The Portland daily press., 1880-06-21
NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.
The Proceedings Of Saturday and Sum
day.

On motion of Rev. Mr.. Pettee the system
atizing of the mission work was common ded
and contributions solicited
Rev. Mr.. Buchanan of Savannah said the
church doctrine was we'll received at the
South and that they hoped to build church
at Savannah.
Mr.. Dewson, Otis Clapp of Boston and Judge
Houghton of New York spoke upon the mis-
sionary work in the South.
Mr.. Robinson addressed the convention upon
his work among the colored people. He in
duced the planters to sell homesteads to them
and 1900 people were provided with homes.
Twelve churches have been founded. Mr..
Robinson established an industrial school
which has 265 pupils. Mr.. Robinson was of
the opinion that the colored people would
return to Africa, and instructed they could go
to Africa as missionaries of the church.
DIR. Dyke stated that the board of missions
require $250O in subscription. He read the
report of the board of managers of the Theo-
logical school. Rev. j. C. Ager, Rev. Frank
Sewall, Rev. James Reed and Francis Phelps
were reported as having been appointed to fill
vacancies in the board
Rev. Mr.. Reed in behalf of the managers of
the theological school, offered the following
resolutions which were adopted:
Resotced, That the board of managers be directed
to obtain under legal advice act of incorporation
for the theological schools of the convention.
Resotced, That committee be appointed by the
President of the convention to draw up and present
as early as practicable during the present session
plan for the permanent endowment of the theo-
logical school.
Remarks upon the expediency of the en-
dowment of the theological school were made
by Rev. Messrs. Reed, Seward and Pettee. A
memorial communication was read upon the
position the New Church should take toward
other bodies.
In the afternoon there was conference on
the New Age, Rev. W. W. Hayden, pre-
siding, Rev. Edwin Gould spoke ON
The New Church foreshadowed in Divine
Revelation and in Human History"
The Holy Scriptures throughout encourage
us in the expectation of future glorious state
OF the world and of mankind. Not only in the
revelation are we told of new heaven and
new earth wherein dweleth righteousness,
but from Isaiah TO Malachi the old prophets
are full of this theme, and of beautiful and
sublime instructions of the glory that shall be
when ''the Lord shall be king ON all the earth
name one What is the light in which we are
to regard these sayings? For us OF the New
Church this is no longer an open question,
since in the doctrines and teachings of that
church we find the complete answer to all in
qulrles. But it may not be amiss on this occasion
to review the arguments by which we arrive
at this conclusion.
Flrst-The scriptures of the New Testament
plainly teach that the church instituted by
our Lord and His apostles was to undergo
great changes and revolutions and even to be
greatly corrupted and perverted. The apostles
speak OF falling away and revelation of the
man OF sin, and our Saviour himself more than
hints at the same thing when he says "When
the son OF man cometh shall he find faith ON
the earth" The Babylon of the Apocalypse,
also signifies some kind of corruption and
the same commonly supposed to be meant by
the beast and the Dragon. And these corruptions
are generally regarded as being about to con-
tinue until the end, even to the second coming
OF Christ, though there is difference Of
opinion as to the time and manner of these
latter. While we assert therefore that these
things are all now fulfilled, but in a spiritual
and not in literal way, it is no moro than all
sincere students of scripture and disciples of
Christ ought to be willing to accept. And if
we cast our glance at the history of the past
we find confederation of this view That
the Roman Catholic Church at the Reforma-
ton had become "a sink of iniquity all Pro-
testants agree. But the Protestant movement
did not touch the heart of the difficulty
though it did much to prepare the way for a
higher and better system of truth such as the
Lord has at last given in the teachings of the
New Church.
Rev. Chas. Harden of Providence, spoke on
"The divine prophecies fulfilled, and the New
Church inaugurated through the instrument
tality of Emanuel Swedenborg. A prejudice
arises from the New Church being
with the name of a man-Emanuel
wedenborg; but this ought mot to be hard to
overcome with those who receive the Bible, all
the books of which were written by men. The
same principle would lead us to deny divine
revelation altogether.
Swedenborg and his work were prophesied,
though not by name; John the Baptist, was
prophesied as elijah" and Jesus Christ Him
self as Emanuel" Swedenborg's work was
prophesied wherever the second coming of the
Lord is alluded to, as Matt, xiv 80 and Mark,
xiii :26, for this was the revelation of the Spir-
tual sense of the Word, and it was given
through the fundamentally of Swedenborg
The Word in its spiritual sepse is what is
meant by "the Spirit of TRUTH" and
the Comforter" mentioned in John, xiv:16,
II, 26, and John, XIV :26.
The doctrines of the spiritual sense of the
Word must necessarily take form and outward
organization. The church as based on the
w ord understood in its spiritual sense is the
New Jerusalem mentioned in Rev. 21st chap
ter, and the Word SO understood is not mere
book, but living organism-the Lord
Jesus Christ in His divine humanity, God with
us, now to abide with US forever
The Rev. G. H. Mann of Orange, N. j., read
the next paper. His subject was 1.-THE First
Century of the New Age and its Results in the
World.''
A hundred years is long time in.the life of
a man, but is a short time IN the history of
an age This is especially true of this age
which is to be of greater duration than any
which have preceded. We are at the mere
of the New Age. The east is lust
streaked with the light of the coming day.
The religious results are therefore to be re-
yarded as valuable as pointing forward to the
future rather than for their intrinsic character.
The central Characteristic of the New Age is
spiritual freedom, but this freedom means first,
of past restraints secondly the pos
session OF new spiritual capacities for the re-
eeption of truth, and thirdly, the opportunity
to attain into their reception. The present
age has as yet entered only upon the first of
these three stages. The shackles have been
removed, but the positive reception of new
truths has not been attained. The results of
this first century are therefore more marked by
denials of old dogmas, Indifference to truth,
and spiritual lawlessness, than by heavenly
truth. But we shall attain unto the blessed
valley Of denial: Our duty is to be- faithful to
the truths which we possess.
Rev W. H. Huxley spoke on ''the present
attitude and duty of the New Church. He
said we have sufficient evidence Of the exist
ence of New Church in this assemblage.
Few will deny our right to exist. We claim
nothing on the score of age or natural descent,
but simply rest on the faith that there is
one Lord, and that all who acknowledg Him
and keep His commandments constitute the
church This one Being is the Lord Jesus
Christ. We believe also that the Lord is now
making His second advent by unfolding the
spiritual meaning of His word; that this is a
new dispensation of truth; that there is new
faith growing out of new and clearer under
standing of the word, delivered from doctrines
revealed from heaven through the instrument
ality of Swedenborg; and that there must be
a new religious life in harmony with our
teachings and with the divine life This is
our platform, which is good enough for all
who sincerely love the truth.
But our attitude is not one of indifference
to the status of others, of exclusiveness or of
Our belief leads us to de.
sire that others shall share it with us. The
apostles after they received the truth were
to make it known unto others.
The same duty is incumbent upon us. We
are sent to minister to the heirs of salvation.
1t is the duty of the church, in its organized
capacity to bring our teachings before the
world as widely as possible. For this end we
must make our methods as efficient as possible.
In the work of making known the truth we
have nothing to do with port;oc -, eoot,