the Established Church. Invitations to join the Society had in the course of the year been sent out to 136 persons, of which 48 had accepted membership, 23 had declined, and 65 not yet answered. Some who had been prevented to join as members, the Committee have entered as sympathisers. These were 12 in number, and among them a Doctor of Theology. Sunday services have been regularly carried on from the 3d October 1875 to the end of May last. Mr. Boyesen had been at Stockholm one month last autumn, and another month in the spring. During his absence, Mr. C. J. Manby had acted as leader. The account of the Treasurer of the Society shows that the receipts from the 28th April last year till the 1st July in this had amounted to 2690 "kronor" (about £150), and the expenses to 2265 kronor," leaving a balance of about £23 in hand. The Society had paid Mr. Boyesen about £39 as a stipend. Mr. Boyesen had also made missionary visits to the parish of Tarna, in the province of Westmanland, and to the towns of Göthenborg and Kristianstad. The Swedish newspapers have inserted announcements of the services free of charge, and some of the leading papers have contained notices of Mr. Boyesen's lectures. But the New Society has not limited its activity to maintaining worship. It has also started a monthly periodical, called Skandinavisk Nykyrk-tidning, or "Scandinavian New Church Tidings," the first number of which appeared on the 1st January, and of which seven numbers have now reached us. This magazine has met with a most encouraging reception, and deserves it, for it is most ably edited by Mr. Manby, to whose zeal and activity much of the new movement in Sweden is due. The paper seems to be modelled on the New Jerusalem Messenger. Each number contains a translation of a sermon by some wellknown English or American minister, such as the Rev. S. Noble, the Rev. Chauncey Giles, and others, reviews, biographical sketches, notices, letters, etc. Among the letters are several from clergymen in the State Church, expressing sympathy, and transmitting contributions of money. The magazine has already more than 300 subscribers, and there is no doubt that it comes as a messenger full of blessings to the homes of many isolated receivers. The Society is also anxious to publish Swedenborg's theological works in Swedish, and has issued a proposal to do so in monthly parts, to be sent out with and as supplements to the maga zine. This has likewise been heartily responded to, and the first part, containing the beginning of the "Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacre Scriptures," neatly printed, was sent out with the July number. was Most of Swedenborg's theological works were published in Swedish early in the century. These translations are, however, very imperfect, and in no wise worthy of the inspired author. A society for the translating and publishing of Swedenborg's theological works therefore formed in the town of Kristianstad about eighteen years ago, and through its instrumentality the Divine Love and Wisdom, seven volumes of the Arcana Calestia, and some of the smaller works, were published in excellent editions. Owing, however, to the death of the translator, Dr. Sevén, the work was stopped, but the Stockholm Society hopes now to take it up again. Two important matters are now occupying the attention of the young Society, viz., to obtain the necessary Government sanction for forming a separate church, and to engage Mr. Boyesen as minister. Mr. Boyesen, although speaking Danish, which differs considerably from the Swedish language, has succeeded in winning the attention and affection of his Swedish hearers, and his presence permanently in Stockholm, we feel assured, would lead to the firm establishment of the New Church in Stockholm, from which, as a centre, it is hoped the new truths would radiate all over Sweden. There can be no doubt that there exists in Sweden at the present time a great desire for something better in spiritual things than is provided by the Lutheran Church. The fields are whitening for harvest, and we pray the Lord to send labourers into His harvest. The engagement of Mr. Boyesen will, however, entail considerable expense for the Society. Its members are mostly in small circumstances. There, as elsewhere, the Lord comes to the poor in the world's eyes. We would, therefore, remind the readers of the Repository that there exists a Committee of Foreign Missions, which is already assisting Mr. Boyesen, but which requires more support of the Church at large. Now is the time to come forward and help our Swedish friends, while they are full of hope and zeal. In Stockholm Swedenborg first saw the light, and Sweden gave the world the apostle of the Lord's New Church. The Treasurer of Conference, Mr. Gunton, 15 Oseney Crescent, London, N, W., is the Treasurer of the Committee. Finally, I ought to add that I write this from my own impulse, without the knowledge of our fellowbelievers in Sweden. FREDERICK L. CÖSTER. 