Literature. Reviews.

most and understands best , we cannot always congratulate him ou the soundness or depth of his views . In common with all the modern philosophical inquirers who have followed in Mr . Fronde ' s wake , we meet ivith the acknowledged ignoring of the Supreme Being , as God . Thoy all take Mr . Atkinson ' s definition , or rather admission of a something which they ill define , and say , — - "Philosophy finds no God in

nature : no personal being or creator , nor sees the want of any 1 " They cannot admit the essence of a personal God , in the usual sense of these terms , but they have no objection to " a something , " or " a principle , " because—ah , why' ?— "because the form of mind requires it I" So Mr . Grossmith cares not " to establish the creation by natural laws , unconnected with a Creator , or Infinite Wisdom . I wish not to dispute about the namewhether we call

, ifc Gael , Jehovah , or Creator , the First Cause , the Primordial Element , the Anterior Elemental Law Maker , or God with us . I can conceive no such grand scheme as this earth , the planets , the suns , the _ systems , the universes in the far distant immensity of space , without acknowledging the First Cause , Omnipotent , Omniscient , and Omnipresent ; who is , and was , and ever will be , the Grand Architect of the universes . " And after this

acknowledgment , as if to make tho Creator as little as possible in the eyes of man , instead of bowing with homage aud reverence to the sacred names he has before uttered , he designates this All-wise Beinp , the Great Creator of us all , the Father of life and light , the first person in the ever blessed Trinity , the perfection of all good , and the final judge of all our actions , —CAUSALITY ! If this

be philosophy that , for the sake of an uncouth title of the Deity , seeks to rob us of our reverence , awe , fear , and love , for the Majesty of the True and living God Most High , then wc sayaway with such false lights which break down the hopes of the immortal soul , and make us the sport of causality or chance . ^ Mr . Grossmith is evidently a great admirer of our late Bro . EmauuelSwedeiiborg . AVe respect his memory because lie was a

man of singular purity of life and maimers . With whatever eye we may look at his theological views , yet we are bound to say that he never , in his wildest dreams of spiritualism , indulged in such balderdash as the following . Swedcnborg's reverence for high and holy things is exactly the reverse of Mr . Grossmith's . Swedcnborg believed strongly iii the personality of each of the three divine personages of the Holy Trinitybut he appears to

, havo been led away by a fickle imagination caused not by causality , but by a want of a simple adherence to tbe literal Word of God . This utterl y bewildered him and seduced him into the depths of dreamy transcendentalism aud mystical delusion , producing a tendency to materialise spirit or to spiritualise matter . His doctrine of spirits is ofthe most fanciful description , and in his intermediate stateor world of disembodied soulshe approached vory near to

, , tho Romish doctrine of purgatory , and " at death , " he says " man is instantaneously raised in a spiritual body , which is , during his lifetime , in the flesh , invisible , but really inclosed in his material frame . " Now how docs Mr . Grossmith treat this spirit — the essence of all spirits—the Spirit of God—the Holy Ghost himself ? Let his own words testify :

"Spiritualism soenis to bo a doctrine not defined or understood , but is intended to acquaint us with mediums or beings which are not cognizable by the senses . Yet physical spirit is immensely cognizable to the senses ; ancl least of any term should be used to represent invisibility or insensible contact . " Let us be honest , and use tlie term wind , or air , which is the true rendering of the word spirit , as it receives its derivation from Greek aud Hebrew , and instead of using the terms of spirit rappings ancl

spirit mediums , wo will use the correct rendering , ancl say wind rapping and windy mediums ; because in doing so we shall betray the absurdity of using the term ' spirit' in any such applications . " Now how does this term ' wind' apply to scriptural phraseology ? fu the Athanasiau creed wo are said to worship one God—tho Godhead of tho Father , of the Son , and of the Holy Ghost . Rendering this honestly , it signifies tho Godhead of the First Cause , and that of causalityand that of the holy wind or the holy air ; for certainl

, y any other rendering is a mysticism . The Holy Spirit ( from Spirit im Suinct-m ) is nothing more nor less than the sanctified wind ; and all the sacerclotes that ever licked and kissed Peter ' s great too never could make anything else of it . That ivhich comes to their rescue is not air , but Paraclelas the Comforter . We must , then , be honest , ancl say that the comforting wind is the third person of Divinity . I like the comforting wind ( sic . But of course that which is analogous to the comforting

J wind is what is meant ; and that may easily be conceived to be a comforting inlluence , a comforting vitality , that shall be benign and harmonious with First Principles—a glory grateful in reception and expression . The Spirilus Sanclns Paracletm , then , is tbe Comforting Holy AVind , which we yet hope to realize , and which would be better expressed in the words , the Comforting Purity of Divine Vitality . The word sanctity ( sanciitas ) is certainly uprightness , inviolability , honesty , good ,

Literature. Reviews.

