simultaneously, as in a mirror, and she had a faculty developed as suddenly for comprehending the whole and every part. This, from some former experiences of mine, I can believe. I have, indeed, seen the same thing asserted twice in modern books, and accompanied by a remark which I am convinced is true; namely, that the dread book of account which the Scriptures speak of, is, in fact, the mind of each individual."-Confessions of an English Opium Eater. I have introduced this quotation as a note to shew the inconsistency of this writer. Some time since in an article in "Tait's Magazine," this writer denominated Swedenborg mad, (See "Intellectual Repository," vol. iv. p. 501-510,) but here, because the sentiment agrees with his opium eating experiences, he is convinced that this doctrine is true. This doctrine is essentially that of Swedenborg, and it is not impossible he may have seen it in Swedenborg's works. If this doctrine is true is it impossible that the other doctrines of Swedenborg may be true also; but probably the doctrines of Swedenborg do not agree with. his opium eating experiences?

SERMON XXVIII.

THE INDESTRUCTIBILITY OF THE WORLD.

BY THE REV M. SIBLY.

Psalm xciii. 1, latter part.

"The world also is established, that it cannot be moved." PRIOR to the Lord having been pleased to make his second advent, and, by the light and glory of the divine truths therein dispensed, to remove the shades of obscurity and death that overspread the whole Christian hemisphere, the members of the Lord's professing Church entertained many idle conceits concerning the duration and the destruction of the natural world; nor could these notions be dispersed, as long as that dispensation lasted.

These erroneous conceits and notions may now be dissipated, inasmuch as mankind in general, and more especially those who accede to the Lord's New Church, are capable of exercising their human rational faculty, of entering intellectually into all the articles of their creed, of tracing the origin of all effects produced in the natural world and degree to a spiritual cause; thus, of exercising their minds upon subjects of genuine intelligence and wisdom, which, with them, may pass out of time, into the eternal condition of their human life.

The prevalent opinion concerning the duration and the destruction of the world, has been, that, at some future day, which has been looked for, and looked for in vain, for many past generations, and which some, at different periods, have been daring enough to predict, as to its precise time, the most awful scenes will be exhi bited, that have occurred since the commencement of time; when there will be a general conflagration of this globe on which we dwell, and of all things belonging thereto; when also the blue vaulted heaven over our heads, with all its beautiful adornments of sun, moon, and stars, shall be consumed, and pass away; the elements, all of them, shall be annihilated; a catastrophe considered altogether to be of a sublime nature, because of the dreadful images

that the contemplation thereof presents to the mind. Hence the awful, imaginary subject, has afforded scope for some poetic geniuses to exercise their talents upon, as fiction is equally capable of circumstantial amplification as truth; and whose writings have served to rivet the false ideas in the minds of their admirers.

One general reason that has been assigned for the destruction of this globe, and of the visible heavens, at some future day, is the alleged circumstance, as some have been pleased to consider it, of nature growing old; therefore, like the respective subjects of her three kingdoms, the animal, the vegetable, and the mineral, she must herself inevitably fall into decay.

But surely, beloved, such reasonings upon the nature of the earth, and of the visible heavens, would never have been listened to, had the subject been weighed, ever so little, in the mind. The solar body enlightens and cherishes all things under its beams, the same as ever. The moon equally passes through her appointed changes. The stars also continue to bespangle the firmament. In neither of these is to be traced the least symptom of age, much less any appearance of tending to decay.

Do we inspect the world at large, we find that her productions are as numerous as ever; she still affords subsistence to her inhabitants, of all grades, as formerly, or when she was in her supposed best estates; the seasons of the year equally return at their wonted periods; and the times of the day continue in their same rotation as from the first creation.

Moreover, connected with the conception of the destruction of the world, at some future day, another erroneous idea has been suggested to the mind, that human generations will cease. Herein is implied that the Divine Creator of the world and of the human race hereupon, either has not power to continue their generations to perpetuity, or that the spiritual world has become sufficiently infilled for his glory and renown, or that there will not be room for any more to enter therein, and that this will be the case more especially with the angelic heaven. And if so with heaven, surely we may say the same with respect to hell, that it can receive no more into its yawning gulph. But these erroneous conceits could never have found entrance into the human mind, much less been harboured therein, had mankind attained to that proper view of creation, as to have seen it to be truly a divine work, and as such it must have relation to infinity and eternity.

