over study to keep his commandments, in shunning all evils as sins, and in the discharge of every relative duty, are in the life of the New Church. The internal state of such persons is certainly better than that of those who assume the name of the only true Christians, and yet undertake to form a harsh opinion of their neighbor without the slightest acquaintance of his conduct or manners. Although there is a seeming impropriety of language, in saying that humility is the seed or principle of every other virtue, I apprehend it to be something more than a passive state. Humiliation is an essential of divine worship, consisting in an acknowledgment that man of himself is nothing but what is evil and false. When man is in this essential, he is then in a state of receiving from the Lord the truth which is of faith, and the good which is of charity, and is consequently in a state of worshipping him. A. C. 8271. The word "seed" has various significations in the sacred scripture, according to the subject. Among others it denotes faith grounded in charity, which will only be received by the humble of heart. And as humility is not more connate than faith, hope, or charity, the terming of it a seed or new principle of life communicated to the soul of man, and re-acting in self-abasement and exaltation of the Divine Giver, is at least an excusable incorrectness. None of the readers of your Luminary were, it may be hoped, led into any misapprehension of the writer's meaning, and I hope your correspondent T. has not, with all his acuteness, discovered any thing in the preliminary observations to the paraphrase of the heavenly prayer, which can be deemed inconsistent with the True Christian Theology of the New Jerusalem. By some experience and conviction, I am induced to think that there is great occasion for the exercise of patience, meekness, liberality and charity, by the professing members of the New Church, among each other, and still more towards the pious and sincere seekers of truth and righteousness of every religion. It is not by a war of words and the calling of opprobrious epithets that we can hope for success in a good cause. The feelings revolt at every other treatment of a patient than that which convinces him of a tender regard for his recovery and welfare. The physician of souls, in his adorable mercy, is full of compassion for the greatest of sinners. "As a shepherd he will feed his flock, he will collect the lambs into his arm, and carry them in his bosom: he will gently lead the sucklings." Ought not we, in all our communications, to imitate the divine example of the True Shepherd? "For the Lord of Hosts will visit his flock, the house of Judah, and will set them, as the horse of his glory in the war; from hin the corner, from him the nail, and from him the battle-bow; from him shall go forth every exactor together. And they shall be as the mighty who tread down the mire of the streets, and they shall combat because Jehovah is with them, and they that ride upon horses shall be ashamed," Zech. x. 3, 4, 5. By the house of Judah is signified the celestial kingdom of the Lord, or heaven and the church, which are in love to the Lord. Of this it is said, that it shall be as a horse of glory in war, by which is meant the understanding of divine truth combatting against evils and falses, which will be destroyed: by a horse is signified understanding, by glory divine truth, and by war, combat against evils and falses and their destruction. By the corner, nail, and battlebow, which are of Judah, are signified truths; by corner, truth protect ing, by nail truth strengthening, and by battle-bow, truth combatting from doctrine. They shall be as the mighty treading down the mire of the strects, signifies the power of dissipating and destroying falses; mire of the street significs falses: by the riders on horses being ashamed, is signified the annihilation of reasonings, arguments and confirmations, Crowe from uuenlightened reason: That this will be effected by the Lord and uot of themselves, is signified by their combatting, because Jehovah is with them. Ap. Exp. JUVENIS. FOR THE HALCYON LUMINARY. TO X. Y.* Sir-You have made inquiry (page 354) for information respecting some words of St. Paul, which appear to you, no doubt, as rather unintelligible. You, sir, will do well to bear in mind, that his episiles were translated into the English language when its idiom was barbarous, unrefined by Johnson, Addison, and others. I will endeavor to place before you the text you have quoted in a modern dress, when you will perceive that the goodly apostle of the Gentiles is of himself sufficiently explicit, and easy of construction, his words admitting of a literal definition only. Cor. chap. vii. ver. 1. Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Ver. 2. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. CORRECT TRANSLATION. Ver. 1. It is good for a man not to touch a wife. Ver. 2. Yet, always, to avoid fornication, each one should have a wife, and each woman a husband. Ver. 29. But this I say, brethren, the time is short. It remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none. TR. But attend to what I say, my brethren; we have yet but a little time. Let those that have wives be as though they had none. Remark. The apostle, in the 31st verse, explains this by saying, "And those who use this world be as if they used it not, for its fashions are fleeting;" thus teaching, that a man is not to permit himself to be led by his affection for his wife into any thing contrary to his christian obligations. An advice which, in the days of Paul, when christians were but few, comparatively with pagans, seems highly discreet. Ver. 36. But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely towards his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. TR. 517 But if any one thinks it is not honorable that his daughter pass the flower of her age unmarried, and that she is also desirous; they may do as they please, there is no sin in the girl's marrying. Ver. 37. Nevertheless, he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his will, and hath so decreed that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. ᎢᎡ. But