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the light of truth dawned upon her mind, through the divine blessing of Him who breaks not the bruised reed, neither quenches the smoking flax. Her pocket Bible, which she carried about with her as her constant companion, she would frequently search, "to see whether these things were so." Doubts and perplexities now arose in her mind, as to the doctrines she had "so long taken for granted;" while those of the New Church became more clear to the understanding. At length, having returned one Lord's day morning from her accustomed place of worship among the dissenters, she expressed her dissatisfaction of the expositions given of the Scriptures, and of the doctrines she had heard, although she once admired them. She said that they no longer afforded food for her mind, and as she could now derive no spiritual benefit from them, she would attend those places of worship no more. This voluntary decision, unconstrained and free, afforded further encouragement to her son to furnish every suitable means which, under the divine blessing, might be rendered conducive to her further progression. She became a more diligent reader of the writings, and of the Holy Word, with constant prayer for the Divine guidance; and also a constant attendant at the New Church place of worship, where the individual officiated who had previously been the unintentional cause of her grief of mind, through the change which had taken place in his religious views. Eventually, she fully received the doctrines of truth, with the affection and the understanding, and was baptized by one of our ministers, into the faith and life of the true Christian Church. Frequently would she revert with thankfulness to the time when the glorious truths of the New Dispensation were first introduced to her notice; saying, that "until that advanced age she had been living in mental darkness on the all-important subjects of the Word of God, but that darkness had given place to heavenly light, and that her sorrow was turned into joy." (Old age, if the faculties of the mind are uninjured, and errors have not been confirmed by evil in the will, is no barrier to the reception of the doctrines of truth and righteousness.) With equal satisfaction she would speak of her departed husband as having received (as above stated) the doctrine concerning the Lord, and of the

Divine Trinity as centered in his glorious Person, and that other doctrines were placed before him in their proper light; intimating at the same time, that, since his decease, he would see them more clearly than when sojourning in this world. Her attendance on public worship was unremitting, regardless of inclemency of weather, so long as there was a New Church place of worship in that town; and there is every reason to infer that the same punctuality would have been continued even to the day previous to her death, as she had done on that day elsewhere. From the Sabbath evening worship she returned home;-she had arrived at the end of her earthly course ; with the light of the returning day she closed her eyes in death, to enter on her eternal home; being "sound in the faith," rooted and grounded in love, giving glory to the Lord our God.

Died May 18th, 1847, Mr. George Moffat, of Bath-street, Glasgow, in the 35th year of his age. About eight years ago, his attention was directed to the New Church doctrines through a course of lectures then being delivered in Glasgow Mechanics' Institution; and having been bereaved of an infant daughter a short time previously, the views of the resurrection then presented to him were peculiarly gratifying. The consequence was, that after a careful study of the doctrines, and in opposition to the wishes of his relations, he became a member of the Glasgow Society. His patience under suffering was most exemplary, and through the heavenly influence of the New Church doctrines, he was enabled to meet his change in a calm, resigned, and peaceful state of mind. Much might be said of his strong attachment to the doctrines, which has ever been evinced since his reception of them, and more especially during his last illness; but the following incident will perhaps convey a better idea of this, than a more laboured detail: Shortly before his death he called his five young children round his bed, and, after addressing them repeatedly, presented to each of them a New Church book, and desired that the "True Christian Religion" might be preserved for his infant son, thus endeavouring to lay in them the foundation of that faith which had been his delight in life, and his consolation in death. R. B.

Cave and Sever, Printers, 18, St. Ann's-street, Manchester.

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WE are not now going to enter upon an abstruse inquiry concerning “life,”—that subtil essence which can only be contemplated in its effects, but we put the question—" What is life?" in the very common sense of the expressions, as referring to the every-day experiences, inward and outward, of human beings, of all characters and tastes.

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The Apostle James says, For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." But observe, he is speaking of a particular kind of life, not of human life universally. "Your life" means the life of certain persons, who, it appears from the previous verse, were more in love with the present world than with the world to come. Go to, now, (says the indignant. Apostle) ye that say, To-day, or to-morrow, we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy, and sell, and get gain." And truly life is but a vapour to those who misapply its purpose by devoting all their energies "to get gain." Death, when it overtakes them, shall painfully convince them that their hopes and enjoyments, having no ground in the eternal, are but as a vapour that is passing away. With what a sense of horror, if conscience be not entirely seared, must they listen to the 39th Psalm, if read to them in the prospect of death, with its due, its solemn emphasis! Surely every man walketh in a vain imagination. Surely they are disquieted in vain. He heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them!"—It is to such as these that life is a vapour, and to such as these only. It is not so in the intention of the Creator himself; it is not so with those who realise that intention. He placed us on earth, to prepare us for heaven! This being realized, renders life substantial, even beyond expression. Neglected, life is nothing but a vapour that passeth away. When David, N. S. NO. 92.-VOL. VIII.

