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accordance with the Word itself, and consequently their power, beyond all those of other sects, to regenerate mankind. The meeting was a very happy and profitable one, and the choir ably contributed to make it so by the performance of selections of sacred music. We may add that at a previous gathering of the singers and friends, their leader, Mr. Lenton, was presented with a photographic group of the members of the choir as a mark of their esteem, Mr. Harrison kindly singing a few of his choicest pieces. The great drawback with the Society at present seems to be the very inconvenient situation of their place of worship, but all the members seem so united, and the confidence between them and their esteemed pastor is so great, that we may well look forward to improvement in this as in other respects.

the year that had passed away had been one of progress and development, and was calculated to encourage and stimulate the efforts of the members and friends interested in the cause. The Church itself, he said, did not progress so fast as he could wish, but that he supposed was a work of time and of education. The debt upon the building had been reduced from £953 in December 1874, to £300 in December 1875, mainly through the pleasing results of the bazaar at Easter, which had proved a brilliant success. In speaking of the day schools he thought he might dismiss that part of his address by stating that he was perfectly content to let facts speak for themselves. Since Christmas nearly 100 new scholars had been admitted into the school, making a total upon the books at the present time of over 800 children. This bore substantial testimony to the high WIGAN. On Tuesday evening, position of the school as an educational January 11th, the teachers and scholars institution, and was proof of the soundof the day schools assembled together ness of their teaching. He afterwards for the purpose of presenting to their spoke of the Sunday school, and conhead master and mistress, on the cluded by distributing prizes of books occasion of their marriage, a splendid to a number of Sunday school scholars timepiece as a token of their respect who had merited them by regular and of the high estimation in which attendance and good conduct during they were held. Mr. G. Meek, Wigan, the past year. A musical entertainpresided, and after a few preliminary remarks, called upon two of the scholars, who, on behalf of the teachers and scholars, presented Mr. and Mrs. Johnson with the timepiece, which bore the following inscription :"Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, on the occasion of their marriage, by the teachers and scholars of the New Jerusalem British Schools, Wigan. January 11th, 1876." Mr. Johnson very suitably acknowledged the gift on behalf of himself and Mrs. Johnson. The children rendered several songs during the evening, and a vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings.

On Monday evening, February 7th, the annual congregational tea party was held, when about 120 persons met together to enjoy the social beverage. After tea the chair was taken by Mr. John Johnson, who, in the name of the committee of the church, welcomed every one to the annual gathering. He then proceeded at length to review the position of the various branches of the Church, and said that taken altogether

ment was then very efficiently gone through by the Church choir, assisted by Miss Rogers, and Messrs. W. Davies and J. Cotterill, Mr. William Mason presiding at the pianoforte. During the evening Mr. Elijah Walmsley, in a brief but earnest address, presented to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, on behalf of the members and friends of the Church, a very beautiful Davenport writing table, in walnut, on the occasion of their marriage.

Mr. Richard Middlehurst also presented to Mrs. Johnson on behalf of the scholars in her Sunday school class an ornamental tea chest.-Mr. Johnson returned thanks, and expressed the gratitude of himself and his wife for the very beautiful tokens of their esteem and good-will.-The Rev. P. Ramage, of Kersley, also delivered a very able and interesting address, and a very pleasant evening was brought to a close shortly after half-past ten.-On Tuesday evening the Sunday school scholars and their friends had their annual party. The customary enjoyments were gone through, and a very agreeable evening was spent.

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At Bury, on the 18th of January, Mrs. Dinah Tomlinson, aged 60 years. At various periods of her life she attended regularly New Church worship in Blackburn, Accrington, Heywood, Bury, and Bacup. She was a pattern of meekness, gentleness, patience, and love. Those who knew her can have no doubt that she has gone to "the rest that remaineth."

Departed this life at her residence, Newcastle-on-Tyne, on Feb. 1, Mrs Hannah Lynn, aged 76. Our departed friend became sincerely devoted to the Christian life in her early days, and sought earnestly to carry out and adorn the same in all the relative duties she was called to fulfil. For nearly 50 years she was a distinguished member of the Wesleyan Methodist Society, and for a long time a class leader. About 15 years since she was led by reading the tract, "The True Object of Christian Worship," to attend the services of the New Jerusalem Church in Percy Street in this town, and to read and receive the Heavenly Doctrines. She rejoiced in the light of the new and beautiful truths she had thus found, and to the end proved a zealous and consistent member of the New Church. At her request she was baptized into the faith and life of the New Dispensation on Whitsunday 1864, by the Rev. W. Ray. Being a constant reader of New Church theology she surpassed many in intelligent perception, to which she carefully united love and practice. As the earthly house of her tabernacle declined, her comfort and support in the Divine presence increased.

Two days before her decease she joined her family in receiving the Holy Supper, when she said, "What could I have done now without the light of the New Church!" Her end was eminently peaceful. The many promises made in the Word to the truly regenerate Christian were to her fresh and precious. Thus she died as she had lived, rejoicing in having conjunction with the Lord, and association with angelic and heavenly influences. On Sunday evening, Feb. 13, her removal was improved by a funeral discourse delivered by Rev. W. Ray, from John xi. 26, to a deeply attentive congregation.

