THE DOWNFALL OF BABYLON, AND THE CONVERSION. OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS.

[An Address, at the Annual Meeting, July 5th, to the Members of the Manchester Printing Society of the New Church, by the President, the Rev. J. H. SMITHSON.]

BELOVED BRETHREN,-It has been the custom at our annual meetings, for many years past, to take a survey of the theological world, and to watch the progress of thought in respect to what is Good and True from the Word, and in regard to what is evil and false in the prevailing systems of theology. The enlightened Swedenborg informs us, that before the pure doctrines of Christianity, now opened from the Word, can be received, the falsities in the doctrines of the Old Church must be exposed, condemned, and removed. (See "Brief Exposition," &c., from beginning to end.).

It is impossible that true and false doctrines can exist together in the same mind. The former must of necessity supplant the latter. An owl and a dove cannot dwell together in the same nest. Thus, the falsities in the prevailing doctrines must be broken up and removed before the truths of the New Doctrines can be received and implanted. It is owing chiefly to this fact that the reception of the doctrines of the New Church must be of slow progress. But our Society has no cause for discouragement. Signs and evidences of "a breaking up" of the old [Enl. Series.-No. 92, vol. viii.]

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forms of faith and of thought are everywhere apparent. Every year these signs and evidences are more abundant and striking. The establishment of a New Church, through a new dispensation of Divine Truth from the opening of the Word, is the Lord's work, and “He will hasten it in His time." (Isaiah lx. 22.) We desire "to hasten it" in our own time and according to our own notions; but "the Lord's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are our ways His ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts than our thoughts."

But the principal reason why the progress in the reception of the Heavenly Doctrines is slow, may be seen in the fact, that men, in general, are slow to remove from their minds the allurements of selflove, and especially of worldly love, as the governing principles of life. The all-absorbing influence of the world, and the consequent love of becoming speedily rich, is the greatest obstacle to Spiritual progress. So long as the hearts of men are actuated by this all-commanding principle, the mind cannot possibly, with any sincerity, inquire after spiritual truths and eternal realities, no more than a ship can sail north and south at the same time. For a man cannot, with his governing affections, "serve two masters." Those who are in any degree awakened to spiritual life, can see this deplorable state of things in human minds, so obsessed by sensual, selfish, and earthly loves, as to have no relish for spiritual truth and for heavenly realities. We must all deplore this lamentable state, both as to its tendencies in our own hearts and in its manifestations so prevalent amongst men; and the great question is, how can this state be met with a power adequate to check and subdue it? This power, it must be admitted, is the power of Truth from Love; and it is chiefly by the Heavenly Doctrines of the Word that this power of Truth can be exerted and brought to bear, with any salutary effect, upon this merely natural state of the human mind. Man, we know, has a spiritual mind as well as a natural mind. In his spiritual mind, or in his "inward man," he rejoices in the truths of God's Word, and in the realities of the Heavenly Kingdom, just as, in his natural mind, he rejoices in the acquisition of earthly things, and of sensual enjoyments. Now the great condition of our salvation is that the spiritual mind shall be opened into the natural, and shall govern it by its heavenly spirit and by its benign influences from the Lord. Hence, a man, according to the Apostle, and according to the doctrines of the New Church, enjoys life and peace which is salvation. Thus our enlightened author plainly and often teaches us, that unless the spiritual mind is in some degree opened, during our life in the

world, into the natural, there can be no salvation: for it cannot be opened after death, from reasons which might be assigned, as well as from express declarations to that effect in the Scripture. The Lord, in His mercy, stands at the door and knocks, with all the ardour of His infinite love; but, if we will not open the door, "He cannot enter in to us and sup with us and we with Him:" that is, He cannot impart to us the blessings of His Kingdom. Thus, the natural mind separate from the spiritual is hell in man; but the spiritual mind opened into the natural is heaven in man. "Verily I say unto you, the Kingdom of God is within you." ·

Now, the opening of the spiritual mind, in which heaven principally resides, is effected on one condition-" that we love the Lord above all things, and our neighbour as ourselves." But the signs and evidences that we do thus love the Lord, and that our spiritual mind is consequently opened, must be well considered by every one who desires to know whether he can reasonably hope to be received into heaven after death. No question can be of greater moment; for, unless we do seriously consider these signs and evidences, this great condition of salvation, which all admit, will only be an abstract belief, having no practical, and, consequently, no saving application to our own souls.

Now, these signs and evidences that we love the Lord and our neighbour, are, first-that we love the truths of the Word, and delight to acquire them; for, in proportion as we love the truths of the Word, we shall be diligent, yea, shall esteem it as the great duty and blessing of our lives to acquire them in greater fulness and in greater clearness. We shall have recourse to those books published by this Society which, being of a spiritual character, tend to prepare the way for the reception of the Truth. According as we possess this love of Truth, and have a delight in knowing the spiritual realities of another life, we may know whether our spiritual mind, mentioned above, is opened or closed for it can only be opened by the genuine love of Truth, that is, Truth loved for its own sake, and not for the sake of any selfish or worldly consideration.