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the light of truth dawned upon her mind, through the divine blessing of Him who breaks not the bruised reed, neither quenches the smoking flax. Her pocket Bible, which she carried about with her as her constant companion, she would frequently search, to see whether these things were so." Doubts and perplexities now arose in her mind, as to the doctrines she had "so long taken for granted;" while those of the New Church became more clear to the understanding. At length, having returned one Lord's day morning from her accustomed place of worship among the dissenters, she expressed her dissatisfaction of the expositions given of the Scriptures, and of the doctrines she had heard, although she once admired them. She said that they no longer afforded food for her mind, and as she could now derive no spiritual benefit from them, she would attend those places of worship no more. This voluntary decision, unconstrained and free, afforded further encouragement to her son to furnish every suitable means which, under the divine blessing, might be rendered conducive to her further progression. She became a more diligent reader of the writings, and of the Holy Word, with constant prayer for the Divine guidance; and also a constant attendant at the New Church place of worship, where the individual officiated who had previously been the unintentional cause of her grief of mind, through the change which had taken place in his religious views. Eventually, she fully received the doctrines of truth, with the affection and the understanding, and was baptized by one of our ministers, into the faith and life of the true Christian Church. Frequently would she revert with thankfulness to the time when the glorious truths of the New Dispensation were first introduced to her notice; saying, that "until that advanced age she had been living in mental darkness on the all-important subjects of the Word of God, but that darkness had given place to heavenly light, and that her sorrow was turned into joy." (Old age, if the faculties of the mind are uninjured, and errors have not been confirmed by evil in the will, is no barrier to the reception of the doctrines of truth and righteousness.) With equal satisfaction she would speak of her departed husband as having received (as above stated) the doctrine concerning the Lord, and of the

Divine Trinity as centered in his glorious Person, and that other doctrines were placed before him in their proper light; intimating at the same time, that, since his decease, he would see them more clearly than when sojourning in this world. Her attendance on public worship was unremitting, regardless of inclemency of weather, so long as there was a New Church place of worship in that town; and there is every reason to infer that the same punctuality would have been continued even to the day previous to her death, as she had done on that day elsewhere. From the Sabbath evening worship she returned home; she had arrived at the end of her earthly course; with the light of the returning day she closed her eyes in death, to enter on her eternal home; being "sound in the faith," rooted and grounded in love, giving glory to the Lord our God.

* * *

Died May 18th, 1847, Mr. George Moffat, of Bath-street, Glasgow, in the 35th year of his age. About eight years ago, his attention was directed to the New Church doctrines through a course of lectures then being delivered in Glasgow Mechanics' Institution; and having been bereaved of an infant daughter a short time previously, the views of the resurrection then presented to him were peculiarly gratifying. The consequence was, that after a careful study of the doctrines, and in opposition to the wishes of his relations, he became a member of the Glasgow Society. His patience under suffering was most exemplary, and through the heavenly influence of the New Church doctrines, he was enabled to meet his change in a calm, resigned, and peaceful state of mind. Much might be said of his strong attachment to the doctrines, which has ever been evinced since his reception of them, and more especially during his last illness; but the following incident will perhaps convey a better idea of this, than a more laboured detail:Shortly before his death he called his five young children round his bed, and, after addressing them repeatedly, presented to each of them a New Church book, and desired that the "True Christian Religion" might be preserved for his infant son, thus endeavouring to lay in them the foundation of that faith which had been his delight in life, and his consolation in death. R. B.

Cave and Sever, Printers, 18, St. Ann's-street, Manchester.

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WHAT IS LIFE?

WE are not now going to enter upon an abstruse inquiry concerning life,”—that subtil essence which can only be contemplated in its effects, but we put the question-"What is life?" in the very common sense of the expressions, as referring to the every-day experiences, inward and outward, of human beings, of all characters and tastes.

The Apostle James says, "For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." But observe, he is speaking of a particular kind of life, not of human life universally. "Your life" means the life of certain persons, who, it appears from the previous verse, were more in love with the present world than with the world to come. "Go to, now, (says the indignant. Apostle) ye that say, To-day, or to-morrow, we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy, and sell, and get gain." And truly life is but a vapour to those who misapply its purpose by devoting all their energies "to get gain." "to get gain." Death, when it overtakes them, shall painfully convince them that their hopes and enjoyments, having no ground in the eternal, are but as a vapour that is passing away. With what a sense of horror, if conscience be not entirely seared, must they listen to the 39th Psalm, if read to them in the prospect of death, with its due, its solemn emphasis! "Surely every man walketh in a vain imagination. Surely they are disquieted in vain. He heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them!"—It is to such as these that life is a vapour, and to such as these only. It is not so in the intention of the Creator himself; it is not so with those who realise that intention. He placed us on earth, to prepare us for heaven! This being realized, renders life substantial, even beyond expression. Neglected, life is nothing but a vapour that passeth away. When David, N. S. No. 92.-VOL. VIII.

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by Divine inspiration, had written the words just cited, he was moved, as the representative of the "true Israelites," to exclaim in happy contrast to the characters just depicted, "And now, O Lord, what wait I for? [Blessed answer to be able to reply in truth] My hope is in thee!" 66 Let others pursue the vain shadow of gain; I wait not for its mean and unsatisfying gratifications! I wait for that on which alone my hope is fixed,-"My hope is in the Lord which made heaven and earth." Merely natural powers and attainments are of little value. Nothing but that which savours of immortality can satisfy the immortal appetite. Not earth, but heaven is my "home!"

"Heaven our reward-for heaven enjoyed below." While realized hope of gain maddens one who obtains it, disappointment produces a melancholy frenzy in another. This is powerfully expressed in the sad words of Burns, in his "Ode to Despondency."

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Another class, blind to the glad truth that "Life is the bud of being," give themselves up to pleasure, exclaiming, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." These reduce the great and essential use of life, as "a seminary for heaven," to nothing. Truly the life of such is but a vapour! That masculine poet, Dr. Young, (though somewhat inconsistent withal, as orthodox poets commonly are, getting their wisdom by a sort of poetic inspiration, and their absurdities from their creed)* thus apostrophizes the gay votaries of pleasure,

"O ye who deem one moment unamused

A misery,—say, dreamers of gay dreams,
How will you weather an eternal night ?"

* Witness the following contradictory extracts:—
"God is all love; all joy in giving joy;
He never had created-but to bless!"
"Let not the vial of thy vengeance, poured
On this devoted head, be poured in vain !"
"A God all mercy, is a God unjust."

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