At Heywood, on the 5th of February, Mrs. Sarah Dawson, aged 33 years. The deceased was for some time the teacher of the Girl's School at Heywood, and was esteemed for the upright discharge of the duties of this important office. Her marriage separated her from the school, and she has with constant affection discharged her duties as wife and mother. Her departure was by consumption, which confined her to her room and to bed only a few weeks. A few days before her removal she said to a friend with whom she was conversing, "I am astonished at the calm with which I look at my departure. I seem to have no choice between going and staying. When I think of my children I sometimes fear it is wrong to be thus calm." The experience of our departed sister is that of many others of the children of God, and will doubtless continue to be so. Her friend could only repeat to her the consolatory assurance of our Heavenly Father, "Leave thy motherless children to me, I will preserve them alive." Her departure is a bereavement to her husband, and leaves a blank in her family, but will doubtless be a gain to herself. Her love of others and her quiet and unobtrusive attention to the duties she was called to fulfil, afford abundant assurance that she will find a place of useful and happy existence in her Heavenly Father's Kingdom.

ERRATUM.-In last No., page 57, line 4 from the bottom, for compassion read composition.

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THE CORRESPONDENCE OF LEAVEN.-WHAT IS
MEANT BY LEAVENING THE WHOLE LUMP.

BY THE REV. J. F. POTTS, B.A.

“Another parable spake He unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."-MATT. xiii. 33.

LEAVEN is putrid dough left over from a former baking. Its use is to set up the process of fermentation in fresh dough, and for this purpose its use is very ancient. The process of fermentation consists in a separation or breaking up of the substances acted upon, whereby the impure portions of the food are purged away. This effect is seen to the best advantage in the making of wine and other spirituous liquors. By means of fermentation a thick, muddy liquid is converted into a clear and sparkling one, all the dregs being thrown down during the process. Scientific men are not able to tell us how these effects are produced by means of the introduction of leaven. All that we know is that a very small portion of this substance is capable of causing a very active commotion, and that the result is the decomposition of some of the original substances in the meal or liquor, the formation of new ones of two kinds, and the separation or elimination of the bad from the good. In the case of wine, it is the sugar which is acted upon by the process of fermentation. For the sugar thus passes through

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wonderful changes, being itself converted into alcohol and carbonic acid, and having all its impurities discharged. In the case of dough, it is also the sugar of the meal that is acted upon, which is also converted into alcohol and carbonic acid. But the alcohol is dissipated by the heat of the oven, and the carbonic acid gas remains spread through the substance of the dough in the form of bubbles. Thus the results of fermentation in the case of wine and of bread are opposite. In wine the pure spirit is retained, and the poisonous carbonic acid is thrown off. But in bread the poisonous gas is retained, and the pure spirit is dissipated.

Hence we can see why it was that the sons of Israel were so strictly forbidden to use leavened bread in their acts of worship. Concerning this prohibition we thus read respecting the passover in Exodus"Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened;" (it is repeated) "in all your habitations ye shall eat unleavened bread" (xii. 19, 20). Again, in Leviticus-"No meat-offering which ye shall bring unto Jehovah shall be made with leaven" (ii. 11). And the same in many other places.

The leavened bread which the Israelites were thus forbidden to use was not, however, the same as the bread we use. Our bread is not, strictly speaking, leavened bread. It is fermented, but the fermentation is not produced by a piece of old putrid dough, nor by any putrid substance whatever. Yeast is a fermenting, but not a rotting, substance.

Leaven corresponds to the falsity of evil. Hence the Lord told His disciples to "take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." And it is afterwards said, that "then understood they how that He bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matt. xvi. 6, 12). Now the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees was the falsity of evil. Falsity is the product of spiritual rottenness. Flour and dough correspond to truth, because bread is made out of them. Good is produced from truth in a corresponding way, namely, by the application to truth of the fire of love. But when love is not applied to truth, then truth becomes like old dough, which goes bad, and is converted into poison and putridity. Hence it is that leaven, which is old putrid dough, corresponds to what is opposite to sound meal. It

corresponds not to the truth which leads to good, but to the falsity which is bred from evil.

For this reason the Apostle also made use of leaven as a representative to describe the destructive effect of the introduction into the church of a little evil and falsity. "Your glorying is not good," said he to the backsliding Corinthians; "know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened" (1 Cor. v. 6, 7). And he said the same thing to the Galatians, who, although converted to the new church of that day, were still hankering after the old leaven of circumcision and the deeds of the Jewish law. "Stand fast, therefore," exclaimed he to these half-and-half Christians; "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. . . . Whosoever of you are justified by the law, Christ is become of no effect to you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (Gal. v. 1-9).

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Such being the infernal character of that which is represented by leaven, how is it that, in the text, the kingdom of heaven seems to be compared to it? We have seen that both the Lord and the Apostle selected this putrifying substance to represent the most hateful things. "The leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (Luke xii. 1). "The leaven of Herod" (Mark viii. 15). "The old leaven, the leaven of malice and wickedness" (1 Cor. v. 8). How can a substance in itself so revolting, and in every case where it is mentioned by the Lord and His Apostle so strongly associated with hell, be apparently used as a comparison for the kingdom of heaven? The answer to this question involves us in the consideration of one of the most interesting and beautiful operations of the Divine Providence.

But let us consider the process described in the text. In the first place it is to be noticed that it is not the process of making bread. The woman was not making bread, she was hiding the leaven among her flour. She did not expect to find all her flour leavened, because that would have betrayed the presence of the leaven, which it was her object to conceal. But, before she was aware, the subtle process had completed itself, and all her flour was leavened. In that state it would not be fit to eat, but it would form a powerful representative which the Lord could make use of to describe the production of His kingdom.

We have already seen that meal or flour corresponds to the truth which leads to good. "Three " denotes what is complete. “Three

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