That creation is a divine work, must be acknowledged by every

one, who believes in the divinity of the holy Word. It is therein. asserted as a preliminary to all its sacred teaching, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

That every divine work must have relation to infinity and eternity, arises from the operator being these in himself, consequently cannot but enstamp an image, more or less, of these divine perfections on every work of his hands.

That universal nature has an image of infinity enstamped thereupon, may be manifest from its several productions; thus, in the vegetable kingdom from the seeds of any one single tree or shrub might be produced, in its continuous progressive multiplications of its kind, in process of time, sufficient to infil the whole earth.

The same doctrine may also be evinced and confirmed to the rational mind, from the circumstance, that there are not two things produced by nature that are in all respects exactly alike.

Among the thousands of leaves on a tree, there are no two to be found veined precisely the same. So likewise among the human race, there are not two faces to be found perfectly similar in all the features. Surely, these facts exhibit manifest proofs, that the Divine Maker has enstamped an image of his infinity on his works.

That the terraqueous globe together with the visible heavens, thus universal nature, as created by a divine omnipotent hand, have likewise relation to eternity, becomes apparent from the circumstance that nature in all her productions is the regenerator of herself. In the vegetable kingdom the seed springs up and becomes a tree, from whence, after due progressions, new seeds are produced; these being planted in the ground follow in the exact same course as the parent seed, and so in perpetual successions. Moreover, it is an universal law, with respect to the operations of nature, that the corruption of any one thing is the generation

of another.

To conceive also that the angelic heavens can become so infilled as not to be capable of receiving more inhabitants, is such a faltering of the human mind and forgetfulness of the divine attribute of immensity, that the idea could not have been harboured one moment had not the children of men sunk themselves down from the rational degree of their human life, to the merely natural and sensitive.

The idea of immensity presents itself to our minds, as that which is without measure, and without number, thus, as what is eternal and infinite. As heaven is constituted and formed from

state, and not merely from place, what just reason can there be given for the notion, that a certain number only are predestinated, or chosen, to find admittance therein? Eternity presents an idea of what is unbounded as to space and time; infinity what is unlimited as to number; both are included in immensity. That the old Christian church actually gave into this idea, of a certain number of the human race being predestinated to infil the angelic heaven, we need only cite a petition in the burial service of the dead, as used in the Church of England, and which is considered to be orthodox, by the generality of professing Christendom: "O Lord, we beseech thee shortly to accomplish the number of thine elect, and to hasten thy kingdom." A supplication this, of such a contracted nature, as ought never to proceed out of the mouth of any man, much less from him who stiles himself a Christian, and prides himself for being more in illustration than other men, respecting the name, the person, and the works of his God. Whosoever utters this petition from the heart, virtuallly supplicates the Lord, not only to bring the world and all natural things to a conclusion, but, if possible, to shorten their appointed duration; which things are altogether contrary to the divine nature.

It is sometimes said, that the world will no more be deluged by water, but it will be destroyed by fire.

Hereupon, permit it to be observed, that the opinion which has hitherto obtained, respecting the destruction of the world by water, is altogether grounded on fallacious premises, in consequence of the man of the church not understanding the Word of the Lord, according to its genuine interpretation.

The Holy Word, in all its parts, from beginning to end, treats of the church of the Lord, thus of the goodnesses and truths that constitute his kingdom on earth and in heaven, and of the evils and falsities that oppose.

The flood, spoken of in the book of Genesis, in its spiritual sense, has no reference to a flood of natural waters, but to an overwhelming destruction, entirely of a spiritual kind—to a deluge altogether similar to those inundating tempests, of which David speaks so often in the Psalms; and speaks as a representative of the faithful, who is enduring spiritual temptations; and, more especially, of the Lord himself, in his ultimate assumed humanity, while wrestling with the hour and power of darkness. Thus, in Psalm xlii. 7. "Deep calleth unto deep; at the noise of thy water spouts, all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me." Our blessed Lord describes, in a similar manner, the respective situations, in the judg