Secondly,-As another evidence that we love the Lord, we shall delight in the worship of Him, both in private and in public, and not, on any trifling pretence, absent ourselves on the Sabbath day from "paying our vows to Him," and thus worshipping him with a constantly increasing affection. The more interior this worship becomes, which is always in proportion to our interior love of the Truths of the Word, the more our spiritual mind will be opened, and the more interiorily our spirits will be introduced into the Lord's kingdom,

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THE DOWNFALL OF BABYLON,

Thirdly,-As another evidence of this love of Truth, we shall delight in promoting the good of our neighbour, and shall rejoice in his prosperity. We shall endeavour, through the Lord's help, to repress and remove from our hearts all envy, ill-will, hatred, revenge, evil speaking, in short, every evil which injures him, either in his life, his reputation, or his property. In this way our minds become the abode of heavenly charity, and our spirits after death will appear clothed in beauty and loveliness, for "the beauty of the Lord our God will be upon us." (Psalm xc., 17.)

Lastly,-As the principal evidence that we love the Lord, we shall feel a growing abhorrence of evil, and shall dread its approach even in thought, and shall constantly look and pray to Him that we may be delivered from its influence.

As these evidences of the spiritual state are experienced, we may rest assured that the works published by this Society will be in request, and that our sales from year to year will be increased. At present, we are verily in the wilderness; but the time will come when this wilderness shall blossom as the rose, and when fountains and streams of living water shall be opened, and shall flow forth for the healing of the nations.

In our address at the last annual meeting, we treated on the fall of Babylon, explaining what is meant in the Word by Babylon, so often mentioned in its divine pages. The love of power and dominion, grounded in the love of self, which is signified by Babylon in the Word, and which, though not confined to the Romish Church, has, nevertheless, been most fully developed and established in that communion, has received during the year a most severe shock, from which it will never recover so as to be able to assume its former despotic power. We are all familiar with the history of the events which have characterised this period; and we can see that when Swedenborg, in the middle of the last century, made the announcement that Babylon, by the general Judgment, was destroyed in the world of spirits, it might be expected that, in due time, the effects of this destruction would become visible in the Church on earth. And verily, we have witnessed the progress of this destruction, and do still continue to witness it. The Roman Catholics themselves, especially in Italy and in other parts of Europe, who have so long and so severely suffered under the "hard bondage" of Babylon, have risen up against her, with a determination to lay her walls and battlements low, and to extinguish, if possible, her name from the earth. The following document, which contains a declaration from Garibaldi which, we may with certainty conclude, is expressive of

the sentiments, in general, of the Italian people, is full of meaning as to the "fall of Babylon," and the desire which generally prevails that the people may be delivered from its bondage of ignorance, bigotry, and superstition. The declaration is taken from an Italian paper, and is called a 66 Resolution by Garibaldi." The Unità Italiana, of Milan, a Mazzinian organ, publishes the following letter from Garibaldi, dated Caprera, May 10:

"Sir, I am much obliged to the Unitary Italian Society of Palermo for the honour it has done me in choosing me for its honorary President. Having learned from the English papers that there is a plan afloat for giving Sardinia to the Pope, I have conceived the idea of submitting to the consideration of your Society, to which I have the honour to belong, the following Resolution, the principles of which should be propagated, not only among the members of the Society, but also among the Italian people generally: - Resolved, that considering Christ, by consecrating upon earth equality among men and nations, has deserved gratitude and love, we belong to the religion of Christ: Considering that the Pope, the Cardinals, the Sanfedists, all the mercenaries of Italy, and the spies assembled at Rome, are the chief obstacles to the unification of Italy, by their provoking and fomenting civil war, we do not belong to the religion of the Pope.' In consequence of the above consideration, resolved-That the Pope, the Cardinals, &c., shall shut up shop (cambiar bottega) at once, and betake themselves to some country as far away as possible from Italy, thus allowing this unfortunate Italian nation, which they have been torturing for ages, to constitute itself definitively.'—I am, with affection and thanks, yours, "GARIBALDI."

This Resolution, we think, speaks the heart-language of the people of Italy, especially of those who are best instructed; and it plainly shows us that Babylon is fallen from the height which it once occupied, and that its dogmas and its superstitions have now but little hold on the real heart of the nation. In this juncture, it behoves us to think what we can best do to introduce the truths of the New Church among the people of Italy, and it is hereby recommended to the Society to take this subject, during the coming year, into its serious consideration. And this, especially, as our enlightened Author shows us that the Roman Catholics, particularly the laity, can, after death, under certain conditions, be more easily instructed in the pure truths of the Word, and, in consequence, more readily introduced into heaven than the Protestants:

"The first reason why the Roman Catholics (says Swedenborg) may be brought into the New Jerusalem, or New Church, more easily than the Reformed, is, because the faith of justification by the imputation of the merit of Christ, which is an erroneous faith, and cannot be together with the faith of the New Church, (see n. 102 to 104.) is with