Year: 1869




To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:--


In former letter which you recently published
concerning the "Lost Tribes OF Israel' took occa-
sion refer TO the great advantage OF making the
ology a science, as Is astronomy, geometry, che
mistry, sc. wish now to give some idea how this
may possibly be done, as certainly does EN- TO be
rather dscredable to this remarkably scientific age
that all the great truths of theology should yet be
almost wholly matter OF opinion, while nearly
every other great truth appears to be q matter OF
positive knowledge.


It IS remarkable that In theology there s probably
but one great point upon which Christians, Jews
and Mohammedaus are agreed, and that Is upon
the "unlty OF GOd," SO we may reason
ably suppose this TO be an indisputa-
BILE TRUTH especially as we cannot imagine
how otherwise such perfect order and harmony
could possibly prevail throughout the material
universe. But, though the Christians In general
agree with the Jews and Mohammedans In admit
ting tue truth of the "Unity OF God,r they differ from
them IN supposing that several persons may be COM
prsed within this unity, IN such manner as In NO
degree whatever TO disturb the most perfect har
mony and order. "The Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit" are said by the Christians In general to
be "three persons or individual beings, comprised
in the one God OF the Universe. This also may be
true, though perhaps not In the sense in which 1t
appears to be generally understood since the days OF
the famous Athanaslus namely that the ''three per-
sons" are all 'coequal. none being greater or
less than the other,n &c, because iii all
creation we beTd no experience OF perfect unity
on such terms. Besides, the Saviour him.
self has assured US, In the piainest possible
words, that 1t is not so. He says, "Ihe Father is
greater than l." John, XIV, 2S.) And again, con-
cernng the Comforter" "the Spirit OF TRUTH" 1.-The
Holy Spirit" which he was about to send to HIS
apostles, he says "He shall not speak of himself,
but whatever He shall hear that shall He speak; He
shall receive of mine and shall show 1t unto you,"
&c. John XVI, Is, IA; which words OF the Saviour
tell us plainly enough that "tne Holy Splrlt' Is
not equal with The Saviour but inferior and subject TO
Him. even as the Saviour himself Is inferior and sub
ject to our Heavenly Father Thus understood 1T
really does not appear that 'three peTsOns in the
"unity Of God" would be more unlikely than three
branches in the unity OF tree or wine" which is
precisely the simile the Saviour uses to express the
degree Of union between Himself and all who sympa
thize with Him. IL am the vine; ye are the
branches" &c. The great question whichs suggested
on this subject Is, Why limit 1t to "three persons ~
Why not three hundred thousand million persons In
the "unity of GOdY" AS there might be any number
OF "branches" comprised within the unity Of tree,
or vine why not any number OF ''sons OF God," or
''spirlts OF God" or ''angels Of God," within the
'unity OF God?' According to the prayer of the Sa
vi0ur concerning all who should sooner or later be-
lieve on Him, "that they all may be one as thou,
Father. art In me and In thee; that they also may
be one In u.s." &c--John xvii; q, 22 49,


The great cause OF the very general practical unbe


lief OF religious truth among the men OF this age ap
pears TO be the almost unconscious disposition to
look upon God, our Heavenly Father, as no more
person than lnnity is person. We say, "our Father,
Godn much In the same sense as We say, "our mo-
ther, Earth" and regard one as person especially
interested In US about as much as we do the other.
We have little excuse henceforth for allowing our
selves to rest satisfied with such vague Ideas OF
our Creator; for the light OF modern science
Is surely now sufficient to aid us in attaining
idieas OF God, our Heavenly Father. From the
science Of astronomy we know assuredly that innni-
ty Is filed to an utterly uncomfortable extent with
worlds and suns and systems OF worlds more or less
like our own, and we can no more reasonably doubt
that these worlds are in general Inhabited by people
more or less like ourselves merely because we have
reasonably doubt that the thousands of houses
Inhabited which we might see In distant city simply
because we do not see any people, owing to the great
distance. Surely WORLDS are as certainly made by
God to be inhabited as houses are made by man for
similar purpose. is God more likely to work pur-
poselessly than man2 Seeing, then that space ap-
pears to be full OF worlds more or less like our own
inhabited In general more or less by people
like ourselves why should not each world
be under the especial care OF zone Lord God"
and many angels 'archangels," ''sons Of God,"
and 'spiris of God9' Should such doctrine be con-
trary to reason or to revelation, let the men OF SCI
ence and philosophers, the ministers OF religion and
the students OF the Bible prove IL to be But should
careful lnveStigatio6how this view to be perfectly
In harmony with what we know OF nature and
OF all creation, and IN accordance, also. with our
natural reason as well as with the divine revelation
gwen us In the Bible then we shall have much to
increase our faith and confidence In Goo. our
Heavenly Father and in His Son, our Lord and
Saviour, "the first begotten from the dead,n and
"the first born among many brethren"


suppose need not add any more on this subject
at present, as my object Is not 10 dogmatze on
llgtous questions but merely 10 induce thinking and
capable men OF the age to endeavOr to place theology
upon scientific basis. No one man, no nation,
either, developes unaided science. Sucn a
work as this Is accomplished by man in
general, and not by any individual alone. capable
man here and there scattered among the various
nations contributes his quota build up the science
What wish to do at present is to intimate In the
smallest possible compass that when theology is q
science perhaps we shall then know that the term
alraIt ,Av,StA
GODS" 'sons OF goo, !" "archanRelsn and angels
much as the term ''man" includes all mankind
whether men, women, or children, whether OF
comparatively great intelligence and power or other
wise. In my next letter propose TO consider In
what man resembles Goa and IN what respect man
does not resemble his Maker, his Heavenly Father.
IN the meantime hone that some few viii be en-
cOuraged to lay aside all prejudice and calmly en-
deavor TO look with an unbiased mind upon the
wonderful truths Of revelation, they may now be
understood by the light OF modern science


Emanuel Swedenborg VS.. SpirituaIism,
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD


Without desiring to either advocate controvert or
even express an opinion in your columns as to the
truth or falsehood OF Swedenborg's revelations as
have read to a considerable extent his writings /
have thought that statement Of some OF his teach
ings bearing on Spirituasm would not be unnter-
esting, and perhaps not Improbable to your many
readers. The reader wilrbear in mind that Sweden
borg wrote century ago-of course long before the
present manifestations commenced-and that he
was one OF the greatest philosophers of his age,
hts philosophical writings amounting to nearly
thirty volumes OF 500 pages each.


In the year l745 this distinguished man, not in the
enthusiastic period OF youth, but at The mature age
of fty-six years, resigned his once Of assessor Of
the mines OF Sweden and declared that ''he was
called'to holy once by the Lord himself, who
opened his sight to view the spiritual world, and
granted him the privilege OF conversing with spirits
and angels" He claims to have been guarded by
angels and to have been specially permitted by the
Lord to see and converse with the Inhabitants of
heaven, the world OF spirits ana he'll, face TO face,
with the same freedom that man converses with his
fellow man here for the long period of twenty .seven