he who, unconstrained by necessity, and being entirely free to do as he thinks best, hath taken a firm resolution to keep his daughter, doeth well. Ver. 38. So then, he that giveth her in marriage doeth well, but he that giveth her not in marriage, doeth better. The same. TR. Remarks. It may be perceived, by carefully reading the context, that St. Paul was exceedingly anxious about the matrimonial connexions his proselytes formed, as they were at that time chiefly with those out of the church. He was, as he expresses it, jealous over them with a godly jealousy. In the same chapter he forbids separations, even when one of the parties was infidel in principle (ver. 12, 13). Yet if the infidel was determined to separate from the christian partner, it was permitted by the apostle for peace sake. I have the more pleasure in giving these explanations, as I once, perhaps, as X. Y. does at present, supposed that the Scriptures were but a vain thing. I now perceive, that "a little learning is a dangerous thing," and find, that it is my duty to do for others, what others have before done for me. Adicu, may you never knock without having the doors of knowledge opened to you. A. B. THE SONG OF MOSES. DR. ADAM CLARK'S TRANSLATION. PART I. 1. I will sing to JEHOVAH, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2. My strength and my song, is JEHOVAH; And he is become to me for salvation: 3. Jehovah is mighty in battle! Jehovah is his name! CHORUS. O sing ye to Jehovah, for he hath triumphed gloriously! PART II. 4. Pharaoh's chariots and his host, hath he cast into the sea: and his chosen captains are drowned in the Red Sea. 5. The depths have covered them, they went down: (they sank) to the bottom as a stone. 6. Thy right hand, Jehovah, is become glorious in power. Thy right hand, Jehovah, dasheth in pieces the enemy. 7. And in the greatness of thine excellence thou overthrowest them that rise up against thee; Thou sendest forth thy wrath which consumeth them as stubble: 8. Even at the blast of thy displeasure, the waters are gathered together. The floods stand upright, as an heap: Congealed are the depths in the very heart of the sea. CHORUS BY THE WOMEN. Oh sing ye to Jehovah, &c. PART III. 9. The enemy said, “ I will pursue, I shall overtake, I shall divide the spoil; my soul shall be saliated with them: I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them." 10. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: They sank as lead, in the mighty waters. 11. Who is like thee among the gods, O Jehovah? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness! 12. Fearful in praises! performing wonders! Thou stretchest out thy right hand, the earth swallowest them! 13.Thou in thy mercy, leadest the people whom thou hast redeemed; Thou, in thy strength, guidest to the habitation of thy holiness. CHORUS BY THE WOMEN. O sing ye to Jehovah, &c. PART IV. 14. The nations have heard, and are afraid; Sorrow hath seized the inhabitants of Palestine. 15. Already are the Dukes of Edom in consternation; And the mighty men of Moab, trembling hath seized them: All the inhabitants of Canaan do faint. 16. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; Through the greatness of thine arm, they shall be still as a stone: 17. Till thy people, JEHOVAH, pass over; Till the people pass over* whom thou hast redeemed. 18. Thou shalt bring them and plant them in the mount of thine inheritance: * Jordan. The place for thy rest, which thou, JEHOVAH, hast made. GRAND CHORUS, BY ALL. Jehovah for ever and ever shall reign. CONCERTS IN NATURE. [By St. Pierre.] Concert is an order composed of several harmonies of various kinds. It differs from simple order, in that this last is often only a series of harmonies of one kind. Every individual work of nature presents, in different kinds, harmonies, consonances, contrasts, and forms a real concert. We may remark, on the subject of these harmonies, and of these contrasts, that those vegetables whose flowers are least striking, are inhabited by animals of brilliant colors, and that those vegetables whose flowers have most lustre and color, serve as an asylum for dusky animals. This is very observable in the countries between the tropics, where few of the trees or plants have apparent flowers, and where birds, insects, and even monkeys of so lively color are found. It is in the plains of India that the peacock displays his magnificent plumage on the shrubbery of which the verdure is destroyed by the sun; it is in the same climates that the arras, the lauris, and parrots, enamelled with a thousand colors, perch on the grey branches of the palm trees; and that clouds of little perroquets, green as emeralds, feed on fields yellowed by the long heats of sum mer. In our temperate regions, most of the birds are of dull colors, because the greater part of our plants have flowers of lively colors. It is very remarkable that those of our birds, and of our insects who have gay colors, live, in ordinary, on vegetables without apparent flowers. Thus the heath-cock shines on the grey verdure of the pines, the apples of which serve him for food. The goldfinch builds his nest on the rugged fuller's thistle. The gayest of our caterpillars, which is marbled with scarlet, is found upon a species of tithymal, which grows, in general, in sandy places, and in the quarries of the forest of Fontainbleau. On the contrary, our birds of dusky tints inhabit shrubs with gay flowers. The black-headed bullfinch builds his nest in the white-thorn, and that lovely bird makes very agreeable consonance and contrast with this thorny shrub, by the redness of his breast and the sweetness of his song. The nightingale, with her brown plumage, loves to nest in the rose-bush, according to the traditions of oriental poets, who made many pretty fables on the loves of this melancholy bird for the rose. We always find in the cells of the mole, fragments of the bulbous root of the colchica, close by the nest of her young: Now, if you examine all the plants which usually grow in our meadows, you will find none which forms more harmonies with the black color of the mole, than the flowers, purple and lilachy, of the colchica. This plant is, |