The Monthly Observer, Dece.nber 1, 155).1 TO THE READER. THE Editors of this Journal take the present occasion-the completion of their Fourth Volume-to make their special and grateful acknowledgments for the aid afforded them by their many kind contributors. Besides other unmistakeable proofs, the evidence which the Publishers can show, leave no reason to doubt that, in both spirit and matter, "The Observer" has given general satisfaction to its readers during the four years of its existence. And for this, while they gladly acknowledge their indebtedness to their varied correspondents, the Editors are not unconscious of the prudence and judgment which are necessary in the successful superintendence of a publication whose existence depends, like that of this Journal, on its own intrinsic value. As these pages are at the command of no religious body or party exclusively; as their Conductors humbly and firmly seek only to be at the service of the Truth, and to direct it especially in behalf of the NEW CHURCH, in the best sense; the avoidance of offence to individuals is occasionally impossible. But notwithstanding the difficulties arising from the course thus aimed at, a successful past bids the expression of congratulations for the present, and prompts hope and encouragement for the labours of the future. The eventful year of 1860 will be prominent in the history of the Church, as in that of Europe generally. The religious orga. nization denominated the "New Jerusalem;" some of the institutions closely allied to it; and even the long-cherished persuasions of a large number of its members themselves, have, during the last twelvemonths, been subjected to most severe and unexpected trials, and perhaps from the most unexpected source. The The Monthly Observer, December 1, 1960, iv TO THE READER. Church has needed the shock it has received. When Heaven seeks to cleanse the Church of its imperfections, and to remove the confusion which has been allowed to enter it, its members are often wroth at the instruments that Providence employs to purify and ultimately bless His people. That ought not to be. And for this reason: "The Observer" has been hitherto comparatively silent on the extraordinary events still in the course of enactment; yet the Editors are neither unmindful of, nor insensible to, the true welfare of the Church and its institutions. They are fully confident that, in due time, if not now, their readers will approve of the present restraint the Editors have placed upon themselves, and also of what they have to say when the time arrives for them to speak out. There need be no fear for the safety of the Lord's Church; individual regeneration will be, it is believed, facilitated and more cultivated in and out of the New Church organization, in consequence of the apparently mischievous influences now at work; and the pages of this Journal will in future manifest at least as much zeal and energy as hitherto, in helping to propagate the promised blessings of the New Dispensation. tate. A SKETCH, FROM MEMORY, OF THE LATE DESIRING to record our recollections of the late Rev. Samuel Noble, at the very threshhold of our task a difficulty is encountered, and we hesiAs memory recalls him to view, the feature that prominently commands attention is his powerful intellect ;-but we cannot grasp it. On searching our vocabulary we cannot find words that reflect our own thought respecting it ;-how then can we describe it? To our apprehensions it transcended the faculties of all who were associated with him. It was so truly masculine and vigorous, so profound, yet comprehensive! It had a wondrous power of seizing upon central principles, and of disentangling them from extraneous ideas. His natural endowments were carefully improved by culture; but here again we are at a loss. We do not understand the intellectual training by which a fine mind is disciplined for noble exercises;-how can we speak of it? He had, we think, an eminently logical mind, that took in all sequences of cause and effect. He possessed a wide range of secular knowledge. Of few subjects of either science or literature was he entirely ignorant, while on many he had extensive information, especially in all departments that were in any way related to his Biblical and theological pursuits. All his mental stores, too, were well digested and arranged, and he knew in what compartment of memory's cabinet to look for any -one of its treasures. From his youth he had been a diligent reader of the Scriptures, and from early manhood an earnest student of their interior verities, as dis NO. XXXVII.-VOL. IV. 1 closed in the Writings of the New Church. At a period of life when most young men are absorbed in worldly, if not in frivolous, pursuits, he applied himself to the acquisition of the great truths relating to the Divine Source of being on which all inferior truths depend. The mysteries of Redemption, and of the Incarnation, and Glorification, became the objects of his habitual and reverential study: and we cannot but think that it was from the completeness of his knowledge, and the clearness of his perceptions of these central truths,-from the fulness with which he realized the doctrine of the Sole and Supreme Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the perfect Glorification of His Humanity,—that he derived his singular perspicacity,—the eagle's glance, by which, from some intellectual promontory, he could detect all subterfuge, sophistry, and fallacy; track error through all its sinuosities and disguises, and expose it in the clear sunshine of truth. Mr. Noble's style of composition as a preacher resembled that of his intellect, in being manly and vigorous. It was plain and unadorned, though often rising to sublimity with the majesty of his theme. All he sought from it was the clear and full enunciation of the vital truths he laboured to impress on the hearts and understandings of his hearers; and he had a remarkable facility in rendering the profoundest subjects clearly apprehensible to ordinary minds. His sermons embraced a wide range of subjects. They were doctrinal, practical, critical, polemic, and expository. The Sabbath mornings were usually devoted to the elucidation of the Holy Word, either as to the letter or the spirit; the evenings were given to doctrinal and controversial lectures. So fully did all important doctrines become in turn the subjects of his expositions, that a regular attendant on his ministry, if an attentive listener, could scarcely fail to acquire, not only a clear apprehension of the principles of true religion, both doctrinal and practical; but also of the Scriptural authority from which they are derived; and of the arguments by which they may be defended. Most preachers, we believe, form the minds of their hearers into some resemblance of their own more striking qualities; and we have heard it asserted, by one who never saw Mr. Noble, that the members of his congregation might be recognized by a certain precision of thought, and soundness of mind. He rarely delivered single sermons, except on special occasions; they were usually in series, often in rather long ones. When commencing a course it was his practice, if the occasion called for it, to enter upon a critical examination of his text, correcting mistranslations, clearing up difficulties, and giving such historical, or other information, as might be necessary for the clear comprehension of that |