19 Carleton Road, Tufnell Park, N. BIRMINGHAM. From the Manual of this Society we learn that the work connected with the erection of their new church continues to make progress. It is now so far advanced that in a short time the Committee will be able to make their arrangements for the opening services. New gifts continue to be made. Among these are a small neatly decorated stained-glass window for the tower, having the appropriate inscription, "Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of God;" furniture for the matron's room, by an anonymous friend; Holland blinds for the schoolroom and house; regulator clock for the committee room; timepiece for the minister's vestry; and a piano for use in the Sunday School. The font is now ordered, and is thus described:-"The body of the font, designed to form an octagon, is wrought in Caen stone, supported upon eight alabaster shafts, white and red alternated. Round the top runs a fringe of foliage. On four sides of the basin the following subjects will be represented in sculpture:-The baptism of our Lord; the little child as an example to the disciples; the Lord blessing little children; and the finding of Moses. On the remaining four sides, quatrefoils will be wrought and carved, containing leaves of the vine and fig, and the flowers of the rose and fieldlily; and the whole basin will rest upon a clustered capital, carved to represent water-lilies. The face of the work will be richly moulded and placed upon a step, made in the form of a Greek cross. The Manual, from which we cull the preceding intelligence, gives the following notice of the "Visiting Organization," recently instituted in this Society :-"In accordance with the resolutions passed upon this subject at the last quartely meeting of the Society, the minister and deacons have held meetings to divide the lists, and arrange for the number of visitors required to engage in the work. This having been to some extent accomplished, the minister, deacons, matrons, and visitors met together at tea on 25th May last, to consult as to the best methods to be adopted to render the effort a success. Much regret was felt at the serious illness of one of the deacons, which prevented his presence and cooperation; but some important preliminary business was transacted, and several minor regulations were decided on, for the guidance of the visitors themselves. It is hoped that by this means every member of the Society and congregation will be visited once every quarter, though it is believed that all will make due allowance for any partial failure in this new and almost untried field of Christian labour." BLACKBURN.-On Sunday, August 13th, the annual sermons in aid of the funds of the Sunday School were preached in the Temple by the Rev. Dr. Bayley, of London, in the morning and evening, and in the afternoon by Mr. H. Cameron, the newly-appointed minister. The collections realised £20 16s. On Monday evening a recognition tea meeting was held in the schoolroom, which was attended by a goodly number. After tea an adjournment to the chapel took place, where a public meeting was held. The Rev. Dr. Bayley, of London, presided, and was supported on the platform by Messrs. Cameron, Ramage, Tansley, G. H. Smith, Dr. W. H. Pilkington, Mr. Parkinson. To the right of the platform sat the Chapel Committee. The Chairman, in his opening address, expressed his pleasure at being present with them that night and at the progress the New Church was making at Blackburn. He dilated upon the usefulness of Sunday Schools, and exhorted the friends of the school connected with that place of worship to strive to enlarge its utility and to extend its borders. He was sure that in Mr. Cameron they had got a minister worthy of the people connected with the house of God. He had long had his eye upon Mr. Cameron, having seen how capable and how earnest he was. They had got the right man in the right place, and he (the chairman) hoped they would sympathise with him in his work, cheer him, and encourage him, and blessings would attend their efforts. Mr. T. Pemberton read an address of welcome, which, after stating the unanimity with which Mr. Cameron was elected, and the cordiality of their welcome, continued :-"You, sir, are now our recognized leader and minister, and we hope that you may long be spared to co-operate with us in the great and good work of leading us, as a Society, to purity of life-the object of all true religion. As minister and pastor, we have reason to believe that you will take especial interest in giving wise counsel and sweet consolation to the sick and afflicted; that you will help the wayfarer and the weary; that