Morning journal and courier., 1880-01-06

| esting statement of the doctrines and teach ines of the New Church. But little is known by the general public about the beliefs of this Church, and the Boston Advertiser has there fore done it's readers good service in giving admirable reports of the lectures and at their close summary of their prominent points. We avail ourselves of this summary to pre- sent to our readers brief statement of the most important doctrines of the Swedenbor- gians, as set forth by MT. Reed.
 The object of the first lecture was defined to be ftto emphasize the fact that every inn portant principle in what is known as the Swedenborgian belief is deduced from the Word of God" It was also laid down ns cardinal principle that in religion, as in every other department of thought, the rational freedom of the mind should be respected, and that assent should be required only to that which is reasonable, and which humble, virtue loving mind can see to be true and it
 was claimed that all religious subjects are illu- mined by the writings of Swedenborg with new and reasonable light.
 In regard to the Bible, which was the sub
 ject of the second lecture, the New Church doctrine is that in its origin and intent it treats of Divine and heavenly things, which are generally clothed in parables or allegories. The New Church, therefore, while declaring that the Bible is the Word of God, regards it's holiness as consisting in the spiritual light and comfort which shine through the letter in some degree, and everywhere are co ntained within 1t as 0 distinct spiritual sense, and not in the letter considered alone, which was not revealed from heaven, but was selected from the ideas of men to clothe the spirit in fitting representatives.
 The Divine Being the lecturer declared to be one done in essence and one in per son; whose very nature is love itself and wisdom itself; who cannot, therefore, do anything that is not good or not wise, but must forever be perfecting the highest aim of wise love-a heaven of human beings.
 Upon the subject of the Incarnation the New Church claims to hold doctrine req sonable in itself and capable of reconciling all that is essential in the conflicting views of Trinitarians and Unitariaps It teaches the personal unity of God, and explains that the not the creation or the incarnation of a sepa- rate being, but the bringing forth into the life of men in the world of the human wis., dom and power and love which always were of the Divine nature fin inmosts," but now first were made flesh and dwelt among us and that this was not accomplished all at once but as Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, 7" and then as he put of the maternal inheritance, 50 that he was no longer the son of Mary, but the Son of God. The work of redemption is understood to have been per- formed by his coming as Light into the world, presenting in his own life the Divine standard of human goodness, and, through all possible assaults by evil men and spirits, steadily illuminating the world with the light of that goodness. By this they that loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil, were condemned; and they that loved goodness were drawn to him, and by him were instructed In Christian life, inspired with love for that life, and thus were regen- erated and saved. In this view the Holy Trinity is not a trinity of persons, but 8 trinity in one person, consisting of the Dl- vine Essence as it was from eternity, the Di- vine Human which was formed in time of the same Divine Essence and the spirit of love and wisdom which, from the Saviour, lives in the hearts of men, renewing and regenerating them. This Divine Trinity is like the trinity in 6 man, who Is essentially spirit clothed in a body and whose influence is living power in the community.
 The gradual nature of regeneration was shown in the lectures by 8 comparison with the gradual development of the body from
 .--R. R,,JI- tical part in regeneration consists of earnest endeavor to put away evil, reliance upon 8 higher power than his own and entrance into deep, vital and personal relation with God.
 Angels and devils are regarded in this sys- tenn not as orders of beings unlike men, but as good men and wicked men in a different state of development. And when ''the deviP' is spoken of in the Scriptures it is the collect i've evil of men become spirits which is meant. Men become spirits simply by dropping of their earthly covering and rising into purer state of existence. They have always spiritual bodies in perfect human form, gifted with every power and sense that belongs to human ity, but in this world the spiritual bodies are clothed with material bodies, as with gloves adapted to the handling of material objects. Usually, during the life of the body, the senses of the spirit are exercised only through the physical organs but occasionally, as in the visions of the prophets, and with some as the time of death approaches, the garment is loosened, and the eyes of the spirit are opened to the spiritual world
 Death, therefore, is the separation of the spirit from the covering which has served for communication with the world, and the be- ginning of a purer, more sensitive and active stage of life. The process of death itself the Lord called ''sleep," from which he shortly awakens the new spirit. This sleep usually lasts for two days, according to the words of the prophet: '.After two days will he revive us; in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight" Our Lord also is said to have lain in the sepulchre until the morning of the third day, when those who sought him found him not, but saw 1.-two angels in white, sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lsin." That there is a similar loving at tendance upon men, the sweet, trustful smile upon the faces of the dead often testifes The lecturer explained at considerable length the state of the newly awakened, their joy in meet ing friends who have gone before, their own possession of every faculty of mind and body which they possessed in this world, their gradual putting of of all the mere forms in which they had appeared to the world and the bringing, out of their real selves, their inner lives and thoughts, either good or evil. When this is accomplished, the good, with new zeal for doing good, are instruct cd in angelic uses, and are also in- troduoed into happy homes of love and use- fitness but those who love wickedness and hate goodness, unable to bear the light, hasten to abodes of darkness, where they can be with their like. And there s'they are pursued by no divine thirst for vengeance or desire for retribution. He who is kind to the unthank- fuI and the evil cannot permit even them to endure any needless suffering. He can iniict