fpiritual meaning, they have conceived that the bleffed Lord will actually come in the vapory clouds over our heads ? appear in proper perfon to burn the world -raife all dead bodies-and put an end to nature and to time. They have actually conceived that the material fun will be darkened that the moon fhall not give her light -and the stars fall down from heaven, as a prelude to the appearing of the Lord. Such are the notions formed by chriftians and they exactly correfpond with the grofs ideas the Jews, entertained, with refpect to the Lord's first advent-they were disappointed in their expectations, and fo will all christians, who look for the Lord in this way. The Lord comes not to burn the world, but to preserve it; not to raise dead bodies, but to raise fouls from death to life; not to destroy men, but to fave them; not to put an end to time, but to begin and eftablish a new church and kingdom, which fhall ftand for ever. He comes when the fun of divine love is darkened, to restore its heat and light; he comes when the moon, or a true faith, no longer exifts, to revive a living faith among men; he comes when the ftars are fallen from heaven, when all knowledge of divine truth is loft, to give the knowledge of his holy word, and difperfe A 4 perfe the clouds which have vailed the truth from the eyes of men; he comes when the church is funk into darkness, error, and evil, to put an end to that awful ftate, judge the fallen church, establish a new difpenfation and kingdom, and thus fave the world from utter destruction. But to effect these glorious purposes, the Lord comes not in proper perfon; he is the eternal Jehovah in his divine humanity— no mortal eye could behold him the world could not bear his approach-all nature would be diffolved at his prefence: he therefore comes in fpirit, in the glory and power of his divine truth, by revealing its internal spiritual sense, and thus difperfing all that darkness, error, ignorance, and falfhood, which have defolated the church, and brought it to its confummation. By the church, I mean the whole chriftian world, whether Roman Catholics, Lutherans, or Proteftants, all of every country, name, and denomination. It must be evident to every serious mind, that christians are awfully fallen from genuine truth and found doctrine; if they were not, the numberless divifions, names, parties, denominations, and profeffions which now |