you may be enabled to strengthen the feeble; and in numerous ways perform such other and essential uses as shall tend to the spread of our heavenly doctrines in our Society, and the increase of virtue and piety in this important town and neighbourhood. As a wise and prudent minister, you will doubtlesss take great interest in the Sunday School, and by your presence and example, help the younger branches in our vineyard to grow in the knowledge and fear of the Lord. We, as a Church, are fully aware of the fact that for this desirable and happy end to be realised, it will be one of our great duties to regularly and diligently attend your ministry, and the various ordinances of the Church; to listen, not only with our outward ears, but with affection as well, to the teachings of the Divine Word. This, no doubt, will be a constant blessing for you regularly to offer for our acceptance; and we hope that we may be as ready and willing to receive as you to impart. While, however, we are venturing to suggest to you certain lines of action, we are not to be unmindful of our own duties to you, as well as to the Church to which it is our high privilege to belong. We are sensible of the necessity of the earnest support which you may fairly claim at our hands; and we trust that you will find amongst us a band of willing helpers. Be assured, sir, it is our earnest and solemn determination, by every honourable means in our power, to strengthen your hands; to attend well to the duties attached to our various offices; and we are satisfied that the result will be an advancement in our regenerate life, both individually and collectively. We also trust that the mutual love, which is the true bond of brotherhood and the sign of Christianity, may be fully exercised and enjoyed by us all. In this way, the future state of our Society, and your career as its minister, will be a bright, happy, and prosperous one; and our sincere and earnest prayer is, that we may all enjoy the felicity of those whom the Lord Jesus Christ delights to bless." Mr. Cameron was perfectly sensible that that kind welcome had been in a great measure caused by the work which each of them had undertaken to perform. It was a high and holy privilege to be a minister in the Lord's Church, but it was an office in which there were considerable difficulties in fulfilling the duties to the satisfaction of a man who has thought deeply and seriously upon the subject. It was a position in which very few indeed would not feel that they had many shortcomings. They had to attend, as pastors, to the minds of the young people of the congregation, to watch the formation in their minds of the principles of love and truth, so that their lives may be brought into a state of order, purity, and love, and that they may act according in liberty and according to reason. Other duties of the pastor were to minister to the wants of the grown-up portion of the congregation to administer consolation to those on beds of sickness or of death, to minister to them at their weddings and at their baptism, to enter into all their states and conditions, to watch over them in their sorrows, to rejoice with them in their joys, and to help them in every possible way he could. This would be not only his duty, but it would be his most earnest endeavour to accomplish the work; and he trusted that the Lord Jesus Christ would give him strength and wisdom to perform those most important duties; and he knew that He would give him aid to accomplish it if he applied to Him for help in a right spirit, if he learned to obey His most holy and pure laws, both externally and internally, both naturally and spiritually. He asked them, therefore, to help him in this most important work. If he attended to his duties faithfully, and they attended to their duties faith fully, not only would they be able to build up a church within them, but they would be able to build up a church about and around them, and then the people would say, Let us go up to this house of the Lord, for see how these Christians love one another. Appropriate addresses followed from Mr. Gunton, Revs. P. Ramage, F. Tansley, Messrs. Dr. Pilkington, J. Parkinson, Mr. G. H, Smith, and the Rev. J. M'Ewan Stott (of Chapel Street Congregational Church), who gave an earnest welcome to Mr. Cameron, and promised him sympathy and support. LONDON (Camberwell).