chastity , purity ; and I would prefer using either of these terms than the term 'holy , ' simply because it is better defined , ancl partakes less of conventionality . Turning from this theological subject we take up the book at Chapter LI ., ivhich is headed "Temporary Triumph of the Good ami Glorious in 1790 . " But it is necessary to begin at the conclusion of Chapter L . to trace sonic of the author ' s views of " the good ancl glorious , " and although the extract may be long , we prefer inserting the whole of it rather than offer our own summary of its contents . He says : —

" AVhat glorious examples have we in some of the great struggles of the neighbouring country , Franco . How simultaneously once tho spirit of the generous and tho true entered every man's breast in 1790 , notwithstanding the devastations the demons of poiver—in rank high and low—made upon that holy attempt . " Notwithstanding the slurs that our pseudo-zealots heap upon that revolution , the fraternity of sentiment that followed the . struggles of nature in easting off tho selfish rule that existed prior , is a grancl

illustration of tho fact that selfishness alone severs man from man . Remove this , ancl generous true love enters the breast , and all creation is but a bond of love and union . " What struggles did that enterprising people make to conquer within themselves tho prevailing nature of humanity , i . c , self . How did they succeed for a short time from tho highest to the lowest , not in the least exempting the king himself , poor Louis XVI ., who deserved a better fate . Hetoo all for the Constitution . Such lorious

speci-, , gave up g mens of national patriotism , of self-sacrifice for national good , were never witnessed before . It was as if the spirit of tho Holy One went forth to make perfect the earth . A fearless love of the just entered the breasts of the whole nation , Paris aud provinces . A standard was raised of what was right at that clay . Tho wrong was made to crumble before it . Oh , glorious doings , so well commenced I The prison of torture—the Bastile—first fell , and no longer could conceal the innocent victims who were rotting in its dunghill dungeons . Along with this fell

the leltres de cachet whichpeopled its awful walls ; the facile instruments of undeserved severity aud cruelty , which the priests and courtiers so frightfully abused . "This fell , and the bishops' Pharisaic ascendency tottered to the ground . Monasteries yielded up their victims , tithes abolished , state religion became less corrupt ; truer adherents there were in motive and practice . Hereditary nobility abolished , June 19 th , 1790 . Thus fell hereditary rights—the opponent of the distribution of wealththe

, enemy of progress , and the stultifier of the mind . Too good a law for the sin of the day . Also fell rotten representation : universal suffrage was then proclaimed . Thus , then , corrupted laws also staggered ancl fell . The whole nation was a glorious confederation on the 11 th July , 1790 . All opposing interests aud people became one nation , united as brethren . Divisions of class , party , and religion were forgotten . Man again finds God , though calls Him Nature . Ho embraces his country ,

then he embraces humanity , ivith his whole heart , which compasses the whole world—not too large an area for the magnitude of their good hopes and intentions . Certainly the unselfish spirit pervaded the whole of the French on that day ; their love extended to all mankind . " I commenced this work by showing that the minds ol all beings in the universe arc governed bylaws immutable , yet ever adapted to human mutations . In the undertakings of the French in 1790 we havo a remarkable instance of this . The mind of the French nation then

responded spontaneously to the governing influences of the universal law . It was not a partial movement , neither in object nor placo : it was not confined to class nor locality . The people had received a grand elementary influence , impelling them to action . The influx was pure , immutable , originating in the Divine governing law . Hence we can account for their pure love of justice , in whomsoever and in whatsoever justice was required ; for their love of each other extended their fraternization to all the world , hepiug to extend the helping hand to all

suffering nature fettered by corrupt governments , which stamped the face of the whole world . But , angais tit herba , how soon were their hopes dissipated ! how soon thoy experienced the mutability of man . ' how unprepared were they really to receive tho Divine impress—to bo governed by Divine laws ! While , perhaps , the French people were the most adapted to attempt the redemption of human legislation , because of the prompt energy with which they answered to the Divine dictate , and because of their of characterwhich rendered them

instrupeculiar idiosyncraey , ments , for a short " time , of spiritual influx ; yet they relied so much upon human wisdom , that they forgot the Divine ; and , while they destroyed , they could not always build up a better superstructure . Having destroyed the Bastilo , they had not subjected the evils of thoir nature to the " custody of incorruptible power . Having destroyed tho tithes and the accumulated corruptions of the Church , they forgot that , like that Church , thoy themselves were liable to similar corruption , to

unless upheld and withhold by a power superior humanity . They occasionally forgot to know from whence the spirit that actuated them hacl sprung ; whence originated the holy sentiment that swelled their hearts and enlightened their minds , to soe and act upon what was right aucl good . They omitted to recollect that human mutability was not to be depended upon ; that power lies in the spiritual mind , not in the body without the mind . Mind is tbe Primum Mobile . The ethereal is the potential in matter even ; instance steam , the gases , ancl electricity ;