Thebans, and to whom was the inscription, "I am all that has been, all that is, and all that will be, and no person has drawn aside my veil." Seeing, then, that faith exists with wisdom and truth, and that faith is belief, and belongs to the affections of which woman is the natural emblem, we at once perceive why Juno was the patroness and goddess of married women. As faith or belief without conjunction with, or corrected by, wisdom, will run to an alarming extent, and merge into pride and vanity, characteristic of the sex,-so Juno alone was the representative of pride, and called Superbia, and the peacock was dedicated to her. B. W. SIR, MESMERISM. To the Editor of the Intellectual Repository. Your correspondent X, in your last number, is plainly an advocate for Mesmerism, if not by argument, yet by leaning with his belief that way; and, as I deliberately designated it in the terms he has quoted, I was prepared for that recommendation of mildness from some one, in handling the question so as to "rouse no hostility and display no prejudice." But I did not choose to be pent up within the limits prescribed by X; for I well know that in this way the advocates for Mesmerism in general have a chance of making progress. The best and most solid of rational arguments being always stigmatized by them as illiberal and narrow-minded. Whilst it is the " sole purport" of X to caution the New Church to seek information before they assent to my remarks, it is my duty to assure the New Church that, to my personal knowledge, the "Zoist" is not the honest publication to go to for information, howsoever "talented" it may be. The demonstration X seeks for of Mesmerism being disorderly, I can supply from every fact which is connected with, and emanates from it; and I therefore make them the grounds of my condemnatory opinion of the whole question. Surely, Sir, I have as much right as X has to form an opinion on the facts exhibited; if he deduces important principles and consequences from them, I deduce such as are evil and mischievous, and which it is therefore of the greatest importance to the New Church to repudiate. I am sure the majority of the New Church coincide with me in considering it to be a breach of order to interfere with the will and consciousness of a human mind, so as to bring it into states and conditions wherein it is not accountable for its bodily words and works; and I beg N.S. NO. 60.-VOL. V. 3 N to refer you, Mr. Editor, to your own view on this matter, at page 426 of your last number, on which, as well as on other points of your reasoning on the subject of Mesmerism, I may have something to say in your next. I start from this ground as a principle; I rest upon it as a safe abiding place; and none of the sophistry, mock liberality, and slippery reasoning of the votaries to the Egyptian magic of modern times, still less their marvellous enchantments, shall draw me away from it for a moment. The truths of the New Church nowhere sanction a departure from order to bring about a good, whether speculative or positive: they nowhere point out a fountain, the waters of which are bitter, and the streams from it sweet; but they do point out how the waters of a sweet fountain are rendered bitter by perversion and defilement. And therefore, Sir, in all conscience I declare, that were I about to suffer the horrors of amputation to avoid the greater horrors of continued suffering under disease or accident, I should not "be glad to resort to the mesmerists to indulge my imaginative faculty with a painless operation," for, not only would (my doubt of the efficacy of Mesmerism incapacitate me from benefiting by its ministry, but my low estimate of the title of the mesmerists to my confidence would render me, in my own opinion as well as in theirs, an unfit subject, whereon to make trial of their wonderful art, to say nothing of my regarding such a resource as highly disorderly. And here I cannot refrain from remarking on the very great uncertainty of the mesmeric influence taking place at all, for it is continually disappointing its most favoring spirits even under their fondest hopes for its success. But X requires of the members of the New Church, among several other good qualities, to enlist such prejudices as they are constrained to yield to, on the "side of newness;" what newness there is in Mesmerism X would find it impossible to shew: it is as old as Egypt; it is as ancient as the "evil eye;" or as the witchery of Endor, for I class them all under one category, as to the quackery against which the members of the New Church may be constrained to have an unreasonable feeling; I consider that it is impossible for a feeling against it to be other than reasonable, for quackery and dishonesty, and selfishness and illiberality, are almost synonymous, and I believe it to be an act of New Church charity, yea! and of New Church humility, as well as of New Church duty, to designate things according to their intrinsic qualities, for in so doing, we speak from the liberty according to the rationality vouchsafed to us in mercy for the purpose; and I cordially hope that the New Church will never imbibe, nor yield to, any uncharitable suspicion, that "old chartered bodies, and corporations, and colleges, and universities, and professions," have become so utterly abandoned to wickedness and dishonesty, as to prove the prolific sources of what they were instituted to suppress as well might the New Churchman advance the cruel sentiment that a human form was, by reason of its corruptions, incapable of regeneration. From notions of this sort, may God defend every member and friend of the New Church! POETRY. Yours, &c., J. S. AUTUMN. SECURE and firm the oak tree spreads a