we meet with in the Greek and Romish Churches, that have no more reference to practice than the heathen mythology! I speak not now of the extravagance and impiety of many of them; nor of the too great reference to conduct of some others, whose tendency is to recommend a life of useless seclusion, or of superstitious self-torture, in preference to active virtue: but a large portion of them have no conceivable reference to conduct whatever, and are fitted merely to amuse the roving imagination, and gratify the presumptuous curiosity of the credulous.

Lastly, to advert to a more recent instance, look to the visions of the pretended prophet Swedenborg; himself the dupe, as is generally supposed, of his own distempered fancy. It is well known, that he professed to have been favoured with most copious and distinct revelations to have visited the celestial abodes, and to have conversed with various orders of Beings; of all which he gives minute descriptions. Yet though his followers insist much on the importance of believing in this pretended revelation, it would, I believe, be difficult for them to state even any one point, in which a man is called upon

to alter either his conduct, his motives, or his moral sentiments, in consequence of such belief. The system furnishes abundant matter of faith, and food for curiosity; but has little or no intelligible reference to practice."

b I received some time ago a friendly communication from a person of this persuasion, referring to the above passage, and complaining of the current misrepresentations respecting the doctrines of the Swedenborgians. He set forth, in a brief outline, their fundamental points of faith, and principles of duty; which were as he studiously pointed out to me essentially in agreement with what is held by our own Church.

From his own account, therefore, it appears, (as I pointed out in reply,) that the point peculiar to that sect-the supposed revelation to their founder, in which they believe, is entirely of a non-practical character. Now this is precisely what I was maintaining.

I was not designing any attack on that, or on any other religious persuasion; nor do I deny its including the fundamentals of Christianity. I had in view only what distinguishes the followers of Swedenborg from the rest of the Christian world; viz. their faith in a revelation which the rest hold to be a delusion. The truth or falsity of that revelation—a question on which, of course, I must differ from them—is one which I had no intention of discussing. But that, whether true or false, it is at least distinguished from the revelation contained in the Gospel, by leading to no practical conclusions, is a point, it seems, on which both parties are agreed. And this is the only point I had in view.

§3. Such then being the character of false revelations, what may we expect from a true one? Since both reason and experience show, that it is the obvious policy of an impostor, and the most natural delusion of a visionary, to treat much of curious and hidden matters, relative to the divine operations, beyond what is conducive to practical instruction, it should next be considered whether the case is likely to be the same with a real revelation; whether that also is likely to be much occupied in ministering to speculative curiosity. Now this question we may on good grounds answer in the negative : for the general rule of Providence evidently is, that man should be left to supply his own wants, and seek knowledge, both practical and speculative, by the aid of those faculties which have been originally bestowed on him; a revelation is an extraordinary and miraculous exception to this general rule; and it seems therefore reasonable to conclude, that it should be bestowed for some very important purpose. Now the knowledge of our duty, beyond what is discoverable by unaided reason-instruction how we are to serve God, and obtain his favour

does seem a sufficiently important purpose; but not so, the mere gratification of curiosity. The desire of knowledge is indeed implanted in us by our Creator; and the pursuit of it is an innocent, and honourable, and highly pleasurable employment of our faculties: but there is a sufficiently wide field of investigation within the reach of our natural faculties; there seems no reason why the Almighty should work a miracle for the increase of our mere speculative knowledge: not to mention that our gratification consists more in the pursuit and acquirement, by our own efforts, of such knowledge, than in the possession of it.

Whatever therefore it concerns us practically to know, with a view to the regulation of the heart and conduct-whatever God requires us to be, and to do, in order to become acceptable in his sight-this, it seems consonant to his justice and goodness to declare to us by revelation, when of ourselves we are incompetent to discover it; but that He should miraculously reveal any thing besides this for the gratification of an inquisitive mind, there seems no good reason to expect.

It may be said indeed, that the trial of our faith, humility, and candour, in assenting, on sufficient authority, to mysterious doctrines, is a worthy and fit purpose, for which such doctrines may be revealed. This is undoubtedly true; and the purpose may even be fairly reckoned a practical one, since so good a moral effect results from such belief. If therefore none of the doctrines necessary to be revealed for other practical purposes were of such a mysterious character as to serve for trials of faith also, we might perhaps expect that some things should be proposed to our belief, solely and singly for this latter purpose. But if both objects can be fully accomplished by the same revelation-if our faith be sufficiently tried by the admission of such mysterious doctrines as are important for other practical ends alsothen, the revelation of any further mysteries, which lead to no such practical end, is the less necessary, and consequently the less to be expected.

"All religious inquiry, strictly speaking, is directed to the nature of God as connected with man, or again to the nature and condition of man as connected with God.

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