-Service of Song. -Encouraged by the success which has in two previous years attended the performance of a service of sacred song at the New Jerusalem Church, Flodden Road, Camberwell, the promoters of the former gather ings arranged to hold another of these popular meetings in the same place of worship on Wednesday evening, July 19th. The service performed on this occasion was one of the excellent series published by the Sunday School Union, entitled "Immanuel," the whole of which was practically rendered, with the exception of a few lines of a hymn by Dr. Bonar, which were omitted on account of their conveying an idea foreign to the theology of the New Church. The well-known air from Handel's Messiah," "Oh, Thou that tellest,' was sung with rare correctness and exquisite taste by Mrs. Lindley. The same accomplished artiste also rendered in an equally excellent manner the well-known pieces from the "Messiah," "He shall feed His flock," and "He was despised," which were introduced at appropriate points of the narrative. The service itself was performed by the children attending the Sunday School attached to the Church, assisted by the choir, and the skill with which the music was rendered reflected great credit upon the leader, Mr. Camp Penn, jun. The only faults noticeable in the performance were a lack of precision in commencing each piece, and some incertitude as to the pointing of 'a chant. The music of the service is well adapted to interest young singers and please their hearers, each of the pieces being tuneful and earcatching. Perhaps the most striking are "It is I," and the quaint ancient hymn, "Mount Calvary." The American element is not so predominant in this collection as in others of a like character, but some of the airs, notably “Safe in the arms of melodies. Mr. C. P. Alvey presided at the Jesus," are eminently suggestive of negro organ. Mr. Austin, the minister of the Church, read the portions of Scripture connecting the various musical pieces, and at the close pronounced the benediction. A collection was made at the doors in aid of the funds of the Sunday School. The Church was fairly well filled, the congregation consisting, evidently to a great extent, of friends aud relatives of the youthful performers.-South London Ob server. Birth. On July 30th, at 21 Bute Terrace, Queen's Park, Glasgow, Mrs. J. F. Potts, of a daughter (Alice Kittie). Obituary. Joseph Williams, Esq., one of the members of the Palace Gardens Society, Kensington, London, and formerly of Bristol, passed into the eternal world on Saturday, Mr. Williams Aug. 5th, in his 81st year. has been a consistent New Churchman more than fifty years, and always rejoiced at every sign of the prosperity of the Church. He retired from business many years ago, and for some years resided at different places for a few months at a time, especially when he thought a little encourage. ment and help could be of use. He and his excellent wife thus stayed at Bath, Accrington, Lowestoft, St. Heliers, Paris, and ultimately they settled down in London, first at Argyle Square, and then at Kensington. He had a strong affection for his native city Bristol, and had a great wish to see a good New Church Society there. He was disappointed at the slow progress of the cause, but has shown his feeling for it by a bequest of £1500, which in due time will aid the good cause with the Bristolians. is shown by the bequest of £1000 to the His love for the New Church generally Conference, to be realized in due time for five departments of use particularly specified. There are also some bequests as kind remembrances for some of the ministers. benevolent, unassuming Christian; and Mr. Williams was a faithful, upright, having completed a mature life, full of loving-kindness and gentle wisdom, passed like a child sinking to rest to his bette home. J. B. Notice to Correspondents.-Several communications for the Miscellaneous Department are unavoidably delayed until our next Number. Ir has been maintained that every one should teach the doctrines of the Church to which he belongs; it may be well, therefore, to ascertain what is the teaching of the New Church upon this subject. According to the Arcana, "The several Churches in the Christian world are distinguished by their doctrinals, and the members of those Churches have hence taken the names of Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, or the Reformed and Evangelical Protestants, with many others. This distinction of names arises solely from doctrinals, and would never have had place if the members of the Church had made love to the Lord and charity towards their neighbour the principal point of faith. Doctrinals would then be only varieties of opinion concerning the mysteries of faith, which they who are true Christians would leave every one to receive according to his conscience; whilst it would be the language of their hearts, that he is a true Christian who lives as a Christian, that is, as the Lord teaches. Thus one Church would be formed out of all these diverse ones, and all disagreements arising from mere doctrinals would vanish; yea, all the animosities of one against another would be dissipated in a moment, and the kingdom of the Lord would be established on earth."1 1 Arcana Cœlestia, art. 1799. |