shade But now the warm and sunny skies are failing, For with that music comes the memory Though all on earth must wither and decay, The Spring with green will clothe the bough again. For they that search into their hearts shall stand W. M. N. AN ADDRESS TO THE READERS OF THE REPOSITORY. As another year has now nearly elapsed, we beg to address a few words to our readers. This periodical, which now pays you a monthly visit, has been thirty-two years in the service of the Lord's New Church. It comes as a messenger conveying various information on subjects relating to the efforts which are made to promote the intellectual reception, the cordial love, and the zealous practice of what we firmly believe to be the genuine doctrines and truths of the Lord's Holy Word, and Kingdom. Divine Truth is the harbinger of all good to the human race; in proportion as we receive and love it, our hearts and minds are opened to the reception of holy and blissful influences from the Lord through heaven, and our lives and characters are adorned with the graces and virtues of the angelic kingdom. Who can sufficiently appreciate the immense importance of Truth! As rational and spiritual beings we owe every thing to its light and power; and as natural beings we derive every blessing of civilization, science, and art, from its operation and influence, in like manner as the earth derives it productions and its fruits from the operation of the solar influence as an instrumental means in the Divine hand, of covering the earth with verdure and fruitfulness, and thus of filling all things living with plenteousness. Without truths we can have no faith (A.C. 4353)—no love to the Lord (10,143)—no love to our neighbour (4368)—no intelligence and wisdom (3182). Without truths our regeneration cannot be effected (1553), nor can we have any power against evils and falses, nor consequently against hell (3091). Without truths there is no Church (1798)—no Heaven (1690)—no innocence of wisdom (3183)-no conscience (1077)-no heavenly order established in human societies (3316). All dignity and beauty which characterise the angelic human form, spring from the reception and love of truth (3080). In short, man is a man in proportion as he receives and loves truth (3175, 10,298). Who can read all these immensely weighty propositions and not be struck with the unspeakable importance of Truth? And the apostle says, in confirmation of all this, they that perish, perish because they have received not the love of the truth that they might be saved." (2 Thess. ii. 10.) Believing, then, as we do, that we have a wonderful treasury of truth entrusted to our care, ought we not, like faithful stewards, so to employ our Lord's property, that when he cometh and reckoneth with us, we may not be found wanting? Let us remember that the most efficient way of receiving the truth in our own hearts, is that of endeavouring to promote the recep tion of it in the hearts of others. If all the immense good and happiness mentioned above, are produced solely by the reception and love of truth, our love to the Lord and to our neighbour cannot be better testified than by endeavouring to promote the establishment of truth in the world. There are numerous ways of promoting this great object, and we have many institutions for the purpose; but a monthly periodical has, what may be called a subjective and an objective use,-a use which applies to subjects within, and to objects without the Church. The members of the Church should be individually instructed and edified by our periodical, and also informed as to every thing interesting and important which occurs respecting the Church. The signs of the times in relation to the mental, theological, and religious aspect of the world, should be discerned and recorded. There are numerous publications constantly appearing, in which new rays of light, in harmony with genuine intelligence, are powerfully striving to pierce the great darkness which commonly prevails in relation to nearly every genuine doctrine of Christianity. As it was at the Lord's first coming, so it is now. "The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not ;" but the darkness will be slowly and gradually dispersed, since a new era of light has most providentially commenced. Every receiver of the heavenly doctrines becomes a new centre of light, which burns and shines the more brightly the more the heart is kindled with heavenly affection for the divine and spiritual things, which the light exhibits to our view. And as 66 one star differeth from another star in glory;" as one star emits a light peculiar to itself; so every mind has a mode of contemplation, and a current of thought peculiar to itself, which when put forth for the edification of the brethren, serves to strengthen, console, encourage, and confirm those who are looking towards Zion, the city of our solemnities, and towards Jerusalem, the quiet habitation, which shall never be disturbed. To this end we respectfully solicit more frequent and more varied contributions to our periodical. The work cannot be enriched with that variety of subject and of thought, which, to the majority, is so attractive and pleasing, unless a greater variety of contributors engage in its publication. The fields of nature, science, art, philosophy, poetry, and theology, together with an immense amount of knowledge original and sublime, concerning spiritual things, are all open to the contemplative mind of the New Churchman; and viewing all things in their relation to the Good and the True, he cannot fail to present offerings to the Repository which will be acceptable and grateful to its readers. To the ministers of the Church, who, by their calling, are more immediately |